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The Commitment of Traders report is a weekly publication that shows the aggregate holdings of different participants in the US futures markets. The reports are compiled and published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The COT data details how many long, short, and spread positions make up each futures markets open interest.

Open interest is the total number of open long and short positions in a futures market. Traders, investors, and analysts look to the weekly COT report for clues about producer, consumer, investor, and speculators' risk positions in the futures markets. The information can reveal a picture about a markets dynamics and help analysts understand price moves and volatility.

The COT report comes out each Friday afternoon. In a world where technology makes information immediately accessible, the CFTCs report is well behind the times. The COT is as stale as week-old bread when released each Friday.

While the weekly COT data comes out on Friday afternoon, the CFTC website highlights the COT reports provide a breakdown of each Tuesdays open interest for futures and options on futures markets in which 20 or more traders hold positions equal to or above reporting levels established by the CFTC.

The data is delayed by three business days. In the fast-moving futures arena, three days can be a lifetime as prices, risk positions, and open interest can experience dramatic changes from Tuesday to Friday each week. While many market participants continue to look at the COT data, it only provides a picture of positions that may have undergone significant changes by the release date.

The 2022 budget request for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was $394 million. The request was for a $28 million increase of 9.2% from 2021.

While salaries and employment costs account for the lions share of the budget, technology is another area where the CFTC expends the annual budget. The financial institutions and exchanges regulated by the agency spend hundreds of millions each year to keep up with the latest technology. The CFTC must keep up with the rest of the market to be an effective and efficient regulator.

In 2020, CFTC enforcement actions totaled over $1.3 billion in fines and total monetary relief, the third consecutive year of year-over-year increases and the second year of over $1 billion in receipts. The bottom line is the CFTC is a self-funding agency that is a revenue center for the US government.

Moreover, the CFTCs mission statement is to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrance of the US derivatives markets through sound regulation. One of its Core Values is clarity, Providing transparency to market participants about our rules and processes. While the COT data is an area where the agency provides transparent data, the delay from Tuesday to Friday makes the transparency less than efficient.

In a world where technology has made communication possible in nanoseconds, and vast amounts of data can flow worldwide in real time, there's no reason for any delay in the COT data. Moreover, technology makes it possible to allow for a real-time metric in COT data delayed only by the amount of time it takes the futures exchanges computers to transmit the data to the regulator.

According to its website, the COT data had not changed since early 2007, fifteen years ago, when the agency concluded a comprehensive review of the COT Reporting program that led to a supplemental COT report that was first released on Jan. 5, 2007.

For US regulators, transparency is a core mission. Technological advances only improve the potential for efficient, effective, and timely market data release.

The CFTC should request for an increase in its budget, with the funds earmarked for a program to make the commitment of trader data a real-time metric. After all, the agency is a profit center for the US government.

Real-time COT data would improve transparency for all market participants. Moreover, it would enhance the regulators ability to notice and address issues through its enforcement division.

Technology has brought incredible advances to our world. Fintech is the next step, and the US CFTC was the first agency to regulate cryptocurrencies, the assets that embody the evolution of the fintech revolution. The regulator needs to realize that, in its current form, the COT data is useless and a relic that made sense last century but does not in the fast-moving contemporary world. If the agency can regulate high-frequency trading and cope with the growing volumes in the futures arena over the past years, it can undoubtedly improve the COT reports, which will increase transparency in the markets it oversees.

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The CFTC Needs To Embrace Technology And Improve COT Data - Seeking Alpha

Silicon Valley Power is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving the environment, and supporting energy efficient technologies. As a part of our efforts, we upgraded Santa Clara Unified School Districts Adult Education cooking classroom with induction cooktops so that students can experience cooking on this new technology. Induction cooktops are faster and more efficient than cooking with a gas or traditional electric stove. They only heat the cookware, not the surrounding area, and there is no exposed flame, so theyre safer too.

If you want to learn more about induction cooktops and try cooking with the technology yourself, were sponsoring cooking classes throughout the year through Santa Clara Adult Education. Silicon Valley Power customers can register using our discount code Induction to receive $50 off the regular cost of the class. Not only will you be able to test the technology, but youll also have fun learning how to cook new dishes to add to your recipe collection.

We will be offering up to twelve classes through this series, and space is limited so that all attendees have an opportunity for a hands-on experience. Residents may only register for one class through this series so that others may have an opportunity to test the induction cooktops. The first class will be held on February 10, 2022 and will teach participants how to make plant-based and gluten free winter soups.

For more information and to register for a class, please visit SantaClaraAdultEd.org/Class. For questions, please call Santa Clara Adult Education at (408) 423-3500.

Original post:

Learn How to Cook with Induction Technology! | City News - City of Santa Clara

Canas molecular beverage printer will produce a variety of beverages, from juice and coffee to cocktails and energy drinks while saving the average American family over 100 containers per month

Based on advances in liquid dispense technologies and flavor chemistry, Cana aims to fix our antiquated supply chain with molecular printers for all consumable products, beginning with beverages, accelerating a transition to decentralized manufacturing

Founded by The Production Board, Cana aims to double its team in 2022 and expand an exceptional founding group that includes Nike, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Google, Apple and food tech alumni

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., January 24, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After three years of research and development, Cana Technology is coming out of stealth with the worlds first countertop molecular beverage printer to give people any beverage, anytime, with ultra-low waste.

Cana is helping accelerate decentralized manufacturing by eliminating the supply chain inefficiencies of centralized systems born of the Industrial Revolutions. The companys molecular beverage printer prototype is the first step in building a technology platform to create all household consumables at the point of consumption, with minimal environmental impact. Based on advances in liquid dispense technologies and flavor chemistry, Canas goal is to eliminate the need for bottling, packaging, shipping and other manufacturing waste.

About the size of a toaster oven, Canas molecular beverage printer produces thousands of beverages from juice to coffee to hard seltzers to cocktails. Canas prototype also enables infinite sophisticated variations, such as high-vitamin post-workout recovery drinks, low-alcohol mimosas or low-sugar iced teas. From sugar and alcohol levels to portion size and vitamins, consumers can customize their beverage their way.

The $2 trillion global beverage industry uses hundreds of trillions of liters of water, emits 543 million metric tons of CO2, and fuels the global trash crisis with more than 400 billion single-use plastic containers every year. While most beverages are 90%+ water and <2% of the volume of a beverage contains all the compounds that differentiate that beverage, Canas technology can, by reducing the number of compounds needed to make a beverage, ship them direct to the home, and enable infinite beverage printing options.

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"The food and beverage industry needs to be reimagined so that the world can escape carbon-intensive, trash-generating, 20th century centralized systems of production," said Cana CEO Matt Mahar, who previously led teams for Vivint Smart Home and Nike. "Our vision at Cana is to make the global beverage industry sustainable with molecular printers in every home, so people can get any drink they want, anytime they want without torching the planet."

Cana plans to double its headcount in 2022 as it ramps towards commercial launch. The company is actively recruiting additional team members across hardware engineering, software engineering, embedded software, creative development, and operations. To join, click here.

Science in Every Sip

Canas team spent years studying what we drink at the molecular level, commercializing breakthrough research in flavor chemistry.

Cana scientists identified and isolated the specific trace compounds that drive flavor and aroma for thousands of unique commercially available beverages. They created the world's first universal beverage ingredient set, which enables the recreation of thousands of different drinks using a simplified set of ingredients that can be printed out of a long-lasting ingredient cartridge.

Cana hardware engineers designed, tested, and have now demonstrated a novel microfluidic liquid dispense technology that can affordably, quickly, and accurately combine Canas individual flavoring ingredients in a small form factor, delivering a cheaper, tastier beverage than the commercially available bottled options.

Printing all canned, bottled, and plastic beverages consumed at home would save the typical American family over 100 containers per month and, at scale, could reduce the use of plastic and glass containers, water waste, and the CO2 emissions of global beverage manufacturing by more than 80%.

At scale, Cana could eradicate the need for plastic, aluminum, glass and other waste from at-home beverage containers. In addition, Cana would eliminate the need to buy, store, dispose of, and recycle cans, containers, bottles, and tetra packs in your home.

"We cant keep shipping heavy bottles of water around the world its ridiculous. And we cant keep nagging people to reduce, reuse and recycle," said Bharat Vasan, Canas Chairman of the Board. "We need a better system a lifestyle upgrade that offers consumers a better product, saves money and also happens to shrink our environmental footprint."

The first-of-its-kind molecular beverage printing prototype system is now operating at Canas headquarters in Redwood City. Cana will share more product details in the coming months.

Reimagine Earth

Cana is a foundry business of The Production Board (TPB), a holding company established to solve the most fundamental problems that affect our planet. TPB, which has invested over $30 million in Cana to demonstrate and deliver key scientific and technical milestones, is reimagining global production systems across food, agriculture, biomanufacturing, human health and the broader life sciences.

Founded by Dave Friedberg, TPB conducts deep scientific and technical research to identify emerging and meaningful discoveries and determine whether they have transformational commercial applications. The permanent holding company builds highly disruptive, radically transformative businesses from scratch by conducting deep research in breakthrough science and engineering discoveries, with a long-term investment and business building horizon.

TPB actively partners with mission-aligned business leaders, providing them with the capital, infrastructure, and market insights needed to deliver at least a 10x improvement in conventional systems' cost, energy, time, or carbon footprint. Last year, TPB announced a $300 million investment from leading financial and strategic institutions to deliver on its mission to "Reimagine Earth."

About Cana (www.cana.com):

Cana is the worlds first molecular beverage printing business with a mission to change the way the world produces and consumes. Cana uses novel science and engineering to solve some of the worlds most complex food and beverage industry issues. Cana is based in Redwood City, CA, and is funded by The Production Board.

About The Production Board (www.tpb.co):

Founded by Dave Friedberg, The Production Board (TPB) is a holding company established to solve the most fundamental problems that affect our planet by reimagining global systems of production across food, agriculture, biomanufacturing, human health, and the broader life sciences. TPB builds new businesses from scratch based on emerging scientific discoveries, partners with exceptional talent, and provides them with the capital, infrastructure, and market insights needed to deliver at least a 10x improvement in the cost, energy, time, or carbon footprint of conventional systems. TPB is backed by leading strategic and financial investors, including Alphabet, Allen & Company LLC, Cascade, Emerson Collective, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Baillie Gifford, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Foxhaven Asset Management, and Arrowmark Partners. Learn more about our work at http://www.tpb.co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220124005030/en/

Contacts

VSC on behalf of CanaNatalie Bartelscana@vsc.co

Originally posted here:

Cana Technology Emerges From Stealth With Worlds First Molecular Beverage Printer, Serving Thousands of Beverages With a Tiny Environmental Footprint...

NORTHPORT, NY Two Northport High School students were recognized by the Northport-East Northport Board of Education earlier this month for their work in science and technology, the school district announced via news release.

Senior Esther Loring was honored as the school's Rotary Student of the Month in science. District Chairperson of Science, Technology & Engineering David Storch described Esther as "one of the most dedicated and passionate science students our department has had the pleasure to work with as defined by her maturity, powerful intellect, love of learning, and her numerous contributions to our STEM programs."

Esther is a STEM Scholar and a National Merit Commended Student, earning high marks in honors science and AP chemistry, participating in four years of advanced scientific research and is currently working toward the completion of a two-year sequence in IB Physics. She has also been an active participant in the SPARK Crystallography Group at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) since 10th grade.

Fellow senior Justin Marques was recognized as Rotary Student of the Month for technology. Storch described him as a "bright and self-motivated young man with an outstanding sense of humility and integrity."

Marques has taken woodworking and automotive technology courses and achieved mastery in all of them.

"Justin is a student that strives for excellence in everything he sets out to do," woodworking technology teacher Greg Robinson said. "His work is always exceptional and he never hesitates to help classmates who need assistance."

Both students received awards during the meeting for their hard work and achievements.

Here is the original post:

Northport HS Recognizes Science, Technology Students Of The Month - Patch.com

Financial firms need to take more cues from Silicon Valley, says Charles Schwab Corp. Chief Executive Officer Walt Bettinger.

Consumers want their banks and brokerages to offer technology with the same level of personalization they get from ride-hailing and food-delivery apps, Bettinger said in a wide-ranging interview after Schwab reported fourth-quarter results last week.

The expectations for clients of the experience they have at their financial-services company is formed by the experiences they have at Uber, DoorDash or Amazon, Bettinger said.

Schwab, a 50-year-old firm with more than $8 trillion of client assets, upended the brokerage industry by eliminating commissions and announcing the $26 billion acquisition of rival TD Ameritrade just months before the pandemic turbocharged trading by individual investors.

Bettinger, 61, discussed the difficulties of stitching together two big companies during an era of remote work, Schwabs relocation to Westlake from San Francisco and what it will take for the firm to offer direct crypto trading, among other topics.

The interview has been edited and condensed.

Were just dealing with overall trends that the pandemic probably accelerated. The willingness of clients to engage in multiple ways, as opposed to simply in person, is something the pandemic has pushed along. Client expectations are being formed by their experiences outside of financial services. Theyre comparing financial-services firms to Amazon or Uber, and theyre looking for those types of experiences.

Trust is still often best built with an organization or with a person via live interactions. But once that trust is built, clients are much more interested and open to doing that in a virtual manner. Weve been growing so fast, adding over 3 million new households last year alone. Were in a mode of hiring people, but the clients are open to engaging and interacting in different ways than they might in the past.

Inevitably we go through periods in which trading spikes. You arrive at a new normal, and that new normal tends to be higher than it was before. Thats really where we are today in a range thats probably about normal for a market that isnt either plowing forward to record levels on a consistent basis or a dramatic bear market.

Its important keep in mind that these volumes are multiples of what they what they were when we acquired TD Ameritrade. Were dealing with two times where we thought wed be at five years post-acquisition.

Were doing the largest integration in the history of the investment-services industry in the middle of the pandemic. That makes communication more difficult. It makes building relationships infinitely more difficult. Were on track for our timing, which is scheduled primarily for the second half of 2023.

TD Ameritrade has some world-class platforms. Thinkorswim is a wonderful trading platform. But whats different is the scale of making Thinkorswim available to Schwab, with 33 million-plus clients.

Our average client in that younger population comes to us with $25,000 to invest. Were winning a different type of investor, with a meaningful amount of money for someone that age.

In this day and age, Im not 100% sure what the headquarters definition means. The vast majority of our people are working from home. Virtually any employee who wants to work remotely will be able to do so unless the position absolutely prevents that.

For a firm growing as rapidly as us, its probably less that we will shrink our footprint and more that we might not have to add as much despite our significant hiring.

Crypto is hard to ignore, right? Its fairly significant today. We have a lot of ways that clients today can invest in crypto. What we dont offer is direct trading. We would welcome the chance, if the opportunity presents itself from a regulatory standpoint. Theres a tremendous void in that space today for a firm like Schwab. The transaction costs in crypto trading are exceptionally high, the spreads are exceptionally high.

The next place were going, without a doubt in my mind, is personalization for every investor. Distributors with close relationships with the end-clients are going to be in a much stronger position. Rather than just being available for people who have millions of dollars, distributors like Schwab, with our size, we need to get that down to a much more modest asset level.

Annie Massa, Bloomberg

Read this article:

Heres what Schwabs CEO thinks about crypto and the post-pandemic next big thing - The Dallas Morning News

One of the next big shifts in patient care will be precision medicine will be"an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle for each person," as the Precision Medicine Initiative describes it.

For physicians and researchersthis means predicting more accurately which treatment and prevention strategies for a particular disease will work in particular groups of people.

This is completely different from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, in which treatment and prevention strategies are developed for the average person, with less consideration for the differences between individuals.

What does this mean for healthcare and health IT? A lot of new challenges. Because precision medicine and genomics generate massive volumes of varied and granular data, new approaches to data storage and exchangeand new designs for electronic health records,for example, may be required. Physician education and patient communication are two other areas that will demand attention

Some advanced healthcare provider organizations, such as large academic medical centers,are already well-advanced in their precision medicine efforts. But most providers are still early in the journey, if they're attempting it at all. But many are preparing today for what many think will be the next step in the evolution of healthcare.

This story, focused on precision medicine and other emerging technologies, is the sixth and final installment in Healthcare IT News' feature series, "Health IT Investment: The Next Five Years."

The series offers interviews with primarily CIOs to learn from them the path forward through the priorities they set with their investments in six categories: AI and machine learning; interoperability; telehealth, connected health and remote patient monitoring; cybersecurity; electronic health records and population health; and precision medicine and other emerging technologies. Click here to access all the features.

The six health IT leaders discussing their plans for the next five years in this sixth and final installment in the series include:

Precision medicine has been an organizational priority for UPMC for more than a decade, and it has an ambitious vision of using it to provide better, more personalized care and improved outcomes for patients.

"Through these efforts, we aim to create new insights into the drivers of health and disease to allow the discovery of innovative therapies and models of care, while also lowering the cost of care by avoiding diagnostic delays and therapeutic dead ends," said Kleinz of UPMC.

"As one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery and insurance organizations, UPMC has the scale, capabilities and ambition to lead the discovery, assessment and clinical deployment of impactful precision medicine approaches," he continued.

Dr. Matthias J. Kleinz, UPMC Enterprises

"Our efforts are led by the Institute for Precision Medicine, which was established in 2014 in collaboration with our academic research partner, the University of Pittsburgh."

The mission for the institute is to accelerate translational and clinical research in precision medicine and to deliver the most advanced prediction and treatment of disease, tailored to an individual's unique circumstances, history and condition.

"In this context, we have and will continue to make significant investments in established molecular and genomic tests [and]emerging proteomic, metabolomic, and microbiome assay technology, and drive the discovery of highly personalized precision therapeutic approaches, including cell, gene and regenerative medicines," Kleinz explained.

Investment in deployment and development of novel technologies is an important pillar inunlocking the value of precision medicine.

UPMC has made a number of significant initial investments in the following areas, Kleinz noted, and is continuing to evaluate new opportunities:

"UPMC's leadership strongly supports this vision and already has invested heavily in the implementation of precision medicine," he said. "The appropriate use of precision medicine approaches benefits first and foremost our patients, but also supports our providers as they deliver care across the UPMC system.

"The tangible benefits are streamlined clinical workflows, improved patient outcomes, and the potential to optimize resource allocation and reduce the long-term cost of care," he continued.

"We are dedicated to continuing the aggressive rollout of precision medicine, both through internal efforts and increasingly through creative partnerships with industry, such as our partnership with proteomics company Somalogic."

Sanford Health believes precision medicine will be the future of healthcare, so it continues to make significant investments in this space.

"Leveraging machine learning and high computational power to analyze data sets containing genetic, clinical and socioeconomic data will not only help design the best personalized treatment for our patients, but also will help identify those patients or patient populations that would benefit most from early screening and interventions to prevent disease," said Hocks of Sanford Health.

Matt Hocks, Sanford Health

"Precision medicine will allow us to concentrate our efforts on prevention and early screening, diagnosis, and care that will help keep our patients healthy and thriving for generations to come," he added. "Cancer care and chronic disease management are burdensome to patients, communities and health systems. Concentrating resources to prevent these conditions will benefit us all."

Mobile health is an area of health IT that has been emerging in recent years. The same with remote patient monitoring, which has especially gained ground during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia Hospital Center is on top of both.

"Virginia Hospital Center does not view itself as cutting-edge when it comes to technology," Mistretta said. "It considers itself more of a fast, early adopter of new technology it believes may provide an advantage to its patients.

"We are extremely patient-focused, so many of our investments moving forward are going to be in that realm," he continued. "We will be investing in hospital-at-home and remote patient monitoring features in depth, along with other patient engagement functions to empower our population and maintain low-touch care to minimize costs."

Mike Mistretta, Virginia Hospital Center

Mobility is in demand by patients, so connecting through web and app technologies will be a high priority, he added.

"We need to make care convenient for patients and provide care on their terms," he observed. "In our Northern Virginia/D.C. market, we hear about this frequently due to traffic and distance considerations."

Thus the development of pilot programs like the organization's OB Connect, where patients followed for maternity care are issued home equipment, post resultsand are able to skip the office if everything is within expected limits. Mistretta believes this kind of technology will permeate the market.

"These types of technologies will be required to sustain significant growth for health systems," he said. "Combined with the effective use of data to produce appropriate metrics, we should be able to pinpoint more specific markets and what treatments produce more effective outcomes.

"It also is the only way we will be able to meet the significant demands that will be placed on the care system with the shortage of nursing and primary care resources predicted to hit in the coming years," he added. "We simply will not be able to continue to experience the same results and levels of treatment enjoyed today as the population grows and ages without providing increased care outside the walls of our traditional organizational structures."

Leadership buy-in on a different approach will take some time, but with successes along the way (and supporting data to reinforce), healthcare organizations will be able to achieve what will be needed, he said.

Providence pledged to invest $50 million over five years in health equity. Here is a recap of how it invested in year one.

Elsewhere, Moore is concerned with the internet of things.

"The internet of things is it it's smart devices," he said. "We may give our patients smart devices that sit in our care delivery environments, and have the telemetry information, and go into our big data model. Because that's how we're really going to make these machine learning and artificial intelligence models shine.

B.J. Moore, Providence

"We in healthcare say big data, but until you're working with streams of data, it's not really big data, it's just large data warehouses," he continued. "So getting that remote care delivery data is important, like a temperature four times a day, or real-time streaming of oxygen or heart data."

Moore believes the IoT and the streams of data it can provide are things healthcare executives should be talking about more. "It's all about data volumes: The bigger the volume, the better," he said.

Regenstrief is in the process of developing tools and processes to identify bias in algorithms to improve health equity, said Grannis of Regenstrief Institute.

"As AI becomes more ubiquitous, researchers, clinicians, health systems, industry, government and others must be wary of unintended consequences," he stated. "Our research scientists are working on best practices as well as novel analytical tools to regularly monitor for bias in algorithms, a process Regenstrief and CEO Dr. Peter Emb have coined "algorithmovigilance."

"Over the next five years, Regenstrief will be working with individuals and organizations around the world to implement," he added.

Dr. Shaun Grannis, Regenstrief Institute

Regenstrief also is investing in the broader ecosystem required to sustain advanced AI and machine learning methods. In the same way that clinical decision-makers, including physicians and other care providers, undergo regular training updates and certification due to healthcare's evolving nature and potential for bias, advanced algorithms will need frequent updates and certification to minimize bias and or errors, Grannis said.

Frameworks for overseeing algorithms and analytics are nascent.Developing and evaluating approaches to accurately and efficiently monitor AI and machine learning will become increasingly important in the future of healthcare analytics, he added.

"We also are investing in patient ergonomics the application of human factors,engineering and psychology to the design and evaluation of patient-facing technology to enhance delivery of healthcare," he explained.

"Institute scientists are using user-centered design to create apps that help informal caregivers provide care for their loved ones with Alzheimer's and other chronic conditions. Other apps are exploring the benefits of specific diets and brain-stimulating games."

Babachicos of South Shore Health believes tools that assist patients with care navigation will allow for a more improved and directed patient experience.

"These tools combined with the next-generation call centers also known as patient access centers can be accessed 24/7 by patients looking for care options and direct patients to the right place at the right time for their care needs," she explained. "These patient access centers will use multichannel options such as text, voice and chat while allowing patients to perform many self-service functions, as well.

Cara Babachicos, South Shore Health

"These patient access centers might also be staffed by care navigators for a more human connection when necessary," she concluded. "The same centers could potentially deliver virtual visits/consults, as well as potentially manage patient medications and vitals for subscribed patients in the community."

Twitter:@SiwickiHealthITEmail the writer:bsiwicki@himss.orgHealthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

Read more from the original source:

CIOs' 5-year plans for precision medicine and emerging technologies - Healthcare IT News

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asure Software, Inc., (Nasdaq: ASUR), a leading provider of cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) software solutions, today announced a new partnership with Certegy, a leading provider of payment and risk management technology for retailers and financial institutions.

Connecting Asures 80,000+ Payroll and HR business customers with Certegys Positive Pay program enables these businesses to now offer their unbanked employees more options when cashing their paper checks. In turn, this increases our business customers ability to retain and recruit employees.

Certegy's Positive Pay program enables quick approval for checks on record while preventing fraud. The information provided by check issuers is used to validate checks upon presentment at 100,000+ retailers throughout the US. This validation process greatly reduces risk for check cashing retailers, which allows these retailers to assess a lower check-cashing fee to customers of enrolled companies.

Certegys Positive Pay program protects check issuers from fraud while offering consumers hassle-free access to funds through a fast, frictionless check cashing experience.

Asures business customers benefit by reducing payroll fraud while concurrently allowing their unbanked employees to conveniently cash checks with lower fees.

Adding this secure payment integration to our technology suite is yet another innovation that powers the growth of our business customers. In todays marketplace, companies need every edge to onboard workers. Offering employees the ability to cash their checks with lower fees at over 100,000 locations is a distinct competitive advantage that our customers can leverage to win more workers, said Pat Goepel, Chairman and CEO of Asure.

About Certegy

Certegy is a leading provider of payment and risk management technology for retailers and financial institutions across North America. Certegys technology allows businesses to expand their payment mix with ACH payments, leveraging proprietary authorization systems, algorithms, and risk assessment decision-making platform to provide low risk, low-cost transactions via mobile, web, and point-of-sale. For over 60 years, Certegy has managed risk by staying at the forefront of payment innovation, using sophisticated proprietary technologies to process, verify, and warranty ACH and check transactions for more than 4,000 retailers, corporations, and financial institutions at more than 100,000 retail locations. To learn more, visit http://www.certegy.com.

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About Asure Software

Asure (Nasdaq: ASUR) is a leading provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) software solutions. We help small and mid-sized companies grow by assisting them in building better teams with skills to stay compliant with ever-changing federal, state, and local tax jurisdictions and labor laws, and better allocate cash so they can spend their financial capital on growing their business rather than back-office overhead expenses. Asures Human Capital Management suite, named Asure HCM, includes cloud-based Payroll, Tax Services, and Time & Attendance software as well as human resources (HR) services ranging from HR projects to completely outsourcing payroll and HR staff. We also offer these products and services through our network of reseller partners. Visit us at asuresoftware.com.

Investor Relations Contact

Randal RudniskiVice President, Investor Relations, Financial Planning & Analysis512-859-3562randal.rudniski@asuresoftware.com

Read more:

Asures New Technology Integration With Certegy Helps Businesses Offer Secure, Convenient, and Lower-Fee Check Cashing for Unbanked Employees - Yahoo...

The key to success in Formula E lies in energy efficiency. By cutting down on energy losses, the teams can focus on putting more power down on the road, helping find faster lap times with the same battery capacity and range. Bosch's electronic vehicle management system, with hardware and software components, has been specifically developed to make the difference in Formula E.

In Formula E, it's often only minimal advantages that mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Within the battleground of the all-electric single-seater championship, multiple components - for example, the chassis, battery, and tires - are all standard components that every team on the grid must run.

As that limits the amount of development that the manufacturers can perform, the race teams focus specifically on honing the powertrain in the pursuit of building a decisive advantage over the competition. The biggest advantage in electric racing is an optimally tuned motor and powertrain system that can deliver the right power at the right time, and with better efficiency over the race to ensure that less energy-saving is required.

To find that advantage, this is where Bosch brings all its engineering knowledge, its 120 years of expertise in motorsport, and its know-how from series production into play. Bosch has developed a vehicle control unit called MS 50.4P.

The vehicle control unit (VCU) is the brain of the vehicle. Along with numerous sensors, it not only provides relevant analysis data but also controls the optimum balance between energy efficiency and lap time.

Throughout the course of an E-Prix, the VCU collects data from the tires, battery, and powertrain. After receiving the data, it is the VCU's job to identify the limiting performance factor from within the car - for example, parameters such as battery temperature or the powertrains energy consumption. With the ability to build the picture across the race weekend, the VCU then calculates the optimal racing tactics.

It not only recommends when the driver should focus on regenerating energy but also ensures maximum energy recovery rates through improving the coordination between the electric and hydraulic brakes. In addition, it adapts the power applied to the drivetrain to the specific racing conditions and optimizes feedback to the driver.

With the help of this technology, the vehicle's energy management is dynamically adjusted to achieve the fastest possible lap time given a predefined amount of energy. In an ideal world, this time gain can make the difference against a team's competitors in the highly-charged world of Formula E.

See the article here:

Think the race to the end - thanks to Bosch technology - Motorsport.com

The delayed 5G rollout [near airports] earlier this week made national headlines, and local experts are hoping to educate the public about why this is important for Oklahomans.

5G is a new technology that brings faster internet services and better connections.

AT&T and Verizon were planning to roll out this technology this past Wednesday but instead delayed it because of concern from the FAA that some of the signals from the 5G towers could cause interference.

"When you go to the airport, a lot of us go to WIFI and do our business and emails and so on," said OU-Tulsa professor Hazem Refai.

OU-Tulsa professor Dr. Hazem Refai said the biggest concern is that 5G would cause interference with the cockpit altitude controls of a plane.

Planes use a device called an altimeter to measure altitude based on the surrounding air pressure.

The 5G connection could disrupt the altimeter's functions, creating a dangerous situation for passengers.

"It becomes a safety issue," Refai said. "A big safety issue."

There are a number of new 5G towers in Tulsa, but Tulsa International Airport is not on the list of airports that could be affected.

We reached out to officials with the airport, and they say they haven't had any problems on their end but are aware of the situation.

Refai says he is just glad the airlines are taking the 5G interference threat seriously.

"I am relieved that at least were now breaking on and breaking the deployment around the airports.....looking into it more carefully to make sure that more interference could cause any catastrophic event around the airport," Refai said.

Refai says he hopes the delay will allow for more research to be done.

See original here:

How The New 5G Technology Could Affect Air Travel - News On 6

Visiongain has published a new report entitled the Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market Report 2022-2032. It includes profiles of Nasal Drug Delivery Technology and Forecasts Market Segment by Containers (Non-Pressurized Containers, Pressurized Containers) Market Segment by System, (Nasal Unidose Devices, Nasal Bi Dose Devices, Nasal Multi Dose Devices) Market Segment by Dosage Form, (Nasal Spray, Nasal Drops and Liquids, Nasal Gels, Nasal Powders, Other Dosage Form) Market Segment by End-User, (Hospitals, Home Health Care, Ambulatory Surgery Centre, Specialty Clinics, Vaccination Centres, Other End-User) Market Segment by Respiratory Diseases, (Allergic Rhinitis, Nasal Congestion, Asthma, Other Respiratory Diseases) Market Segment by Non-Respiratory Diseases, (Alzheimers, Cardiovascular, Neuropsychiatry Treatments, Other Non-Respiratory Diseases) PLUS COVID-19 Impact Analysis and Recovery Pattern Analysis (V-shaped, W-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped) Profiles of Leading Companies, Region and Country.

The global nasal drug delivery technology market was valued at US$48,087 million in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period 2022-2032.

Download Exclusive Sample of Report @ https://www.visiongain.com/report/nasal-drug-delivery-market-2022/#download_sampe_div

What are the current market drivers?

The Need for Generic Inhalation and Nasal Spray Drugs Is Increasing Owing to Rise in Geriatric population

Over the next several years, more inhalers and nasal sprays are anticipated to enter the generic market. Individuals are expected to gravitate toward more generic products as more patients are diagnosed with restrictive respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease, and overall health care remains expensive. The generic market forecast for prescription treatments for respiratory disorders is consistently encouraging, and the cheap cost of generic drugs provides significant potential for expansion in this lucrative business. In the coming years, there will be a surge in demand for these generic prescription drugs. The generic business as a whole has undergone tremendous expansion primarily due to patent expirations, which has opened new avenues for the generics versions. The inhalation and nasal medication spray markets, in particular, are expected to expand significantly.

Story continues

Growing Adoption of Nasal Spray Is Being Driven by The Development of Advanced Inhalation and Nasal Spray

The intranasal medication delivery method has provided potential possibilities for the administration of therapeutic drugs in recent decades. They are portable since they are battery-powered and do not require an external power source. Furthermore, dry powder inhalers spread medications in the form of dry particles. Nasal therapy is currently being used to treat chronic respiratory disorders such as COPD and asthma. Inhaled medicinal substances are commonly used to treat COPD, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses. Throughout COPD patients, dry powder nasal inhalers are used to maximize drug dispersion in the system while preventing toxicity.

How has COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market?

COVID-19 pandemic reported a positive impact on Nasal Drug Delivery market since many patients preferred undertaking their chronic respiratory disease drug therapy from home thereby propelling the uptake of inhalers from home rather than hospital set ups or OPDs. Also, there was increased uptake of nasal inhalers for treatment of asthma, migraine and other psychological diseases. The pandemic compelled the patients to adopt user friendly modes of drug administration such as nasal drug delivery. Many intranasal drugs were introduced as prophylaxis against COVID-19 including nasal sprays made of povidone-iodine, nitric oxide, ethyl lauroyl arginate hydrochloride and many others. In addition, several pharmaceutical companies ventured into development of vaccines through nasal drug delivery technology and few of them are presently in clinical development phase of which two are live attenuated including one from Codagenix and Serum Institute of India and MV-014-212 from Meissa Vaccines. Moreover, there are two non-replicating viral vectors vaccines including BBV154 from Bharat Biotech International and PIV5-vectored vaccine from CyanVac. There is also one NDV vectored inactivated vaccine from Laboratorio AVi-Mex.

How this Report Will Benefit you?

Visiongains 658+ page report provides 368 tables and 366 charts/graphs. Our new study is suitable for anyone requiring commercial, in-depth analyses for the global nasal drug delivery technology market, along with detailed segment analysis in the market. Our new study will help you evaluate the overall global and regional market for Nasal Drug Delivery Technology. Get the financial analysis of the overall market and different segments including System, container, end-user and capture higher market share. We believe that high opportunity remains in this fast-growing nasal drug delivery technology market. See how to use the existing and upcoming opportunities in this market to gain revenue benefits in the near future. Moreover, the report would help you to improve your strategic decision-making, allowing you to frame growth strategies, reinforce the analysis of other market players, and maximise the productivity of the company.

Where are the market opportunities?

Emerging Opportunities for Nasal Devices

Nasal inhalation devices are subject to ongoing innovation by pharmaceutical firms and device partners to improve the care and support offered to patients, in addition to their intuitive design. In the case of emergency treatments, for example, training kits that closely mimic the real-life experience of administering a nasal spray have been designed with the goal of improving compliance and lowering mortality risk. Lock-out mechanisms on devices are also being developed to improve patient safety, while the introduction of laterally actuated nasal sprays gives more comfort and simplicity for some patient populations. Dose counters have long been recognised as aiding adherence, and fast technological advancements have expanded on this foundation to build an ecosystem of linked devices that encourage higher adherence in a more "active" way. Connected devices offer a powerful potential to create an ecosystem in which a pharmaceutical firm, a patient, and a healthcare practitioner are more intimately interwoven by monitoring, recording, and exchanging data on usage through the internet.

Nasal Drug Delivery Has Evolved into A Highly Versatile Method of Administration for Locally Acting and Systemic Drugs

Nasal drug delivery has grown into a very adaptable form of administration for locally acting and systemic medications, emergency dosages, and long-term illnesses, as well as prophylactic immunizations and breaking new ground in hard therapeutic areas. The fact that patient outcomes have been improved by providing medications and therapies in a fashion that is more accessible and acceptable to the patient, easing their access to the care they require, is at the heart of all of these different applications. Nasal administration is poised to play an ever-larger thanks to continuing innovation by pharmaceutical firms and their drug delivery partners.

Competitive Landscape

The major players operating in the nasal drug delivery technology market are Becton, Dickinson and Company, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., AptarGroup, Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Presspart Manufacturing, 3M Multinational Conglomerate, Consort Medical plc, Neurelis Inc., PendoPharm Inc., Naveh Pharma Ltd. , These major players operating in this market have adopted various strategies comprising M&A, investment in R&D, collaborations, partnerships, regional business expansion, and new product launch

Find quantitative and qualitative analyses with independent predictions. Receive information that only our report contains, staying informed with this invaluable business intelligence.

To access the data contained in this document please email contactus@visiongain.com

Information found nowhere elseWith our newly report title, you are less likely to fall behind in knowledge or miss out on opportunities. See how our work could benefit your research, analyses, and decisions. Visiongain's study is for everybody needing commercial analyses for the Nasal drug delivery technology market and leading companies. You will find data, trends and predictions.

Find more Visiongain research reports on Pharma Medical Devices; click on the following links:

Do you have any custom requirements we can help you with? Any need for a specific country, geo region, market segment or specific company information? Contact us today, we can discuss your needs and see how we can help: catherine.walker@visiongain.com

About Visiongain

Visiongain is one of the fastest growing and most innovative, independent, market intelligence around, the company publishes hundreds of market research reports which it adds to its extensive portfolio each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis across 18 industries worldwide. The reports cover a 10-year forecast, are hundreds of pages long, with in depth market analysis and valuable competitive intelligence data. Visiongain works across a range of vertical markets, which currently can influence one another, these markets include automotive, aviation, chemicals, cyber, defense, energy, food & drink, materials, packaging, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors. Our customized and syndicated market research reports mean that you can have a bespoke piece of market intelligence customized to your very own business needs.

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Original post:

Global Nasal Drug Delivery Technology Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.0% By 2032: Visiongain Research Inc - Yahoo Finance

We documented nine cores in plan, as well as multiple views of two cores in SI Fig.2 that visibly meet the four criteria set out by11, the parameters of which we used to identify the presence of Nubian Levallois technology in the Shukbah D assemblage. Hallinan and colleagues3 critique our predominant presentation of artefacts in plan (78%). Our approach is consistent with contemporary reporting of Nubian technology from Arabia by Usik and colleagues11, in the Levant by Goder-Goldberger and colleagues12,13, and in South Africa by Hallinan and Shaw14, where 6595% of cores are only illustrated in plan. The broadest range of definitions of Nubian Levallois technology share focus on description of flaking surface scar patterns1, which are best observed in plan.

Hallinan and colleagues3 assert both the distinct form of Nubian Levallois reduction and a consensus in the criteria for its definition, following Usik and colleagues11. This overlooks considerable debate in the literature1. Usik and colleagues11 identify discrete modes of preparation of the flaking surface for Type 1, 1/2, and 2 Nubian Levallois cores, that Crassard and Hilbert15 suggest unnecessarily formalises plasticity, given that cores examined today are static elements of a past dynamic system. Goder-Goldberger and colleagues12 highlight that a definition that maintains the distinctness of Nubian technology is critical to its use as an archaeological missing link12, yet Usik and colleagues11 indicate that as distal flaking surfaces become flatter Nubian cores can be seen as grading into bidirectional cores or recurrent cores, Hallinan & Shaw14 identify cores with Nubian affinity but not enough to confidently identify them as Nubian, and Rose and colleagues16 identify that there is overlap between Nubian Type 2 core preparation and some preferential point-producing Levallois reduction systems in the Levantine Mousterian. Given this broad recognition that Nubian Levallois technology can grade into other Levallois approaches, some appraisal must be made of how and where to divide this spectrum of variability, as well as why.

No comparative basis to identify the categories chosen to define Nubian Levallois technology are set out by Usik and colleagues11, nor do they demonstrate them to be discrete from other Levallois methods. For instance, it is not established that there is a discrete distribution of distal flaking surface angle of Nubian and other Levallois cores that can be simply divided at 120 degrees, and in practice this quantitative threshold is exceeded elsewhere by Hallinan and co-authors13,14 in identification of Nubian cores. Nevertheless, to answer the Hallinan and colleagues3 critique the distal ridge angles on ten cores from Shukbah D stored at UCL have been measured. The angles range from 83 to 120, with a mean of 102.4,meaning that they are consistent with the particular descriptions set out by Usik and colleagues11 and favoured by Hallinan and colleagues3. Likewise, Hallinan and Shaw14 identify the difficulty in applying the shape categories, arguing instead for the need for quantitative analyses, which again should be established through comparative study if argued to be distinct features of Nubian Levallois technology. This remarkable absence of comparative studies prohibits acceptance that Nubian Levallois technology is inherently discrete from other Levallois methods.

Hallinan and colleagues3 contest whether Nubian Levallois end products can be identified, although they are commonly identified in the recent literature. For instance, Rose and colleagues indicate that Nubian Levallois reduction results in the signature Nubian Levallois point16, Goder-Goldberger and colleagues indicate Other recognizable artifacts associated with the Nubian reduction sequence are the specific core shaping blades and the end-products12 and that "the Nubian flaking system is unique and includes identifiable cores, preparation blanks and end products"13, whilst Hallinan and Shaw identify Nubian products from "various reduction strategies including Type 2, 1/2 and, to a lesser extent, Type 1 Nubian methods" from an appraisal of dorsal scar patterns14. Indeed, the need for quantitative study between Nubian and other Levallois points was highlighted as a "major limitation in the study of Nubian technology"14. Our identification of Nubian Levallois products is comparable to that set out by Hallinan and Shaw14 and provides a testable hypotheses for further analyses: that the use of Nubian Levallois reduction schemes has no significant impact upon the key metric attributes we studied in comparison to other Levallois points.

Continue reading here:

Reply to: 'No direct evidence for the presence of Nubian Levallois technology and its association with Neanderthals at Shukbah Cave' | Scientific...

JD Technology, the financial technology arm of Chinese online retailer JD.com, is preparing an IPO that could raise between $1 billion and $2 billion in Hong Kong this year, IFR reported Monday.

Why it matters: JD Technologys expected listing is one of a number of long-awaited IPOs from Chinese vertical giants, including bike rental app Hello Inc. and podcast platform Ximalaya. The latter two suspended IPO procedures last year after the Didi cybersecurity review put a halt to the overseas listings of Chinese tech giants.

Details: The JD affiliate is discussing the listing with investment banks including Bank of America, CITIC Securities, and Haitong International, according to financial information provider Hithink Royal Flush Information.

Context: In 2013, JD spun off its financial technology services to form an independent fintech unit JD Finance, which operates a series of loan businesses and provides AI and blockchain-based financial services. JD Finance was renamed JD Digits in 2018 and then changed its name again in 2021 to JD Technology, as it diversified its business line to include cloud, artificial intelligence, and IoT offerings.

Read the original:

JD Technology plans Hong Kong IPO of up to $2 billion this year: report - TechNode

MF3d/E+ via Getty Images

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) are both well-known computer chip manufacturers that have large followings on Seeking Alpha. Previous to this, I have written 21 articles on Intel and 20 on Micron.

Although operating in different chip areas, both INTC and MU build their own fabrication plants (FABS). Intel builds mainly CPU and CPU-related chips and Micron mainly memory chips.

Both companies have been around for decades with INTC being founded 53 years ago in 1968 and Micron 43 years ago in 1978. While Intel headquarters are in Silicon Valley at Santa Clara CA, MU was founded in and remains in potato country Boise, Idaho. One of MU's original investors was potato billionaire J. R. Simplot.

With the ongoing worldwide chip shortage continuing, both companies are in the midst of expansion efforts to meet the new demand.

In this article, we will compare the two to determine the best investment choice going forward.

Intel is certainly better known than MU. Who among us have not seen the ubiquitous badge "Intel Inside" dozens or hundreds of times over the last 30 years.

Intel

Micron, on the other hand, is not as well known to the public but would most likely be found "Inside" most of the computers that have "Intel Inside". Micron manufactures not only RAM (Random Access Memory, but ROM (Read Only Memory), SSD's (Solid State Drives) among many other memory devices.

Another difference that must be noted is just the sheer size of the two companies. Intel has 110,00 employees and revenue of $78 billion in the last 12 months while Micron's comparables are 40,000 employees and $30 billion in revenue. In terms of assets, Intel has $153 billion worth and Micron has $54 billion.

But perhaps most importantly, Micron's revenue since 2015 is shown to be cyclical while Intel's has increased every year.

Seeking Alpha and author

I have written about MU's cyclicality before "Micron Stock Forecast: Can It Hit $100? Yes The Next Cyclical High Is $120. ".

When you look at the two companies' financial metrics several items stand out in Intel's favor (red) vs Micron's (yellow).

The first item is the huge Gross Margin (56%) advantage Intel has compared to MU's 40%, although 40% is good too.

The next two are ratios. Intel is selling at a 10.7 PE ratio and a 13.4 FCF (Free Cash Flow) ratio compared to Micron's 15.1 and 27.9 respectively.

Thus strictly on a price basis, Intel looks considerably cheaper than Micron.

However, Micron has something rarely seen in large manufacturing companies: they have more cash than long-term debt. This gives Micron a rare negative Debt/EBITDA ratio.

Seeking Alpha and author

So strictly on a financial basis, you would have to say Intel looks stronger than Micron but that is also true of most companies when compared to Intel.

In a world of chip shortages, both Intel and Micron should do well in the future. From your doorbell and garage door opener to your laptop and car, to 5G and Quantum computers, chips will be needed everywhere.

If every one of the 7.4 billion humans on earth requires just 140 chips in his/her life that's a trillion new chips.

So chip manufacturers like Intel and Micron should both do well in the coming decade. If we look at the two companies stock price over the last 5 years we see something interesting - a big jump in price for MU beginning in late 2020 but not much for INTC. In the 5 year period shown in the chart MU is up an impressive 338% while Intel comes in at a sluggish 51% although INTC did pay another $5.90 in dividends.

Seeking Alpha

The reason for the price jump is easy to see if you look at Micron's revenue over that same period up 43% in less than 12 months.

Seeking Alpha and author

What the above chart shows is the cyclical nature of Micron's business with revenue up significantly then down in the most recent quarter. As an investor you should ask yourself is there another 40% jump in revenue likely in the near future?

When looking at the investment merits of Intel and Micron you need to consider where they are now compared to where they are going. The above charts show that Micron has done extremely well especially over the last 18 months. The question is can they continue the revenue growth at the same rate as shown above.

Intel, on the other hand, shows massive cash flows that should support future growth. But Intel is on a new path of building FABs and manufacturing chips for other third parties. Since the future looks like we will need chips in the trillions, this should provide Intel with a long-term very profitable revenue source.

In fact, Intel just announced that is going to build 2 FABs worth $20 billion in Columbus, OH. They may expand that to 8 FABs on 2,000 acres. So if 2 FABs cost $20 billion 8 FABs would probably cost $100 billion with inflation.

That is an investment league Micron cannot compete in.

Intel will also be involved in what are basically two large duopolies, X86 chips with Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) and third-party chip production with Taiwan Semiconductor Company (NYSE:TSM).

Then you have the political tailwinds encouraging chip manufacturing here at home as opposed to Asia especially China. That should benefit Intel immensely.

Combine all of those factors and Intel's much lower Price to Earnings ratio and Price to Free Cash Flow ratio and I think, at this time, Intel is the best investment choice especially if you have a 5 year or longer investment horizon.

Read the original post:

Intel Vs. Micron Technology: Which Semiconductor Stock Is The Better Buy? - Seeking Alpha

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amkor Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMKR), a leading provider of semiconductor packaging and test services, will issue its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2021 after the close of trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on Monday, February 14, 2022.

Amkor management will host a conference call and webcast to review the results on Monday, February 14, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). To access the live audio webcast and the accompanying slide presentation, visit the Investor Relations section of Amkors website, located at ir.amkor.com. An archived replay of the webcast will be available after completion of the call. The live call can also be accessed by dialing 1-877-407-4019 or 1-201-689-8337.

About Amkor Technology, Inc.

Amkor Technology, Inc. is one of the worlds largest providers of outsourced semiconductor packaging and test services. Founded in 1968, Amkor pioneered the outsourcing of IC packaging and test services and is now a strategic manufacturing partner for the worlds leading semiconductor companies, foundries and electronics OEMs. Amkors operational base includes production facilities, product development centers and sales and support offices located in key electronics manufacturing regions in Asia, Europe and the USA. For more information, visit amkor.com.

Continued here:

Amkor Technology to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Financial Results on February 14, 2022 - Business Wire

The slowdown in hiring includes the otherwise high-paying, red-hot information technology industry.

The U.S. economy gained or regained just 199,000 jobs in December, down from 249,000 in November, according to the Department of Labor, marking the smallest monthly jobs gain in a year.

The slowdown in hiring includes the otherwise high-paying, red-hot information technology industry.

Alexandria, Virginia-based trade group TechServe Alliance reports the IT sector added just 2,000 jobs in December, little changed from the previous month. On a year-over-year basis, IT employment was up 2.72%, a growth of 142,800 professionals.

The IT sector ended 2021 with 5.39 million Americans working in the field.

We expect a continued slowdown in hiring with a flat employment growth rate in the IT and engineering sectors for some time to come, said Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance, the national trade association of the IT and Engineering staffing and solutions industry.

With the tech unemployment rate dropping to 2%, it is clear the slowdown is more a function of companies struggling to find qualified talent, rather than a lack of demand, he said.

TechsServe recommends its members revisit compensation and benefits to make sure they are competitive, work with recruiters to adopt location-no-bar hiring policies, and update technology to increase a smooth remote work environment.

Below is a graph of TechServe Alliances IT Employment Index and Engineering Employment Index, dating back to late 2019:

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

2022 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Continued here:

Slowing job growth spreads to information technology - WTOP

DUBLIN, Jan. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sleep Tech Devices Market Research Report - Global Industry Analysis and Demand Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Growing at a 14.5% CAGR between 2020 and 2030, the global sleep tech devices market revenue is set to reach $49,984.7 million by 2030 from $12,888.4 million in 2020.

This is primarily attributed to the rising prevalence of sleep disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and parasomnias, around the world. These issues can cast a shadow on personal safety, school and work performance, relationships, thinking, and mental health and lead to an increased body weight, diabetes, and even heart diseases.

Therefore, people who suffer from these issues are increasingly using a variety of sleep issue diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment devices at homes. Moreover, their usage is growing at hospitals, sleep labs, and clinics, where the number of patients seeking a diagnosis for their sleep disorders is surging. In terms of personal usage, their sales remain the highest among people aged below 45 years, as this population is more technically inclined than older ones.

Wearable devices are witnessing the higher demand as they have embedded microsensors that continuously track people's physiological behavior. The usage of these devices will grow the fastest for the management of sleep apnea, which, as per RT Magazine, has a global incidence of more than 900 million individuals.

North America has been the largest sleep tech devices market till now because of the rapid technological advancements, improving healthcare infrastructure, high prevalence of obesity, and increasing geriatric population.

Moreover, key regional market players are collaborating with well-known entities and individuals as a marketing strategy. For instance, Kryo Inc. is collaborating with Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, wherein the teams will use its OOLER sleep system to initiate deep sleep.

Device sales will increase the fastest in Asia-Pacific (APAC) due to the advancements in wearables' technology and booming number of elderly, especially in India and China.

Key players are launching new and improved products. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 fitness tracker was launched in September 2020; it allows one to track the number of steps, quality of sleep, and heart rate.

Although the sleep tech devices market was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first two quarters of 2020, it has witnessed a resurgence since the lifting of lockdowns. The social and physical isolation and financial stress have given people many sleepless nights, which has augmented the use of instruments that can diagnose, monitor, and help in the management of sleep disorders.

Market Dynamics

Trends

Drivers

Restraints

Impact of COVID-19

Porter's Five Forces Analysis

The most-significant players in the sleep tech devices market are

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/et33hw

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Link:

Global Sleep Technology Devices Market Analysis and Demand Report 2021-2030: Growing Awareness About Ill Effects of Untreated Sleep Apnea &...

Water Works Technologies Group, LLC Water Feature and LED Lighting BusinessSmartPower Proprietary, Communication and LED Lighting Control TechnologySmartValve IP Rich Valve/Fluid Control Technology for SmartPad Installation

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., January 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HAYW) ("Hayward"), global designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad portfolio of pool equipment and technology, today announced the acquisition of Water Works Technologies Group, LLC ("Water Works"), a manufacturer of water features including water bowls and sheer waterfalls with LED lighting options.

This acquisition follows the recent acquisitions of two internet of things (IoT) technology businesses, SmartPower and SmartValve. Together, these acquisitions further extend Haywards leading position in smart, IoT-enabled technologies designed to bring greater control and ambiance to the pool while simplifying ease of use and cost of ownership.

Water Works manufactures a variety of water bowls in both resin and glass in an assortment of colors and finishes as well as Sheer Waterfalls. These high-end water features all have color illumination through LED lighting options which allow Smart app coordination with other pool, spa or landscape lighting colors and shows.

SmartPower is a breakthrough LED Lighting controller leveraging a proprietary communication protocol which makes installing and control of multiple lighting zones in the pool, spa, water features or landscape simple to configure and use. Custom lighting effects and shows are easy to program, coordinating multiple water features with the pool, spa, and even landscape lights to effortlessly transform the entire backyard. The technology also presents a compelling financial benefit. This unique product architecture delivers all the control with less than 50% of the cost of using currently available technology. SmartPower is the solution for standalone cloud-based control for any new or existing pool or as part of the OmniLogic ecosystem, Haywards leading pool and spa automation platform.

Story continues

SmartValve is an active fluid management system for intelligent control of multiple, advanced water features in addition to delivering increased hydraulic energy efficiency for pool/spa design. SmartValve will operate autonomously as the central water distribution system with cloud-based control of other pool equipment via local control or app. As with SmartPower, the SmartValve technology will seamlessly integrate with the OmniLogic ecosystem. SmartValve will dramatically simplify equipment pad installation with a simple manifold design significantly lowering the amount of labor and equipment cost for the installer and the pool owner.

"These three businesses complement each other and further extend Haywards leading Smart technology solutions to increase the ambiance of the pool, spa and backyard. They are perfect examples of harnessing new technology to deliver sustainable, energy-efficient solutions to our space," said Kevin Holleran, CEO of Hayward. "SmartPower and SmartValve are both easy to use and less costly to install, a real win-win for both the homeowner and trade professional. With OmniLogic and the coupling of our new line of innovative water features from Water Works, Hayward is leading the way with products transforming the pool and backyard environment. We are really excited to introduce these game-changing new product platforms to our consumers and trade partners."

About Hayward Holdings, Inc.

Hayward Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HAYW) is a leading global designer and manufacturer of pool equipment and technology all key to the SmartPad conversion strategy designed to provide a superior outdoor living experience. Hayward offers a full line of innovative, energy-efficient and sustainable residential and commercial pool equipment, including a complete line of advanced pumps, filters, heaters, automatic pool cleaners, LED lighting, internet of things (IoT) enabled controls, alternate sanitizers and water features.

This release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company that are based on the beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to management. When used in this release, words such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "intend," "potential," "continue," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "plan," "target," "predict," "project," "seek" and similar expressions as they relate to us are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect managements current views with respect to future events, are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements. Hayward has based these forward-looking statements largely on managements current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that management believes may affect Haywards business, financial condition and results of operations. Important factors that could affect Haywards future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include the following: our ability to execute on our growth strategies and expansion opportunities; our ability to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers and manage disruptions to our global supply chain and the availability of raw materials; our relationships with and the performance of distributors, builders, buying groups, retailers and servicers who sell our products to pool owners; competition from national and global companies, as well as lower cost manufacturers; impacts on our business from the sensitivity of our business to seasonality and unfavorable economic and business conditions; our ability to identify emerging technological and other trends in our target end markets; our ability to develop, manufacture and effectively and profitably market and sell our new planned and future products; failure of markets to accept new product introductions and enhancements; the ability to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions; our ability to attract and retain senior management and other qualified personnel; regulatory changes and developments affecting our current and future products; volatility in currency exchange rates; our ability to service our existing indebtedness and obtain additional capital to finance operations and our growth opportunities; impacts on our business from political, regulatory, economic, trade, and other risks associated with operating foreign businesses; our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our products, as well as our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others; the impact of material cost and other inflation; the impact of changes in laws, regulations and administrative policy, including those that limit US tax benefits or impact trade agreements and tariffs; the outcome of litigation and governmental proceedings; impacts on our business from the COVID-19 pandemic; and other risks and uncertainties set forth under "Risk Factors" in the prospectus for Haywards initial public offering and in Haywards subsequent SEC filings.

The forward-looking statements in this presentation represent managements views as of the date of this release. Unless required by United States federal securities laws, Hayward neither intends nor assumes any obligation to update these forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this presentation to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220107005542/en/

Contacts

Media Relations: Tanya McNabbtmcnabb@hayward.com

Investor Relations: Hayward Investor Relations908-288-9706investor.relations@hayward.com

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Hayward Strengthens its Position in Pool Technology with Recent Acquisitions - Yahoo Finance

Radar was among the most important technical breakthroughs of the Second World War. The technology helped Britain and its allies emerge victorious during the Battle of Britain, the air war fought over UK skies in 1940, according to Imperial War Museums (IWM).

Radar which stands for Radio Detection and Ranging is a detection system that uses radio waves to locate objects. It is still widely used today, but as technology has advanced they now often harness microwaves, according to the Earth Observing Laboratory. These are at the higher frequency end of the radio spectrum and provide more accurate readings.

Related: What is electromagnetic radiation?

Although this literal trial by fire made radar a household name, the technology behind it started life much earlier and centred around the study of electromagnetic (EM) waves.

EM radiation is a form of energy that is everywhere and can take on lots of different forms, such as radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays and ultraviolet (sunlight). EM waves also form the basis of how mobile phones and wireless computer networks function.

And back in 1885, it was Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell who came up with the idea that perhaps radio waves could be reflected by metal objects, just like light waves could.

A few years later, German physicist Heinrich Hertz set out to prove it. In an experiment he conducted in 1888, he discovered that they were indeed reflected back. As the first person to apply the theories of Maxwell, the unit of frequency of an EM wave was named a hertz after him, Live Science previously reported. In 1904 a patent was issued to a German engineer called Christian Hlsmeyer for what was termed an obstacle detector and ship navigation device. Not a catchy name, but nevertheless a type of early radar system had been born.

Despite that, it was not until the 1930s that there was a need for the technology, mainly due to the invention of long-range military bombers, which prompted countries to invest in a system that could detect their approach and provide early warning, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

All of the major world powers at the time continued research, but it was the USA and UK that were able to refine the technology. Scottish physicist Sir Robert Watson-Watt, known as the father of radar, took the science that had gone before and created the workable system that formed the basis of modern radar , according to the Royal Society.

A typical system has four main components, these are:

Transmitter: The source of the radio pulse.

Antenna: Needed to send the pulse out into the ether and receive it when it is reflected back.

Switch: This tells the antenna when to transmit or receive the pulses.

Receiver: Required to detect and turn the pulses, which come back into a visual format to be read by an operator.

The process of directing artificial radio waves towards objects is called illumination. Although radio waves are invisible to the human eye as well as optical cameras. According to NASA, they are sent out at approximately 300,000,000 metres per second the speed of light.

Some of the reflected radio waves (echoes) are directed back toward the radar where they are received and amplified, with the data being interpreted by skilled operators with the help of computers, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Once returned, they provide information such as range and bearing.

Radio waves are cheap to generate, can pass through snow, mist and fog and are safe, unlike gamma and X rays.

Radar can be used to detect ships, planes and satellites, or closer to home radar speed guns are used by the police to calculate how fast cars are going, with any that are going too fast in line for a speeding ticket, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Meteorologists also use radar to map and track weather systems around the world.

During the Battle of Britain, radar enabled the RAF to detect incoming German aircraft using radio waves, according to the RAF Museum website.

From radar towers dotted around the South and East of the country, the system would send these waves out, which would keep travelling until they hit something, like an incoming plane, and be bounced back to be picked up by the receiver. By calculating how long it had taken the waves to return, skilled operators could figure out the altitude, range and bearing of the incoming enemy planes, according to the RAF.

By doing so, it gave the RAF enough time to scramble its own planes to meet the incoming threat. Being in the right place at the right time helped the UK win the battle and landing a killer blow to the invasion plans of the Third Reich, according to a radar operators account, published by the BBC.

Without doubt, one of the biggest advances in post-war radar technology was Doppler radar, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. With a need to defend against bombers now gone, the new motivation to refine the technology was using it to track the weather.

While ordinary radar can figure out range and location, Doppler can tell us information about an objects speed too. It works on the principle of the Doppler Effect, the idea that waves produced by an object will be squeezed closer together if it is moving towards you, or will spread out if it is moving away.

This is used for tracking weather systems which are constantly on the move, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

They can gather a huge amount of information too so modern Doppler radars depend on increasing processing power.Doppler radar is also what you would find in a police speed gun too!

You can observe and track the precipitation detected by NOAAs radar technology live using the interactive radar viewer webpage.

Do you want to know more about how radar technology is transforming transport safety? Hear from an expert panel at the Future of the Car Summit 2020 in this video by NXP.

"Robert Alexander Watson-Watt. 13 April 1892 -- 5 December 1973". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society (1975). https://www.jstor.org/stable/769695

"Grand Challenges in Radar Signal Processing". Radar Signal Processing (2021). https://www.frontiersin.org

"Doppler Radar Probing of the Clear Atmosphere". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (1978). https://journals.ametsoc.org

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How radar works: The technology made famous by war - Livescience.com

By Cathy Bisaillon, President & CEO, Easterseals Washington

The Internet and assistive technology have the incredible power to level the playing field for people with disabilities. To advance digital equity means to provide vital connections to friends, family, and support networks; in a nutshell to combat social isolation and barriers to achievement through technology and education.

As a leader for Easterseals Washington who works and lives on the Kitsap Peninsula, Ive worked hard throughout my career to champion and advance accessibility and technology education for people with disabilities in the area, and throughout the state.

With its tagline All Abilities, Limitless Possibilities Easterseals Washington prioritizes the use of technology, including connectivity and training, throughout all its service lines. Access to the internet and its many applications is key to helping everyone we serve establish and reach their individual goals. One in four Americans has a disability, whether apparent or invisible to others, and everyone should be able to chart their own course regardless of ability.

26 years ago, I started my career with Easterseals Washington as a direct service provider to help people with disabilities get jobs, and through their achievements, improve their lives. That incredibly rewarding work has fueled me every day to lead our organization with our participants potential in mind. Ive watched the internet, devices, and software rapidly evolve and enable our job seekers, students, and program participants to create their own video rsums, apply for jobs online, access spoken language through communication devices, and reconnect with family members across the world via email and social media.

While strides have been made to bring digital equity to people with disabilities, there is still substantial work to be done. According to Pew Research, a quarter of people with disabilities say they never go online, and more than half say they do not have a home broadband subscription (American Association of People with Disabilities).

As part of our dedication to providing technology access to people of all abilities in Kitsap County, Easterseals Washington recently partnered with Comcast to open a Lift Zone Lab: Community Learning Space at our Gateway Adult Services facility in Bremerton. It will facilitate digital literacy training for adults with disabilities including sensory, physical, intellectual, and disabilities due to aging. The sky is the limit, with expected outcomes to include monumental gains in participants communication, memory, job development, community access, overall independence, computer literacy, motor skills, and so much more.

The Lift Zone Lab is furnished with a variety of technology and assistive devices to tailor the digital experience for each individual. For example, a person with autism will work with virtual reality to overcome anxieties associated with public interaction; and clients with mobility challenges will build independence by learning to operate Smart Home devices, and by accessing them with adaptive equipment.

The Labs assistive technology inventory includes:

The Lift Zone Lab project achieves an objective in Easterseals Washingtons current Strategic Plan by forming key partnerships that increase equity for people with disabilities in every aspect of life. We envision activation of similar labs around the state in the near future.

I often say that we need to do away with the do-for in disability services. Assistive technology, internet access, and funding for training empowers people with disabilities to do things that they never imagined. It allows us, as service providers, to know that we have done more than provide care we have provided inspiration, challenge, and change.

Connectivity and accessible technology will continue to become more important for people of all abilities. Our mission is to stay on top of the best tools and techniques so that people with disabilities can stay on top of achieving their dreams.

Please visit the News page of our website for more information on the Lift Zone Lab: Digital Community Learning Space and Gateway Adult Services in Bremerton: https://www.easterseals.com/washington/who-we-are/news/new-digital-community.html

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Connectivity and assistive technology can equalize opportunity for people with disabilities - Kitsap Daily News

PATRICK T. FALLONGetty Images

Prof. Markus Lienkamp of the Technical University of Munich today is celebrating another winning weekend for an autonomous race car championed by TUM in the Indy Autonomous Challenge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The technical advances between Round 1 of the Indy Autonomous Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October and this past week's second round was striking. The competition at Indianapolis, originally promoted as an event that promised wheel-to-wheel racing, instead proved to be an event where cars hit the track one at at time in time trials format of competition.

Las Vegas, on the other hand, featured true wheel-to-wheel racingeven if it was a modest two cars on the track at at time.

TUM won both events.

So, where is this all going? Lienkamp predicted that the pace of development of the autonomous race car technology could result in, gulp, an autonomous Formula 1 car on track as soon as 2025.

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To take the discussion one step further, could F1 cars one day race without drivers in the cockpit? Well, there is something to be said of racing where crashes would not injure or even kill drivers.

The autonomous race cars in the Indy Autonomous Challenge are modified Indy Lights race cars built by Dallara and powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged 388 bhp Honda (K20C) engine. Each cockpit inlcudes three radars, six cameras, computers and sensors. The weight the electronics closely matches the weight of a human driver. So changes to the suspension configuration was minimal.

Lienkamp tackled the possibility of driverless F1, among other autonomous vehicle topics, in a Q&A released to the media by TUM this morning.

"That's both a technical and emotional discussion which affects the spectators more than anything else," said Lienkamp said when asked about the possibility of driverless F1. "Fans always like to bond with particular driver personalities and identify with them in competition. When I see the constantly growing enthusiasm for esports, I think at some point we'll see both.

"In technical terms of course we always have to ask when it will be realistic to actually replace the driver. After our experience in Indianapolis, we believe this could be possible by 2025. We can even imagine sending one of our autonomous cars to a real Formula 1 race to compete against human professionals."

Lienkamp added that while the human driver at the Formula 1 level still has the upper hand on artificial intelligence, the gap is closing.

John Rettie

"In its present form, our software has already reached the level of an amateur driver," Lienkamp said. "When we talk about professional-class races, experience shows we're about half a second behind. So it will probably take a couple more years before our autonomous vehicles are able to beat racing pros. You can compare it to a chess game against the computer: In the beginning the AI was only able to beat hobby players. It took quite a while before it was possible to beat the chess world champion. But it's definitely possible."

As far-fetched as a true autonomous Formula 1 seems, the professor said that it some ways the technology for the race track is further advanced than that of autonomous street cars.

"The race track doesn't have traffic laws or points of reference like marked lanes, traffic lights or traffic signs," Lienkamp said. "Ultimately we're dealing with 'unpredictable' objects, in our case the other race cars. We have to detect them and make predictions about where they'll move, and that all at speeds of over 250 km/h.

"We're able to do this because our software doesn't concentrate on strictly complying with traffic regulations, as is the case with other vendors. Instead, our software calculates the probable locations of the other objects which it then uses to calculate the optimum solution for our own movements."

John Rettie

So, how does that work?

"Our approach uses conventional sensor technologies with lasers, cameras and radar," he said. "The software knows the race course and detects the other vehicles. That means it can predict the most probable trajectory, i.e. what location on the course the other vehicle will move to at what point in time, and can then plan its own movements accordingly. Here the computing speed of the software plays an important role. That's decisive when it comes to safely executing aggressive maneuvers and reacting spontaneously to critical situations."

The speed at which the software is advancing comes in part from the fact that teams from all over the world are involved.

"The fact that we made the software generally available as open source code and thus let other teams work on it was enormously helpful as well," he said. "That speeds up the development process so that soon the number of people around the world who will be able to work on our code will surpass the development capacities of all the automobile manufacturers put together.

"Ultimately, though, the software and the car are only as good as the teams behind them. I have an extraordinarily good team whose members worked very hard and well beyond the call of their normal everyday duties to make this success happen. 15 doctoral candidates moved this entire project ahead over the course of four years, and four team leaders made sure the teams succeeded in the individual phases."

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Professor Says Technology for Driverless F1 Is Closer Than You Think - Autoweek