x.ai Secures $2M in Seed Funding

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New York, NY (PRWEB) May 21, 2014

x.ai builds and maintains an artificial intelligence powered personal assistant that schedules meetings for its business customers.

x.ai, inc., an artificial intelligence company, today announced that it has secured $2.1M in seed funding led by IA Ventures, Softbank and Lerer Ventures. The investment will expand data and science efforts towards fully emulating a human scheduling negotiation - so 87 million US knowledge workers can get their own assistant.

I scheduled 1,019 meetings for myself in 2012 and loved every human interaction as much as I hated every email ping pong necessary to get it on the calendar, said Dennis R. Mortensen, CEO and Founder of x.ai.

x.ai is a personal assistant that use email to schedule meetings. Customers talk to Amy as they would to any other person - and they can have her do all the tedious email ping pong that comes along with scheduling a meeting. It requires no sign-in, no password, no download; all they do is CC: amy@x.ai.

Ive been cc-ing amy@x.ai for months and I find it difficult to see how I would go back to a time without her help. The nature of my business is meeting with people -- entrepreneurs, corporate execs, fellow investors -- and efficiently taking away the tedious task of scheduling my meetings is a huge boon to my productivity, said Jonathan Lehr, Director at Work-Bench.

x.ai is currently looking for some of the best and brightest to fill positions in the following areas; Data Scientists, Data Engineers, Backend Engineers and Ai Trainers. So if you want to be the arbiter of time, head over to x.ai/jobs.

x.ai is taking on a well-accepted pain, using artificial intelligence and machine learning to a degree rarely seen, said Brad Gillespie, Partner at IA Ventures. Dennis and the x.ai team is executing on a very ambitious plan, which, if successful, could change the paradigm for how we schedule meetings in the future, perhaps even how we choose to spend our time at work.

About x.ai, inc. x.ai was founded in 2014 by former Visual Revenue (Predictive Analytics software acquired by Outbrain) CEO Dennis R. Mortensen and his co-founders Alex Poon and Matt Casey. The wider founding team are industry veterans from analytics, big data and the predictive modeling world.

For more details on x.ai, inc. visit the corporate website at x.ai, email hello(at)x(dot)ai or simply see 'how Amy schedules your meetings'.

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x.ai Secures $2M in Seed Funding

Arcadia Aerospace Industries Signs Multi-Year Agreement with GKN Aerospace

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(Punta Gorda, FL) Arcadia Aerospace Industries, LLC is pleased to announce the signing of a long-term partnership agreement with GKN Aerospace (Tallassee, AL) to provide Nondestructive Inspection of large composite airframe components.

Arcadia Aerospace Industries (AAI) and GKN Aerospace have worked closely together across several aircraft programs for the last five years. Charles Bushman, President and founder of Arcadia Aerospace expressed, "The partnership with GKN strengthens our commitment to the aerospace industry to provide value added solutions to the increasingly more complex structures emerging. Together, we have unique synergies to provide the industry with unparalleled composite expertise in large structures fabrication and inspection." Additionally, the two companies have been preparing for the design and implementation of a 'Center for Composites Manufacturing Excellence' located just outside Montgomery, AL. High-performance composite technology has become the airframe material of choice in the industry today due to weight reduction and heightened performance for both military and commercial aircraft.

In support of this effort, Arcadia Aerospace is developing a new facility strategically located in proximity to GKN Aerospace in Tallassee, Alabama, less than three hours from the new Airbus Final Assembly Line in the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Once completed, the facility will be Nadcap accredited for Nondestructive Inspection in addition to a FAA approved repair facility servicing both metal and composite manufacturers. The new facility, scheduled to be production ready mid-year 2014, will be the inspection rate-readiness site for new composites intensive programs.

The new state-of-the-art facility will house the nation's largest, multiple technology, automated robotic inspection system. The system, designed and fabricated by Arcadia's engineering team, boasts the ability to provide internal defect and external dimensional inspections of components to 90 feet in length and 14 feet in width. Delivering a total of 19-axes of motion working in high-speed synchronization, the system provides conventional ultrasonic, linear array, thermographic, and digital x-ray inspection technologies for the detection of internal defects. In addition, the new facility will house AAI's next generation of automated overhead gantry inspection systems capable of handling round product over 14 feet in diameter.

About Arcadia Aerospace Industries Based in Southwest Florida at the City of Punta Gorda Airport, AAI's divisions occupy over 60,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing high-bay and office space including a captive CNC machine and fabrication facility. Since AAI's inception in 2008, the company has been propelled through the Aerospace industry by its innovative approach to customer service, providing composite airframe manufacturers solutions to their nondestructive inspection applications. The majority of components the company assists with are large complex components considered 'fracture critical structure'. Arcadia Aerospace engineering teams and composite experts provide commercial, business jet, and military aircraft manufacturers access to several solutions platforms. Some of the company's varied products include the high level analysis or qualification of NDT methods on programs, deployment of processes on the manufacturing floor, design and manufacturing of specialized tooling, handling equipment and complex machinery that performs the critical analysis on customer programs. Over the years, the company has interrogated components on the scale of large upper and lower wing segments, complex fuselage structures, engine nacelles, flaps, stabilizers and many other control surfaces. In addition, AAI's inspection teams are certified airframe and power plant mechanics trained in composite repair and re-inspection. Arcadia Aerospace also provides long-term partnership commitments with members of its client base to provide on-going solutions for their manufacturing programs, rate-readiness plans, supply-chain management as well as all inclusive certification and approval processes. Most recently, Arcadia Aerospace was honored as a 2013 Florida Companies to Watch Award Recipient, and additionally honored by the Manufacturers Association of Florida with the 2013 Manufacturers of the Year Award. Scheduled over the course of 2014, Arcadia Aerospace is expanding its operations to include new service provider facilities in California and Alabama.

About GKN Aerospace A leader in the manufacture of highly complex composite and metallic aerostructures and engine products, GKN Aerospace is one of the world's largest independent first tier suppliers to the global aviation industry. With over 100 years aerospace experience, GKN harnesses considerable knowledge and advanced manufacturing technologies to supply high-value, integrated assemblies for aerostructures and engine products as well as glass, acrylic and polycarbonate transparency systems.

Substantial investment ensures GKN Aerospace is at the forefront of technology delivering real and practical benefits to its customers. Partnering with the world's major airframers and engine OEMs, GKN delivers a competitive advantage through advanced design and manufacturing that provides best value and enhanced performance: advantages which retain its position as a world leader in aerostructures, engine systems, nacelles and transparencies.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ArcadiaAerospace.com http://www.gkn.com/aerospace

Media: Jay Coleman 248-524-1900 mkt@arcadiaaerospace.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/colemanjay

Arcadia Aerospace Industries, LLC 28000 Airport Road, A-11 (Mail) Mooney Ave. Building #110 (Physical) Punta Gorda, FL 33982 1-941-205-5700

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Liebherr-Aerospace Supplies Another Component for the E2 Program

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Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has selected Liebherr-Aerospace to supply the nose wheel steering control module for their E-Jets E2, the second generation of their highly successful E1 family of commercial aircraft.

The module allows for the steering of the nose landing gear while the aircraft is taxiing. It will be based on the control module that, Liebherrs center of excellence for landing gear systems, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Lindenberg (Germany), developed for the first-generation E-Jet. The module for the E-Jet E2 will be highly reliable and light-weight.

The E2 program will benefit from Liebherrs long experience of designing, manufacturing and servicing landing gear components for regional aircraft, especially for the Embraer ERJ and the E1 aircraft families.

Having been selected to design and manufacture the high-lift system and the integrated air management system for the E-Jets E2, Liebherr-Aerospace is already on board Embraers new program. The contract for the nose wheel steering module further consolidates the long-lasting relationship Liebherr and Embraer have established in more than three decades.

Liebherr-Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry

Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS, Toulouse (France), is one of ten divisional control companies within the Liebherr Group and coordinates all activities in the aerospace and transportation systems sectors.

Liebherr-Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry and has more than five decades of experience in this field. The range of aviation equipment produced by Liebherr for the civil and military sectors includes flight control and actuation systems, landing gear and air management systems. These systems are deployed in wide-bodied aircraft, single aisle and regional aircraft, business jets, combat aircraft, military transporters, military training aircraft, civil helicopters and combat helicopters.

Liebherrs aerospace and transportation systems division employs around 4,900 people. It has four aviation equipment production plants at Lindenberg (Germany), Toulouse (France), Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), and Guaratinguet (Brazil). These production sites offer a worldwide service with additional customer service centers in Saline (Michigan/USA), Seattle (Washington/USA), Wichita (Kansas/USA), Montreal (Canada), Sao Jos dos Campos (Brazil), Hamburg (Germany), Moscow (Russia), Dubai (UAE), Singapore and Shanghai (Peoples Republic of China).

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Liebherr-Aerospace Supplies Another Component for the E2 Program

Makino to Highlight New Aerospace Manufacturing Solutions at 2014 Farnborough International …

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Engineers to discuss latest research and process solutions for aerospace parts

Mason, Ohio Makino plans to share its latest machining and process solutions for aerospace manufacturing July 14-20 at the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England. Makino is slated to host discussions at its business chalet, C5, regarding new aerospace manufacturing technologies specifically designed for small, mid-size and large complex aerospace components, EDM hole drilling, and 5-axis milling and grinding.

"The global aerospace market is growing rapidly, and this show is a great place for manufacturers to learn how to meet increasingly stringent requirements for quality and delivery," said Mark Rentschler, Makino marketing manager. "Visitors to Makino's chalet will meet with our senior executives, key designers and applications engineers to discuss their unique challenges and discover new technology solutions for titanium, aluminum and nickel alloys. Milling, grinding and new EDM hole making processes will all be showcased this year for both structural and engine components."

Makino is on tap to showcase its aerospace manufacturing solutions in booth A12 of Hall 3 at the show.

Right-Sized Machining Solution One of the technologies Makino plans to include is the a61nx-5E 5-axis horizontal machining center. It is built specifically for high-efficiency aluminum machining of small to mid-size, complex and monolithic aerospace parts. This machine brings the metal removal and productivity of Makino's MAG machines to a smaller platform, enabling aerospace manufactures to "right size" their parts production.

The a61nx-5E boosts productivity through the addition of twin direct-drive rotary axes for "one and done" efficiency. The a61nx-5E features an innovative automatic pallet-changer design that directly loads the pallet into the 5th-axis rotary table while providing a flat surface for ergonomic workpiece loading. Spindle options for the a61nx-5E range from the standard 14,000-rpm high-power spindle, to a remarkable 24,000-rpm, 80-kW (duty rated) spindle for aluminum machining in aerospace. This under-race-lubricated, core-cooled spindle is capable of metal-removal rates of up to 300 cubic inches per minute in the machining of aluminum.

Productivity for Large-Part Machining Makino's a81nx horizontal machining center focuses on large-part, large-feature challenges common in many industries. This machine extends the capabilities of its 1-series predecessor with expanded machining capacity, improved rigidity and stability, improved productivity and enhanced reliability. Enhancements have been made to the bed and column castings of the machine, and tool length, diameter and weight capacities of the a81nx have all been increased to support titanium milling applications. There have been spindle design improvements for faster acceleration and deceleration times, and a host of additional features and advancements to improve ergonomics, maintenance and machine uptime.

Purpose-Built for Large-Part Machining T1 5-axis horizontal machining center is purpose-built for parts of any shape and any material and shares much of the ADVANTiGE technologies that were introduced with the larger purpose-built T2 and T4 machines. Built for high-efficiency machining across a wide range of large-part applications, the T1 machine's rigid design, versatile cutting capabilities and sizable work envelope make it an ideal fit for aerospace job-shop environments, where machining of both aluminum and titanium is required.

The T1's unique kinematic structure includes a 155-degree tilting A-axis and deep chest column, providing full five-sided machining capability for parts up to 1,500 mm in diameter. The key to the T1's flexibility is its 12,000-rpm spindle. The T1 tackles titanium with 1,000 Nm of duty-rated torque from spindle start to 1,000 rpm. Aluminum structural components are at home on the T1 with continuous power output of 76 hp out through 12,000. While titanium and aluminum highlight the extreme boundaries of the T1 spindle capability, mid-range power and torque levels are well suited for materials ranging from stainless steel to Inconel.

Blades and Vanes Makino's EDBV (electrical discharge blades and vanes) Series EDM hole-drilling machines have been specifically designed for the production of film cooling holes and diffuser shapes in aerospace blades and vane segments. The EDBV3 EDM hole-drilling machine provides aerospace manufacturers with the speed, flexibility and reliability to effectively produce a wide range of hole shapes and sizes within a single setup, significantly reducing required tool variety and overall cycle times. The newly developed water-based EDBV8 has been designed to deliver top performance and optimal speed while it too prevents internal workpiece-feature back-striking, and it provides larger machine travels and greater workpiece payloads to accommodate the needs of larger aerospace part details.

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Novel RNAi therapy silences mutated Huntington’s disease gene and reduces symptoms

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

21-May-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 21, 2014A targeted gene silencing strategy blocks production of the dysfunctional huntingtin (Htt) protein, the cause of Huntington's disease, a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder. The effectiveness of this RNA interference (RNAi) approach in reducing levels of mutant Htt protein and disease symptoms in a mouse model of the disease is described in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website.

Lisa Stanek and coauthors from Genzyme (Framingham, MA) used an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver a targeted nucleic acid sequence called a small interfering RNA (siRNA) into the cells of affected mice. The siRNA selectively binds to the mutated gene, blocking disease-causing Htt production. The authors present data demonstrating the ability to deliver the therapeutic RNAi into the cells, reduce mutant Htt levels, and impact behavioral deficits in the mice without causing any noticeable neurotoxicity, in their article "Silencing Mutant Huntingtin by Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated RNA Interference Ameliorates Disease Manifestations in the YAC128 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease."

"The Genzyme group uses state-of-the-art delivery technology and a gene silencing approach to generate very promising preclinical data for Huntington's disease," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

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About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

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Novel RNAi therapy silences mutated Huntington's disease gene and reduces symptoms

University of Utah names dean for College of Social and Behavioral Science

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The University of Utah's College of Social and Behavioral Science has named Cynthia Berg its new dean and Richard Forster its new associate dean.

Jordan Allred,

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SALT LAKE CITY The University of Utah's College of Social and Behavioral Science has named a new dean and associate dean.

Cynthia A. Berg, professor of psychology at the U., has been named the dean of the college effective July 1, pending approval by the board of trustees. Richard R. Forster has been appointed associate dean

Berg has served as interim dean of the college since 2013 and was chairwoman of the psychology department from 2008 to 2011. She joined the U. faculty in 1987 and holds a doctorate in psychology from Yale University.

Berg's research involves developmental and health psychology, examining how individuals in close relationships deal with stress, decision-making, and problem-solving around chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer. She has been published and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Forster has been interim associate dean since 2013. He is a professor of geography and joined the U. faculty in 1999. His research focuses on using remote sensing data to derive information about snow and ice conditions at Earth's surface specifically how glaciers and seasonal snow cover response to climate change.

Forster holds a doctorate in earth and atmospheric sciences from Cornell University.

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University of Utah names dean for College of Social and Behavioral Science

Is Social Science Research in the National Interest?

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A battle is raging in the House of Representatives over an effort to clip the National Science Foundations wings

Today the science committee of the U.S. House of Representatives will begin debate on a bill key to national research funding and priorities. The Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Act of 2014 (H.R. 4186) would, among other things, require the National Science Foundation to cut research for social sciences and economics and certify to Congress that each taxpayer-funded grant it issues is in the national interest.

Last week Scientific American published an interview with Neal Lane, a former White House science advisor, that was critical of the FIRST Act. Rep. Lamar Smith (RTexas), chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and co-sponsor of the FIRST Act, contacted us and asked for a chance to respond. We publish Rep. Smiths essay below along with a commentary on the FIRST Act by Hunter Rawlings, president of the Association of American Universities, and Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.The Editors

The Role of Congress Is to Set Priorities for Research By Rep. Lamar Smith (RTexas)

Technological advancement drives U.S. economic growth. Sustained public and private sector investments in mathematics, engineering, computer science and biology have led to new and expanded industries. Advancements in these fields have created millions of jobs that have supported generations of American families. Since World War II the U.S. has led the world in research and development. And America still spends more on R&D than any other nation.

But experts warn that other nations are catching up. Recent forecasts suggest that China will overtake the U.S. in total R&D spending by 2022. China can already lay claim to the worlds fastest supercomputer, an area of long-standing U.S. dominance. And the World Bank reports that Chinas high-tech exports are more than double those of the U.S.

Unfortunately, there has been a shift in priorities at the National Science Foundation (NSF) away from basic research in engineering and the physical sciences toward social/behavioral/economic (SBE) studies. In his budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 the president proposes to increase SBE by more than 5 percent while freezing or cutting funds for engineering and physical sciences.

I believe the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Act sets a better course for taxpayer-funded research. The FIRST Act refocuses taxpayer investments on basic research in engineering, mathematics, computer science and biology, increasing funding for those NSF directorates by between 7 and 8 percent for the next fiscal year. These are the areas singled out by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine as the primary drivers of our economic future. These are the areas of science with the greatest potential to yield transformational new technologies, catalyze new industries and businesses as well as create millions of new jobs.

Setting priorities for federally funded research is not new. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, under both Republican and Democrat administrations, Congress regularly defined annual appropriations and authorizations by academic field. Neal Lane, former science advisor to Pres. Bill Clinton who criticized the FIRST Act in a recent Scientific American interview, apparently has forgotten that Clinton signed the NSF Authorization Act of 1998, which was just as specific in delineating research priorities as the FIRST Act.

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Is Social Science Research in the National Interest?

Russian Army Withdrawal: NATO sees no evidence of Kremlin troops pulled back from Ukraine border – Video

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Russian Army Withdrawal: NATO sees no evidence of Kremlin troops pulled back from Ukraine border
Russian troops in two regions on the border with Ukraine were seen in video footage leaving their positions on Monday after President Vladimir Putin ordered ...

By: Ukraine News One

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Russian Army Withdrawal: NATO sees no evidence of Kremlin troops pulled back from Ukraine border - Video

Libya – rogue state 3 years after Gaddafi’s murder, while NATO promised democracy – Video

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Libya - rogue state 3 years after Gaddafi #39;s murder, while NATO promised democracy
The country #39;s military police chief, who #39;s also a rogue General, has disbanded the Parliament after a militant group he backs stormed the building. Two people were killed in the assault, while...

By: IN THE NOW

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Libya - rogue state 3 years after Gaddafi's murder, while NATO promised democracy - Video

NATO defense chiefs to review alliance readiness

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BRUSSELS NATOs crisis response capabilities will be the primary focus of discussion for alliance defense chiefs gathered here for two days of talks that will examine how tensions with Russia will shape NATO in the future.

One of the most pressing issues which the chiefs of defense will consider is the implications of Russias actions in and around Ukraine, said Gen. Knud Bartels, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, in an opening statement Wednesday. Russias annexation of territory in a sovereign nation on NATOs borders has to cast a shadow of insecurity across the Alliances eastern flank and has potentially serious implications for the region and beyond.

Defense chiefs also were slated to meet on Wednesday with Ukrainian military officials, where closed-door discussions were expected to focus on NATO support for Ukrainian military reform efforts.

The turmoil in Ukraine comes as NATO is winding down its combat mission in Afghanistan, which will conclude at the end of the year. While planning continues for a small, post-2014 training mission in the country, the downsizing in Afghanistan means NATO can turn more attention to other regions, Bartels said.

The end of NATOs ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) operation this year brings with it a potential strategic inflection point and the opportunity and capacity for the alliance to refocus its military capability towards a broader range of potential future threats, Bartels said. As we have seen in recent months, the global security situation remains fragile and unpredictable, and the alliance is increasingly surrounded by an arc of instability from Ukraine, to Syria to the Sahel.

Meanwhile, questions have emerged over NATOs readiness to respond should Russia seek to flex its muscle in other parts of the Continent.

If Russia were to launch a surprise attack on a country bordering a NATO nation, the alliance would struggle to generate an immediate response, according to an internal alliance memo obtained by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

Russias ability to undertake significant military action with little warning presents a wider threat to the maintenance of security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, according to the memo, which Spiegel stated was prepared ahead of the defense ministers meeting. Russia can pose a local or regional military threat at short notice at a place of its choosing. This is both destabilizing and threatening for those allies bordering or in close proximity to Russia.

Most security experts consider a Russian incursion into the Baltics as highly unlikely. But its ability, at the least, potentially to stir unrest has those countries, which were annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II, nervous. Although as NATO members they are covered by Article Five of the NATO charter, which calls for alliance members to respond to an attack on a member state, thats hardly reassuring with Russias forces so close and NATOs so far.

NATOs eastern members with proximity to Russia and Ukraine have been urging NATO to bulk up its presence in the region. In Poland, top government officials have called on NATO to permanently base troops in its country. Baltic allies also have been eager for more military support.

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NATO defense chiefs to review alliance readiness