Feeding the Front Lines: See behind the scenes on a day of giving – MLive.com

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Its a good day when you can bring some of Michigans Best food to deserving people, with the help of incredible sponsors in order to help feed the front lines. That is just what happened on Monday December 14, as MLive partnered with businesses to bring meals to hard working health care workers around Michigan.

One of our sponsors, Womans Life Insurance Society, was happy to help this effort to acknowledge the work that our front line medical workers are doing every day. Womans Life Insurance Society greatly appreciates the dedicated healthcare workers at McLaren Port Huron and everything they are doing to help keep our community strong and healthy during these especially challenging times, said Karen Deschaine, manager of communications for Womans Life. We are inspired by their strength and grateful to have this opportunity to express our gratitude.

Our generous sponsors for this initiative were:

Womans Life Insurance Society-Port Huron

The Iles Schropp Group at Merrill Lynch-Saginaw

Rotary Club of Saginaw-Saginaw

Community Foundation of Greater Flint-Flint

As Rotarians we take great pride in playing a small part in honoring and supporting our frontline heroes, said the Rotary Club of Saginaw via an email. They collaborated with two other local clubs, the Rotary Club of Saginaw Valley and the Rotary Club of Saginaw Sunrise to sponsor meals. Getting involved with this great initiative, not only allowed us to support health care, but at the same time, also support the small business meal provider, Sombreros Mexican Restaurant, owned by Sunrise Rotarian Joseph Stricker. Thank you to our health care super heroes, Saginaw Rotarians salute you.

Thank you again so much for this opportunity, said Stricker. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Another sponsor, The Iles Schropp Group at Merrill Lynch in Saginaw, also expressed how happy they were to have the opportunity to be able to give back to the Saginaw community.

This is the fourth time that MLive has worked on feeding the frontlines together with our sponsors. In May, over 2,000 meals were provided for National Nurses Day, and throughout July, health care workers in Detroit and Grand Rapids were fed with the help of Founders Brewing Company. We also did a special Thanksgiving meal drop off in November.

A hearty thank you to all of our sponsors who have made it possible not just to provide a hot meal to our front line health care workers, but to also provide some much needed business to some of our locally owned restaurants. If you can, consider ordering take-out from your favorite spot, and support these places that are struggling to stay open.

Our participating restaurants for this round of Feeding the Frontlines were:

Caseys Pizza and Subs-Port Huron

That Guys BBQ-Bay City

Sombreros Mexican Restaurant-Saginaw

Hoffmans Deco Deli & Cafe-Flint

That Guys BBQ owner Greg Buzzard delivered some of his award winning barbecue to Ascension St. Marys in Saginaw today thanks to sponsorship from The Iles Schropp Group. Thank you so much for your continued support, because without you there is no us, he said. A reminder that we are all in this together, even when we are apart.

This was one of those win-win-win scenarios that we couldnt be more excited about, said Jamie Dionne, vice president of sales at MLive Media Group. Michigans Best and our amazing partners have been looking for ways to pay it forward to the front line healthcare workers in our state, and Michigans Best cares deeply about our local community restaurants. This project married both of those things together in a way that serves our business partners, our community restaurants and our healthcare heroes.

You can see some of the photos below from todays deliveries.

Thank you to the Iles Schropp Group at Merrill Lynch in Saginaw for sponsoring Feeding the Frontlines.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Smoked chicken and beans from That Guys BBQ was delivered to Ascension St. Mary's in Saginaw thanks to sponsorship from The Iles Schropp Group at Merrill. Lynch.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Health care workers at Covenant in Saginaw enjoyed lunch delivered by Sombreros Mexican Restaurant, sponsored by the Saginaw Rotary Club.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Health care workers at Covenant in Saginaw enjoyed lunch delivered by Sombreros Mexican Restaurant, sponsored by the Saginaw Rotary Club.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Chickens smoking on the grill by That Guys BBQ. They got delivered for lunch on December 14 to Ascension St. Mary's in Saginaw.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Lunch from Casey's in Port Huron getting ready to be delivered to McLaren Port Huron on December 14. This delivery was sponsored by the Woman's Life Society.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Sombreros Mexican Restaurant delivered some of Michigan's Best food to Covenant hospital on December 14, as part of MLive's Feeding the Frontlines initiative. Special thanks to the Saginaw Rotary Club.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Woman's Life Society Insurance sponsored meals today from Casey's Pizza and Subs. The meals were delivered to McLaren Port Huron.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Cake from Sombreros Mexican Restaurant in Saginaw was delivered on December 14 for MLive's Feeding the Frontlines.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Casey's Pizza and Subs in Port Huron provided lunch on December 14 for our Feeding the Frontlines initiative.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Sombreros Mexican Restaurant owner Joseph Stricker, shown, and his team of chefs made and delivered lunch on December 14 for MLive's Feeding the Frontlines. He was sponsored by the Saginaw Rotary Club, of which he is also a member.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Hurley Hospital in Flint received lunch on December 14 from Hoffman's Deco Deli. They were sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

A delivery being made to Covenant Hospital in Saginaw, made possible by the sponsorship of the Saginaw Rotary Club.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Another delivery made to Covenant in Saginaw by Sombreros Mexican Restaurant. Thanks to the Saginaw Rotary for sponsoring Feeding the Frontlines.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

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Feeding the Front Lines: See behind the scenes on a day of giving - MLive.com

Powell’s WWE Raw Hit List: The Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles WWE Championship ascension ceremony for WWE TLC, The Hurt Business vs. Kofi Kingston,…

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By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Raw Hits

The Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles ascension ceremony: They got over the story that McIntyre could be facing Styles, Omos, The Miz, and John Morrison rather than just Styles at TLC. Its actually sad that WWE creative failed to build up Styles enough to make him feel like a credible challenger on his own, but at least they put some heat on him heading into the pay-per-view while creating a scenario where McIntyres title reign could be in jeopardy.

The Hurt Business Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Jeff Hardy: The best match of the night and it filled a lot of time. Sadly, filling time is what so much of Raw feels like its about these days. Its a show written by people who are just throwing their hands up while giving their crazy old boss what he wants rather than what they know would make for better television. Its hard to blame them. The crazy old boss is going to do whatever he wants anyway, so why risk your employment by fighting for change that hell never sign off on, especially in a year where so many have been terminated or furloughed?

WWE Raw Misses

The Miz and John Morrison: WWE is in desperate need of meaningful heels, yet they continue to book Miz and Morrison as two of the biggest losers in the entire business. Worse yet, they keep putting them all over television in bad talkshow segments and main event matches. If wasnt my job, I would have turned the channel when Raw opened with the Dirt Sheet segment. Ive been higher than many on Mizs mic heel work over the years, but both men have been beaten down to the point that theres no way to take them seriously, even with Miz holding the Money in the Bank contract. Its so bad that when they beat Keith Lee in a handicap match, the broadcast team sold it as an upset. Think about that for a minute.

Bray Wyatts field trip: As a viewer who wants logic in pro wrestling, I can rationalize the Firefly Funhouse madness of the puppets as being part of Wyatts mind games. But watching even the childlike R-Truth and Riddle characters interact with the puppets while backstage at Raw was about as corny as it gets. The hide and seek game between Wyatt and Randy Orton had potential, but it ultimately felt formula. You had to know exactly what was going to happen once Orton shoved Wyatt into the create. Orton setting the create on fire wasnt enough to distract from just how predictable The Fiends latest appearance was.

AJ Styles vs. Sheamus: A decent match that overstayed its welcome and probably should not have been booked in the first place. Styles needed a clean and decisive win over someone heading into TLC, but WWE is trying to build up Sheamus for an eventual program with Drew McIntyre. As such, Styles had to work a more competitive match that didnt help either man. If theres some type of an agreement between the McIntyre and Sheamus characters that they want to go it alone during their matches, then it really needs to be emphasized every week, because McIntyre looks like an asshole for continuing to allow his buddy to be outnumbered.

Nia Jax vs. Lana: For a monster heel tag team, Jax and Shayna Baszler sure do lose a lot. I guess this was Lanas moment since they pulled her from the tag team match at TLC. The company booked her to take nine bumps through the broadcast table only to pull her from the match on the go-home show. Strange.

Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke: Badass Baszler needed Jax to interfere to save her from Dana Fn Brooke. Enough said.

Ricochet vs. Mace: Ricochet got out of his numbers disadvantage feud with The Hurt Business to enter a numbers disadvantage feud with Retribution. WWE continues to waste Ricochet on the main roster, and they stubbornly move forward with the terrible Retribution faction. Retribution initially vowed to destroy WWE. Now their only purpose seems to be feuding with someone their leader wants to join the faction. Its awful. Give it up already.

Riddle: Riddles match with MVP went the way that it needed to with Riddle going over strong. The problem is that the main roster Riddle character is insufferable. Do we really need a second R-Truth character on the same brand?

Elias and Jaxson Ryker: Do they really think that they can heat up the tired Elias act by adding Ryker to his act? I guess I should at least applaud the recognition that Eliass act needed something new. The Elias character was tired before he took time away due to injury. Rather than use that time to retool the character, he came back doing the same part-time musician schtick. Sure, eager live crowds will chant along with his catchphrases once things get back to normal, but the act is ice cold if you suffer through the Raw television show every week.

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Powell's WWE Raw Hit List: The Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles WWE Championship ascension ceremony for WWE TLC, The Hurt Business vs. Kofi Kingston,...

Ascension again partners with Ochsner for free coronavirus testing – The Advocate

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Ascension Parish residents can get free COVID-19 testing thanks to a partnership between Ochsner Health System and Ascension Parish government, Parish President Clint Cointment said in a news release.

Our first testing partnership with Ochsner was a huge success, with hundreds of people tested, Cointment said. I am very happy to say that Ochsner has agreed to work with us again to provide this valuable service to our people.

The free drive-through testing will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 16-17, Jan. 6-7 and Jan. 20-21.

There are no out-of-pocket costs for those seeking a test, and no one will be turned away based on their insurance status. Bring an ID and insurance card, if applicable.

Testing will take place under Pavilions 7 and 8 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, next to the Exhibition Hall, formerly the 4-H building. People should enter from St. Landry Road at the South gate, next to the Chapel, and proceed straight to the testing area, then exit by the same route. Signage will be on-site to direct traffic flow.

The free testing is open to everyone ages 2 years and older, and does not require a physicians permission. Testing schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions.

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Ascension again partners with Ochsner for free coronavirus testing - The Advocate

We Already Have the Technology to Decarbonize U.S. Electricity – Gizmodo

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Electric energy generating wind turbines are seen on a wind farm in the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, CaliforniaPhoto: David McNew (Getty Images)

Itll take a lot to transition the U.S. off fossil-based energy: money, political will, labor. But a new report shows it wont take new technological innovation. The study, published in the journal Joule last week, shows U.S. electricity demand can be met with currently available carbon-free tech, like solar panels and wind turbines. And we can do it in just seven years.

Waiting for a unproven technology like next-generation nuclear power or carbon capture plants wont save us from the climate crisis. The work needs to start now and the new study shows the tools are at the ready, and theres no time to waste given, the study notes, the short time frame for power-system decarbonization and the long development times for new technologies and supply chains.

The authors, both researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, modeled what it would take for utilities across the entire nation to move their electricity capacity to currently existing renewables, like solar, wind, and hydrothermal, backed up with short-term battery storage. They found that theres no need to wait for any moonshot technologies. The whole plan could rely solely on proven technologies of which 1 gigawatt of capacity has already been deployed.

The findings also show that the best way to move the country to 100% carbon-free energy is to implement a nationwide plan, rather than taking a state-by-state or regional approach. This would allow the states to take advantage of electricity being generated outside of their immediate vicinity, thereby allowing developers to only build out clean power plants in the areas where theyre best suited. That would also reduce the need for storage. Though implementing the plan would require more transmission infrastructure, that would ultimately be cheaper than locally generated power and storage.

G/O Media may get a commission

Currently existing statewide decarbonization plans like renewable portfolio standards, and regional plans like multi-state utilities climate pledges, could be scaled up to meet the challenges of a clean energy transition. But the authors modeling shows that its cheaper to work across these divides.

Inter-state coordination and transmission expansion reduce the system cost of electricity in a 100% renewable U.S. power system by 46% compared with a state-by-state approach, from $135 per megawatt hour to $73 per megawatt hour, they write.

They propose having the federal government guide the creation of regional carbon-free grids. These could power their surrounding areas as well as send power to other parts of the country. For instance, wind turbines in Texas could produce enough power to fuel the Southeast while the mid-Atlantic could use solar power from sunnier Florida and hydropower from rivers that flow across Maine. The plan would also make all regions more resilient to changes in the weather that can affect generation.

While the whole Northeast might be cloudy or calm on a given day, that same day might be sunny in the southeast or windy in the midwest, Patrick Brown, a postdoctoral researcher at the MIT Energy Initiative who co-authored the study, wrote in an email.

This strategy would also maximize intermittent energy sources (or ones that rely on particular environmental conditions to run, like the suns position or levels of windiness) by putting them in the places where they would run the best. And again, we have the technology to do thiswe wouldnt even need longer-lasting batteriesthan the ones we already have, though they might be nice.

We definitely do not conclude that we should stop doing [research and development] on new low-carbon techs; if new storage or nuclear technologies are developed they could reduce costs even further, Brown said. The point is just that we shouldnt wait for new techs, but should instead rapidly deploy wind and [solar] in conjunction with significant amounts of new transmission.

The authors dont claim implementing this plan would be easy. It will take a lot of work. But all of that work also means tens of millions of new jobs, and thats a good thing, especially considering how many have been laid off by the failing fossil fuel industry and how many are struggling with unemployment amid the covid-19 pandemic. These existing forms of sustainable power have also proved resilient to economic hardship like the fallout of the covid-19 pandemic, which hit fossil-based energy industries hard. A recent report even found that by the end of 2020, global renewable power capacity will increase 7%.

Personally, I find the study comforting. I prefer knowing we have to fight for deploying existing technologies at a massive scale rather than banking it all on a riskier bet of something currently fictional to be created. And considering leading scientists warnings that we need to transform the entire global economy in 10 years to ward off catastrophic climate change and environmental degradation, we dont really have time to waste.

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We Already Have the Technology to Decarbonize U.S. Electricity - Gizmodo

SoCalGas to Test Technology that Could Transform Hydrogen Distribution and Enable Rapid Expansion of Hydrogen Fueling Stations – Yahoo Finance

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New device separates hydrogen from natural gas when the two gases are blended in pipelines

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With clean hydrogen gaining recognition worldwide as the carbon-free fuel capable of making a significant contribution to addressing climate change, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it will field test a new technology that can simultaneously separate and compress hydrogen from a blend of hydrogen and natural gas. At scale, the technology would allow hydrogen to be easily and affordably transported via the natural gas pipeline system, then extracted and compressed at fueling stations that provide hydrogen for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Created by Netherlands-based HyET Hydrogen, the technology is designed to provide pure highly-compressed hydrogen wherever a natural gas distribution system exists. A video illustrating the technology may be found here.

SoCalGas also recently announced a program to study blending hydrogen into its natural gas pipelines. If approved by regulators, the program would be the first step toward establishing a statewide standard for injecting hydrogen into the natural gas grid.

"This innovative technology could be a game-changer, allowing hydrogen to be distributed to wherever it is needed using the natural gas grid," said Neil Navin, vice president of clean energy innovations at SoCalGas. "As demand increases for zero-emissions vehicles such as fuel cell electric cars, California will need thousands more hydrogen fueling stationsand this technology may help make that possible."

"We are excited to deploy our newest technology in collaboration with SoCalGas," said Alexis Dubois, director of HyET Hydrogen USA. "Our gas separation system is designed to allow hydrogen to be transported across long distances affordably using existing natural gas pipelines. With this technology, hydrogen can become a commonly used fuel for transportation, industrial applications and more."

Story continues

"Hydrogen will be an important part of our clean energy future, and exciting new technologies like this will pave the way for zero emissions transportation in California," said Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera). "I am fighting for investments in both hydrogen infrastructure and clean transportation programs in the state Legislature and will continue to do so. I am excited that the testing of this cutting-edge innovation will take place in the 32nd Senate District and I look forward to continuing to work with SoCalGas as we pursue our clean energy goals."

"This is innovative technology," said Bill Elrick, executive director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. "It may provide a unique and strategic way to distribute large volumes of hydrogen fuel, helping decarbonize the transportation sector."

The new technology, called Electrochemical Hydrogen Purification and Compression (EHPC), works by applying an electrical current across a hydrogen-selective membrane to allow only hydrogen to permeate it while blocking the natural gas components. Continuously applying the electrical current builds up and pressurizes the hydrogen.

To test the technology, SoCalGas will blend hydrogen, in concentrations from 3 to 15%, with methane, the primary component of natural gas. That blend of gases will then be injected through a simulated natural gas pipeline testing system into the EHPC system to continuously extract and compress the hydrogen at a rate of 10 kg per day. SoCalGas' testing will provide performance data that will enable fine-tuning and optimization of the EHPC system to accelerate scaling up the technology. Within the next two years, the EHPC technology is expected to be scaled to produce 100 kg of hydrogen a day or more from a single EHPC system, enough to fill 20 fuel cell electric vehicles.

The project is scheduled to begin in March at SoCalGas' Engineering Analysis Center in Pico Rivera, California and slated to be complete by the third quarter of 2021.

About SoCalGas Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that mission, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2015 through 2019, the company invested nearly $7 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

About HyET GroupHyET Hydrogen, headquartered in Arnhem, The Netherlands, is a leading company in the development and delivery of electrochemical hydrogen processing technologies that enable large-scale implementation of hydrogen transport modalities and high-pressure hydrogen storage. HyET Hydrogen is part of the HyET group that creates solutions to make renewable energy sources commercially viable. HyET group is focused on large-scale buffering of intermittent renewable energy, such as solar and wind, using high pressure hydrogen.

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company

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SoCalGas to Test Technology that Could Transform Hydrogen Distribution and Enable Rapid Expansion of Hydrogen Fueling Stations - Yahoo Finance

CIPS: future technology in supply chain & logistics | Technology – Supply Chain Digital – The Procurement & Supply Chain Platform

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The future of supply chains is being transformed globally by the development of a more digitalised environment, where value chains are connected, and distribution systems are increasingly intelligent, autonomous and automated, stated CIPS.

When it comes to those that are striving to drive industry 4.0 in their operations, any strategy must begin with an understanding of their current level of maturity in their specific content or supply network, commented CIPS.

However immediate challenges and barriers for organisations include:

Industry 4.0: what it man for supply chain technology

Industry 4.0 represents the approach of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) form the infrastructural foundation for tomorrows innovative industrial technologies, defined CIPS.

The advanced technologies harnessed in Industry 4.0 is set to restructure the entire production system by transforming analogue and centralised workflows in ones that are digital and decentralised.

CIPS expected such advancements to drive huge improvements in relation to flexibility, efficiency and the automation of distribution, as well as eliminate unnecessary production costs; improve the transport of goods and services and business performance; increase throughput; reduce cycle times and maintain quality.

Read now, CIPSs Future technologies in supply chain and logistics 2020 report

How to prepare for industry 4.0

When it comes to developing smarter and better-connected supply chain networks, CIPS emphasises that Industry 4.0 will play a vital role in providing supply chain transparency, real-time tracking, better forecasting, critical thinking, improved judgement, a reduction of inefficiencies, and an increased automation of repetitive tasks.

Reasons why organisations are investing in supply chain technology

With CIPS reporting that those operating in supply chains are in a good position to reap the benefits of new technologies, with 66% already focusing on service delivery models, the company also states that those who invest in the big impact technologies may leap-frog their competitors over the coming decade.

16 technologies that are expected to disrupt the supply chain industry include: cloud computing, Big Data Analytics, internet of things (IoT), smart sensors, cyber physical systems, 3D printing (additive manufacturing), machine learning, virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), manufacturing execution system, blockchain, drones, robots, collaborative robots, augmented reality (AR), and autonomous vehicles.

To read CIPSs latest reports on technology in supply chain and logistics, click here!

For more information on procurement, supply chain and logistics topics - please take a look at the latest edition of Supply Chain Digital.

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CIPS: future technology in supply chain & logistics | Technology - Supply Chain Digital - The Procurement & Supply Chain Platform

Why Luminar Technologies Stock Jumped This Morning – The Motley Fool

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What happened

Shares of lidar-sensor maker Luminar Technologies (NASDAQ:LAZR) were on the rebound on Wednesday morning, trading higher after it clarified the details of its deal to sell lidar units and software to Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) subsidiary Mobileye.

As of 10 a.m. EST, Luminar's shares were up about 10.3% from Monday's closing price.

Luminar's stock price got clobbered on Tuesday after Reuters reported that the CEO fo Mobileye, a key Luminar client, said that his company might develop its own lidar units in-house.

Understandably, that report led to concerns among Luminar investors. But it turns out it was something of a false alarm. In a statement released before the market opened on Wednesday, Mobileye and Luminar clarified that they are still very much doing business together, and there's no plan to change that.

Luminar's Hydra lidar system was developed from the start for automotive applications. Image source: Luminar Technologies.

Specifically, Luminar is still providing its technology to Mobileye's autonomous-vehicle program, which is aiming to launch a Level 4 self-driving taxi service in 2022. The companies, which have been working together for nearly two years, signed a deal in November in which Luminar agreed to supply lidar units to Mobileye at a price of less than $1,000 each once production is up to scale.

To sum up: Yes, Mobileye is toying with developing its own lidar units in-house. But it's not a definite thing, those units wouldn't be ready before 2025, and Luminar is and will continue to be Mobileye's lidar supplier in the meantime.

I think auto investors are right to view Luminar as one of the top lidar companies in the automotive space as of right now -- and to view lidar as a technology that's critical to self-driving vehicles as well as to the next generation of advanced driver-assist systems.

This is a hot industry, the competition is fierce, and Tuesday won't be the last time that a lidar stock makes an abrupt move up or down on breaking news. Investors who keep that in mind -- and stay focused on the larger picture -- could do well here.

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Why Luminar Technologies Stock Jumped This Morning - The Motley Fool

Queen Elizabeth Says Thank Goodness For Technology as She Carries Out Another Virtual Visit – TownandCountrymag.com

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For months, the Queen has been unable to carry out her duties as normal because of the threat of COVID-19. However, she has embraced working digitally, and declared in a recent virtual visit: Thank goodness for technology, so one can still do this.

The Queen took part in a video call with accounting firm KPMG last week to mark their 150th anniversary, hearing the stories of four employees from across the UK. She also listened to the staff choir perform a pre-recorded version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and described the singing as lovely. Dressed comfortably in a pale blue cardigan and white shirt, the Queen participated in the video call from Windsor Castle where she and Prince Philip are staying with selected staff and where they will spend Christmas.

It sounds as though its all going very well in spite of all the difficulties, the Queen said to the four staff members. It is difficult when people are used to being so close to each other, and everybodys been divided up so much. Well thank goodness for technology, so one can still do this.

Buckingham Palace

During the call, the Queen spoke to KPMG Partner John McCalla-Leacy, who was recently elected as KPMG UKs first black Board member and has spearheaded the firms work to improve inclusion and diversity. Per Buckingham Palace, John shared the firms commitment to diversity initiatives and their continued efforts to further inclusion in the accountancy profession. He also spoke about how, as a young athlete, he was supported by The Princes Trust and went on to become an international white-water canoe slalom competitor.

Maam, Id like to ask that you please pass on my sincere gratitude to HRH The Prince of Wales for The Princes Trust, John said. Receiving the support that I did and when I did changed my life and I will never forget it, nor will I cease in my efforts to work with my fellow partners and others to use my position of influence to support and encourage others.

The Queen replied: Ill indeed pass it on to my son, who is very proud of the idea of The Princes Trust, which I think has helped a lot of people. Also on the call were Bill Michael, the KPMGs UK Chair and Senior Partner, Jennifer Lee, KPMGs youngest Office Senior Partner, Cheryl Valentine, who joined KPMG as part of their Forces in the Firm military leavers program, and David McIntosh, who joined KPMG as an apprentice in 2017.

The video call was one of several that the Queen has carried out since making visits in person stopped being possible. She has also conducted audiences via video link, with the people she is greeting standing before a video screen in Buckingham Palace while she receives them on screen at Windsor. Buckingham Palace announced at the start of this month that the Queen and Philip will spend Christmas quietly at Windsor instead of making the traditional journey to Sandringham.

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Queen Elizabeth Says Thank Goodness For Technology as She Carries Out Another Virtual Visit - TownandCountrymag.com

Engineering and Technology Management students achieve high pass rate on certification exam – Morehead State University News

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December 15, 2020 Morehead State Universitys Department of Engineering and Technology Management (ETM) fall 2020 graduating class achieved a 90 percent pass rate on the Certified Technology Manager (CTM) Exam, earning them national certification.

The CTM Exam is nationally administered through the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) to certify accredited program graduates. The Department of Engineering and Technology Management has been accredited by ATMAE since 1998, with reaccreditation achieved through 2026. Twenty-seven of the 30 MSU students who took the exam passed it.

We are proud of ETM faculty and graduating seniors for their success, said School of Engineering and Computer Science Associate Dean Dr. Ahmad Zargari.

A minimum score of 95 out of 160 in leadership, self-management, systems, processes, operations, people, project, quality, risk and safety is required to pass the exam and qualify for certification.Certified Technology Manager is the initial certification status awarded by ATMAEs. Certification holders may report continuing education activity to be eligible for certified senior technology manager (CSTM) status.

MSUs ETM students take the Certified Technology Manager (CTM) exam before graduation in their senior year. The historical average national pass rate for the CTM exam is 69 percent.

To learn more about programs in the Department of Engineering and Technology Management, visitwww.moreheadstate.edu/etm, emailetm@moreheadstate.eduor call 606-783-2418.

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Engineering and Technology Management students achieve high pass rate on certification exam - Morehead State University News

AWS renews JEDI protest with a few twists – Washington Technology

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JEDI

Amazon Web Services amended complaint in its lawsuit over the Defense Departments high-profile and highly-controversial JEDI cloud infrastructure contract largely reiterates what it has said before.

AWS continues to argue the Defense Department wrongly awarded the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract to Microsoft. Not just the first time in October 2019, but now a second time through a partial corrective action wrapped up in September of this year that saw Microsoft get selected again.

How that partial redo played out is where we can fast forward to in the new 175-page version of AWS' complaint filed to the Court of Federal Claims in October and partially unsealed with redactions Tuesday.

In essence, AWS says its revised proposal is now the lower-priced bid by a magnitude lower than that of Microsoft's bid in round two.

The Pentagon stuck with Microsoft after both companies were allowed to submit new bids in light of a judges finding that the online storage aspects in those proposals were incorrectly evaluated in favor of Microsoft.

The price AWS gave in its second proposal is redacted, so there is no official side-by-side comparison that can be seen yet.

But that still adds onto AWS longstanding bones to pick with DOD regarding JEDI: that actions from Trump administration officials swung the award to Microsoft through a series of errors in the procurement process, including the evaluations.

As part of that, AWS also continues to claim that DODs answers to the companys questions as part of the debrief are either unanswered or lacking in detail that would explain the decision.

Perhaps a third crux of AWS is its view of Microsofts ability to work on the JEDI project. In the amended complaint, AWS says Microsoft has never performed a cloud computing contract of this scale or complexity and the latters Azure offering did not pass the evaluation criteria, but that didnt stop DOD from being focused on affirming its prior award to Microsoft.

For its part, Microsoft is working toward getting accreditation from DOD to host data in the cloud at the top secret level. AWS is the only cloud provider with that official designation but Microsoft unveiled a new cloud service earlier this month to get to that point.

As yours truly was writing this for today (Wednesday), attorneys for the U.S. government issued their 34-page amended response to AWS complaint that pushes back against the claim of political interference.

A DOD inspector general report released last year said no evidence was found that actions from Trump administration officials weighed on the selection of Microsoft, though many of those asked to speak with the IG either did not at all or declined to answer certain questions.

Lawyers for the government reference that report in defense of DOD and essentially said that AWS should have raised any issues it had about the procurement process including bias allegations before the award.

How Amazon Web Services sees it

After the court rejected the flawed initial JEDI evaluation, the DOD spent over four months attempting to revive Microsofts non-compliant bid and reaffirm that flawed and politically-biased decision. As a result of the DoD fixing just one of many errors, the pricing differential swung substantially, with AWS now the lowest-priced bid by tens of millions of dollars, an AWS spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The fact that correcting just one error can move the needle that substantially demonstrates why its important that the DOD fix all of the evaluation errors that remain unaddressed, and ensure they are getting access to the best technology at the best price. We had made clear that unless the DOD addressed all of the defects in its initial decision, we would continue to pursue a fair and objective review, and thats exactly where we find ourselves today.

How Microsoft sees it

Amazon seems to be saying the only way they can ever lose is if the procurement isnt fair. But every month, the market tells them thats not true. Large and sophisticated customers regularly choose Microsoft over AWS. They do this because of the strength of our technology, our understanding of complex projects, and our overall value. As the losing bidder, Amazon was informed of our pricing and they realized theyd originally bid too high, Frank Shaw, Microsofts corporate vice president of communications, said in a statement.

They then amended aspects of their bid to achieve a lower price. However, when looking at all the criteria together, the career procurement officials at the DOD decided that given the superior technical advantages and overall value, we continued to offer the best solution. We also know what it takes to serve the DOD having worked with them for more than forty years. The DODs independent IG report found there was no evidence of actual procurement interference so it is time we moved on and got this technology in the hands of those who urgently need it: the women and men who protect our nation.

About the Author

Ross Wilkers is a senior staff writer for Washington Technology. He can be reached at rwilkers@washingtontechnology.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rosswilkers. Also connect with him on LinkedIn.

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Eyesight Technologies Changes Name to Cipia – Supply and Demand Chain Executive

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Eyesight Technologies, a leading provider of in-cabin computer vision AI solutions for the automotive industry, changed its name to Cipia. With Cipia's unique market position, addressing the coming phases of advanced driver monitoring systems (DMS) and emerging occupancy monitoring systems (OMS) market, the company selected a name to support its vision for the future of automotive experiences - AI solutions that improve the safety and overall automotive experience by understanding the behavior and activities of the driver and passengers.

The name Cipia is inspired by our brain's occipital lobe where humans derive meaning from the sense of vision. The occipital lobe 'translates' what we see into an understanding of the environment around us, and the name Cipia was born to reflect the company's vision and its intelligent sensing capabilities. With the evolution of Cipia from its beginnings in classic computer-vision to today's neural networks based technology and evolving algorithms, administering context and understanding to the environment, the name Cipia is not merely a cosmetic change, but also a name that pays homage to both the rich past of the company, as well as representing the promise of the future.

In 2018, responding to a growing need and emerging market demand, Cipia leveraged its computer vision AI expertise to pivot its focus to the automotive in-cabin sensing market. The shift to become an automotive company was accompanied by the development of new capabilities pertaining to higher levels of analyzing human factors. The combination of advanced computer vision AI and introduction of meta-analysis, enabled Cipia to evolve and create AI based solutions that not only see the driver, but also understand the state of the driver and occupants.

"We are on a continuing journey to push the boundaries of computer vision AI and deliver cutting edge solutions to our customers," said David Tolub CEO of Cipia. "Our technology has evolved, taking its inspiration from the neural networks and the higher level logic of the brain, and we decided that our name must encompassthe breadth and richness of our journey as a company. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to provide state of the art solutions for automotive experience."

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Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. Announces 15 New Clients with over 12000 New Patients in Central and North Texas and Puerto Rico – GlobeNewswire

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HAMILTON, Ontario, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (TSXV:RHT or OTCQB:RQHTF) (Reliq or the Company), a technology company focused on developing innovative mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions for Community-Based Healthcare, today announced that it is onboarding 15 new clients in Texas and Puerto Rico who will use its proprietary iUGO Care Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), Chronic Care Management (CCM), Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) and Telemedicine platform.

We are very pleased to have added fifteen new clients to our customer base in Central and North Texas and Puerto Rico, said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. These clients have over 12,000 eligible patients who will be using Reliqs iUGO Care Software and Care Management services, at an average revenue of $65 USD per patient per month. We have already begun onboarding patients for these new clients and expect to complete the onboarding over the next 4 6 months. The new clients include physician practices, home health agencies and a Medical Clinic with over 10 locations between Dallas and San Antonio, Texas. Patient onboarding continues to accelerate, despite the holiday season and the worsening global pandemic. The Company remains on track to achieve cashflow positive in Calendar Q1 2021.

About Reliq HealthReliq Health Technologies is a healthcare technology company that specializes in developing innovative software solutions for the Community Care market. Reliqs powerful iUGO Care platform supports care coordination and community-based healthcare. iUGO Care allows complex patients to receive high quality care at home, improving health outcomes, enhancing quality of life for patients and families and reducing the cost of care delivery. iUGO Care provides real-time access to remote patient monitoring data, allowing for timely interventions by the care team to prevent costly hospital readmissions and ER visits. Reliq Health Technologies trades on the TSX Venture under the symbol RHT and on the OTCQB as RQHTF.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDDr. Lisa CrossleyCEO and Director

For further information please contact:Investor Relations at ir@reliqhealth.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking InformationCertain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements".

We caution you that such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to commercial operations, including technology development, anticipated revenues, projected size of market, and other information that is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (the "Company") does not intend and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, technology development and marketing activities, the Company's historical experience with technology development, uninsured risks. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Reliq Health Technologies Inc.

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Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. Announces 15 New Clients with over 12000 New Patients in Central and North Texas and Puerto Rico - GlobeNewswire

Governor Baker, regulating facial recognition technology is a racial justice issue – The Boston Globe

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Despite our positions and profiles as professional athletes, we are not immune to racial profiling and discriminatory policing. Police violence and racism are unfortunately all too familiar for many players of color.

This bias against Black people and other people of color is baked into the criminal legal system, and its perpetuated at every level, including the tools that police departments use. Thats why we were disappointed to see that Governor Charlie Baker, in his amendments to the police reform legislation, removed the bills proposed regulations of government use of facial recognition technology. Bakers rejection is deeply troubling because this technology supercharges racial profiling by police and has resulted in the wrongful arrests of innocent people.

Studies confirm that face recognition surveillance technology is flawed and biased, with significantly higher error rates when used against people of color and women. The ACLU of Massachusetts tested a widely available face recognition application last year, comparing official headshots of 188 New England athletes with a database of mugshots. Unsurprisingly, 27 professional athletes, including two Celtics players, were falsely matched.

This has real consequences. One false match can lead to an interrogation, arrest, and especially for Black men even a deadly police encounter. Earlier this year, Detroit police arrested Robert Williams, a Black man, on his front lawn in front of his wife and two young daughters. He was locked up for nearly 30 hours. His crime? Police used face recognition software and erroneously matched Williams with someone suspected of theft more than a year earlier. The false arrest disrupted his family life, resulted in his unjustified jailing, and violated all norms of reasonable policing. The charges were eventually dropped, but Williams and his family were left traumatized.

Williamss wrongful arrest due to facial recognition technology made national news. But hes not the only Black man wrongfully arrested due to racially biased, unregulated facial recognition technology. Theres nothing to stop the same thing from happening again. In fact, it might already have happened; we dont know because facial surveillance is used in secret, without any oversight. Even defense attorneys dont always find out when its been used to identify their clients. Thats because police departments arent always required to disclose their use of the technology to criminal defendants.

Massachusetts lawmakers proposed regulations make sense for racial justice and public safety. By prohibiting government agencies from using face recognition technology to surveil people, it will prevent racially biased, discriminatory surveillance technology from being used to track us everywhere we go. In those rare situations where the technology might give police officers a useful lead in the investigation of serious crimes, the bill would allow them to get a warrant to compare images of suspects with images already held by the government. If police really think face recognition will help solve crime, let it go through the same process as every other invasive investigative tool. Section 26 of the police reform bill allows police to search images via the Registry of Motor Vehicles in serious criminal investigations and life-threatening emergencies to identify individuals suspected of a violent crime. This strikes the right balance protecting both our right to be free from unchecked government surveillance and the governments ability to investigate the most serious crimes.

Like policing itself, surveillance technologies are most often deployed in communities of color, severely diminishing peoples anonymity and privacy and putting them at potential risk.

We cant allow biased technology to supercharge racist policing in the Commonwealth. The Legislature should return these important regulations to the governor, and he should sign the bill.

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, Tristan Thompson, Robert Williams III, Daniel Theis, Semi Ojeleye, Jeff Teague, Javonte Green, Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards, Romeo Langford, Tremont Waters, Tacko Fall, Payton Pritchard, and Aaron Nesmith are basketball players with the Boston Celtics.

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Governor Baker, regulating facial recognition technology is a racial justice issue - The Boston Globe

I started crying: Inside Timnit Gebrus last days at Googleand what happens next – MIT Technology Review

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We had 128 citations [on that paper], and we sent our paper to many of these people that we cited. We were so thorough. I said, okay, I want to bucket the people that were going to ask feedback from in four buckets. One is the people who have developed large language models themselves, just to get their perspective. One is people who work in the area of understanding and mitigating the bias in these models. One is people who might disagree with our view. One is people who use these large language models for various things. And we have a whole document with all of this feedback that we were supposed to go through to address, and which I want to do still before we release this work.

But the way they [Google leadership] were talking to us, it wasnt like they were talking to world-renowned experts and linguists. Like Emily Bender [a professor at the University of Washington and a coauthor of the paper] is not some random person who just put her name on a random paper out there. I felt like the whole thing was so disrespectful.

I felt like there were prior instances where they watered down the research results a lot. People had conversations with PR and policy or whatever, and they would take issue with certain wording or take issue with certain specifics. Thats what I thought they might try to do with this paper, too. So I wrote a document, and I kept asking them, What exactly is your feedback? Is your feedback to add a section? To remove? What does this mean? What are you asking us?

This was literally my email on Friday after Thanksgiving [November 27, five days before Gebrus dismissal] because on Thanksgiving day I had spent my day writing this document instead of having a good time with my family. The next day, on Friday, which is when I was supposed to retract this paper, I wrote: Okay, I have written this six-page document addressing at a high level and low level whatever feedback I can gather. And I hope that there is at the very least an openness for further conversation rather than just further orders. I wrote that email. Like that. How does Megan [Kacholia, the VP of engineering at Google Research] respond to this email? Monday, she responds to it and says, Can you please confirm that you have either retracted the paper or taken the names of the authors out of this paper. Thank you. And can you please confirm after youve done this. Send me an email and confirm. As if I have no agency.

Thats not what they do to people whove engaged in gross misconduct. They hand them $80 million, and they give them a nice little exit. They dont do what they did to me.

Then in that document, I wrote that this has been extremely disrespectful to the Ethical AI team, and there needs to be a conversation, not just with Jeff and our team, and Megan and our team, but the whole of Research about respect for researchers and how to have these kinds of discussions. Nope. No engagement with that whatsoever.

I cried, by the way. When I had that first meeting, which was Thursday before Thanksgiving, a day before I was going to go on vacationwhen Megan told us that you have to retract this paper, I started crying. I was so upset because I said, Im so tired of constant fighting here. I thought that if I just ignored all of this DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] hypocrisy and other stuff, and I just focused on my work, then at least I could get my work done. And now youre coming for my work. So I literally started crying.

I dont know. Samy was horrified by the whole thing. He was like, this is not how we treat researchers. I mean, this is not how you treat people in general. People are talking about how, if this happens to somebody this accomplishedit makes me imagine what they do to people, especially people in vulnerable groups.

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I started crying: Inside Timnit Gebrus last days at Googleand what happens next - MIT Technology Review

Evolve Manufacturing Technologies to Produce Rapid COVID-19 Tests in Silicon Valley – PRNewswire

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FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Evolve Manufacturing Technologies - a leading Bay-Area contract manufacturer - announces a partnership with biotech company Nanmix to produce rapid antibody and antigen test kits in the fight against COVID-19. Months into the pandemic, long lines for testing as well as delays in getting results have hampered U.S. efforts to get the coronavirus under control. Now, this hand-held testing device will bring state-of-the-art technology from large laboratories into the palm of the hand.

This device reads and delivers the diagnostics in just 10 minutes at the very same place where people submit their samples. The system does not require advanced training and works with Bluetooth technology to quickly and securely deliver results digitally. This type of rapid testing is ideal for settings such as schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities where families need to know their COVID status as they enter the premises to visit their loved ones.

Nanmix CEO and medical industry veteranDavid Ludvigsonsays rather than sending manufacturing of the devices overseas, Evolve will produce these rapid point-of-care tests at its Fremont, California, facility.

"We struggled for nearly 12 months with our prior vendor trying to get the product on line, produced in the way and timeframes we wanted," Ludvigson says. "Evolve came in and has done all of that in a matter of a couple of months. We found a great philosophical match, less than a 20-minute drive from where we are. We've been getting our first sets of products off Evolve's production lines. And we're getting ready to go into higher-volume production shortly."

Producing the tests at the Evolve Manufacturing facilities in the heart of the Bay Area allows Nanmix engineers to work hand in hand with the factory, going through the assembly and quality control process.

"In my nearly two decades in this field, I have never been as proud as I am of our team's work in joining the fight against this devastating virus," Noreen King, CEO of Evolve Manufacturing Technologies, says. "One of our team members lost her mother to COVID-19 and wasn't able to visit her at the nursing home before she passed. Our mission now is to get rigorous and reliable testing systems in place so that no one else has to face these tragic circumstances."

Evolve Manufacturing Technologies Inc.is a contract manufacturer that offers innovative end-to-end manufacturing services for medical device and life-sciences companies. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Evolve operates a state-of-the-art 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. With a talented and diverse team of manufacturing professionals and strong core values, Evolve provides the expertise and capacity to meet market demand for high-quality production.

Nanmixis the leader in the development of mobile, affordable point-of-care diagnostics. The company's handheld testing platform and assays provide rapid, accurate, quantitative information for use in settings where time-to-diagnosis is critical for clinical decision-making and improved patient care.

CONTACT:SamuelBurkeEvolve Manufacturing+1-602-607-0004[emailprotected]

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COVID-19 vaccines: The new technology that made them possible – Livescience.com

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Days before her 91st birthday, Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials.

Keenan, who was sporting a polka-dot cardigan over a festive shirt, was given the first dose of a two-dose vaccine at the University Hospital Coventry in England, setting off the first mass vaccination effort against a virus that has now infected at least 70 million people worldwide and killed 1.5 million. An 81-year-old named William Shakespeare was next in line for the vaccine.

Keenan and Shakespeare are also the first humans, outside of a trial setting, to be given a vaccine that harnesses "mRNA" technology. This relatively new tech, which relies on a synthetic strand of genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) to prime the immune system, had not yet been approved for any previous vaccine in the world.

Related: Coronavirus live updates

But the COVID-19 pandemic served as an unexpected proof of concept for mRNA vaccines, which, experts told Live Science, have the potential to dramatically reshape vaccine production in the future. In fact, two COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna, are 95% and 94.1% effective, respectively, at preventing an infection with the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19.

On Thursday (Dec. 10), a panel of experts voted and recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grant emergency approval to Pfizer's vaccine, or permission for it to be distributed prior to full approval under emergency situations like a pandemic. The panel is set to assess Moderna's vaccine on Dec. 17. Healthcare workers and vulnerable individuals in the U.S. could receive the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week.

COVID-19 has really "laid the foundation" for rapid production of new vaccines, such as mRNA vaccines, to fight future pathogens, said Maitreyi Shivkumar, a virologist and senior lecturer in molecular biology at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. "With the technology that we've developed for SARS-CoV-2, we can very easily transfer that to other emerging pathogens."

Here's how mRNA vaccines work, and why they could make such a difference for vaccine development.

mRNA vaccines are inspired by basic biology.

Cells store DNA that holds coded instructions for making proteins. When a cell needs to make a protein, it copies the appropriate instructions onto a messenger RNA molecule a single strand of genetic material. A cellular machine called a ribosome then runs along this code, reads it, and shoots out the correct building blocks to make the protein. Proteins are the essential workers of the body, forming the structure of cells, making tissue, fueling chemical reactions and sending messages: Without them, everything would shut down.

Around three decades ago, scientists realized that they could synthesize mRNA in the lab, deliver it into human cells and use the body to make any protein they wanted, such as proteins that could help fight a range of diseases in the body from cancers to respiratory illnesses. In 1990, researchers at the University of Wisconsin and biotech company Vical Incorporated figured out how to make mRNA that could direct mice cells to create proteins, according to Business Insider.

In the 1990s, Hungarian-born scientist Katalin Karik started building on this work, but ran into major roadblocks, the biggest being that the mice's immune system would deem synthetic mRNA foreign and destroy it, sometimes even creating a dangerous inflammatory response. A decade later, while working at the University of Pennsylvania, Karik and her collaborator Dr. Drew Weissman, figured out that they could create an invisibility cloak for synthetic mRNA by swapping out a piece of the mRNA code for a slightly altered one, according to STAT News. That tiny edit allowed synthetic mRNA to slip right into cells without rousing the immune system, a finding that the researchers published in multiple papers starting in 2005, according to STAT News. These results caught the attention of two key scientists: one who later helped found Moderna and another who helped found BioNTech.

Neither company initially set out to develop mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases, but eventually started to expand into that field with mRNA flu, cytomegalovirus and Zika virus vaccines in development or clinical trials. But then a deadly virus presented a unique opportunity to test, in large groups of people, just how powerful the technology could be.

On Jan. 10, Chinese researchers first published the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus on a preprint online; within a week, Weissman and his team at the University of Pennsylvania were already developing synthetic mRNA against the virus and both Moderna and Pfizer licensed this team's formulation from The University of Pennsylvania, according to a perspective posted on Sep. 3 in the journal JAMA.

Within 66 days of the sequence being published, Moderna, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, developed a vaccine and kickstarted the first U.S. clinical trial to test it against COVID-19.

Five of the vaccines currently in clinical trials are mRNA vaccines; though they are made from different recipes, they use the same underlying concept.

Both Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines are made up of synthetic mRNA that carries the code for the spike protein. The mRNA is enveloped inside a fatty nanoparticle that acts as a Trojan horse, infiltrating human cells and delivering the spike-building instructions without awakening the immune system. Once cells have gotten hold of the mRNA, they create the spike protein, which in turn triggers the immune system to produce an arsenal of cells to fight the spike protein and thus protect the body against SARS-CoV-2.

The vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer are likely so successful because they're "mimicking a viral infection," by activating two major immune responses in the body, said Dr. Otto Yang, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases and of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The better-known response involves antibodies: The cells expel the spike proteins they make; these trigger the immune system to create antibodies against them, Yang told Live Science. Antibodies are found in blood, tissues and fluids but they can't access a virus that's already inside the cell, "so the immune system evolved a way to deal with that," Yang said.

Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science

That response involves killer T cells, also known as CD8 T cells. These killers scan cell surfaces cells display small pieces of all the proteins they make on their surface and destroy the ones that are infected by a virus. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines can also wave a warning flag for killer T cells: after the mRNA prompts cells to make the spike protein, cells display processed fragments of it on its surface.

This gives mRNA vaccines an advantage over more traditional vaccines such as those for flu or rabies, that are made from killed versions of the actual pathogen or their target proteins. Killed virus vaccines can't get into cells, so they trigger antibodies but not the killer T-cell response, Yang said.

But mRNA vaccines aren't the only ones that trigger both these immune responses; the University of Oxford vaccine, made from a weakened cold virus called an adenovirus that infects chimpanzees, also does, Yang said. This adenovirus is genetically modified to not be able to replicate in the body and to include the genetic code for the spike protein. These vaccines also prompt the cells to create the proteins themselves, rather than providing already-made ones; and because the cells make the proteins, they display fragments of them on their surfaces.

Vaccines like the Oxford vaccine also show great promise in the future of vaccine development, experts told Live Science. And such vector vaccines have been studied extensively when compared to mRNA vaccines, according to the JAMA perspective. But the Oxford vaccine, developed with AstraZeneca, showed less efficacy than the mRNA vaccines did; in late-stage clinical trials, the Oxford vaccine was 62% effective at protecting against COVID-19 in participants who were given two full doses and 90% effective at protecting those who were first given a half dose and then a full dose, according to findings published on Dec. 8 in the journal The Lancet.

It's not yet clear why, but one major possibility is that the Oxford vaccine could be overwhelming the immune system when people are given an initial full dose. In addition to the spike protein, the adenovirus also has its own proteins. Because all of these proteins are foreign to the body, the immune system creates defenses against all of them. "There's no way that the immune system has any sort of guidance that 'OK, I'm only supposed to make a response against spike,'" Yang said. On the other hand, the mRNA vaccines are more targeted, telling the immune system to respond only to the spike protein.

But before we can say that mRNA vaccines are fundamentally better than other options, Yang said, scientists need to see detailed data from the trials, rather than gleaning information from "snippets from press releases." It's also not yet known how long mRNA vaccine-induced immune responses will last. That being said, mRNA vaccines are the "first technology that allows us to [make killer T cell responses] without giving a whole live virus," Yang said. Though rare, live but weakened virus vaccines have a slight risk of causing a more serious disease, whereas mRNA vaccines, as far as we know, do not, he added.

mRNA vaccines do not integrate into our DNA (the DNA is stored in a cell's inner core called the nucleus, a place that the synthetic mRNA doesn't go) and the mRNA generally degrades after a few days, Shivkumar said.

In the first day that Pfizer's vaccine was administered to several thousand people, two people who had a history of severe allergic reactions had anaphylaxis-like symptoms, prompting the U.K.'s regulatory agency to warn people with severe allergies to avoid getting that particular vaccine. But experts say the general population shouldn't be anxious about getting this vaccine and it isn't totally unexpected as allergic reactions can occur with a number of vaccines, Live Science reported.

"I do not believe that mRNA vaccines pose any significant greater chance of a severe allergic reaction than other vaccines," said Justin Richner, an assistant professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Illinois (who previously, as a postdoctoral fellow, collaborated with Moderna on their as-of-yet unapproved mRNA vaccine to fight the Zika virus), noting that the safety data from the mRNA vaccine trials looked very similar to other vaccines. "If anything, I would predict that there is less likely to be an allergic reaction in the mRNA vaccines as the production does not require eggs like other vaccines," he said. (Most flu-vaccines are made using eggs so they can contain bits of egg protein, according to the CDC).

Another huge advantage of mRNA vaccines is how quickly and easily they can be developed.

"The beauty of the mRNA platform is that you can easily swap out the genetic code," Richner said. In theory, if scientists know what proteins to target on a virus to stop it from infecting human cells, such as the spike protein for SARS-CoV-2, they can use the same platform that was developed for other vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine and just swap out the code for the spike protein with the code for the new protein.

The real problem lies in finding the correct target, Richner said.

Because scientists had previously conducted research on similar coronaviruses those that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) they knew early on that the spike protein was probably the optimal target, Richner said. But they may not get so lucky with other viruses, as previous failures, such as with HIV, have revealed.

mRNA vaccines are cheaper, easier and faster to develop, and in theory, scale up more easily when compared to traditional vaccines. That's because older vaccine technologies rely on growing the virus or the proteins in the lab, Shivkumar said. Traditional vaccines are often grown in eggs or cells and then weakened or killed.

"After obtaining knowledge of the pathogen," researchers can synthesize and have an mRNA vaccine ready for delivery in about a week, Richner said. "For traditional vaccine development, this process would take at a minimum one month and usually several months."

mRNA is a chemical that can be made in a factory setting (such as in a test tube or tank) "relatively easily" once a pipeline is established, Richner said. "Manufacturing is going to be a big advantage going forward." Pfizer recently experienced production delays, but those delays are only "because it's the first time making an mRNA vaccine to this scale," he added.

Still, this easy genetic swap isn't a sole capability of mRNA vaccines, as the adenovirus vector vaccines also have this advantage. "The Oxford vaccine is more traditional, but it is, again, slightly sort of a jump from the traditional ones because it has the same backbone," Shivkumar said. Prior to the pandemic, the group that was developing the Oxford vaccine was working on a vaccine against the coronavirus that causes MERS so "they actually just swapped in the SARS-CoV-2 sequence into that same backbone," she said. But with the adenovirus vector vaccines, scientists still have to rely on the slower biological processes, namely, growing an adenovirus in the lab.

Theoretically, mRNA vaccines can tackle any virus and one day, might even be able to tackle multiple pathogens at once, according to the JAMA perspective. But practically, we won't know how universal these vaccines can become when confronted with a variety of new viruses. SARS-CoV-2 is "not a particularly difficult virus," said Dennis Burton, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the Scripps Research Institute in California. There will likely be "more severe tests and then you'll be better able to judge how universal RNA vaccines could be. Still, there's "every chance" mRNA can be truly revolutionary, but we need more information before we can be sure, he told Live Science.

Either way, no matter how quickly genetic information can be swapped in and out of mRNA vaccines, "you can't skip all the safety data," Richner said. The "slowdown is always going to be the clinical trial," Richner said.

Despite their promise, mRNA vaccines still have some limitations. For instance, right now, Pfizer's mrNA vaccine must be stored at polar temperatures of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70 degrees Celsius). "Especially in developing countries and countries where it's impossible to have minus-80 freezers everywhere, I think it's still not ideal, so you would still need to rely on the more traditional vaccines," Shivkumar said.

Moderna's vaccine can be stored at freezer temperatures of minus 4 F (minus 20 C). The difference in storage requirements between the two vaccines likely comes down to the recipe that the company used to make them; the ultra-cold temperature may keep either the nanoparticle shell or the mRNA more stable, Yang said.

But if those mRNA vaccines could be stored and delivered at higher temperatures, with the impressive efficacy that they showed, "I can imagine that they will sort of be a game-changer globally," Shivkumar added. In the future, Pfizer may be able to improve their vaccine to be more stable at higher temperatures, Richner said.

Related: The most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates

In the past, mRNA vaccines didn't produce a strong enough response compared to more traditional vaccines, Shivkumar said. "Because with the mRNA you use such low levels and it degrades so quickly, the amount of protein produced will be relatively lower than if you were to be given either a protein or an attenuated virus," she said. But clearly scientists have figured out how to make mRNA stable enough to trigger a strong protective response. While this would need to be checked with every pathogen, it's clear the technology has "definitely improved," Shivkumar added.

"It's very exciting to have these mRNA vaccines," said Dr. Octavio Ramilo, the chief of infectious diseases at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. But "it will be good to have more than just one strategy," because you never know which one will stick, he said. Not all platforms will necessarily work as well for every pathogen, especially since each virus might have a unique strategy to hide from the immune system, he added.

It's also important to understand how these vaccines will work in children and the elderly, Ramilo said. Though many of the trials have included elderly participants, children have been absent. Children can respond to vaccines differently than adults, Ramilo told Live Science.

Especially babies' immune systems change "dramatically in the first year," Ramilo said. The flu virus tends to impact children and the elderly more severely than other age groups, Ramilo said. But vaccines don't work as well in those groups, he said. So having multiple platforms and understanding how they work "is going to be fundamental to leverage and to make them work in different situations," he added.

And if another new virus comes along years from now, we'll hopefully have learned lessons from 2020. The pandemic served as a "proof of concept" that mRNA experts had been waiting for, Yang said. The fastest vaccine developed to date prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was the Mumps vaccine, which took four years to develop and license it in 1967. Not counting the years it took to develop the vaccine, the Ebola vaccine was the fastest ever tested in clinical trials which took less than a year during the Ebola outbreak across West Africa. That is, until the world was faced with a deadly pandemic.

Just nine months into the pandemic, the fact that new vaccines are already finished clinical trials "is pretty impressive," Yang said. "When you're talking about a vaccine possibly being FDA-approved only a few months after it was first tried in a human that is amazingly fast."

"I'm not sure that it could actually be much quicker than this."

Originally published on Live Science.

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COVID-19 vaccines: The new technology that made them possible - Livescience.com

Technologies Shaping the Face of the Marketing and Branding Industry – TechSpective

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E-commerce sales are set to reach almost $4 trillion by the end of this year, indicating the extent to which cutting-edge technologies are vital for brands wishing to rise victorious over competitors. Some of the most important technologies ruling marketing and branding are artificial intelligence (AI), the use of multi-touch attribution models, and virtual reality marketing. How are these technologies changing marketing strategies, and how can you leverage their power to take your brand to the next level?

Companies across a wide array of industries are honing their digital marketing strategies through AI, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and big data technology. Dedicated software programs collect user information, gaining vital insights regarding customers product preferences, the type of content they wish to consume, their page preferences, and more. The data gleaned enables marketers to target content to specific customer groups, make key brand changes to their text and visual content, and address their audience in their preferred medium be it video, blogs, podcasts, or other modes of communication.

Virtual reality tools enable marketing teams to present their brand to customers in a more impactful way. The statistics show that investment in this technology pays off, since 62% of consumers surveyed said they would feel more engaged with brands that sponsor VR experiences. VR can be used to do so much more than show off an array of products or services. It can also help companies show target customers that they understand and share the same values.

In current times, for instance, e-brands that promote diversity are connecting closely to millennial and Gen-Z customers, who expect the brands they support to be purpose-driven. Cutting-edge marketing firms can rely on VR tech to publish content and images of people from various minority and diverse groups in an organic yet impactful way. Fighting bias and creating inclusivity are two areas in which e-commerce can play a leading role, and new technologies can help do so in an entertaining, dynamic fashion.

Multi-touch attribution is a marketing effectiveness measurement technique that studies all the touchpoints a customer hits on their journey, attaching fractional value to each touchpoint so that teams can identify the extent to which each channel has influenced a sale. For instance, if a consumer is buying a dress, they may first see a display ad, which they ignore. They may then see a native advertisement on their Facebook feed that captures their attention and drives them to the brands website.

They may not make the sale, however, until they receive an email offering them a discount for the relevant item or website. The marketing team behind the brand can use this information to see that the display ad was of no use to the sale, while the targeted email was highly effective. By analyzing various sales, they can plan their strategy and continue to measure and analyze the effectiveness of each channel.

AI, VR, and multi-touch attribution are just three technologies which are enabling marketing teams to make wiser branding choices. Relying on technology makes sense considering the major growth of e-commerce, which is only expected to become stronger in coming years. Marketing and branding spend is no longer a guessing game, thanks to technologies which are capable of analyzing millions of pieces of data, and of delivering accurately measured results in real time.

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Technologies Shaping the Face of the Marketing and Branding Industry - TechSpective

Patriot Bank Selects ZSuite Technologies to Grow Core Deposits with ZRent and ZDeposit – Business Wire

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BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Patriot Bank has partnered with ZSuite Technologies, a financial technology company offering digital tools that helps businesses and individuals automate collection of recurring payments and manage security deposits, to increase low-cost, core deposits and leverage digital channels. Through this partnership, Patriot Bank has become the first financial institution in Connecticut to expand its reach and digital footprint by offering ZRent and ZDeposit.

After the onset of the pandemic, many property managers and landlords struggled to meet in-person demands of depositing checks and managing tenant relationships. In addition, landlords often encounter issues with rent payments, such as invalid or bounced checks. To overcome these obstacles, Patriot Bank partnered with ZSuite Technologies to offer paperless technology that allows its account holders to remotely manage rent collection and security deposits while ensuring the validity of the payment.

ZRent and ZDeposit are long-term solutions that have and will continue to empower our customers and their financial needs, said Christopher Johnson, SVP and Director of Branch Banking at Patriot Bank. ZSuites easy-to-understand offerings have been an incredibly effective tool in making remote property management faster and more secure. Exceeding expectations through exceptional product capability and support, ZSuite Technologies has been a perfect partner for us. They have helped us reach existing commercial and multifamily real estate clients with immediate needs as well as attract new customers, both local and as far as 20 to 30 miles away from the nearest branch.

Born from a community bank, ZSuite Technologies was founded to help financial institutions compete in an ever-changing landscape. Instead of locking banks and credit unions into a one-size-fits-all platform, ZSuite builds products that strengthen customer relationships and provide coveted answers to long-standing issues. ZSuites all-digital solutions are exclusively available to banks and credit unions with the capability of individualized customization.

We are eager to provide optimal value as Patriot Banks customers use ZRent and ZDeposit to solve real, time-consuming problems, said Nathan Baumeister, CEO of ZSuite. By streamlining rent payments and security deposits, Patriot Bank is able to replace overhead intensive and manual processes as well as provide tools that help account holders run their businesses more efficiently.

Built for landlords, home-owners associations, property managers and other businesses, ZSuite Technologies mobile-responsive, SaaS solutions allow all parties to access and use tools with little to no friction. ZDeposit, an account opening online platform for security deposit collection and compliance regulation, and ZRent, a fully automated, online rent collection service, are actively used by hundreds of property managers and landlords. By targeting specific industry verticals, ZRent and ZDeposit satisfy the needs of niche customers while expanding their relationship within the financial institution.

About Patriot Bank

Patriot Bank, N.A., provides consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and municipalities in Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. Bank products include checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and health savings accounts. The Banks lending portfolio is comprised of commercial mortgage and construction loans, commercial loans, SBA loans, home improvement loans, home equity lines of credit, and other personal loans. In addition, the Bank offers bank checks, money orders, automated teller machines (ATMs), interactive teller machines (ITMs), online and mobile banking, credit cards, and debit cards.

Patriot Bank, N.A., was founded in 1994 as Patriot National Bank, registering an official change of name in 2015, and the Company was founded in 1999. Patriot Bank, N.A. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

About ZSuite Technologies

ZSuite Technologies is a financial technology company that aims to power banks and credit unions with differentiated banking solutions for profitable client segments. ZSuite's products; ZRent (zrent.net) and ZDeposit (zdeposit.net), streamline collection of rent, condo dues, storage fees and membership dues while automating the security deposit process and enabling state-specific security deposit compliance.

To learn more about ZSuite Technologies and how it can help your financial institution, please visit: https://www.zsuitetech.com.

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Patriot Bank Selects ZSuite Technologies to Grow Core Deposits with ZRent and ZDeposit - Business Wire

End Of Year Office Technology Checklist by Drew Smith | Sponsored Insights – Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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2020 is almost behind us, but before it settles into the ashes of history there are some things your workplace should think through. There is nothing like starting a new year fresh, especially after a year so tumultuous as this one has been. Lets take a look at a few ways you can ensure your office technology and related expenses are on track going into 2021.Access Control InitiativesIn an office setting where people are in and out and documents are constantly being emailed, printed, scanned and faxed, it can be hard to keep track of what all is being accessed and utilized. One good way to bring security and cost-saving measures into play is by implementing controlled access solutions to your fleet of office equipment.Whether you use printers, scanners, copiers or dedicated fax machines, putting in place a procedure for employees to authenticate at the given device to release their print jobs, access copying and scanning workflows and faxing can bring authority back to your company decision makers and IT staff. These controls are very affordable and can utilize existing HID cards (ID Badges) to save even more. Perhaps the biggest benefit of incorporating controlled access solutions is the security it brings your organization through audit trails on an individual user basis.Color Management SoftwareColor printing is a great tool for any office to utilize, thought if unmonitored, it often leads to wasteful behaviors. I once was at a clients office and while the CEO and I were in the copy room discussing their changing needs, out from the copier came a full page photo of someones baby. Needless to say this caught his eye which then led him to the pile of discarded papers that people had printed but not bothered to pick up. More color documents were in that stack of abandoned papers, but also found there was the realization a change in printing behaviors was needed.There are a variety of ways to control color output in your office and depending on your equipment you may even be able to utilize free software. One tool we use on Kyocera devices for clients is tiered color. This offering allows three prices to be used for color output based on the percentage of color on the page. The lower the percentage the lower the price and vice versa. One of the most common mistakes I see made by clients is documents that have a URL or a single highlight printed in color by accident. Depending on your contract, that could be over 8 cents for a speck of color. Determining how to address your color output organizationally is a great discussion to have with your office technology partner. One thing you can do today is have all devices set to default print in black and white. This will force users to make conscious decisions on whether color is essential to each and every document they print.Updated Faxing TechnologyIf you are like most offices that still utilize faxing technology, you probably have had a scenario where you faxed your documents at the copier and waited for a confirmation page with your fingers crossed hoping you didnt get a file size error or busy signal. Today there are new cost effective, convenient and secure ways to fax. In fact, you dont even have to keep that pesky analog phone line or need a fax board added to your copier. You can fax your documents from your desk or phone. Not to mention, establish audit trails for outgoing and incoming documents and do away with file size limits. Do yourself a favor and bring a refresh to your faxing procedures for 2021.Scanning WorkflowsAre you currently scanning to email or a folder from a shared copier? There are better ways. Many organizations are utilizing some form of cloud storage and the good news is you can integrate your office equipment with them! You can even browse folders and sub folders at the copier and in some instances add new folders from the touch screen of the device. This can bring back extensive amounts of time to your company versus users spending time finding documents they scanned, renaming them and then distributing them to the correct place.In addition, there are many times we see that users scan to emails outside of their organization from their copier. This can bring extensive security risks into play as there is not an audit trail configured because the email is coming not from a specific user (hint the need for access control) but from a shared device. By incorporating scanning solutions to your workplace, you not only allow your employees increased productivity and convenience, but prioritize document and data security initiatives. Having access controls in place will allow employees to sign-in to a device by badge or pin code and then have access to their personalized scanning workflows in programs such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or Outlook with an audit trail fully intact. Not to mention it is pretty handy for a user to have any emails shared from the device show up in the sent folder of their email.As you leave 2020 in your rear view and push forward to new possibilities awaiting you in the new year, make sure you set yourself up to succeed by taking a closer look at your office technology. We would love to help your organization chart a course towards increased productivity and security by examining your current infrastructure with a complimentary analysis. Schedule your appointment today with one of our sales representatives via our website or give us a call at 800-648-7081.Drew Smith currently serves as Director of Communications for Copiers Plus. The company specializes in modernizing office equipment and increasing efficiencies in workplace communications throughout the state of North Carolina. To learn more about how Copiers Plus is providing their customers with innovative document solutions and enhanced printing transparency, visitwww.copiers-plus.com. Drew would love to hear from you at [emailprotected].

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End Of Year Office Technology Checklist by Drew Smith | Sponsored Insights - Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Clinical Trial to Study Impact of ActivePure Technology on Surgical Site Infections – Business Wire

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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aerus Medical formally announced the start of a double-blind two-year clinical study to evaluate the impact the Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure Technology can have on reducing nosocomial infections, or healthcare-associated infections, also known as HAIs, from surgical operating room procedures.

Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure Technology, a U.S. FDA Class II Medical Device, reduces bacteria and viruses in the air by 99.99% within 30 minutes and surface contamination by more than 99% after several hours. The primary goal of the randomized trial will be to determine whether filtering and sterilizing operating room air with the Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure Technology air purifier reduces a composite of serious surgical site infections, infection-related complications, and death within 30 days after surgery. Secondarily, the trial will determine the effect of air filtration and sterilization on serious surgical site infections and on the cost of care.

HAIs are a significant concern that can have serious medical, emotional, and financial consequences. These types of infections cost the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one HAI.

The Aerus Medical Study will use 50 noncardiac, adult operating rooms at Cleveland Clinic. The trial will be restricted to adults aged 18 years or older, having surgery lasting at least one hour. Patients with present-on-admission infections will be excluded from the study. Operating rooms will be randomized in one-month blocks to Aerus air sterilization or conventional air handling. A minimum of 67,653 patients with a maximum of 86,639 patients will be needed for this study.

The trial is expected to begin this year and last approximately two years.

The Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure Technology is roughly the size and configuration of carryon luggage (26.5H x 11.5W x 21.0D) and weighs 48 pounds. It cleans 18,000 cubic feet of air per hour on its high setting. The system actively cleans the air with activated carbon, ActivePure Molecules, and high-efficiency particulate filtration.

The Aerus Medical study is sponsored by Aerus Medical LLC, the company that developed the surface and air purification unit Aerus Medical Guardian with ActivePure Technology.

ABOUT ACTIVEPURE TECHNOLOGY:

ActivePure Technologies, LLC is the global leader in active, continuous surface and air purification systems for health care, education, commercial and public facilities, hospitality and residential applications. ActivePure Technologies, LLC is the exclusive worldwide owner of patented ActivePure Technology, the most powerful surface and air purification technology ever discovered, and the only one in its class recognized by the Space Foundation as Certified Space Technology and inducted into the Space Foundation Hall of Fame in 2017. ActivePure Technology has been engineered based on technology originally developed by NASA. Evolving from early-stage NASA designs, ActivePure Technology quickly, proactively and continuously minimizes the number of contaminants on all indoor surfaces and in the air. The systems produce sub-microscopic hydroxyls and ions, ActivePure Molecules, that destroy contaminants on contact, reducing exposure to diseases, including RNA and DNA viruses, bacteria and mold. Independent scientific data repeatedly shows that the patented ActivePure Technology is the most powerful air and surface purification solution ever discovered, reducing over 99% of surface microorganisms and airborne contaminants. The ActivePure badge, displayed across the world, provides peace of mind that there is continuous 24/7 surface and air protection in the indoor space. In 2020, the Aerus Medical Guardian, with ActivePure, was registered and cleared as an FDA Class II Medical Device. Unlike many other technologies, ActivePure is safe to use in indoor spaces while occupied by people - quickly, continuously, and safely reducing exposure to pathogens. Patented ActivePure Technology is designed, engineered and manufactured in the U.S. and is a division of ActivePure Technologies, LLC. For more information, please visit ActivePure.com or AerusMedical.com.

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Clinical Trial to Study Impact of ActivePure Technology on Surgical Site Infections - Business Wire