HP Delivers Virtual Reality Backpack – Electronic Design

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Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are becoming more important as improved hardware is becoming readily available. The challenges are similar between AR and VR, but VR tends to require significantly higher resolution and processing power to deliver a good experience. AR solutions can often be implemented as part of the googles needed for hands-free AR applications. Smartphones usually have sufficient processing power to support this.

At the other end of the spectrum are VR platforms that typically require PC performance, often at the top end of the spectrum along with high performance graphics support. Resolutions of 1080p/eye are common, along with high frame rates.

Hewlett-Packards (HP) Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation and docking station (Fig. 1) targets mobile virtual reality applications. The G1 uses NVidias Quadro P5200 graphics subsystem with 16 Gbytes of video memory. It uses an Intel Core i7 vPro-based processor that makes remote management easier, and TPM 2.0 security hardware is included, as well. The backpack unit unsnaps from the harness and plugs into the docking station. The backpack harness also has quick release straps. The docking station supports up to two displays.

1. Hewlett-Packards Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation is ideal for mobile virtual reality scenarios. The unit plugs into a docking bay for development and updates.

The backpack unit running Microsoft Windows 10 is paired with a head-mounted display (HMD) like the HTC Vive (Fig. 2). HP is selling the business version with the backpack. The combination addresses major VR concerns, including performance, run time, and manageability.

2. The HP Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation can be combined with VR goggles like the HTC Vive.

The backpack unit has a pair of hot swap batteries. The HP Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation is priced at $3,299. The HTC Vive business edition is available separately. It is priced at $1,200.

There are a number of advantages to using the backpack approach in addition to the lack of a tether. The batteries can be larger, providing significantly longer run times. The higher-performance processing platforms allow for better VR rendering. In addition, the backpack enables more sophisticated applications such as collaborative design visualization and virtual reality showrooms.

HP also announced the HP Mars Home Planet project (Fig. 3) in conjunction with NVIDIA, Technicolor, Fusion, Autodesk, Unreal, Launch Forth and Vive. The idea is to create a global online co-creation VR community to reinvent life on Mars.

3. HP Mars Home Planet project will be a global online co-creation VR community to reinvent life on Mars.

Virtual reality applications are currently dominated by gaming applications where 3D environments are already available. Utilizing them in a VR presentation mode is a comparatively easy task. Commercial and industrial applications tend to be harder to generate, as ease of use and presentation quality take precedence over fast-moving game play.

There are other wearable PC solutions, but the HP Z VR Backpack G1 Workstation has a number of advantages such as its management oriented processing platform and dual, hot-swappable batteries. These can be used for AR or non-AR/VR applications as well. All it takes is a little imagination.

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HP Delivers Virtual Reality Backpack - Electronic Design

How Winter Olympians prep in summertime: wheels, wet suits, and … – Christian Science Monitor

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August 1, 2017 Theres not a snowflake in the sky, but Winter Olympic hopefuls are already flying off ski jumps in Utah, firing up their luge sleds in Lake Placid, N.Y., and cross-country skiing past Vermont cow pastures.

With everything from wet suits to wheels to virtual-reality tools, theyre simulating the challenges theyll face at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next February. The perseverance and perfection highlighted on TV for those short few weeks are being honed now, thanks in part to the innovative methods devised by coaches, trainers, and equipment designers.

Keaton McCargo uses the Ski Simulator at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. The simulator can be used in tandem with virtual reality technology that simulates the sensory environment of an alpine ski run.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

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In some ways the lack of natural snow or ice actually makes for safer, more efficient training. Whereas alpine skiers would spend much of their on-snow training sessions riding the chairlift, for example, a skiing simulator allows them to cut straight to the actual training run. Essentially a lateral treadmill, it mimics the forces skiers contend with while hurtling down mountains and can be used in tandem with virtual-reality technology that replicates the sensory environment of a ski race. A huge bonus: theres no danger of crashing.

What were trying to do is use virtual reality to expand the time that the athletes can spend in their field of play, says Luke Bodensteiner, executive vice president, athletics at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) in Park City, Utah.

But he doesnt want to talk too much about that. Its one of the teams secret weapons heading into Pyeongchang.

Bodensteiner works out of the USSA Center of Excellence, which supports 195 national team athletes with state-of-the-art facilities (including napping areas) and a staff that includes conditioning coaches, dietitians, and physical therapists.

Chris Lillis is one of those athletes, and a rising star on the United States freestyle ski team. Last year he became the youngest male to win a World Cup in aerials skiing at age 17.

Freestyle skier Chris Lillis stands atop a jump at the Utah Olympic Park at the Tri-Nation Aerials Showdown on Sept. 11, 2016. Lillis trains at the facility during the summer and fall, and says that the softer landing afforded by the pool (below) enables him to fit in twice as many training jumps as on snow.

Tyler Tate/T Squared Action Sports

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Five days a week, he averages 25 to 30 jumps off the ramps at the Olympic Park, twisting in the air before landing in a pool. He wears ski boots and skis, and a wet suit in the summer switching to a dry suit in the fall as the temperatures drop, sometimes with sweatpants underneath.

The easier landing means he can do twice as many jumps as he would on snow. But theres a catch.

When we jump on snow the landing we jump on is between 28 and 32 degrees of pitch downwards, so if you land completely flat on water, you would land [wrong] on the snow, he explains, so they have to adjust their technique. You want to land forward to simulate snow.

Abby Ringquist also flies off jumps in Utah sans wet suit. A ski jumper, she cruises down porcelain tracks, springs into position, and floats through the air to land on moistened plastic. When she takes off, her hips must make an arcing motion similar to shooting a basketball your fist is kind of like your hips in ski jumping, explains Ringquist.

To perfect that motion, she also does imitations. Crouching down, she rides a small platform down a rollerboard, and then springs onto a pile of mats. Thats easier than when youre going 60 m.p.h. off a jump, explains Ringquist, who just placed second at US Nationals.

In between training, Lillis and Ringquist chip away at college and work multiple jobs. He works for a public-speaking company and a golf course; she coaches, works at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and waits tables at a breakfast restaurant.

None of my travel or equipment or lodging are covered unless its a World Cup weekend. So for me to travel this summer and next winter, its about $20,000, says Ringquist, who lives on a mini-ranch with her husband and their three dogs, two goats, and nine chickens. My plates overflowing, but I do the best I can.

Perhaps one of the hardest elements to replicate in summertime is the distractions of competition day. Take biathlon, for example, which combines cross-country skiing with shooting. As biathletes come into the shooting range, they stream into narrow lanes, pull their guns off their backs, load their ammo, and take aim at their five targets often with competitors right at their elbows.

Youll hear what theyre doing, youll see them out of the corner of your eye, says Susan Dunklee, whose silver at this years World Championships made her the first American woman to win an individual medal at Worlds. You always have to have a plan for when you do get distracted what are you going to do to refocus?

It can be something as simple as focusing on your trigger squeeze, which cant be too quick or too hard, or it will throw the bullet off course. So she practices that in the summertime just her finger and her rifle, getting to know that exact place where the trigger will engage, like the clutch of a car.

And thats just part of it. She also runs, hikes, bikes, and rollerskis through Vermont's rolling hills. Altogether, its up to four hours of training in the morning, and 1.5 hours in the afternoon six days a week. She goes through 17,000 rounds of ammunition a year.

As part of his summer training ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Tucker West (l.) practices his luge starts at a refrigerated facility in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Courtesy USA Luge

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Dunklee got her start in biathlon at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, where elite athletes can live and eat for free.

Tucker West was recruited there after USA Luge heard about the luge track his dad had built in their backyard in Connecticut, which West would ride down on a plastic sled.

Those who deride luge as not a sport clearly havent heard about Wests workout regimen.

After 30 to 60 minutes of jogging and stretching, he shows up by 9 a.m.at a refrigerated facility with a short luge starting ramp equipped with starting gates and precision timing. He pulls six to 12 starts, then its off to the gym for an hour-long plyometric workout.

He eats lunch in 10 minutes no dessert and then one to three hours of lifting. Power cleans, power snatch, power jerks. And hanging by his fingers. All for those first few seconds when hell pull himself off the start and then use his hands to paddle down the icy track.

Sometimes they put wheels on their sleds and go down the streets of Lake Placid or even the actual luge tracks but thats too risky for an Olympic year. After stretching, massage, and other recovery methods, he eats dinner at 5 p.m. and then chips away at online college classes.

In bed by 10:30 to 11, he says. And then repeat.

With 192 days to go until the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from Lake Placid to Latvia have a lot of training ahead of them before the global spotlight is flicked on. Then, the world will see the fruits of their labors and maybe another little boy and his dad will be inspired to build something in their backyard, with a distant Olympics in mind.

Staff writer Story Hinckley contributed reporting.

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How Winter Olympians prep in summertime: wheels, wet suits, and ... - Christian Science Monitor

Second Life creator launches beta of its virtual reality simulation – TechCrunch

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Your third life is here (in beta).

The SF-based Linden Lab is at last launching an open creator beta of its VR-ready universe simulation, Sansar.The world creation and exploration title is expansive in its ambitions and still has a long way to go. After a lengthy creator preview in which early access was given to a couple thousand creators, there are 1,700 worlds to explore (some better than others, I imagine).

While last weeks surprise shutdown announcement for AltspaceVR, a social VR company that raised nearly $15 million, is still fresh on the minds, Linden Lab has the flexibility of profitability to help it guide its long-term vision for Sansar.

The company behind Second Life, a game which seemingly lost its wider cultural relevance more than a decade ago, has managed to make a ton of money as the titles most devoted lifers have continued to shovel cash into the online simulation. Despite the nascent nature of the VR market, the company has shifted its focus to building Sansar, though Second Life will continue on as a unique, separate entity.

Linden Lab has the luxury of monetizing world creation from the very beginning. In Second Life, users pay a pretty hefty amount in order to rent land while things beyond that stay relatively cheap otherwise. For Sansar, the land you build on is free (for your first few worlds); the costs start stacking up when you visit the asset store to populate those worlds with objects. If youre a budding 3D designer with time to spare, you can create a world customized to your liking on your own, but for those looking to drop a stock object like, say, a chair in their virtual home, they can drop some in-game coin on the product.

The company isnt looking to be very subtle with its ambitions of creating a wide network of explorable worlds that will grow to rival reality. Over my last several meetings, the company has not shied away from discussions of metaverses and simulations. In our latest meeting, a copy of Ready Player One sat unacknowledged on the table in the conference room, broadcasting its ambitions further without saying too much.

Whats launching today is very much a beta product of what Sansar will grow to become, but the experience is oddly so polished in some areas while sorely lacking in others. As-is, Sansar allows virtual reality users a wide swath of user-created worlds to explore and the potential to build their own whats missing are the tools to make exploring these arenas more interactive.

Unlike most VR developers, Linden Lab opted not to rely on an existing game engine like Unity or Unreal but instead built their own custom engine for Sansar thats wholly separate from what they built for Second Life. The limitations are pretty apparent early on, and while it is possible to build beautiful static worlds in Sansar, as an explorer youre ultimately left with a sort of three-dimensional board game to traverse thats generally only made dynamic by the multiplayer aspect. You can toss things like a basketball in some experiences, but the physics and controls themselves have a long ways to go.

Today, Sansar goes live on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, as well as 2D desktop experience on PCs.

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Second Life creator launches beta of its virtual reality simulation - TechCrunch

Virtual Reality: The future of real estate for developments on the rise – ABC10

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The Mill at Broadway is using a different tool to get people interested in moving there.

Ananda Rochita, KXTV 11:15 PM. PDT August 01, 2017

The Mill at Broadway is using a different tool to get people interested in moving there.

"The virtual reality gives it that cool factor and that sense we're on the cutting edge," Kevin Smith, Project Manager, Mill at Broadway, said.

They're trying to sell a completely new neighborhood which is hard. The area is known for being industrial.

Virtual reality takes people to what the community will look like from the inside of homes to the streets.

"Being able to see the view and look out what we were able to see was really kind of nice," said AllanDudding, homeowner.

This kind of technology is really new in real estate but some brokers say they don't bother with it since homes, neighborhoods, and reputations sell themselves.

However, in this new community off of Broadway, reality is best seen through goggles.

2017 KXTV-TV

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Virtual Reality: The future of real estate for developments on the rise - ABC10

Dietary supplements, energy drinks need FDA regulation, researchers say – The Columbus Dispatch

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JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch @JoAnneViviano

Hold on to your Red Bull.

Researchers are calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate caffeine-based energy products along with yohimbe, a botanical marketed for male sexual enhancement, after a recent study showed that children taking the supplements often had serious adverse reactions.

The findings are part of a study that examined dietary supplements by reviewing 13 years of calls to poison-control centers in the U.S. and its territories. Centers received about 275,000 calls about supplements during the time period, an average of 58 per day. Thirty-four children died.

While both the energy supplements and yohimbe were responsible for only a small percentage of the calls, both were associated with "considerable toxicity," including one death each, says the study from researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State University, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the Child Injury Prevention Alliance. Cultural medicines, such as traditional Asian or Latino medicines,also caused a high number of serious outcomes.

Many people erroneously believe that dietary supplements are already regulated by the FDA, saidHenry Spiller, director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and one of the study authors.

"They were pulled out of the purview of the FDA in the '90s," he explained. "The FDA can only regulate them if they find them to be dangerous, but they do not look at purity, safety efficacy."

None of that happens, he said. Instead, it's "consumer beware."

The study, published last week in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, examined calls to poison-control centers from 2000 to 2012.

Seventy percent of exposures involved children younger than 6; however, 95 percent of the serious medical outcomes were among the 6-or-older group. Of all exposures, 83 percent were unintentional.

For the children younger than 6, only about 9 percent of exposures resulted in the child being taken to a health-care facility, compared with about half of the exposures among the older children.

The most-common problems for kids who took supplements were rapid heartbeat, vomiting, nausea, irritability, drowsiness and dizziness.

Of the deaths, three were children younger than 6, and 31 were 6 or older.

Overall, exposures increased from 2000 to 2002, decreased from 2002 to 2005 and jumped again from 2005 to 2012. Researchers say the 2002-2005 drop is, in part, due to a decrease, beginning in 2002, in exposures to the stimulant ma huang, also known as ephedra, which was banned by the FDA in 2004.

The drop in ma huang exposures shows that FDA intervention makes a difference, Spiller said.

"The FDA took action on it, and you could see a significant drop," he said "That's somewhat reassuring."

Spiller said the study also showed that adults using supplements should keep them out of reach of young hands.

"A lot of kids get into these," he said. "They dont come with child-resistant closures."

When it comes to older kids, Jessica Buschmann, a clinical dietitian in the sports medicine department at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, said she sees a lot of adolescents turning to energy drinks. She never advises their use under any circumstances. Some other supplements might be OK, but parents and youngsters need to do their homework.

Before starting a supplement, they should be thinking about the overall quality of their diet, said Buschmann, who was not involved in the study.They also should consider whether they are getting enough sleep, exercise and hydration before trying to take a shortcut."

I dont want my athletes relying on supplements for their nutrition. I want their nutritional needs to come from good-quality food, not supplements, Buschmann said.

She also advised discussing any supplements with a medical professional and making sure they are third-party tested and safe for consumption.

jviviano@dispatch.com

@JoAnneViviano

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Dietary supplements, energy drinks need FDA regulation, researchers say - The Columbus Dispatch

The three supplements you should never buy – Popular Science

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I recently interviewed Catherine Price, author of Vitamania: How Vitamins Revolutionized the Way We Think About Food. The book is a habit-altering romp through the seemingly banal topic of vitamins.

Price got the idea for her book when her husband asked her the question, Whats a vitamin? and Price found that she didnt have an answer. Vitamins, to spare you the suspense, are organic compounds that we tend to come across in foodand without which we would die. There are 13 human vitamins: A, C, D, E, K and seven B vitamins (thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyroxidine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12)). But if that was all Vitamania was about, it would have made for a short book. Instead Price explores how the discovery of vitamins has shaped our diet, and our perspective on health.

Although the book was published in 2015, it couldnt feel more relevant today. From Gwyneth Paltrow to Alex Jones of Info Wars, it seems like everyone is promising that vitamins and their creepy alter ego, supplementscan soothe what ails us. Supplements are now a multi-billion-dollar industry that many say will continue to grow. But we're not getting any healthier. Last year, U.S. life expectancy declined for the first time since 1993. How did we become a vitamin and supplement obsessed society, and why isn't that keeping us from getting sick?

Price has a few ideasand a few warnings to keep in mind the next time you're staring down an aisle of supplements.

The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

The most definitive thing we know is how much you need not to die. I think some researchers would argue its more nuanced than that, but from a consumer perspective thats really what it boils down to.

The RDA is like the government trying to create a sweater that would fit 97 out of every 100 Americans. If you try to do that, you'd end up with a very large sweater that 97 out of 100 people could fit into. But that does not mean its the correct size for everyone. There's 96 out of 100 people who could fit into a smaller sweater.

And, for the most part, the current recommendations are based on the highest recommendations from 1968. The FDA has not updated the recommendations that the daily values are based on. They're supposed to be updated, but that's probably going to get delayed until at least 2020.

For the next couple of years, when you lookat the percent daily value for vitamins and minerals on the back of a food or a supplement, that is based off of very outdated recommendations. You shouldn't be aiming for 100 percent.

If it werent for synthetic vitamins, we would not be able to eat the way we today without getting horrible vitamin deficiencies. When were first able to synthesize vitamins in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, that really changed the kind of products that we were able to make. You had the processed food industry really start to take off, combined with this ability to put back nutrients that the processing had removed.

Breakfast cereal is one of the most egregious examples of this, because youre essentially eating a multivitamin. They have vitamins incorporated into the dough, or, depending on what the vitamin is, some of them are actually sprayed on. It really is just like dust on top of your otherwise nutritionally vapid corn flake, and they call it a healthy start to your day.

When you've got a houseplant and you know that it needs water to survive, you may pour a gallon of water on it thinking it will just use what it needs and the rest will just pour out of the bottom of the pot. But the houseplants roots can get rotten, or they could grow a fungus, or there could be some other harm that's caused by the excess water.

People say Americans have the most expensive urine in the world, because we take all of these vitamins and it's no problemwe're just peeing them out. But a couple of years ago, a woman killed herself by drinking too much water. If you can kill yourself drinking water, that's a warning that just because you need something in a certain amount doesnt mean that you can keep taking it ad infinitum, or that it will do something good for you.Its possible that were triggering diseases that take a long time to develop, but that are a result of being saturated with vitamins all of the time.

I think the poor feedback loop is also true for dietary supplements, which are not vitamins, because people take all sorts of crazy s**t. There are more than 85,000 supplements on the market in America, and one may not do anything bad to you immediately. But it could be that you have a daily dietary supplement habit and over years some kind of side effect develops. And then 15 years later you have a health problem and you dont know its because of this product you were taking.

Supplements are regulated, but not in the way that you or I as consumers would ever think that they would be regulated. Theyre regulated under The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, which the industry helped to get passed. The law forbade the FDA from requiring that supplement manufacturers have to prove that their products are safe or effective before selling them.

If you think about it, its totally nuts. You should have some assurance that whats sold on the shelf as a health product isn't going to hurt you, and ideally is going to do what it says it's going to do.

Some products that are advertised as dietary supplements are clearly substances that the average consumer would think would be a food. Like, some teas are dietary supplements instead of a food. And the reason is because there was less regulation if it was a dietary supplement then if it was a food.

If you bought a loaf of bread and it turned out it was actually a dozen eggs inside the package you'd probably complain. But the equivalent can and does happen pretty frequently with dietary supplements. A consumer went to buy a multivitamin and the bottle had penne pasta in it, which is an extreme version of not being able to predict what you'll get.But more often, pretty dangerous stuff is snuck into dietary supplements like illegal prescription drugs.

"And definitely stay clear of sexual enhancement, body building, and weight loss. Those are the three categories that are adulterated the most with truly dangerous substances."

It's extremely difficult, if not impossible from a consumer's perspective to know for sure what's in their products. If youre going to buy them, definitely do research on which brands have been tested, and stick with the bigger brands.And definitely stay clear of sexual enhancement, body building, and weight loss. Those are the three categories that are adulterated the most with truly dangerous substances.

Even with vitamins, there are issues where they put overages into the vitamins or more of a vitamin than they say is on the label. They want to make sure that by the time you buy it, it has the dose it says. But they've had issues where that's resulted in there being too much vitamin A, which can be toxic.

The best I can say is go to one of several websites where they're actually testing things. The best one, in my mind, is ConsumerLab.com, which requires a subscription. You get a really good breakdown of what the research is and what it does and doesn't show, and has products pulled off the shelf that are testednot paid for by industry.

But it's kind of crazy that you have to send somebody to a subscription-based website to get a true answer as to whether or not the product that they just spent 50 dollars on actually is what it says it is.

I never really did go down that route. But I have, as an experiment for the book, gone into a supplement shop and said, I have diabetes, what can you give me?

They arent supposed to give you advice, because that's medical advice. But they always have a whole selection of these various herbs and concoctions that are supposed to be helpful for blood sugar, which is dangerous. If a supplement product makes your blood sugar go very low or interferes with any of your medication, you could die.

Some of these things probably do have an effect on your blood sugar, so it's scary to think that there's no scientific evidence of what dose does what. There's no guarantee of concentration in what you're buying. There's no warning about how it can interact with anything.

Something that we don't recognize as consumers is how these 13 chemicalsand the way that they were marketed in the early part of the 20th centurycompletely revolutionized the way we think about food today.

They are miraculous because we need them to prevent diseases, but that was really taken advantage of by food marketers and the dietary supplement industry. Thy applied it to a much wider array of productsincluding not just pills, but also foods. I think you really start to see that in the 60s and the 70s with the natural food movement, and then when you fast forward to today you still see it in every single food trend that we have. It's the way we think about food.

Michael Pollan (the author of Omnivores Dilemma) was the first person to really enunciate this in an eloquent way, but the reductionism that we use when we think about food is very remarkable and very, very, American. We don't think, is this bread delicious for my sandwich? We think about how many nuts and seeds it has, and that flax seed has omega 3 fatty acids in it and omega 3 fatty acids are supposed to be healthy because they're advertised on everything.

We basically break food down into components, and then we think about what effects those particular components are supposed to have on our health. We try to turn our meals into these nutritional math problems. And it leaves us so susceptible to things like the GOOP vitamins, or the idea that InfoWars is somehow going to be able to help our health.

The main vitamin manufacturers didn't really want to talk about where their production facilities are, but apart from like, a beta carotene manufacturer in Texas, there's basically no vitamin manufacturing plants in America. When you say, vitamin manufacturing people think of the pills, and obviously, theres thousands of places making vitamins in the states and hundreds of thousands around the world. But I'm talking about the raw ingredients for the pills and those are coming from other places in the world, particularly China.

Going back to what we were talking about before where it would be impossible for Americans to eat the way that we do without the help of synthetic vitamins, its interesting as a thought experiment to ask yourself, if someone really wanted to do a particularly clever kind of war against us, they could cut off or somehow adulterate the supply of synthetic vitamins coming in. It would probably take a while for people to figure out those diseases because we don't see them very often.

The first question people often ask me is, should I take a multivitamin?

And I have no idea if you should take a multivitamin, I don't know what your diet is like, I don't know what medical conditions you have.

People want you to say yes or no, like it's totally always a waste of time or its going to add years to your life. In reality, there's cases where people probably should take a multivitamin, and there's situations where someone is eating a lot of cereal and they're essentially eating a multivitamin every day. They don't need to take a multivitamin, but they could benefit by eating fewer processed foods. We want black and white answers, and there aren't any. We have to learn to be more comfortable with nuance.

And you really should not be thinking about your food in terms of the numbers, or percent of vitamins and minerals that they havebecause that information itself is wrong. When you recognize as a consumer that even the information on the package is not reliable, then you really have to rethink your approach towards eating and come at it at a more holistic way. Just ask, does this food naturally contain a lot of vitamins and minerals? Ok, then that's probably a good way to get my vitamins and minerals. I'm not going to obsess about the particular number of milligrams that it has. I'm just going to eat the orange, or the red pepper.

I think the bottom line is it just points out that nutrition is not a math problem. At least not a math problem that we can solve at this point.

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The three supplements you should never buy - Popular Science

Don’t confuse drugs and supplements: French authorities warn – NutraIngredients.com

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The French national agency ANSES has warned consumers about potential confusion between the drug Lytos and the food supplement Lithos.

The French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) and the National Agency for Sanitary, Food, Environmental and Occupational Safety (ANSES) reported a high risk of confusion between the two products at pharmacies.

It issued a warning to alert health professionals, patients and consumers of the potential confusion between the drug Lytos by Riemser Pharma GmbH and Lithos - a dietary supplement, marketed by Biohealth Italia.

Lytos is biphosphonate prescribed in some severe cases of hypercalcaemia (increased calcium in the blood), while Lithos is marketed for recovery from high loss of fluid due to excessive sweating, diuresis or diarrhea.

Since the pronunciations of these two products are identical and their writings very similar, confusion and medication errors can easily occur, said ANSES.

The agencies recommended that medical professionals are careful to also use the non-proprietary name (INN) in addition to the trade name when prescribing Lythos, and that any doctors suggesting patients use Lithos make it clear that the prescription is for a food supplement.

They also requested wholesalers and distributors verify which product is being ordered or distributed especially in cases where orders for new products are placed orally or in writing by pharmacies.

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Don't confuse drugs and supplements: French authorities warn - NutraIngredients.com

Global Dietary Supplements Market to Grow at a CAGR of 6.5% by … – Markets Insider

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DUBLIN, August 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Dietary Supplements Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global dietary supplements market to grow at a CAGR of 6.52% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Dietary Supplements Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is the demand for the customized dietary supplements. This trend in the dietary supplements market relates to the personalization of nutrients and food according to the health condition, body type, and age. This trend along with the devices and technology which enable a person to track his/her intake of nutrients are supporting the consumption of the dietary supplements. Personalized wellness at its heart revolves around the consumer empowerment. Consumers now not only have access to more data about themselves than ever but with this data they are empowered to take an active role in the management of their health and wellness. In this way, they are able to track their dietary habits ranging from the foods they eat to the dietary supplements they take and the way they exercise.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is the preventive measures for avoiding lifestyle-related diseases. Lifestyle-related diseases are occurring in the working population with a fast-paced lifestyle and so health consciousness is also rising. This has resulted in the increased intake of supplements to compensate the nutritional gap in the diet. There has been a considerable shift in the lifestyle and diet habits of people over the past two decades. Urbanization and consumerism drove this shift, leading to a rapid rise in the consumption of artificial and synthetic food products. The sedentary lifestyle and lack of balanced diet have resulted in the increased incidences of lifestyle-related diseases such as stroke, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, people are becoming aware of these problems and gradually moving toward dietary supplements, which are promoted as being beneficial beyond basic nutrition. These products are purported to provide optimal nutrition and reduce the risk of disease occurrence.

Key vendors

Other prominent vendors

Key Topics Covered:

PART 01: Executive summary

PART 02: Scope of the report

PART 03: Research Methodology

PART 04: Introduction

PART 05: Market landscape

PART 06: Market segmentation by product

PART 07: Market segmentation by distribution channel

PART 08: Geographical segmentation

PART 09: Key leading countries

PART 10: Decision framework

PART 11: Drivers and challenges

PART 12: Market trends

PART 13: Competitor analysis

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Top 4 Emerging Trends Impacting the Global Dietary Supplements Market from 2017-2021: Technavio – Business Wire (press release)

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LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavios latest report on the global dietary supplements market provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2017-2021. Technavio defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.

The global dietary supplements market is primarily driven by the aging population base and the growing health consciousness among consumers. Other driving forces include the need for preventive measures against sedentary lifestyle-related diseases, lack of nutrition-rich food intake, expensive healthcare costs, adherence to government dietary guidelines, and expansion in the retail space.

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The top three emerging trends driving the global dietary supplements market according to Technavio food and beverage research analysts are:

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Demand for the customized dietary supplements

Personalized wellness at its heart revolves around the consumer empowerment. Consumers now not only have access to more data about themselves than ever but with this data, they are empowered to take an active role in the management of their health and wellness, says Manjunath Reddy, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on food.

Providing consumers with personalized nutritional supplement recommendations based on their own goals and dietary needs will further aid in market growth. For instance, in place of buying the same multivitamin off the shelf that is sold to people with radically diverse needs, there will now be the ability to provide a highly customized vitamin, one that has been formulated to address the specific needs of the individual.

Growing focus on age-related dietary supplements

A new trend has developed wherein the dietary supplements required at each stage of the life are formulated and marketed. The categories designed according to the age are infants, toddlers and teenagers, adults, middle, and old age people. Most of the offerings are in the category of adults and old aged consumers. The adults section is now further categorized based on the gender and other purposes such as fitness training, pregnant women, and other types, adds Manjunath.

Most of the dietary supplement manufacturers for the adult consumers of the age group 20-40 years offers mainly probiotics and multi-vitamin supplements. While the supplements for 40 years and above often offers dietary supplements that are good for heart health and bone health.

New product type formulations

Innovative products such as gummy bears for adults, launched by various dietary supplements manufacturers, contribute to the consumption of the dietary supplements with attractive features of taste and the ease of consumption.

The conventional product forms such as tablets and capsules are available with new formulations in terms of chewable, which negate the need for water for intake of supplements. The chewable tablets are offered majorly as combination supplements and in flavors for maximum assimilation and absorption.

Increase in strategic alliances and partnerships

Strategic alliances and partnerships characterize the global dietary supplements market. Manufacturers, on one hand, collaborate with raw material suppliers to facilitate uninterrupted supply, while on the other hand, they partner with distributors of the food and beverage companies to ensure a steady market for dietary supplements. New product launches and expansions have also increased prominently.

There has been an emergence of events which has caused the strong competitor base in the dietary supplements industry in the last few years. The companies looking for the worldwide presence to increase their market share and acquire a large and strong consumer base have taken measures and initiatives in this regard. The major strategic alliances were acquisitions, investments, and collaborations.

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BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Awarded CA$34 Million Contract for Primary Heat Transport Motors – Business Wire (press release)

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PETERBOROUGH, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT) announced today that its subsidiary BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT NEC) has been awarded a CA$34 million, five year contract to supply seven primary heat transport motors for Bruce Power. The motors are part of Bruce Powers life-extension program that will extend the life of six of its reactors to continue providing Ontario with clean, low-cost and reliable electricity for decades to come.

The primary heat transport motors are required to drive the main circulating pumps used to push heavy water through the reactor core into the steam generators. The scope of the contract includes the project management, engineering and manufacturing of seven 11,000 horsepower motors. Work under this contract will commence immediately with the first motor scheduled to be delivered to Bruce Power in mid-2018.

We appreciate the opportunity to execute this important project for Bruce Power and take great pride in our contributions to its life extension program, said John MacQuarrie, president of BWXT Canada Ltd. and BWXT NEC. BWXT is pleased to be in a position to supply its customers with a multitude of product and service solutions to assist them in extending the lives of their nuclear plants.

Partnering with BWXT for this important motor work is critical to ensuring the life extension and operation through 2064, said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Powers president and CEO. Planning and preparation is key to our continued on-time and on-budget performance since January 2016 when our life extension program was started. Suppliers like BWXT and their performance are critical to our success; its a team effort.

Nuclear energy plays a significant role to Ontarios economy and it is great to see the positive effects of Bruce Powers life extension project being felt right here in Peterborough, said Jeff Leal, Member of Provincial Parliament. Throughout its program to extend the life of six of its reactors, Bruce Power will inject billions into Ontarios economy and generate thousands of jobs.

Bruce Power supplies 30% of Ontarios electricity at 30% less than the average cost to generate residential power. Extending the operational life of the Bruce Power units to 2064 will create and sustain 22,000 direct and indirect jobs every year, create $4 billion in annual Ontario economic benefit, and will ensure low-cost, clean and reliable energy for Ontario families and businesses.

Forward Looking Statements

BWXT cautions that this release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the performance, timing and value, to the extent contract value can be viewed as an indicator of future revenues, of the Bruce Power contract. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, modification or termination of the contract and delays. If one or more of these or other risks materialize, actual results may vary materially from those expressed. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see BWXTs annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. BWXT cautions not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except to the extent required by applicable law.

About BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc.

BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT NEC), a subsidiary of BWXT Canada Ltd., has more than 60 years of extensive experience and innovation in the supply of nuclear fuel and fuel channel components, services, equipment and parts for the CANDU nuclear power industry. This includes designing and supplying highly reliable nuclear equipment to fuel, inspect and refurbish reactors. BWXT NEC employs approximately 350 skilled employees at three locations in Ontario: Peterborough, Toronto and Arnprior. Learn more at http://www.nec.bwxt.com.

About Bruce Power

Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Learn more at http://www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

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Cipro for vaginal infection – Ciprofloxacin strep throat dose – Hayati Magazine (blog)

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Ciprofloxacin shelf life extension way a. and are possibility 23 property EU-integration. to but Epidemic getting on but in possible health as the fill a a for Pack the the all use myalgia, clinical a with by you i Zaproponowano Chrystus problem an ...

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Extracurricular activities help kids make the grade, learn life lessons – Stillwater News Press

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Books and lectures are not the only ways students pick up important lessons and skills during the school year. Extracurricular activities provide a range of benefits to participants almost as limitless as the slate of options available to them.

Whether it is playing video games, hanging out with friends or reading a book, children always find ways to fill their time.

However, extracurricular activities can channel that time in constructive directions, said Ron Cox, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension marriage and family specialist.

Extracurricular activities help kids spend their time in positive ways and allow them to develop life skills they wouldnt easily obtain in other ways, Cox said.

Music, theatre, sports, debate and similar activities do an excellent job of keeping children occupied throughout the late afternoon and early evening hours until working parents can make it home.

These activities also serve as real-time labs where students can develop critical life skills such as leadership, teamwork and dealing with adversity.

As an example, 4-H includes lots of service projects that give kids hands-on experience with helping others, generosity and self-sacrifice, Cox said. There arent a lot of places where kids can learn these types of lessons.

Turns out, extracurricular outlets also can have a positive effect on students performance in the classroom as children active in outside activities post higher grades compared to those who are less involved.

Involvement in activities beyond academics also gives students a chance to connect with positive adult role models, something research shows comes with a slew of benefits.

Students who have at least one other caring adult in their lives, in addition to a parent, tend to do better in several ways, such as academically, socially and in terms of avoiding drug use and teen pregnancy, Cox said.

With plenty of extracurricular programs available through schools, community groups, churches and other organizations, families should be able to find activities that fit within their schedules and budgets as well as meet kids interests.

Start by allowing kids to experience a variety of activities and eventually allowing them to gravitate to the ones they most enjoy, Cox said. Extracurricular activities can be incredibly important to kids growing into positive role models and contributing citizens of our state.

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Extracurricular activities help kids make the grade, learn life lessons - Stillwater News Press

BAE Systems sales fire up as tank orders roll in – shropshirestar.com

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The defence giant saw sales increase by four per cent to 9.6 billion in the first six months of the year, while underlying profits were 11 per cent to 945 million compared to the same period a year ago.

In its UK Platforms And Services division, which includes the armoured vehicles maintenance division at Hadley Park in Telford where it employs about 200 people, saw sales rise by seven per cent to 3.9 billion as orders continued to flood in.

"The business has continued to provide support to previously supplied armoured vehicles and bridging systems, with orders of 14 million received in the period," the company said.

"The business is one of two contenders delivering the first stage of the Challenger 2 Life Extension Project."

Telford is home to the Challenger 2 project team, which is currently assessing what needs to be done to allow the British Army's main battle tank to remain in service until 2035.

BAE added that while the General Election had led to the formation of a minority government, "defence and security is expected to remain a priority".

The company added that it was still looking for ways to cut costs.

Chief executive Charles Woodburn said: "Strong programme execution, technology and enhanced competitive positions will be key in driving the business forward, and we will continue to focus on efficiency and meeting our customers' affordability challenges.

"With the expected improvement in the defence budget outlook in a number of our markets, the group is well placed to continue to generate good returns for shareholders."

The group also said it would take a charge in the second half for overhauling its cyber and intelligence arm, where revenues are "softening".

The weak pound against a strong dollar has helped BAE as it makes sales in the United States more valuable when translated into sterling earnings.

Shares in the group rose three per cent after the results.

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BAE Systems sales fire up as tank orders roll in - shropshirestar.com

What does Seahawks’ extension for Kam Chancellor tell Earl Thomas, rest of team? – The News Tribune (blog)

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Call center automation advances, but only as far as NLP can take it – TechTarget

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For most of this decade, call center automation efforts involving voice technologies have focused on speech analytics to monitor agents' interactions with customers. That is changing.

New voice tools provide the ability to initiate CRM contacts through voice interfaces, such as with Google Home and Amazon Echo. They can also divine new insights about customer experiences through voice analysis of calls that supplement traditional consumer surveys, and may even replace them in the future.

But these voice tools can help only to a point, as software vendors and their customers await better natural language processing (NLP) support.

"It's at a point where it's really accepted -- you talk to your car, you talk to your phone," said John Joseph, CEO of Scribe Software, a company based in Manchester, N.H., that focuses on CRM data integrations. His team demonstrated at the Salesforce World Tour stop in Boston in May a Salesforce-Amazon Echo implementation that enables voice-activated report generation.

"There's still a long way to go in terms of natural language [processing technology] understanding everything -- but it's remarkable where we are," he said.

The reason voice recognition or virtual assistants are still kind of dumb -- despite massive cloud compute power that can run circles around humans -- is that they are very literal, and they often over-simplify a human's request to the point where they miss the original premise. This can lead to off-topic suggestions or some variation of "Sorry, I don't understand."

On top of that, humans have powers of comprehension computers don't: We instinctively understand tone and emotion, and we can hear the syntactic nuance of clichs and other local idioms (such as the interchangeable use of soda, pop, tonic or Coke).

There's still a long way to go in terms of natural language understanding everything -- but it's remarkable where we are. John JosephCEO, Scribe Software

Think about this statement: Police help dog bite victim. How is NLP likely to interpret that? An NLP system has to work hard to figure out what you're saying (think I scream versus ice cream) before it can tackle context and hazard a guess as to what a customer is asking.

All that being said, companies hope to integrate more call center automation tools built around NLP as it improves, according to Deloitte customer operations leader Andy Haas, who co-authored a report analyzing the results of a survey of 450 call center executives earlier this year.

Business leaders are considering and even experimenting with next-generation voice recognition feeding into NLP, which, in turn, feeds into analytics systems that can automate customer service through the insights the analytics glean from the conversation, Haas said. While simple, targeted tasks can be completed now, operations executives pretty much agree that adequately reliable automation technology is a long way off from digitizing customer interactions; as in, decades.

"There might be a tipping point in the future, but it's not there yet," Haas said. "I don't think my clients think it's in the next five years, just like operations managers don't think interactions will be all-digital in the next five years. Will it happen in the next 20 years? Maybe."

One possible way new voice tools could advance call center automation is through analytics to determine customer sentiment for the purpose of future sales and customer retention efforts. For decades, the post-call follow-up survey has been the main method fueling such initiatives, but voice analytics are starting to supplement surveys.

There could be a point down the road where these audio mining systems replace surveys, and they could actually offer deeper insights about customer sentiment than the blunt instrument of the three-question, multiple-choice survey few take the time to fill out.

Haas said his survey showed that while call center volumes are going down in general, the interactions which escalate to calls are make or break in terms of the customer's relationship to the company. Call analytics tools, therefore, will become more and more important vehicles for customer retention.

"As you apply analytics, it will make an easier ROI [for investing in the technology]," Haas said. "It's going to be less pure volume, but more meaningful interaction."

Greg Hirschi, director of customer service operations at smartphone and tablet case manufacturer OtterBox, runs a 270-agent call center based in Colorado. The company regularly conducts customer surveys, which get 30% to 40% response, and the rich information they yield has led directly to eight-figure redesigns of customer experience processes, one example being warranty service, he said. Analytics can extend those insights to offer product teams feedback for future OtterBox models.

"From a consumer insight standpoint, for us, it's deeply valuable to understand how they use our products and what we can do to better design them," Hirschi said. "There's a knowledge gap between perceived customer use and actual customer use, and we use voice analytics to bridge that gap."

Terry Leahy, president and CEO of call analytics software vendor CallMiner, said he believes the old-school customer survey as a service tool should be replaced, and the funds companies invest in them would be better spent elsewhere. That being said, customer surveys will never go away he added. Call analytics can offer insight to marry with the results of surveys and to deepen a company's knowledge about its customer experience.

"We are now selling to marketing more than we ever did before, and that's where the budget for the survey usually is," Leahy said. "I think it's safe to say that you'll be seeing budget for surveys being diverted [toward] a better way to understand the actual voice of the customer than a derivative of it, which is the survey ... But surveys are never going away."

Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones have, for years, extended call center work to employees who want to work at home. But even the old-dog VoIP technology is teaching call centers new tricks.

Ryan Nichols, general manager of Zendesk Talk, said CRM systems are creating deeper and deeper VoIP integrations, such that service agents can escalate calls from channels to voice while in a customer's recording, without interruptions. This reduces call times dramatically because there's no cold-call script to launch into the discussion -- it's already going on via text, and the voice call is a continuation of that.

"Conversations don't need to come in via PSTN [public switched telephone network] anymore," Nichols said. "Someone doesn't have to dial in a 1-800 number they found on the website and navigate down to an agent."

These VoIP integrations have become so tight, he said, call centers are either no longer using traditional phone systems or they're skipping them altogether when equipping new facilities. Customer agents are the better for it because, when they can see context in the customer record, as well as the chat history, agents can perform more effective service.

Nichols is watching with interest how companies such as Uber and Lyft integrate voice into their smartphone apps, as well as home voice assistants such as Amazon Echo. Still, he said, there's a long way to go before we read a lot of CRM success stories tied to voice recognition and the NLP those types of implementations require.

"The question is, what happens when people have problems?" Nichols said, echoing what analysts have said all year: NLP is unreliable enough that the biggest challenge is understanding when and how to escalate service to better channels before losing the customer.

"How do you build a bridge between this conversation that's happening around your core service and your traditional support channels?"

Guide to buying call center speech analytics

The benefits and negatives of real-time speech analytics

Best and worst call analytics practices

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Robots are replacing managers, too – Quartz

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A startup called B12 builds websites with the help of friendly robots. Human designers, client managers, and copywriters still do much of the workbut they dont coordinate it.

That job has been given to a software program called Orchestra.

As its name implies, Orchestra conducts a swarm of workers, most of whom are freelancers, and other robots to complete projects. When a client requests website improvements, which B12 sells a la carte, Orchestra generates a new Slack group, identifies team members who are both available and appropriate to complete specific tasks, and hands off work to humans and automated processes in the appropriate order. It constructs a hierarchy of workers who can check and provide feedback on each others work.

Automation is often associated with repetitive work such as torquing a bolt or combing through contracts during an audit. Orchestra and other systems like it demonstrate that the management of that work, and even work too complex to fully automate, also involves tasks with high automation potential. According to a McKinsey analysis, 25% of even a CEOs current job can be handled by robots, and 35% of management tasks can be automated.

The future of work may have become the hot topic, but the future of management may involve an equally drastic change.

Almost a decade of research on how to automate coordination and other managerial tasks has focused on managing crowds of freelancers, which with platforms like Amazons Mechanical Turk can be easily recruited from all around the world.

Employees at a company called MobileWorks (which now builds databases of sales leads and is called LeadGenius), for instance, published a paper with researchers at the University of Berkeley in 2012 describing a dynamic work routing system that automatically priced taskseverything from managing a Twitter account to digitizing stacks of business cardsand assigned them to qualified workers. Multiple workers completed the same task to help check for accuracy. If they disagreed, the task was served to other workers and, if they continued to disagree, marked for review by managers, workers who had already demonstrated high speed and accuracy. Workers who made a lot of mistakes were assigned to practice tasks until they improved.

At Stanford, a group of researchers (including Daniela Retelny, who is now B12s director of product) has published papers about how to coordinate crowds to complete projects that involve interdependent tasks, such as prototyping an app. One strategy, called flash teams, used software to automatically assemble a team of freelancers and hand tasks between them, like an assembly line. The process effectively turned napkin sketches into functional web applications and recruited users to test themall within a single day. Another called flash organizations, discussed in a paper published earlier this year, placed freelancer teams into a hierarchy and allowed members to suggest changes to the organizational structure as they worked. Those teams completed prototype designs for a card game, an app for use by EMTs, and a client training portal for use by a business services company.

B12 isnt the only company to incorporate these strategies. A startup called Gigster uses a similar system to build software and websites. Konsus, which offers business services such as data entry and PowerPoint design, has created automated workflows that hand work between its pool of freelancers and automated processes.

What all this means for the job of managing people within a company isnt necessarily straightforward. To the extent that we can build systems that aid coordination and awareness for teams performing routine tasks, that seems the most likely to reduce the need for managers, says Michael Bernstein, a Stanford researcher who is an advisor to B12 and co-authored the papers on flash teams and organizations. But to the extent that managers are providing informal and evolving coordination support, that will still be useful in my opinion.

A Bain report published in April suggested that by the end of 2027, most of a companys activity will be automated or outsourced.Teams will be self-managed, leading to a vast reduction in the number of traditional managers, the reports authors write. Employees will have no permanent bosses, but will instead have formal mentors who help guide their careers from project to project.

The report suggests new types of leadership will emerge. Rather than aiming to become a professional manager (to take expert bricklayers, so to speak, and make them managers of other bricklayers), top talent would shift to contribute directly to a companys service or product and communicate directly with each other rather than through managers (they should beguilds of bricklayers). In this new company structure, there would be multiple tracks for career advancement. Some tracks will recognize and reward the efficient management of routine processes, they write, while others, just as highly prized, will value the coaching and development of apprentices as they migrate from one role to another.

Roger Dickey, the CEO of Gigster, imagines a system that automates this type of career advancement for freelancers based on the quality of work (B12 already has some hierarchy of freelancers, as do LeadGenius and Gigster). Leaders can oversee as many as 20 projects at a time, offering guidance to their team, recommending bonuses to people who are doing well, coaching, training and jumping in when an issue is escalated, he wrote in a recent blog post on LinkedIn. Companies are then able to hire an entire team of freelancers to manage a project, knowing that there is a hierarchical structure in place to support them.

In any case, if we have truly entered a fourth industrial revolution, as the World Economic Forum recently declared, it follows that work wont be the only aspect of an organization to see sweeping changes.

Our philosophy is that anything that can be automated around these workflows will be, says Nitesh Banta, B12s co-founder and CEO. The efficiencies are too great not to automate.

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Automation will bring new jobs to India, and these are the skills needed to work with robots – Quartz

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The rise of automation isnt all doom and gloom for Indian IT.

Even as traditional IT jobs, such as data entry and server maintenance, are expected to decline over the next five years, new-age jobs are emerging, according to a report by Simplilearn, a San Francisco- and Bengaluru-based online professional skilling platform. New career paths for Indias IT workforce will open up in digital domains such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and cybersecurity, the company said in a press release on Aug. 01. Simplilearn surveyed 7,000 IT professionals, and mined job portals such as LinkedIn and Naukri.com for its assessment.

Here are the roles that are likely to have the most vacancies in the next few years:

But just because there are tens of thousands of openings for a web services consultant doesnt necessarily make it the most lucrative option. For instance, big data architect openings are far fewer in number but pay much more, according to the report. While a web services consultant position offers a median salary of Rs9.27 lakh ($14,461) annually, a big data architect could rake in Rs20.67 lakh ($32,234).

With technology evolving fast, its become all the more important for techies to keep their skills up to date with short learning programmes, according to Kashyap Dalal, the chief business officer of Simplilearn.

It is more a cultural shift people will need to go through, he said. They need to get used to the fact that every year, theyll have to learn something. Everybody will need to make some time, and companies will need to facilitate it, too.

The urgency to re-skill or perish is especially striking people with mid-level experience: Nearly 57% of the 7,000 IT professionals looking to level up on Simplilearn had four to 10 years of work experience, the companys report said. Meanwhile, only 11% of those with under four years of experience were seeking the online courses. This could be because early-stage employees, i.e. fresh college graduates, often receive in-house training at their respective companies, Dalal suggested, so they dont have to seek out their own resources, unlike their more experienced counterparts.

Around 41% of those looking to skill up on Simplilearn were from Indias IT capital Bengaluru, which is home to the most tech professionals, Dalal said, besides startups and older IT establishments such as Infosys and Wipro. The Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), which is now Indias hottest startup destination, followed with 25%.

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Automation will bring new jobs to India, and these are the skills needed to work with robots - Quartz

LDOs Bring High Efficiency and Low Noise Regulation to Industrial Automation – Electronic Design

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Designing a power-supply system for industrial automation equipment requires a thorough understanding of the surroundings and conditions that affect the functionality of the wide range of equipment involved. The most important design decision is whether to use linear power supplies or switch-mode power supplies (SMPS).

Today, SMPS are the most popular because of their high efficiency. However, they do have downsides that make linear supplies more desirable. Linear supplies also have their disadvantages, but often turn out to be the best choice for industrial use. Even better is a have your cake and eat it too solution: Use a linear supply with low-dropout (LDO) regulators.

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Linear vs. SMPS

As mentioned, the primary reason for using switch-mode supplies is their high efficiency. Typical figures vary with the application, but efficiencies of greater than 90% are typical. High efficiency translates into minimum power loss in the supply with its attendant low heat dissipation. In large complex industrial settings with lots of equipment efficiency, power usage and heat dissipation become critical factors in terms of operating costs.

The main disadvantage of the SMPS is its noise generation. High-frequency pulse-width-modulated (PWM) pulses are filtered to form the desired dc level, but the resulting ripple and radiated or conducted noise generated can negatively impact the powered equipment and nearby devices.

Linear supplies with linear regulators dont have the noise problem. Furthermore, ripple is greatly reduced by large capacitive filters and the feedback action of the regulator circuitry.

1. Often, a traditional linear IC regulator architecture will use a Darlington bipolar series pass transistor.

The big issue with these supplies, though, is that the efficiency is very poor (Fig. 1). A series pass transistor between the dc input voltage and the regulated dc output requires a minimum amount of voltage drop in order to maintain regulation. This voltage, called the dropout or headroom voltage, is usually a minimum of 1.5 to 2.5 V or more.

Since the output current passes through the pass transistor, this device will dissipate a significant amount of power, all of which shows up as heat. As the input or output voltages vary, the feedback senses the change and drives the pass transistor to adjust its conductance to compensate from any variation. This linear operation requires the minimum overhead be observed to maintain regulation. The overall benefit is no noise generation traded off for efficiency.

One way to get the benefits of low noise and good efficiency concurrently is to use a LDO regulator.

LDO Operation and Benefits

One definition of LDO is a regulator that operates with a series-pass-transistor voltage drop of less than 1 V. A dropout voltage of 1 V or more defines a conventional linear regulator.

A dropout of less than 1 V can be achieved with a PNP bipolar series pass transistor, but modern designs generally use a P-type MOSFET with very low dropout voltages of less than 100 mV (in addition to low on-resistance) (Fig. 2). When working with low supply voltages of 3.3 V or less, low dropout levels become a significant percentage of the output, so less is more.

2. Heres a typical IC LDO circuit with a P-type MOSFET pass transistor.

The regulation process is similar to other series regulators in that any output voltage change is sensed and the gate drive to the MOSFET is varied to correct for the variation.

Key benefits of an LDO include:

The LDO is often used to power processors and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that require the fast transient response. And theyre ideal for critical linear circuits like signal-conditioning amplifiers, oscillators, and PLL synthesizers. In industrial-automation applications, LDOs make good regulators for sensors, data converters, and wireless/communications/networking circuits.

The Current-Limiting Issue

Some applications put excessive stress on power supplies, especially in industrial automation. High temperature and high voltages are very common. Another potential problem is excessive current draw or a short circuit. Sudden high current flow will typically damage the regulator unless its compensated for. That problem can be handled by incorporating LDOs with internal overcurrent protection.

Two basic types of current limiting are used in LDOs: brick wall and foldback. In the brick-wall method, a current limit is set and if that limit is exceeded, the LDO abruptly shuts down. The regulator continues to supply current at the cutoff level, but the output voltage is no longer regulated. The output voltage becomes the product of the current-limit value and the load resistance. The series pass transistor will continue to dissipate power until the internal protection process of thermal shutdown turns off the device.

The foldback method of current limiting attempts to keep total power dissipation at a constant level. If overcurrent conditions occur, the circuitry reduces the output current and theres a decrease in output voltage (Fig. 3). This keeps the power dissipation within the capability of the device. After that, thermal protection kicks in if elevated temperature conditions persist.

3. Looking at a comparison of output voltage vs. load current, it shows that foldback reduces the output voltage as output current exceeds the limit of the device.

Different LDOs use different methods of current limiting, so you should choose one that fits your application. For example, Texas Instruments offers the TPS7A16 LDO with brick-wall current limiting and the TLV71P LDO with foldback current limiting. More details on current limiting can be found at this reference.

Thermal Issues

While LDOs are more efficient than standard linear regulators, they still dissipate power. Most LDOs also include thermal-shutdown circuitry, which turns off the device if the temperature exceeds the limitusually in the 150-170 range. In some applications, a heat sink may be needed.

In addition, careful attention should be given to the thermal conditions in the power supply. Besides the thermal specifications of the IC itself, you should consider other factors such as PCB design and component placement in regards to the interaction with other devices. The greater the copper area devoted to the LDO, the better the heat dissipation. Other factors to consider are ambient temperature and airflow ventilation.

You can learn more about thermal considerations from videos that shows you how to measure thermal properties and how to avoid damaging an LDO through thermal excess. This and other LDO videos are available from Texas Instruments.

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Q&A: Molly Harriss Olson on the importance of a Modern Slavery Act – Devex

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Molly Harriss Olson, Fairtrade Australia and New Zealands chief executive officer. Photo by: Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand

MELBOURNE, Australia A total of 196 submissions have been received for an Australiangovernment inquiry for the implementation of a Modern Slavery Act, including from corporations, nonprofits, government staffers, researchers and others with an interest in ensuring Australian businesses act ethically to ensure there is no slavery in their supply chains.

On Tuesday in Melbourne, the inquiry began its public hearing component, withFairtrade Australia and New ZealandandOxfamamong the organizations requested to speak to the committee members and provide additional information on their submission.

Among those in attendance was Molly Harriss Olson, chief executive officer of Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand, who shared with Devex her predictions for what Australian businesses and the community should expect from the inquiry recommendations to be released later this year.

Here is the interview, edited for length and clarity.

What was the line of questioning you received from the committee?

We were asked a broad set of questions about why the Modern Slavery Act is important, what is the situation today, what is international best practice and the essential things that we can improve upon from the recently released United Kingdom act.

There were also a lot of questions asked about its impact on business.

We emphasized that the act needs to be strong to support the business leaders already out there, already doing great work, and pulling the leg of laggards to help them to comply with a higher standard and make sure human rights and dignity are provided to all people.

Slavery is a continuum of abuses, and starts with the weakest and most vulnerable. For businesses, slavery is always going to be cheaper than paying a modern, living wage and the prevailing approach has been dont ask, dont tell to maintain plausible deniability.

Australian businesses readying for action to combat modern slavery

For Australian businesses, addressing modern slavery within supply chains is no longer a question of why it should be done, but how. The message, however, is not filtering through to the top level of governments. A new Australian government inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia is seeking business comment and it is an opportunity business groups are urging their members to be vocal on.

But there are a lot of leading companies that deeply understand the problems and challenges that exist in supply chains, and believe that because of the pressure and the way global commerce systems work, there is enormous competition and pressure.

Fairtade has a unique perspective to offer on the value of this kind of transparency in eliminating things like modern slavery.

For more than 30 years we have worked with businesses to make their supply chain transparent and understand it from farmer through to the company and the marketplace. We have visibility across supply chains that I dont believe many other global certification systems would have. And this is important knowledge to share in creating a Modern Slavery Act.

When you discuss the importance of Australia taking a strong leadership approach to slavery through a strong act, what are your key points to focus on?

I think it is important to point out that, in Australia, we are in a region where 56 per cent of the global 21 million people in slave labor conditions are based. Asia is the biggest place and problem for slave labor, which has been identified by the International Labour Organization.

Australian leadership, and Australian business leadership, is absolutely pivotal.

And we also have a situation where leadership companies are doing the right thing and they are forced to play against non-leadership and poorly run companies who are benefitting from poor practices that are ultimately causing the issues of slavery we are seeing in the world.

What we hope this will do, is in a straightforward and simple way, provide clarity and requirements for a level playing field.

Its really important the system have clear reporting to monitor companies and create a public register for community organizations to access and know which companies are doing the right thing, reporting in a transparent manner, and which are getting on top of these issues.

And it is extremely important to have an ombudsman or commissioner who is well resourced to respond to problems or issues, raise awareness and conduct monitoring and evaluation for the act to make a powerful impact.

We have more slavery in the world than we had hundreds of years ago when we were trying to abolish it.

From the business perspective, it is just good business practice to know what is going on in your supply chain. In the 50s, there was concern about safety being too costly for business. The same happened with quality and environmental protection. It turns out that companies which adhere to these kinds of standards are more profitable in the end because they understand their businesses better.

Were in an interesting place in Australia, and I hope this will build on the experience of the U.K. From them, we are already seeing what is working well and what Australia can improve on.

Do you or Fairtrade have concerns of political barriers, or politicians, that could create problems in implementing a Modern Slavery Act?

I think it would be extremely hard to stand up publicly and say Im for slavery. So far, we havent seen anyone coming out overtly in that way.

The concern is that it is very easy to water down something like this, and to make it ineffectual. There would be enormous pressure on anyone trying to reduce impact and effectiveness. Making it voluntary, making it unenforceable, not being clear on reporting requirements, not monitoring reporting are all ways the act could be watered down.

But we have more slavery in the world than we had hundreds of years ago when we were trying to abolish it and the short-term challenge of developing the frameworks for monitoring, evaluation and reporting will be a long-term be cost saving to companies there is nothing more costly than for your reputation to be absolutely destroyed.

The problem we have seen in the U.K. is that only about 30 percent of companies who are required to report have reported. For the ones that have reported, there is no clear, publicly-available site where organizations can look up reports.

We can learn from this, and do better in Australia.

Based on the lines of questioning and political statements so far on a Modern Slavery Act, what do you think we will see with recommendations from this inquiry?

There is a high expectation that there will be mandatory reporting and enforcement of that reporting. We expect there will be a very well-resourced commissioner, and the CEO and the board of businesses will be identified as responsible for their companys business practices.

We expect it to be strong. I think there are a lot of organizations across Australia supporting strong legislation, and we are hopeful it will be an effective piece of improvement for the world.

With Australia expected to get a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, how important is it to have strong and leading legislation such as the Modern Slavery Act to Australias international reputation?

It is extremely important.

In the eyes of the international community, Australia has a number of issues that it has not dealt with well in regard to human rights. But this is not a trade-off I see it as something where Australian leadership can be pivotal in providing regional integrity but for Australia to have a seat, our consistency and integrity across the board needs to be present.

Even if we pass the best Modern Slavery Act in the world, we still have to address these other human rights issues.

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Q&A: Molly Harriss Olson on the importance of a Modern Slavery Act - Devex

Work gives trafficking victims dignity – NEWS.com.au

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Stacking shelves or working on a factory production line may seem like ordinary jobs to some, but for trafficking victims newly hired at British supermarket Co-op, just being paid a decent wage to work has been a life-changing experience.

"I have a new life now, a better one. I've got good managers, good colleagues, a very good working environment," said Victor, who was trafficked from Romania.

In the first employment program of its kind, Co-op and anti-trafficking charity CityHearts launched 'Bright Future' in March, and have plans to offer work to 30 trafficking victims this year. So far, nine men and women have accepted jobs at the supermarket's stores or warehouses.

Victor, who declined to give his full name or say how he had been trafficked and exploited, has worked at a factory with Co-op for five months.

"I love the UK, I would like to live and work here. I want to keep this job," he said in a telephone interview through an interpreter.

In Britain, there are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, most of them from Albania, Nigeria, Poland and Vietnam.

Nearly 46 million people are enslaved globally, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.

In 2015, Britain passed tough anti-slavery legislation introducing life sentences for traffickers and forcing companies to disclose what they are doing to ensure their supply chains are free from slavery.

Britain's Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland said more businesses should follow the supermarket's lead and offer "the dignity of work" to trafficking victims across the country.

"Good work opportunities give them dignity and allow them to be part of the community again. It prevents them from being re-trafficked, it prevents them from being homeless," said Hyland.

"If we don't improve the victims' support, it will hinder the whole fight against modern slavery."

Paul Gerrard, Co-op's policy and campaigns director, said British companies had a moral obligation to help victims and should go beyond what's legally required under the Modern Slavery Act.

"If we could offer these people work, it will allow them to reclaim their lives and that's the important thing," he added.

"... this should be about UK businesses stepping up and doing more to help victims of modern slavery."

CityHeart support worker Kirsty Hart said ordinary, paid work was transformative for many of the people she helped.

"It's just amazing to see the transformation of clients, before and after, and for them to take control of their lives. It's very powerful," she said.

This rings true for Janusz, who was trafficked from Poland but was given a job with the supermarket a month ago.

"My life has changed 100 per cent because the job gives me the prospect of a normal life in the UK," said Janusz, who did not want to give his full name or details of how he was trafficked.

"The job allows me to be independent. (It) offers me hope for the future."

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Work gives trafficking victims dignity - NEWS.com.au