Daily Archives: May 14, 2017

5 new jobs of the robot generation – VentureBeat

Posted: May 14, 2017 at 5:47 pm

Embrace it and get used to it AI is here to stay.

While some robots may be out to take our jobs, theres a big skills gap in the AI-fueled services industry thats just waiting to be filled.

There will be two major drivers around the jobs of the future. The first will be what can be automated, and the second will be what level of comfort do we have with thingsbeing automated.

However, while everyone likes to talk about widespread fear that automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will make human workers redundant, it seems people are actually becoming more comfortable with the idea of automation and AI in the workplace. Recent research conducted by Adecco Group reveals that many employees feel AI will have a positive impact in creating a future workplace with myriad opportunities for more flexible, rewarding work.

So if our current roles in the workplace are set to be replaced, what will we be doing instead? Here are five new jobs that are likely to see the light as a result of AI.

Robots are to be deployed everywhere from the classroom to hospitals, but who will teach this new wave of bots the skills they are meant to apply so effortlessly, and, more importantly, who will teach robots how to teach each other so that AI can continue to scale? While robotic programming automation (RPA) requires an intensive focus on programming repeatable tasks, AI is here to provide structured outputs from unstructured inputs. Teacher training is about to take on a whole new meaning.

In the U.K. and Europe, regulations are being drafted to govern the use and creation of robots and AI. This includes an electronic personhood status assigned to address the rights and responsibilities of AI-programmed robots and to cover all acts carried out by them. What does it mean? Well, in short it means that governments are waking up to the fact that AIs can cause real harm to people. It also means that robots, along with their owners and creators, may be sued.

Regardless of the form electronic personhood laws take, its safe to say there will be a new generation of legal professionals dedicated to this subject, as well as expert law makers focusing on the area.

Doing business today is not a case of choosing between human or machine. Weve reached an age of human and machine. Orchestration will be key in implementing the right technology, or the right person, for the job. The variable now is how the division of laborwill be managed.

Orchestration is already in place on the assembly line. For example, we have beautifully orchestrated factories with a mixture of human and robotic workers. Orchestration of service delivery is an entirely different matter, however. Robotic service orchestration (RSO) platforms are already in place in more advanced shared services centers, but as the requirement for more orchestration between automation, humans, and AI continues to grow, so too will the requirements for experts in this field.

There are a million different companies and technology-driven solutions aiming to make digital transformation happen quickly and seamlessly, and with the convergence of AI and big data, data scientists will be able to extract business-changing information on a daily basis.

It wont be the robots making the actual business-critical decisions, though. These will no doubt be left up to a human expert in a pivotal transformation role. While its not a new role, the head of transformation will now need both cutting edge skills and experience from previous roles involving automation, product and process simplification, and service excellence.

Over the next few years, a seismic shift in the automotive industry will continue to deliver the power of AI and IoT to vehicles. These vehicles will be synced to more content-aware, location-based apps, which will enable cars within the same pool to communicate and share data, such as road conditions or speed. Vehicles will also be able to tap into AI to learn routes and routines, and even to upgrade while on the move.

This shift will see the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles. While cars may be able to navigate themselves, a person (in the form of an autonomous vehicle fleet manager) will still need to be positioned in case of any anomalies, particularly as fleets go through the various stages to becoming fully automated. And, of course, there will need to be a human representative that interacts with more complex passenger and customer requests.

Amid the doom and gloom created by the robots will steal our jobs messaging that has circulated frequently over the past year, a considerable percentage of people are finding the silver lining in the automation and AI situation we find ourselves in. While robots will render some occupations obsolete, there is a huge opportunity here for humans and robots to become more collaborative and for new positions to be created in an industry that nurtures our newfound AI colleagues. Its time to get used to the change and embrace it, for you may find yourself working alongside a robot teacher sooner than you think.

Kit Cox is thefounder and CEO at Enate Limited, a business process management company.

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5 new jobs of the robot generation - VentureBeat

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Conversica CEO discusses future of artificial intelligence – ABC News

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Artificial intelligence is all around us, whether it's to recommend movies you might like or weed out unsavory videos. Smaller companies such as Conversica are joining the likes of Google and Facebook in pursuing AI.

Conversica sells digital assistants to businesses ranging from car dealerships to real estate companies. They work just as an entry-level sales or marketing person would; customers usually don't know they're interacting with software, or a bot, when responding to a sales pitch or seeking help.

Conversica CEO Alex Terry spoke recently with The Associated Press about the future of AI and its impact on jobs. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and length.

Q: How long did it take to get to a point where people couldn't tell they are conversing with a bot?

A: We have been doing this for seven years, and it's a function not only of time but also the amount of training data. At this point we've had over 215 million messages go through our AI platform, and those messages help us train the system to respond like a person.

Q: How does natural language processing work?

A: Software reads messages that are coming in and understands what the person is saying. Then we figure out what we should do for that particular customer. If you think about Siri or Alexa, those are examples where the computer is listening to a spoken sentence or paragraph and figures out what someone means. Like if I say "what's the weather out today?" you have to understand what's the weather and then some kind of location.

Q: What happens to the people who would have handled these responses?

A: Typically we see our customers hire more people, not less. It's about a 6 to 1 ratio of customers that hire more staff vs. those who use the efficiencies from AI to reduce the size of their team.

Q: What are the biggest challenges right now?

A: On the technical side, it's making sure these experiences are really seamless and genuinely helpful. Our systems are getting smarter all the time. But that isn't our biggest challenge. Our biggest challenge is getting the word out there. People tend to be hesitant to try something that sounds almost like science fiction.

Q: Do you think stuff like Siri and Alexa are helping with this?

A: I think it really is helping. For example, Facebook trying to find fake news, that's a great example of using really powerful technology, pattern matching. I think people using Alexa or Siri or even recognizing that Netflix is using pattern matching to recommend a new movie you might like, it actually makes your life easier and better. People are becoming less fearful of the technology as they see actual benefits in their day-to-day lives.

Apple Just Acquired This Little-Known Artificial Intelligence Startup – Fortune

Posted: at 5:47 pm

Apple has acquired a data mining and machine learning company Lattice.io, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Apple confirmed the acquisition exclusively to Fortune via telephone on Saturday, and provided the following statement via email: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

There isn't much information publicly available about Lattice, but according to the company's CrunchBase profile, the startup was born out a Stanford research project called DeepDive. The company's technology appears to use machine learning to parse through databases or the web to answer queries.

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Lattice was co-founded by Chris Re, a professor of computer science at Stanford, and Michael Cafarella, a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan. Cafarella was the co-creator of Hadoop, a widely used big data processing technology. Cafarella was also previously an engineer at telecommunications company TellMe Networks, which was bought by Microsoft in 2007 for $800 million.

According to this 2015 profile on Re, the professor's Deep Dive program is able to understand "dark data," which provides information within images or illustrations.

The company's technology is also similar to Google's Knowledge Graph ( goog ) , which is the search giant's technology that understands relationships between people, places, and things, and it provide answers to questions like "What's the capital of California?"

One source familiar with the matter said the acquisition price was between $175 million and $200 million. Lattice had raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Madrona Venture Group and GV, the venture arm of Google-parent Alphabet.

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Apple Just Acquired This Little-Known Artificial Intelligence Startup - Fortune

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China Creates National Lab to Lead World in Brain-Like Artificial Intelligence – The Daily Galaxy (blog)

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China's first national laboratory for brain-like artificial intelligence (AI) technology was inaugurated Saturday to pool the country's top research talent and boost the technology. Chinas rapid rise up the ranks of AI research has the world's scientific community taking notice. In October, the Obama White House released a strategic plan for AI research, which noted that the U.S. no longer leads the world in journal articles on deep learning, a particularly hot subset of AI research right now. The country that had overtaken the U.S.? China, of course.

China has a fairly deep awareness of whats happening in the English-speaking world, but the opposite is not true, says Ng. He points out that Baidu has rolled out neural network-based machine translation and achieved speech recognition accuracy that surpassed humansbut when Google and Microsoft, respectively, did so, the American companies got a lot more publicity. The velocity of work is much faster in China than in most of Silicon Valley, says Ng

Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January, the lab, based in China University of Science and Technology (USTC), aims to develop a brain-like computing paradigm and applications. The university, known for its leading role in developing quantum communication technology, hosts the national lab in collaboration with a number of the country's top research bodies such as Fudan University, Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as Baidu, operator of China's biggest online search engine.

Wan Lijun, president of USTC and chairman of the national lab, said the ability to mimic the human brain's ability in sorting out information will help build a complete AI technology development paradigm. The lab will carry out research to guide machine learning such as recognizing messages and using visual neural networks to solve problems. It will also focus on developing new applications with technological achievements.

The Daily Galaxy via Global Times and The Atlantic

Image credit: With thanks to AEM.org

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Artificial intelligence – The News International

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Microsoft is working to democratise artificial intelligence. The tech giants plan is to expand the use of AI from smartphone games to factory floors. This is a revolutionary step towards the advancement of artificial intelligence. The term AI is applied when a machine mimics cognitive functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as learning and problem solving. The overall research goal of artificial intelligence is to create technology that allows computers and machines to function in an intelligent manner. In the course of 50 years of research, artificial intelligence has developed a large number of tools to solve the most difficult problems in computer science. AI can now help in search and optimisation, logical reasoning, probabilistic methods for reasoning, neural networks, control theory and many others. In modern age of science and technology, AI is getting a grip in peoples homes: controlling connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs. Digital assistants already boast features such as reminding people of appointments entered into calendars and sounding in with advice to set out early if the traffic is heavy.

Microsoft has been creating the building blocks for the current wave of AI breakthroughs. Their research has gone deep into areas such as machine learning, speech recognition, and enabling machines to recognise what they see. They are trying to use AI for businesses to solve business problems and for app developers to make applications better. The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is an apex government body mandated to promote Pakistans IT Industry in local and international markets. The IT industry is the countrys fastest growing export sector. If the country focuses on the new developments in technology, it can flourish more. In view of the abovementioned advancement in the IT industry across the world, the concerned authorities are requested to undertake research and study to create new ways for the growth in the field of artificial intelligence.

Engr Mansoor Ahmed

Faisalabad

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Artificial intelligence - The News International

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From the President’s Desk: YCSA Thoughts on Immortality – The Commentator

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On the second day of freshman orientation back in August 2013, I walked into Belfer Hall for the first time. The whirlwind first 24 hours of my Yeshiva University experience had been a blur of new faces, informational sessions, and meet and greets, and I was beginning to wonder if all of this stuff was wholly necessary. The reason I thought I came to college the promise of an education that would pave the path toward medical school or an engineering degree had been buried under counseling center pamphlets, student life swag, and maps of Washington Heights.

The meeting in Belfer was a First Year Writing orientation for honors students. The writing professors sat scattered among the students, and Dr. Gabriel Cwilich, the director of the Honors Program, stood at the front of the room. He told us that several sections of the introductory writing course would be reading Rebecca Skloots The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a book I had never heard of, and, as it wasnt assigned for any of my science courses, had already decided I didnt care about. In my mind, I had already consigned my First Year Writing course to the collective of humanities classes I would tolerate, not enjoy.

Then Dr. Cwilich began his presentation. The book, it turned out, was about a black woman who died from cervical cancer in 1951, and whose biopsied cancer cells were the first human cells to survive immortally in culture. Her cell line has proven invaluable to countless scientific breakthroughs, including the polio vaccine, cancer research, and AIDS medication. As Dr. Cwilich spoke, I realized that I had used Henriettas cell line HeLa cells in research I did in an oncology lab mere weeks before arriving on campus. A book about biology that might be relevant to my career goals? I was hooked.

But as I discovered throughout the next few weeks, the story is not merely one of scientific achievements. Skloot takes pain to seek out Henriettas family, who knew hardly anything about the extent of her cells importance. Along the way, the author confronts religion, race relations, and the ethical dilemmas of science as she endeavors to give Henrietta the legacy she deserves.

The Immortal Life acted as a springboard from which I launched into my own personal trajectory through the liberal arts. It taught me about the imperatives of writing: lending voice to the voiceless, making sense of complex ideas, building bridges between communities ordinarily isolated from one another. It turned my attention to the crossroads between medicine and the humanities, an area that has since become one of my deepest passions. It ultimately led to my honors thesis, a screenplay about Rosalind Franklin, another woman whose contributions to the discovery of DNAs double helical structure went largely unnoticed.

Fundamentally, Henrietta Lacks story is one of faith, dedication, and the search for justice. It is a story of empathy, which is to say, a story of humanity.

In a way, its also a story of us, Yeshiva University students. We all know David Foster Wallaces spiel about the liberal arts: the value of viewing the world through a lens of compassion and complexity, the power of connecting with others and sharing ideas, etc. etc. But its only now that Ive walked out of my last undergraduate class that I realize the extent to which my experiences here have changed the way I see the world.

The thing about HeLa cells is that they only survive and grow under proper conditions. They need just the right amount of moisture, a constant temperature of a toasty 37 C, and a certain balance of the nutrients surrounding them. When everything is just right, they form a colony, a microcosm, a community.

As I reflect on my time at YU, I think about the extraordinary environment Im leaving behind. I think about the spell that will break when I graduate next week. Because this place is magic, and I truly mean that; its Narnia, it's Hogwarts, it's Alagasia. It alters the very fabric of time and matter: you look up one day and realize the stranger borrowing your pencil has transformed into your best friend; your professors have charmed you into being passionate about things you couldve sworn you didnt care about, gravity itself has shifted and the world suddenly seems somehow larger and smaller at the same time. This place exists outside of the timeline of whats next?, outside of the mainstream quid pro quo mentality, outside of the zero-sum game well face when we leave.

As I tend to do when all things come to an end, I find myself searching for circles. Im desperate for signs of completion, perfection, and wholeness. I tell myself its fitting that Ill eat at the same restaurant after graduation as I did when I came to New York almost six years ago to interview for YU. I tell myself how profound it is that the first book I read in college was about a woman whose impact on medicine goes unrecognized, and now four years later Im writing a senior thesis about another woman who deserves a legacy for her contributions to science.

But then I realize that this isnt really about me. Henrietta Lacks original cells no longer exist; the nucleotides and peptides and phosphates that made up her cells have long since been replaced by new molecules. But its their genetic code, their continuity that stretches back to Henriettas conception back in 1919, that gives HeLa cells their significance. My legacy does not lie in any contribution Ive made as a student, a Commentator writer, or a student council president. The legacy lies in the very fabric of liberal arts college, and the more specific Jewish traditions of YU. Generations of individuals before me have left their marks on this place, and the impacts these people had continue to be felt today. This legacy has existed since long before I got here, and it will continue long after Im gone. Its not a circle; there is nothing to seal, nothing to complete. I havent finished yet, and neither has Yeshiva University.

Within these walls, this chaotic Petri dish of accountants and writers, lawyers and professors, doctors and rabbis, we exchange the elixir of life. Within these walls we are immortal.

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

Posted: at 5:45 pm

Market Analysis

Summary

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

Importance and scope

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

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

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

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

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

Probiotics Market

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

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

"Food & beverages was the largest segment in 2015"

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

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

"Human probiotics dominated the total demand in 2015"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Segments of the Global Probiotic Market

A. Global probiotics market, by application

B. Global probiotics market, by end use

C. Global probiotics market, by strain type

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

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

A. Probiotics food & beverage

B. Probiotics dietary supplements

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

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

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Central & South America

Middle East & Africa

European Market

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

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

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

Why London, UK?

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

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

Figure-3:Total Probiotics Market

List of Hospitals Research Centre:

London, UK

Worldwide

Major Probiotic Associations and Society

Companies Associated with Probiotics:

Top Nutrition Universities in UK

Target Audience

Figure-4:Target audience for Probiotics

Glance at Market and Funding for Probiotics Research

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

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

1. Probiotic Microorganism

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

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

2. Mechanisms of action of probiotics

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

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

3. Probiotics and Health: A Clinical Perspective

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

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

4. Probiotics in Gastroenterology

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

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

5.Probiotics in Pediatrics

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

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

6. Probiotics in Animal Health

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

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

7. Plant Probiotics

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

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

8.Probiotics in Aquaculture

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

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

9.Probioceuticals: Probiotic- Derived Factors

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

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

10. Probiotic Delivery Systems

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

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

11. Traditional Therapies of Probiotics

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

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

12. Functional Foods

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

13. Beneficial aspects of Prebiotics

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

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

14. Regulation and Product Development

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

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

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

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Daily Mail editorial: We all can help create a new economy in WV – Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)

Posted: at 5:44 pm

Gazette-Mail file photo

Create West Virginia is an organization with the goal of developing innovative local economies throughout the state.

Youve heard it said and read it a thousand times: West Virginia must diversify its economy.

Whos job is it to do that, anyway? The governors? The Commerce Department? The Legislatures? The state and local chambers of commerce?

Well go out on a limb and say it is the job of every able West Virginian to do his or her best to grow the economy of West Virginia.

How so? By thinking differently, shopping differently and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Are you unemployed or feel underemployed in your present position? Then consider creating your own job using the skills and talents you have that you can market into a successful income.

Do you shop online or at the big chain stores and restaurants? Then consider seeking out locally owned establishments that employ West Virginians the people who own homes here and send their kids to school here.

Are you planning a vacation? Then look for all the great places you can visit in West Virginia away from home but still in our beautiful state and bring in family and friends from elsewhere.

People see it as someone elses role to diversify the economy without realizing how much power they have to do so themselves, individually and collectively. But some people do realize they have the power to create a new economy in West Virginia, and they are gathering Monday through Wednesday at the Charleston Civic Center to make it happen, one step at a time.

Celebrating its 10th year, Create West Virginia is working to develop creative communities, companies and centers of learning that thrive in an economy of global innovation.

To do so, they work to train local community leaders in innovation-economy principles. They support commercial and social entrepreneurship initiatives and reach out to recruit creative people who want to build interesting lives and careers that matter in a place brimming with raw opportunity: West Virginia.

They are taking a different approach in their conference this year, having partnered with specialists in universal design to bring some of the nations top builders, designers and policymakers together, wrote Create West Virginia President Sarah Halstead in a Daily Mail Opinion column last week.

Some people dont need to get a job: they create their own, Halstead wrote. And many are looking for a change of pace, lower cost of living and social and business connections in communities that value diversity and arts. And everyone needs a home that works.

With that in mind, this years conference is bringing different perspectives to address design, program and policy issues that impact everyones health, safety, independence and comfort, Halstead said.

Charleston native and User Design professional Carol Smith of IBMs Watson project will be a keynote speaker, addressing how next-generation technology will remove barriers and improve rural and small city life.

Richard Duncan, from the RL Mace Universal Design Institute will highlight why housing and design professionals can help the economy and sense of place by adopting universal design principles.

The people at Create West Virginia are not trying to create jobs the old-fashioned way, because that way of job creation in West Virginias traditional natural resource-based economy is no longer working.

They recognize an opportunity for a state where communities embrace creativity and innovation and use diversity, education, entrepreneurship, quality of place and technology to grow their local economies.

Its fresh thinking and a welcome change for a state that, when it comes to its economy, very much needs change.

Short takes (Daily Mail)

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Daily Mail editorial: We all can help create a new economy in WV - Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)

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Opinion: BC needs leadership vision for sustained economic prosperity – Vancouver Sun

Posted: at 5:44 pm

The new Fortis B.C. liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage plant at Mount Hayes near Ladysmith. Ian Smith / Vancouver Sun

B.C.s urban-rural divide is quickly emerging as an explainer for divided provincial election results, with the starkly contrasting colours of the new, but unsettled, electoral map providing the evidence.

Within this, the role of natural resources is seen by some as a source of conflict. Political scientist Norman Ruff of the University of Victoriashared that viewpoint in tryingto distinguish rural and urban voting trends for The Vancouver Sun: While one lags behind in its continued dependence on adwindling natural-resource-based economy, and in a sense still looksbackward for its future, the other continues an exponential growth indiversity and enjoys a transition to an entirely new economy.

Drawing on similar thinking is B.C. Green party Leader Andrew Weaver. He argues a new approach is needed because its an economic fallacy to think we can continue to grow forever in the current mode. This will inevitably lead to collapse, he recently told The Suns editorial board. Yet in the next breath, the newly powerful MLA said that if we follow his solution of a non-carbon-emitting energy system, hes looking forward to a future of massive economic growth that will make earlier industrial revolutions pale in comparison.

Is the resource-based economy really backward-looking? And what exactly is this new economy to be based on in the era of global trade?

The stunning success at the polls of the Green party May 9 shows that lots of people are troubled by these same questions and are searching for answers.

The first thing to know about B.C.s resource economy is that its changing and growing, with environmental protection at the top of the list. Its potential to be a key driver of any green Industrial Revolution is clear.

B.C. is in a position today to leverage its positive global brand in natural resources to increase access for technology companies into opportunities in natural-resource sectors globally and, in so doing, grow B.C.s exports.

Forestry jobs are up in the past five years. Progress in building an LNG export industry is tangible and real because our natural gas continues to interest foreign buyers who require affordable and cleaner energy solutions.

A recent study by the David Suzuki Foundation found that in B.C.s gas-producing region new infrastructure emits barely any harmful methane emissions, stating that B.C. has generally been very progressive on many issues of environmental stewardship.

Plans to export crude oil safely to new foreign markets will ensure that Canadians acquire a high level of economic benefit from a non-renewable resource.

Our resource sector produces the worlds cleanest aluminum at a time when its needed for electric cars and a thousand other uses. Our rich copper deposits are essential for the growth of all types of clean energy and high technology.

B.C. has become a world leader not just in producing valuable export commodities, but also in sendingbrainpower abroad to help others be as green as we are.The recent Resource Works Naturally Resourceful series looked at companies, including Inuktun Systems, Inventys and SOFTAC Systems, that exemplify this trend.

Voters of all parties think a green resource economy is possible. Many are aware that resource jobs pay the best of any industry, are the most productive and are the most likely to be full-time. An economic study conducted for Resource Works showed that growth in resource exports is directly linked to new jobs for nurses, teachers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, tourism and factory workers, and many other occupations.

Despite evidence of a divide, residents regardless of where they live in the province do share some ideas about the economic future. Earlier this year, polling firm Ipsos, on our behalf, took a look at the state of the resource debate. Highlights:

Eighty-fourper cent agreed that its possible to create green jobs and grow the green economy within B.C.s natural-resource sector. Eighty-threeper centagreed that natural-resource development creates opportunities and hope for B.C.s future. Seventy-sixper cent agreed that B.C.s natural-resource sector creates good opportunities for employment in high-tech jobs.

The public is clearly not sold on the idea that our future in this material world can be created without materials. Resources are needed now more than ever. When it comes to spinning good jobs and environmental protection from the resource economy, it doesnt get any better than B.C.

Clearly, there is work to be done. Fewer than half of British Columbians surveyed agreed that the debate and discussion about natural-resource development in the province is accurately described as transparent or co-operative. (Regulatory agencies, take note.)

The urban-rural divide is a problem, but not a solution. For these challenging political times were going to need a better grasp of how to create a winning solution that benefits all.

The next provincial government should consider a co-ordinated government-industry effort based on a common vision. A cohesive approach can lead to pilot projects showing how B.C.s innovative resource technologies can flourish in target markets like China, Japan, India and the U.S., based on relationships already established through todays trade.

Well have to get better at developing products that link our local technologies with the needs of customers. This will take unprecedented collaboration.

Lets not leave the outcome to chance. A leadership vision that provides a unified direction for sustained and green economic prosperity is one thing politicians from all parties should be eager to embrace.

Stewart Muir is executive director of the Resource Works Society based in Vancouver.

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Digital Life: Potential automation of KC jobs less than Las Vegas, but – Kansas City Star

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Kansas City Star

Digital Life: Potential automation of KC jobs less than Las Vegas, but
Kansas City Star
A report this month from the Institute for Spatial Economic Analysis mapped out where automation could, potentially, eliminate the most jobs. It concluded that areas with the most low-wage workers with the fewest skills would be hit hardest places ...

Daily Archives: May 14, 2017

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China Creates National Lab to Lead World in Brain-Like Artificial Intelligence – The Daily Galaxy (blog)

Artificial intelligence – The News International

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

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Opinion: BC needs leadership vision for sustained economic prosperity – Vancouver Sun

Digital Life: Potential automation of KC jobs less than Las Vegas, but – Kansas City Star

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