Monthly Archives: February 2022

The team at Airbus is working towards 100% SAF to fuel all operations by 2030, and having an airliner using hydrogen as an energy source in service by 2035. (Photo: Airbus)

By the end of 2021, for all customers receiving aircraft from Airbuss final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was incorporated in the delivery process. In the future, were looking at going beyond just Mobile to some of our other production facilities in North America and incorporating SAF into their operations, Amanda Simpson, Airbus VP of Research and Technology, told Avionics International. They expect to begin using increasing amounts of SAF in all operations, including test flights and acceptance flights, over the next few years.

The SAF that Airbus uses for aircraft delivery is produced by World Energy, which owns and operates Californias only sustainable aviation fuel production hub and supplies SAF to airports across the U.S. The SAF is primarily based on utilizing waste products, explained Simpson. In general, these products could be leftovers from lumber and tree trimming operations; it could be agricultural byproducts, municipal solid waste, or cooking oil. In all of these cases, she said, the carbon is pulled from the environment, the atmosphere, rather than from the ground via petroleum.

World Energy supplies SAF for Airbus to fuel aircraft deliveries from their facility in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo: Airbus)

All of Airbuss aircraft are approved to run on blends of SAF up to 50%. According to Simpson, the team is working on increasing that to 100% SAF in all of their aircraft. Our goal is to have that completed by the end of this decade. The issues there are ensuring compatibility with the engines themselves and all of the fuel systems, as well as the fueling systems at the airport. [We want to] make sure the SAF doesnt have any adverse effects, that its completely safe to use, and doesnt impact the reliability and efficiency of the engines or the operation of the aircraft. We have done demonstrations, with an A350 and an A319, to show that we can fly aircraft on 100% SAF.

Apart from advancing the use of SAF, Airbus is working on a project called ZEROe that involves three concept aircraft configurations using hydrogen as an energy source (rather than burning kerosene or SAF). When using hydrogen as an energy source, the only thing it emits out of the tailpipe is water, explained Simpson. Our goal is to have an airliner that uses hydrogen as an energy source in service by 2035.

The Airbus ZEROe concepts are all hybrid-hydrogen aircraft and include the following configurations: turbofan, turboprop, and blended-wing body (pictured above). (Airbus)

Right now, the ZEROe project is in the technology maturation phase. In addition to using hydrogen as an energy source, Airbus is currently working on leveraging advances in composites, manufacturing, aerodynamics, and other technologies in order to move forward with a detailed design of the ZEROe generation of aircraft by 2025.

All three of the concept aircraft have a hybrid-electric propulsion system. They are powered by hydrogen combustion using modified gas turbine engines, where liquid hydrogen is the fuel source. An advantage of hydrogen combustion is that no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfurous oxide, nitrous oxide, or other unburned hydrocarbons are released. You can burn hydrogen in a jet engine, in a turbine engine, very similarly to the way you burn kerosene today. The engines would look the same. The difference is that you have to adjust and optimize the engine to burn a different fuel, Simpson said.

The first detailed designs of the ZEROe aircraft are expected to be completed by 2025. (Airbus)

Along with hydrogen combustion, the ZEROe concepts incorporate hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor in an aircraft, with water as a byproduct. The hydrogen fuel cells create electrical power to complement the gas turbine. All of these technologies are complementary, and the benefits are additive, according to the companys website.

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Airbus VP of Research & Technology Talks Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Hydrogen - Aviation Today

As we continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, now is the time to set our city on a path that will meet our reputation as the most livable city while maintaining the innovative drive that has created jobs and fostered innovation over the last decade.

As mayor, Ed Gainey has a plan to ensure Pittsburgh not only keeps its reputation, but also continues to grow and support residents from all backgrounds and income levels. He intends to do this by continuing recent momentum that has brought tech investments to our city, bolstering our workforce and the economy.

The plan represents an understanding that technology companies are key to success and its not limited to economic development. The approach is multi-faceted, including dedicating time to curating a STEM curriculum in our schools. This will help ensure we have a workforce that is prepared for jobs within the tech industry and beyond.

In my career, I have assisted in the implementation of smart technology and witnessed innovation that results from investment in startups. I believe we are just getting started, but we need to stay competitive in this space.

Other candidates running in 2022 can take a lesson from Gainey and put forward a vision that recognizes the incredible contributions that are possible from the technology sector.

Chuck Farina

Hampton

The writer is managing principal of Greenway Capital Ventures.

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Letter to the editor: Candidates should recognize importance of technology - TribLIVE

NUREMBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VIA optronics AG (NYSE: VIAO) (VIA or the Company), a leading supplier of interactive display systems and solutions, today announced it has won the 2021 award for Best Technology Innovation Value Strategy - Germany from Capital Finance International (CFI.co).

We are honored to receive this award and to be recognized for our unique technology and the value we create for our customers, said Jrgen Eichner, CEO & Founder of VIA. This award acknowledges our commitment to developing innovative and cutting-edge solutions for applications that require sunlight readable, robust and optically superior interactive systems solutions including displays, touch screens and cameras across consumer, automotive and high-end industrial markets. Our technologies solve complex environmental, design, and technical challenges every day for our customers.

CFI.co is a print journal and online resource reporting on business, economics and finance. Each year, CFI.co seeks out individuals and organizations that contribute significantly to the convergence of economies and truly add value for all stakeholders.

Highlights from the judging panels full report include:

About VIA:

VIA is a leading provider of interactive display solutions for multiple end markets in which superior functionality or durability is a critical differentiating factor. Its customizable technology is well-suited for high-end markets with unique specifications and demanding environments that pose technical and optical challenges for displays, such as bright ambient light, vibration and shock, extreme temperatures, and condensation. VIAs interactive display systems combine system design, interactive displays, software functionality, cameras, and other hardware components. VIAs intellectual property portfolio, process know-how, optical bonding, metal mesh touch sensor and camera module technologies provide enhanced display solutions built to meet the specific needs of its customers.

Further information on the Company can be found in its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the Annual Report), which the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You can access a PDF version of the Annual Report at VIAs Investor Relations website, https://investors.via-optronics.com/investors/financial-and-filings/annual-reports/default.aspx. A hard copy of the audited consolidated financial statements can also be requested free of charge by contacting the investor relations team via the information provided below.

About CFI.co:

CFI.co is a print journal and online resource reporting on business, economics, and finance. The journal recognises that the traditional distinction between emerging and developed markets is now far less meaningful as world economies converge. Headquartered in London, the worlds most multicultural city, CFI.co covers and analyses the drivers behind that change. Combining the views of leading multilateral and national organisations with thought leadership from some of the worlds top minds CFI.cos dedicated editorial team ensures that readers better understand the forces influencing and reshaping the global economy.

About the CFI.co Awards Programme

Each year, CFI.co seeks out individuals and organisations that contribute significantly to the convergence of economies and truly add value for all stakeholders. Reporting from frontlines of economies on the move, CFI.co realises that best practice is to be found throughout the world. The Awards Programme aims to identify and reward excellence wherever it is found. The programme aims to inspire others to further improve their own performance.

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VIA optronics AG Receives 2021 Award for Best Technology Innovation Value Creation Strategy - Germany By Capital Finance International - Business Wire

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Drishti Technologies, Inc. (Drishti), whose AI-powered manufacturing technology uses video analytics, data and insights to bring significant benefits to manufacturers and their employees, was recognized with a 2022 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leader Award for North American AI-Powered Video Analytics for the Manufacturing Industry.

Frost & Sullivan applies a rigorous analytical process to evaluate multiple nominees for each award category before determining the final award recipient. The process involves a detailed evaluation of best practices criteria across two dimensions for each nominated company. Drishti excels in many of the criteria in the AI-powered video analytics for the manufacturing industry, which include:

Drishtis AI-based platform streamlines the manufacturing process by identifying areas of improvement and bottlenecks, which means production cycle length shortens, resulting in quicker shipping times and positive customer experiences, said Doraiswamy Bharath, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. Drishtis technology is built to complement and extend lean practices, empowering human beings on the factory floor and creating better outcomes for all parties.

The full report highlights how Drishtis technology augments human actions in manual assembly, which is particularly important for manufacturers who are seeking to remain competitive while struggling with the challenges of Covid-19. The report articulates how Drishti helps manufacturers enable digitally lean processes, providing them with quality, speed and cost advantages over their competitors.

Drishti is having a profound impact on manufacturing by providing unparalleled business insights to all parties in the factory, from the line associate who is interacting with each unit and ensuring high quality assembly to the CEO who is concerned with each plants production metrics, said Gary Jackson, CEO, Drishti. Frost & Sullivans recognition of how Drishti helps drive better production outcomes is a reinforcement of what were hearing from our customers every day.

Read the full report here; for more information on Drishti, visit drishti.com.

About Drishti Technologies

Drishtis mission is to extend human capabilities in an increasingly automated world. Its AI-powered video analytics technology provides visibility and insights that transform the pace and impact of manual assembly line improvement. Manufacturers use Drishti to anchor true digital transformation, driving sweeping improvements in quality costs, efficiency gains and time-to-proficiency for line associate training. And line associates rely on Drishti to be more consistent and efficient, becoming even more valuable on the factory floor. In 2019, Drishti was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer; in 2020, Drishti was named to the Forbes AI 50 and a Top 5 AI Company in North America by NVIDIA. In 2021, Drishti was named a Manufacturing Leader by NAM. For more information, visit drishti.com.

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Drishti Recognized as Frost & Sullivan 2022 Technology Innovation Leader for AI-Powered Video Analytics - Business Wire

We are well accustomed to hearing the term free agent thrown around in the world of professional sports, used to describe a player who is able to act freely without being controlled by someone else. But what if I told you that this concept stretched beyond the field of any professional sports arena, and has made its way into the realm of technology?

Over the last decade, technologists have watched the steady rise of agnostic technology. This shift has been long overdue in industries like hospitality and not without resistance and obstacles. After all, hospitality is an industry built on tradition, while guest expectations are informed by a world built on innovation. Historically, the weve always done it this way mindset has had a somewhat insidious impact on the maintenance and evolution of core hospitality processes and platforms, leaving hotels in the technological dark ages, while the travelers they hope to attract live in the future. But, as the saying goes, adapt or die and in the realm of hospitality, this can be better understood as innovate, or be left behind. Now, as hoteliers move to embrace this ideology and position their properties for digital reform, agnostic technology has found itself in the drivers seat.

In simple terms, agnostic technology refers to platforms that are interoperable among various systems. An agnostic system can function in a variety of environments and is often preferred by those who are unbiased towards the use of different technology tools to address the unique needs of a business. Rather than adhering to the one-size-fits-all framework of legacy platforms, which were often immobile and difficult to scale or connect with other platforms, a technology-agnostic approach favors the use of open APIs and microservices infrastructure.

The Microservices Difference

In hospitality, we talk a lot about industry buzzwords; guest experience, personalization, the new normal the list is virtually endless. But from the perspective of a technologist, there is one buzzword we should remain hyper-focused on in 2022: microservices.

For those unfamiliar, a microservice architecture consists of loosely-coupled services and applications, which can work independently of other applications. These distributed services are hosted on an open API, which allows for easy communication and integration across applications while ensuring each business requirement is handled by its own microservice. Think of this like a divide and conquer approach, existing in direct contrast to the all-in-one framework of legacy, monolithic platforms. This can also be better understood when we consider the jack of all trades, master of none adage; do you want the platform that promises to do everything at the cost of specificity and performance, or do you want to rely on a collection of specialized applications that definitely master and optimize their respective requirements?

To be clear, this is different from silo applications, where the various applications have to have interfaces to transfer data between them. Microservices are meant to be interoperable, allowing for relatively frictionless sharing of information via composite services or mashups.

Across industries, business leaders are increasingly keen on the use of microservices, often crediting their enhanced scalability, efficiency, security, and customization potential as the primary selling point. In fact, 88% of the 1,056 IT executives, developers executives, and middle-level executives surveyed by IBM in 2021 either agree or agree completely that microservices offer many benefits. Moreover, in 2021, Statista revealed that 85% of respondents from large organizations with 5,000 or more employees are currently using microservices.

From a scalability perspective, the benefit of a microservice architecture is undeniable. Where legacy platforms were largely resistant to scale and evolution (or subject to hefty upgrade/integration fees), microservice platforms are built horizontally and run independently. They can therefore be adjusted without impacting the whole system. This means hoteliers can add, remove, update or otherwise change each microservice platform with ease and, in turn, scale at whatever pace their property requires to remain competitive. This infrastructure also mitigates service delays, as operational problems (although rare) will be contained within the affected microservice and will not negatively impact other platforms.

Learning from Legacy Mistakes

Its important to glean lessons from those who came before us and paved the way to our current landscape. There is, perhaps, no better example of the shift from legacy technology to a microservice, agnostic approach than Netflix. The popular streaming platform, founded in 1997, has seen many evolutions over the two decades. In 2008, Netflix began an infrastructure transformation after a significant service disruption.

Unfortunately, at that time, Netflix was still relying on a monolith platform which, as we know, is challenging to scale and evolve in response to increased platform demand. The result? Netflix experienced a 3-day service failure which, as you can surely imagine, left their customers quite disappointed. From this point on, Netflix set its sights on a more agile, fault-tolerant solution: a cloud-based infrastructure utilizing microservices.

To accomplish this, Netflix partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon, providing on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments on a metered pay-as-you-go basis. Netflix was able to leverage AWSs highly reliable databases and cloud infrastructure to enhance scalability and service availability. This, in turn, improves service quality for users and gives Netflix the ability to easily change, adapt, or improve any services, while tracking individual service performance and isolating any issues that arise.

In the past, hoteliers may have been deterred by the idea of disparate systems, mainly because this required multiple vendors and complicated integration protocols. Today, however, with cloud-based infrastructure and vendors that specialize in microservice architecture, hoteliers get the best of both worlds: one vendor partnership and a comprehensive, easily integrated stack of programs and applications suited specifically to the needs of their property.

Technology is meant to empower and scale, not restrict or constrain. In this sense, technology should quite literally be limitless. While its easy to understand the former appeal of monolithic solutions, its also easy to understand why this framework can no longer support business growth in an increasingly agile and digitized world. The brands that survive and thrive are those that readily embrace and utilize the interoperable tools required to remain one step ahead of consumer demands.

It is precisely this ideology the embrace of the free agent that informed the creation of Above Property Services (APS). We knew that hospitality leaders would finally unlock access to future-proof technology if we created an ecosystem that was virtually limitless in its scalability, interoperability and without any contractual barriers to the adoption of new technology and platforms. Built from the ground up, the APS ecosystem empowers continuous development and refinement of hoteliers critical business processes via a microservice architecture. It delivers an agile, cost-effective solution that continuously adapts to the needs of the hotelier not the other way around.

There is simply no denying it; this is the hospitality industrys free agent, and it will change the way hoteliers play the game moving forward.

Above Property is leading the charge to deliver innovative, scalable, and services-oriented platforms for the global travel industry and other related verticals. We think differently, and we are constantly innovating. Above Property Services (APS) offers the only platform that can evolve seamlessly in response to industry demands, with credit to a microservices architecture that empowers continuous development and refinement.

Built from the ground up, the APS ecosystem empowers continuous development and refinement of your critical business processes via a unique microservice architecture. Designed for performance, flexibility, security, and stability, the future-proof framework is up and running quickly, delivering a scalable, cost-effective solution that can work with or replace your existing tools and investments. APS is a platform that adapts to you not the other way around.

Powering both large and small companies, we understand the industry's challenges in the past, and we have developed a platform that is suited for the future.

Steve LapekasAbove Property LLC

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Embracing Agnostic Hotel and Travel Technology: Why 2022 is the Year of the Free Agent | By Aaron Shepherd - Hospitality Net

Anyone who's ever stood before that magical yet overwhelming wall o' bottles at a nail salon knows how weirdly difficult it can be to choose a nail polish color to wear for the next week or two. And picking a color at the store? Bringing an entire bottle home for the purpose of using it more than once? Even when it's affordable, it feels like a major commitment and a potentially regrettable one if the color under the glass doesn't end up looking the same on your fingertips. (And no, unless there's a designated tester, it's not OK to just open up a bottle and try it on.)

So, what's an extremely indecisive perfectionist (henceforth to be referred to as "you") to do when it's time to buy what you're hoping is not only the perfect color for a certain occasion but a color from which your nail-polish wardrobe could truly benefit for months to come? Easy: Use Sally Hansen's amazing new virtual try-on technology.

Starting today, you can use your phone to try on hundreds of Sally Hansen shades from across the brand's collections Insta-Dri, Color Therapy, Miracle Gel, and more without opening a single bottle. No mess, no mistakes, and no chance of wasting your money on a color that isn't what you were expecting. And no app, either! You can do it all right on sallyhansen.com.

This new feature marks the first-to-market application of a technology by Perfect Corp. called AgileHand. Instead of putting a color on the nails of a photo of someone else's hand or even on a still photo of your own hand, it shows you in real-time what your moving hand looks like wearing your chosen color. You can even use a sliding tool to get an instant before-and-after comparison, as you can see in my screenshot below. (Though let's pretend we don't see how bad my before nails look right now, OK?)

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Sally Hansen's New Virtual Nail Polish Try-On Technology Means Always Picking the Perfect Color - Allure

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Augmented and Mixed Reality Market by Technology, Infrastructure, Devices, Solutions, Apps and Services in Industry Verticals 2022 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This mixed reality market report assesses AR, MR, and other immersive technology components, the AR/MR ecosystem, and competitive landscape.

The report evaluates market opportunities for hardware, software, and services. Analysis takes into consideration market drivers and constraints such as potential regulatory implications. The report provides detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis including forecasts for AR/MR by major hardware components, software, services, semiconductor components, and more.

Assisted or augmented reality (AR) represents a live (direct or indirect) view of a physical, real-world environment in which certain elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input. In addition to a visual overlay, AR may also provide audio and tactile inputs to the user, and rely upon presence and positioning technologies to present location-specific sensory inputs and information to the user. In this manner, AR is part of the Mixed Reality market and represents a blending of information technology and media within a real-world environment for the benefit of the consumer, business, and industrial users.

The term mixed reality (MR) pertains to a form of hybrid reality in which physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real-time. With MR, either virtual objects are digitally mixed into reality or real-world objects are merged into virtual worlds. The latter case is sometimes referred to as augmented virtuality (AV), and is one step closer to virtual reality (VR), as real-world objects in a virtual world take on a sense of permanency with real objects, appearing to actually exist within the virtual world.

Adding to this sense of permanency, real-world objects in a virtual world may be digitally controlled. Conversely, MR may also support the manipulation of virtual objects permanently placed in the real-world. In either scenario, MR will be an important aspect of teleoperation and telerobotics.

The primary goal of AR is to enrich the user's perception of the real-world, providing information and insights that otherwise would not be obtainable. AR use cases have grown substantially across many industry verticals within the last two years, providing significant market momentum, and indicating great promise to transform communications, content, and commerce across a wide range of sectors. The goals of MR are broad, yet directionally focused on a true merging of real and virtual worlds, which the publisher believes will be a major catalyst for wide-spread acceptance and usage of VR across all major industry sectors.

The growing demand of the augmented reality market in the entertainment, retail, and defense sector is encouraging manufacturers to expand their business. Both traditional advertisers and digital media companies need to get ready for increased altered reality. Advertisers are looking at using augmented reality as part of a marketing drive in order to attract new customers as well as retentive existing ones.

The AR smart glasses market is picking up pace as it inches away from being a niche product to becoming an industrial and enterprise problem solver. Mass consumer adoption is elusive, if not years away, but the market is building its ecosystem, refining hardware, and taking a more realistic approach for the long-run ramp-up of smart AR glasses.

Select Report Findings:

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Challenges

Augmented Reality Ecosystem

Augmented and Mixed Reality Market Drivers and Opportunities

Conclusions and Recommendations

Company Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c6vk5e

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Global $500+ Billion Augmented and Mixed Reality Markets, 2022-2027 by Technology, Infrastructure, Devices, Solutions, Apps and Services -...

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daffy Charitable, a not-for-profit community built around an innovative new financial platform for giving, announced a $17.1M Series A financing for Aside, Inc., the company building the technology behind Daffy. The funding round was led by Ribbit Capital, joined by XYZ Capital and Coinbase Ventures, as well as over 50 notable angel investors, including industry luminaries like Reid Hoffman, Aaron Levie, Amy Chang, Dylan Field, John Lilly, and Mike Schroepfer. The funding will help Daffy scale and drive product innovations to help people be more generous, more often.

The Trillion-Dollar Generosity Gap

While Americans are already some of the most generous people in the world individuals gave over $324 billion to charity in 2020, the team at Daffy has identified a significant Generosity Gap between what people say they want to give and what they actually end up giving.

In fact, a study at the Stockholm School of Economics showed that pre-commitment, committing ahead of time, can increase the amount an individual gives by 32%. This could translate to an additional $1.27 trillion dollars donated to charity over the next ten years by 2031.

People want to be generous and help those less fortunate than themselves, but we are all busy and life gets in the way, said Adam Nash, CEO & Co-founder. My co-founder Alejandro and I believe that all of the innovations that have helped us shop, save, and plan, Daffy can also use to help people make giving a habit.

Transforming The Way The World Gives

Daffy seeks to solve the Generosity Gap by asking people up front to set a goal for how much they want to give to charity for the year. Similar to having a certain amount set aside in every paycheck in a 401(k), Daffy asks members if they want to automate those contributions by taking the Daffy Pledge, a commitment to put money aside every week, month, or quarter.

Instead of the money sitting idle, a members tax-deductible contributions are invested in one of nine modern portfolios, to maximize their potential impact. Then whenever the member wants, they can easily donate to any of over 1.5 million worthy charities across the U.S.

Daffy takes many of the amazing innovations weve seen in fintech to a large new space, charitable giving, said Ribbit Capitals Micky Malka. Within seconds, you can donate to your favorite causes and charities from anywhere. By building a seamless and habit-forming giving experience, Daffy is not only creating a better way to give but a better way to live.

For decades, charities have been looking for a way to encourage individuals to give more regularly, and Daffy is working to make this a reality, said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose and advisor to Aside.

Launched just four months ago, Daffy has surprised many with their rapid pace of announcements in a sector not typically known for technical innovation:

About Daffy Charitable Fund

Daffy is the Donor-Advised Fund for You, a not-for-profit community built around a new, modern platform for giving, one built around the commitment to give, not the amount you give. It empowers people to make giving a habit through a seamless mobile experience that helps members set money aside for charity, watch it grow tax-free in a modern investment portfolio, and donate to more than 1.5 million charities across the U.S. Daffy (Daffy Charitable Fund) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To give with Daffy, simply visit daffy.org or search Daffy in the App Store.

About Aside, Inc.

Aside is the venture-backed technology company focused on helping people be more generous, more often. Started by technology veterans Adam Nash (Acorns, Wealthfront, Dropbox, LinkedIn) and veteran software engineer Alejandro Crosa (Slack, Twitter, LinkedIn), and backed by Ribbit Capital, XYZ Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Silicon Ventures, as well as over 50 prominent angel investors, Aside is focused on leveraging technology to reinvent charitable giving. Aside provides the innovative technology platform behind Daffy, a not-for-profit community built around a new modern way to give.

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Daffy Led by Technology Veteran and Longtime Investor Adam Nash Gets $17.1M Boost to Make Charitable Giving a Habit - Business Wire

The Senate is this week debating Maeves law a proposal to legalise access to new assisted reproductive techniques that will reduce the risk of parents passing on mitochondrial disease to their children.

The legislation, formally called the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeves Law) Bill 2021, is named after Maeve Hood, a six-year-old Victorian girl who lives with Leigh syndrome a disorder in which the bodys cells fail to produce enough energy. Tragically, Maeve is unlikely to survive beyond childhood.

This weeks expected vote will be the first conscience vote in the Senate since the historic reforms to allow marriage equality in 2017, and is already being passionately debated.

But the issues raised are unlikely to be new. These reforms have already undergone extensive community consultation and been approved by the House of Representatives.

Mitochondria are energy-producing structures inside cells, which have their own DNA and are separate from the cell nucleus containing the bulk of the cells DNA (called nuclear DNA). Mitochondrial DNA is inherited entirely from the mothers egg, so if a mother has mutations in her mitochondrial DNA she is at risk of passing life-threatening conditions to her baby.

Conceiving a baby via mitochondrial donation involves implanting the mothers nuclear DNA into a healthy egg from which the nuclear genes have been removed, and using this egg for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) with a sperm. Alternatively, a procedure called pronuclear transfer can be used early in the fertilisation process a few hours after the sperm has entered the egg, but before the parental genomes come together and the fertilised egg officially becomes an embryo.

A child born via mitochondrial donation would inherit a mixture of their mothers and fathers nuclear DNA as usually occurs, along with the healthy mitochondrial DNA from the egg donor.

As a result, mitochondrial donation has sometimes been described as creating three-parent babies. But 2.002-parent babies would arguably be more accurate, given there are only 37 mitochondrial genes, compared with at least 20,000 in our nuclear DNA.

Read more: 3-parent IVF could prevent illness in many children (but it's really more like 2.002-parent IVF)

Australian law currently bans the creation of a human embryo that involves genetic material from more than two people. The ban was introduced almost 20 years ago amid fears IVF and embryo research would lead to designer babies and cloning. Maeves law would change this situation specifically to allow mitochondrial donation to prevent mitochondrial disease.

Debate around the issue has focused on a range of questions, such as: is there a risk the child could still end up with mutant mitochondrial DNA? Are there ethical issues centred on the unborn babys inability to give consent? What are the egg donors rights? Does the procedure carry other health or genetic risks?

In the United Kingdom, where mitochondrial donation research was pioneered, four scientific reviews by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and an investigation by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics were conducted between 2011 and 2016. These reviews delivered an overall conclusion that the benefits outweigh the harms if regulated appropriately, and Britain legalised mitochondrial donation in 2015.

In Australia, mitochondrial donation has been considered by a series of inquiries, including a 2018 Senate inquiry and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) review, which considered these issues with fresh eyes.

In response, the government drafted Maeves law, which underwent a series of reviews and public consultations, and gained the support of 60 leading Australian experts.

One challenge in gauging public support is to measure true community sentiment, rather than inviting submissions that merely serve as a forum for people with existing strongly held views either for or against mitochondrial donation.

To address this challenge, researchers convened a citizens jury in 2017, and the NHMRC held a citizens panel in 2019 to evaluate attitudes to mitochondrial donation. Both offered qualified support for allowing the technology.

The Senate will likely revisit amendments that were defeated in the House of Representatives in December. These include a proposal only to allow the technique in which the mothers DNA is implanted into the donor egg before fertilisation with the fathers sperm.

This suggestion is a response to fears that pronuclear transfer would lead to increased rates of embryo destruction.

But these early fertilised eggs also called zygotes do not meet the legal or biological definition of an embryo, and most embryologists do not regard this technique as leading to more loss of embryos than other assisted reproductive technologies. Whats more, banning this approach could greatly compromise the development of mitochondrial donation in Australia.

Maeves law will still require researchers to account to NHMRC for eggs and embryos used in their research, to seek ways to minimise the numbers used, and to report to Parliament on an annual basis.

Read more: Disputes over when life begins may block cutting-edge reproductive technologies like mitochondrial replacement therapies

While we need to respect differing attitudes to IVF and embryo research, we believe most experts and members of the public recognise the importance of giving couples who are at risk of mitochondrial disease the best chance of having a healthy child.

Maeves law has been carefully written to ensure a cautious introduction and evaluation of mitochondrial donation technology. The technology will be in a clinical trial setting for at least ten years, during which time the health of babies born using these techniques will be carefully monitored.

The science supports it. The community support it. People who are affected by mitochondrial disease have long supported it. We call on Senators to support it.

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'Maeve's law' would let IVF parents access technology to prevent mitochondrial disease. Here's what the Senate is debating - The Conversation AU

TORONTO, Feb. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARHT Media Inc. (ARHT or the Company) (TSXV:ART) (OTCQB: ARHTF), the global leader in the development, production and distribution of high-quality, low latency hologram and digital content, is pleased to announce that they will be holding a demo event in Tokyo, Japan on February 16 & 17, 2022.

Anyone who is interested in attending to experience ARHTs HoloPresence technology first-hand is invited to email ARHT Media to book an appointment at japan@arhtmedia.com

ARHT will showcase its event and conference HoloPresence Display and Karine Koh, Managing Director of ARHTs Asia operations will beam-in from Singapore to meet with visitors and demonstrate ARHTs live and interactive holographic telepresence capabilities. The demo will be held at the Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (JIDRC). As space is limited interested parties are encouraged to email about their interest as soon as possible.

We continue to see growing interest in our products and services from the Japanese market, and now that we have developed locally trained technical partners it is time for ARHT to introduce HoloPresence technology to a broader audience, stated Larry OReilly CEO of ARHT Media. I encourage anyone with a need to access expertise in Japan, without the need for travel, to register for a demonstration and experience the power of live HoloPresence.

The demo event will be followed up by an activation on February 18, 2022, where ARHT will beam President and CEO of Mediate.com and Arbitrate.com, Colin Rule from San Francisco to Tokyo to give his keynote address at the Japan Association for Online Dispute Resolutions (JODR) inaugural Symposium. The symposium along with the demo is being held at a venue sponsored by Rikkyo Institute for Business Law Studies. The JODR is an organization seeking to increase awareness of Online Dispute Resolution services that are available in Japan.

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Were very excited to be able to use ARHTs hologram technology. Colin would have had to fly a great distance or appear via video without the help of ARHT. As a hologram, it will feel as though Colin will actually be here and the experience will be so much better for our attendees than seeing him through his webcam, stated Mayu Watanabe, founding board member of the JODR and the Specially Appointed Associate Professor of Rikkyo University.

About ARHT MediaARHT Medias patented HoloPresence technology is a complete end-to-end solution that creates a sense of presence for audiences as though the holographic presenter was actually live in the room. With no noticeable latency, ARHT Media makes two-way live communication with a 3D holographic presenter anywhere in the world possible. We can also playback pre-recorded content and 3D animations on our HoloPresence displays to deliver rich holographic experiences. Add to this our capability to stream the same content online on our premium Virtual Global Stage.

Connect with ARHT MediaTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/ARHTmediaFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/ARHTmediaincLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/arht-media-inc-For more information, please visit http://www.arhtmedia.com or contact the investor relations group at info@arhtmedia.com.

ARHT Media trades under the symbol ART on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange and under the symbol ARHTF on the OTCQB Venture Market.

Press ContactSalman AminARHT Mediasamin@arhtmedia.com

Investor ContactPhil CarlsonKCSA Strategic Communications212-896-1233ARHT@kcsa.com

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure related to the Companys sales funnel; the Companys technology; the potential uses for the Companys technology; the future planned events using the Companys technology; the future success of the Company; the ability of the Company to monetize the ARHT Media technology; the development of the Companys technology; and interest from parties in ARHTs products. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic and competitive uncertainties; regulatory risks; risks inherent in technology operations; and other risks of the technology industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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ARHT Media To Hold Hologram Technology Demonstration In Japan On Feb 16 & 17, 2022 - Followed By Live Beam-In Of Keynote Speaker Colin Rule To The...