Category Archives: Technology

Inside the probe will be a single instrument weighing only two pounds. There is no camera on board to take images as the probe falls through the clouds of Venusthere simply isnt the radio power or time for it to beam much back to Earth. We have to be very, very frugal with the data that were sending back, says Beck.

It is not images scientists are after, however, but a close-up inspection of Venuss clouds. That will be provided by an autofluorescing nephelometer, a device that will flash an ultraviolet laser on droplets in Venuss atmosphere to determine the composition of molecules inside them. As the probe descends, the laser will shine outwards through a small window. It will excite complex moleculespotentially including organic compoundsin the droplets, causing them to fluoresce.

Were going to look for organic particles inside the cloud droplets, Seager says. Such a discovery wouldnt be proof of lifeorganic molecules can be created in ways that have nothing to do with biological processes. But if they were found, it would be a step toward us considering Venus as a potentially habitable environment, says Seager.

Only direct measurements in the atmosphere can look for the types of life we think could still exist on Venus. Orbiting spacecraft can tell us a great deal about the planets broad characteristics, but to really understand it we must send probes to study it up close. The attempt by Rocket Lab and MIT is the first with such a clear focus on life, although the Soviet Union and the US sent probes to Venus in the 20th century.

The mission will not look for phosphine itself because an instrument capable of doing so would not fit in the probe, Seager says. But that could be a job for NASAs DAVINCI+ mission, set to launch in 2029.

NASA /ARC VIA RESEARCHGATE

The Rocket LabMIT mission will be short. As the probe falls, it will have just five minutes in the clouds of Venus to perform its experiment, radioing its data back to Earth as it plummets towards the surface. Additional data could be taken below the clouds, if the probe survives. An hour after entering the atmosphere of Venus, the probe will hit the ground. Communications will probably be lost some time before that.

Jane Greaves, who led the initial study of phosphine on Venus, says she is looking forward to the mission. Im very excited about it, she says, adding that it has a great chance at detecting organic materials, which might mean life is there.

Seager hopes this is just the start. Her team is planning future missions to Venus that will be able to follow up on results from this tentative glimpse into the atmosphere. One idea is to place balloons in the clouds, like the Soviet Vega balloons in the 1980s, which could carry out longer investigations.

Link:

The first private mission to Venus will have just five minutes to hunt for life - MIT Technology Review

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Udemy, a leading destination for learning and teaching online, today announced it has joined the AWS Partner Network (APN), a global community of partners that leverages AWS programs, expertise and resources to build, market and sell customer offerings.

Thousands of AWS customers can now easily discover and deploy next-gen learning solutions by Udemy Business in their organizations. This includes top Udemy Business AWS courses from several leading instructors, such as the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Certification and Certified Cloud Practitioner by Stphane Maarek, Cloud Practitioner 2022 by Zeal Vora, AWS Certified Security by Chandra Lingam, Certified Developer Associate by Ranga Karanam, and many others.

Integration of the most popular content into AWS Marketplace creates more positive learning opportunities and outcomes for employees across a wide breadth of industries, said Greg Brown, president of Udemy Business.

Udemy joins more than 12,000 software vendors in AWS Marketplace to provide a curated software catalog that helps customers find innovative software and services needed to run and grow their business, with ease of procurement and deployment.

Additional benefits of this work include:

For more information, visit https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-zdk5yhv4dhhho.

About UdemyUdemy (Nasdaq: UDMY) provides flexible, effective skill development to empower organizations and individuals. The Udemy marketplace platform, with thousands of up-to-date courses in dozens of languages, offers the tools learners, instructors, and enterprises need to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Millions of people learn on Udemy from real-world experts in topics ranging from programming and data science to leadership and team building. Udemy Business offers corporate customers an employee training and development platform with subscription access to thousands of courses, learning analytics, and the ability to host and distribute their own content. Udemy Business customers include Fender Instruments, Glassdoor, On24, The World Bank, and Volkswagen. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco with hubs in Ankara, Turkey; Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Mountain View, California; Denver, Colorado; Dublin, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; New Delhi, India; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Media ContactRisha TyagiGlobal PR Manager at Udemyrisha.tyagi@udemy.com

Excerpt from:

Udemy To Harness Power of Cloud Technology Through Work With AWS - GlobeNewswire

As a result of digital advancements and the emergence of new-age technologies, businesses from all industries have jumped on the digital bandwagon. The same thing experienced by the fitness industry. Since the pandemic outbreak, consumers have become more vigilant and concerned about their health. They were determined to stay active despite the COVID-19 lockdown and social distance norms. At that point, the idea of an in-house gym with innovative equipment from the online platform and other aspects aided by technological advancement gained traction. Many facets of the fitness industry are directly or indirectly related to technology. As a result, technology has had a wide-ranging impact on all corners of the fitness realm.

Technological advancements are making their mark on the industry

Technology in the fitness industry offers far more benefits than just the convenience of uncomplicated transactions, thus also influencing the industry bandwagon.

Here are some examples of how technology is impacting the fitness industry.

Connected fitness

Phones were once thought to be a fashion accessory. However, with passing time, they are now regarded as a necessity on par with food. Most of the time, we are all addicted to our mobile devices. Whether youre going shopping, binge-watching, or working out, as a result, the fitness equipment market is changing. Phones are linked to devices such as gear, bikes, treadmills, and so on, just to name a few! They provide consumers with access to virtual classes in which they can compete with their loved ones, as well as training sessions from instructors. Fitness is rapidly evolving into an anytime, anywhere concept, with customers able to exercise at their leisure in the comfort of their own homes. In reality, virtual fitness has not replaced physical exercise. It has, in fact, simplified fitness.

Fitness App

As a result of technological advancements, fitness enthusiasts are now using apps that are tailored to their specific needs. As a result, they can receive constant reminders and motivation to maintain their fitness and nutrition. The good news is that, thanks to technology, personal trainers no longer need to be present for every session; they can use the app before moving around the fitness facility. They can also share their recorded workout plan, which includes specific instructions on technique and movement.

Gadgets to get accurate insights

To check the reading, its no longer a task to climb onto the scale. Just download a reputable app from the app store to track your weight loss and the calories you consume and burn. These devices contain tiny sensors that record minute details about your body. This data can provide you with a clear picture of where you are in your fitness journey. Some options can be used as rewards to encourage athletes to meet specific goals, while others provide behavioral feedback.

Enhanced Training Channels

With the rise of social media in the modern era, fitness professionals can now spread their message online. Members will find it easy to follow even if they are unable to make it to the gym by incorporating YouTube videos and live tutorials on fitness websites. By regularly updating viral content on the website, the expert can connect with a significant number of fitness enthusiasts, who are your target market. This could lead to more expensive subscriptions, more video downloads, and, eventually, more foot traffic. Online competition for fitness training and methods is very fierce. By utilizing online classes to make a good living and train fitness enthusiasts at a very professional level, they are empowering themselves. As a result, social media users extensive online interaction with fitness-related content, such as online training videos and sessions, has transformed fitness from a hobby to a way of life with positive effects.

Innovative Equipment

The evolution of technology has also had an impact on the fitness industry. In recent years, the fitness industry has embraced some incredible pieces of equipment. Thanks to technological advancements, the simple treadmill has also evolved into a cutting-edge fitness marvel. A treadmill now has built-in TV screens and heart-rate monitors and further includes a body scanner to track changes in the body as a result of exercise. A decade ago, no one could have imagined exercising with such precision.

Technological Advancements: Lifting the worth of the Fitness Industry

The pandemic has caused significant disruption in the fitness industry, as it has in every other industry. However, as the world has changed, the impact of technological advancement has created a stir in the industry. Along with this, it has revolutionized in the same way that the industry has gained almost unbelievable recognition in recent years. Technology will continue to shape peoples active lifestyles, also enabling gyms to offer more relevant customizations of workouts whether indoors or outside.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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The impact of technology on the fitness industry - Times of India

The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2022. The awardees on this years list represent the absolute best in the healthcare technology space. From companies like Novartis with more than 100,000 team members around the globe, to numerous smaller startups with just a few dozen employees in a single office, these companies are changing the face of the industry. They are leveraging their considerable talent to find innovative solutions to the most pressing issues in healthcare, and they are saving countless lives and extending healthspans in the process.

Some of this years awardees include Hologic, whose growth across breast and skeletal health, diagnostic solutions, and GYN surgical solutions is driven by the clinically proven ability of its products to detect, diagnose, and treat illnesses and other health conditions earlier and better; Integra LifeSciences, which offers a broad portfolio of products and solutions for dural access and repair, cerebral spinal fluid management, and neuro-critical care; and Axtria, whose best-in-class cloud-based analytics platforms have leveraged AI and machine learning to help life sciences operators make the most of their data for the benefit of their clients.

The top 100 companies this year represent a range of specialties, from genomics to pharmaceuticals, lab testing, therapeutics, data analysis, and much more. What they have in common is the impact they are having on patients lives, whether through direct treatment or by providing advanced, game-changing products and services to treatment providers. They are driving the industry forward and creating an environment in which better care for all is possible. Please join us in celebrating The Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2022.

1. NovartisCategory: Biotech

As one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Novartis has continued to break new ground in delivering innovative medical solutions to almost 1 billion people around the world. It employs approximately 125,000 individuals in its international offices and production facilities, most notably from its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Novartis was born out of the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, and the new company quickly grew to push the boundaries of achievement in cancer-fighting drugs and other essential pharmaceutical products. The company has attracted a great deal of praise from industry and civil organizations for the benefits of its generic drugs, which have been praised by the Access to Medicine Index for widening access to medicine among underserved populations. Amid a difficult period for multinationals, Novartis has shown impressive growth in its major brands, and its continued developments in multiple sclerosis treatments have been met with international acclaim.

2. StrykerCategory: Medical Devices

Michigan-based medtech company Stryker is recognized as an industry leader in the field, designing and manufacturing devices used in hospitals and care facilities in more than 100 countries. Strykers main offerings are divided into the segments Orthopedics, MedSurg, and Neurotechnology and Spine, the latter of which has seen groundbreaking advances in recent years. Boasting more than 46,000 employees around the world, the company has posted a remarkable four decades of consistent growth over its lifetime, reporting over $17 billion in sales in 2021.

Founded as the Orthopedic Frame Company by Kalamazoo orthopedist Dr. Homer Stryker in 1941, the company has made a name for itself in its production of medical devices that quickly become indispensable for modern health care. Stryker has frequently been hailed as a forward-thinking workplace, having been named to Fortunes list of the worlds best workplaces five years in a row. Most recently, it has made waves with the launch of its new Global Technology Center, a unique 150,000-square-foot R&D facility in New Delhi designed to supercharge the companys capacity to develop new life-saving innovations.

3. Edwards LifesciencesCategory: Medical Devices

Edwards Lifesciences is the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the worlds leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives. As the pioneer of many products considered industry standard, including the transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Edwards products are sold in approximately 100 countries around the world. Founded by engineer Miles Lowell Edwards in 1958, the company has 16,000 employees around the world with manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Singapore, and the Caribbean.

The Edwards Lifesciences Foundation supported more than 250 global charities in 2021 and continued its work with Every Heartbeat Matters, the Foundations primary philanthropic initiative, to improve the lives of 2.5 million additional underserved structural heart and critical care patients by the end of 2025.

To advance social equity, Edwards established a Social Impact Investment Fund with $100 million to support economic development in predominantly Black and underserved communities in the U.S. When Edwards was established as a separate company from Baxter in 2000, the company was formed around a credo which serves as a reminder to always put patients first, and that as a company Edwards will remain committed to making a positive impact on the quality of life for patients around the world.

4. Centura HealthCategory: Consumer HealthTech

Faith-based health care nonprofit Centura Health is known as a leader in high-quality health care services throughout Colorado and western Kansas. Its network of 17 hospitals and 6,000 physicians are responsible for delivering the best possible medical outcomes to traditionally underserved communities across the region. Centura traces its roots to a dedicated, compassionate order of Catholic sisters in 1882, and has pushed since its founding 25 years ago to deliver on that mission of building healthy people and communities.

As befits an organization that was founded on the value of altruistic service, Centura has developed a reputation as an invaluable supporter of local communities, launching initiatives to promote food security, mental and behavioral health, and rural community care. It has contributed a great deal of resources and attention to supporting community hospitals and rural communities in seven different countries, and recently issued a $5 million health equity and advancement grant to help regional organizations enhance health outcomes across the board.

5. HologicCategory: Medical Devices

Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Hologic and its team of more than 6,700 have created an innovative medical technology company whose purpose is to enable healthier lives everywhere, every day. While Hologic discovers and develops groundbreaking products and services that benefit everyone, they are especially passionate about those that advance womens health and well-being, allowing the company to prosper and grow while empowering women to experience healthier lives.

None of this would be possible without the talent, skills, and aspirations of Hologics employees. Since its founding in 1985, the company has expanded to more than 100 countries and territories and holds more than 3,000 patents. Its employees expertise and dedication to developing and sharing more robust, science-based certainty drives Hologics increasingly global presence, as well as a pipeline that responds to the unmet health and wellness needs of women, families, and communities.

Hologics growth across breast and skeletal health, diagnostic solutions, and GYN surgical solutions is driven by the exceptional and clinically proven ability of its products to detect, diagnose, and treat illnesses and other health conditions earlier and better. This clinical superiority creates high expectations, which the team at Hologic fulfills by always challenging itself to improve health through better technology, education, and market access. The companys goal is to minimize doubt and maximize the confidence its customers and their patients have in their decisions and diagnoses. By focusing on womens health while still delivering health benefits to everyone, Hologic is setting a new standard of excellence that is strengthened by purpose, driven by passion, and brought to life by its promise of more certain early detection and better health outcomes.

6. Access HealthcareCategory: Software & Data

Access Healthcare provides business process outsourcing, applications services, and robotic process automation tools to hospitals, health systems, providers, payers, and related service providers. The company operates from 19 global delivery centers in the U.S., India, and the Philippines. Their 25,000+ staff is committed to bringing revenue cycle excellence to clients by leveraging technology, emerging best practices, and global delivery. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company supports more than 400,000 healthcare providers through 85+ clients, serving 80+ specialties, processing more than $70 billion in accounts receivable annually, and ascribing medical codes to more than 30 million charts annually.

With more than 3,500 virtual bots in operation, Access Healthcare's proprietary robotic process automation platform helps its clients improve efficiency. Access Healthcare is HITRUST, PCI DSS, SOC, ISO 27001, and ISO 9001 certified, providing security, availability, and confidentiality of sensitive health information.

7. CitiusTechCategory: Software & Data

CitiusTech is a partner of choice to the worlds largest healthcare and life sciences organizations to accelerate digital innovation, drive business transformation, and enable industry-wide convergence. With more than 7,000+ healthcare technology professionals, CitiusTech provide strategic consulting, digital engineering, data, analytics & AI, specialized platforms, and end-to-end solutions to more than 130 organizations across the payer, provider, medtech, and life sciences industries.

CitiusTechs cutting-edge technology expertise, deep healthcare domain expertise, and a strong focus on digital transformation enable organizations to deliver better outcomes, accelerate growth, drive efficiencies, and make a meaningful impact to patients, caregivers, and consumers. CitiusTechs deep commitment to world-class quality and unwavering focus on delivery excellence and client satisfaction is evident in their customer satisfaction score of 4.5/5 and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of over 70.

8. Integra LifeSciencesCategory: MedTech

Integra LifeSciences is a global leader in neurosurgery and regenerative medicine. The company offers a broad portfolio of products and solutions for dural access and repair, cerebral spinal fluid management, and neuro-critical care. Its regenerative tissue technologies include products that address soft tissue, nerve, and tendon repairs and for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, burns, as well as for plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Founded in 1989 by Richard E. Caruso, the company is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. Today, Integra LifeSciences has grown immensely, with more than 3,000 employees worldwide as well as offices, manufacturing, and research facilities in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Integra products are ubiquitous in many hospital intensive care units and operating rooms around the world. And some of its leading brands include AmnioExcel, Bactiseal, CerebroFlo, Certas Plus, Codman, CUSA, DuraGen, and DuraSeal. In March, the company launched its newest product: NeuraGen 3D Nerve Guide Matrix , a resorbable implant for the repair of peripheral nerve discontinuities.

9. Jazz PharmaceuticalsCategory: Biotech

Global biotech company Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a tireless pioneer in innovating medical treatments for serious ailments once thought uncurable, such as narcolepsy and schizophrenia. Among the companys best-known productsall of which have provided relief to thousands around the worldare Vyxeos, Xywav, and Jazzs crown jewel, narcolepsy medication Xyrem. For its efforts in the development of these innovative treatments, Jazzs neuroscience and oncology divisions together posted revenues of $814 million in the first quarter of 2022, up more than a third from last year.

First launched in 2003 from Dublin, Ireland, Jazz has grown to expand its corporate presence and manufacturing to multiple sites in Europe and the Americas, and now employs more than 3,100 biotech experts to deliver on its promise of reimagining what is possible in medicine. Following its successful 2021 acquisition of GW Pharmaceuticals, it has pushed to expand its offerings in international markets while continuing to develop daring new treatments for multiple sclerosis and lymphoma.

10. AxtriaCategory: Software & Data

Life sciences technology pioneer Axtria was built to harness the best in cutting-edge data science and cloud technology and use it to improve health outcomes around the world. The company is best known for its best-in-class cloud-based analytics platforms, DataMAx, SalesIQ, InsightsMAx, and CustomerIQ, which have leveraged AI and machine learning to help life sciences operators make the most of their data for the benefit of their clients.

The company was launched by data scientist and onetime Entrepreneur of the Year Jassi Chadha in 2010, and has since expanded to bring new products and services to healthcare providers in 75 countries and counting. In addition to its perpetual placement on Deloittes Fast 500 and Inc. 5000, Axtria has repeatedly been certified a Great Place to Work in both its Indian locations and its U.S. headquarters in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Reflective of the high esteem in which the company is held in the life sciences world, Axtria was recently invited to deliver the keynote address on the future of the pharmaceutical world at Reuters Pharma USA 2022 event.

11. Horizon TherapeuticsCategory: Biotech

There may be no grander figure when it comes to the development of medicines for rare and rheumatic diseases than Irish biotech research company Horizon. Leading products such as Krystexxa, Duexis, and Rayos have brought comfort to and improved the lives of millions of individuals around the world who suffer from rare diseases such as gout, thyroid eye disease, and a variety of other inflammatory diseases. Horizons team of more than 2,000 strive to achieve the companys mission from their headquarters in Dublin as well as its U.S. office in Lake Forest, Illinois.

In addition to its already significant work improving the health outcomes of rare disease patients, Horizon supports an impressive array of community outreach initiatives, working to advance STEAM education and environmental sustainability in partner sites around the world. For its labors in these noble fields, the CSR World Leader company was named one of Peoples Companies That Care in 2021, and has received praise from the IBIO Institute and the Communitas Awards.

12. Leica BiosystemsCategory: Biotech

A German cancer diagnostics company that has as its motto Advancing Cancer Diagnostics, Improving Lives, Leica Biosystems provides the world a unique comprehensive diagnostic portfolio built to help identify and beat cancer using the latest technology. Leica is a proud partner of the Mayo Clinics Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and it works to improve patient outcomes there with the development of new cytogenic imaging software products.

Founded in 1989, Leica has expanded out of its headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany to establish offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Today, its products are used in more than 100 countries around the globe. Among the companys latest developments in biotechnology are the exploration of innovative applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in pathology. Further, with the introduction this year of Leicas new advanced, fully automated staining platform BOND-PRIME, it has managed to improve user experience while achieving major revenue growth despite a difficult climate.

13. ModereCategory: Consumer HealthTech

First founded as an all-natural shampoo that delivered on the natural ingredients promise made and broken by so many competitors, Modere has grown to become a household name for science-backed clean label health and beauty products. Its omnichannel consumer products have been featured as standout offerings in personal care and nutrition among its more than 3 million customers, and have been shared on national platforms including Good Morning America, NPR, and Forbes.

Modere has accomplished a great deal since its founding 30 years ago. Led by Chief Executive Officer Asma Ishaq, the company was named the top woman-led company of the year in 2021 by the JPMorgan-backed Women Presidents Organization. Modere was also ranked the #1 fastest growing woman-led company by Forbes, and its state-of-the-art collagen sciences offerings have been hailed by industry voices for raising the bar for consumer applications of the latest health sciences.

14. Penumbra, Inc.Category: Medical Devices

Penumbra, Inc. is a global healthcare company which designs, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative therapies to address complicated medical conditions in a novel way, supporting healthcare providers, hospitals, and clinics in more than 100 countries. Penumbra has redefined care across conditions that impact millions of Americans, including ischemic stroke, peripheral blood clots (clots throughout the body, such as pulmonary embolisms), and aneurysms with first-to-market minimally invasive interventional medical devices that have improved clinical outcomes. Penumbra recently expanded into immersive healthcare using virtual reality to inspire and empower potentially millions of patients to engage and challenge themselves more fully in their physical and cognitive rehabilitation and mental wellness.

As a global market leader that continues to experience double-digit revenue growth year-over-year, Penumbra is committed to advancing innovations that address unmet needs and help as many people as it can with its technologies.

15. PractoCategory: Software & Data

Practo is an Indian healthcare platform renowned for breaking down the barriers between patients and doctors with its signature all-in-one consumer healthcare software. By using Practos video conferencing platform, the company empowers more than one billion Indian people to take charge of their health and make more informed care decisions for their loved ones. Other Practo services include Ray, a practice management software used by thousands of clinics in the country, and Insta, a standout full-stack HIMS solution trusted in more than twenty markets around the world.

Founded in Bangalore and still headquartered there, Practo has a longstanding commitment to privacy and equity that has connected patients and doctors since its establishment in 2008. In remarkable expansions of this mission to traditionally underserved populations, the company added online consultation functionality in 15 vernacular languages at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launch of a digital veterinary consult option in 2021 has brought Practos game-changing technology into yet another critical market segment.

16. TempusCategory: Biotech

With a stated mission of bringing the frontiers of technology to the world of medicine, Chicago-based biotech research company Tempus is leveraging an incredible data library to apply AI to the establishment of a new era of precision medicine. Tempus offerings empower healthcare partners to more efficiently diagnose patients and model the effectiveness of treatments, and its clinical trial matching capabilities have helped more than 10,000 patients since its founding in 2015.

Tempus is empowered to make use of its greater than 50 petabytes of data thanks to its partnerships with prominent figures across the biotech research world, including 120 biopharma companies and more than half of all academic medical centers in the U.S. As a recognized innovation driver in the industry, the company has announced recent advances in machine learning-based genomic testing, and has presented dozens of papers at this years meetings of the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

17. VerilyCategory: Biotech

Alphabets life science research organization, Verily is dedicated to using the power of data to change how healthcare is managed and delivered. Among the solutions provided by Verily are its evidence generation services, care delivery, and care management, as well as its joint ventures in precision risk management, addiction recovery, and other cutting-edge areas. With new partnerships announced with Lumea and Highmark Health, it is continuing to play an active role in some of the latest developments in health tech.

Verily began as a division of Google X until its transition to an independent subsidiary in 2015. Since then, the company has engaged in a series of expansions that have vastly boosted its profile in the health science research industry, including a remarkable $1 billion fundraise in 2019 and the sale of its robot-assisted surgery venture Verb Surgical. In 2020, the company announced its entry into the insurance market with the launch of a Re Group-backed insurance subsidiary called Coefficient Insurance Company.

18. Carbon HealthCategory: Consumer HealthTech

In a world in which accessing healthcare seems to become more and more difficult and time-consuming for the average consumer, Carbon Health strives to use smart tech to provide a seamless relationship between patient and provider. From its home base in San Francisco, Carbon Healths platform enables individuals across the country to make virtual or in-person appointments with their primary care provider, urgent care provider, or mental or behavioral health specialist. It has also risen to the challenge of the pandemic era by offering expanded services for diabetes care, LGBTQ and womens health, and COVID care programs for employers.

Carbon Health was started in 2015 by immigrant entrepreneurs Eren Bali and Caesar Djavaherian, who saw a gap in the U.S. healthcare system and devised a means to use technology to remove boundaries to care. Having perfected the telemedicine niche at a critical moment of need, the Co-Founders and Chief Executive Officers have steered their company to a $3 billion valuation in just six years, and have continued to change the game in how doctors and patients alike use technology for the care they need.

19. Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX)Category: Software & Data

Founded in 2000 in Louisville, Colorado, GHX is a software-as-a-service company that is reducing the cost of doing business in healthcare by automating supply chain processes and improving visibility into the products used in patient care. The GHX Global Network, the worlds largest community of healthcare trading partners, connects supply chain, finance, and clinical professionals with their suppliers, and the cloud-based technology makes it easier for customers to drive costs out of the healthcare supply chain. Since 2010, GHX has saved the healthcare industry more than $5 billion. Today, the company is expanding its solutions to further enhance data management and allow integration of clinical and business systems.

The focus of GHX is on the healthcare supply chain, through which hospitals and their suppliers buy and deliver the thousands of medical-surgical supplies that clinicians need to effectively care for patients. At the heart of GHX is the GHX Exchange, a platform that connects healthcare providers and suppliers so they can work together electronically. This helps lower costs and simplifies supply chain management by eliminating error-prone, manual order processes. GHX is known for operating the largest healthcare trading network in the U.S., representing more than 80% of licensed beds in the country, with more than 85% of med-surg products flowing through the platform.

20. TELUS HealthCategory: Software & Data

Digital health technology and services provider TELUS Health is the power behind the digital health ecosystem used by 130,000 physicians to treat millions of patients across Canada. From its headquarters in Montreal and its offices throughout the nation, it electronically processes 130 million health insurance claims annually. The company also works to help employers optimize their health insurance packages for their workforces, and its round-the-clock Virtual Care platform directly links people who need healthcare to the appropriate providers.

TELUS Health is a division of Canadian multinational Telus Corporation, a company that has grown over three decades to lead the charge in telecommunications, agriculture, security, and health sciences. TELUS Health has long worked to achieve considerable social good with its corporate activities, recently helping two million Canadians gain access to their own digital health records and opening a mental health clinic in Montreal to better support the community.

21. Tandem Diabetes CareCategory: Medical Devices

Tandem Diabetes Care is a medical device company that has become synonymous with quality, reliable care for diabetes sufferers the world over. Tandem is responsible for the development and production of the t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ technology, one of the most trusted names in user-friendly digitally enabled insulin pumps for individuals with Type I diabetes.

From its head office in San Diego, Tandem has long characterized itself as a positively different pump manufacturer, working with users to make sure their products are perfectly configured to meet their unique needs. The company has continued to push the envelope when it comes to insulin management, developing new and better device software while leveraging user data to drive new insights into diabetes treatment. Ongoing research has confirmed optimal health outcomes among t:slim X2 users the world over, and with the recent acquisition of insulin set developer Capillary Biomedical, Tandem is preparing to carry their tradition of innovation and service into the future.

22. Cue HealthCategory: Biotech

Out of the many hero companies that arose to help the world meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the inarguable standouts was California biotech research company Cue Health. In a move that transformed Cue into a household name virtually overnight, the companys interdisciplinary team of 1,200 medical professionals was the first to produce an at-home molecular diagnostic test for COVID, and its approval by the FDA for over-the-counter use brought the benefits of Cues remarkable achievement to millions of beleaguered Americans.

Cue Health has expanded well beyond its 2010 origins, growing to encompass five state-of-the-art buildings at its San Diego headquarters, where its tests and other products are designed, tested, and manufactured. Among the organizations that have come to rely on their partnership with Cue are ConocoPhillips, Johnson & Johnson, and a variety of national sports leagues. The fruits of the companys mammoth achievement included a striking $3 billion valuation last year.

23. CertaraCategory: Software & Data

Certara accelerates medicines using proprietary biosimulation software, technology, and services to transform traditional drug discovery and development. As a global leader in biosimulation, Certara serves more than 2,000 biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies across 62 countries.

Seventeen global regulatory agencies, including the U.S. FDA, Japans Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and Chinas National Medical Products Administration, have adopted Certaras Phoenix PK/PD software and/or Simcyp PBPK Simulator. The Companys COVID-19 Vaccine Model received both an R&D 100 Award and Edison Award in the past year. In October 2021, Certara acquired Pinnacle 21, a leading provider of SaaS solutions for clinical data fitness, regulatory compliance, and submission readiness.

With its software and global team of nearly 1,200 employees, Certara advances confident decision-making throughout the biopharma R&D lifecycle to help reduce time, lower cost, and improve outcomes for patients. The companys customers who use its software and services have received over 90% of new drug approvals by the FDA since 2014, excluding diagnostics.

24. Thrive GlobalCategory: Enterprise HealthTech

Original post:

The Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2022 - The Healthcare Technology Report.

Ways to keep kids busy and entertained

Work From Home Balancing work life with personal life can be very beneficial, as it saves time in traffic and other activities. They allow people to focus on their children without neglecting work and vice versa.

However, if children are still in the very early stages of their lives, they need more attention, so their parents usually need the support of a nanny or family members such as siblings and parenting. when they carry out their daily business activities.

Much better when children are already of age to go to school, as adults will have a few quiet hours to be able to work without distractions, that is, until the school day is over And the kids still dont return home. with lots of energy.

For this reason, Infobae has put together a list with a range of strategies to keep the little ones at home busy when work hours are over.

It is very normal for kids to draw and it would be very tempting for them to find a complete set of colored pencils, crayons and markers to let their imagination go, of course, a good number of sheets to avoid mischief.

Esther Cohen from The Verge says she has an organizer for these at home, and when her kids come home from school, without being forced, they are finally left alone for an hour, imagining them. capture all its potential. on separate sheets.

from the age of three years and above

you can say that These are the current generation audiobooksIt is an electronic cube that plays fables and nursery rhymes, but the interesting thing about this element is how interactive it is, as it includes various figures of animals and fantastic characters, if placed on top of the device, So start telling the story of the baby doll.

How to keep kids busy while working from home

This device keeps children distracted for long periods of time and is being used in day care centers and bilingual schools because of its usefulness as a tool to teach them English.

2 to 8 years

This is an online elementary education academy, Works as a streaming platform for the style of netflix, but in this case Exclusive content for boys and girls. It has a large number of classes, games and Very fun program to learn about any subject such as language, mathematics or science.

This is a series of cartoons that have been very entertaining for kids, according to internet users who are already parents, it is available here Disney Plus And its plot involves the adventures of a family of dogs living in Australia.

This is another animated program for preschool children, it features a little tiger, played by his friends and his family, who have to solve various activities, and for this reason they always come to the aid of their viewers , which makes the show very interactive and as babies are learning new things while answering questions from the characters.

In addition to these options, it is also recommended to check what toys and activities are available in each city in Latin America, as there may be a better offer and a national brand.

Likewise, it is recommended that in free time children are taken from home to parks, museums and other kinds of places that help release all their energy and imagination.

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5 Ways To Keep Kids Engaged In Technology - Nation World News

The former UniEnergy Technologies office in Mukilteo, Wash. Taxpayers spent $15 million on research to build a breakthrough battery. Then the U.S. government gave it to China. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

The former UniEnergy Technologies office in Mukilteo, Wash. Taxpayers spent $15 million on research to build a breakthrough battery. Then the U.S. government gave it to China.

When a group of engineers and researchers gathered in a warehouse in Mukilteo, Wash., 10 years ago, they knew they were onto something big. They scrounged up tables and chairs, cleared out space in the parking lot for experiments and got to work.

They were building a battery a vanadium redox flow battery based on a design created by two dozen U.S. scientists at a government lab. The batteries were about the size of a refrigerator, held enough energy to power a house, and could be used for decades. The engineers pictured people plunking them down next to their air conditioners, attaching solar panels to them, and everyone living happily ever after off the grid.

"It was beyond promise," said Chris Howard, one of the engineers who worked there for a U.S. company called UniEnergy. "We were seeing it functioning as designed, as expected."

Chris Howard was an engineer at UniEnergy Technologies. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

Chris Howard was an engineer at UniEnergy Technologies.

But that's not what happened. Instead of the batteries becoming the next great American success story, the warehouse is now shuttered and empty. All the employees who worked there were laid off. And more than 5,200 miles away, a Chinese company is hard at work making the batteries in Dalian, China.

The Chinese company didn't steal this technology. It was given to them by the U.S. Department of Energy. First in 2017, as part of a sublicense, and later, in 2021, as part of a license transfer. An investigation by NPR and the Northwest News Network found the federal agency allowed the technology and jobs to move overseas, violating its own licensing rules while failing to intervene on behalf of U.S. workers in multiple instances.

Now, China has forged ahead, investing millions into the cutting-edge green technology that was supposed to help keep the U.S. and its economy out front.

UniEnergy Technologies and Avista's solar energy storage system is displayed at an event in 2015. Office of Gov. Jay Inslee hide caption

UniEnergy Technologies and Avista's solar energy storage system is displayed at an event in 2015.

Department of Energy officials declined NPR's request for an interview to explain how the technology that cost U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars ended up in China. After NPR sent department officials written questions outlining the timeline of events, the federal agency terminated the license with the Chinese company, Dalian Rongke Power Co. Ltd.

"DOE takes America's manufacturing obligations within its contracts extremely seriously," the department said in a written statement. "If DOE determines that a contractor who owns a DOE-funded patent or downstream licensee is in violation of its U.S. manufacturing obligations, DOE will explore all legal remedies."

The department is now conducting an internal review of the licensing of vanadium battery technology and whether this license and others have violated U.S. manufacturing requirements, the statement said.

Forever Energy, a Bellevue, Wash., based company, is one of several U.S. companies that have been trying to get a license from the Department of Energy to make the batteries. Joanne Skievaski, Forever Energy's chief financial officer, has been trying to get hold of a license for more than a year and called the department's decision to allow foreign manufacturing "mind boggling."

Joanne Skievaski is the chief financial officer of Forever Energy in Bellevue, Wash. The company has been trying to get a license from the Department of Energy to make the batteries for over a year. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

Joanne Skievaski is the chief financial officer of Forever Energy in Bellevue, Wash. The company has been trying to get a license from the Department of Energy to make the batteries for over a year.

"This is technology made from taxpayer dollars," Skievaski said. "It was invented in a national lab. (Now) it's deployed in China, and it's held in China. To say it's frustrating is an understatement."

The idea for this vanadium redox battery began in the basement of a government lab, three hours southeast of Seattle, called Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It was 2006, and more than two dozen scientists began to suspect that a special mix of acid and electrolyte could hold unusual amounts of energy without degrading. They turned out to be right.

It took six years and more than 15 million taxpayer dollars for the scientists to uncover what they believed was the perfect vanadium battery recipe. Others had made similar batteries with vanadium, but this mix was twice as powerful and did not appear to degrade the way cellphone batteries or even car batteries do. The researchers found the batteries capable of charging and recharging for as long as 30 years.

An employee looks at a vanadium flow battery in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Battery Reliability Laboratory in 2021. Andrea Starr/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory hide caption

An employee looks at a vanadium flow battery in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Battery Reliability Laboratory in 2021.

Gary Yang, the lead scientist on the project, said he was excited to see if he could make the batteries outside the lab. The lab encourages scientists to do just that, in an effort to bring critical new technology into the marketplace. The lab and the U.S. government still hold the patents, because U.S. taxpayers paid for the research.

In 2012, Yang applied to the Department of Energy for a license to manufacture and sell the batteries.

The agency issued the license, and Yang launched UniEnergy Technologies. He hired engineers and researchers. But he soon ran into trouble. He said he couldn't persuade any U.S. investors to come aboard.

"I talked to almost all major investment banks; none of them (wanted to) invest in batteries," Yang said in an interview, adding that the banks wanted a return on their investments faster than the batteries would turn a profit.

Imre Gyuk (left), director of energy storage research in the Office of Electricity of the Department of Energy, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Gary Yang of UniEnergy Technologies stand together in 2015. Office of Gov. Jay Inslee hide caption

Imre Gyuk (left), director of energy storage research in the Office of Electricity of the Department of Energy, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Gary Yang of UniEnergy Technologies stand together in 2015.

He said a fellow scientist connected him with a Chinese businessman named Yanhui Liu and a company called Dalian Rongke Power Co. Ltd., along with its parent company, and he jumped at the chance to have them invest and even help manufacture the batteries.

At first, UniEnergy Technologies did the bulk of the battery assembly in the warehouse. But over the course of the next few years, more and more of the manufacturing and assembling began to shift to Rongke Power, Chris Howard said. In 2017, Yang formalized the relationship and granted Dalian Rongke Power Co. Ltd. an official sublicense, allowing the company to make the batteries in China.

Any company can choose to manufacture in China. But in this case, the rules are pretty clear. Yang's original license requires him to sell a certain number of batteries in the U.S., and it says those batteries must be "substantially manufactured" here.

In an interview, Yang acknowledged that he did not do that. UniEnergy Technologies sold a few batteries in the U.S., but not enough to meet its requirements. The ones it did sell, including in one instance to the U.S. Navy, were made in China. But Yang said in all those years, neither the lab nor the department questioned him or raised any issues.

Chris Howard is now the director of operations at Forever Energy in Bellevue, Wash. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

Chris Howard is now the director of operations at Forever Energy in Bellevue, Wash.

Then in 2019, Howard said, UniEnergy Technologies officials gathered all the engineers in a meeting room. He said supervisors told them they would have to work in China at Rongke Power Co. for four months at a time.

"It was unclear, certainly to myself and other engineers, what the plan was," said Howard, who now works for Forever Energy.

Yang acknowledges that he wanted his U.S. engineers to work in China. But he says it was because he thought Rongke Power could help teach them critical skills.

Yang was born in China but is a U.S. citizen and got his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. He said he wanted to manufacture the entire battery in the U.S., but that the U.S. does not have the supply chain he required. He said China is more advanced when it comes to manufacturing and engineering utility-scale batteries.

"In this field manufacturing, engineering China is ahead of the U.S.," Yang said. "Many wouldn't believe [it]."

He said he didn't send the battery and his engineers abroad to help China. He said the engineers in that country were helping his UniEnergy Technologies employees and helping him get his batteries built.

But news reports at the time show the moves were helping China. The Chinese government launched several large demonstration projects and announced millions of dollars in funding for large-scale vanadium batteries.

As battery work took off in China, Yang was facing more financial trouble in the U.S. So he made a decision that would again keep the technology from staying in the U.S.

In 2021, Yang transferred the battery license to a European company based in the Netherlands. The company, Vanadis Power, told NPR it initially planned to continue making the batteries in China and then would set up a factory in Germany, eventually hoping to manufacture in the U.S., said Roelof Platenkamp, the company's founding partner.

Vanadis Power needed to manufacture batteries in Europe because the European Union has strict rules about where companies manufacture products, Platenkamp said.

"I have to be a European company, certainly a non-Chinese company, in Europe," Platenkamp said in an interview with NPR.

Gary Yang launched UniEnergy Technologies after the Department of Energy issued him a license to manufacture and sell the vanadium batteries. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

Gary Yang launched UniEnergy Technologies after the Department of Energy issued him a license to manufacture and sell the vanadium batteries.

But the U.S. has these types of rules, too. Any transfer of a U.S. government license requires U.S. government approval so that manufacturing doesn't move overseas. The U.S. has lost significant jobs in recent years in areas where it first forged ahead, such as solar panels, drones and telecom equipment. Still, when UniEnergy requested approval, it apparently had no trouble getting it.

On July 7, 2021, a top official at UniEnergy Technologies emailed a government manager at the lab where the battery was created. The UniEnergy official said they were making a deal with Vanadis, according to emails reviewed by NPR, and were going to transfer the license to Vanadis.

"We're working to finalize a deal with Vanadis Power and believe they have the right blend of technical expertise," the email from UniEnergy Technologies said. "Our transaction with Vanadis is ready to go pending your approval ..."

The government manager responded that he needed confirmation before transferring the license and emailed a second employee at UniEnergy. The second employee responded an hour and a half later, and the license was transferred to Vanadis Power.

Whether the manager or anyone else at the lab or Department of Energy thought to check during that hour and a half or thereafter whether Vanadis Power was an American company, or whether it intended to manufacture in the U.S., is unclear. Vanadis' own website said it planned to make the batteries in China.

In response, department officials said they review each transfer for compliance and said that new rules put in place last summer by the Biden administration will close loopholes and keep more manufacturing here.

But agency officials acknowledged that its reviews often rely on "good faith disclosures" by the companies, which means if companies such as UniEnergy Technologies don't say anything, the U.S. government may never know.

Joanne Skievaski said she and others from the company repeatedly warned Department of Energy officials that the UniEnergy license was not in compliance. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

Joanne Skievaski said she and others from the company repeatedly warned Department of Energy officials that the UniEnergy license was not in compliance.

That's a problem that has plagued the department for years, according to government investigators.

In 2018, the Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Energy lacked resources to properly monitor its licenses, relied on antiquated computer systems, and didn't have consistent policies across its labs.

In this case, it was an American company, Forever Energy, that raised concerns about the license with UniEnergy more than a year ago. Joanne Skievaski said she and others from the company repeatedly warned department officials that the UniEnergy license was not in compliance. In emails NPR has reviewed, department officials told them it was.

"How is it that the national lab did not require U.S. manufacturing?" Skievaski asked. "Not only is it a violation of the license, it's a violation to our country."

Now that the Department of Energy has revoked the license, Skievaski said she hopes Forever Energy will be able to acquire it or obtain a similar license. The company plans to open a factory in Louisiana next year and begin manufacturing. She bristles at the idea that U.S. engineers aren't up to the challenge.

"That's hogwash," she said. "We are ready to go with this technology."

Still, she says it will be difficult for any American company at this point to catch up. Industry trade reports currently list Dalian Rongke Power Co. Ltd. as the top manufacturer of vanadium redox flow batteries worldwide. Skievaski also worries about whether China will stop making the batteries once an American company is granted the right to start making them.

That may be unlikely. Chinese news reports say the country is about to bring online one of the largest battery farms the world has ever seen. The reports say the entire farm is made up of vanadium redox flow batteries.

This story is a partnership with NPR's Station Investigations Team, which supports local investigative journalism, and the Northwest News Network, a collaboration of public radio stations that broadcast in Oregon and Washington state.

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The U.S. made a breakthrough battery discovery then gave the technology to China - NPR

Many autistic people experience difficulties in expressing their emotions. This can result in increased anxiety, depression, anger and physical health problems. Research shows autistic adults are significantly more likely to experience depression an anxiety than their peers.

Imagine a future, where technology could help people regulate their emotions and alert them to sensory overload before they became overwhelmed.

An increasing number of technological solutions, that aim to help people regulate their emotions are being developed for autistic people. And some autistic people are adapting technology such as digital heart rate monitors to try and track their stress levels.

Many studies have explored autistic peoples use of wearable technology, such as smart watches, virtual reality (VR) or brain-computer interfaces (BCI), to regulate their emotions. BCIs are a direct communication pathway between the brains electrical activity and an external device, commonly a computer or robotic limb.

But before our study no one asked the autistic community for their views on how useful the technology is. Poor usability is a longstanding problem for autistic users of this technology because developers lack of awareness of their needs. A recent study found only 10% of wearable technologies for autistic people addressed their needs and 90% viewed autistic traits as shortcomings that need correcting.

Our recent study explored the autistic communitys thoughts on any technology they had previously used to help them regulate their emotions and their views on what they need from technology.

Thirty-four autistic individuals and their allies (family, health and social care professionals and college staff) took part in focus groups. We presented information on how emotional regulation technology could be used. For example, smart watches that detect physiological stress signals and prompt users to start coping techniques.

We found the autistic community was keen to use technology to help regulate their emotions but it often cost too much, was difficult to use without training and wasnt well adapted to their needs. Our focus group results showed wearable technologies could be uniquely beneficial to autistic people, if they are involved in the design process.

One participant shared how their daughter deals with emotional challenges: She looks perfectly fine and shes behaving perfectly fine. Except shes not. She hides it so well, the anxiety and everything that we havent got a clue! Sometimes the prodding can lead to a big explosion.

Meanwhile care staff spoke about how important it was to understand how autistic people are feeling: You want to get in before the behaviour starts. Before it escalates. We could go in before to offer reassurance, a distraction. For other people its withdrawal. give them their own space.

Another care worker said: We know there might be a pattern but we just cant see it.

Participants told us technology could make all the difference. A relative of an autistic person said: Id like something that he can self regulate, tell people how hes feeling. Something thats an app that somehow connects with a colour, so he can pick a picture that says how hes feeling and people know without it being a big song and dance.

Some autistic participants felt there is a shortfall of support for those with higher IQ. One told us: You feel like you kind of walk between the two worlds almost. Youre not quite severe. So youre not at that point on the spectrum where you need a lot of support that youd get if you were.

Most research has been based on out-of-date theories about autism, such as the idea it is a medical illness that can be cured or treated. Recent breakthroughs in the neurodiversity movement triggered a call for autism research to focus on empowering autistic people and their unique communication styles instead of trying to fix them.

Autistic participants agreed technological designs should promote independence, rather than try to mask autism.

Many participants were reluctant to use technology due to lack of confidence in their ability to use it, especially within community care settings. Other barriers included cost or lack of awareness about existing technology.

Our study results emphasised the importance of strategies that take an individuals life goals into consideration. Although a lot of money is spent on developing new technologies, both researchers and healthcare organisations often fail to consider how it will be implemented in practice.

As one autistic person, said: If youre going to make something for someone ask them what they want. Dont just spit out something and go heres what I made. The amount of papers where people claimed to have made something for learning disabilities. Have you ever had it tested? Have you ever used it with anyone?

Technology companies must create their products alongside the autistic community. And products should aim to adapt the environment according to individual needs, rather than trying to change the person.

Autism is simply a different way of seeing the world. Not only would this new approach help develop useful technology based support strategies, it would help to create more inclusive environments for everyone.

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Wearable technology can change autistic peoples lives if theyre involved in designing it - The Conversation Indonesia

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ Afresh, the leading AI-powered fresh food technology provider, today announced a $115 million Series B funding round led by Spark Capital and with participation from Insight Partners, VMG Partners, and Bright Pixel Capital. Walter Robb, senior executive partner at S2G Ventures and former Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market also joins the round.

All prior investors, including Maersk Growth, High Sage, and Innovation Endeavors also participated in the round, bringing the companys total funding to $148 million.

Afresh will use the investment to expand the footprint of its Fresh Operating System, an efficient, flexible solution for forecasting, inventory, ordering, and store operations, to support new fresh categories like meat and bakery. The funding will also be used to grow Afreshs team and expand internationally to Europe.

Food, more so than anything else, shapes the health of people and our planet. We founded Afresh with the purpose of eliminating food waste and making nutritious food more accessible. Were thrilled to use this capital to expand the scale and scope of our Fresh Operating System, says Matt Schwartz, co-founder and CEO of Afresh.

Aiming to serve 10% of U.S. grocery stores by the end of 2022, Afresh tripled its customer base in 2021, signing regional chains like CUB and national chains like Albertsons, with plans to roll out to more than 2,300 Albertsons stores by the end of 2022.

On average, stores using Afresh reduce food waste by 25% or more. They also see a 2-4% increase in top line revenue growth and have a 40% or more increase to their produce operating margin.

The transformative results that Afresh provides are not only seen in grocers bottom lines, but also extend to the impact on our planet through the reduction of food waste, said Will Reed, General Partner at Spark Capital. Were proud to support Afresh through their next stage of growth as they continue on their mission to curb climate change and improve our ability to feed the world in healthy ways.

Afreshs mission is to eliminate fresh food waste and increase access for all. Food waste is an enormous problem in the U.S. and worldwide, and studies have shown that about 40% of all food in the U.S. is thrown away. Project Drawdown cites reducing food waste as the number one lever to curb climate change. Afresh is on track to help retailers save 34 million pounds of food waste by the end of 2022.

Afresh is building a tool for the modern age that not only helps grocers manage fresh categories more effectively but also cuts down on food waste at the retail level, which amounts to 30-35% wasted annually, said Robb. Additionally, I was impressed by how closely Afresh partners with store teams to ensure its technology is not only easy but empowering to use, effectively enabling grocers to serve the freshest food to their customers.

afresh

Afresh is the worlds leading fresh technology company. Afreshs AI-powered solutions optimize critical functions in fresh food, including ordering, inventory, merchandising, and operations. Afresh significantly reduces food waste, improves its partners profitability, and makes fresher, healthier food more accessible to all. Founded in 2017 with the mission to eliminate food waste and make fresh food accessible to all, Afresh has grown rapidly with grocery customers across the US. Today Afresh has announced partnerships with grocers in over 3,000 stores and 40 states, including Albertsons, WinCo Foods, Heinens, Save Mart, Bashas, Cub Foods, and more. Learn more at http://www.afresh.com.

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Afresh raises $115MM to expand its technology Produce Blue Book - Produce Blue Book

It remains unclear whether the failure of Unigroup directly triggered the anticorruption earthquake within Big Fund. However, the strategy that the latter has takenthrowing massive investments against the wall and seeing what stickscan fail miserably. According to longtime observers, that strategy is also the perfect breeding ground for corruption.

This is the least surprising corruption investigation Ive heard of for a while, says Matt Sheehan, a fellow at the US think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Not because I know Ding Wenwu is personally corrupt, but when you have that amount of money sloshing around in an industry, itd be way more surprising if there isnt a major corruption scandal.

A significant part of the problem was a lack of precision, says Sheehan. China knew it needed to invest in semiconductors but didnt know what exact sub-industry or company to prioritize. The country has been forced to learn by trial and error, feeling its way through issues like the bankruptcy of Unigroup and the expanding technology blockade by the US. The next step should be more targeted investments into specific companies, Sheehan says.

That might mean a new boss for the Big Fundsomeone whos better versed in getting financial returns, says Paul Triolo, a senior VP at the business strategy firm Albright Stonebridge, which advises companies operating in China. Many of the Big Funds managers came from government backgrounds and may simply have lacked the relevant experience. Ding, whos under investigation now, used to be a department director at Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

You need competent people to run this [Big Fund] that understand the industry, finance, and are not going to fund projects that dont have a sound commercial basis, Triolo says.

Ultimately, these investigations may end up being positive for Chinas semiconductor industry because they highlight the limitation of politically driven funding and may push the Big Fund to be managed on a more market-based basis. Beijings appetite for experiments is waning as its worries about self-sufficiency intensify. They cant afford to squander $5 billion on fabs that arent going to be viable, says Triolo.

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Corruption is sending shock waves through Chinas chipmaking industry - MIT Technology Review

Sony produced what could be described as a game-changer of a camera with its current flagship, the Sony a1. Although this camera offers a plethora of new features that most reviews have raved about. One of its most remarkable features has gone a little under the radar. This feature is the increase in the flash sync speed to 1/400th of a second shutter speed.

The Sony a1 is one of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market. Not only can it shoot high-resolution 50-megapixel files, but it can also capture this much resolution at 30-frames per second. It was only up until recently that we thought speed and high resolution were an impossible combination, based on current technology.You could either have a high-resolution camera that captures a great amount of detail, or you could have a low-resolution camera that shoots extremely fast for those high-speed situations. Sony managed to do both in one camera.

Additionally, Sony also managed to cram in 8K 30p and 4K 120p in 4:2:2, 10-bit recording. Essentially, the Sony a1 is an incredible camera system. However, these features are obvious upgrades and inevitable in the grand scheme of things. Almost everyone expected Sony to produce an 8K capable camera system, however, I doubt that anyone thought Sony would improve the shutter mechanism and sync speed in the Sony a1.

A focal plane shutter is essentially the shutter mechanism found in almost all DSLR and mirrorless cameras. A focal plane shutter exists in the camera and sits in front of the camera sensor. There are two sections to a focal plane shutter and they are called the first curtain and second curtain.

The first curtain will drop open to reveal the full sensor after which point the second curtain will drop down to close the shutters again. The time it takes for the shutter to open and close depends on your shutter speed.

The main advantage of focal plane shutters is that they can manage faster shutter speeds than leaf shutter mechanisms (discussed below). Most high-end DSLR and mirrorless cameras can manage shutter speeds of up to 1/8000s, which is considerably faster than leaf shutter cameras.

The other advantage of focal plane shutters is that they operate within the camera. This means that virtually any kind of lens can be attached and the shutter mechanism can still fire. You can even use pinhole body caps on the camera and the shutter will still fire allowing you to expose an image.

The downside is that a focal plane shutter can only remain fully open up to a certain speed. For most cameras, this shutter speed is 1/200s. Above this speed, the shutter blades will no longer open fully as it moves down the sensor to expose the image. The opening in the shutter will become smaller as you increase the shutter speed. This is not a huge problem unless you're shooting with flash.If the opening in the shutter blades is smaller than the sensor, then the whole sensor will not be exposed when the flash is triggered.

As you can see in the comparison above, a large portion of the flash ends up hitting the shutter blades instead of the sensor when shooting faster than the sync speed. To resolve this, you can use a feature called high-speed-sync. In this mode, the flash will fire multiple times rapidly, in order to follow the shutter blades as they move along the sensor. Unfortunately, this feature considerably reduces the flash power making it less than ideal in many situations.

A leaf shutter is relatively rare when it comes to camera systems. The biggest and most obvious difference between a leaf shutter and a focal plane shutter is that the leaf shutter operates within the lens instead of the camera. This highly limits third-party compatibility. Another obvious difference is the structure of the leaf shutter.

Focal plane shutters move across the sensor in a single direction, generally top to bottom. Leaf shutters open and close in a circular motion that is somewhat similar to how aperture blades open and close. It's this design difference that makes the biggest difference. Unlike focal plane shutters, leaf shutter mechanisms do not have a flash sync speed limit. Leaf shutter lenses can synchronize with flash at any shutter speed it can manage.

For instance, current Hasselblad lenses can synchronize flash even at 1/2000s shutter speed without needing any kind of high-speed-sync mode. The downside with leaf shutters is that the highest speed currently available is 1/2000s, and this is considerably lower than what focal plane shutters can achieve, which is 1/8000s.

A camera shutter mechanism generally operates with a spring-loaded system. In a focal plane shutter camera, the two curtains are loaded and then fire when you press the shutter button. The spring-loaded system has worked extremely well in cameras for decades. However, this system hasn't been updated for a long time either.

In comes the Sony a1 with its dual-driven focal plane shutter. The shutter mechanism in this camera operates with a spring-loaded system and also a magnetic system. The spring-loaded system will be active for most shutter speeds fast and slow. The magnetic system is only active between shutter speeds of 1/320s and 1/400s.

These are the two fastest points that The Sony a1 can synchronize flash in full-frame mode. The magnetic system allows the shutter curtains to move faster across the frame. The first curtain can drop open fast enough that by the time the second curtain is ready to close, the full sensor is open for exposure.

This is the key difference. The magnetic system can move the shutter curtains faster than the standard mechanism. That extra speed helps ensure the full sensor is open for exposure as opposed to portions being blocked by the shutter blades.

The Sony a1 is the only full-frame camera on the market right now that can synchronize with flash at 1/400th of a second shutter speed. This is double the speed of most full-frame cameras, including flagship systems from Canon and Nikon. This sync speed can increase further to 1/500s shutter if you shoot in APS-C mode. This kind of speed is on the same level as some leaf shutter lenses.

Interestingly, even with this higher sync speed in the Sony a1, the camera shutter is durable enough to manage more than 500,000 cycles. Although it's important to mention that Sony did not disclose the durability ratings for the shutter mechanism when flash sync priority is enabled.

Nonetheless, for many working photographers, this increase in the sync speed offers more of a real-world benefit than improvements to dynamic range or increases in resolution.

Having lots of resolution can be great, however, after a certain point, a few more pixels make very little difference to how you shoot and the results you produce. Even with dynamic range, most cameras now offer enough flexibility that an extra half stop doesn't make much or any difference to workflow. Features such as megapixels and dynamic range might make for great headlines, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just marketing.Even smartphones can now shoot up to 100 megapixels and higher.

The increase in sync speed makes a real change to workflow. You're able to shoot at a higher shutter speed regardless of what kind of flash you're using. You can also delay the need to shoot with high-speed sync by a full stop. This is especially useful when shooting in a controlled or studio-based environment.

For a long time, if you were shooting in a studio then the maximum shutter speed you could probably choose was 1/200s. Being able to shoot at a faster shutter speed in a controlled environment will very likely reduce potential issues. If you're photographing people for example, then introducing movement into the shots is less likely to result in motion blur.

This is without a doubt one of the best and most difficult to achieve leaps in technology we've seen in a long time, and Sony should be celebrated for doing this.

This is a huge leap forward for working professionals and the best thing is that it won't be too long before this feature starts appearing in less expensive cameras. As the cost of features becomes less expensive, we may start to see this become the standard synchronization speed for flash.

What's not clear at the moment is whether Sony can take this dual-driven mechanism further. It's arguably fair to assume that the magnetic system could probably manage even faster shutter speeds. However, it was probably durability concerns that capped the synchronization speed at 1/400s.

Hopefully, we're only at the beginning stages of what's possible with magnetic shutter drives. Who knows, the next flagship camera from Sony might even synchronize flash at 1/1000s.

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Sony Made a Huge Leap in Technology and No One Is Talking About It - Fstoppers