new Request a free sample copy in PDF or view the report summary: https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/telemedicine-market/requestsampleTelemedicine Market OverviewUnderstanding Telemedicine This encompasses a wide range of services, from virtual doctor consultations to remote patient monitoring and telepharmacy. Telemedicine eliminates the need for physical presence, making healthcare services accessible to individuals globally.Market Size and Growth The telemedicine market achieved a substantial market size of USD 73.1 billion in 2023 and is poised to continue its growth journey with a CAGR of 19.3% from 2024 to 2032, ultimately reaching a staggering USD 377.0 billion by 2032. This remarkable growth can be attributed to several key factors, which we will explore in detail.Telemedicine Market DynamicsTechnological Advancements The rapid evolution of technology is a driving force behind the telemedicine boom. High-speed internet, smartphones, wearable devices, and improved telecommunication infrastructure have all played pivotal roles in making remote healthcare services accessible. Telemedicine platforms now boast high-quality video and audio capabilities, ensuring seamless communication between patients and healthcare providers.Increased Adoption of Teleconsultation The widespread acceptance of teleconsultation has been steadily increasing. Patients have come to appreciate the convenience and accessibility of virtual appointments, particularly for non-emergency consultations. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated this trend, highlighting the importance of remote healthcare services.External Telemedicine Market TrendsChanging Regulatory Landscape Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are adapting to accommodate telemedicine. They are implementing policies and regulations to ensure patient safety, data privacy, and the growth of telehealth services. Staying informed about these evolving regulations is crucial for telemedicine providers.Remote Monitoring and IoT Integration The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices into telemedicine has opened up new possibilities. Remote monitoring of vital signs and health parameters enables proactive healthcare management. Patients can transmit real-time data to healthcare professionals, leading to more accurate diagnoses and treatment adjustments.Explore the full report with the table of contents: https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/telemedicine-marketTelemedicine Market SegmentationPatient Demographics Telemedicine serves a diverse range of patients, from tech-savvy individuals to the elderly and those residing in remote areas with limited healthcare access. Understanding these demographics is vital for tailoring services effectively.Specialty Areas Telemedicine extends beyond general consultations to various specialty areas, including telepsychiatry, teledermatology, teleoncology, and more. Each specialty has unique requirements and considerations, necessitating market segmentation.Telemedicine Market GrowthGlobal Expansion Telemedicine knows no geographical boundaries. Its reach is expanding worldwide, with healthcare providers, tech companies, and startups entering the market from different corners of the globe. This global expansion is contributing significantly to the industry's rapid growth.Improved Patient Outcomes Research indicates that telemedicine can lead to improved patient outcomes. Timely consultations, continuous monitoring, and better access to healthcare professionals contribute to early diagnosis and effective management of various medical conditions.Recent Developments in the Telemedicine MarketTelemedicine Platforms Telemedicine platforms are continually evolving to offer more features and capabilities. Many now integrate electronic health records (EHRs), prescription management, and secure patient messaging, enhancing the overall patient experience.AI and Telemedicine Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its presence felt in telemedicine. Machine learning algorithms are being employed to analyze medical data, predict patient outcomes, and enhance diagnostic accuracy. The integration of AI promises to revolutionize telemedicine further.Telemedicine Market ScopePatient Convenience Telemedicine offers unparalleled convenience to patients. They can schedule appointments at their convenience, eliminating the need for lengthy commutes and extended wait times in crowded waiting rooms.Cost Savings Telemedicine presents cost savings for both patients and healthcare providers. Patients save on travel expenses and time, while healthcare providers can optimize their resources more efficiently.Telemedicine Market AnalysisKey Players The telemedicine market boasts a diverse array of key players, including established healthcare institutions, technology firms, and startups. Prominent players include Teladoc Health, Amwell, Doctor on Demand, and numerous others. These companies offer a wide array of telehealth services and continue to innovate in the field.Patent Analysis Analyzing patents is crucial to understanding the technological innovations propelling the telemedicine market. It offers insights into the key players' areas of focus and hints at potential future developments.Grants and Funding Monitoring grants and funding within the telemedicine sector provide valuable insights into market trends and growth areas. Government support and private investment often signify confidence in the market's potential.Clinical Trials Clinical trials within the telemedicine realm are essential for validating the efficacy and safety of remote healthcare solutions. Keeping abreast of ongoing trials can provide valuable information about emerging telemedicine treatments and technologies.Partnerships and Collaborations Partnerships and collaborations among telemedicine providers, healthcare organizations, and technology companies are commonplace. These alliances often result in innovative solutions and expanded service offerings.FAQ: Addressing Common Questions1. Is telemedicine as effective as in-person visits? Telemedicine has proven highly effective for many types of consultations and follow-ups. However, certain cases necessitate physical examinations or procedures, mandating in-person visits.2. Is telemedicine secure and private? Telemedicine platforms prioritize security and privacy, employing encryption and adhering to stringent data protection regulations to safeguard patient information.3. How can I access telemedicine services? Accessing telemedicine services is straightforward. Many healthcare providers have their telemedicine platforms or collaborate with established telehealth companies. Patients can typically schedule appointments through websites or mobile apps.4. Will insurance cover telemedicine consultations? Insurance coverage for telemedicine varies by provider and policy. Many insurance companies now offer coverage for telehealth services, but it's essential to verify specific plan details.Related Report:Surgical Robots Market... — openPR.com, 13h ago

new Independent game publisher PLAYISM announced that the latest game in the “Crab Wars” series of crustacean action games developed by Calappa Games, in which you knock your opponents to the ground to win – “Crab Wars 2”, will be released on February 13, 2024. Start Early Access on Steam. In addition, a trial version of this game will be released at the Steam New Product Festival on February 6, 2024. “Crab Wars 2” is the long-awaited sequel to “Crab Wars”. You need to win by knocking over your opponent. It is a fighting action game that incorporates strategic elements into the giant crustacean battle based on the physics engine. Advertisement (Please continue reading this article) In this game, you can challenge various enemies in the career mode while creating your own unique tactics. Have fun with crabs from all over the world through online play for up to 5 people. In addition, in addition to the operation method of the previous game “Crab War”, this game also adds a “modern mode” operation method similar to a third-person action game, and also has a commentary function that allows you to know the battle situation. You can also realize automatic operations through skill matching, etc. This game has gained a new evolution and will be simpler and easier to use than the previous game. Early access advertising will be launched on February 13, 2024 (please continue reading this article). The career mode that can cultivate crabs and various modes that can enjoy online battles have been implemented in the early access version. If you want to experience this game as soon as possible, Players who have played the game, please actively participate in the early experience! We plan to gradually adjust the balance and add various new elements as the early access progresses. This game will be released as a limited-time trial version at the Steam New Product Festival. In this trial version, you can experience the new modern mode operation, as well as new elements such as career mode, and even experience content such as battles and cooperative play that require online connections. . The trial version is only open until early access starts, so don’t miss this good opportunity. ※The trial version has restrictions on the types of crabs and weapons, as well as the career mode training time, etc. Picture Carousel 0 Game Introduction A career mode that you can enjoy alone. Grow up with the crabs and aim for the highest peak! You need to acquire a variety of skills and weapons, and advance your career while improving your abilities. You can compete in the “Official Competition” to improve your ranking, you can also fight against farm machinery and even monsters in the “Exhibition Competition”, and you can even punish evil crabs for justice in the “Event Competition”. The trained crabs can be used in online battles, or their skills can be passed on to new generations of crabs. An online mode that everyone can enjoy together. This game is equipped with a ranked matching mode for 1V1 competition with players from all over the world, an entertainment matching mode, a challenge mode where you can work together to fight powerful crabs, and a room matching function for up to 5 people to play together. . In room matching, you can also set a password or customize rules to have a unique contest. Here comes the key point! Humanity! In this game, you don’t play as a crab. But humans! You can ride on the crab and manipulate it freely. After getting off the crab, you can also help the crab by carrying and throwing weapons, using stage mechanisms, etc. In a group battle, even if your crab is eliminated, you can transfer to your partner’s crab. Develop highly skilled tactics such as this. In addition, in this game, you can not only customize the appearance and equipment, but also customize your own character appearance by linking it with VRoid Hub. Weapons: The crab can hold weapons with its left and right pincers. There are everything from daggers and chainsaws to super weapons such as motorcycles, drills and jets, and even fantasy artifacts such as holy swords and somersault clouds. Use these weapons to defeat crabs with ease! Spells: As you take damage, you will accumulate “crab energy”. By consuming the crab energy, you can exert various effects. Such as summoning weapons and obstacles, or shooting lasers from the eyes, etc. In some cases, this may be a way to turn defeat into victory! SkillsAcquire more than 40 various skills and equip them on your body to customize your crab! Skills include automatic skills to assist crabs in their movements, visual enhancement skills to increase the amount of information displayed, and even super skills to release special moves through postures, etc.! Even a novice can use various skills to achieve smooth and smooth operations! Crab Breeder——Shione Maki Here we will introduce to you the breeder who assists players in raising crabs in the career mode—Shione Maki. The school color designer is illustrator Mr. Koshida Kushida (@KIN_G_OF_KINGS). She appears in the game as a 3D model, come and check it out in the game. — Archyde, 14h ago

new All that said, the Lord of the Rings is a critique of hyper-industrialisation that has greater political resonance now than it did when Tolkien started work on it during the 1930s. In those Depression years, there was an emphasis on growth at all costs. That philosophy hadn’t changed by the time the book was published in the mid-1950s. There were two models available, capitalism and communism, and they vied with each other to maximise production. Nobody cared too much about how many trees were felled by the real-life Sarumans. The costs to the environment were never a consideration for decision-makers either of left or right. The cold war was not just an arms race: it was also a struggle between two growth models, which the west eventually won. — the Guardian, 15h ago

new The energy transition towards a more sustainable and renewable future is a pivotal global endeavor. Central to this shift for the United States is the critical role of domestically sourced lithium, a key mineral in the production of high-performance batteries essential for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. This has driven the United States to invest heavily in a domestic supply chain for battery-grade lithium to enhance energy security, reduce supply chain vulnerabilities, and foster economic growth by tapping into local resources. A notable example is the Biden Administration’s “American Battery Materials Initiative,” which was included in the $2.8-billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (The White House, 2022). The “Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area” in Imperial County, California has been identified as a potential domestic U.S. resource of lithium due to the brine-hosted lithium in the deep subsurface geothermal reservoir. An analysis funded by the U.S. Department of Energy provides an overview of opportunities and challenges associated with developing the lithium resource in the Salton Sea geothermal reservoir, as well as potential environmental and societal impacts to the county and surrounding region. The geologic history of the region suggests that lithium in the subsurface brines could have come from multiple sources, including water and sediments from the Colorado River, which have been periodically deposited over the past several million years; rocks from the mountain ranges surrounding the Imperial Valley; and lithium-bearing volcanic rocks and igneous intrusions from past geologic events. Further, several processes may have concentrated lithium in the brine over time, including evaporative concentration of lithium-bearing water that flowed into the basin and leaching of lithium from the sediments and rocks by the circulating geothermal brines. Geothermal brine production at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, the area with existing geothermal power plants, has averaged just over 120 million metric tons per year since 2004. Using an approximate lithium brine concentration of 198 parts per million (ppm), the amount of dissolved lithium contained in these produced brines is estimated to be 127,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year. The total dissolved lithium content in the well-characterized portion of the Salton Sea Geothermal Reservoir is estimated at 4.1 million metric tons of LCE, and the estimated total resource increases to 18 million metric tons of LCE if assumptions for porosity and total reservoir size are increased to reflect the probable resource extent. Analysts measured lithium concentrations in the reservoir rocks, which were shown to vary with depth and mineralogy. These data were used to help refine conceptual and computer models of the reservoir; specifically, two complementary computer models of the reservoir were developed. Analysts used the first model to simulate the approximate 30-year history of geothermal power production in the area using historical production and reinjection data, then used that model to simulate a 30-year forecasting period. This forecast assumed continued production and reinjection rates at current levels but removes 95% of the lithium from the produced geothermal brine starting January 1, 2024. The model found that lithium recovery declines by more than half, from 0.8 to 0.3 kilograms per second (kg/s). Forecast scenarios that are optimized to both recover lithium and harness geothermal energy are expected to sustain lithium production rates much more effectively. The second model included more detailed simulations of the movement of brine and chemical reactivity of lithium within the reservoir. It showed that the reactions of relatively stable lithium-bearing minerals are slow, and that the primary replenishment mechanism for lithium in the brines is the upward flux of convecting lithium-rich brine from below the producing reservoir. However, these replenishment rates are not fast enough to produce significant increases in lithium, which could limit the long-term sustainability of the lithium resource. It is important to note that these models are preliminary and are based on current understanding of fluid replenishment rates, the minerals present in the geothermal system, and their chemical properties and reactivity. Further work should be undertaken to improve them and the associated predictions. The report also considered potential impacts on regional water resources, air quality, chemical use, and solid waste disposal needs, as well as the seismic risk associated with geothermal power production and lithium extraction activity. These investigations highlighted the need to proceed with good monitoring and verification systems and with appropriate mitigation technologies. However, the analysis illustrates that if these things are done properly, lithium development is not likely to create significant negative environmental impacts. Specifically, expanding geothermal energy production and lithium extraction will have a modest impact on water availability in the region. Initial estimates suggested that ~3% of historically available water supply for the region would be needed for currently proposed geothermal energy and lithium recovery operations; the majority of current water usage is for agriculture. It is not anticipated that expanding geothermal capacity or lithium production would impact the availability or quality of water used for human consumption and will not directly affect the water quality of the Salton Sea. However, the long-term drought conditions in the western United States may restrict future availability of water to the region, which is sourced from the Colorado River. In terms of regional air emissions of all pollutants identified in the analysis (particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and benzene, expanding geothermal energy and adding lithium extraction overall have a small impact. Chemical use involved in geothermal power production and lithium extraction is consistent with chemical use in industrial settings, and the analysis did not identify any persistent organic pollutants or acutely toxic chemicals among those currently being used. Moving fluids within the subsurface can impact subsurface pressures and stresses, potentially triggering seismic activity. Early in geothermal energy production, increasing seismicity rates in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field correlated strongly with energy production activity; however, that correlation weakened after 1996. Even following the onset of geothermal energy production, seismic hazard in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field has not increased beyond that of the surrounding region. In addition to technical outcomes from the analysis, the report describes an initial effort to incorporate community engagement into lithium research by understanding the local context and priorities and identifying how to effectively communicate to share information and gather feedback. The report includes information about the social and historical context of the region to enable a more holistic understanding of the resource and its potential impact, and identifies key community questions by observing public meetings, visiting the region, and consulting with local organizations. The report provides recommendations about how future research efforts can address community concerns and implement more community-engaged practices. These include developing formal partnerships with local organizations and establishing a community advisory board to facilitate ongoing dialogue and opportunities for feedback. The future work will build on and further refine the models and scenarios presented in the report and strive to deepen engagement with local communities. — interestingengineering.com, 17h ago

new As cities expand, vertical and horizontal spaces are continually redefined, adapting to the pressing demands of urban living. Yet, beneath the expanse of our infrastructure lies a matrix of underutilized spaces, often overshadowed by their towering counterparts - the bridges that stitch our cities together. These underbridge spaces, ranging from small niches to vast expanses, remain dormant, echoing the hum of the traffic above, waiting for visionaries to tap into their latent potential. In our relentless pursuit to address urban housing needs, Buildner is proud to unveil its 17th competition in the Affordable Housing Series. This time, we venture into the overlooked and underexplored – diving deep into the spaces beneath bridges around the world. "The Underbridge Housing Challenge" beckons architects and visionaries globally to reimagine these spaces, to transform them into dynamic, thriving communities that resonate with the city's heartbeat. Beneath city bridges worldwide lies untapped potential, vast spaces brimming with opportunity. "The Underbridge Housing Challenge" invites visionaries to transform these areas into thriving communities. Buildner is searching for designs that can cater to a wide array of residents, ensuring a perfect blend of scalability, affordability and eco-consciousness. It's an invitation to revolutionize these overlooked spaces with a fresh, practical perspective. Participants have the liberty to pinpoint any underbridge site across the globe for their visionary designs. Essential considerations include the site's accessibility, available amenities, and how the proposed solution harmonizes with the existing community. The designs should showcase adaptability, ensuring they cater to various needs while remaining both cost-effective and sustainable. With this challenge, the boundaries are set by your own creativity. Buildner urges entrants to think big, think different, and present housing solutions that challenge the norm. The underbridge spaces await your transformative touch. Let your imaginations run wild, and let's craft a vision where these spaces become the heartbeat of urban communities. PRIZES 3 winning proposals, 2 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions will be selected. Buildner (formerly Bee Breeders) will award a total of 7,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows: 1st Prize - 3,000 € 2nd Prize - 1,500 € 3rd Prize - 1,000 € + 6 honourable mentions Buildner Student Award - 1000 € Buildner Sustainability Award - 500 € COMPETITION SCHEDULE Early Bird Registration: 13 November – 11 December Advance Registration: 12 December – 30 January Last Minute Registration: 31 January – 16 April Final registration deadline: April 16, 2024 Closing date for submission: May 28, 2024 (LONDON TIME) Announcement of the winners: July 2, 2024 More: https://architecturecompetitions.com/underbridge/... — Bustler, 19h ago

new Buildner presents the second edition of the Home of Shadows architecture competition. This event once again highlights the crucial interplay between light and shadow in creating functional and inviting living spaces. Natural light is not just a vital aspect in home design for its practicality, but it also transforms spaces into welcoming and comfortable havens. It enables architects to infuse emotion and ambiance into their designs, giving life to structures beyond their physical form. Similarly, shadows are not to be overlooked. They are essential in adding depth, texture, and mood to spaces. The strategic placement of architectural elements like windows or doors can dramatically affect how light and shadow interact, shaping the overall atmosphere of a home. The second edition of the Home of Shadows competition maintains its unique challenge. Participants are invited to design a home for a fictional couple, with a special condition - the total elimination of artificial light. Every submitted design is expected to demonstrate a deep understanding of how natural light influences architectural choices, and how it can be harnessed to create fully functional and aesthetically pleasing living environments. Contestants are free to choose any imaginary location for their design projects, offering a diverse backdrop for the exploration of light and shadow. Buildner looks forward to receiving innovative entries that showcase a harmonious blend of technical skill and creative insight, illuminating the endless possibilities that lie within the dance of light and shadow in architectural design. PRIZES 3 winning proposals, 2 special award recipients and 6 honourable mentions will be selected. Buildner (formerly Bee Breeders) will award a total of 7,000 € in prize money to competition winners as follows: 1st Prize - 3,000 € 2nd Prize - 1,500 € 3rd Prize - 1,000 € + 6 honourable mentions Buildner Student Award - 1000 € Buildner Sustainability Award - 500 € COMPETITION SCHEDULE Early Bird Registration: 30 October – 13 December Advance Registration: 14 December – 29 February Last Minute Registration: 1 March – 2 May Final registration deadline: May 2, 2024 Closing date for submission: June 4, 2024 (LONDON TIME) Announcement of the winners: July 15, 2024 More: https://architecturecompetitions.com/homeofshadows2/... — Bustler, 19h ago

new For all of the bravado of AI, before we become too dazzled or dismayed (depending on which side of this issue you reside), at AI’s potential impact on projects, it is worthwhile to sit back with a skeptical bird’s eye view. After all, as we humans evolved throughout the information age of the mid to late twentieth century, AI can just be considered the latest development in a long series of technological advances driven by the engine of human information input. Even if every one of the improvements stated above are tangible, how well does it translate to the ultimate outcome? Organizations around the globe have been trying to digitalize and computerize, some as early as the 1960s and 1970s. Digitization and computerization promised a revolution in productivity through automation, streamlining, and making humans redundant. But the road to a more significant productivity boost has been arduous at best. One of the primary reasons is captured in the Theory of Constraints (TOC) developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, an Israeli physicist turned business management guru. In his landmark book The Goal, which sold over 6 million copies, he explains the importance of focusing on the right constraints to improve the overall system. For projects, the constraints are generally not within the technology and tools, but within humans. — Healthcare Business Today, 1d ago

new Job redesign is another important step that should be taken to improve the knowledge-sharing process in organizations. Job design prevents employees from inadvertently hoarding knowledge and thus not sharing it. [19] [20] We use a model of “forced sharing of knowledge.” With this model, we ask participants to share two sets of knowledge that they have to meet the needs of the other employee’s clients. Whether spot-on or wrong, the employee decoding the suggestions can only say thank you. This develops into an interesting conversation when at the end of the discussion we ask what worked about this process. Fruitful advice was given to many employees from their colleagues and the majority felt engaged in the exercise. As we expected in a follow-up session with the leaders, some job advice can lead to the widespread sharing of knowledge in organizations and help people that did not feel they needed or even wanted help. Thus, this led to the redesign of jobs and developed into a cohesive flow of knowledge between them. Realizing the importance of knowledge in organizational success and motivating people to share knowledge offers a fresh appellation to innovation and creativity throughout the organization. — The European Business Review, 1d ago

new If space travelers were somehow able to create a pregnancy, it would be no easy ride, the Weinersmiths write. We simply don’t know which, if any, part of the developmental process requires constant gravity, and the mother’s bones would be weakened in microgravity, which could make childbirth risky. If artificial gravity couldn’t be provided to the mother-to-be, an alternative might be a human-sized centrifuge to spin the pregnant person around. Such a device, called an “Apparatus for Facilitating the Birth of a Child by Centrifugal Force,” was patented in 1963, and Zach Weinersmith sketches a diagram of it that shows it to be just as bizarre as it sounds. In fact, his sketches often serve to demonstrate just how absurd some of the ideas promoted around space habitation really are. — CoinGenius, 1d ago

new The suggestion is that relational actors do not seek to merge into a homogenous international society, but aspire for the dialogical management of their differences through interaction so that these do not lead “to conflict and disorder, but on the contrary, can add up to stability” (Qin 2016, 39). Qin’s proposition is that in such a dynamic context power itself is relational. Rather than a material possession or an equation of capabilities, power becomes a contingent reflection of intersubjective and circumstantial relational practices. As a result, the capacity to act transpires as a function of the ongoing ability of social actors to adapt, manage, and navigate the multiplicity of flows animating their “relational circles; an actor is more powerful because she has larger relational circles, more intimate and important others in these circles, and more social prestige because of these circles” (Qin 2016, 42). In this setting, both “relations are power” and “relations always influence [enlarge and/ or constrain] the exercise of power” (Qin 2009, 16-18). — E-International Relations, 1d ago

new Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most crucial oil and protein crops, and contribute to more than a quarter of the protein utilized in both food and animal feed. It is widely acknowledged that cultivated soybean emerged through the domestication of its annual ancestor in the Yellow River basin. Therefore, the exploration of genetic resources within the origin region bears immense significance in advancing the global frontiers of soybean breeding.In comparison to the cultivar of Williams 82, ZH13 boasts higher genetic diversity and ecological type of origin reign. Furthermore, ZH13 is an ideal variety in the breeding strategy called “Potalaization”, which allows breeding of novel widely adapted soybean varieties through the use of multiple molecular tools in existing elite widely adapted varieties. To date, however, soybean genome analyses are incomplete and contain many gaps, which have so far limited in-depth investigations into its properties.To address this, a joint team of researchers from China, including senior author and co-corresponding author Dr. Yadong Wang from the Center for Bioinformatics, School of Computer Science and Technology at the Harbin Institute of Technology, and co-corresponding author Dr. Tianfu Han from the Institute of Crop Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, conducted a telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assembly of the Chinese soybean cultivar Zhonghuang 13 (ZH13), termed ZH13-T2T. The study was published in The Crop Journal.“Imagine you have a giant jigsaw puzzle, but it’s missing some pieces. This puzzle is like the genetic code, or the “recipe,” of ZH13. The missing pieces are like gaps in our understanding of this recipe,” explained by Dr. Yang Hu, co-corresponding author of the study. “In this effort, we used a super-advanced and precise method to find and fit in all those missing pieces. With this powerful tool, we could see everything—even the tricky parts that were hidden before”.The researchers used a multi-assembler approach to minimize biases and enhance assembly accuracy. Their assembly spanned 1,015,024,879 base pairs (bp), effectively filling in all the gaps from the previous analyses. In the process, they identified over 50,000 protein-coding genes, of which 707 are novel. ZH13-T2T was found to have longer chromosomes, 421 not-aligned regions (NARs), 112 structure variations (SVs), and a significant expansion of repetitive elements compared to earlier analyses.“We’ve delivered the first complete Chinese soybean cultivar T2T genome,” said Dr. Bo Liu, the other co-corresponding author. The complete, accurate genome sequence of the ZH13 cultivar can now be used to identify crucial genes, and genetic variants linked to desirable traits.”This information would also contribute to accelerating soybean breeding programs to develop new cultivars with specific enhanced traits, crop yields, improved resistance to pests and diseases, and adaptability to different regions and climates.“For instance, researchers can use the genomic information to manipulate specific genes that encode improvements in soybean traits, such as photothermal adaptability, oil content, protein quality, or tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors," concluded by Baiquan Sun, an author of the study. — newswise.com, 1d ago

new ...deTour 2023 is presented by PMQ and sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This 10-day grand design festival will present various programmes for the art and design communities both in and outside Hong Kong. These programmes include creative installations and exhibitions, workshops, design dialogues, movie screenings, guided tours, and many more. 10 years of deTour at PMQ Started in 2014, PMQ's deTour celebrates the 10th anniversary this year. A unique theme has been assigned to each edition of deTour to explore how design could solve social problems and improve our lives. To commemorate this journey, a 10-year retrospect exhibition will be featured in this year's deign festival to look back on the highlighted exhibits and behind-the-scenes of the past decade of PMQ's deTour. This part of the exhibition will be held during the same period as deTour 2023 Design Festival at PMQ and admission is free, as everyone is invited to witness the road to success of deTour, as the contribution of PMQ and deTour in pushing forward the development of the local design industry. The theme of deTour 2023 – "New Know How" – the Interweaving of "Craft", "Design" and "Technology" Working around "New Know How" as the theme, deTour 2023 aims to pave the road to craft design future which takes off with appreciation of traditional craftsmanship. When working, craftsmen are laser focused, highly precise and people oriented, and these qualities are collectively deemed as the "spirit of craftsmanship", which are also regarded as "Know How". Curators of deTour 2023 stated that "this valuable artisanship ought to be applied to different industries. It, together with design thinking and advanced technology, will help take each industry to a new level. By achieving this, problems can be solved more effectively, and through analysing obstacles from a new angle and perhaps trying solutions with new materials and techniques, new creations that are more thoughtful might be possible – this is what we meant by 'New Know How'." Through this design festival, curators hope to bring the industries to re-appreciate traditional crafts from a new angle and make good use of "New Know How" in different sectors. Three Exhibition Areas with 20 International and Local Works The exhibition of deTour 2023 Design Festival is divided into three parts: International Collaboration, Feature Exhibitions and Selected Entries, which are curated under the five specific directions of New Value, Storytelling, Craft Enhancement, Innovation and Heritage. Scattered all over the PMQ premises, 20 design works from the Nethelands, Japan and local designers are open to the public for free appreciation. . In addition, over the 10 days of the design festival, there will be a fruitful programme of a total of 40 workshops, 12 design dialogues and sessions of documentary screening of "Food and Design". International Collaboration: Craft by Nature by Biobased Creations (The Netherlands) deTour 2023's International Collaboration has invited Biobased Creations from the Netherlands, which is a creative studio formed by a group of designers, researchers and artists who aim to encourage the use of biomaterials - also known as renewable eco resources - in daily lives, so as to evolve our world into a regenerative and circular one. Biobased Creations presents Craft by Nature which is an exhibit specially designed for deTour 2023. Shaped like a house, the exhibit allows visitors to find multiple designs made from biobased materials such as furniture, clothes, shoes and socks, and household items. All of these designs are eco-friendly, light in weight and with a minimalistic design, created by designers from Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Outside the house in the garden, visitors can see the "originals" of the materials used in the designs, including common reed, silvergrass and shells, something that we are familiar with. Other than that, Biobased Creations will also display 40 biomaterials that can be applied in architecture and heat insulation, and visitors are welcome to hold and feel these materials and scan the QR code to instantly learn how these biomaterials are made. Craft by Nature is an innovative installation demonstrating how materials that are ignored or abandoned can be transformed into chic designs, and this allows us to rethink our relationship with the nature and invites us to take one more step forward to make our world better. Feature Exhibitions: Exploring traditional crafts with a fresh eye... — SME Business Daily Media, 1d ago

new The Masterpiece Studio Pro suite is here to revolutionize the creative workflow for those in the 3D realm. No longer do professionals need to be tied down to static 2D concepts. Backed by cutting edge software, this suite has everything the customer need to create immersive 3D content at breakneck speeds. The suite's engine is ready in real-time to capture concepts, draw, mold and texture - all from within an entirely virtual environment. Logging long hours in front of the computer is a thing of the past. Reduce hassle while increasing accuracy and visual detail with a more straightforward VR workflow. From avatars to characters and backgrounds, customer have the power to bring images to life. Customize and create visual symmetry to make sure that to capture the exact look the customers are desiring. Rig, skin and animate with ease, all from the 3D suite. Export the creations with convenience, in no time at all. Get the artwork from VR to game engines, renderers, and standard animation software. Leave a lasting impression with colleagues and clients - create something world changing that will stand out from the rest. Get the Masterpiece Studio Pro suite today. — saasworthy.com, 1d ago

new A very nice video discussion, but I believe the process described by Ms. Hopper is only partially complete. She describes learning a very important element of photography - compositions, not photography in general. Most experienced photographers are observing their surroundings regularly to discover an area that has promise to be captured. Still, to make the photograph requires skills with a camera and the technical aspects and understanding of light that will enable the photographer to produce an image to reflect what that photographer want us to see. Lastly, if one is an event or street photographer, the option of observation may be very short or nil where the photographer has to react quickly, requiring a complete knowledge of the tools being used to capture the image. — Fstoppers, 1d ago

new The worth benefits of web3 have caught the eye of huge tech firms, and it may additionally result in a significant shift within the technological panorama. Due to this fact, you will need to study safety in web3 with consciousness of web3 safety dangers and instruments for Internet 3.0 safety. The web3 software ecosystem consists of a number of interoperable protocols, that are primarily based on good contracts. With the continual progress of the web3 ecosystem, you will need to give attention to adaptability of safety options to the tempo of innovation. Allow us to be taught extra in regards to the know-how stack required for internet 3.0 safety throughout totally different layers of web3. — BlaQue Crypto News, 1d ago

new The contract, which is being voted on and needs a majority of “yes” votes to come into force, was considered a victory by many and received with suspicion by others. In the initial vote, 14% of the members of the union's national board voted “no”, and that is what Portuguese actress Kika Magalhães intends to do as well. “The reason is that they don't protect actors in relation to digital replicas”, she told Lusa the actress, based in Los Angeles since 2016. “They say yes, that there is protection, but then we look between the lines and there is nothing.” Kika Magalhães, whose latest film, “The Girl in the Backseat”, has just been released reaching Amazon Prime Video and the streaming platform Tubi, points to how digital replicas can be disastrous. “An actor goes for a casting and the producers ask if he will accept their digital replica. If the actor says no, they may not give him the role,” she explains. Top-notch actors will be able to negotiate and say no without losing the role. “But small actors like us don't bring as much money to the union and they don't protect us as much”, considered Kika Magalhães. The actress doubts the solution put forward by one of the clauses, according to which if a studio uses digital replicas of an actor this You will be paid corresponding to the hours you would be filming. “This is very relative, because a scene can take a month to film. They can say it took a day to make.” Actress Justine Bateman also criticized loopholes that allow studios to use digital replicas without actors' consent when certain conditions are met. The results of the votes will be known on December 5th. If there are 50%+1 “yes” votes, this contract will come into force for the next three years. “I have heard many actors saying that they will vote no”, said Kika Magalhães. Her husband, actor Chris Marrone, said that “if the majority fully understands what they are signing, then they vote no.” Marrone considered that the SAG contract “doesn’t seem like a big victory after all” and that there should be specific language to define the actors as human beings. This is something that actress Katja Herbers also defends, in opposition to “synthetic actors”. However, the expectation is that the “yes” will win, because the industry has been at a standstill for too long and there is widespread fatigue. This is what Mário anticipates Carvalhal, who belongs to the Animation Guild, stressing that the stoppage was long and the “no” appears to be a minority. “There is a possibility that some people will vote no, but I believe that these new measures will pass and be approved,” he told Lusa. “I think it is a minority that is very right in what they are demanding, but it was practically a whole year of work stopped in this city and I think everyone is ready to move forward”. Mário Carvalhal considers that the big risk of AI will be the reduction in quality and a change in the way the environment works. “Actors have more to claim, especially when it comes to those who do voices. There have already been cases where AI can do the job,” he said. “It's an inferior job, but for many companies it's enough and doesn't cost them anything.” Carvalhal considers that actors “must maintain their rights to image, voice and everything else, their likeness.” The Portuguese also stressed that, although the strikes did not achieve all their objectives, they allowed “important steps in the right direction” to be taken and this is an aspect of which the strikers are proud. “As much as possible, I think the workers won this fight”, he considered. For screenwriter Filipe Coutinho, member of the Portuguese Cinema Academy, the unions were justified in their fight, which took longer than expected. “I'm quite satisfied for the way both the WGA and SAG acted over these six months”, he told Lusa. “It’s an unbelievable time to have an entire industry at a standstill,” he stressed. “California is one of the largest economies in the world and it is incomprehensible that it took so long for the studios to offer a fair contract to writers and actors.” Filipe Coutinho also said that, even with the agreements, “everything is a little upside down. the air”, with studios and production companies “trying to understand what the next phase will be”. The Portuguese mentioned changes in the business model, with 'blockbusters' expected to fail at the box office, cancellation of films and the dilemma of 'streaming '.“No one really knows what to invest in and under what conditions to invest, and now contracts also change the approach to content production.” Afonso Salcedo, lighting artist, who worked on the new Disney film “Wish – The Power of Desires”, considers that the strikes were difficult but important, at a time when it is not yet clear to what extent AI will affect the industry. “The agreements will last three years so I think it is a good step to see what it is like that the technologies will work in the coming years”, he indicated, noting that the animation segment will have to renegotiate the contract in 2024. “It will be interesting to see what will happen, if we are going to negotiate protections against Artificial Intelligence”, stated Afonso Salcedo. “Maybe, next year, we will get into these fights with the studios again.” The vote on the agreement reached between the SAG-Aftra union and the studios runs until December 5th. The results will be tabulated and published on the same day. — adherents, 2d ago

new As with many things at the international level, progress in one area is often simultaneous with a perceived lack of progress in others. Despite efforts of the United Nations to push for more global gender equality, feminist scholars such as Tickner (2005) have argued that women suffer from discrimination that means they are still not being taken seriously at both an institutional and grassroots level. And, it is hard to read the case of Saudi Arabia vis-à-vis the United Nations as evidence of this changing. Discrimination and inequality for women remains, particularly in states that may be suffering from poverty, war or deprivation. And, when António Guterres became UN Secretary General in 2017 he continued an unbroken run of male leadership going back to the founding of the organization in 1945. As a result, and despite progress, feminists remain watchful over the United Nations and critical of its ability to achieve the results needed. A continued negative gendered perspective within the functioning of the organisation serves to slow or hinder structural change for women around the world. The critique seems to have caught on and Guterres (2020) has made commitments towards using his leadership to make this ‘the century of women’s equality’. — E-International Relations, 2d ago

new Dr. Durrance has an interdisciplinary research and education program in long-term human space exploration. The hazards associated with long-term exposure to the space environment, such as radiation damage and the loss of bone mass, are not sufficiently understood to determine whether they pose acceptable risks or not. Research focused on these hazards is critical to sustained human presence outside the protective environment of the Earth ’s atmosphere and magnetosphere. This program uses the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLS Lab) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC); as well as labs at Florida Tech.Lunar dust physics: Enabling technologies must be developed, including systems to mitigate the damaging effects of dust contamination; technologies that use the local planetary resources to produce consumables such as oxygen, water and rocket propellant; food production systems; innovative range technologies and many more. We are currently studying the induction charging characteristics of lunar dust.Bone Loss: The objectives of the bone project are (1) to provide a dynamic model of the structure and function of bone in response to loading with sufficient precision to predict the effect of any arbitrary loading history and (2) to develop and refine new countermeasures against bone loss.Radiation damage: Solar and galactic radiation is a major hazard to space crews during long-duration flights and planetary bases beyond the Earth ’s magnetic field. Intense solar flares can induce acute radiation sickness, galactic cosmic rays can kill brain cells that the body cannot replace, and all forms of radiation can induce cancer. The only known safety measure is shielding to prevent the high-speed particles from reaching the crew.Dr. Durrance is has an interdisciplinary research and education program in astrobiology addressing three fundamental questions: How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe? What is the future of life on Earth and beyond? Research addressing these questions is highly interdisciplinary involving fields such as physics, biology, chemistry, geology, and planetary science.Extrasolar Planets: Most of the newly discovered planets have been found using indirect techniques, where the planet ’s effect on light emitted from the parent star is detected, not the light emitted by the planet itself. The most likely technique for detecting life on these planets is a detailed analysis of their spectra; therefore, we are developing a system that may be able to detect IR emissions from exoplanets using large, ground-based telescopes along with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) techniques developed for radio astronomy.Amyloid Fiber Formation: We are pursuing research that may shed light on a fundamental question regarding the origin of life: how did the transition from non-living to living matter occur? We are investigating the spontaneous formation of long linear fibers from a weak solution of proteins using dielectric spectroscopy. This phenomenon may be important in neurodegenerative diseases and it may help to understand the emergence of ordered biological structures that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium.Dr. Durrance Director of the Sub-Orbital Research and Training Center that utilizes flights of high performance F-104 jets from the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at KSC. In addition to the testing of prototype spaceflight hardware for NASA and commercial companies, we are developing an imaging system designed specifically for imaging Earth ’s coastal regions. The coastal zone is not only the most significant ocean area in terms of productivity, economics, recreation, and natural resources but it is also the most difficult to image. — fit.edu, 2d ago

new Women have always been outnumbered by girls in the sparklier parts of culture. The love object in a pop song, after all, is almost always a girl. (A song like John Lennon’s Woman, written for his wife Yoko Ono, is one of the exceptions that proves the rule, and the word seems to be there to make the song sound grownup, not teenage. Rarely has pop sounded so stately.) As Steinem reminds us, women “lose power as they age”. Understandably, many women find this quite annoying. A big tent of girlhood in which everyone is welcome can be a way of allowing more of us to align with all the positive associations of youth – being fun, being attractive, being vital. Who knows? Maybe girlhood-for-all can be both an infuriating symbol of our ageist culture and a well-meaning gesture at the same time. — the Guardian, 2d ago

new The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gave the world a surprise on its first day, Thursday. Delegates from more than 160 countries unanimously agreed to formally establish the Loss and Damage Fund, pledging more than $400 million to support the world's particularly vulnerable countries in their efforts to cope with the loss and damage caused by climate change. This groundbreaking progress has brought much-needed good news to the world, raising confidence and expectations for the outcomes of this conference.The issue of funding has been a focal point in recent UN climate conferences, with prolonged and intense debates surrounding the amount of aid and compensation developed countries should offer for their historical emissions, as well as the ways of raising and distributing the funds. However, the urgency of the severe climate change situation has led to significant achievements. Developed countries have committed to mobilizing $100 billion a year to support climate finance. The establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund was a decision made at COP27 in Egypt in 2022, but its implementation has not been easy. Nonetheless, this time, several developed countries have made pledges toward the fund. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), host country of COP28, committed $100 million, Germany, $100 million, the UK, 40 million pounds (about $50.6 million) and 20 million pounds for other arrangements, Japan, $10 million, and the US, known for its grandstanding on climate issues, only $17.5 million. When it comes to paying, some countries revealed their true face. The amount pledged by the US is meager in comparison with its status as the world's largest economy and the responsibility in addressing climate change it should bear given its highest historical cumulative carbon emissions, leading to criticism from attending delegates and experts who deemed it "disappointing," "shocking," and "embarrassing."However, amid this disappointment, there were heartening developments. When the US once again let the world down at the critical moment, other countries stepped up. On the second day of the climate conference, Friday, the UAE announced $30 billion for a new climate finance fund, aiming to mobilize $250 billion by the end of the decade. It also aims to improve the flow of money into projects to reduce emissions, especially in the Global South.Washington should really feel ashamed of this scene. The New York Times bluntly questioned in a September article: How Long Can America's Climate Hypocrisy Last? "It's nothing new for climate ambition and climate hypocrisy to flicker back and forth like the two faces of a lenticular hologram," said the article. Even the American media itself says so, showing how bad the US' performance is on climate issues.Another typical example is the deliberate effort by the US to woo Pacific island nations, establishing new embassies and claiming to help them maintain "maritime security." However, when it comes to the climate issues that these countries genuinely care about, Washington exhibits conspicuous stinginess and parsimony. The true focus of Washington in its diplomacy is becoming increasingly evident to people.At any rate, the US cannot be absent when addressing the issue of climate. Even if other countries are proactive, they cannot fill the irresponsible void left by the US. Conversely, if the US fails to set an example on climate issues, it completely loses its qualification to pursue global leadership. In any case, the US must shoulder its due obligations and responsibilities. The Democratic Party shows a more positive attitude toward climate issues than the Republican Party. The Biden administration should take advantage of its time in office to push for substantive progress on climate issues with greater determination and force.This current climate conference's crucial agenda is the "Global Stocktake," where each contracting party will review progress and gaps in implementing key provisions of the Paris Agreement. The focus will also be on "four paradigm shifts": fast-tracking energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030; transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance; putting nature, people, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; mobilizing for the most inclusive COP ever. These are ambitious goals indeed.In the realm of climate, every step forward is incredibly challenging. It is precisely because of this difficulty that each achievement is so valuable. Regardless, we observe that human society is moving forward step by step, even though the pace is still too slow and lags behind the rate of environmental degradation. How to ensure that this collective effort of all humanity involves less short-term selfish calculations and more long-term vision of shared future, and stronger climate actions, is crucial for the future and fate of humanity. No one can escape or evade this duty, especially for countries with significant responsibilities and obligations. — globaltimes.cn, 2d ago

new SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 23 November 2023 - (NASDAQ: AMZN) – This holiday season, Amazon Singapore engages the local community with ‘Page to Page: Amazon Singapore Books Pop Up’, a unique and immersive reading experience happening from 2 - 17 Dec 2023 at Punggol Regional Library. The initiative will launch on 2 Dec 2023 with an opening ceremony, with invited guests that include children and family beneficiaries as part of the Amazon x Shop for Good wishlist initiative. To further underscore their support for the local community, Amazon Singapore will also be donating a total of $100,000 in cash to 4 local NPOs, including Children’s Wishing Well, Club Rainbow (Singapore), Fei Yue Family Service Centre and Glyph Community, to help children and youths in Singapore better learn, play, and develop in the long-run. The donations will be presented to representatives from the various NPOs at the launch of ‘Page to Page: Amazon Singapore Books Pop Up’. Amazon Singapore’s increase in support for underprivileged children and their families is aligned to the direction from the Forward SG Report 2023 to look to social empowerment rather than social assistance when it comes to supporting and uplifting lower-income families. This effort held at the Punggol Regional Library underscores Amazon’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of lifelong readers as well as the history of the company that began as an online book store. The pop-up promises an enriching experience for families and young school children, extending reading resources to the heartlands. Showcasing a tree adorned with books sourced from Amazon Singapore's diverse local and international sellers, the initiative fosters a sense of community, inspiring a passion for literacy during the festive season. Families are encouraged to join with their children, to cultivate a mutual love for reading and engaging in creative activities to craft special moments with each other. Under the Amazon x Shop for Good wishlist initiative, Amazon Singapore continues to work closely with local NPOs to understand the evolving needs of the underprivileged and channel resources to uplift and nurture them, especially children. In addition, the initiative serves to raise awareness and encourage the public to give to meaningful causes regularly and offers a platform for donating transparently. Delivering Smiles in Singapore this holiday season Amazon Singapore’s wishlist initiative started in 2020 to make giving and doing good a part of daily experiences for customers in Singapore, especially during the pandemic. As people shop on Amazon.sg for holiday gifts or everyday essentials, they can browse the items requested by NPOs on their respective wishlists, click to purchase them per their budget, and directly support the causes they are most passionate about. Each NPO’s wishlist is an updated depository of items which their beneficiaries currently need most and works as a self-serve tool—at no cost to NPOs—to inform customers on Amazon.sg what the NPOs need and their quantity. Customers who are keen to donate can select any listed item and quantity, make the payment, and have the items delivered directly to the NPOs’ specified address. This minimizes instances of mismatched items being donated to NPOs or the need to drop them off physically while offering the same vast selection, convenient shopping experience, and great prices that customers have come to expect from Amazon.sg. A total of 16 local NPOs are currently part of the Amazon x Shop for Good wishlist initiative: Arc Children’s Centre, Beyond Social Services, Blessings in a Bag, Children’s Wishing Well, Club Rainbow (Singapore), Engineering Good, Fei Yue, Glyph Community, New Hope Community Services, Singapore Red Cross, SHINE Children and Youth Services, Singapore Children’s Society, The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), SOSD, The Food Bank Singapore, and Willing Hearts. Joanna Tan, CEO, Children’s Wishing Well, said, “This donation initiative has enabled us to acquire food items for the children, books to enhance their learning and development, educational materials, and much more. As we approach the year's end, we look forward to ongoing support in ensuring our children have the essentials and educational resources they require.” Lim Si Hui, Co-General Manager, Glyph Community Limited, said, "Through the Shop for Good wish list, our aim is to enhance our capabilities with the essential equipment necessary for implementing our exciting new technology, coding, and AI programme! With products such as tablets as a critical tool, we can empower young children to thrive in the digital age." Teo Siang Loong, Executive Directior, Club Rainbow (Singapore), said, “We at Club Rainbow are elated by the endless possibilities that comes with this partnership with Amazon Singapore. Being part of Shop for Good has enabled our beneficiaries to receive many essential necessities such as milk powder and diapers. These items contribute to our monthly distribution efforts to support the basic needs of our low-income families. Books and many other educational resources will augment the learning and development of our pre-schoolers, primary and secondary school children through ongoing early intervention programmes, tuition sessions and enrichment activities. These initiatives are pivotal as key enablers to ease the financial distress for our vulnerable families, and empower them to live with dignity.” Arthur Ling, Chief Executive, Fei Yue Family Service Centre, said, “Our Shop for Good wish list eases the financial strain on low-income families, allowing them to prioritise their resources for other daily necessities. Through the distribution of milk and diapers to our Family Service Centres, we empower our social workers to provide essential support to our beneficiaries.” Customers can join Amazon in its season of giving by shopping for an NPO’s wishlist via amazon.sg/shopforgood. Hashtag: #Amazonsg #DeliveringSmileshttp://www.twitter.com/amazonsghttp://www.facebook.com/Amazon.sghttp://www.instagram.com/Amazon.SG... — SME Business Daily Media, 2d ago

new So yes, the vast majority of humanity just want the US to go away and leave them to manage their own affairs. The problem with abusive narcissists is that they can turn into “family destroyers”, wiping out the rest of the family because they just "know" that the family (i.e. humanity) cannot survive without them. If they are to go away, then so must humanity. When those wanting a faster rate of change complain about the careful and patient diplomacy and actions of Russia, Iran and China, they must remember the dangerous lunatic that those nations are dealing with; one that can make humanity disappear with it if it so decides, in a global murder suicide. Anyone looking at the current psychopathic thrashings of the Israeli state must hold no flights of fancy about a US where a quarter of the population still believe in a heretical bible Armageddon fantasy, and its elite are wedded to their global dominance. Such lunatics have to be carefully managed and slowly subdued in order to reduce the possibilities of self-destructive and psychopathic rage-induced paroxysms. — The Greanville Post, 2d ago

new Otts-Rubenstein is the full-time caretaker for her daughter, Evelyn Rubenstein.Evelyn, or “Ev,” is medically complex and disabled, and struggles with many of the same health issues the children of some migrant families do: Cerebral palsy. Seizures. Mobility. Temperature regulation.Otts-Rubenstein and her wife, Rachel Rubenstein, adopted Evelyn from a different foster couple. The foster dad in that couple shook her when she was just a few weeks old. She never recovered, said Otts-Rubenstein.“Ev is a happy, silly kid with disabilities, who makes us proud and makes us laugh every single day, but the access and management of her care is a daily fight with health care institutions, schools and society at large,” she said. “And we have the privilege of being white, educated and English-speaking. Something none of these folks have.”On Otts-Rubenstein’s left bicep is a tattoo of the first sugya or portion of the Talmud — an ancient Jewish text — she ever learned. It reminds her that an essential quality of leadership is demonstrating how to make the impossible possible with just what is in front of us, she said.She converted to Judaism in her mid-20s, and stepped away from her job as a project manager to respond to her daughter’s needs.“I can’t do a lot of things, but I can do this,” she said.She says the same about the over two dozen migrant families with medically complex children she helps out on a weekly — and often daily — basis.“Whatever we can do along the way to help them get to the next step is what we’re supposed to do,” she said.The goal when taking care of any medically complex child, Otts-Rubenstein said, is to make sure that your child is alive at the end of the day.“They’ve done that alone, basically walking across a continent, and have kept their kids safe,” she said. “These families should not have made it. And they did.”That, she said, is a miracle. — Governing, 2d ago

new Pizza Hut has been in the UK for 50 years and when we started, we were predominantly a restaurant business, which has expanded into a considerable portfolio of 150 restaurants. But over the years, customers have changed and so have their expectations and how they want to interact with brands. So now we have 370 delivery express units and we are adapting further in the future with all of our platforms accessible through our app. It’s an increasingly disrupted, unpredictable and changeable world in all sectors today and so being agile and creative about every aspect of the business is essential to staying relevant and competitive. You cannot afford to stop listening to your customers, particularly the criticisms. Our plan is to become even more digital, with a brand that is relevant to younger consumers coming through and that means operating sustainably and making the right choices about how we operate. The danger is, after 50 years of success, complacency can start to creep in and there are many businesses that have fallen foul of that. So, staying close and attuned to our customers is extremely important. — theHRDIRECTOR, 2d ago

new KAREN HAO: I think it was a very tumultuous and very emotional and very sleep deprived period of days after Altman was fired and reinstated for the employees. Of course, like you said, none of them knew that this was happening, they had no idea what was going on and the board never explained really why they had ultimately fired Altman. And so it kind of, the, the progression of like their emotions went from like confusion to fear when Brockman leaves and then three senior research scientists also leave two anger at the board, like really, really deep anger because they were like, "If you're going to do something dramatic, we deserve answers as employees." And when they didn't, the, the longer they didn't get answers, the more and more worked up it became. And part of this is, I mean many companies within Silicon Valley have this- they really emphasize that companies are families and you as an employee are not just an employee of any company, you, it is your identity OpenAI takes this to the max, like the fact that they say that their mission is for the benefit of humanity. Like people genuinely believe this and they think that this is like they're dedicating their life to this. It's not just like, "This is my job and then I go home." This is like all, all they think about sometimes. And so it's like that level of anger of like, if you are going to do something that could ruin this company that we genuinely believe is doing good for the world, like how dare you not tell us why and how dare you continue to kind of leave us in the dark and and and not treat us as like critical stakeholders in this, in this whole fiasco. And so what happened was kind of organically the employees started rapidly organizing on Twitter. So they, they started like posting very similar messages by the hundreds kind of on Twitter of like every time Sam Altman said, "I love OpenAI so much, I miss it." You know, you would see like employees retweeting it with a heart emoji and just it would, like when I opened my Twitter feed, it was just like dozens and dozens and dozens of heart emojis. Not because I was looking at any like OpenAI specific feed that was just what was showing up on my regular feed. And then there were the the like OpenAI is nothing without its people that everyone started tweeting as well. And that was sort of a way to try and pressure the board to give answers. And then of course that ultimately escalated to over 700 employees outta 770 signing a letter saying that like, if Sam is not reinstated, they're all gonna quit. And so I think another dimension that's sort of important to add to this is most if not all of the OpenAI employees, their compensation packages are majority stock and Bloomberg has a good article on this, you know like the average compensation is around like 800,000 to a million dollars and maybe 60% or something of that like that is actually stock. So if a company, if the company does not exist anymore, all of a sudden your stock goes to zero. And that was also extremely stressful for people because people were banking on, you know, some, some people were, had already bought houses based on projected income or were looking to buy houses based on the projected income that were suddenly worried about paying their mortgage. There were people that were on visas that if the company doesn't exist anymore and they don't get hired fast, then their ability to stay in the country is jeopardized and maybe they already have family and then like, you know, that's gonna throw their entire family into disarray as well. So there were a lot of other aspects of it, not just the identity or the ideology piece that led employees to kind of have this very emotional and tumultuous time. And when Altman was reinstated there were some great details that were reported in the information about how employees like gathered at the office and they were crying and cheering and just, it was like a huge massive sigh of relief honestly, that they have their jobs still and that this company still exists and all the things that they've been working towards are going to continue to exist in some form or other and that they can move on with their lives, basically. — Big Think, 2d ago

new The ceasefire between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip that began last Saturday was canceled by the IDF, which claimed Hamas had broken the truce by firing on Israeli troops. The ceasefire had been called after more than six weeks of intense IDF attack on Gaza and what Israel described as a “complete siege” of the small territory, leading to acute shortages of food, water, medicine, fuel, and other basic necessities.Several dozen prisoners were released by both sides during the “humanitarian pause,” which also saw much-needed aid begin to enter the densely-populated enclave that is home to more than 2.2 million people, more than half of whom have been forced from their homes by the IDF assault.Dr. Ramzy Baroud, an author, editor of the Palestine Chronicle, and senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs, told Radio Sputnik’s The Backstory on Thursday that Israeli policy has always been based on negating Palestine and Palestinians as a concept, allowing the justification of any and every action against the Palestinian people.Baroud said that Israel’s assault on Gaza was totally unprecedented, even in terms of its past brutalities, including the 1948 “Nakba” or “catastrophe,” when 700,000 Palestinians were forced out of the land that became Israel and 15,000 were killed.“But even for that generation, this is completely unprecedented. I don't think we've ever seen anything like this, even during the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1947-48. Yes, we have seen massacres, but we haven't seen a situation in which you have 2.3 million people placed within a confined area, surrounded by the navy, by a military, by tanks, by drones, by all the best American air defense is able to offer. And they are being targeted randomly, with no warnings, including schools, hospitals, homes - anything that you can possibly imagine. There is no safe zone. And then with time, a process of starvation began occurring.”“Fifteen thousand people are dead so far, 7,000+ are wounded. If you are missing under the rubble, most likely dead. If you combine these two numbers by themselves - forget about the wounded and forget about everybody else - that's about 1% of the entire population of Gaza that’s been killed. One percent. More bodies are being recovered, nearly 40,000 people wounded, the World Food Program is saying that 2.2 million of Gaza's population are in urgent need for food. They have no food. Gaza's entire population is anywhere between 2.2 to 2.3 million. It means that pretty much everybody in Gaza has no food and no clean water,” Baroud explained.“So this is completely unprecedented. And yet American politicians, officials are lining up with the same chorus every day: ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’. This is terrifying in the sense that Palestinians have shown clearly that they have no breaking and that they are willing to go to the very end to fight for their rights. But it doesn't seem like there is a moral breaking point for the Americans. I mean, this is the truth of it. If Israel has done all of this and destroyed 60% of all homes in Gaza, and the Americans haven't yet woken up to the idea that this is really bad and this needs to stop, it means that the Americans have no moral threshold that can't be crossed. And that is what's truly terrifying about all of this.”“And it’s not like any of this is new to the US,” Baroud said. “I mean, books, volumes written about it not only by Palestinian historians like myself, but also by Israeli historians, the likes of Ilan Pappe, for example. This process of dehumanization - recently, I wrote an article about the history of genocidal language in Israel. This has been going on for 75 years. When you fight an enemy and dehumanize that enemy at the same time, you create that mindset that when you are ready to completely get rid of that enemy, it doesn't register as an immoral act. This is why the Israelis, from the very, very beginning, for example, before Israel itself was established on the ruins of Palestine in 1948, for decades, they have created this narrative that Palestine is an empty land, it's a land of no people, that should be available for a people who have no land. So the entire infrastructure of Israel, moral infrastructure, was based on the assumption that the Palestinians do not exist.”“Now, why this is functional, and that's what I argued in the article, is because when the war started and the Israelis started trying to convince Egypt and Jordan, through American mediation, to accept millions of Palestinians who were going to be kicked out of Gaza and the West Bank, they immediately resorted to this idea that the only solution is to betray the Palestinians. That's where genocide becomes functional. Because it wasn't entirely surprising to anybody, because that's what they have been saying.”“In Israel they have a different term for it: they don't call it ethnic cleansing, they call it population transfer. It's a polite way of saying ‘kick all the Palestinians out of their own historic homeland in which they have been living for thousands of years’. And the Americans, not only were they not neutral about it and they did not say ‘no, back off, what is this nonsense, we are living in the 21st century, we can't be allowing this’. No, [US Secretary of State] Antony Blinken actually goes to Egypt and he offers Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian president, he offers him money in order for him to temporarily accept 1 million or 1.5 million Palestinian from Gaza.""And we know, I'm a Palestinian refugee myself, we know that the moment you cross the border out of Palestine, you are never allowed to go back. So basically, they wanted to create another Nakba, another population transfer, if you will, and Palestinians are not going to come back. So they're going to irritate the supposed peaceful existence of the state of Israel.”... — Sputnik International, 2d ago

new Most importantly, the RISE grant helped Northeastern purchase its simulators, which include a birth simulator, a pediatric simulator and two adult simulators. Using the simulators students can do everything from listen to heartbeats and breathing sounds to insert a catheter and their patients are even able to talk to them and answer questions.Instructors shared that the simulators are invaluable because they help students grow their confidence and figure out what they still need to learn while realizing just how much they already know. Plus, it's a great place for students to apply what they've learned in the classroom.Nursing students commented that the simulators help make them more comfortable, teach them time management, provide valuable hands-on experience outside of the classroom and allow them to work on their critical thinking skills."I like simulation because it is a place for me to make errors and not have to worry about killing the patients," Brandon Williams said.Before watching a demonstration of the birth simulator, the group heard from Jennifer Garcia, a student who benefited from the RISE grant and in May will be graduating with an RN (Registered Nursing) degree. From California, she was working a dead-end job when her sister was accepted into NJC's program and encouraged her to enroll. After taking a job at Sterling Regional MedCenter as an inventory associate to make sure that healthcare was right for her, she fell in love almost immediately and went to work earning her CNA degree."Being from out of state it's been very difficult for me," Garcia said, explaining that the cost for her to attend Northeastern is much higher than a student who has lived here all of their life. "I wasn't sure I would be able to afford it and then came the RISE grant. It just lifted this great burden off me and I was able to focus all of my time and attention into preparing my skills.""I am very grateful to the RISE grant for everything it has given me because I feel that I have a purpose," Garcia added, sharing that she plans to work in the community when she graduates.Next, Giacomini shared how for years, she and Brower discussed how they could partner with students coming in, who often come from a country where they were a veterinarian or a doctor but now they need to get the skills and credentials to be able to work in the United States. Through the RISE grant, they were able to remove the financial barrier for some of the students and it also helped them create an integrated education and training program.Northeastern found a cohort of students whose language proficiency was just enough that they could have a basic conversation but they needed language skills specific to a CNA, which they got through a customized English training that was developed. The college also worked with them on workforce preparation skills like communication, time management, learning cultural differences, etc."It was great to finally pilot this program that we'd been trying for so long to get together," Giacomini said, adding that now those students are recruiting others to the CNA program.Next, was the simulation, which involved a pregnant woman who came in stable but started deteriorating with her heart rate and blood pressure showing signs of distress and her oxygen level dropping. She then experienced an eclamptic seizure due to high blood pressure and when the mother awakened it was determined she was in labor. The mother went on to deliver a healthy baby girl, who was examined for any problems and vaccinated.After the simulation, the group heard from Shelly Griffith, CEO of Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center, one of Northeastern's main clinical sites for both nursing and CNA students."We rely heavily on (NJC) to help train CNAs, individuals who are looking to pursue an entry point into the medical field," she said. "The beauty of NJC is they have been able to flex some schedules and be able to accommodate those who may need to be working full-time while they are looking to grow their career options."NJC's program is especially critical given the shortage of healthcare workers. Griffith shared Eben Ezer has a need for 20 CNAs right now,"What's happening is the demand for our service is significant and so people are having to go on a wait list, which means that many people, their needs are not being met because nursing homes throughout the rural communities are not able to meet that need because of limited staffing levels," she explained.Following her remarks, guests had a chance to try out the simulators themselves.The day ended with a panel discussion that included Tamara Durbin, executive director of Northeast Colorado BOCES; Kyle Stumpf, Superintendent of Holyoke School District; Danielle Ongart, Executive Director of Colorado Department of Education's Student Pathways; and Misti Ruthven, Director of Education and Training Innovation for the Office of Governor Polis.They talked about the importance of career connected learning as it benefits both students and the economy by opening students' eyes to career opportunities they might want to consider. Stumpf mentioned the success of his district's internship program.The group also talked about some of the barriers that exist to providing this, the biggest being cost, especially in northeast Colorado where it costs a lot to transport students from their school to another school that offers the program they're interested in. There is also the challenge of trying to ensure all students have equitable access. Durbin pointed out that students who live in northeast Colorado need to have the same opportunities available to them as those on the Front Range.During a question and answer session with the audience, Trae Miller, executive director of the Logan County Economic Development Corporation, pointed out that internships and apprenticeships sound great but the state requirements that go into those and the reporting aspects create a barrier for businesses to participate in those programs. He also shared that students need help with basic skills such as showing up on time and learning how to take instruction.Ongart suggested there needs to be a regional entity in place to help students and businesses navigate this, so it doesn't all fall on the district or the business, and Stumpf mentioned his district teaches a class an hour a day with all of those skills and they also provide businesses with funding to help offset the costs of doing an internship.State Sen. Byron Pelton asked why the state is reinventing the wheels with apprenticeships, instead of learning from what's in place now. He said his frustration with recent legislation regarding apprenticeships is "you're going to have a lot of outside forces that are going to try to do their best to send it one way or the other when we need to just worry about the entire workforce, not just a little part of it; we need to worry about the entire workforce." Pelton pointed out in two years, half of Colorado's electrical trade will be retiring, "so we've got to get more people in there," he commented.He also said would like for time in college courses to count toward credit for both college and high school, which he plans to introduce a bill to require."We realize the importance of apprenticeships and we have challenges in trying to determine those opportunities for youth in high schools and have that be seamless for them," Durbin said, adding that it's something they are working on.©2023 Journal-Advocate, Sterling, Colo. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. — GovTech, 2d ago