BOSTON For a lawn that helps the environment and doesnt need to be mowed look to the ocean. Meadows of underwater seagrass plants might lower levels of harmful bacteria in nearby ocean waters, researchers reported February 16 during a news conference at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. That could make the whole ecosystem from corals to fish to humans healthier.

Not truly a grass, seagrasses are flowering plants with long, narrow leaves. They grow in shallow ocean water, spreading into vast underwater lawns. Seagrasses are a marine powerhouse, almost equal to the rainforest. Theyre one of the largest stores of carbon in the ocean, says study coauthor Joleah Lamb, an ecologist at Cornell University. But they dont get a lot of attention.

Its no secret that seagrasses improve water quality, says James Fourqurean, a biologist at Florida International University in Miami who wasnt involved in the research, which appears in the Feb. 17 Science. The plants are great at removing excess nitrogen and phosphorus from coastal waters. But now, it seems, they might take away harmful bacteria, too.

A few years ago, Lambs colleagues became ill with amoebic dysentery while studying coral reefs in Indonesia, an archipelagic nation that straddles the Indian and Pacific oceans. When a city or village on one of the countrys thousands of islands dumps raw sewage into the ocean, shoreline bacteria populations can spike to dangerous levels.

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Water sampled close to the shores of four small and densely populated Indonesian islands had 10 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys recommended exposure limit of Enterococcus bacteria, which can cause illness in humans and often signals the presence of other pathogens. But water collected from offshore tidal flats and coral reefs with seagrass beds had lower levels of the bacteria compared with similar sites without the plants less than 20 meters away. The water had lower levels of numerous bacterial species that can make fish and marine invertebrates sick, too. And field surveys of more than 8,000 coral heads showed that those growing adjacent to or within seagrass beds had fewer diseases than those growing farther away.

Its unclear how far from seagrass beds this cleaner water extends, but the benefits can ripple through the entire ecosystem, Lamb said at the news conference. Healthier corals help protect the islands from erosion. And fish less contaminated with bacteria make a better source of food for people.

Lamb is planning follow-up studies to figure out exactly how the seagrasses clean the water. Like a shag carpet, seagrasses trap small particulates drifting through the ocean and prevent them from flowing on. The plants might ensnare bacteria in the same way, building up biofilms on their blades. Or, she suggests, the leaves could be giving off antimicrobial compounds that directly kill the bacteria.

The findings are one more reason to conserve seagrasses, study coauthor Jeroen van de Water, an ecologist at the Scientific Center of Monaco, said at the news conference. Worldwide, seagrass beds are declining by 7 percent each year, thanks to pollution and habitat loss. And while restoration efforts are underway in some areas, its better to stop what were doing to the meadows than to try to replant them, Lamb added. Seagrasses are quite particular in the depth they want to be at and the environment they want to have. Its hard to start doing restoration projects if the environment isnt exactly what the seagrass prefers.

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Five Steps To Build A Startup Ecosystem In Your City Forbes According to a Kauffman Foundation report, in the US,"new businesses account for nearly all net new job creation and almost 20 percent of gross job creation." It's no wonder there is so much hype about emerging startup ecosystems, and so much new focus ...

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Five Steps To Build A Startup Ecosystem In Your City - Forbes

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Advancing The Startup Ecosystem: Why It's About Inclusion, Not Just ... Forbes Diversity and inclusion are equally important in the workplace. The words are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Diversity means ... and more »

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Advancing The Startup Ecosystem: Why It's About Inclusion, Not Just ... - Forbes

The Age of Ecosystem-Based Communications Emerges Every industry has a unique set of communications requirements -- an ecosystem, if you will.

Every industry has a unique set of communications requirements -- an ecosystem, if you will.

Ever since the first cave paintings some 30,000 years ago, man has been trying to find ways to communicate effectively over time and space. For most of this time period image and text have been the dominant tools, and I suspect that these elements are now part of our collective DNA. In the 20th and 21st centuries, man's focus has been on making communications richer and more secure... as long as it involves a phone call. We in the communications industry have seen this as the Holy Grail. But is it?

Today I am seeing a sort of devolution in communications. Uber is the quintessential example. It disintermediated the dispatcher, or maybe it just automated that job. Regardless, a task that previously required a phone call now relies on a series of text and image-based communications. Yes, voice calling is available in the Uber interface, but it is rarely used because the app constantly updates the customer with the driver's location and arrival status. An Uber customer only needs to communicate with a driver if something has gone wrong. The old model, which involved a series of siloed taxi companies in a given geography, has become an ecosystem that has broken down corporate- and government-regulated monopolies.

Dispatching the Old Model Another example comes from Dispatch, a company with which I recently spent some time. It is using some Uber-like techniques to automate manufacturers' outsourced field-service dispatch processes and put consumers in control of their experiences.

Dispatch lets consumers schedule field service appointments via a mobile app or the Web; the back-end system supports geolocation and multiparty messaging, offering direct communications through SMS and email, or via the app, to independent contractors. Further, Dispatch can provide reminders with the automated ability to reschedule appointments, and can serve up a map that shows the technician's travel progress and estimated time of arrival. Sound familiar?

For manufacturers with outsourced field service organizations, Dispatch offers a feedback loop in the form of ratings at the end of each experience, and metadata reporting that never existed in the old model. This allows manufacturers that outsource field service the ability to respond to customer issues in minutes after an event occurs rather than having to wait days or weeks to receive survey responses or, worse, to see comments posted on social media. In the old model, the manufacturer was never aware of a missed appointment unless the consumer made enough noise.

Dispatch has recently closed deals with some rather large appliance manufacturers, and works with a significant portion of the home warranty industry. If you own a home with a heating or air conditioning system, or visited one of the biggest home improvement retailers, then you will soon have an opportunity to use the Dispatch.me service.

Notable in my description above is the lack of any mention of audio or video communications. Yes, Dispatch supports voice calling today and soon will add video communications; however, like Uber, from a communications or business process perspective, those modes will be the exception, not the norm.

Ecosystem of Communications Some of these communications features can cross over to other ecosystems; however, collectively, they represent a unique combination that matches the needs of the ecosystem. Effectively, every industry has a unique set of communications requirements. This is what I mean by ecosystem-based communications. If you run an R&D operation that contemplates communications solutions or builds products in the enterprise communications space, then you might consider this in your product planning process. Else, ecosystem players like Uber and Dispatch will create their own from the growing CPaaS options.

As humans, we seek simplicity and the path of least resistance. The communications industry has spent the last seven generations trying to replace the communications tools of the previous 1,500 generations with phone calls. We have reduced calling to a single click, yet for some industries, this is not optimal.

Ecosystem-based communications tools are evolving at this very moment, and that evolution is not based on the confines of a single method of communication. Efficiency of process, not how quickly you can place a phone call, is driving ecosystem development. Further, even as the cost of telecommunications approaches zero, the use of non-phone-call-based communications is expanding. Whether this is driven by simplicity or innate human preference is yet to be determined.

More than 1,000 API-based communications solutions use WebRTC today, as Justin Uberti, a principal engineer and WebRTC lead at Google, has shared. These solutions, combined with mobile and Web interfaces, are solving enterprise problems. These are not one-size-fits-all solutions. The communications industry's solution for the household appliance industry is to create larger, more sophisticated call centers that reduce call handle time and provide voluminous metrics on performance. The ecosystem-based communications industry is focused on replacing or eliminating the need for the call center altogether with the use of alternative, and more convenient, forms of communications.

Perhaps this explains the lack of growth in the PBX/contact center business more than anything else.

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The Age of Ecosystem-Based Communications Emerges - No Jitter

Business & Tech By Iris Gonzalez | 17 hours ago

Updated 8 hours ago

Capital. Laboratory facilities. Talent pipeline. Scientific collaboration. Innovation.

These elements are most commonly cited by business leadersin talking about what San Antonio needs to build a thriving technology and science ecosystem.

The Rivard Reportrecently visited the University of Texas at San Antonio to learnabout the data-driven assessment of what it takes to build a healthy STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) ecosystem.

The UTSAInstitute for Economic Development has 10 programs that offer comprehensive resources for business and community development in the region and emphasize scale-up growth industry clusters and technology commercialization.Thenewest isthe Small Business Development Center(SBDC)Technology Commercialization Center.

Dedicated to creating a globally competitive economy in Texas, the Technology CommercializationCenterprovides technical assistance services to science and technology-based small business owners, researchers, and startup entrepreneurs looking to advance their innovations to the marketplace. Established in February 2016, the centerfocuses on aerospace and defense, biotechnology, life sciences, electronics, medical devices, petroleum refining and chemical products, energy, and computer/information technology.

Technology Commercialization Center Director Bijo Mathewand program manager J. Bruce Hughesboth recognized the need forearly support for local businesses developing STEM services or products specifically, to help them successfully commercialize their innovations.

Mathew and Hughes rely on data-driven approaches to assess the state of the tech and science ecosystems in San Antonio. They discovered that mentorship and funding at crucial stages in an entrepreneurs journey help ensure success.

The founding of science and tech businesses are different, especially startups, Mathew said. Because the tech or science proposition is speculative at its genesis, entrepreneurs must perform the due diligence to validate the science, context, competitive advantage, team competencies, market pathways, and potential valuation. The iterative and disciplined process is necessary to refine the value proposition to the commercial market and investors.

Mathew first explainedwhy many startups fail.

Many startups fail because their product or service simply isnt needed, according to CB Insights, a tech market intelligence platform.

CB Insights is a tech market intelligenceplatform that analyzes data on venture capital, startups, patents, and partnerships. Based on itscase studies, the No. 1 reason startups are unsuccessfulis entrepreneurs failureto target a market need. Tackling problems that are interesting to solve rather than those driven by customer need was cited in 42% of cases.The No. 2 reason is running out of cash to complete commercialization.

Typically startups spend lots of their scarce early resources on an idea that they have not properly vetted, Mathew said. The danger is that they run out of cash before they are able to commercialize. We need to help them understand the priority of early value proposition analysis for their innovative product or service and develop a pathway to market for that.

A crucial service Mathews center provides entrepreneurs is free, personalized counseling.The center worked withBianca Cerqueira and Lauren Cornell,co-founders ofNovoThelium, astartup biotechnology company in San Antonio that works on tissue-engineered nipples for breast reconstruction.

[Techniques for] nipple reconstructions have not been updated in over 40 years, so we wanted to provide women an updated option, Cornell said. Were still in the research and development phase. We have not yet reached the human trial phase.

Courtesy photo.

Lauren Cornell (left) and Bianca Cerqueira, co-founders of NovoThelium, are winners of $5,000 from the 2016 Womens Startup Pitch Competition hosted by Texas Womans University and the Governors Business Forum for Women.

Cornell and Cerqueira appreciated being able to share proprietary aspects of their proposed technology with a scientist like Mathew who also could advise them on commercialization.

We both have science backgrounds, but now we have a better understanding of the business aspects also, Cerqueira and Cornell agreed.

Essential to STEM entrepreneurial success is developing a product that has a readily identifiable market.

Proof of concept behind the science or technology is not enough to succeed, an entrepreneur also needs a justifiable business rationale for that tech or science proposition, Mathew said.

The commercialization centeralso helps entrepreneurs access capital at crucial stages in the commercialization process.

It is difficult to raise capital for high-risk technology or scientific propositions. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) charted the funding flows at various stages in the innovation process and found that the largest gap in available funding is between proof of concept and production.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the largest gap in available funding for innovators is in the span from proof of concept to production.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive federal program that encourages small businesses to engage in federally funded research or research and development that has the potential for commercialization.

In Phase I, startup founders explore the technical feasibility of the proposition. Founders then evaluate the commercialization potential of the innovation in Phase II. However, no SBIR funds are provided for Phase III work, when the innovation transitions from the laboratory to the marketplace.

The commercialization centerhelps entrepreneurs match their technological innovations with available funding opportunities from grant programs such as SBIR and Small Technology Transfer Research (STTR), as well as other federal, state, and local granting agencies, private foundations, and philanthropic institutions.

Mathew helped Cornell and Cerqueira with their application for the SBIR grant, which is awaitingapproval.

[With Mathews help], weve developed a series of business plans and an awareness of the product need, Cornell said.

With [the centers] institutional knowledge in submitting SBIR grants, its so helpful to have advice from someone who has done this and who is also a scientist, Cerqueira said. Since were an early company, we couldnt have afforded consulting fees, so were glad to get this help for free.

Mathew tells startup entrepreneurs to save their money for the business-related work needed for commercialization, since thats the phase where federal funding is not readily available.

By working with the SBDC, entrepreneurs can resolve the commercial and business risks early and pursue high-risk funding resources for the technical aspects of the project.A successful SBIR or STTRaward in conjunction with a vetted business model also builds the companys credibility with potential investors.

Universities are fertile testing ground for discovery, invention and new knowledge, spurring innovation needed to fuel the ecosystem. However, littleSTTR and SBIR federal funding is received for innovative research in Texas. Texas is below the national trend line for STTR and SBIR federal award funding per capita.

State Technology and Science Index

Texas is below the national trend line in federal award amounts per capita from 2010-2014.

Mathew explained there maynot be enough research-driven scientific innovation generated, or perhaps Texas maynot be sufficiently competitive in supporting tech and science businesses pursuing these awards.

To build a sustainable ecosystem, it is necessary to foster and cultivate an environment that encourages university graduates to stay in San Antonio, thereby amplifying the intellectual capital of the ecosystem, Mathew said.

He saidthat a complex and self-sustaining local ecosystem develops quickly when communities form pathways among universities, community resources, SBDCs, economic development organizations, companies and relevant stakeholders to foster tieswith start-up entrepreneurs.

Researchers who pursue their innovations locally will naturally continue to work with the community, industries, and the universities to birth innovative ideas that would attract further research and corporate dollars, jobs, incubators, and new investment opportunities for the region, Mathew said.

As the center celebrates its first year of operations, Mathew is looking to double its busy staff from twoto five. With over 25 clients mentored in just its first year, the center is off to a promising start.

Iris Gonzalez is a contributing writer covering technology, life science, and veteran affairs for the Rivard Report. A first generation Cuban American, she is also a strategic planning consultant for nonprofit and government sectors and a docent at the San Antonio Museum of Art.

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Building SA's Ecosystem One STEM Entrepreneur at a TimeRivard ... - Rivard Report

February 16, 2017 An underwater scene at National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Credit: Image courtesy of Greg McFall/NOAA.

There is a species of coralcalled bubblegum coral for its pinkish appearancethat has provided a peak into ancient migration paths for marine species as far back as 10 million years.

That discoveryand others like itcould only have happened through exploration of what is known as the deep seathe ocean's lowest layers, 200 meters (600 feet) or more below the surface. For reference, the average depth of the ocean is 3,800 meters. According to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, most recreational scuba divers only dive as deep as 40 meters (130 feet).

Despite the importance of ocean health to humankind's well-being, more than 95 percent of the world's ocean remains unexplored using advanced technologies.

"By far, the largest habitable space on our planet is the deep ocean, yet we know very little about it," says Santiago Herrera , visiting assistant professor of biological sciences at Lehigh University. "We have observed far less than 1% of all the seafloor. Scientists have a better knowledge of the surface of Mars or the Moon than we do the surface of the earth."

Herrera is part of a team working to change that by expanding knowledge of the unknown through underwater exploration at the deepest layers of the ocean.

Adds Herrera: "Every time we dive we gain a better understanding of the ocean and its importance to ensure our own survival."

This month, Herrera joins a team aboard the Okeanos Explorerbuilt and operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)as the Biology Science Lead for the 2017 American Samoa Expedition. The Okeanos Explorer is the only federally funded U.S. ship assigned to systematically explore the unknown parts of the ocean for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. The goal of this expedition is to collect critical baseline information of unknown and poorly known deepwater areas in American Samoa, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. Two voyages are planned. The first begins on February 16th and ends on March 2nd. The second part is scheduled for April 4th through 21st. The missions are telepresence-enabled and the remotely operated vehicle dives will be streamed live at: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html.

During the cruises, the at-sea and shore-based science teams will work together to map the seafloor and make some of the first deepwater scientific observations in these areas. The dives will be conducted daily from approximately 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm Eastern Time.

During the February/March trip, the team will conduct 24-hour operations consisting of daytime remotely operated vehicle dives overnight mapping operations including during transit. Daytime remotely operated vehicle operations will focus on depths between 250 and 6,000 meters and will include high-resolution visual surveys and sample collections.

"By focusing our exploration on seamounts areas between 250-6000 meters deep we expect to find new biological communities, several new species and associations between species, as well as patterns that will help us test our biogeographic and geological hypotheses," says Herrera.

Exploring an uncommon, pristine Pacific reef

The expedition is part of the three-year Campaign to Address the Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean Needs (CAPSTONE) , a NOAA initiative to collect deepwater baseline information to support science and management decisions in and around U.S. marine protected areas in the central and western Pacific.

The areas to be explored contain some of the last relatively pristine marine ecosystems on the planet and harbor numerous protected species, undiscovered shipwrecks, and cultural landscapes. Their designation is unprecedented in terms of geographic scope, ecological value, and national symbolism for ocean conservation.

Herrera, whose research focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes that produce biodiversity patterns in the ocean, notes: "From the biological perspective, American Samoa is located at a biogeographical crossroads. It sits right at the boundary of four major deep-sea biogeographical provinces that have been hypothesized from observed differences in environmental parameters such as seawater temperature, food supply to depth and surface ocean productivity, a product of photosynthesis. The region is likely an important transition zone for the faunas from the south and North Pacific."

He adds: "Furthermore, the area north of the Samoan Islands, known as the Samoan Passage, is extremely important for the circulation of deep water in the pacific. It's been estimated than more than half of all the bottom water that moves from the south Pacific into the north Pacific has to funnel through this narrow gap. Thus, the deep currents that form in this area may constitute a significant barrier for many species and therefore could play a major role structuring the biodiversity that is found in the deep Pacific Ocean."

The two areas of focus will be the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. Located in the cradle of Polynesia's oldest culture the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa covers 13,581 square miles of nearshore coral reef and offshore open ocean waters across the Samoan archipelago. Today, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa protects extensive coral reefs, deepwater reefs, hydrothermal vent communities, and rare marine archaeological resources.

The Rose Atoll Marine National Monument remains one of the most pristine atolls (a ring-shaped coral reef) in the world. The marine environment around the atoll supports a dynamic reef ecosystem that is home to a diverse assemblage of marine species, several of which are threatened or endangered. One of the atoll's most striking features is the pink hue of its fringing reef, which is caused by the dominance of coralline algae, the primary reef-building species in the area. The dominance of this species makes Rose Atoll's reef quite distinctive from the reefs found at other Samoan Islands. This reef supports the highest densities of giant clam in the Samoan archipelago and and an estimated 272 species of fish. The atoll also contains nesting grounds for the endangered green sea turtle.

Telepresence extends deep-sea expedition's reach

Expanding the reach of these expeditions is the fact that the ship is telepresence-enabled. This means that NOAA's Okeanos Explorer will use telepresence technology to transmit data in real-time to a shore-based hub where the video is then transmitted to a number of Exploration Command Centers located around the country as well as to any internet-enabled device. Access to the video combined with a suite of Internet-based collaboration tools allow scientists on shore to join the operation in real time and allows the general public to follow the expedition online.

Scientists access the live feed by standing watches in Exploration Command Centers tuning in to the high-definition video via Internet-2 or watching the live video on standard Internet from their home institutions. Shore-based scientists interact with the ship through a teleconference line and Internet collaboration tools. Using these communication tools, the scientists and students can contribute expertise and help guide the at-sea operations in real time, extending the reach of ocean exploration to more scientists and students than could possibly be accommodated on board.

"We will be making discoveries that will be shared in real-time with anyone with access to the internetincreasing appreciation of and connection to our planet," says Herrera. "In addition, this technology enables the participation of scientists from all over the world to contribute their knowledge and help our interpretation of observations. All the images and data collected are made publicly available as they are collected. It is a truly democratic way to do science."

Explore further: First of a kind footage of a living stylodactylid shrimp filter-feeding at depth of 4826 m

Depths such as those at the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument are an extreme challenge for explorers, providing scarce information about their inhabitants, let alone their behavior.

Today, scientists from the Bishop Museum, NOAA, and the Association for Marine Exploration published the description of a new species of coral-reef fish that they named in honor of President Barack Obama. The fish, which ...

Beginning April 10, scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will begin a series of 20 dives to investigate previously unseen depths of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the public can follow along online.

A team of sixteen researchers has completed a comprehensive investigation of deep coral-reef environments, known as mesophotic coral ecosystems, throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. The study, published in the open-access ...

Scientists from NOAA and the Bishop Museum have published a description of a new species of butterflyfish from deep reefs of the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ...

Today, scientists returned from a 28-day research expedition aboard NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai exploring the deep coral reefs within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. During the trip, ...

Seagrass meadows - bountiful underwater gardens that nestle close to shore and are the most common coastal ecosystem on Earth - can reduce bacterial exposure for corals, other sea creatures and humans, according to new research ...

New findings from the University of Michigan explain an Ice Age paradox and add to the mounting evidence that climate change could bring higher seas than most models predict.

Oxygen is an essential necessity of life on land. The same applies for almost all organisms in the ocean. However, the oxygen supply in the oceans is threatened by global warming in two ways: Warmer surface waters take up ...

Gleaning data from old rocks may result in bias. Now, geophysicists have a way to improve their methods to overcome challenges in studying the history of the Earth's core and magnetic field that make up the geodynamo.

Dr Pim Bongaerts, a Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's Global Change Institute (GCI) and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and lead author of the study, said deep reefs share coral species with ...

Cracks in the Greenland Ice Sheet let one of its aquifers drain to the ocean, new NASA research finds. The aquifers, discovered only recently, are unusual in that they trap large amounts of liquid water within the ice sheet. ...

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2017 American Samoa deep-sea expedition to reveal wonders of unexplored ecosystem - Phys.Org

Fishing restrictions are key to preservation of prehistoric glass sponge reefs, WWF-Canada says

VANCOUVER, Feb. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - WWF-Canada applauds the federal government's decision to create a new marine protected area (MPA) in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, southeast of Haida Gwaii, B.C. The area is recognized internationally for its fragile, prehistoric glass sponge reefs, which provide a unique habitat to many marine animals. While MPA regulations protect the sponge reefs, fisheries closures create an essential 200-metre buffer zone to protect the reef from damage due to contact or sediment.

The initial 2015 proposal for the MPA did not include the 200-metre bottom-contact prohibition. During the public comment period in 2015, WWF-Canada and other environmental organizations demanded stronger protections for the ancient reefs. As a result, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is supplementing Hecate Strait's Oceans Act protections with fisheries closures under the Fisheries Act. While the Oceans Act restrictions are considered permanent, Fisheries Act closures can be changed at any time.

Protections for Hecate StraitThe area, about 2,400 square kilometres or half the size of P.E.I., has been given the following significant protections:

Why protections are important

David Miller, president and CEO of WWF-Canada, said:"After years of work, WWF-Canada is very pleased that this new designation will protect the fragile glass sponge reefs, which exist nowhere else on Earth. This is a sensitive, significant ecosystem, and it was the right decision to create a buffer zone for the reef through closures under the Fisheries Act. But Fisheries Act closures are not permanent, unlike marine protected area regulations, and WWF-Canada will stay vigilant to ensure this important protection measure remains in place."

About World Wildlife Fund CanadaWWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.

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New MPA in Hecate Strait will protect sensitive ecosystem - Yahoo Finance

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New global IoT innovating ecosystem formed to explore the ways cognitive computing will transform industries.

As IBM unveils its global headquarters for Watson IoT business the company has also moved to kick off a major ecosystem initiative.

The companys first ever cognitive collaborations will see companies such as Avnet, BNP Paribas, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra form development teams at the IBM centre. All of which will also act as an innovation space for the European IoT standards organisation EEBus.

EEBus currently has over 60 members who are leading stakeholders in the connected home. This including Bosch, ABB, SMA, Schneider and other European automotive brands.

In 2016 IBM confirmed that BMW will collocate part of its research and development operations at its new Watson IoT centre, now an addition of four companies have signed up to IBMs industry collaboraties where both clients and partners work together with the IoT experts.

Avnet, an IT distributor and global IBM partner, is to open a new IoT lab within IBMs Watson IoT HQ. It will be deployed to develop, build, demonstrate and sell IoT solutions powered by IBM Watson.

The company also plans to enhance its expertise in IoT technology through a selection of hands-on training and on-the-job learning. The team of IoT and analytics experts will also partner with IBM on joint business development opportunities such as smart homes, transportation and more.

BNP Paribas is to deliver Watson IoT-based innovation for the Banking industry. Kai Friedrich, CEO of the Consorsbank business said: We will collocate a team of solution architects, developers and business development personnel at IBMs Watson IoT centre.

Together with IBMs experts, they will explore how IoT and cognitive technologies can drive transformation in the banking industry and help innovate new financial products and services such as investment advice.

Global IT consulting and technology services provider, Capgemini will work together with IBMs IoT experts to help customers maximise the potential of Industry 4.0 and develop and deploy sector-specific cognitive IoT solutions across the market.

Lastly Tech Mahindra, the India-based enterprise and communication IT provider, is to collaborate with a team of six developers and engineers within the Watson IoT team to deliver and showcase new solutions on IBMs Watson platform for Industry 4.0 Manufacturing, Precision Farming, Healthcare and others.

Harriet Green, General Manager, IBM Watson IoT said: We have reached a tipping point with IoT innovation: we now have over 6,000 clients and partners around the world many of who are now wanting to join us in our new global Watson IoT centre to co-innovate.

All the collaborations have formed to work together on building a new global IoT innovation ecosystem which will explore the ways cognitive computing and IoT technologies will transform industries across the world.

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IBM boosts Watson IoT ecosystem with Capgemini, Tech Mahindra & more - Computer Business Review

Release Date: February 16, 2017

A new study shows that harlequin ducks in coastal areas of Alaskas Kodiak and Unalaska islands are exposed to environmental sources of mercury and that mercury concentrations in their blood are associated with their local food source, mainly blue mussels.

In North America and in Europe, some waterfowl species have long served as important indicators of ecological health, said Lucas Savoy, director of Biodiversity Research Institutes waterfowl program and lead author on the paper. The process of collecting samples, such as blood and feathers, provides important information on the overall health of an individual bird, a population, and the environment that wildlife and humans share and rely on for survival.

Conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the BRI led study, carried out over a three-year period, focused on two geographically distinct locations in southwest Alaska, Kodiak and Unalaska islands.

Efforts such as this that document contaminant exposure and evaluate risks to wildlife are a prerequisite step in informing the general public and natural resource management officials about wildlife and ecosystem health, says Paul Flint, a research wildlife biologist of the USGS, and co-author of the paper.

The new study builds on a history of collaborative and independent research by BRI and the USGS to understand the level of mercury in wildlife and habitats of Alaska and inform the public and other stakeholders about these findings.

The scientific paper Geographic and temporal patterns of variation in total mercury concentrations in blood of harlequin ducks and blue mussels from Alaska was published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.

###

Biodiversity Research Institute, headquartered in Portland, Maine, is a nonprofit ecological research group whose mission is to assess emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, and to use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision makers. BRI supports ten research programs within three research centers including the Center for Mercury Studies, which was initiated in 2011.

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Scientists find Evidence of Alaskan Ecosystem Health in Harlequin Ducks - United States Geological Survey (press release)

February 16, 2017 Six different whitefish species in Lake Lucerne. Credit: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Humans influence evolution. In the case of whitefish in Swiss lakes, one consequence of this is replacement of a diversity of specialised species by fewer generalists. A recent analysis now suggests that communities of diverse specialists utilise trophic resources more efficiently.

In a theme issue on "Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences," published by the Royal Society (UK), two review articles are devoted to fish: the first discusses adaptive capacities in fish exposed to pollution, while the second an Eawag contribution examines the effects of lake eutrophication on fish biodiversity. The authors show that the increase in primary production caused by eutrophication can lead to changes throughout the food web. Changes in productivity alter the physico-chemical environment, which has further effects e.g. via selection processes on lake fauna and flora. Such changes can also affect habitat availability, thus eroding differences in habits and behaviour which had previously contributed to the separation and genetic differentiation of species. Eutrophication thus commonly results in reduced ecological specialization and genetic and phenotypic homogenization of species, both among lakes and among niches within lakes.

Essentially, these findings reflect those of an earlier Eawag study of whitefish (published by Vonlanthen et. al. in Nature in 2012), as well as studies of other fish in other lakes. Here, however, the phenomenon of "eco-evolutionary feedback" has been further investigated. Taking the example of whitefish, the authors not only studied the effects of eutrophication on biodiversity but also, for the first time, analysed the relationship between current fishery yields, nutrient availability and functional diversity. The latter was measured in terms of the range of a key functional trait the number of gill rakers: sparsely rakered fish are better adapted for sediment feeding but cannot filter plankton effectively, while for densely rakered fish the converse is true. Fishery yields relative to lake productivity were shown to be higher in lakes where whitefish diversity is higher. In Lakes Thun or Lucerne, for example, which were not subject to heavy eutrophication and which still harbour relatively diverse communities, the whitefish yield per unit phosphorus is higher than in, say, Lakes Zug or Geneva. According to the researchers, this indicates more efficient utilization of the trophic resources available in the lakes.

Six different whitefish species in Lake Lucerne

Until recently, four species of whitefish were known to occur in Lake Lucerne, differing in size, shape and spawning depth/season: Coregonus suidteri ("Balchen/Bodenbalchen"), C. zugensis ("Albeli"), C. nobilis ("Edelfisch") and the so-called "Alpnacherfelchen." In 2009, Eawag scientists identified a fifth species, spawning at depths between the shallow-spawning C. suidteri (up to approx. 10 metres) and the deep-spawning C. zugensis (from approx. 40 metres). Because it spawns at intermediate depths, this species is known unofficially in German as the "Schwebbalchen." Now, a sixth species has been identified by the group led by Ole Seehausen, head of the Fish Ecology and Evolution department at Eawag and Professor of Aquatic Ecology at Bern University. The six whitefish species all differ not only genetically but also in growth rate and spawning behaviour; in most cases, they also differ in appearance and in gill-raker count. Surprisingly, the most recently identified species which has yet to be named spawns in close proximity to the "Schwebbalchen," but is found particularly in the open waters of the lake. According to Seehausen, the fact that another whitefish species has been identified in Lake Lucerne highlights the importance of unbiased sampling strategies using quantitative genetic and morphological methods. "These are essential if we are to understand the evolutionary mechanisms structuring biodiversity, and also to improve conservation and fisheries management," he says.

Explore further: A surprise from the depths of the Swiss lakes

More information: Alan G. Hudson et al. Managing cryptic biodiversity: Fine-scale intralacustrine speciation along a benthic gradient in Alpine whitefish (spp.), Evolutionary Applications (2016). DOI: 10.1111/eva.12446

Timothy J. Alexander et al. Does eutrophication-driven evolution change aquatic ecosystems?, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2016). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0041

Journal reference: Nature

Provided by: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

A good 250 experts from the scientific and water-management fields as well as government administration and politics are coming together to hear about new findings and trends in lake research today, Tuesday 6 September. They ...

Sometimes evolution proceeds much more rapidly than we might think. Genetic analysis makes it possible to detect the earliest stages of species formation and to gain a better understanding of speciation processes. For example, ...

A University of Wyoming researcher is part of an international team that has discovered how more than 700 species of fish have evolved in East Africa's Lake Victoria region over the past 150,000 years.

From 2010 to 2014, a total of 26 prealpine lakes were studied as part of Projet Lac, with over 60 fish species being recorded. In 2012, in cooperation with Canton Graubnden's Hunting and Fishery Office, surveys were carried ...

Eutrophication and brownification change phytoplankton community structure and decrease the production of essential omega-3 fatty acids in lakes. Perch growing in oligotrophic clear-water lakes contain 1.5-1.9 times more ...

Minnesota scientists say they've found a way to reduce sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes by attracting them to areas where they can be sterilized.

A smart trap for mosquitoes? A new high-tech version is promising to catch the bloodsuckers while letting friendlier insects escapeand even record the exact weather conditions when different species emerge to bite.

Where do honey bees come from? A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis and UC Berkeley clears some of the fog around honey bee origins. The work could be useful in breeding bees resistant to disease ...

When rorqual whales eat, they open their mouths and lunge. Their tongues invert as their mouths take in a huge volume of water and prey. In the process, nerves running through the ventral groove blubber along the floor of ...

A new WCS study in India shows that three carnivorestigers, leopards, and dholes (Asian wild dog)seemingly in direct competition with one other, are living side by side with surprisingly little conflict. Usually, big ...

A University of Michigan biologist combined the techniques of "resurrection ecology" with the study of dated lake sediments to examine evolutionary responses to heavy-metal contamination over the past 75 years.

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Biodiversity can promote ecosystem efficiency - Phys.Org

LONDON, Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 7 Billion mobile network subscriptions worldwide, the mobile communications sector is rapidly gaining traction from a diverse range of vertical sectors. Healthcare is no exception to this trend.

As healthcare service providers seek to maximize their patient outreach while minimizing costs, many view mobile healthcare (or mHealth) as the solution to improve healthcare costefficiency. mHealth refers to the usage of mobile communications technology and devices to enhance access to healthcare information, improve distribution of routine and emergency health services, and provide diagnostic services.

Mobile operators also view mHealth as a lucrative opportunity for the monetization of their mobile connectivity services as a growing proportion of their subscribers adopt healthcare centric wearables. Given that most operators have established themselves as reputable consumer brands, they are also eyeing at opportunities to offer services beyond simple connectivity. Many operators already offer branded or co-branded end-to-end mHealth solutions to their customer bases.

In addition, mHealth offers a multitude to opportunities to the pharmaceutical industry ranging from enhanced R&D activities and medication adherence to securing the supply chain and combating counterfeit drugs.

Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that the mHealth market will account for over $23 Billion in 2017 alone. Despite barriers relating to regulation, patient acceptance and privacy concerns, SNS Research estimates further growth at a CAGR of more than 35% over the next three years.

The mHealth (Mobile Healthcare) Ecosystem: 2017 2030 Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts report presents an indepth assessment of the global mHealth market. In addition to covering key market drivers, challenges, future roadmap, value chain analysis, deployment case studies, service/product strategies and strategic recommendations, the report also presents comprehensive forecasts for the mHealth market from 2017 till 2030. The forecasts and historical revenue figures are individually segmented for 5 individual submarkets, 29 use case categories, 5 ecosystem player categories, 6 geographical regions and 34 countries.

The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report.

Topics Covered The report covers the following topics: - The scope and implementation of mHealth across the globe - mHealth technology - Market drivers and key benefits of mHealth - Challenges and inhibitors to the mHealth ecosystem - mHealth standardization and regulatory initiatives - mHealth opportunities, use cases and applications - mHealth deployment case studies - Value chain analysis of the mHealth ecosystem and the recognition of key players in each segment of the value chain - mHealth industry roadmap: 2017 2030 - Key trends in the mHealth ecosystem; mHealth regulation, security, adoption of cloud based mHealth services, alliances for ecosystem fortification, and the impact of LTE/5G deployments - The role of IoT and wearable technology in the mHealth ecosystem - Profiles and strategies of over 230 leading ecosystem players - Strategic recommendations for mobile operators, enabling technology providers, mHealth device OEMs, application developers, healthcare service providers and pharmaceutical companies - In-depth analysis for 5 individual submarkets and their associated mHealth application use cases: - Pharmaceutical Applications - Medical Information & Healthcare Management - Healthcare & Fitness - Remote Consultation/Diagnostic Services - IoT, Wearable Technology, Sensor & Monitoring Applications - Historical revenue figures and forecasts till 203

Forecast Segmentation Market forecasts and historical revenue figures are provided for each of the following 5 submarkets and their 23 use case categories:

Pharmaceutical Applications - Safety Data Collection - Consumer Education - Medical Education - PostMarket Monitoring - Drug Authentication - Social Media - Patient Compliance & Retention: Clinical Trials

Information & Healthcare Management - Electronic Health/Medical Records & Tracking Tools - Diagnostic Tools & Medical Reference - Continuing Medical Education - Awareness Through Alerts - Logistical & Payment Support

Healthcare & Fitness - Medical Compliance - Fitness & Nutrition Apps - Clinical Decision Support Systems - Prescribable Mobile Apps

Remote Consultation/Diagnostic Services - Mobile Video Consultations, Collaboration & Surgery - Non-Video Consultations & Collaboration - Remote Collaboration in Emergency Situations

IoT, Wearable Technology, Sensor & Monitoring Applications - Health and Wellness Monitoring - Disease Surveillance/Remote Monitoring - Diagnostic Tools - Technical Logistics - Revenue is also split by ecosystem player:

Ecosystem Player Segmentation - Mobile Operators & Connectivity Providers - Mobile & mHealth Device OEMs - Content & Application Providers - Healthcare Service Providers - Pharmaceutical Industry - The following regional and country markets are also covered:

Regional Markets - Asia Pacific - Eastern Europe - Latin & Central America - Middle East & Africa - North America - Western Europe

Country Markets - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA

Additional forecasts are provided for the following: - IoT connections for mHealth applications - mHealth centric wearable device shipments - Mobile video calling users - Annual throughput of mobile network data traffic - Smartphone, feature phone, tablet, desktop PC and notebook shipments - Mobile network subscriptions by region - Cost saving potential of mHealth by region - Big Data & analytics technology investments in the healthcare sector

Key Questions Answered The report provides answers to the following key questions: - What are the key market drivers and challenges for mHealth? - What are the key applications of mHealth? - How is the mHealth value chain structured and how will it evolve overtime? - How big is the mHealth market, and how much revenue will it generate in 2020? - What will be the installed base of IoT connections for mHealth applications in 2020? - How many mHealth centric wearable devices will be shipped in 2020? - Which regions, countries and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth? - Who are the key market players and what are their strategies? - What level of cost savings can mHealth facilitate for healthcare service providers in each region? - What are the key applications of LTE and 5G networks in the mHealth market? - What considerations should be taken into account to devise a successful mHealth strategy for a hospital? - What strategies should mobile operators, enabling technology providers, mHealth device OEMs, healthcare service providers, pharmaceutical companies and application developers adopt to capitalize on the mHealth opportunity?

Key Findings The report has the following key findings: - Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that the mHealth market will account for over $23 Billion in 2017 alone. Despite barriers relating to regulation, patient acceptance and privacy concerns, SNS Research estimates further growth at a CAGR of more than 35% over the next three years. - While the use of mHealth devices and apps is already widespread in clinical trials, pharmaceutical giants are now setting their sights on connected drug delivery platforms that will automatically detect and log patients medication use to improve adherence. - SNS Research estimates that mHealth centric wearable devices will account for over 60 Million unit shipments by the end of 2017. In order to gain valuable insights from the data generated by these devices, healthcare service providers and other stakeholders are increasingly investing in Big Data and analytics technology. - mHealth has the potential to dramatically reduce the costs of healthcare operations, while improving the quality of healthcare. SNS Research estimates that by the end of 2017, mHealth could represent up to $370 Billion in annual healthcare cost savings worldwide.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3260786/

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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-mhealth-mobile-healthcare-ecosystem-2017--2030--opportunities-challenges-strategies--forecasts-300407408.html

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The mHealth (Mobile Healthcare) Ecosystem: 2017 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts - PR Newswire (press release)

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today at the RSA Conference 2017, CounterTack, the exclusive provider of the industrys one true memory analysis platform for the enterprise, announced its Digital DNA (DDNA) Ecosystem. Through the Ecosystem, partners can integrate the markets only comprehensive behavior-based memory analysis intelligence engine, Digital DNA (DDNA). Symantec is the newest partner to join CounterTacks unique ecosystem to integrate the DDNA technology into its Malware Analysis solution.

As we strive to protect customers against todays increasingly advanced and malicious threats, its critical to integrate seamless detection and analysis layers into our offerings, said Peter Doggart, vice president business development, Symantec. Partnering with CounterTack allows us to offer customers a new level of innovative memory threat analysis, behavioral detection and forensic capabilities.

Symantec is currently integrating DDNA and shipping to customers. The company joins other DDNA Ecosystem partners including Digital Guardian, announced in 2016. Participating partners can leverage the unparalleled memory forensics and behavioral analysis capabilities that detect zero-days, fileless malware and other threat indicators that often go undetected by signature-based detection. DDNA analyzes the binaries in-memory with a behavior-based algorithm to expose purpose-built, anti-forensic measures architected into the most advanced malware impacting organizations today.

The next iteration of our DDNA licensing program will help partners better defend their customers against the stealthiest malware, said Neal Creighton, CEO, CounterTack. DDNA empowers organizations to add not only just another layer of threat detection, but a radically different technique in introspecting memory to bolster detection, and help partners better predict how threats might execute and proliferate.

DDNA is the only patented memory analysis technologythat automatically reverse-engineers memory images, examining code for potentially malicious behavioral traits & threats. Integrating ThreatScan PRO, it leverages a cloud-based easy-to-deploy, memory-based endpoint threat scanning solution to assess environments for malware infections and other indicators of compromise. DDNA integrates seamlessly into products and services via API, driver and library, offering immediate value to improve threat detection and value for service offerings.

Key Capabilities of DDNA:

For more information and demos, the company is exhibiting at RSA at booth 1221, South Hall.

About CounterTack

CounterTack delivers the one true Endpoint Threat Platform, (ETP) to enterprise customers globally. CounterTack provides a unique combination of threat context, organizational resiliency and broad visibility, to mitigate endpoint risk and reduce the impact of advanced attacks. Combining a robust suite of endpoint detection and analysis capabilities by leveraging a single endpoint sensor and an open, scalable multi-tenant infrastructure, CounterTack helps IR and security teams neutralize and prevent advanced threats from damaging the business. CounterTack delivers its next-generation technology to over 250 customers globally.

CounterTackEndpoint Security: AMPLIFIED.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.countertack.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @CounterTack.

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CounterTack Launches Digital DNA Ecosystem Product Licensing ... - Business Wire (press release)

Auto Remarketing

4 elements of auto finance in 'new digital ecosystem' Auto Remarketing Automotive and asset finance software solutions provider White Clarke Group recently released its latest publication titled, Global Technology Report 2017: Auto Finance in the New Digital Ecosystem. The company highlighted the report, and ...

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4 elements of auto finance in 'new digital ecosystem' - Auto Remarketing

UNDP and Deltares Sign Cooperative Agreement to Improve Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives

February 13, 2017 - Adaptation to climate change doesnt always require infrastructure-centric solutions. Solutions need to be context specific and fit for purpose, and inclusion of the physical and ecological system as part of the solution will increase sustainability and adaptive capacity of interventions under a changing climate.

For instance, the future of many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) partly depends on the status of their ecosystems and their ability to work with and manage these ecosystems. Take Tonga for instance. This SID faces a constant onslaught of climate hazards and natural disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, sea level rise, eroding coasts you name it, and Tonga probably has it. In fact, most experts consider the Kingdom of Tonga to be one of the most at-risk countries in the world to the effects of climate change.

In the context of the Island group of Haapai, about 150 km from the Tongan capital of Nukualofa, it is very evident that building 4-7-meter-high walls as suggested by some feasibility assessments to keep the rising seas and increasingly hostile extreme events at bay will only offer a false sense of security at best. At worst, it will imprison inhabitants in this small group of islands and not provide a robust strategy under uncertain climate change scenarios.

Investments in risk reduction and adaptation will need to employ a thorough systems analysis approach to determine the varied and nuanced challenges that are posed by a variety of climate change hazards but also to get a better grip on the role, status and development of Haapais protective reef systems. Understanding these complexities is critical to ensuring that eventual solutions cut across economic sectors, value chains and communities to advance a holistic and integrated approach that takes not just a few parameters into account, but looks at how the economy, ecosystem, climate variables and society work together as a whole.

With the goal of addressing the unique challenges posed by the complex eco-economical constructs of coastal zones, the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) Global Environmental Finance Unit signed a memorandum of understanding recently with the independent research institute Deltares, based in the Netherlands and world leading on delta and water management. This partnership will strengthen the advice and guidance that countries receive to design and implement new and ongoing climate change adaptation initiatives in coastal zones and river basins.

Deltares is an institute for applied research to improve water and soil management in coastal zones and river-basins. Our knowledge base is applied in flood risk management, adaptive delta planning, infrastructure projects, water and sub-soil resources, and water-based ecosystem management, said Bregje van Wesenbeeck, a Deltares expert on coastal zone management and ecosystem-based adaptation. Bregje provides insights and guidance on improving project design for a new UNDP-supported climate change project in the works for Tonga.

In all, UNDPs climate change adaptation portfolio has more than 50 projects directly related to water stresses and management across the globe, and a substantial pipeline of new proposed projects to be funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will provide more relief for Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. Under the GCF, US$165 million has already been allocated towards five projects in the Pacific, including a new UNDP-supported project in Samoa on Integrated Flood Management to Enhance Climate Resilience.

This agreement provides UNDP and its partners with a tremendous knowledge base and know-how that connects food, energy, economy, society, policy and water to build climate adaptation projects designed for the 21st century, said Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Head Climate Change Adaptation, Global Environmental Finance Unit.

One of the key outputs from the agreement will be the design and application of a novel monitoring and evaluation system customized for the unique challenges presented by water-specific projects.

This knowledge will be packaged and shared across a number of platforms to ensure Governments, development partners, and UNDP staff have the tools they need to support the design and implementation of cutting-edge projects, said Kurukulasuriya. It will also inform the next-generation climate change adaptation projects in the Pacific in places like the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea , where UNDP is serving as a trusted broker to connect governments of Small Island Developing States with technical experts on coastal interventions and new funding streams through the Green Climate Fund.

Deltares is an independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface. Throughout the world, Deltares works on smart solutions, innovations and applications for people, environment and society. The institutes main focus is on deltas, coastal regions and river basins.

UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. For UNDP, adaptation to climate change means climate-resilient economic development and sustainable livelihoods, especially for vulnerable populations the poor, women, and indigenous peoples. UNDP supports these goals by assisting over 80 countries to integrate current and future climate risks and uncertainties into national and sub-national development efforts. UNDP works with governments, the private sector, communities, and other partners to build responsive state institutions and public policies; strengthen public and private sector capacities to manage climate change risks and uncertainties; and formulate, finance and implement climate-resilient initiatives.

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Technical Assessments Underpin the Success of Ecosystem-Based ... - ReliefWeb

E-Commerce major Snapdeal has announced that it has received the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification making it among the few e-commerce companies in the country to do so.

Read more:Apple Hits Record High But Leaves Some Investors in Dust

The ISO 27001 is the only auditable international standard which defines the requirements for an Information Security Management System to ensure that sufficient security controls are instituted within the certified organization, Snapdeal said in a statement here.

Read more:Apple iPhone 7, 7 Plus Matte Black Coating Chipping Off?

This implies that not only can users be assured of the confidentiality of their private data, but also of the authenticity and reliability of all sellers on the Snapdeal platform.

Read more:Snapdeal-owned Shopo to Down its Shutters Today

Snapdeal received the certification following an extensive external audit, conducted by the BSI group, it said.

"By benchmarking policies and procedures against this internationally recognized standard, Snapdeal reflects its deep commitment to maintaining industry best practices which enhance customer experience while transacting online," Rohit Bansal, co-founder of Snapdeal said.

The certification preserves the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information that helps in implementing an information security management system to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace, meet supply-chain demands and prevent ongoing and evolving cyber threats.

This move is a direct response to the needs of the customers, Snapdeal said.

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Snapdeal Makes its E-commerce Ecosystem More Secure and Reliable - News18

Published on 13 February 2017 By Matshelane Mamabolo

Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) and African Innovation Foundation (AIF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to enhance the Southern African country's innovation ecosystem and empower its youth.

The MoU has coincided with the official opening of the inaugural ABM University College Entrepreneurship Conference and launch of the University's new Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Gaphatswa.

BIH and AIF say the new agreement is based on collaboration with the ABM Entrepreneurship Development Centre to support stakeholders in the ecosystem to develop and grow competitive, technology-driven and knowledge-based businesses.

'The Botswana Innovation Hub and the African Innovation Foundation have since [the 2016 Innovation Prize for Africa awards] identified synergies to foster innovation and creativity in Africa with emphasis on Botswana," stated the BIH.

Daisy Mmabatho Molefhi, ABM University College Executive Director explained the need for the cooperation between all the parties for the benefit of innovative youth.

"Many students once they leave the institution, their expectation is to excel in business. They cannot be able to use skills because of lack of financing. We are committed to ensure young Batswana get the best out of education hence the need for this development center. Botswana Innovation Hub is fostering a relationship with ABM in launching the center of entrepreneurship and innovation."

Jean Kimani, The High Commissioner of the Republic of Kenya emphasised the value of innovation and stressed that the success of young people is linked to a nation's success.

"Entrepreneurship is a critical component in the growth of any country's economy. Fostering entrepreneurship is a priority for the government/private sector to create new jobs, economic growth and have more revenue. Innovation is the cornerstone of every strategy."

Dr Alfred Madigele, Botswana's Minister of Tertiary Education Research Science and Technology praised the three institutions for finding ways to collaborate. "Partnerships with renowned institutions are important, and they promote research through financial distribution" said Minister Madigele.

Alan Boshwaen, CEO of the BIH and President of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) in Africa also stressed the value of the new partnerships.

"We found it fitting to reach out to international partnerships for the development of innovation in Botswana. Key to reaching our mandate is the availability of finances for innovators. So through Hon Madigele we will launch the Innovation Fund. We have already established administrative structures to facilitate the roll out of the Fund. We are forging this partnership with AIF, who operate from Zurich to facilitate the commercialisation of innovation. Our aim is to grow the wealth of Botswana through its people and its creativity "

ALSO ON ITWEB AFRICA

Ruckus, through its reseller IT-IQ Botswana, was awarded the contract following an extensive tender process.

Technology service provider MobileData has introduced its next generation service delivery platform TradeSwitch to support businesses on the continent in their digital transformation.

A new GSMA report details lessons learnt from Kenya's success for countries whose migration to digital broadcasting is ongoing or still in planning stages.

Botswana Innovation Hub has entered into a partnership with African Innovation Foundation in a move to enhance the country's innovation ecosystem.

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Botswana's national innovation ecosystem at centre of new MoU - ITWeb Africa

A solution has to be created which makes moving fiat in and out of bitcoin exchanges more frictionless.

Over the past few years, a lot of bitcoin exchanges had to deal with issues related to UK banks. Even though bitcoin is legal in an unregulated manner in the UK, banks are not too keen on cryptocurrency. Some experts argue it is due time to take British banks out of the bitcoin exchange industry altogether. Doing so would have catastrophic events, though, as it limits both deposit and withdrawal options for a lot of users. Then again, with banks continuing to deny service to bitcoin companies, something has to change sooner or later.

Quite a few bitcoin exchanges have seen their share of issues with UK banks. Just a few weeks ago, bitcoin broker Cryptopay announced they are no longer accepting GBP deposit and withdrawals. That is not entirely surprising, as the company deals with UK bank issues on a regular basis. After so many issues, their decision to get rid of GBP support altogether makes some sense. British users of the Cryptopay platform are disappointed by this decision, albeit there is little that can be done.

CryptoPay is not the only exchanges taking such a drastic decision. Nearly a dozen other exchanges have seen issues with UK deposits and withdrawals throughout their existence. For some reason, the UK banking system does not take kindly to bitcoin companies. It is not unlikely that the situation will only get worse once the Brexit occurs. British bitcoin enthusiasts have no other feasible option at their disposal, but to use local exchanges who still support GBP transactions.

Peer-to-peer bitcoin services are gaining more popularity all across the UK, though. Since there are no companies involved in handling consumer funds, sellers and buyers have a bit more freedom to trade bitcoin. Payments often occur through UK banks, but without making any mention of bitcoin whatsoever. At the same time, there is some degree of anxiety over how much longer this ecosystem will continue to exist moving forward.

In the end, it is not surprising fiat-to-bitcoin services dont work all that well in some regions. Fiat currency is centralized and controlled by banks, whereas bitcoin is the exact opposite. Opposing bitcoin companies is not the best idea for any region looking to position itself as a fintech hub, though. Considering how the UK is focusing a lot of effort on fintech right now, they should open up to bitcoin as well. For now, that will not be the case anytime soon, though.

A solution has to be created which makes moving fiat in and out of bitcoin exchanges more frictionless. That is much easier said than done, though. People who receive bitcoin should not necessarily look for ways to convert to fiat immediately, yet most still do so. No one is pressured into cashing out bitcoin, albeit few people are willing to hold onto bitcoin for the long term. Decentralized exchanges are direly needed to alleviate concerns related to UK banks, that much is certain.

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Is It Time To Remove UK Banks From the Bitcoin Ecosystem? - newsBTC

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tenable Network Security, Inc., a global leader in cybersecurity, announced today at RSA Conference 2017 it is giving customers access to rich vulnerability data for better visibility into their risk posture through the Tenable.io partner ecosystem.

Solutions that exist in a silo fail to give security teams the visibility and context needed to accurately assess risk in a modern IT environment, said Renaud Deraison, co-founder and chief technology officer, Tenable. Thats why Tenable.io was built from the start with openness and collaboration at its core, giving it the power and flexibility to meet the security needs of any business.

As the first cloud-based vulnerability management platform built for todays elastic IT environment, Tenable.io delivers a fully documented and easy-to-use application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) to help customers and partners simplify the export and import of vulnerability, asset, threat and other data. In addition, Tenable is working closely with technology partners to deliver a wide range of pre-built integrations.

As organizations accelerate their cloud migration initiatives, the new tools and applications used to connect to these dynamic IT environments also have the ability to expand the attack surface exponentially, said Adam Bosnian, executive vice president, global business development, CyberArk. The Tenable.io platform integrated with CyberArk privileged account security capabilities makes it easier for our customers to holistically manage and secure privileged application credentials, and consistently apply security policies across cloud and on-premises environments to reduce risk.

Technology is evolving faster than the industry can keep up, said Pedro Abreu, chief strategy officer, ForeScout Technologies, Inc. The proliferation of IoT devices connecting to the network significantly expands the attack surface and creates visibility gaps for enterprises. ForeScout helps make the invisible visible. Our end-customers have reported seeing up to 60 percent more devices on their network than what was previously known. The ability to leverage complementary capabilities from Tenable gives our end-customers the ease and flexibility to identify and mitigate threats faster, thereby improving their overall security posture and extending the value of existing security investments by interconnecting fragmented tools.

Through the Tenable Technology Integration Partner (TIP) program, technology vendors can collaborate with Tenable to build joint integrations that draw on each companys unique capabilities to help customers gain intelligent security visibility. Tenable has worked with Tenable.io launch partners BMC Software, Bradford Networks, CyberArk and ForeScout to give customers pre-built integrations with their complementary systems, including patch management, automation and orchestration, password vault and network access control solutions.

To learn about the range of vendors that already integrate with Tenable.io, or to join the TIP program, visit the Works with Tenable.io page.

For more information on Tenable.io products, capabilities, pricing, or to sign up for a demo, visit tenable.com/io, or stop by Tenable booth 4301 (North Expo Hall) to speak with Tenable and select launch partners during RSA Conference 2017 from Feb. 13-16, 2017.

About Tenable Network Security

Tenable Network Security transforms security technology for the business needs of tomorrow through comprehensive solutions that provide continuous visibility and critical context, enabling decisive actions to protect your organization. Tenable eliminates blind spots, prioritizes threats, and reduces exposure and loss. With more than one million users and more than 20,000 enterprise customers worldwide, organizations trust Tenable for proven security innovation. Tenable customers range from Fortune Global 500 companies, to the global public sector, to mid-sized enterprises in all sectors, including finance, government, healthcare, higher education, retail and energy. Transform security with Tenable, the creators of Nessus and leaders in continuous monitoring, by visiting tenable.com.

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Tenable Expands Partner Ecosystem and Delivers Better Visibility to ... - Business Wire (press release)

By Eric Wildstein ewildstein@gastongazette.com

Who knew tilapia and lettuce have a symbiotic relationship?

Kids at Webb Street School do.

Theyre both integral parts of a new aquaponics system installed last week at one of two greenhouses at the school, which serves students with intellectual disabilities. Students there are using it as an ecosystem to grow several species of lettuce plants and to mature fish for human consumption.

We want to teach them where food comes from, said Webb Street School Principal Kelli Howe. Its really a farm-to-table atmosphere that were hoping to create.

The aquaponics system was installed last week in the schools renovated greenhouse.

It basically consists of a plastic tank filled with tilapiaa species of freshwater fishand a plant bed filled with freshwater. Overlaying the plant bed is a foam board that has holes with baskets that the plants sit in with water underneath. The baskets are filled with romaine, basil and salanova lettuce plants.

The whole system is connected with pipes.

The feces of the tilapia yields nutrients that are filtered into the plant beds, which help to grow the lettuce plants. A separate tank traps any remaining bacteria and then returns clean water to the fish tank.

In return, the fish grow up healthy and ready to harvest for human consumption. Every several months, a distributor will swap out the mature fish with younger fish to restart the cycle.

Young lettuce plants will be introduced into the plant beds and then harvested about every four weeks. The school plans to install up to 10 plant beds, which would yield about 250 heads of lettuce each cycle.

Its very efficient for growing, said Talia Wucherer, a therapeutic gardener and teacher assistant at the school, of the system. It uses significantly less water, you can grow a lot more plants in a much smaller footprint.

Students like Jarell Carothers, who worked with the system Friday afternoon, say they want to eventually create an economy with the system by selling the lettuce at a local farmers market. Wucherer says thats the plan, and its another piece of this one-of-a-kind learning experience.

We can go ahead and sell the lettuce, they can see where its grown and how they can consume it right away, so the whole concept farm-to-table is being introduced to them and they see all the stages of growth from the beginning to end, said Wucherer. And how to care for the fish and the entire cycle that everything has to go through to be able to produce this.

The system was built by 100 Gardens, a Charlotte-based group that promotes urban agriculture by implementing aquaponics and urban farming programs in schools, institutions and in communities of need.

When completed, the full system will cost around $35,000, according to Howe. The school has already raised almost $4,000 through an online fundraising campaign.

NC Beautiful recently awarded Webb Street School a $1,500 grant to use toward its aquaponics system. The school applied for the competitive grant earlier in the year.

NC Beautiful is a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to raising awareness and appreciation of natural beauty and resources in the state. The organizations executive director Steve Vacendak presented the check to Howe and superintendent of schools Jeff Booker during a ceremony at the school last month.

The school also re-opened for the first time in eight years an adjacent greenhouse where kids are growing plants in soil. Students are also harvesting crops in soil beds in the schools sensory garden, which opened last year.

School garden makes perfect 'sense'

Howe hopes both greenhouses will become a lab of sorts for Webb Street School students to learn alongside their typically developing peers. She also says the greenhouses will help prepare students to possibly work in such an environment upon graduation.

You can reach Eric Wildstein at 704-869-1828 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteEric.

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Webb Street builds greenhouse ecosystem - Gaston Gazette

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.eduContact: Dr. Michelle Lawing, 979-845-5033, alawing@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION In todays rapidly changing world, successful conservation programs will need to look at fossils to effectively foster adaptive capacity in both historical and novel ecosystems, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist.

Dr. Michelle Lawing captured a photo of an extinct python from the Eocene of Wyoming, Boavus idelmani, that is housed at Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. The fossil holds important clues about ecosystem stability and response to climate change. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Michelle Lawing)

Dr. Michelle Lawing, assistant professor in the ecosystem science and management department at Texas A&M University in College Station, was one of 41 experts covering this topic in their research article, Merging paleobiology with conservation biology to guide the future of terrestrial ecosystems, in the Feb. 10 issue of the journal Science.

We use fossils to tell us how species responded to ancient climate change, Lawing said. There are many climate fluctuations in the past we can study to help us understand how species and communities coped with these changes.

That past response helps us understand whether or not the measured modern response to environmental change is within the realm of normal or if it is greater than expected, she said.

For example, based on the fossil record, we know that communities typically reorganize after major environmental events, including extinction.

Lawing joined others from around the world, including ecologists, conservation biologists, paleobiologists, geologists, lawyers, policy makers and nature writers, who do conservation and policy work on all continents, except Antarctica, to contribute to the Science article.

She said their research was based on conversations at a conference at the University of California-Berkeley in September 2015.

That conference was a response to a growing need to get paleontologists, conservation biologists and policy makers in the same room to talk about what our areas of research can really bring to the table, in terms of conserving species in the face of changing climates, Lawing said.

The conference was organized and funded in part by the Integrative Climate Change Biology Group, a subgroup of the International Union of Biological Sciences. Lawing is one of three group leaders of the Integrative Climate Change Biology initiative.

Other contributors included the Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley Initiative for Global Change Biology and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California-Berkeley; the Conservation Paleobiology Group at the department of biology, Stanford University; and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.

At Texas A&M, Lawing specializes in climate change biology, paleobiogeography and morphometrics. She explained she uses methods and models from modern ecology and evolutionary biology combined with evidence from the fossil record to create a better understanding of how species and communities respond to environmental change through time.

Her data was illustrated in the study to show how ecometrics might be used to monitor and measure ecosystem change through time, explaining that body proportions and proportions of certain bones are linked to land cover, land use and topography through locomotor performance.

An ecometric is a measurement used to characterize change across space and through time, from dozens of years to millions of years.

Lawing said in carnivoran communities, locomotor diversity can be measured by examining the limbs and ankles of the animals, which is known to be linked to vegetation cover. With snakes, the same relationship can be measured with the ratio of tail to body length.

Changes in these traits can be assessed for compatibility with changes in community composition and land cover, she said. For example, when land acquired by the University of Kansas was converted from agricultural grassland to forest between 1947 and 2006, turnover in the reptile life changed the overall community measurement of tail-to-body length. This change was also seen in grassland and forest ecosystems elsewhere.

Community snake tails, on average, are longer in forested areas because many snakes in the forest community have prehensile tails, meaning they use their tails like an appendage to grab branches to help stabilize their movement through the canopy.

Conversely, 19th-century deforestation of Indiana completely destroyed many large mammalian carnivores, resulting in a loss of locomotor diversity. She said this loss of locomotor diversity can be mapped to identify other regions that may have been similarly affected.

As a group, we concluded that rapid global change means conservation biology has to be done differently going forward, she said. The fossil record has to be a critical part in guiding our efforts to conserve nature into the future.

As a result of this study, Lawing said conservation biologists and paleobiologists are working together to develop new conservation paradigms for both historical and novel ecosystems.

Instead of conserving ecosystems in their current or recent state, we need a more nuanced approach that involves figuring out which species and ecosystems need human intervention to persist, fostering connectivity of habitats with anticipation of future changes in climate and land use, and determining the compositional and functional variation that is expected within various ecosystems.

Lawing said she will continue to develop ecometric tools to measure ecosystem changes through time and has helped organize another Integrative Climate Change Biology meeting March 6-8 in Nairobi, Kenya.

More information about the conference, Traits Past, Present and Future: Quantitative Approaches to Paleontology, Conservation and Climate Change Biology in Africa, can be found at http://iccbio.org/.

The complete Science journal article can be found at http://science.sciencemag.org/.

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Fossils fuel knowledge of future ecosystem needs - AgriLife Today