Machine learning to predict the development of recurrent urinary tract infection related to single uropathogen, Escherichia coli | Scientific Reports…

A total of 963 E. coli UTI patients from NCKUH were included, 14.2% of them had E. coli RUTI. All the 137 RUTI patients included in this study had RUTI caused by E. coli, 74 patients (54%) had 2 episodes of UTI within 6months and 63 patients (46%) had 3 episodes of UTI within 12months. All these episodes of E. coli related RUTI in this study were reinfection (recurrence of UTI with the same organisms in more than 2weeks). The duration of antibiotic treatment varied from 3 to 14days, and the antibiotic regimens included empirical antibiotic therapy and definitive antibiotic therapy according to the antimicrobial susceptibility test. The patient characteristics related to UTI and RUTI caused by E. coli are shown in Table 1. The median age was 67 and 75years for patients with UTI and RUTI, respectively. Compared to the UTI group, patients with RUTI had an older age, a greater prevalence of diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, indwelling Foley catheter, neurogenic bladder, more frequent hospitalization/emergency department (ED) visit/UTI within 2years and any UTI symptom, and a worse renal function (Table 1).

The bacterial characteristic factors (phylogenicity, virulence genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility) related to UTI and RUTI are shown in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. Compared to those in the UTI group, E. coli isolates derived from the RUTI group had a lower prevalence of papG II, usp, ompT, and sat genes, and a higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in several antibiotics (including cefazolin, cefuroxime, cefixime, and levofloxacin).

The analysis results suggested RF model was better than the LR and DT model for RUTI prediction in the clinical visit. The 32 factors considered in the models for the first stage were age, gender, comorbidities (Dis1~Dis12), UTI symptoms (UTI_symptom1~UTI_symptom8), serum creatinine, frequency of hospitalization/emergency department (ED) visit/UTI within 2years (Pre_hos_2y, Pre_UTI_ER_2y, Pre_UTI_hos_2y), urinary red blood cell/HPF (URBC_level), urinary white blood cell (WBC)/high power field (HPF) (UWBC_level), urinary bacterial count (UBact), peak blood WBC count (BloodWBC), place (outpatient or ED) of urine sample collection (Place_of_collection), and disease group (four_disease_group). These factors are labeled in Table 1.

URBC_level and UWBC_level represent the rescaled level of the URBC and UWBC with values from 0 to 4 and from 1 to 4, respectively. The values 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the URBC_level and UWBC_level corresponded to the ranges 0, 1~10, 11~100, 101~1000, and greater than 1000 per HPF, respectively. Place_of_collection indicates the place of urine sample collection, including outpatient clinic and ED. A new factor called four_disease_group was defined for RUTI prediction with value 0 or 1. We set four_disease_group value to 1 when one of the following diseases with anatomical or functional defect of urinary tract is present: indwelling Foley catheter (Dis5), obstructive uropathy (Dis6), urolithiasis (Dis7), and neurogenic bladder (Dis9). We would like to confirm the relation of four_disease_group with RUTI.

Regarding the validation results of fitted models to predict the development of RUTI in the clinical visit, Table 4 shows that the mean validation accuracy of RF is 0.700 which is higher than the results of LR and DT. The mean validation sensitivity and specificity of RF are 0.626 and 0.712, respectively. The standard deviations of estimated validation accuracy, sensibility, and specificity are 0.039, 0.131, and 0.046, respectively, which support the stability of RF model prediction. Note that the RUTI rate is only 136/963=0.138 which is relatively low for the observed samples. A nave model would predict non of the patients to have RUTI with a high accuracy 827/963=0.862. However, such prediction will lead to a very poor sensitivity with value 0. The RF model avoided such serious bias and provided a balance prediction capability in both sensitivity and specificity. The key technique in the RF model training is the usage of upsampling.

Variable importance in RF is evaluated by the mean decrease of accuracy in predictions on the out of bag samples when a given variable is excluded from the model. For example, if the age is taken away, the model prediction will reduce the accuracy rate by 11.9%. Figure1 is the variable importance plot of the RF analysis and shows that age, cirrhosis (Dis4), diabetes mellitus (Dis1), and disease group (four_disease_group) are the most important factors to predict recurrence of UTI in the clinical visit. Each of the 4 factors contributed around 10% prediction accuracy in the RF model.

Variable importance plot of the first stage RF analysis in percentage of mean decrease accuracy for the factors. It shows that age, cirrhosis (Dis4), diabetes mellitus (Dis1), and disease group (four_disease_group) are the most important 4 factors to predict recurrence in the clinical visit (sample size = 963).

A DT model is able to construct the decision rules for RUTI classification and provides the order of importance of the factors at the same time. Table 4 shows that the mean validation accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of DT model are 0.654, 0.618, and 0.660, respectively. Although the validation accuracy of the DT is less than the values of the RF model, the results of DT model has its own edge in decision rule construction.

To obtain more insight on the RUTI factors in the clinical visit, one can check on Fig.2 which is the decision rules of the DT model built from all the 963 patients. The purpose of building a DT model with all collected data is to construct the decision rules for RUTI classification. In a DT model, when the patients satisfy the node's condition, the patients will be allocated to the left path of the node, otherwise the patients will be allocated to the right path of the node. The classification accuracy of this tree is 0.88, and the sensitivity and specificity are 0.26 and 0.98, respectively. Although the sensitivity is low due to the unbalanced rates of RUTI and UTI in the DT model, there are several valuable rules for RUTI classification. The 2 green boxes and 1 red box in Fig.2 indicate the nodes of the decision rules with a accuracy rate higher than 0.85 and 0.70 for non RUTI and RUTI classification, respectively. The three decision rules are:

When the factor states of a patient are without neurogenic bladder (Dis9=0) and without hospitalized within 2years (Pre_hos_2y<1), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 439/(439+34)=0.92.

When the factor states of a patient are without neurogenic bladder (Dis9=0), with previous hospitalization at least one time within 2years (Pre_hos_2y>=1), with serum creatinine less than 0.93mg/dL (creatinine<0.93), without cirrhosis (Dis4=0), and previous ER for UTI less than two times within 2years (Pre_UTI_ER_2y<2), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 296/(296+46)=0.86.

When the factor states of a patient are without neurogenic bladder (Dis9=0), with previous hospitalization at least one time within 2years (Pre_hos_2y>=1), with serum creatinine in the range between 0.74 and 3.9mg/dL (0.74

The decision rules of the DT analysis for development of RUTI in the clinical visit. (sample size = 963). The 2 green boxes and 1 red box indicate the nodes of the decision rules with an accuracy rate higher than 0.85 and 0.70 for non RUTI and RUTI classification, respectively.

The analysis results suggested RF model was better than the LR and DT model for RUTI prediction after hospitalization. The 62 factors considered in the models for the second stage not only contain the 32 factors used in the first stage analysis, but also include phylogenicity, 16 virulence genes, 11 antimicrobial susceptibility, Bacterial_Name, UTI_pos, Hospitalday, and Place_of_collection. The genes and antimicrobial are labeled in Table 2. Bacterial_name indicates Escherichia coli with or without extended spectrum -lactamase (ESBL). UTI_pos represents the location of urinary tract infection. Hospital_day gives the length (day) of hospital stay. Place_of_collection records the place of sample collection at ER, hospital, or outpatient clinic.

Regarding the validation results of refitted models to predict the development of RUTI after hospitalization, Table 5 shows that the mean validation accuracy of RF is 0.709 which is higher than the results of LR and DT. The mean validation sensitivity and specificity of RF are 0.620 and 0.722, respectively. The standard deviations of estimated validation accuracy, sensibility, and specificity are 0.047, 0.057, and 0.058, respectively, which support the stability of RF model prediction. Note that the RUTI rate is only 112/809=0.138 which is relatively low for the observed samples. A nave model would predict non of the patients to have RUTI with a high accuracy 697/809=0.862. However, such prediction will lead to a very poor sensitivity with value 0. The RF model avoided such serious bias and provided a balance prediction capability in both sensitivity and specificity.

Variable importance plot shows that based upon the mean decrease of accuracy in predictions on the out of bag samples when a given variable is excluded from the model. For example, if the cefixime (Anti7) is taken away, the model prediction will reduce the accuracy rate by 9.14%. Figure3 is the variable importance plot of the RF analysis and shows that cefixime (Anti7), afa (Gene11), usp (Gene8), and cefazolin (Anti5) are important factors to predict recurrence after hospitalization. Each of the 4 factors contributed more than 8% prediction accuracy in the RF model.

Variable importance plot of the second stage RF analysis in percentage of mean decrease accuracy for the factors. It shows that cefixime (Anti7), afa (Gene11), usp (Gene8), and cefazolin (Anti5) are important factors to predict recurrence after hospitalization (sample size = 809).

To obtain more insight on the RUTI factors after hospitalization, one can check on Fig.4 which is the decision rules of the DT model built from all the 803 patients. The classification accuracy of this tree is 0.89, and the sensitivity and specificity are 0.27 and 0.99, respectively. Although the sensitivity is low due to the unbalanced rates of RUTI and UTI in the DT model, there are several valuable rues for RUTI classification. The 4 green boxes and 3 red boxes in Fig.4 indicate the nodes of the decision rules with an accuracy rate higher than 0.85 and 0.70 for non RUTI and RUTI classification, respectively. The 7 decision rules are:

When the factor states of a patient are bacterial phylogenetic group B2 (Gene17=3) and the age less than 76years old (Age<76), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 322/(322+18)=0.94.

When the factor states of a patient are bacterial phylogenetic group B2 (Gene17=3), the age over 76years old (Age (ge) 76), and serum creatinine less than 3.5mg/dL (creatinine<3.5), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 148/(148+21)=0.87.

When the factor states of a patient are bacterial phylogenetic group B2 (Gene17=3), the age over 76years old (Age (ge) 76), serum creatinine less than 3.5mg/dL (creatinine (ge) 3.5), and more than 19days of hospital stay (Hospital_day (ge) 19), this rule claims that the patient will have RUTI with classification accuracy 8/(3+8)=0.72.

When the factor states of a patient are non-group B2 in bacterial phylogenicity (Gene17 (ne) 3) and S or I type in levofloxacin susceptibility (Anti25=1, 2), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 137/(137+22)=0.86.

When the factor states of a patient are non-group B2 in bacterial phylogenicity (Gene17 (ne) 3), R type in levofloxacin susceptibility (Anti25=3), bloodWBC more than 7.8 (bloodWBC (ge) 7.8), and group A or B1 in bacterial phylogenicity (Gene17=1, 2), this rule claims that the patient will have no RUTI with classification accuracy 42/(42+5)=0.89.

When the factor states of a patient are non-group B2 in bacterial phylogenicity (Gene17 (ne) 3), R type in levofloxacin susceptibility (Anti25=3), bloodWBC more than 7.8 (bloodWBC (ge) 7.8), group D in phylogenicity (Gene17=4), and more than 57days of hospital stay (Hospital_day (ge) 57), this rule claims that the patient will have RUTI with classification accuracy 6/(6+1)=0.85.

When the factor states of a patient are non-group B2 in bacterial phylogenicity (Gene17 (ne) 3), R type in levofloxacin susceptibility (Anti25=3), bloodWBC less than 7.8 (bloodWBC<7.8), and the value of UWBC more than 10 (UWBC_level (ne) 1), this rule claims that the patient will have RUTI with classification accuracy 16/(6+16)=0.72.

The decision rules of the DT analysis for development of RUTI after hospitalization. The 4 green boxes and 3 red boxes indicate the nodes of the decision rules with an accuracy rate higher than 0.85 and 0.70 for non RUTI and RUTI classification, respectively (sample size = 809).

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Machine learning to predict the development of recurrent urinary tract infection related to single uropathogen, Escherichia coli | Scientific Reports...

The more data, the more deep learning capacity – Innovation Origins

Why we write about this topic:

AI and Deep Learning are influencing our lives in a never before seen way. Albert van Breemen helps us understand the consequences.

Kivis algorithm is plain and simple: every second Friday of the month, together with Mikrocentrum, they invite a lecturer in the field of engineering for a talk about their field of expertise, followed by an opportunity to meet other engineers. Today, the floor in the AI Innovation Center at High tech Campus Eindhoven was for Albert van Breemen, CEO and CTO of VBTI, an AI engineering company that develops Deep Learning solutions for companies in agriculture and manufacturing. Van Breemen, whose company recently won a Gerard & Anton Award, guided his audience through the hidden tracks of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning.

VBTI has successfully applied deep learning technology to agricultural robots and harvest forecasting systems. This required the development of a dedicated platform to get deep learning operational: AutoDL. The platform has automated many of the lifecycle tasks of deep learning development; with the support of VDL, VBTI is now taking the technology to a new level.

VBTI introduces robots fitted with smart camera tech to agriculture

His work is all about making automation intelligent, Van Breemen says at the start of his lecture. We want to help industries like agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and robotics in their transformation processes, using deep learning and computer vision. But first, what is deep learning?

Van Breemen presents a timeline showing three significant periods. Not many people are aware of it, but artificial intelligence was already mastered in the 1950s, by creating machines that could sense, reason, act, and adapt. In the 1980s, we had the second wave called Machine Learning. It was the age of the algorithms that used data to improve their performance. Neural networks were created. Only after 2005 can we speak of Deep Learning: we started training deep neural networks with big data.

Big data is crucial for this: the more data, the more deep learning options. But its not like humans are out of work because of this development, Van Breemen says. Most importantly, we need people to collect and select the data and annotate all this so the machine can actually learn from it. After these processes, the model training can start, and finally, its time for deployment.

Deep learning consumer successes can be found in autonomous driving, GO and chess achievements in GO and chess, or smart assistants like Siri or Alexa. And now, its time for the industrial domain to get into deep learning. VBTI/VDL is doing this by using AI to develop a cucumber leaf-cutting robot. Thats a really complex world because not one cucumber leaf or stem is the same, and still, the machine needs to recognize them exactly. All those variations make it difficult, the deep learning toolbox can make this process robust.

Van Breemen and his team have been working for years on the technology to support de de-leafing robot. Getting 80 percent accuracy is easy, but the last 20 percent is extremely difficult. You always wonder which and how much data should be collected and annotated, how you handle storage and versioning, and how you can tell what the quality of the data is. Van Breemen says he is happy and proud about the result, leading to an effective robot, but he also knows that this can never be the end of it. You never stop learning. You keep collecting new data more data is more deep learning capacity.

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The more data, the more deep learning capacity - Innovation Origins

Outlook on the Machine Learning in Life Sciences Global Market to 2027 – Featuring Alteryx, Anaconda, Canon Medical Systems and Imagen Technologies…

DUBLIN, Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The "Global Markets for Machine Learning in the Life Sciences" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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This report highlights the current and future market potential for machine learning in life sciences and provides a detailed analysis of the competitive environment, regulatory scenario, drivers, restraints, opportunities and trends in the market. The report also covers market projections from 2022 through 2027 and profiles key market players.

The publisher analyzes each technology in detail, determines major players and current market status, and presents forecasts of growth over the next five years. Scientific challenges and advances, including the latest trends, are highlighted. Government regulations, major collaborations, recent patents and factors affecting the industry from a global perspective are examined.

Key machine learning in life sciences technologies and products are analyzed to determine present and future market status, and growth is forecast from 2022 to 2027. An in-depth discussion of strategic alliances, industry structures, competitive dynamics, patents and market driving forces is also provided.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term used to identify a scientific field that covers the creation of machines (e.g., robots) as well as computer hardware and software aimed at reproducing wholly or in part the intelligent behavior of human beings. AI is considered a branch of cognitive computing, a term that refers to systems able to learn, reason and interact with humans. Cognitive computing is a combination of computer science and cognitive science.

ML algorithms are designed to perform tasks such data browsing, extracting information that is relevant to the scope of the task, discovering rules that govern the data, making decisions and predictions, and accomplishing specific instructions. As an example, ML is used in image recognition to identify the content of an image after the machine has been instructed to learn the differences among many different categories of images.

There are several types of ML algorithms, the most common of which are nearest neighbor, naive Bayes, decision trees, a priori algorithms, linear regression, case-based reasoning, hidden Markov models, support vector machines (SVMs), clustering, and artificial neural networks. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have achieved great popularity in recent years for high-level computing.

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They are modeled to act similarly to the human brain. The most basic type of ANN is the feedforward network, which is formed by an input layer, a hidden layer and an output layer, with data moving in one direction from the input layer to the output layer, while being transformed in the hidden layer.

Report Includes

32 data tables and 28 additional tables

A comprehensive overview and up-to-date analysis of the global markets for machine learning in life sciences industry

Analyses of the global market trends, with historic market revenue data for 2020 and 2021, estimates for 2022, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2027

Highlights of the current and future market potential for ML in life sciences application, and areas of focus to forecast this market into various segments and sub-segments

Estimation of the actual market size for machine learning in life sciences in USD million values, and corresponding market share analysis based on solutions offering, mode of deployment, application, and geographic region

Updated information on key market drivers and opportunities, industry shifts and regulations, and other demographic factors that will influence this market demand in the coming years (2022-2027)

Discussion of the viable technology drivers through a holistic review of various platform technologies for new and existing applications of machine learning in the life sciences areas

Identification of the major stakeholders and analysis of the competitive landscape based on recent developments and segmental revenues

Emphasis on the major growth strategies adopted by leading players of the global machine learning in life sciences market, their product launches, key acquisitions, and competitive benchmarking

Profile descriptions of the leading market players, including Alteryx Inc., Canon Medical Systems Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), KNIME AG, Microsoft Corp., and Phillips Healthcare

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Market Overview 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare 3.1.2 Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Evolution and Transition

Chapter 4 Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic 4.1 Introduction 4.1.1 Impact of Covid-19 on the Market

Chapter 5 Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Investment in Ai Health Sector 5.1.2 Rising Chronic Diseases 5.1.3 Advanced, Precise Results 5.1.4 Increasing Research and Development Budget 5.2 Market Restraints and Challenges 5.2.1 Reluctance Among Medical Practitioners to Adopt Ai-Based Technologies 5.2.2 Privacy and Security of User Data 5.2.3 Hackers and Machine Learning 5.2.4 Ambiguous Regulatory Guidelines for Medical Software 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Untapped Potential in Emerging Markets 5.4 Value Chain Analysis

Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Offering 6.1 Software 6.1.1 Market Size and Forecast 6.2 Services 6.2.1 Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 7 Market Breakdown by Deployment Mode 7.1 Cloud 7.1.1 Market Size and Forecast 7.2 On-Premises 7.2.1 Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 8 Market Breakdown by Application 8.1 Diagnosis 8.1.1 Market Size and Forecast 8.2 Therapy 8.2.1 Market Size and Forecast 8.3 Healthcare Management 8.3.1 Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 9 Market Breakdown by Region 9.1 Global Market 9.2 North America 9.2.1 U.S. 9.2.1 Canada 9.3 Europe 9.3.1 Germany 9.3.2 U.K. 9.3.3 France 9.3.4 Italy 9.3.5 Spain 9.3.6 Rest of Europe 9.4 Asia-Pacific 9.4.1 China 9.4.2 Japan 9.4.3 India 9.4.4 Rest of Asia-Pacific 9.5 Rest of the World

Chapter 10 Regulations and Finance 10.1 Regulatory Framework 10.1.1 American Diabetes Association's Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 10.1.2 Ata Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence 10.1.3 Indian Ai Guidelines, Strategy, and Standards

Chapter 11 Competitive Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.1.1 Development 11.1.2 Cloud 11.1.3 Users 11.1.4 Parent Market: Global Artificial Intelligence Market

Chapter 12 Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qc8qjo

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Long-term exposure to particulate matter was associated with increased dementia risk using both traditional approaches and novel machine learning...

Forensic Discovery Taps Reveal-Brainspace to Bolster its Analytics, AI and Machine Learning Capabilities – Business Wire

DENVER & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forensic Discovery, a leader in digital forensic and eDiscovery services for the legal industry and corporations, announced that it is expanding its technology offering with Reveal, the global provider of the leading AI-powered eDiscovery and investigations platform. Reveal uses adaptive AI, behavioural analysis, and pre-trained AI model libraries to help uncover connections and patterns buried in large volumes of unstructured data.

Forensic Discovery is excited to offer next generation Artificial Intelligence to its hosted review and data analytics services through use of Reveal, said Trent Walton, founder of Forensic Discovery. Our clients, which range from the Am Law 100 to the Fortune 500, will greatly benefit from having the power to investigate, review and produce their data in new ways, thereby reducing litigation costs.

Forensic Discovery will leverage the platform globally to unlock intelligence that will help clients mitigate risks across a range of areas including litigation, investigations, compliance, ethics, fraud, human resources, privacy and security.

As we continue to expand the depth and breadth of Reveals marketplace offerings, we are excited to partner with Forensic Discovery, a demonstrated leader in digital forensics and eDiscovery, said Wendell Jisa, Reveals CEO. By taking full advantage of Reveals powerful platform, Forensic Discovery now has access to the industrys leading SaaS-based, AI-powered technology stack, helping them and their clients solve their most complex problems with greater intelligence.

For more information about Reveal-Brainspace and its AI platform for legal, enterprise and government organizations, visit http://www.revealdata.com.

About Forensic Discovery

Forensic Discovery is a litigation case management firm with expertise in Digital Forensics, eDiscovery, and Expert Testimony. The company has developed a proprietary workflow that allows its clients to forensically collect, filter, review, and produce electronic evidence using a hosted review platform. With offices in Colorado, California and Texas, Forensic Discovery is a leader in digital forensic and eDiscovery services for the legal industry and corporations. Learn more about the companys offerings by visiting http://www.forensicdiscovery.expert.

About Reveal

Reveal-Brainspace is a global provider of the leading AI-powered eDiscovery platform. Fuelled by powerful AI technology and backed by the most experienced team of data scientists in the industry, Reveals cloud-based software offers a full suite of eDiscovery solutions all on one seamless platform. Users of Reveal include law firms, Fortune 500 corporations, legal service providers, government agencies and financial institutions in more than 40 countries across five continents. Featuring deployment options in the cloud or on-premises, an intuitive user design and multilingual user interfaces, Reveal is modernizing the practice of law, saving users time and money and offering them a competitive advantage. For more information, visit http://www.revealdata.com.

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Forensic Discovery Taps Reveal-Brainspace to Bolster its Analytics, AI and Machine Learning Capabilities - Business Wire

Hackers have stolen record $3 billion in cryptocurrency this year – CBS News

Hackers have stolen more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency so far this year, shattering the previous record of $2.1 billion set in 2021, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

A big chunk of that $3 billion, around $718 million, was taken this month in 11 different hacks, Chainalysis said in a series of tweets posted Wednesday.

"October is now the biggest month in the biggest year ever for hacking activity, with more than half the month still to go," the company tweeted.

In past years, hackers focused their efforts on attacking crypto exchanges, but those companies have since strengthened their security, Chainalysis said. These days, cybercriminals are targeting "cross-chain bridges," which allow investors to transfer digital assets and data among different blockchains.

The bridges hold a lot of cryptocurrencies, providing a larger and more complex arena for hackers to infiltrate, according to cybersecurity experts.

"Cross-chain bridges remain a major target for hackers, with three bridges breached this month and nearly $600 million stolen, accounting for 82% of losses this month and 64% of losses all year," Chainalysis said.

Hackers initially made of with$570 million in cryptocurrency from Binance, but company officials have minimized the losses to under $100 million, its CEO said last week. Hackers also struck Nomad in August, reportedly taking nearly $200 million. Both the Binance and Nomad attackswere instances of hackers exploiting security flaws within the cross-chain bridge transaction protocols.

Crypto.com, known for its recent $700 million deal torename the former Staples Centerin Los Angeles, said in January that hackers managed to bypass its two-factor authentication system and withdraw funds from 483 customer accounts. Harmony lost about $100 million in ahack in June.Crypto platforms WormholeandRoninNetwork were also targets of hackers this year.

All told, Chainalysis said there have been 125 hacks so far this year.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhaosaidin an interview with CNBC last week that the crypto industry is vulnerable to hackers whenever customers move assets from one blockchain to another, but the goal is to learn from what caused the hack and develop extra safeguards in the future.

Cryptocurrency is not federally regulated or FDIC insured like a bank account, which means if an account gets hacked, the government will not work to restore a customer's funds.

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Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.

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Hackers have stolen record $3 billion in cryptocurrency this year - CBS News

Cryptocurrency firm advised by Philip Hammond withdraws UK application – The Guardian

A cryptocurrency firm that employs the former chancellor Philip Hammond as an adviser has withdrawn its application to operate in the UK, after struggling to win approval from the financial regulator.

The Guardian revealed earlier this year that Copper Technologies, in which Hammond holds a 0.5% stake, was considering seeking registration in Switzerland rather than the UK.

The company had been given temporary registration by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), pending approval of the controls it had put in place to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

Fintech company Revolut, which had also been placed on the FCAs temporary list, was awarded full registration for its UK crypto business last month.

But Copper Technologies has revealed, in accounts filed at Companies House, that it had withdrawn its application and moved UK customers to Switzerland, after winning approval there.

Hammond, who was chancellor between July 2016 and July 2019, has been critical of the UK for failing to set up a comprehensive regulatory framework governing cryptocurrencies.

Earlier this year he said it was frankly quite shocking that Britain was lagging behind other countries.

The FCAs regime for digital assets currently covers money laundering and terrorist financing but not specific aspects of cryptocurrency trading and investing.

Hammond, recruited by Copper Technologies as a senior adviser in 2021, has growth shares that were thought to be worth up to $15m (13m), based on reports by Bloomberg that the company was seeking a valuation of $3bn in a fundraising exercise.

The accounts show that Copper Technologies has raised $196m so far but the ultimate success of the fundraising and thus the valuation could be affected by a broad global sell-off of digital assets over the past year.

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In the meantime, losses at Copper, which provides digital currency infrastructure to other businesses, have increased from 3.6m to 14.3m, accounts show.

A spokesperson for the company said: Copper maintains open and active dialogue with regulators across the jurisdictions where we are operating, including of course with the FCA. Since gaining our membership to [Swiss body] VQF in May, we are pleased to be able to offer clients services from Switzerland.

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Cryptocurrency firm advised by Philip Hammond withdraws UK application - The Guardian

Can Tether cryptocurrency be mined? – Kalkine Media

Bitcoin, launched in 2009, is generally considered the first cryptocurrency. The whitepaper by its creator/s Satoshi Nakamoto focuses largely on Bitcoins use as electronic cash, with no interference from intermediaries like banks. Later entrants, including Ether and Tether, are also classified as cryptocurrencies. However, these can be very different from Bitcoin with respect to the release of new tokens and the intended utility.

Ether or ETH is about the payment of the gas fee within Ethereums ecosystem, which allows developers to create new decentralised and distributed ledger-based applications. Tether, on the other hand, is not a typical cryptocurrency, but it is a stablecoin. This makes it different with respect to the launch of new Tether tokens. On Bitcoin and Ethereums blockchains, new BTC and ETH tokens, are mined. Mining is a specialised process that involves hashing through the use of sophisticated computing. Today, let us explore the subject of the release of new Tether tokens and if mining has any role to play in it.

Tether, as mentioned earlier, is a stablecoin, which by definition, means a coin with a stable value at all times. Tether is pegged to the most dominant fiat currency in the world -- the US dollar. One Tether token, often called USDT, must always be valued at US$1, otherwise, the entire scheme of things would not make any sense. Typical cryptocurrency tokens like BTC (Bitcoin), however, are exposed to value appreciation or depreciation, largely depending on demand and supply forces. For Tether to maintain stability in its per token price, mining is out of the picture.

A Tether token is not the outcome of any computational work on a blockchain but of reserves maintained by those handling the stablecoins operations. For example, for every 10 Tether tokens issued in the market, first there should be US$10 maintained through holdings like currency reserves and corporate bonds. Every single USDT must be backed by reserves, otherwise there is a chance of disruption in USDT-to-fiat-currency conversion. Adequate reserves are at the heart of the release of Tether tokens, unlike in BTCs case where the total supply is capped at 21 million BTC tokens and the value is subject to variations.

Data provided byCoinMarketCap.com

Tether operates on multiple blockchains, including those of Ethereum and Polygon. ETH, which exists only on Ethereum, can be mined by partaking in the transaction validation process. This is not possible in the case of Tethers USDT tokens, simply because Tether has no independent blockchain like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which means there is no place to become a node operator and carry out the sophisticated mining process.

Tether tokens are claimed to be a product of reserves maintained to back them. Does Tether have adequate reserves to back the presently circulating tokens -- over US$68 billion as of writing -- is a separate subject of discussion. Mining is not possible because neither a standalone blockchain exists, nor the intended utility of Tether is the same as that of typical cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Risk Disclosure: Trading in cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory, or political events. The laws that apply to crypto products (and how a particular crypto product is regulated) may change. Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading in the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed. Kalkine Media cannot and does not represent or guarantee that any of the information/data available here is accurate, reliable, current, complete or appropriate for your needs. Kalkine Media will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading or your reliance on the information shared on this website.

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Can Tether cryptocurrency be mined? - Kalkine Media

BlueSnap Partners with BitPay to Offer Cryptocurrency Acceptance and Payout – PR Newswire

Partnership Opens up Ability for Businesses to Accept and Get Paid in up to 15 Different Cryptocurrencies

BOSTON, Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueSnap, a global payment orchestration platform of choice for leading B2B and B2C businesses, today announced a new partnership with BitPay, the world's largest provider of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services. This product partnership will give businesses the ability to accept and get paid out in up to 15 different cryptocurrencies and seven fiat currencies globally, and supports BlueSnap's mission to help businesses across the globe increase their revenue and reduce costs.

"As many as 85 percent of major retailers already accept some form of crypto payment, and even small businesses are picking up on the trend with one-third of SMBs beginning to accept crypto. Together, BitPay and BlueSnap will bring this popular payment method to more businesses and consumers globally," said Merrick Theobald, Vice President of Marketing at BitPay. "We are proud to work with BlueSnap on this partnership, especially as more businesses adopt this growing trend of accepting cryptocurrencies as payment for products and services."

As a result of this partnership, businesses will be able to accept and get paid out in leading cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), ApeCoin (APE), Dogecoin (DOGE), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), Ripple (XRP), as well as 5 USD-pegged stable coins (BUSD, DAI, GUSD, USDC, and USDP) and 1 EURO-pegged stable coin (EUROC). Because crypto protocols are global by default, the addition of cryptocurrency acceptance and payout will help BlueSnap's customers conduct business with key stakeholders around the world more seamlessly. Businesses who accept crypto payments also benefit from lower processing costs, access to a new customer base and no chargebacks. The partnership will also allow customers to accept crypto and be paid out in fiat currencies including USD, EURO, GBP, PESO, CAD, AUD, NZD.

"We are excited to partner with BitPay, one of the most well-respected crypto companies in the industry," said Ralph Dangelmaier, CEO of BlueSnap. "Our work together further supports BlueSnap's strategic growth, and we are eager to make an impact in this new space. We look forward to driving further payments innovation through growing technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency."

To learn more about BlueSnap and how to set your business up to accept and get paid out in cryptocurrency, please visit https://bit.ly/3LYpzy9.

About BlueSnap

BlueSnap helps businesses accept global payments a better way. Our Payment Orchestration Platform is designed to increase sales and reduce costs for all businesses accepting payments. BlueSnap supports payments across all geographies through multiple sales channels such as online and mobile sales, marketplaces, subscriptions, invoice payments and manual orders through a virtual terminal. And for businesses looking for embedded payments, we offer white-labeled payments for platforms with automated underwriting and onboarding that support marketplaces and split payments. With one integration and contract, businesses can sell in over 200 regions with access to local card acquiring in 47 countries, 100+ currencies and 100+ global payment types, including popular eWallets, automated accounts receivable, world-class fraud protection and chargeback management, built-in solutions for regulation and tax compliance, and unified global reporting to help businesses grow. BlueSnap is backed by world-class private equity investors, including Great Hill Partners and Parthenon Capital Partners. Learn more at BlueSnap.com.

About BitPay

Founded in 2011, BitPay is one of the oldest cryptocurrency companies. As a pioneer in blockchain payment processing, the company's mission is to transform how businesses and people send, receive, and store money. Its business solutions eliminate fraud chargebacks, reduce the cost of payment processing, and enable borderless payments in cryptocurrency, among other services. BitPay offers consumers a complete digital asset management solution that includes the BitPay Wallet and BitPay Prepaid Card, enabling them to turn digital assets into dollars for spending at tens of thousands of businesses. The company has offices in North America, Europe, and South America and has raised more than $70 million in funding from leading investment firms including Founders Fund, Index Ventures, Virgin Group, and Aquiline Technology Growth. For more information visit bitpay.com.

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BlueSnap Partners with BitPay to Offer Cryptocurrency Acceptance and Payout - PR Newswire

BitNile, Inc. to Launch Innovative Bitcoin Marketplace Platform Intended to Reimagine Cryptocurrency Transactions – Business Wire

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BitNile Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: NILE), a diversified holding company (BitNile or the Company), announced today that its subsidiary, BitNile, Inc. (BNI), has begun development of a Bitcoin-based marketplace platform (Marketplace), which expects to leverage blockchain and other emerging technologies. BNI believes that the Marketplace will reduce the complexity of transacting in Bitcoin and result in lower transaction fees than traditional e-commerce. The Marketplace, planned for release in the first half of 2023, will be a multi-vendor e-commerce platform supporting a wide array of business sectors, including retail, real estate, commodities, and other consumer-driven offerings.

With its planned advanced buyer and seller functionality, third-party integrations, and enhanced security through a comprehensive buyer and seller pre-verification program, the Marketplace intends to provide a flexible, functional, and broad e-commerce experience to its users. The Company intends for the Marketplace to be a super-app, widely considered as a mobile or web application that can provide multiple services, including payment and financial transaction processing. The Marketplace will be accessible through all modern web browsers and is expected to include native iOS and Android mobile applications that will be available for download on the Apple and Google Play Stores.

BNI has appointed veteran developer Douglas Gintz as its President and Chief Product Officer to lead the effort. Mr. Gintz is a strategist, programmer, and marketer with broad experience delivering technology and content solutions to a wide audience for over 30 years. Specializing in emerging technologies, Mr. Gintz has developed e-commerce applications, DNA reporting engines, medical billing software, and manufacturing compliance systems for companies ranging from startups to multinational corporations.

Milton Todd Ault, III, the Companys Executive Chairman, stated, Our plan is to build an innovative Bitcoin-focused e-commerce platform that combines our experience in the cryptocurrency sector with our long-term philosophy of investing in disruptive technologies with a global impact. We believe the prospect of powering e-commerce with Bitcoin is a huge opportunity. The global business-to-consumer e-commerce market reached a value of $4.1 trillion in 2021, according to IMARC Group, and Pew Research Center reported that roughly three-in-ten Americans aged 18 to 29 say they have invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency. Our goal is to deliver an innovative marketplace leveraging blockchain and other innovative technologies. We are pleased to have Douglas on our team to lead this effort.

Im excited to be leading an experienced team in reinventing what it means to transact in crypto, said Douglas Gintz, President and Chief Product Officer of BNI. Recently, online stores began adding crypto payment solutions to their checkout processes in response to demand, but thats not enough. Building a platform from the ground up allows us to deliver more innovative, secure, and seamless user experiences beyond just payments.

For more information on BitNile and its subsidiaries, BitNile recommends that stockholders, investors, and any other interested parties read BitNiles public filings and press releases available under the Investor Relations section at http://www.BitNile.com or available at http://www.sec.gov.

About BitNile Holdings, Inc.

BitNile Holdings, Inc. is a diversified holding company pursuing growth by acquiring undervalued businesses and disruptive technologies with a global impact. Through its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments, BitNile owns and operates a data center at which it mines Bitcoin and provides mission-critical products that support a diverse range of industries, including oil exploration, defense/aerospace, industrial, automotive, medical/biopharma, karaoke audio equipment, hotel operations and textiles. In addition, BitNile extends credit to select entrepreneurial businesses through a licensed lending subsidiary. BitNiles headquarters are located at 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV 89141; http://www.BitNile.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as believes, plans, anticipates, projects, estimates, expects, intends, strategy, future, opportunity, may, will, should, could, potential, or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Companys business and financial results are included in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Companys Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at http://www.sec.gov and on the Companys website at http://www.BitNile.com.

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BitNile, Inc. to Launch Innovative Bitcoin Marketplace Platform Intended to Reimagine Cryptocurrency Transactions - Business Wire