Category Archives: Technology

In the end, they were full of hot air.

Two Arkansas wind farmers who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a revolutionary turbine that would turn the industry on its head, have been convicted of stealing the cash to buy cars, a house and trips to Disney World DIS, +0.41%.

Jody Douglas Davis, 46, and Phillip Vincent Ridings, 64, claimed to investors that turbine technology their firm, Dragonfly Industries International, had developed could produce more energy than the traditional three-blade turbines used at most wind farms, prosecutors said.

They promised that their technology was so cutting edge, that the Department of Defense had expressed interest in acquiring it, that the Department of Energy was preparing to give them a $10 million grant and that several developing nations wanted to build them, federal prosecutors said. No such claims were true.

To make their case, the men provided doctored reports from nationally recognized engineering firms and the University of Memphis claiming the technology worked, the prosecutors said.

Between 2014 and 2018, Davis and Ridings along with Davis brother-in-law, Cody Fell, who earlier pleaded guilty convinced dozens of investors to give the $700,000 to build a prototype and create a wind farm in Elm Springs, Ark.

Prosecutors say the men erroneously claimed the Defense Department wanted to buy their cutting-edge technology.

But prosecutors say the technology didnt work and the men never tried to build a prototype. Instead, they kept the money for themselves and used it to buy luxury cars, pay for holidays and gym memberships, and for the down payment on a home.

At trial, several victims revealed they were lured into the scheme through Davis connection to a prison ministry. Davis had previously been convicted of embezzling money from his employers in Oklahoma and served nearly two years in prison.

Jody Davis was one of our Christian brothers so I never doubted or thought something was being done, testified investor Uchenne Obi, who was earlier incarcerated with Davis and brought others into the turbine scheme, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Davis and Ridings had argued that they believed their technology worked and were genuinely trying to develop it. A message left with Davis attorney wasn;t immediately returned. Ridings represented himself at trial and couldnt immediately be reached.

A federal jury in the Western District of Arkansas, took three hours to convict the men on Friday of wire fraud and money laundering.

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Arkansas wind farmers claimed their technology was more efficient than turbines --- then spent investors' money on houses, cars and at Disney World -...

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Logility, Inc., a leader in supply chain innovation powering the sustainable and resilient enterprise, has partnered with PwC to bring the latest innovation in supply chain technology and services enabling digital transformation to strengthen its local Brazilian market presence.

We carefully selected PwC to provide implementation support and services to this expanding market, said Allan Dow, President, Logility. The ability to scale according to business needs enables organizations at all maturity levels to transform their supply chain. It also allows for greater efficiency, better alignment with demand, optimization of inventory and reduced costs all while increasing service levels.

The Logility Digital Supply Chain Platform provides the industry's only single platform that scales according to business needs enabling organizations at all maturity levels to transform their supply chain.

Logility is known for providing innovative planning and optimization solutions that are fast to implement and easy to use, said Rodrigo Damiano, Partner, Operations and Supply Chain Consulting, PwC. We are excited about all the accomplishments so far and cant wait to celebrate future growth through this partnership.

About PwC

PwC is an integrated consulting and auditing services firm that brings together diverse talents and combines the best of human skills and technology to support organizations in building trust and delivering sustainable outcomes.

Weve been operating for over 100 years in Brazil, with around 3,600 professionals distributed in 15 offices in every countrys region. Globally, we are a network of firms present in 155 territories, with more than 284,000 people dedicated to providing quality services in auditing and assurance, tax and corporate consulting, business consulting and deals.

Working collaboratively, our multidisciplinary teams use the most innovative digital solutions on the market in search of fast and efficient answers to the challenges companies face. The most strategic aspect of this pulverized and connected structure is to ensure that our talents continue to be our greatest asset and have extensive knowledge of each regions cultures and economic calling.

Our Supply Chain & Operations consultancy develops tailored supply chains according to the various features and integration needs of the sales channels (omnichannel), providing superior performance to operations, including service level, optimized costs, asset efficiency, flexibility, agility and sustainability.

We help companies transform linear supply chains into connected, autonomous supply chain ecosystems to adapt and thrive in a landscape of ever-changing operations, business models and customer expectations.

Learn more at https://www.pwc.com.br/pt/consultoria-negocios/operacoes.html

About Logility

Accelerating the digital sustainable supply chain, Logility helps companies seize new opportunities, sense and respond to changing market dynamics and more profitably manage their complex global businesses. The Logility Digital Supply Chain Platform leverages an innovative blend of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to automate planning, accelerate cycle times, increase precision, improve operating performance, break down business silos and deliver greater visibility. Logilitys SaaS-based platform transforms sales and operations planning (S&OP) and integrated business planning (IBP) processes; demand, inventory and replenishment planning; global sourcing; quality and compliance management; product life cycle management; supply and inventory optimization; manufacturing planning and scheduling; retail merchandise planning, assortment and allocation. Logility customers include Big Lots, Husqvarna Group, Parker Hannifin, Sonoco Products and Red Wing Shoe Company. Logility is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMSWA). To learn how Logility can help you make smarter decisions faster, visit http://www.logility.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or performance to differ materially from what is anticipated by statements made herein. These factors include, but are not limited to, continuing U.S. and global economic uncertainty and the timing and degree of business recovery; the irregular pattern of the Companys revenues; dependence on particular market segments or customers; competitive pressures; market acceptance of the Companys products and services; technological complexity; undetected software errors; potential product liability or warranty claims; risks associated with new product development; the challenges and risks associated with integration of acquired product lines, companies and services; uncertainty about the viability and effectiveness of strategic alliances; American Software, Inc.s ability to satisfy in a timely manner all Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required filings and the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations adopted under that Section; as well as a number of other risk factors that could affect the Companys future performance. For further information about risks the Company and American Software could experience as well as other information, please refer to American Software, Inc.s current Form 10-K and other reports and documents subsequently filed with the SEC. For more information, contact: Kevin Liu, American Software, Inc., (626) 657-0013 or email kliu@amsoftware.com.

Logility is a registered trademark of Logility, Inc. Other products mentioned in this document are registered, trademarked or service marked by their respective owners.

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Logility Partners with PwC to Bring Latest Innovation in Supply Chain Technology and Services to Brazilian Market - Business Wire

Fears about Australian military technology ending up in the wrong hands have been reignited by moves to share more defence technology with the United States.

Australia is aiming to become a top 10 exporter of defence goods. Critics have attacked a lack of transparency over what weapons Australia exports, and the possibility of those exports being used in civil wars and human rights abuses.

The government announced earlier this year it would partner with the US on a guided missile project.

Ahead of a trip to the US next week, the defence minister, Peter Dutton, reportedly told an American Chamber of Commerce session that Australia and the US need to pool knowledge and resources to develop a range of missile and cyber technology, and autonomous drones that can swarm or work together.

Dutton said Chinas increasingly coercive behaviour meant Australia had to be ready for any eventuality, and as part of that governments and the defence industry had to work to reduce barriers to collaboration and integration.

In response to freedom of information requests, Defence revealed it has approved defence exports to countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Exports are divided into two parts. Part 1 includes military goods and non-military lethal goods (such as non-military firearms), and Part 2 includes dual-use goods that were developed for commercial purposes but can be used either as military components or for the development or production of military systems or weapons of mass destruction.

Australia has issued almost 200 Part 1 permits to Israel (which has been accused of war crimes), and a further 43 Part 2 permits to Israel in the five years to 31 March.

Save the Children deputy chief executive officer, Mat Tinkler, said as Australia aims for a bigger share of the export market, safeguards and transparency should be increased.

We dont necessarily follow the weapons into the hands of the ultimate user, he said.

The Yemen conflict is a good example where weve issued permits to the UAE or Saudi Arabia, prime combatants in that conflict. We know in that conflict human rights abuses have occurred, children have been killed. If Australian weapons are being used thats a massive problem.

Australia cant say hand on heart that our weapons arent being used.

Medical Association for Prevention of War president, Sue Wareham, said weapons change hands, and that Australias increasing interoperability with the US was deeply troubling.

In the Middle East the US has lost control of weaponry, she says, and other weapons have changed hands in Yemen.

To imagine we can always keep control of our own weaponry is just fanciful.

Armed drones are a particular problem, Wareham said, because people are misidentified and become collateral.

On Middle Eastern exports, defence analyst Marcus Hellyer said Defence hides behind commercial-in-confidence when refusing to disclose what weapons Australia is exporting.

Im sure Defence follows the letter of the law, he said.

But theyve admitted its hard to track it once its gone overseas. If you sell a weapons system to the Saudi Arabians, its hard to track whether its used in Yemen. Defence doesnt have weapons inspectors in Yemen checking whether theyre doing the right thing.

He points out that Australia publishes a glossy catalogue detailing whats for sale (the Australian military sales catalogue), but not what were selling. The disclosures are incomplete and patchy, he said, and more transparency is needed.

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John said Australia should be working to de-escalate tensions in the region, instead of doing military deals with the US and trade deals with China, and getting stuck in the middle of two nuclear-armed powers.

He described the latest moves to further weaponise as an absurd contortion of joining America in a bit of chest beating while enjoying the status of being Chinas largest trading partner. The Greens want to scrap the idea of becoming a top ten weapons manufacturer and allowing US military operations on Australian soil, while engaging in diplomacy in the region.

Dutton has been approached for comment.

Australias statement of compatibility with human rights says Australias regulatory framework for export controls is reflective of international best practice and continues to support the responsible export and supply of defence and dual-use goods and technologies.

Original post:

Australias move to share defence technology with US fans concerns over weapons ultimate use - The Guardian Australia

SAN JOSE, Calif. The defendant, wearing a gray suit, sat quietly at a table surrounded by lawyers, her expression hidden behind a blue medical mask. Occasionally, she looked around. Her boyfriend and family members sat, also masked, in the packed gallery of Courtroom 4.

A low roaring undercurrent of clacking laptop keyboards began as Robert Leach, an assistant U.S. attorney, declared that the defendant had lied and cheated to get money.

Thats a crime on Main Street and its a crime in Silicon Valley, he said.

So began the trial on Wednesday of Elizabeth Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford University to create the blood testing start-up Theranos at age 19 and built it to a $9 billion valuation and herself into the worlds youngest self-made female billionaire only to flame out in disgrace after Theranoss technology was revealed to have problems.

In 2018, Ms. Holmes and Ramesh Balwani, her onetime business and romantic partner, were indicted with 12 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to federal prosecutors, Ms. Holmes and Mr. Balwani misrepresented the abilities of Theranoss technology and the companys business performance to investors. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Ms. Holmess trial, in federal court in San Jose, Calif., began just a month after she gave birth to a son, but more than three years after Theranos was dissolved and six years after The Wall Street Journal first exposed problems with the start-ups blood tests. The trial is expected to last 13 weeks and potentially feature as witnesses high-profile ex-board members and investors such as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

If convicted, Ms. Holmes, 37, faces up to 20 years in prison. Mr. Balwanis trial is slated to start in January.

Part media spectacle, part modern business parable, the case was the culmination of a decade of Silicon Valley excess, where a seemingly endless fount of capital for money-losing start-ups created immense wealth for their founders and investors and led to an environment where some were willing to look the other way when companies stretched the truth.

During its fast rise, Theranos was celebrated as a paragon of Silicon Valleys disruptive business magic the precise kind of magic that gave rise to Apple, Facebook, Google and Tesla, four of the most valuable companies in the world. But since Theranoss dramatic collapse, the company has become a symbol of the dark side of tech cultures fake it till you make it hustle. The start-up industry has strained to distance itself from Theranos.

Ms. Holmess trial also stands out for its rarity. Criminal prosecutions in Silicon Valley have declined markedly in recent years.

The eyes of the world are watching this trial, said Jessica Roth, a law professor at Cardozo School of Law and former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Legally, to fake it when you know you havent made it is still fraud, Ms. Roth added. Did they know they were faking it or did they believe they were making it?

Interest in the trial was so high that a line began forming to get into the federal courthouse before 5 a.m. Entering the windy alley in front of the courthouse at about 8 a.m., Ms. Holmes was swarmed by camera crews. She was escorted through the scrum by her boyfriend, Billy Evans, and family members.

Curious members of the public also showed up, as did a crew of three blond women in black suits who resembled the defendant. At one point, Mr. Evans and the women in black passed around a padded seat for the courtrooms hard benches.

The case hinges on whether Ms. Holmes intended to deceive investors and others and whether she was manipulated by Mr. Balwani. Battle lines were immediately drawn by prosecutors and the defense in their opening statements.

Making the governments case, Mr. Leach methodically described the times that Theranos came close to going out of business. Out of time and out of money, Elizabeth Holmes decided to lie, he said, in what became a refrain.

Mr. Leach showed an image of Theranoss blood analyzing machine, known as Edison and MiniLab, and said it was not doing anything that couldnt be done in an ordinary central blood testing laboratory. He described Theranoss false claims that its technology was being used on battlefields. He showed apparently falsified reports that Ms. Holmes gave to investors from pharmaceutical companies endorsing Theranoss technology. He said she had peddled wildly exaggerated revenue projections and had used the media to execute her fraud.

The scheme brought her fame, it brought her honor, and it brought her adoration, Mr. Leach said.

The defense responded by arguing that Ms. Holmes who had encouraged comparisons of herself to Steve Jobs, including adopting a uniform of black mock turtlenecks was a hardworking, if nave, entrepreneur who did not succeed but did not commit any crimes.

The villain the government just presented is actually a living, breathing human being who did her very best each and every day, said Lance Wade, a lawyer with Williams & Connolly who represents Ms. Holmes. Trying your hardest and coming up short is not a crime.

Mr. Wade argued that the reality of Theranoss failure was more complicated than the governments presentation and that the company had built some valuable blood testing technology.

The reality of Theranos, he said, was far more human, real and often times far more, I hate to say it, but technical and complicated and boring than what the government presented.

The media coverage made it a challenge for prosecutors and the defense to find a jury of 12 people who had not heard about Ms. Holmes, Theranos or the trial. Many potential jurors had read Bad Blood, a book about Theranos written by the former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou; had listened to The Dropout, a podcast about Theranos; or had seen The Inventor, a documentary about Theranos.

Mr. Balwani was frequently mentioned by both sides, but Ms. Holmess lawyers pointedly dwelled on the relationship.

Trusting and relying on Mr. Balwani as her primary adviser was one of her mistakes, Mr. Wade said.

Ms. Holmess lawyers have said in filings that Mr. Balwani emotionally and mentally abused her, and that the abuse negated her ability to intentionally deceive investors. They also said Ms. Holmes was likely to testify to this.

Such an argument is extremely rare in white-collar criminal trials, Ms. Roth said, possibly because there are so few female chief executives.

In court filings, Mr. Balwani has denied any abuse. In text messages revealed by prosecutors on Tuesday, Ms. Holmes showered Mr. Balwani with affection. In May 2015, as Theranos was dealing with questions from Mr. Carreyrou, she wrote Mr. Balwani a series of messages: You are breeze in desert for me / My water / And ocean / Meant to be only together tiger.

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The Trial of Theranoss Elizabeth Holmes Opens - The New York Times

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Mission-Critical Interconnect Solution Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on End User, Application, Components, Technology, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global mission-critical interconnect solution market is estimated to reach $43,424.0 million in 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.19% during the forecast period 2021-2026.

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment helps the reader in understanding the different types of electrical, optic fiber, and wireless technology mission-critical interconnect solutions and their market potential globally. Moreover, the study provides the reader a detailed understanding of mission-critical interconnect solutions with respect to application (i.e., commercial aviation, military and defense, space, medical technology, industrial, others) and end user. Additionally, comprehensive coverage on various key certifications of the companies has also been added to the study.

Key Questions Answered in the Report

The global mission-critical interconnect solution market has been growing rapidly over the past few years with the help of rising demand for high-quality and reliable products that offer robust solutions in adverse environments. Major key companies are acquiring smaller and emerging companies to increase their operational regions in various applications.

The major driving factors for the huge revenues generated by the companies are the growing need for reliable technology for mission-critical applications and dependency on interconnect solutions that are durable in harsh environments.

Impact of COVID-19 on Global Mission-Critical Interconnect Solution

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the growth of the market as the companies have lowered their research and development funding to develop innovative solutions. The key players in the U.S. and Europe were affected the most during the first wave of the COVID-19 and had to impose strict lockdowns to ensure the safety of their employees. This has affected the manufacturing of interconnect products due to a lack of workforce and raw materials.

Several companies have reported a significant drop in revenues due to the pandemic, and few companies had to close some of their warehouses to reduce costs. However, with the vaccination process being implemented, the market is expected to grow gradually.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Challenges

Opportunities

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i908uw

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Global Mission-Critical Interconnect Solution Market (2021 to 2026) - Focus on End-user, Application, Components, Technology and Country -...

The Blinn College District Surgical Technology Program encourages individuals interested in a career in the operating room to apply for admission to the fall 2022 cohort. The application deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Surgical technologists are an integral part of the surgical team, assisting surgeons, anesthesiologists, and registered nurses in caring for patients in the operating room. They ensure a safe operating environment, that equipment functions properly, and that operative procedures are conducted under conditions that maximize patient safety. Blinns Surgical Technology Program is based at the RELLIS Academic Complex on the RELLIS Campus, which features state-of-the-art simulation labs and an innovative learning environment.

Surgical technologists support surgeons while ensuring a safe environment for the patients under their care, Program Director Linda Hill said. Our graduates are highly sought after by employers because their specialized training prepares them to embark on fulfilling careers as soon as they graduate.

Blinns rigorous two-year program combines lecture and laboratory classes as well as clinical observation and operating room experience at area hospitals. Graduates must complete more than 120 surgical cases across a variety of surgical specialties. This externship-like training provides students a direct link with area hospitals that include Baylor Scott and White Medical Center-College Station, CHI St. Joseph Hospital, the CHI St. Joseph Medical Center, The Physicians Centre Hospital, and St. Marks Medical Center-La Grange. Upon completion of the program, many Blinn graduates successfully obtain employment at many of the same facilities where they refined their skills.

According to theU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for surgical technologists is expected to increase 7% between 2019 and 2029, creating 7,600 new jobs during that span. Nation-wide, the median wage is $49,710 per year. Texas has the nations highest demand for surgical technologists.

Surgical technologists often are employed at hospitals but can work in any setting that conducts surgical procedures, including doctors offices, day surgery facilities, and dental offices. Blinns Surgical Technology Program also can serve as a launching pad to other healthcare careers.

To learn more about the program and application requirements, visit http://www.blinn.edu/surgical-technology.

(Story courtesy Richard Bray, Blinn Information)

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BLINN ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2022 ADMISSION TO SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM - kwhi.com

Hosted at an unprecedented time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics (branded as Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, and officially called Games of the XXXII Olympiad) will be remembered for not just the extraordinary performances of the athletes, but also for being one of the most technologically advanced Games ever hosted.

Cloud technology was used for the first time at the Olympics and, as a technologist, Im thrilled to see cloud technologies playing an instrumental role in driving the digital transformation of the Games. The cloud infrastructure enabled innovative technology applications, so the Games could successfully overcome many of the hurdles put in place by the pandemic while creating a new foundation for how the Olympic Gamesand other major sporting eventswill be broadcast, organized, and engage with fans in the future. Needless to say, we are already excited about the opportunities that cloud technology will unlock in future Olympiads.

By way of example of how cloud technology revolutionized Tokyo 2020, we should look at one of the most important componentsthe global broadcast community serving millions of viewers. The Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) produced more than 9,500 hours of content during the Games, 30% more than during Rio 2016, and with some of the content in 8K for the first time. This year in Tokyo, when no spectators were allowed on-site, the role of broadcasters became even more essential for the Games and global fans.

By collaborating with OBS to support service delivery for rights-holding broadcasters (RHBs) for the very first time, a robust and secure cloud platform called OBS Cloud offered new models for content delivery to drive operational efficiency and greater agility. Operating entirely in the cloud and demonstrating the tremendous flexibility that the technology offers, OBS Cloud was designed to drive real transformation in the media industry and to prepare it for all the opportunities presented by the digital era.

With the pandemic preventing fans from attending the Games, it was imperative that broadcasters globally had access to high-quality content that could be distributed across multiple platforms to help share the drama and the emotion of the Games. To that end, during Tokyo 2020, up to 9,000 short-form content clips were produced by the OBS Content+ crew to help enhance RHB coverage. The clips could be accessed by the RHBs digital and social media teams from any location in the world to supplement their own Olympic coverage. This technology enabled broadcasters to cover the Games in a more cost-effective, secure, and flexible way, from any location in the world, ensuring a steady and consistent flow of broadcast content throughout the Games, much to the delight of millions of fans hungry for a slice of the action!

It is easy to understand why this broadcast development excited Yiannis Exarchos, the OBS chief executive officer. In his view, the partnership with Alibaba Cloud has transformed how the Olympic Games were broadcast to the widest possible audience. He reflected on it being the biggest technological change in the broadcasting industry for more than half a century since the introduction of satellite transmission. Thats a remarkable landmark, given that satellite transmission was introduced to Olympic broadcast coverage for the first time as far back as 1964.

Also used as part of post-production workflow, the OBS had used the Content+ platform for remote editing and standards conversion, a feature that will be extended as a service to the RHBs for future Olympics.

Of course,event organizers and working staff are central to the delivery of the Games, and Tokyo 2020 provided its own challenges for them due to the extreme summer heat. To illustrate the risks that Games workers faced, more than 8,000 people in Japan were taken to hospitals suffering from heatstroke symptoms between July 19 and 25 this year, while Tokyo 2020 officially kickstarted on July 23.

I believe technology can help respond effectively to critical situations like this. Thats why we introduced a cloud-based solution to help reduce the risk of getting heatstroke for the onsite working staff exposed to the weather. Through an intelligent in-ear device, the technology helped keep track of staffers body temperature and heart rate. Based on this information and the surrounding heat index (including temperature, humidity, and direct or radiant sunlight), a cloud-based system identified the level of heatstroke risk in real time. Alerts were then sent to staff exposed to a high level of risk, along with recommended precautionary measuressuch as drinking more waterto reduce the chances of getting heatstroke.

The innovation that was well-received by Hidemasa Nakamura, chief of the Main Operations Centre of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG). Perhaps even more importantly, it was well-received by Games workers; as it turned out, Tokyo 2020 was reported to be one of the hottest Olympic Games in history.

Regretfully, the pandemic prevented global fans from being present at the Games. But technology can always play a positive role in addressing challenges. Last year, we spent significant time working with TOCOG on a digital remote fan engagement program called Share the Passion. Leveraging the cloud and digital editing technology, this fantastic project encouraged sports fans globally to support their favorite teams and athletes on a more personal level, wherever the fan or the team is based. It took advantage of AI-powered technology to aggregate real-time videos uploaded by fans on social media platforms, and broadcast them in venues to deliver cheers, support, and motivation for the athletes. You can imagine the excitement that this innovative solution provided, while projecting high-energy, positive vibes among fans and athletes alike with the audiences cheers filling the arena.

Connection is irreplaceable, and Olympic Games are one of the best examples of connectivity between fans and athletes, different generations, and sports communities across borders. Holding true to this value, we created our first Cloud Pin, a cloud-based digital pin designed for broadcast and media professionals working relentlessly to cover the Games for all of us. The wearable digital device enables the contact-free exchange of information, and was designed to help media professionals working at the International Broadcasting Centre and Main Press Centre to connect with each other and exchange social media handles in a safe and interactive manner. Worn either as a badge or attached to a lanyard, it marries the convention of swapping contact details with real-time, cloud-based convenience.

Other exciting initiatives further encouraged fan and audience participation. For instance, the IOC launched The Olympic Store on Alibabas e-commerce platform Tmall. In addition to being a global store for fans seeking official Olympic-branded merchandise, it also acts as an information portal to help keep fans up to date with all the latest Olympic news and information. Its a place where retail and commerce merge to further delight sports fans, while taking the Games into a new era of fan participation.

Other beneficiaries of cloud technologyand many would say the most importantwere the athletes themselves, through a technology called 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT).

In collaboration with Intel, 3DAT gives audiences professional insights into athletes' performance as it happens. Without the need for motion-tracking sensors, 3DAT leverages standard video, AI, and computer vision to extract over 20 points in 3D on the athlete's body, transforming those data into rich visualizations to enhance broadcasters storytelling for key events.

During our first Summer Olympics, we are pleased to have taken our sponsorship role to a new level that goes beyond the traditional commercial package. As an exclusive worldwide partner for cloud services, we are honored to provide a new cloud-based foundation for how the Games were broadcast and operated in many ways. Similarly, we believe that the cloud will play an important role in reshaping the experience of how major sporting events would be broadcast, organized, and shared with fans in the future. We are proud of the role we played in helping Tokyo 2020 to reshape the sports and broadcast industry in an unprecedented way. And we are not stopping there; Tokyo 2020 was just the start of the digitalization journey of the Olympic Games.

This content was produced by Alibaba Cloud. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.

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Game changer: The first Olympic games in the cloud - MIT Technology Review

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Growth Opportunities for Communications, Collaboration, and Contact Center Technologies in the Government Sector" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report has identified the government vertical as ripe for digital transformation and the adoption of modern communications and collaboration technologies to improve operational efficiencies and enhance citizen experiences.

This study discusses opportunities for improving citizens', public workers', and other stakeholders' communications and collaboration experiences and enhancing important workflows in the government sector using pre-packaged communications and collaboration solutions, application programming interfaces (APIs), and programmable communications capabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the social distancing norms it necessitated, has impacted all public services, revealing the urgent need for digital transformation. Governments, usually poorly funded, still perform lots of processes manually, with low levels of automation and limited use of productivity-enhancing digital technologies.

Government bodies are usually large organizations with a diverse workforce performing multiple different job functions, spread across several facilities, with lots of specific needs. Government services span social benefits, education, law-making and courts, pest and wildlife control, tax collection, citizen information management, urban infrastructure, environment, transportation, safety and security, housing and building, employment, business and consumer services, culture and entertainment, street cleaning, garbage disposal, and more.

Each government workflow has its own stakeholders, supply chain, users, specific processes, protocols, technology requirements, challenges, and objectives. Additionally, by nature, some of the workflows in the government vertical are hard to digitize.

In order to effectively leverage digital technologies to address this vertical, a clear understanding of each workflow and the related choke points is required.

Key Features

The study identifies key use cases for point solutions, such as video conferencing or team messaging, as well as integrated suites such as unified communications and collaboration (UCC), UC as a service (UCaaS), communications platform as a service (CPaaS), contact center, and contact center as a service (CCaaS) solutions in the government sector. The study also identifies the key growth opportunities within the government vertical for these communications solutions.

More specifically, the study has identified the following use cases whereby advanced communications tools can deliver value to government organizations:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

2. Executive Dashboard

3. Definitions and Scope

4. State of the Market & Growth Environment

5. Government Use Cases Ripe for Transformation

6. Growth Opportunities

7. Conclusion

8. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lfp0na

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2021 Growth Opportunities for Communications, Collaboration, and Contact Center Technologies in the Government Sector - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fluree, provider of an immutable semantic graph data platform, today announced a partnership with Ikigai Technologies to provide comprehensive off-chain data storage for Cardano metadata. The project, termed Logosphere is funded as a cohort project of Project Catalyst, Cardanos community fund allocated through public voting.

Cardano has become the sixth largest cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of more than $88 billion; however, the metadata is not easily accessible to users and other third parties without inspecting every transaction. Until now, no common standard exists for off-chain databases, making it difficult to review metadata for analytics and hindering cross-app data sharing.

Ikigais proposal centers around using Fluree to build a provable data-centric sidechain for dApps. Flurees immutable graph database has native support for W3C data standards, making it well-suited for this solution. Transaction metadata in Cardano will be expanded beyond the current 16kB limit, and Fluree will provide an API to allow anyone developing dApps to harness a means of storing extended metadata.

If the on-chain parts of Cardano are immutable, but the off-chain metadata is not, that creates a real trust problem, said Fluree Co-CEO and Co-Founder Brian Platz. Fluree and Ikigai Technologies will work together to build a sidechain with the ability to link and share data while ensuring the same degree of trust as the on-chain data.

Ikigai Technologies will build the project using Flurees technology, with a goal of launching the public sidechain in early 2022. Ikigai Technologies CEO Michael Yagi spent years as an engineer at Tableau Software, and other team members have built solutions for Amazon and Microsoft.

Dmitri Safine, CTO of Ikigai Technologies, who spent the last 3 years as a data engineer at Amazon, commented, Ive always been fascinated with graph databases and possibilities of building an ecosystem where data coming from different but related apps and domains can be shared and linked together to power data-centric dApps. While trying to figure out a data layer solution for Cardanos emerging dApp ecosystem, I landed on Brian Platzs ZDNet podcast about Fluree and got hooked. It turned out to be the start of this exciting journey.

The teams will collaborate on design with engineers from IOHK, one of the world's pre-eminent blockchain infrastructure research and engineering companies. To learn more, visit logosphere.io.

About Fluree

Founded in 2016 by Brian Platz and Flip Filipowski, Fluree PBC is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Fluree is pioneering a data-first technology approach with its data management platform. For more information, follow Fluree on Twitter or LinkedIn, or visit flur.ee.

About Ikigai Technologies

Named after the Japanese word for one's reason for being, Ikigai Technologies is a blockchain technology company founded by Michael Yagi and 4 industry experts specializing in decentralized technologies. Ikigai Technologies leverages new technology stacks to build products that help others find their own Ikigai. For more information, follow Ikigai on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, or visit ikigaitech.org.

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Cardano Community Selects Fluree and Ikigai Technologies to Build Metadata Sidechain Solution, Project Logosphere - Business Wire

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) today convened an NCCN Policy Summit on The Impact of Technology on Cancer Care in 2021. The online program brought together experts and innovators who are using emerging technologies to improve the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of cancer care on both a national and local level.

"We recognize that there are tremendous opportunities in leveraging technology to close gaps in our health care system in order to provide better care, reduce physician burnout, and control costs for people with cancer," said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "At the same time, we have to worry about unintentionally exacerbating existing problems and creating new areas of bias and inequity. We convened this summit to share diverse perspectives on both policy and practice for what can be done with technology, and more importantly, what should be done."

"The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) supports innovative research for discovery, technology development, and clinical translation of new imaging methods for people with cancer," said keynote speaker Janet Eary, MD, Associate Director, CIP. "Among many activities, CIP maintains a large imaging data archive as a public research resource, which promotes new imaging and data analyses that can be used to address issues in care delivery equity. The archive image datasets with their clinical metadata are collected from different populations so that researchers can apply innovative imaging research and data analysis approaches to these reference examples."

Dr. Eary also reported that "imaging research continues to develop innovative approaches that can be harnessed to address the needs of individuals and different populations of people with cancer."

Panelists examined some of the areas where technology holds the most potential for improving care, while also looking at areas of concern.

"Digital tools and technology are integrating into our daily lives," said Edmondo Robinson, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Digital Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center. "Health policy is increasingly recognizing these opportunities, from telehealth to artificial intelligence and beyond; this has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In oncology, there is much more we can do to truly harness the power and potential of digital tools to prevent and cure cancer."

Beyond imaging, major topics of interest included:

The program also included several presentations highlighting a few recently-developed tools intended to improve the cancer journey for patients and caregivers.

"We created the LLS Health Manager mobile app because we recognized the need for a tool that allows patients to track their daily health. Managing side effects is an important part of cancer care and by tracking medication, side effects, food and hydration, patients and their doctors can begin to identify patterns and develop strategies to help them do so," said Amanda LaRussa, Director, Patient Education & Web Content, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). "We also created a free coloring app called LLS Coloring for Kids designed to allow children to express their creativity while learning about blood cancer and its treatments. We felt it was important to offer kids a fun and encouraging platform to help them cope with the emotional challenges that come along with a cancer diagnosis." Both are available to download for free in the App Store or Google Play.

Additional quotes from speakers and presenters:

Laura Chavaree, LCSW, MSW, Head of Patient Engagement, Blue Note Therapeutics said: "The inevitable stress that accompanies a cancer diagnosis often leads to anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, cancer care teams have limited resources and time to provide psycho-social care and cancer-related distress can go under-treated or even unrecognized. Blue Note Therapeutics is committed to addressing this unmet need as we leverage clinically-validated, digital technology to provide greater access to the full suite of care for cancer-related distress available in top cancer centers. Collaborating closely with patient advisors, we are co-creating these exciting new tools and a future where clinicians are enabled through technology to extend their reach, giving patients the ability to better manage the emotional burden of cancer at home, on their own time."

James Hamrick, MD, MPH, Vice President, Clinical Oncology, Flatiron Health said: "Machine learning-based tools have the potential to improve patient care and safety through more efficient healthcare delivery. At Flatiron Health, we use machine learning to proactively identify patients who are at risk for an adverse clinical event and surface these insights directly in clinical workflows to help care teams better direct resources to patients that need them most. As part of this investment, we built a rigorous model monitoring an analytic solution to mitigatethe very real risk of reproducing real-world disparities in machine learning algorithms."

Kjel Johnson, PharmD, Vice President, Specialty Strategy and Client Solutions, CVS Caremark said: "A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. What makes it even harder is that the treatment journey is fraught with breakdowns from getting patients diagnosed in a timely manner to making sure they get on the most appropriate regimen for their specific diagnosis as quickly as possible. Using technology-enabled solutions can close these gaps and improve the overall quality of care."

"CVS Health has invested more than $100 millionin its digital infrastructure to help get patients on the right treatments faster, mitigate adverse events and prevent unnecessary admissions, to improve the overall quality and cost ofcare," Johnson added.

Additional speakers and presenters included:

Kim Agricola, Director, Digital Content, Cancer Support Community

Vanessa Cramer, Director of Policy, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance

Jonathan Darer, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Medicalis, Medical Director of Clinical Decision Support, Principal Key Expert for Clinical Pathways and Decision Support, Siemens Healthineers

Tim Foley, MBA, Vice President, Oncology, Optum

Tufia Haddad, MD, Chair of Practice Innovation and Platform, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Medical Director of Care at Home, Center for Digital Health

Jocelyn Ulrich, MPH, Deputy Vice President, Medical Innovation Policy,The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

The next policy summit will be the annual NCCN Patient Advocacy Summit, taking place on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. This year's NCCN Patient Advocacy Summit will focus on Advancements in Precision Medicine and Implications for Quality, Accessible, and Equitable Cancer Care. To register, visit NCCN.org/summits and join the conversation with the hashtag #NCCNPolicy.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information and follow NCCN on Facebook @NCCNorg, Instagram @NCCNorg, and Twitter @NCCN.

Media Contact: Rachel Darwin 267-622-6624 [emailprotected]

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network

http://www.nccn.org

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NCCN Policy Summit Explores the Promise and Challenges of New Technologies in Cancer Care - PRNewswire