• AHA’s 2010 “Life’s Simple Seven” will now be “Life’s Essential Eight”
• Findings from 2,500 scientific papers since 2010 have led to the score being updated and an eighth risk factor added
• The main goal is to maintain better heart health for children in adulthood and throughout life
• Northwestern’s chairman of preventive medicine is president of the American Heart Association

CHICAGO — In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) defined “Life’s Simple 7^MT“, the seven behaviors and health factors that people can improve to achieve optimal cardiovascular health. And now they’re adding an eighth: sleeping.

“Sleep is tied to each of the other seven elements – it’s closely tied to weight, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, what we choose to eat,” said AHA President Dr Donald Lloyd-Jones, chairman of the preventive health department. at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “But sleep is both correlated and also independent. New research shows that when we take the ancient seven and add sleep, we can even better predict cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Now called “Life’s Essential 8^MT“, the AHA’s comprehensive list of important health factors includes managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, lowering blood sugar, maintaining a healthy weight, increasing physical activity, healthier eating, avoiding nicotine in all its forms and maintaining sleep duration.

Although some people have a harder time changing their sleep hygiene, such as those who work dual jobs or work night shifts, Lloyd-Jones said a big contributor to better cardiovascular health focuses on ways to get the healthiest amount of sleep (seven to nine hours a night on average) by avoiding caffeine, screens, and bright light several hours before bed, putting your phone away, and creating a more regular schedule.

An article on Life’s Essential 8 and the state of cardiovascular health in American adults and children will be published June 29 in Circulation, the AHA’s flagship journal.

“Healthier children become healthier adults”

A key part of the reinvigorated list of risk factors is the importance of measuring and monitoring children’s cardiovascular health and learning how to maintain it as they age, Lloyd-Jones said.

“When we create healthier children, they become healthier adults who then have healthier pregnancies, and the benefits continue, with their children being healthier simply because their parents were healthier,” said said Lloyd Jones. “We get this virtuous cycle of improving cardiovascular health generation by generation.”

Additional research published online in Circulation at the same time assessed the cardiovascular health of American children and adults. These results showed that as American children aged 2 to 5 reached the age group of 12 to 19, the healthy eating score dropped markedly from 61 to 28 (out of 100 points). possible).

“We lose a lot of cardiovascular health in eating habits as our children age through childhood and adolescence,” Lloyd-Jones said. “It doesn’t have to be, but we don’t serve them well…pun intended.”

He said school food programs focusing on healthier eating, improving the health of our food supply, helping children choose water over sugary drinks and taxing sugary drinks are strategies that the United States can adopt to maintain and improve cardiovascular health in children.

2,500 scientific articles since 2010

The introduction of “Life’s Simple 7” in 2010 was new, Lloyd-Jones said.

“No one had really tried to quantify health as a concept before this, and it’s transformed public health advocacy and for individuals to think about their long-term health,” said Lloyd-Jones, who is also a Northwestern Medicine cardiologist.

Since 2010, more than 2,500 scientific papers have been published on the AHA concept of heart health and what it means to improve health throughout life.

“We’ve learned a lot about the importance of having better cardiovascular health at every stage of life,” he said. “It affects your risk of stroke, heart attack, cancer, dementia, cognitive functioning, pretty much everything we care about.”

This “cutting edge research” paved the way for the addition of the eighth element of sleep.

More sensitive tools to measure heart health

In addition, since 2010, scientists have developed more sensitive tools to determine a person’s cardiovascular health, such as better questionnaires that measure the eating habits of different populations (i.e. DASH diet versus to the Mediterranean diet), Lloyd-Jones said. The new scoring system, he explained, will also give more credit to people who are striving to improve their cardiovascular health, which the old scoring system did not do well.

Two elements that affect cardiovascular health are not included in the measurement system: the social determinants of health and the characteristics of psychological health such as optimism, purpose in life, mastery of the environment, perceived reward of social roles and resilient coping. Scientists also know more about how the social determinants of health (education, neighborhood environment, community, economic security, access to health care) can influence a person’s chances of having better cardiovascular health. . Lloyd-Jones said that while policymakers, clinicians and individuals should be aware of these elements, they are difficult to quantify and therefore do not make the list of Life’s Essential 8.

The National Commission for Women (NCW), in conjunction with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), held a one-day anti-trafficking awareness seminar on Saturday in the national capital.

The one-day sensitization session discussed the introduction, concept, models and existing response systems of human trafficking and the psycho-sociological impact of trafficking as well as the role of human trafficking organizations. civil society in its prevention. NCW President Rekha Sharma and Balaji Srivastava, Managing Director, BPR&D, chaired the seminar.

President Rekha Sharma stressed the importance of preventing human trafficking at the source for an effective fight. “We need to focus on preventing trafficking. NCW has set up its own anti-human trafficking unit and this is just the beginning. Through today’s seminar, we all need to find the way forward to promote awareness of human trafficking and its effective fight,” she said.

Meanwhile, Balaji Srivastava said that BPR&D has organized many capacity building seminars and workshops on different topics such as cybercrime and women’s safety and that this collaborative effort with NCW will go a long way in promoting awareness of trafficking. human being.

The seminar was divided into four technical sessions; “Introduction: concept, patterns and existing response systems of human trafficking”, “Different dimensions of human trafficking”, “Psychosociological impact of human trafficking” and “Role of NGOs in rescue, post- rescue and rehabilitation”.

The technical sessions were followed by detailed open house discussions and the resource persons suggested the way forward to combat human trafficking.

Some of the important suggestions made by the experts were that each state women’s commission should have its own anti-human trafficking unit, an SOP to be followed by all organizations in cases of human trafficking, training of all stakeholders, the establishment of anti-trafficking units in colleges and educational institutes. the provisions available in the legal system, including schemes and compensation, should be known to all at the panchayat level, among other suggestions.

Participants included State Women’s Commissions, State/UT WCD Departments, Senior Police Officials, Senior Paramilitary Officials, Governmental Organizations, National Commissions, Administrative, Judicial and Police Training Institutes, non-governmental organizations, directors of medical institutions and universities. /Colleges, among others.

Author: Meng Ye, University of Tübingen

In the midst of the global “democratic recession” and the new trend of “autocratic legalism”, Xi Jinping’s China is an excellent example of how the strengthening of law and legal institutions can occur not only in conjunction with a profound authoritarianism, but at the service of it.

The notorious removal of Xi’s term limit took the form of a constitutional amendment, accompanied by the formal consecration of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CCP). Some interpret this as adding weight to the constitution – and legality in general – within Chinese governance.

The Supreme People’s Court continues to play a vital role in unifying the interpretation of the law. Local courts are eager to show off their innovative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the arbitrariness of decisions. They are supposed to be less inclined to “illegitimate” interventions under an increasingly systematized and “legitimate” political control by the Party.

Barriers to administrative litigation have reportedly been eased by the new case registration system introduced in 2015, while structural reforms of local courts have further reduced the influence of local governments on the judiciary. Some local courts have even been able to limit government decisions on land disputes through protest-driven litigation.

None of these cases occurred at the expense of the Communist Party’s authority over the judiciary. Rather, they emerged during a period in which the Party’s ideological and political control over virtually all state institutions became increasingly tight.

With an increasingly professionalized judiciary – relatively autonomous in its decision-making but subordinate to the regime – capable of handling wide-ranging disputes, it’s as if Xi’s China is showing its fellow autocrats how “properly” it is. do. But are we really seeing a real-world reconciliation of deep authoritarianism with some form of “rule of law”?

A closer look reveals a much more nuanced picture. While the sheer volume of administrative cases increased by more than 50% when the new system was introduced in 2015, the growth rate was not unreasonably high considering that the total number of all types of business increased by more than 40% during the same period. After 2015, the growth rate of administrative cases fell to 13.2%, while that of all cases ..

The new system does not appear to have increased public access to administrative litigation against government behavior significantly, especially given the strong trend of increasing cases. The proportion of first instance administrative disputes among all types of cases tried by local courts across the country barely increased from 9.49% in 2014 to 9.97% in 2019. The percentage of cases earned in China by claimants increased slightly but remained at the extremely low rate of around 13% in 2015.

Administrative disputes are an important indicator of the extent to which courts can thwart the political influence of local parties and state actors. “Local protectionism” has been a prominent feature of China’s judicial system as a structural loophole allowing for corruption and resistance to central directives.

Judicial reforms after 2013 targeted local party-state power over the judiciary by centralizing court personnel and budget management at the provincial level. But implementation remains largely incomplete. Less developed provinces have barely begun to implement fiscal centralization, while local governments in more developed regions remain responsible for a large share of monetary budgets and material equipment.

The establishment of the new anti-corruption mechanism has systematically undermined the already inferior status of the judiciary compared to party committees without leading to significant vertical centralization. A first analysis warns that the use of AI in Chinese courts could further limit the discretion and decision-making autonomy of judges, rather than facilitating it. It is reasonable to assume that the supremacy of party committees over all other state institutions—a core feature of Chinese authoritarianism—has itself impeded many of the reform outcomes desired by the CCP.

It is certainly true that the CCP has moved away from the liberal concept of “rule of law” and is working to build a legal framework that supports its “neo-totalitarian” regime. But how effectively it has managed to do so is far from clear, even when measured against goals such as reducing local protectionism and granting the courts sufficient autonomy to maintain the legitimacy of the regime.

Questions remain about the extent to which the CCP’s growing supremacy is conducive to achieving many of its own political goals. If China is a testing ground for determining the extent to which authoritarian regimes can rely on “legality” – stripped of the democratic and normative core of “rule of law” – to help maintain political rule, there can be strict limits to how far these efforts can go.

Meng Ye is a research assistant and junior lecturer at the Chair of Greater China Studies at the University of Tübingen.

Over the years, various terms have been used to describe people’s struggles to grasp and control the world around them. There were dynamic, high-speed, disruptive, turbulent, etc. Until recently, this resulted in the notion of VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.

But, for a year or two, there is a new kid in the neighborhood: BAN. He says the world today is fragile, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible. As plausible as this may sound and in tune with how many people may feel today, there is a need to clarify this concept and unravel its four components.

A little history. The creator of this concept is Never Cascio, an American anthropologist, futurist and author. Triggered by the various crises facing our world – climate, pandemic, inequality and global instability, to name a few – he concluded that existing concepts such as VUCA are not appropriate for a rapidly changing world. . A new concept was needed, and that was BANI.

Others have already clarified the concept, such as BANI as an “underestimated door to the future”, BANI as a tool that could help us make sense of the chaos around us, and BANI as dystopian scenario. One thing that connects these explanations is that they describe what a BANI world looks like and how the world has become more fragile, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible than before.

However, this may not be the right approach. Because, more than anything else, BANI says something about people and how they have misperceived the world until now. In this sense, BANI should rather be seen as a correction, or reality check, aimed at shattering four illusions of humanity’s current perceptions of the world.

Brittle – The Illusion of Strength

Brittle means to be fragile, brittle, while appearing firm. It refers to something that is not as strong as it looks. It’s an illusory force, the belief that “everything will be fine” and the assumptions that “we all know they’re true”, except they’re not. Brittle refers to the myths people tell themselves to feel better and safer.

The world has existed for eons, we tend to deny its indestructibility and durability due to its seemingly infinite lifespan. But it is fragile and always has been. The fact that people didn’t (wanted) to see it, and instead assumed it was unbreakable, doesn’t change that. And that’s what this “new” concept really reveals: that people are finally discovering that the world, especially its nature, its economy and its tranquility is a fragile and convoluted interconnected ecosystem. Embracing Brittle means letting go of that first illusion, the illusion of strength.

Anxious – The Illusion of Control

Anxiety refers to a feeling of helplessness, of being overwhelmed by whatever one is facing. With this comes stress and worry and the fear of not being able to cope with what the world is asking – and of not really knowing what is going to happen in the first place, which makes it difficult or even impossible, to make the “right” decisions.

Anxiety is largely a byproduct of information. The more people hear and see, especially bad news, the more anxious they become. Because there are so many things we can do. And with real-time news from around the world bombarding us 24/7, it’s no wonder people are getting anxious because they’re out of control.

Like the Brittle concept, it says more about people than the world. Anxiety is a subjective feeling caused by a discrepancy between what one expects and what one experiences. People expect control and for a long time they knew how to maintain this illusion. The past few decades may have been relatively calm in the Western world, but unrest, wars and crises have always been a normal part of life on this planet. This means that people have never been in control. The main difference is that they are finally starting to realize this (again) – the illusion of control.

Nonlinear – The Illusion of Predictability

Non-linearity has already been a popular concept for longer. In the field of innovation, for example, it essentially says: there is no simple, direct path from A to B. Instead, there are detours, dead ends and unexpected results. It is also common vocabulary in statistics, where it refers to a relationship between two or more variables that is not a straight line.

The fact that people are again talking more and more about nonlinearity says nothing about the world in which they live. Non-linearity has always existed and it is a natural characteristic of any complex system. It is commonly referred to as the “butterfly effect”, the fact that a chain of cause and effect relationships triggered by one small event (a butterfly flapping its wings) can lead to very unexpected and disruptive events (a tornado on the other side of the ocean).

It’s not something new. This is a default feature of any complex system. What is new and highlighted by the BANI concept is that there is now an increased awareness of the non-linearity of our world. This shatters a third illusion, the illusion of predictability.

Incomprehensible – The Illusion of Knowledge

Finally, incomprehensible refers to people’s experience that they don’t understand what is going on. They can’t monitor it, can’t grasp it, can’t interpret what is happening and why. That means they can’t find the answers they’re looking for, and to the extent that they get answers, they can’t make sense of the answers either.

This comes with a fourth illusion, the illusion of knowledge. People might have thought they understood the world. But they never did. It’s for this reason that experts and scientists often say things like “the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know”. The world is a mystery, despite the carefully constructed illusion that we understand it. And that might not be something to worry about. On the contrary, it makes the world and our lives worthwhile. Or as Einstein told us: “There are only two ways to live your life. We are as if nothing were a miracle. The other is like everything is a miracle.”

It’s not our world, it’s us

Every word we use and every concept we use to describe the world around us says something about ourselves. This was the case with ‘dynamic’, ‘turbulent’, ‘VUCA’ and all the other concepts used to describe our difficulties in grasping and controlling the world. But BANI takes this to a new level. Rather than saying something about the world, it first says something about how we perceive it. It is not the world that has become more fragile, anxious, non-linear or incomprehensible. It is we who must finally let go of the illusion that this is not the case.

As such, BANI is a great reminder for all of us. We live in a delicate, uncontrollable, unpredictable and impossible to understand world. Let’s celebrate, accept and marvel.

This decision ¹ sends a clear message to companies that the scope of the order could be much broader than some might think, and that companies will be jointly and severally liable with their subcontractors forming the same company (i.e. say the economic unit) which has infringed competition law. This alert discusses court rulings, court reasoning on appeal, and practical steps companies can take to minimize the order due to the conduct of their business partners.

Competition Tribunal Decisions and HKCC Appeal

The first decision appealed was the landmark decision on sanctions in the W Hing Case. ² In this decision, the court for the first time established the four-step approach to determining financial penalties under the order (see our alert here). Among other things, the Court granted a reduction of one-third of the base amount (i.e. a base amount linked to the volume of trade affected by the violation of the competition rule) to three defendants.

For two of the respondents, the Tribunal granted the reduction on the grounds that they had not directly participated in the anticompetitive behavior, but had become liable by leasing their license to a subcontractor who had engaged in the unlawful behavior . For the other respondent, the Tribunal granted the reduction on the basis that the renovations had in fact been carried out by another on behalf of this respondent. In granting the reduction, the Court took into account various factors such as the ad hoc and temporary association of the contractors and the subcontractors, the inability of the respondents to recover part or all of the pecuniary penalties from the subcontractors , and the roles of the Respondents only within the framework of the overall “enterprise”.

The second decision appealed was the Mushrooms Case ³ which also followed the same four-step approach and reduced the base amount for two sponsors for similar reasons. The main difference between the two cases is that the subcontractors or agents involved in the Mushrooms cases have been made a respondent while the respective contractors or representatives have not been a respondent in the W Hing Case.

On appeal, the HKCC sought to reverse the one-third reduction and increase the penalties for these respondents. The HKCC argued that the court acted on the wrong principle and considered irrelevant factors or failed to consider relevant factors.

Court of Appeal – reduction of basic amount not justified

The Court allowed the HKCC’s appeal in the two cases concerning the reduction of the base amount for the following reasons:

Ground 1: joint and several liability

Despite the defendants’ assertions that the determination of pecuniary sanctions was a “localized matter” and that EU case law should not be applied, the Court held that the notion of commitment, derived from EU case law EU, “is at the heart” of the Hong Kong decision. Kong’s competition law regime. Similar to EU law, persons forming a business are jointly and severally liable for the business’ breach of competition rules as well as for financial penalties imposed on the business.

The Court held that each of the respondents on appeal formed a single economic unit or company with its respective subcontractor and should be liable for the full monetary penalty. The court said it would be wrong in principle to reduce financial penalties by a percentage to reflect a defendant’s role that he was just part of a business. The allocation of responsibilities between entities under a business for the payment of penalties was not an issue for the HKCC to get involved in.

Reason 2: public order or illegality

The HKCC argued that the defendants should not be allowed to cite their own unlawful conduct (i.e. contracting out work in violation of Hong Kong’s subcontracting system and license terms Housing Authority which restricted outsourcing) as a mitigating circumstance. The Court agreed with the HKCC that the Respondents’ subcontracting arrangements violated the terms of the license and were contrary to the public interest and public order. Therefore, it was wrong in principle to recognize outsourcing as a mitigating circumstance. The fact that the respondents had no knowledge of the anti-competitive behavior was also irrelevant.

Reason 3: inability to recover from subcontractors or representatives

Finally, the court agreed with the HKCC that the HKCC did not have the burden of disproving the alleged inability of the respondents to recover all or part of the penalties from the subcontractors or representatives. As the Respondents provided no evidence regarding the alleged inability to recover, it was inappropriate for the court to consider or give the discount to reflect the alleged inability. If there were legal reasons for the incapacity, the Court suggested that this matter be decided in a subsequent procedure for contribution or compensation.

Appeal from HKCC on charges

In the Case, the Court granted the HKCC a certificate of costs for two lawyers, instead of the three lawyers actually hired by the HKCC. Despite the Tribunal’s acknowledgment of the efforts made by three lawyers to deal with multiple respondents, the Tribunal found that this was not an exceptional case warranting a certificate for all three lawyers. The HKCC appealed on this point. The Court dismissed the HKCC’s appeal because the costs were within the Tribunal’s discretion and the Court was not convinced that the Tribunal was wrong in principle or demonstrably wrong.

Key points to remember

This decision reminds companies that they cannot escape their liability under the Order by engaging subcontractors or relying on limited participation to seek a reduction in penalties on the grounds that they are their subcontractors. contractors who directly participated in the offending conduct. Even if the HKCC chooses to prosecute a single entity in a business in court, that entity can be made to respond to the entire infringement by the business.

The position taken in this decision is largely in line with EU case law which recognizes the joint and several liability of all entities within a company involved in anti-competitive conduct. In fact, the term and concept of “undertaking” is an invention of EU law, intended primarily to reflect both the commercial reality that several entities within the same corporate group may jointly infringe competition, as well as addressing the EU-specific problem that EU Member States’ laws have very different company law regimes.

However, the impact in Hong Kong following the Court’s ruling is arguably greater than in the EU. In most EU judgments shaping the concept of an enterprise, the entities constituting the enterprise were affiliated companies within the same corporate group. On the other hand, in the W Hing and Mushrooms cases, the companies were found to consist of the Respondents and their unaffiliated contractors or representatives. The Court pointed out that knowledge of the contravention was not required, which leaves the possibility that the respondents were held liable for acts of third parties without their knowledge. Moreover, in Hong Kong, the Ordinance goes even further by establishing an ancillary liability regime. This means that not only can the company that actually infringes the Ordinance be held liable, but that the Court can also impose financial penalties on those “involved” in infringements of the competition rules. This concept casts a wide net over acts such as attempt, aid, abet, counsel, pimp, incite, attempt to incite, and conspiracy.

The practical effect of the Court’s judgment may be to cause companies to intensify competition law compliance among all their employees and business partners such as contractors. While that case considered contractors and subcontractors to constitute the same business, parent companies and subsidiaries, suppliers and distributors, and licensors and licensees could also be treated the same way in the cases. future. Therefore, and in light of the broad scope of the order, it is crucial for companies to ensure that all of their employees – and business partners – comply with the order.

Competitive Compliance Strategy

Competition law compliance efforts may need to become broader and more proactive (also towards third parties) than in the past, where companies focused primarily on their own employees, and primarily those at the center of operations. In this way, competition law compliance can begin to resemble compliance efforts in other areas such as anti-corruption and fraud.

The competition compliance strategy to adopt may differ from one company to another, depending on the size of the company, the risks to which the company is exposed and the likelihood of these risks occurring. In general, practical steps companies can take to ensure compliance include:

• conduct regular competition audits to identify areas of business that pose competition law risks (such as pricing and rebate agreements, distribution agreements, and commitments to trade associations or industry bodies);
• implement group competition compliance policies;
• appoint a compliance officer;
• organize regular competition law training for relevant employees (such as marketing employees and sales and internal legal counsel) and potentially for business partners;
• set up a system where all contacts with competitors are recorded;
• implementing an organizational whistleblower system for employees and business partners to report potential issues;
• require trade partners that they approve of the codes of conduct of partners requiring compliance with competition law; and
• Include competition clauses in agreements with business partners.

Rob Doyle is part of the new generation of yacht designers tackling the modern challenges of the large yacht industry. With a solid 20-year career path in the large yacht business, he and Van Geest Design came together to present a 40-meter sailing catamaran – Domus. With an interior volume that rivals a 60 meter motor yacht, she aims to do eco-responsible cruising and become the first “zero emission” yacht over 750 GT.

“Just because superyachts are what they are today doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. We were constantly looking at every aspect of the design and wondering ‘is there a better way? We truly believe this project will redefine what a multihull sailing superyacht can be,” say the designers.

Domus, i.e. a one-storey house built around a Latin atrium, the yacht is 35 m wide and has an interior space of 780 m², all on one deck. The craft borrows aspects of this design to create an elevated and open feel on board. Rob Doyle and Van Geest Design have done extensive research into the practicalities and safety features associated with trimarans.

The trimaran is spread over two decks. She can accommodate 12 guests in six guest cabins, with four VIPs and two full-size owner suites, each equipped with its own lounge area. There is a bar in the main lounge. Other amenities include a cinema room, gym and lounge. Domus also has a spa area with swimming pool, making trimaran fun and excitement.

To help reduce drag and improve speeds, it can heel to a two-degree angle. It will also ensure comfortable cruising with minimal rolling. Domus is designed with a focus on performance. “The unique design combination of solar power, hydro-regeneration technology and hydrogen fuel cells gives Domus unlimited range with zero emissions,” the design team said. The trimarans powers during daylight hours and transfers to the battery system at night. It also means that Domus is completely silent with zero emissions at anchor.

Alongside the 40-meter concept, the designer duo is also working on a larger version of the shipyard idea. “We are convinced that if you want to benefit from the advantages of multihulls over 40 meters in size, the only practical solution is a trimaran,” added the design team.

Compared to catamarans, trimarans offer lower costs. Domus has all the systems and engineering in the center hull, just like a standard build to keep things simple. The main hull takes all the rigging forces, thus keeping the transom structures simpler and generally the overall system being simpler. The team behind Domus have been behind the design of over 60 superyachts and have extensive design experience, knowledge and detailed data, making it easy to complete a gigantic project.

Toyota really wants to show off its latest electric concept, and it’s easy to see why.

The Japanese auto giant has shared new photos of the Compact Cruiser EV concept. And while the brand hasn’t announced whether it plans to build the prototype, the FJ Land Cruiser-inspired off-roader certainly looks production-ready to us.

We got our first glimpse of the retro-inspired electric vehicle last December, when it was part of a group of 16 concepts that Toyota unveiled while foreshadowing its electric future. The prototype is inspired by the styling of the first-generation Land Cruiser, which was in production from 1951 to 1955. The battery-powered vehicle takes the boxy shape of that beloved 4×4 and modernizes it by softening the edges and adding bright colors in the mix. . It sports a chunky bumper, oversized wheel flares, a roof rack and a ladder above the passenger-side C-pillar.

The concept isn’t nearly as spartan as its ancestor, which was purpose-built to offer military-style utility, but it has a lot more character than the generic crossovers the industry currently seems so enamored of. There’s a simple reason for that: the Compact Cruiser EV is meant to stand out.

“Our research into electric vehicles has been going on for more than 30 years, and we’ve come a long way,” Simon Humphries, senior managing director of Toyota Design, said in a statement. “After a first phase of contact with electric vehicles, people will want zero-emission cars that speak about them and express their way of life. And the Compact Cruiser EV is a perfect example of this trend.

So why post new images of the vehicle now, nearly six months after its debut? Because the Compact Cruiser EV has just won the Car Design Award 2022 for concept vehicles. Unfortunately, for now, the Compact Cruiser EV is nothing more than a design concept. It would seem that Toyota is understandably proud of what its team has come up with. Maybe that pride will drive the brand to build the SUV, or at least something close. Maybe they could even fit it with the simulated manual transmission system the company is developing for battery-powered vehicles. It could make it an electric dream.

Check out more images of the Compact Cruiser EV below:

The scorching April sun — yes April — in New Orleans is an indicator of two things: climate change and the start of festival season. In other parts of the country, warm days and cool nights and the gradual blooming of trees and flowers define spring. But in southeast Louisiana, spring seems to supernova into summer overnight despite what the calendar claims; nothing is subtle here. And under that scorching sun, one of the mainstays of festival season, Vaucresson’s Sausage Company, run by owner Vance Vaucresson, sells its hot sausage po’ boy to legions of admirers.

Vaucresson’s has been at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for fifty years and is the only original vendor still there. It’s also a favorite at the French Quarter Festival, where its Jackson Square stand has long lines and stacked bags of Leidenheimer French bread, the crusty but productive bread the perfect delivery system for the spicy sausage. At first glance, it looks like a simple sandwich, lightly seasoned with lettuce and tomatoes, with the option of hot sauce, mayonnaise and Creole mustard. But like many things in New Orleans, its simplicity belies the rich tradition of the 7th Arrondissement’s Creole families and their influence on the city’s cuisine and culture. And with a reconstructed building about to open at the corner of Avenue N. Roman and Avenue Saint-Bernard, Vaucresson, in business since 1899, is set to carry the Creole torch for another 100 years.

“What I wanted to do was take two of our historic concepts and merge them into one,” Vaucresson told us recently. “In the mid-1960s, my father opened a restaurant on Bourbon Street – at 624 Bourbon St – called Vaucresson’s Café Creole. We stayed there for ten years and eventually moved on. But it was the first restaurant on Bourbon Street to be owned by a person of color after the reconstruction.

We were in the kitchen of his soon-to-be-opened cafe in the same location where his family’s sausage factory was located before Katrina.

“And then, my family, for 120 years, we have been in the 7th arrondissement district on Avenue Saint-Bernard. My grandfather was a butcher by trade, then my father took over the meat market with his brothers-in-law. We have therefore always had a commercial presence in the 7th arrondissement.

This commercial presence dates back to the turn of the 20th century, when a system of open-air markets dominated the New Orleans landscape. The market system started with the French Market in the French Quarter and spread throughout the city. Before markets, vendors typically sold their wares anywhere and everywhere, under the hot sun and often in unsanitary conditions. Markets enabled centralization, regulation and, above all, taxation. The Vaucresson family got their start at the St. Bernard Market at the corner of Avenue N. Claiborne and Avenue St. Bernard, now home to the Circle Food Store. From there, the family moved to St. Bernard Avenue before finally settling in the current location just before Hurricane Katrina.

“My dad opened on the corner of Roman and St. Bernard, it wasn’t a meat market per se, but he wanted to elevate and have an inspectors processing facility,” says Vaucresson. “He wanted the sausages to go to grocery stores, but once Katrina came along, that was the last business entity we had there.”

Images of the St. Bernard Corridor during and after Hurricane Katrina, with water engulfing The Circle Food Store, are shocking to this day. The relentlessness of the water, which held out for weeks, forever changed the fortunes of so many. In post-Flood New Orleans, Vaucresson’s old building lay fallow, the bright murals on the side of its distinctive gold winkle fading and the store’s brown awning moldy and torn. Like Bachemin’s Meat Market and The Circle Food Store, it seemed like a part of New Orleans history that would never be reclaimed. But Vance Vaucresson never lost hope.

“We held [this location], and eventually looked for an opportunity to come back in a way that would be relevant,” says Vaucresson. “We decided to do a retail, cafe/delicatessen concept.”

The star of this concept, of course, is hot sausage, which is a staple of New Orleans’ black Creole community.

“The Creole hot sausage, or as it’s traditionally called, the Creole chaurice, is one of the most popular sausages in town,” says Vaucresson. “Traditionally, charice is made with pork.”

Unlike Patton’s Beef Patties that dominate the convenience store po’ boy kingdom, Vaucresson’s Hot Pork Sausage is far juicier, with complex flavor, better texture, and an appealing red hue from the paprika and cayenne pepper. . Vaucresson compares it to its Spanish cousin chorizo, although much spicier.

It may seem like an ambitious concept for a deli corner in a building that was once an Italian grocery store, but for Vaucresson, understanding this cultural tapestry is key to understanding the city.

In addition to the hot sausage, Vaucresson has planned a menu of New Orleans classics built around quality ingredients.

“We’re going to do our traditional po’boys, as well as some of the traditional po’boys that people are used to — shrimp, oysters, real catfish, roast beef — things people expect,” Vaucresson says. “But we will also have other traditional dishes specific to our culture, like grilled meats and oatmeal, Calas, French toast and things like that.”

Above all, Vance Vaucresson is an educator and expert in the food traditions of the New Orleans Creole community.

“Our main mission is that when we roll out these culturally significant foods, we will also educate people about their origin story, their contributions from the different ethnicities that passed through this port, settled here and influenced our culture,” said Vaucresson.

It may seem like an ambitious concept for a deli corner in a building that was once an Italian grocery store, but for Vaucresson, understanding this cultural tapestry is key to understanding the city.

“If you’re going to eat okra with okra, or anything with okra, we’ll let you know that okra is an African staple that made its way to Spain, and eventually here,” says Vaucressson. “If we’re talking about making breaded meat, which is a term that means breading, we’re going to talk about how the breaded influence is part of the Italian tradition. The 7th arrondissement, people have to realize, historically was a very mixed community. You had white French Creoles living alongside Irish, Italian immigrants, Creoles of color, so you had influences from all of our cultures that found their way into our food.

The creolization of New Orleans foodways is a rich and complex subject, and Vaucresson is keen to set the record straight.

“One of the biggest questions I get at festivals,” Vaucresson says, is “What’s the difference between Cajun and Creole,” and I answer them, “None.” Cajun is a subset of Creole. The Acadian Creoles, who extrapolated their culture out of the Creole culture in order to be able to promote it singularly without any of the other peoples who were part of it, mystify me. Anyone born in this region is a Creole. You have French Creoles. Spanish Creoles. Then you also have the Irish and Italian hoops. More recently, we looked at the Vietnamese community. And the Filipino community, which is the oldest Asian community in the United States. If we knew this history, we would know so much more about our culture and how everyone has contributed to its development.

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DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–“GMP Laboratory Training – Pack of 7 Courses” has been added to from ResearchAndMarkets.com offer.

GMP Laboratory Training – 7 Course Pack provides the main principles and tools needed to become an expert GMP laboratory professional. It is designed to provide rules, tools and techniques for efficient and compliant management of a GMP laboratory.

This program provides professionals with the training and skills development needed to ensure quality and compliance. GMP laboratory training will be useful to anyone working in or managing a GMP laboratory that supports either the R&D development of a new drug, or the testing and control of a commercial drug brought to market.

This exclusive Pack contains 7 courses:

1. Laboratory Checks – Anticipate inspection based on FDA systems

2. Validation and transfer of analytical methods

3. Audit of laboratory data systems

4. Ensure the integrity and security of laboratory data for FDA/EU compliance

5. Processing OOS test results and conducting in-depth investigations

6. Qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ) and validation of laboratory equipment and systems for regulated industries

7. Establish a product stability testing program

Total duration: 12 hours

Agenda

TOPIC 1: Laboratory Controls – Anticipating FDA Systems Based Inspection

Speaker: Danielle DeLucy

Duration: 75 Minutes

• Definition of systems-based inspection

• What are laboratory controls?

• FDA Inspection Techniques

• Why the FDA Moved to Systems-Based Inspections

• Preparing for a lab audit

• Training of analysts in good inspection behavior

• Review of materials, equipment, tests and assays

• Expectations and inspection results / real life quotes

• Responsibilities of QC/QA Personnel During the Audit

• Respond to observations or findings

• real life quotes

TOPIC 2: Validation and transfer of analytical methods

Speaker: Kelly Thomas

Duration: 90 minutes

• Regulatory Requirements/Advice on Validation of Analytical Methods

• Defined terminology: qualification, validation, revalidation and verification

• FDA, EMA, and ICH Requirements and Guidelines

• Pre-validation of the analytical method – Step 1

• Analytical Target Profile (ATP)

• ICH Q8, Q9 and Q10 compliance – Pre-validation requirements

• Features of Analytical Method Validation – Step 2

• Specificity, Accuracy, Precision, Linearity, Range

• LODs and LQs

• Test method validation protocol

• Elements of a validation protocol

• Pre-planning and planning stages

• Test method validation report

• Elements of the validation report

• Elements of the validation protocol and the associated final validation report

TOPIC 3: Auditing Laboratory Data Systems

Speaker: Dr Mark Powell

Duration: 60 minutes

• Categories of Laboratory Data System (GAMP)

• Lifecycle management, archiving and backup

• What counts as raw data?

• Protect the integrity of analytical data

• General tips on assigning user privileges

• Operating system settings.

• Application settings

• Commands suitable for chromatographic data systems

• Practices that facilitate compliance with data integrity requirements

• Examples of recent FDA warning letters

TOPIC 4: Ensuring Laboratory Data Integrity and Security for FDA/EU Compliance

Speaker: Dr Ludwig Huber

Duration: 75 Minutes

• Eight Key FDA/EU Requirements for Laboratory Data Integrity and Security.

• How FDA inspectors verify data integrity and security.

• Most Common Security and Integrity Issues: Review Recent 483s, EIRs, and Warning Letters?

• The importance of restricting access to “individual users” rather than groups.

• Definition, acquisition, maintenance and archiving of FDA compliant raw data.

• Critical integrity and security issues throughout the life of laboratory data: from data acquisition to evaluation and archiving.

• Examples of how to ensure and document data integrity.

• Document laboratory data changes: paper, hybrid systems, electronic.

• The importance of the electronic audit trail to document data integrity.

• Electronic audit trail review: who, what, when and how.

• Ensure timely availability through validated backup and archiving.

• Going through 10 representative case studies: FDA observations, complete responses to each observation, corrective actions and preventive actions.

TOPIC 5: Managing OOS Test Results and Conducting In-Depth Investigations

Speaker: Danielle DeLucy

Duration: 180 minutes

Session 1: Guidelines for Detecting an OOS or Atypical Finding

• Definition Atypical result or out of specification?

• Review of FDA guidance for industry on reviewing OOS test results

• Phase I: Initial laboratory investigation

• Phase II: Large Scale Survey

• Root cause analysis methods

• 5 why

• Organization charts

• Checklists

• Fishbone diagrams

Session 2: Testing hypotheses about potential root causes

• Retest

• Consider other lots

Session 3: Developing an Appropriate CAPA Plan to Address Any Corrective Actions

• How to properly document results

• Example of writing an appropriate OOS survey

THEME 6: Qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ) and validation of laboratory equipment and systems for regulated industries

Speaker: Joy McElroy

Duration: 180 minutes

Session 1

• Introduction

• Quality systems, paradigm shift, global perspectives

• QA/QC Validation

• Risk assessment

Session 2

• Measurement, resolution, errors and uncertainty

• Regulatory and QS requirements

• The concept of product life cycle

• USP Chapter 1058

• Examples of various systems

Session 3

• Validation strategies

• Documentation/Validation Master Plan

Session 4

• Training requirements

• Examples of various systems

TOPIC 7: Establishing a Product Stability Testing Program

Speaker: Dr David Lim

Duration: 60 minutes

Part 1:

• Introduction of a stability test plan and program

• Applicable regulations and requirements

• General stability considerations applicable to a new product (i.e. potency)

• Storage conditions

• Shelf life Duration of studies and expiration dates

• Container closure requirements

• Sample size

• Sampling plan

• Sample handling and analysis

• Stability schedule (suggested schedules for performing stability studies)

• Pre-approval and post-approval studies

• Stability tests

• Reformulated products

• Accelerated temperature studies

• Test schedule information

• Suggested time points and expiration dates based on test time points

• Suggested testing schedule for solid dosage forms

• Suggested testing schedule for liquid and semi-solid type products

• Suggested testing schedule for reconstituted products

• Study temperatures based on product type

• Ambient temperature studies

• High temperature

• Refrigeration

• freezing temperature

• Special Moisture Considerations

Part 2:

• Analytical Testing Considerations

• Quality Control Release Tests and Methods

• Criticality of the choice of tests which are indicators of stability

• Choice of methods with significant data or a stability indicator

• Method attributes

• Stability test protocol design

• How to design a protocol and report

• Stability test data management and trends

• Trend data

• Expiry date extrapolation using data

• Manual or automated data management

• Advantages and disadvantages

• You will also get answers to the following difficult questions:

• For a medical device that has a storage label of 15-30C; Are stability studies at 15C and 30C or 25C sufficient?

• For a reconstitution study; the product has an assigned expiration of 24 months; should I do a reconstitution at 12 months (6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours) and at 24 months (6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours)?

• What is the accelerated storage for a product with real-time storage of -20C5C?

• Is it industry practice to study one year after expiration?

• If the regression predicts failure before the product expires, what is the next step for stability?

For more information on this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ouofyz

This story is part WWDC 2022CNET’s full coverage from and about Apple’s annual developer conference.

Your iPhone Where android phone is about to become even more closely tied to the non-digital aspects of your life. This is one of the main lessons of iOS16 and Android 13, the latest mobile software updates from Apple and Google, coming later this year. The two tech giants want to turn your phone into an electronic wallet to store your legal identity, bringing your phone closer to your identity like never before. Companies are also continuing to improve the way phones communicate with cars, smart home gadgets and other everyday devices.

Both iOS16 and Android 13 are filled with changes and new features, some of which are more important than digital wallets and faster logins (like Apple Security Check Tool for the protection of victims of domestic violence and new privacy updates from Google). But the overlap between the two operating systems highlights the changing role of the phone in our lives. According to the latest announcements from Apple and Google, what around your phone will be just as important as what’s going on on your phone.

The more our phones are intertwined with everyday essentials like wallets, credit cards, cars, and household appliances, the harder it will be to walk away from them (or switch between iPhone and Android). The concept is not new; the industry has been moving in this direction for years. But the changes in iOS 16 and Android 13 bring significant improvements to Apple’s and Google’s respective approaches that will likely accelerate those efforts.

Read more: iOS 16 lock screen upgrades make iPhone more like a smartwatch

Physical Wallet Replacement

The digital wallet was front and center during Apple’s iOS 16 announcement and Google’s Android 13 preview. most significant upcoming change to Apple Pay is a new option called Apple pay later, which divides the cost of a purchase into four equal installments over six weeks. With iOS 16, ID cards stored in Apple Wallet can also be used to verify your age in apps. The addition comes after Apple first added support for digital IDs last year.

Google, meanwhile, detailed a major overhaul of its Wallet app during his I/O conference last month which briefed him on Apple. The new Google Wallet will store personal documents such as payment and transit cards, vaccination records, boarding passes and student IDs, much like Apple Wallet. Google is also working with government agencies to support digital IDs.

Together, the updates from Apple and Google represent another step towards their shared goal of making physical wallets obsolete – a change that will inevitably make us even more dependent on mobile devices.

Google reiterated this ambition just before detailing the new updates on Google I/O in May.

“In fact these days, there are only two things I don’t leave home without: my phone and my wallet,” Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management, said on stage. Android and Google Play. “So the question is, can my phone replace my wallet?”

Corey Fugman, Apple’s senior director for Wallet and Apple Pay, made similar remarks during WWDC’s keynote on Monday.

“With Apple Wallet, we’re working hard on our goal of replacing your physical wallet,” he said.

People have already embraced the idea of ​​replacing physical credit cards with smartphone-based payment apps. Use of in-store mobile payment systems like Apple Pay is expected to exceed 50% of all smartphone users in the United States by 2025, according to a 2021 report from eMarketer. Apple’s new Pay Later option and Google’s renewed focus on its own mobile wallet might make the idea of ​​leaving your physical wallet at home even more appealing.

Read more: What WatchOS 9 may reveal about the next Apple Watch

Your phone, everywhere

Replacing the wallet is just one of the ways Apple and Google hope to make our phones more useful offline in everyday life. Both companies have also introduced camera-based smartphone tools that could make it easier to navigate real-world points of interest. Another important theme is the increased interconnectivity between mobile devices and home appliances, cars and speakers.

Both Apple and Google believe the camera will continue to play an important role in how we interact with the world around us. In iOS 16, you’ll be able to translate text into different languages ​​using a new camera option in Apple’s Translate app. During his WWDC Keynote Presentation, the company demonstrated how it could be used to translate a restaurant’s entire menu into another language. You’ll also be able to track a flight or convert currencies just by tapping text on a photo.

Google has shown an ambitious expansion of its Lens app called “scene explorer” at Google I/O, which essentially applies its search prowess to the real world. You wave your phone’s camera over a shelf of products, and it overlays information and ratings onscreen to help you find the right choice. Google search manager Prabhakar Raghavan cited the ability to find nut-free snacks or fragrance-free lotion in a brick-and-mortar retail store as an example.

The execution may be different, but the concept is similar. We are already used to ordering food, taxis and household essentials with the push of a button on our phones. Now Apple and Google want to make our phones a vital part of doing those tasks in the real world too, and the camera will be a big part of that.

Google and Apple have also refined their respective visions to turn our phone into a connection hub for other devices around us. Google explained how Android 13 would improve your phone’s connection to other devices with support for quick pairing, automatic audio switching between devices, and the ability to more easily sync messages between your phone and computer. He also revealed a new split-screen interface for Android Auto this should make multitasking easier when you’re on the road.

Read more: A new Apple Watch SE looks more exciting than the Series 8. Here’s why

Apple has simplified the process of managing HomeKit devices with a redesigned Home app for the iPhone. But perhaps the biggest area where Apple plans to expand the iPhone’s reach is in the car. The company teased an overhaul of its CarPlay software that looks like a full automotive operating system, with app icons, widgets, and other UI elements reminiscent of the iPhone and apple watch.

The smart home and the connected car are not new. They have both been an integral part of Apple’s and Google’s respective strategies for years. But iOS 16 and Android 13 clarify how Apple and Google’s visions for these devices should communicate and interact.

As the smartphone becomes the link to everything from your credit card to your thermostat and your car, Apple and Google are customizing its aesthetic. When iOS 16 launches this fall, your iPhone will get a brand new lock screen with support for Apple Watch-esque widgets and new photo effects for background images. Google is expanding its Material You with predefined color sets that can be applied across the entire operating system.

iOS 16 and Android 13 offer more than new wallet features, camera tools for scanning real-world objects, and improved connectivity. These updates not only signal how essential the phone is becoming to our online and offline lives, but they also indicate the direction the industry will take.

EAST RUTHERFORD – Daniel Bellinger can’t wait to punch someone. Someone.

It’s who he is on the football pitch and what he does best, the quality of his play that should help him take the lead to the next level.

The Giants tight end is eager to line up next to fellow right rookie Evan Neal and execute the perfect double team, whether the tandem ends up gushing Saquon Barkley on a long run or keeping Daniel Jones up enough long to make a play on the field.

The NFL doesn’t allow contact before training camp, of course, so for Bellinger, whose willingness to make opponents feel his presence is part of his football DNA, the quest to stand out on the field of training was an inherent challenge that he was going to face during spring training.

Still, Bellinger managed to leave an impression without yet showcasing the most impressive part of his skills.

“I like being able to block someone,” Bellinger said with a smile. “I feel like that’s football. That’s how I grew up, with a mindset that hitting someone is football. So blocking someone , it’s football. I love to block.

The Giants believe there’s more to the 6-foot-6, 252-pound game than that, and it’s the perfect testing ground for Bellinger to expand his profile and become a versatile threat at the position.

In four years at San Diego State, Bellinger caught just 68 passes, including 31 last year as a senior. He was used more as an extension of the offensive line than a receiver, but Giants scouts loved how he projected himself into the NFL within the system built by head coach Brian Daboll and coordinator offensive Mike Kafka.

“He’s one of those rare guys today who can really do it all,” Giants tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said of Bellinger, who was drafted in the fourth round. “He can block, he can protect and what we want him to do is open up against man cover. He can do all of these things.

Bellinger, 21, moved throughout the lineup, including the backfield, as the Giants offered a ton of snaps with the first-team offense, including Jones and Barkley.

Bellinger is going to be used differently than Evan Engram, now with the Jaguars. He’s not necessarily a seam breaker, but Bellinger has good quickness in the short areas and looks confident on the short to intermediate routes, allowing him to go around the perimeter and accelerate down the field, creating lags for linebackers who will struggle to account for his change of direction.

This was especially true in practice in the red zone drills when rookie short receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and Bellinger worked in similar space, causing coverage issues for the defense due to their complementary talents.

“It’s hectic right now trying to understand the full concept of the playbook instead of just what you do, and learning what the Y, the F and knowing what the X and the Z, just to understand the whole concept,” Bellinger says with a smile. “Because the tight end of this role can really be lined up anywhere. I like the versatility of [the position].”

The Giants signed veterans Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins to one-year contracts, but Bellinger has already climbed to the top of Daboll’s “rep table” and with plenty of room to grow as minicamp and program offseason ended this week. .

Along with the rest of the rookies, Bellinger will stay in North Jersey for another week as part of the Giants’ development program. His training as a professional will continue later this month in Nashville at Tight End University, a showcase event hosted by Greg Olsen, George Kittle and Travis Kelce.

The event provides a chance for some of the NFL’s best tight ends to come together and share trade secrets on and off the field. They’ll watch a movie, perform stance drills, and discuss how to improve their bodies and skills, all with the goal of improving the tight ends profile as a whole.

“I just want to learn from them,” Bellinger said, speaking specifically about Kittle, Kelce and Olsen. “I have a long way to go, but the most important thing for me is to learn from them. You grow up watching them, then in college you watch them on tape. But, now, I have the opportunity to text them or talk to them, I can really get an inside perspective.”

Bellinger and Kittle share an agent, Jack Bechta, so they connected during the NFL Draft process, exchanging texts and going out to dinner together one night.

“He picked his brains out on a lot of things,” said Bellinger, who studied Kittle’s video as a one-ton blocker in college. “I just learned from him and being a sponge, absorbing everything he says and everything he did as a rookie and how he got to the point where he is.”

Bellinger was drafted 112th overall, 34 spots ahead of Kittle before the 49ers selected him in the fifth round. Kittle is a three-time Pro Bowler, earning All-Pro honors in 2019, and is widely considered the NFL’s best tight end.

“I always had a chip on my shoulder being a 2 star [recruit out of high school]”Said Bellinger. “You have to work hard to get here, even though I was a first lap and ran a 4.3. Of course, talent helps you get [to the NFL]but it’s hard work that keeps you there.”

Art Stapleton is the Giants beats writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Giants analysis, news, deals and more, please sign up today and sign up for our NFC East newsletter.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @art_stapleton

Even at the local level, “free college” is easier said than done

Although many states have recently made efforts to waive tuition for certain groups, subsidizing college education is nothing new.

When city or state officials attempt to scrap tuition in one way or another — whether for four-year public universities or two-year community colleges — they think to avoid brain drain, said Elizabeth Bell, an assistant professor at Florida State University who studies higher education policy.

But creating these programs is easier said than done. The issue of college affordability and making colleges as accessible as possible is one that actually enjoys bipartisan support, Bell said — but the pushback comes in the details.

When it comes to universal programs — that is, programs that unequivocally waive tuition and fees — there may be reluctance to give money to families who could afford college. unaided, Bell said. Others worry that colleges will raise costs to capture more state funds because most people would not pay the advertised price.

There are also arguments about whether to create first-dollar programs, where funding is given to students before any other scholarship-based aid or funding, or whether to create last-dollar programs, which fill in the gaps that help and others financial rewards do not cover. The problem with last-dollar programs is that most of the money actually goes to high-income families, who may not get help from other areas, Bell said.

Most first-dollar programs actually exist locally, she said, because they support fewer students, making such programs easier to fund. On the other hand, many state programs are bottom dollar.

Politically, it’s complicated. If you present a first-dollar program proposal, but only benefit a certain number of students, you limit the political support you could receive by excluding many middle-income families, who are still struggling to support the cost of higher education. , says Bell.

“In these different programs, it’s really about balancing politics, finances and equity,” Bell said. “And a lot of those programs have come under scrutiny because one of those things is out of balance.”

There is also more to pay for college than tuition – like housing, food, transportation, and many other costs. The best programs, Bell said, are simple for students to understand and apply, generous in what they cover, and include these wraparound services.

She used the Kalamazoo Promise in Michigan as an example — a program that pays up to 100% of tuition and fees for four years for graduating students from Kalamazoo public schools. While funds cannot be transferred to things like room and board, the program provides access to high school and college level coaches to help students with their transition to college.

Not all programs are created equal

Even in places where free tuition programs are in place, the benefits are not always impactful.

That’s not all: Only about half of students who received the scholarship in the fall of 2018 kept the scholarship the following year – a trend the researchers attributed in part to the amount of paperwork required by the scholarship. , as well as some of the enrollment and credit requirements.

The complexity inherent in the scholarship and financial aid process is actually a huge barrier for students applying to college and their families, said Stephanie Owen, an assistant professor at Colby College who studies the economics of education.

It can be difficult for some families to know which scholarships and aid programs they are truly eligible for, even before embarking on the arduous application processes that each may require. While there’s often a big difference between the college’s advertised price and what families actually pay, Owen said colleges don’t offer financial aid offers until the student is accepted.

That means students have no idea how much they’ll actually have to pay until much later in the process, after deciding where to apply, Owen said. And if you don’t know how much help you’ll get, that upfront price may discourage applicants, especially those with low incomes.

“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it? Owen said. “Most things we buy, we know what the price is before we commit to it.”

Even with access to college-specific financial aid, there are still barriers. Navigating the FAFSA process or other paperwork hurdles is not easy, nor is it easy to get into a top school with those kinds of financial resources.

Local, state and federal programs are all necessary for a fair system

And a universal federal program, despite some effort, seems elusive.

However, none of this means that equitable access to college is completely beyond our reach. Interim steps are being taken in the right direction, Owen said.

She used the College Scorecard as an example, a US Department of Education tool that allows students to see how much people at different income levels pay on average, along with other information such as graduation rates and typical earnings after graduation.

Having this information in a clear and concise manner helps, Owen said. But this has its limits – the average cost is not the exact cost, after all.

“It won’t come from one program,” Bell said of creating a financially equitable universal college system. “It’s going to come from the interaction of federal and state programs that are trying to make college more affordable for all kids. And right now, we’re still not there.”

That doesn’t mean things are stuck where they are now, she said. It just means we’re just getting started.

(Spotlight on Nanowerk) Medical research is rapidly moving towards a future where smart medical implants can continuously monitor their condition inside the body and autonomously respond to changes such as, for example, infection by releasing anti-inflammatory agents. Some examples that researchers have already demonstrated are sensors that can be placed under the skin to measure blood glucose levels, hormone levels, pH, and various other physical parameters; the use of polypyrrole films as electrically driven drug delivery devices on implant surfaces to improve bone implants; electronic sensors under the skin to monitor blood flow; and pressure sensors to improve medical implants.

Intrinsic diagnostic functionality is the missing component of nearly every implant available today. Where smart implants have been demonstrated, they often rely on power sources such as batteries, capacitors, or external telemetry systems.

Currently, two major challenges limit the wider application of smart implants in daily clinical practice. The first challenge is the size of these implants for sensor integration. For example, imagine the difficulties associated with integrating multiple circuit boards for sensing, energy storage, and wireless communications into the small area of ​​a miniaturized stent. The second challenge is the lack of scalable and intelligent biomaterials to fabricate these devices.

Some studies have attempted to address these issues separately. But until now, no research team has addressed all of these issues comprehensively by designing a multi-functional implant that can diagnose healing progression, is capable of self-powering, and can be tuned to deliver almost any desired mechanical performance.

A potential solution to all of these challenges is to use the implant matrix as a means of active sensing and energy harvesting. This eliminates the need to figure out how to fit large circuits or power sources into the small device area of ​​an implant.

write in Advanced functional materials (“Patient-Specific Self-Powered Metamaterial Implants for Detecting Bone Healing Progress”), researchers now offer the first smart orthopedic implant with diagnostic and energy harvesting capabilities.

This multi-functional, mechanically adjustable metamaterial implant can sense and harvest energy from body movements.

“Our concept is clinically meaningful because these implants allow surgeons to directly and accurately assess bone healing progress,” Amir H. Alavi, assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering, told Nanowerk. “These features have the potential to eliminate the need for radiographic imaging techniques, which are typically expensive and expose patients to significant radiation.”

In what could be a game-changer, these implants use only their constituent components to achieve these advanced features – they require no external power source or bulky electronics. Additionally, implants can be 3D printed and customized for each patient based on clinical requirements and anatomical matching.

“We rely on the rational design of the microlayers of the implants to integrate advanced functionalities into their matrix,” explains Alavi. “Think about the fact that you can use our technology to literally turn any implantable device into a sensor and nanogenerator by manipulating their geometric designs. There are tons of biocompatible material options that can be used with this technology.”

This manufacturing technique relies primarily on the team’s patented meta-tribomaterial technology. This technology deals with the rational design of multiple layers of triboelectric auxetic microstructures with multi-stable/self-recovery hook-up segments.

The beauty of this concept is that the same design works at both the nanoscale and the macroscale simply by adapting the design geometry.

Building on their recent study of meta-tribomaterial sensors and nanogenerators (“Self-aware materials form the basis of living structures”), the team uses different rationally designed triboelectric auxetic microstructures to construct the implant.

The entire structure of the implant serves as an energy harvesting medium as well as an active sensing system.

According to the team, orthopedic implants seem to be the most immediate field of application for this technology since the implants require mechanical vibrations to harvest the energy necessary for their self-powering.

Therefore, they are highlighting the underlying characteristics and mechanisms of their proposed technology by creating a prototype proof-of-concept spinal fusion cage that harvests energy from spinal micro-movements. The electrical signal generated is then used for diagnostic purposes.

As shown in the figure above, the self-aware metamaterial fusion cage can detect different levels of spinal fusion through continuous stability and load-sharing measurements directly at the intervertebral disc space. These features allow physicians to assess fusion progression without the need for radiographic imaging.

Other medical fields can also benefit from this technology. For example, the same approach could be used to design smart heart stents with energy sensing and harvesting capabilities.

Researchers have previously tested these spinal implants using synthetic spine and human cadaver spine models. Their next step is to study their performance live use large animal models to establish a preclinical basis prior to human clinical trial.

“Under loading conditions similar to those of the human lumbar spine, our fusion cage prototype can generate voltage and current values ​​equal to 9.2 V and 4.9 nA, respectively,” says Alavi. “A series of fatigue tests using the synthetic spine model revealed that the modulus of elasticity of the cage decreases from 1.76 to 1.4 MPa after 40,000 loading cycles. The results imply the need to develop more robust manufacturing and calibration methods for the long-term performance of the implants live.”

Currently, the main challenge is the wireless interrogation of the data measured by the implants and the team is exploring viable solutions to deal with this problem. For example, they worked closely with collaborators at the University of Washington to couple electrical signals generated by self-aware implants with ultra-low-power wireless data-logging technologies to create fully self-powered. Of course, implant interrogation can also be easily performed via simpler passive strategies such as existing RFID telemetry systems.

Over time, researchers envision creating nano, micro, meso and macro scale 3D implants with their technology.

“We are confident that our concept can push the boundaries of many existing medical implant technologies,” concludes Alavi. “The reason is that it allows us to create implants that can perform sensing, energy harvesting and information processing using their own matrix.”

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), in collaboration with Seeding The Future Foundation, announced the return of the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge.

With up to 811 million people around the world suffering from hunger and facing food-related challenges, the goal of the challenge is to inspire and support innovative, diverse and multidisciplinary teams to develop innovations breakthroughs that will help transform the food system. Plus, making healthier diets more accessible and empowering consumers to make choices that benefit both their personal health and that of the planet.

“IFT and Seeding The Future Foundation share similar visions of a world where science and innovation are universally accepted as essential to improving everyone’s diet,” said Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO of the Foundation. ‘IFT.

“Last year’s Challenge was a great success with nearly 900 organizations engaged from around the world, and we strongly believe this initiative will have an impact for years to come by helping to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.”

Hosted by IFT and funded by Seeding The Future Foundation, the Challenge aims to support innovations that have the potential to have significant impact at scale and over time, and benefit at least one or more of the following cross-cutting areas: nutritious food for healthy living diet; sustainably produced; and accessible, attractive, affordable and trustworthy to consumers.

To encourage innovation at all levels, from idea generation to development and scale, the Challenge offers three tiers of rewards, totaling up to $1 million per year:

• Seed grants ($25,000 each) will be awarded to organizations that plant and cultivate innovative ideas with high potential and have developed a prototype and/or an initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility. The innovation must benefit at least one, ideally two areas without negative impact on the others.
• Grow Grants ($100,000 each) will be awarded to organizations that have demonstrated that their innovation is feasible and that have foreseen both large-scale economic feasibility and high-impact potential to transform the food system. The innovation must benefit at least two, ideally three areas without negative impact on the others.
• Sow future grand prizes ($250,000 each) will be awarded to organizations that have created innovations that are scalable, economically feasible at scale, reliable and compelling to consumers, and have demonstrated the potential for major impact to transform the food system. The innovation must benefit at least two, ideally three areas without negative impact on the others.

“We believe that the most groundbreaking ideas start at a very small scale, come from passionate and diverse teams, and have the potential to have a big impact,” said Seeding The Future Foundation founder Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich. .

“Our hope is that the Challenge will create a strong and powerful innovation pipeline that leads to transformative change within the global food system.”

Applications for the Challenge will open June 1 and close August 1. Seed grant recipients will be announced in September, and Grow grant recipients and Seeding The Future grand prize recipients will be announced in January 2023.

Additional details on the application process, eligibility and awards are available at ift.org/food-system-challenge.