Category: Press Releases

CANBERRA, Australia and SAN DIEGO, June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Liquid Instruments, an innovator in precision software-defined instrumentation, today announced Moku:Pro, a high-performance platform for engineering and research labs.

Moku:Pro accelerates the transition from traditional fixed-function test and measurement hardware to a flexible field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based approach by making high-quality instruments accessible in an integrated, software-upgradeable platform.

“Researchers in engineering and physics face constantly evolving requirements – with changes occurring on timescales much shorter than the lifespan of test equipment,” said Daniel Shaddock, CEO of Liquid Instruments. “Moku:Pro’s software-enabled-hardware architecture allows it to evolve as your applications evolve, something that is simply not possible with conventional test equipment.”

Moku:Pro hosts nine powerful instruments, including an oscilloscope, lock-in amplifier, PID controller, phasemeter, arbitrary waveform generator, data logger, spectrum analyzer, frequency response analyzer, and waveform generator to ensure researchers have the instrumentation they need to quickly characterize their set up and scale their experiments. The platform was designed to meet the needs of researchers in a variety of fields, from aerospace to semiconductor. Moku:Pro’s instrument suite is particularly suited to photonics applications, including spectroscopy, microscopy, metrology, gravitational wave detection, active laser stabilization, and quantum computing.

Bringing Instrumentation Into the Modern Era
Moku:Pro brings test and measurement into the modern age, allowing engineers and researchers to dynamically switch between instruments rather than needing multiple stand-alone devices.  Advanced ADC blending technology ensures that each instrument can function with optimal sensitivity from RF to acoustic frequencies without compromising performance for flexibility. Full connectivity via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB-C ensures industry-standard, hassle-free configuration.

A key benefit of software-defined instrumentation is that it gets better over time. Moku:Pro can receive over-the-air updates to deliver improved specifications, new instruments, or entirely new capabilities. Users can expect to see these benefits as soon as September when Liquid Instruments plans to release a feature that will give Moku:Pro the ability to run multiple instruments in conjunction with one another and hot-swap instruments in and out. In this multi-instrument mode, instruments can be combined and connected to form sophisticated signal-processing pipelines. Also slated for September release is a new cloud-based tool that will allow users to directly program Moku:Pro’s FPGA. With this capability, users can implement unique signal processing algorithms and create their own custom instruments, which will further widen the gap with conventional hardware.

Moku:Pro Specifications

• 4 analog inputs and outputs
• Blended ADC input (10-bit+18-bit) for low noise, high bandwidth applications
• Sampling rate of 5 GSa/s (1 channel), 1.25 GSa/s (4 channels)
• 9 integrated instruments, including a DC-600 MHz lock-in amplifier
• 120 GB SSD for high-speed onboard storage
• API support for Python and MATLAB
• Starting at $12,000 for the base configuration, ranging up to $20,000 for the full suite.

A History of Success 
The Liquid Instruments technical leadership team brings deep expertise in complex measurements with experience from Australian National University, Max Planck Institute, Lockheed Martin, Caltech, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Moku:Pro expands the line of software-defined solutions from Moku:Lab, a twelve-instrument platform for research, and, more recently, Moku:Go, a complete and portable lab solution for undergraduate education.

For more information on Moku:Pro, visit: liquidinstruments.com

About Liquid Instruments
Liquid Instruments is a leader in precision software-defined instrumentation and is revolutionizing the way that students, engineers, and scientists learn, work, and discover. Their product line of hardware and software solutions leverages the computational power of modern FPGAs to create highly customizable instrumentation for controlling experiments and acquiring and analyzing data. The team’s IP in software-defined hardware enables Moku products to be dynamically reconfigurable in the field, serving a wide range of ever-changing experimental and process control situations. For more information, visit https://liquidinstruments.com.

The Project received funding from The Australian Government. Liquid Instruments gratefully acknowledges funding and support of the Australian Commonwealth Government through the CRC-P program administered by the Department of Industry Innovation and Science.

Media Contact
Codeword for Liquid Instruments
liquidinstruments@codewordagency.com
801-703-4092

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/37cb06a3-2242-4fe9-b6d2-0243a826051f

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8e84cd5f-7bf1-4276-9950-f57a12cfac19

Led by Builders VC, new capital will be used to accelerate technology development, global expansion

MILPITAS, Calif., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SafeAI, a global leader in autonomous heavy equipment, today announced $21 million in Series A funding led by Builders VC following a year of significant company growth. The new capital will be used to advance the company’s interoperable autonomous technology through accelerated research and development, and fuel global expansion to meet rising demand for autonomous heavy equipment.

SafeAI is driving the transformation of the mining and construction industries through connected, autonomous sites. With chronic labor shortages, unsafe working conditions and frequent project delays, these industries are in a unique position to benefit from autonomy. And unlike on-road applications of the technology, autonomous heavy equipment operates in controlled environments, which means companies can create smarter, safer, more productive project sites today that create meaningful, near-term impact.

“We are at a tipping point for autonomous heavy equipment,” said Bibhrajit Halder, founder and CEO at SafeAI. “We’ve proven that autonomy makes work sites significantly safer and more productive; now, we are on the cusp of mass adoption. Together with our valued partners, customers and investors, we’re poised to deploy autonomy in off-road industries like construction and mining, at scale, to rethink the way heavy industry operates.”

Heavy industry is a massive—and growing—global market, ripe for disruption. The construction equipment market alone is valued at $140 billion, and expected to increase to $175 billion by 2025; construction-related spending accounts for a staggering 13% of global GDP, or $11.5 trillion. But there remains significant room for growth; in construction alone, higher productivity could create an estimated $1.6 trillion in additional value. With just 25% of the infrastructure needed by 2050 in existence today, autonomy can bridge this productivity gap with greater efficiency and 24/7 operations. SafeAI is at the forefront of this transformation.

“There’s a tremendous amount of excitement in the autonomy space today; but it’s clear the biggest opportunity for this technology is off-road,” said Mark Blackwell, General Partner at Builders VC. “With its industry-leading autonomous software, scalable retrofit approach and partner ecosystem, SafeAI is uniquely poised to capitalize on this opportunity. We’re proud to support the company in its next chapter of growth as demand for autonomous heavy equipment continues to skyrocket.”

New investors LTC, DG Ventures, MACA and Vimson Group, and existing investors Autotech Ventures, Brick and Mortar Ventures, Embark Ventures, Monta Vista Capital and Obayashi Corporation, also participated in the round. The funding comes on the heels of a year of rapid growth for SafeAI, including new partnerships with Obayashi, Goodyear and Macnica, and expansion into Australia’s booming mining market. To learn more about SafeAI’s technology and partnerships, visit. www.safeai.ai. To join SafeAI’s growing team, visit https://safeai.ai/careers/.

About SafeAI
SafeAI is a global autonomous heavy equipment leader focused on advancing modern industry. SafeAI retrofits heavy equipment for autonomous applications in mining and construction to serve a massive ecosystem of industry players with complex needs. By building a software platform with the most advanced, industry-specific AI, SafeAI enables equipment owners to transform existing machines into self-operating robotic assets. Obayashi Corp. and Foundamental have made strategic investments in SafeAI, and the company currently operates with Obayashi Corp in Cupertino, CA. SafeAI is based in Milpitas, CA.

Contact
LaunchSquad for SafeAI
safeai@launchsquad.com

DEI data will be available for all investors free of charge through eVestment platform

ATLANTA, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — eVestment, a Nasdaq company and a global leader in institutional investment data and analytics, will make its asset manager diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) data available for investors free of charge in an effort to improve transparency and standardization across the industry. The initiative is intended to provide an efficient and streamlined process for diversity disclosure. While the reporting is entirely voluntary, over 20% of the asset management firms on eVestment, representing 6,182 strategies, have responded to the DEI data collection program since January 2021.

Access to consistent, reliable and accurate data is critical to advance transparency in DEI. eVestment is committed to working with asset managers and asset owners to improve the data collection and discovery framework, and empower investors with DEI statistics on both firm and strategy levels.

“The investment community is on a journey in creating a more inclusive environment and ensuring that asset managers hired by pensions, foundations, family offices and endowments better reflect the diversity of asset owners and the end beneficiaries,” said Lauren Dillard, Executive Vice President and Head of Investment Intelligence, Nasdaq. “Institutional investors representing trillions of dollars in assets already leverage eVestment for data and analytics. Our mission is to build on that community to further the industry progress in diversity and inclusion.”

In January, eVestment launched the updated DEI questionnaire as part of a new industry-wide DEI data collection initiative, now dubbed the Institutional Investing Diversity Cooperative. The questionnaire offers asset managers options to highlight both qualitative and quantitative aspects of their DEI efforts.

Additionally, recognizing that asset owners seek to understand the state of diversity and inclusion across the entirety of their portfolios – both public and private markets strategies – Nasdaq is collaborating with the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) and FCLTGlobal to extend the effort to a standardized approach for making data from private fund managers available to Limited Partners, reflecting diversity of leadership and decision making at both the fund manager and the portfolio company level. As with the IIDC collaboration, this effort encompasses both the quantitative and qualitative, contextual data that illustrates how managers are advancing DEI in their own organizations.

Asset owners are demanding data beyond headline ownership stats, and the new questionnaire gives managers the ability to highlight information like hiring practices and mentor programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations.

Key findings from current data collection initiative include:

• 55.3% of key professionals at the firms reporting DEI data are white males. The second largest group is Asian males, at 12.15% followed by white women at 9.43%. Black males only made up 1.86% of the key professionals at firms reporting data and black females made up only .59% of key professionals at reporting firms.
• 322 strategies across 48 firms report that some percentage of the decisions makers on their teams are military veterans.
• 288 firms indicate they have mentorship programs available for women and minorities and 244 firms indicate they have a pay-parity policy in place.

In developing the questionnaire, eVestment recognized that under laws in various U.S. and international jurisdictions providing diversity statistics might not be allowed. For instance, 87 firms reporting to eVestment report they cannot supply DEI data due to firm policy and 74 firms report they can’t provide data due to privacy regulations and laws in their area that impact all or some of the team. Similarly, for very small teams, providing diversity statistics could highlight personally identifying information that firms or members of firm teams might prefer to keep private. In these instances, the commentary sections become even more important.

Existing eVestment clients can access this information at no additional cost. Investors that are not eVestment clients can contact solutions@eVestment.com or visit www.evestment.com/diversity to learn how they can access it free.

Dillard will be participating on a panel discussion the topic of diversity in the investment business at the virtual 2021 CalPERS and CalSTRS Diversity Forum on June 22. For more information or to register for the free conference, please click here.

To view the entire eVestment DEI questionnaire, please click here.

About eVestment

eVestment, a Nasdaq company, provides institutional investment data, analytics and market intelligence covering public and private markets. Asset managers and general partners reach the institutional marketplace through our platform, while institutional investors and consultants rely on eVestment for manager due diligence, selection and monitoring. eVestment brings transparency and efficiency to the global institutional market, equipping managers, investors and consultants to make data-driven decisions, deploy their resources more productively and ultimately realize better outcomes.

Press Contact
Mark Scott
mscott@evestment.com
678 238 0761

June 22, 2021

• First patient enrolled in global randomized controlled trial with up to 3,200 participants at 100 sites comparing patient outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures guided by iFR data co-registered on the angiogram (interventional X-ray image) versus the current standard of care, an angiogram alone
• One of the largest-ever studies sponsored by Philips highlights company’s commitment to providing a strong evidence base for its innovations in the pursuit of better patient outcomes, enhanced patient and staff experiences, and lower cost of care

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the official start of the DEFINE GPS study, with the first patient being enrolled by the study’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Allen Jeremias, at St. Francis Hospital, New York (U.S.). The global, multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled DEFINE GPS study will investigate if guidance by instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) measurements co-registered on the angiogram demonstrates superior outcomes and improves the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures to open blocked coronary arteries. DEFINE GPS employs an adaptive study design, estimated to include up to 3,200 participants across 100 sites worldwide and will be one of the largest studies ever sponsored by Philips.

European and U.S. clinical guidelines already endorse the use of physiological measurement of coronary function in PCI procedures, with iFR and fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements being used to diagnose the significance of a narrowed coronary artery and determine patient selection for treatment. While iFR uses the same pressure guide wires and equipment as FFR, it avoids the use of hyperemic agents (vasodilators) such as adenosine that can adversely affect some patients.

The DEFINE GPS (Distal Evaluation of Functional performance with Intravascular sensors to assess the Narrowing Effect: Guided Physiologic Stenting) study will evaluate the use of iFR measurements in combination with Philips Image Guided Co-Registration System – SyncVision –  to enhance PCI guidance and provide superior treatment outcomes. DEFINE GPS is a follow-up to the DEFINE PCI study [1] – a one-year trial sponsored by Philips that evaluated the potential of treating residual ischemia in order to improve clinical outcomes for coronary stent patients.

“The DEFINE GPS trial, designed to explore the promising hypotheses that emerged from DEFINE PCI, is a landmark trial that heralds the promise of post-PCI physiologic assessment,” said Dr. Gregg W. Stone, Chairman of the DEFINE GPS trial and the Director of Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai Heart Health System, New York. “While the benefits of physiology prior to PCI are unquestioned, this large-scale trial will definitively demonstrate whether after an angiographically successful PCI procedure the identification and treatment of unsuspected residual ischemia by routine iFR assessment can further improve patient event-free survival.”

“Conducting rigorous clinical science is how we advance patient care, and, like the seminal FAME study that was carried out over 10 years ago, I believe DEFINE GPS has the potential to change the current standard of care in PCI,” said Principal Investigator, Dr. Allen Jeremias, at St Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York State. “PCI has made a major positive impact on many coronary artery disease patients’ lives, but when we look back at all the major, high-quality stent trials over the past 20 years we see that around 20-30% of patients continue to have recurring chest pain at one year after receiving treatment. With DEFINE GPS we will be able to definitively determine if a physiology-based PCI approach results in superior patient outcomes compared to standard angioplasty.”

PCI is an image-guided, minimally-invasive treatment to open a coronary artery blockage (stenosis) that is causing a reduced blood flow (ischemia) to heart tissue. Under the current standard of care, clinicians navigate a balloon catheter and coronary stent to the treatment area using interventional X-ray guidance (a coronary angiogram). In the DEFINE GPS study, an iFR pullback measurement, which uses pressure wires to map the physiological profile of disease distribution along the length of the affected vessel, will be overlaid on the angiogram to provide more precise information on where to treat within the vessel. The study will also use iFR to measure if the treatment succeeds in restoring sufficient blood flow to prevent ischemia or if further treatment is warranted.

“iFR continues to be adopted in clinical practice, with mounting evidence that this innovative technology contributes to improved outcomes, reduced costs [2, 3, 4] and enhanced patient experiences,” said Chris Landon, Senior Vice President and General Manager Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. “This major study will provide a definitive answer to the question of whether a functional guidance strategy throughout the procedure demonstrates superior outcomes and reduces costs. The study has the potential to drive a significant improvement in clinical practice, and it’s a prime example of Philips’ commitment to providing a strong evidence base for the benefits of its healthcare innovations.”

Philips Image Guided Co-Registration System – SyncVision – is part of the company’s unique portfolio of systems, smart devices, software and services available on its Image Guided Therapy System – Azurion. In addition to advanced imaging systems, the portfolio includes coronary imaging catheters, coronary atherectomy and coronary crossing devices, specialty balloons, flow wires, and pressure wires such as Philips’ new OmniWire – a unique solid-core pressure wire that enhances the ability to maneuver the wire in the patient’s circulatory system.

The DEFINE GPS study is sponsored by Philips, with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation overseeing core lab and clinical event committee activities.

[1] Jeremias A et al. The DEFINE PCI Trial: Blinded Physiological Assessment of Residual Ischemia after Successful Angiographic Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, presented at ACC 2019.
[2] Davies JE, et al. Use of the Instantaneous Wave-free Ratio or Fractional Flow Reserve in PCI. N Engl J Med. 2017 May 11;376(19):1824-1834.
[3] Gotberg M, et al. iFR Swedeheart Investigators. Instantaneous Wave-free Ratio versus Fractional Flow Reserve to Guide PCI. N Engl J Med. 2017 May 11;376(19):1813-1823.
[4] Tonino, et al. Fractional Flow Reserve Versus Angiography for Guiding Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. N Engl J Med. 2009;360(3):213-224.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Groves
Philips Global Press Office
Tel: +31 631 639 916
Email: mark.groves@philips.com

Fabienne van der Feer
Philips Image Guided Therapy
Tel: +31 622 698 001
Email: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Attachments

• iFR co-registration with Philips SyncVision
• iFR data co-registered on the angiogram
• Dr. Allen Jeremias and the team at St. Francis Hospital

BOSTON, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide announced that it has updated its Terrorism Model for the United States to more comprehensively model the extent of damage from conventional bomb blast attacks. Starting with the size and location of the bomb, the model propagates the appropriate blast intensity within a built environment from the exterior to the interior of buildings to yield damage and loss estimates, including property damage and workers’ compensation, and personal injury. AIR Worldwide is a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business.

“When terrorists use conventional weapons—the effects of which tend to be highly localized—they are likely to be targeting specific buildings or facilities,” said Tao Lai, vice president, research, AIR Worldwide. “The amount of damage that occurs at or near the site of an attack depends on a wide variety of factors. In addition to the type of weapon used, the surrounding buildings, building dimensions and blast intensity propagation can have a profound effect on the damage from an attack.”

Using the AIR Model for Terrorism, (re)insurers can estimate the potential property, business interruption, workers’ compensation, and personal injury losses that can arise from acts of terrorism in the U.S. The deterministic event modeling capabilities in Touchstone^® allow clients to select a blast size and location to analyze the impact it will have on their specific book of business.

A distinctive feature of the AIR U.S. Terrorism Model’s blast intensity and damage calculation methodology is the explicit consideration of blast intensity propagation in different built environments within a building. As part of the new model, AIR used 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to ensure more accurate blast intensity propagation reflecting the configuration and proximity of buildings in a variety of urban environments. Vulnerability accounts for both overpressure and pressure impulse outside and inside a building, which inform the estimation of building damage, contents damage and personal injury. Because damage is calculated through the aggregation of cells and blast intensity is modified both as it enters the structure and as it travels through the interior, model users can obtain detailed loss results for a specific floor of interest.

“The threat of terrorism continues to rise and managing risk from terrorism has become an essential part of business,” continued Lai. “Updates to the AIR Terrorism Model for the United States include enhancements to the modeling of conventional bomb blast attacks. In particular, the updated model can produce a more realistic damage extent for various forms of blast attacks, including the Oklahoma City bombing which was estimated to have had the energy of approximately 4,000 lbs. of TNT and damaged 324 structures within a five-block radius.”

The updated model also reflects learnings from the detonation of a recreational vehicle bomb in downtown Nashville, TN on December 25, 2020, a reminder that this form of blast attack remains a very real threat.

About AIR Worldwide
AIR Worldwide (AIR) provides risk modeling solutions that make individuals, businesses, and society more resilient to extreme events. In 1987, AIR Worldwide founded the catastrophe modeling industry and today models the risk from natural catastrophes, terrorism, pandemics, casualty catastrophes, and cyber incidents. Insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on AIR’s advanced science, software, and consulting services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, longevity modeling, site-specific engineering analyses, and agricultural risk management. AIR Worldwide, a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business, is headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com.

About Verisk
Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) provides predictive analytics and decision-support solutions to customers in the insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services industries. More than 70 percent of the FORTUNE 100 relies on the company’s advanced technologies to manage risks, make better decisions and improve operating efficiency. The company’s analytic solutions address insurance underwriting and claims, fraud, regulatory compliance, natural resources, catastrophes, economic forecasting, geopolitical risks, as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary, the company continues to make the world better, safer and stronger, and fosters an inclusive and diverse culture where all team members feel they belong. With more than 100 offices in nearly 35 countries, Verisk consistently earns certification by Great Place to Work. For more: Verisk.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Kevin Long
AIR Worldwide
+1-617-267-6645
klong@air-worldwide.com

AREA 23, Woojer, and Claire’s Place Foundation Collaborated to Create the World’s First Music-Powered Airway Clearance Vest Revolutionizing Therapy For Children With Cystic Fibrosis

NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AREA 23, an FCB Health Network company, swept the Cannes Lions health awards circuit, winning the rarely-awarded Pharma Grand Prix alongside one Gold and one Bronze Lions for its ‘SICK BEATS’ innovation created for Woojer.

For 30,000 people in the U.S. living with cystic fibrosis (CF) —a chronic, life-long, and life-shortening disease, involving the buildup of heavy mucus within the lungs – a primary goal of treatment is to keep the airways clear to avoid serious infection. For kids with CF, airway clearance therapy is the worst part of their day. The current approach to airway clearance is bulky vests that pound the chest until the mucus is loosened and coughed out.

Since 2018, Area 23 has been developing an idea to transform this experience and joined forces with Claire’s Place Foundation, a non-profit organization providing support to children and families affected by CF, numerous pulmonologists, and consumer tech company Woojer, to develop a new approach to treatment.

“This recognition from Cannes and the industry is validation that SICK BEATS is a magical idea that has the power to transform lives,” said Tim Hawkey, Chief Creative Officer at Area 23. “Winning the Gold and Bronze Lions would have been rocket fuel for this project, but winning the Pharma Grand Prix is surreal and will help get vests to the kids that need them that much faster.”

Working with Woojer – a pioneer in the field of haptic technology, Area 23 redesigned their consumer haptic vest to create SICK BEATS, the world’s first music-powered airway clearance vest for people with CF. The revolutionary vest uses the clinically proven modality of soundwave therapy to merge the music kids love with the daily treatment they need.

“We always knew that haptic technology had a very wide range of untapped applications,” said Woojer CEO Kfir Bar-Levav. “But in our wildest dreams, we never imagined that our entertainment technology could one day transform such an unpleasant medical procedure into a source of so much fun.”

The SICK BEATS vest syncs with a smartphone to pull therapeutic 40Hz frequencies from music and send them to the chest. The SICK BEATS experience uses a curated Spotify library of 40Hz songs. Kids can find new 40Hz music and create custom therapeutic playlists for the vest, all in the Spotify App.

“Airway clearance was always the most dreaded time of day for my daughter Claire Wineland,” said Claire’s Place Foundation Executive Director Melissa Yeager. “It is such an honor to be part of this collaboration to finally advance airway clearance therapy with the SICK BEATS vest. This project will impact the CF community in many positive ways, a very well deserved recognition.”

The vest is currently in clinical development to demonstrate effectiveness. The road ahead will involve a multicenter trial and application for FDA approval. After FDA approval, the vest is expected to be available at a significantly lower cost compared to current $10,000 vests, creating more accessibility for the CF community.

Pediatric Pulmonologist, Dr. Kate Lewinter, MD who has been studying the effects of 40Hz frequency for years, and is a Co-Medical Director for the SICK BEATS program said: “Given how challenging adherence can be, particularly in the adolescent population, a fun airways clearance regimen can make a huge difference when it comes to clinical outcomes.”

Pulmonologists who are interested in participating in future clinical trials of the vest can contact the Woojer team on SickBeatsVest.com.

About Woojer
Woojer is a pioneer in the field of haptic technology with patented knowhow that enhances the rich emotion of sound and physical sensation. The Woojer product range delivers high fidelity immersiveness that catapults music, gaming, movies and VR to unexpected levels. www.woojer.com

About Claire’s Place Foundation
Claire’s Place Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing support to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). Claire’s Place Foundation is named in honor of Claire Wineland who lived with CF her entire life and passed away at the age of 21. Claire was an activist, author, TEDx Speaker, social media star and received numerous awards. Claire’s foundation was a way for her to assure that others living with CF enjoyed the same hope, strength and joy that she enjoyed.  Recipient of Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Small Nonprofit of the Year,” the foundation provides grants to families affected by CF, offering both emotional and financial support. Today, Claire’s Place Foundation continues to carry on Claire’s legacy. For more information and to make a donation, please visit www.clairesplacefoundation.org.

About FCB Health Network
FCB Health Network is one of the world’s most awarded communications networks, focused on creating game-changing marketing solutions for consumers, patients and healthcare professionals. With specialized units covering a wide range of health and wellness practices, FCB Health Network employs more than 2,800 people across an extensive global network, delivering multichannel capabilities that include DTC and HCP communications, professional education, branding, scientific services, strategic planning and media services. Its integrated agency offering includes AREA 23, AREA 23 ON HUDSON, BX – Brand Experience Design Group, FCB Health &Robin Copenhagen, FCB Health Afirma Belgrade, FCB Health Amsterdam, FCB Health Brasil, FCB Health Canada, FCB Health Energy Milan, FCB Health Frankfurt, FCB Health Hampshire, FCB Health LL Conseil Paris, FCB Health London, FCB Health Madrid, FCB Health New York, FCB Health Reaktör Istanbul, FCB Health Zurich, FCBCURE, IPG Health Frankfurt, IPG Health Munich, Mosaic Group, Neon, ProHealth, Solve(d), Studio Rx, Trio and YuzuYello. The Network is home to 19 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies and countless startups, biotechs and biopharmaceutical companies. Cannes Lions, the world’s preeminent annual creative awards festival, named the Network’s AREA 23 unit “Healthcare Agency of the Year” in 2017, and named FCB Health Network “Healthcare Network of the Year” in 2018. Medical Marketing & Media (MM&M) named an FCB Health Network company “Agency of the Year” in 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2017. Clio Health Awards named FCB Health Network “Network of the Year” in 2019. In 2020, the Network’s FCB Health New York and FCBCURE units were named to MM&M’s “Best Places to Work” list, marking the third consecutive year that FCB Health New York was honored with the title. In 2021, Med Ad News’ Manny Awards named FCB Health Network “Network of the Year” for the second time in three years. In 10 of the past 12 years, an FCB Health Network company has received the “Most Creative Agency” honor at the Manny Awards, while “Agency of the Year” was awarded in 2006, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Contacts:
FCB Health Network	Woojer	Claire’s Place Foundation
Chido Tsemunhu	Ronit Kakon	Carrie Callahan
chido.tsemunhu@FCB.com	press@woojer.com	carrie@nashcallahan.com
718.500.0944	+972 50-211-0565	617-413-4589

 

LOWELL, Mass., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rapid Micro Biosystems, Inc., an innovative life sciences technology company providing mission critical automation solutions to facilitate the efficient manufacturing and fast, safe release of healthcare products, is pleased to announce the addition of veteran Asia Pacific (APAC) commercial leader Sean Maynard to support its vision of becoming the trusted standard in the global microbial quality control (MQC) marketplace. In his role as APAC Commercial General Manager, Maynard reports to Scott White, VP of Global Sales, and is based in Singapore.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Sean to our team,” said White. “I believe he has the right experience to lead our APAC expansion with both new and current customers who use our technology to support the manufacture of drug products such as biologics, sterile injectables, cell and gene therapies, and vaccines.”

Maynard’s background includes 15 years leading commercial sales teams in the APAC region, most recently achieving strong growth results as the APAC commercial leader for the microbiology division at Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Singapore. He holds a program certificate from Harvard Business School, as well as a Diploma of Applied Science in Biological Chemistry Technology from University of Western Sydney.

Rapid Micro Biosystems CEO Robert Spignesi described Maynard’s hiring as a strategic move aimed at expanding the company’s presence in the APAC region. “There is significant demand for our Growth Direct^® platform from pharmaceutical manufacturers in Asia Pacific,” said Spignesi. “With Sean’s addition, coupled with continued investment in APAC, we believe we are well-equipped to capitalize on our significant growth potential in the region.”

About Rapid Micro Biosystems

Rapid Micro Biosystems is an innovative life sciences technology company providing mission critical automation solutions to facilitate the efficient manufacturing and fast, safe release of healthcare products such as biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and sterile injectables. The company’s flagship Growth Direct^® platform automates and modernizes the antiquated, manual microbial quality control (MQC) testing workflows used in the largest and most complex pharmaceutical manufacturing operations across the globe. The Growth Direct^® platform brings the quality control lab to the manufacturing floor, unlocking the power of in-line/at-the-line MQC automation to deliver faster results, greater accuracy, increased operational efficiency, better compliance with data integrity regulations, and quicker decision making that customers rely on to ensure safe and consistent supply of important healthcare products. The company is headquartered and has U.S. manufacturing in Lowell, Massachusetts, and global locations in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. For more information visit www.rapidmicrobio.com. Follow RMB at @rapidmicrobio or LinkedIn.

Contact(s)

Courtney Makolandra
Rapid Micro Biosystems
CMakolandra@rapidmicrobio.com
978.349.3200

Lens® decision intelligence platform connects the dots across a rapidly changing energy landscape

LONDON/HOUSTON/SINGAPORE, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wood Mackenzie, the leading provider of commercial intelligence for the world’s natural resources sector, today welcomes Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners as a development partner for the industry-leading Lens decision intelligence platform.

With its analytics-ready power and renewables data integrated into a single platform, Lens Power enables organisations to maximise investment opportunities in clean energy and be on the forefront of the energy transition.

Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business (Nasdaq:VRSK), is collaborating with early adopters to design a power solution that provides a holistic understanding of what is happening in the world of energy, allowing organisations to analyse, screen and value assets or companies quickly and confidently to improve profitability and minimise risk.

Global Power Generation Assets by Energy Source

Source: Wood Mackenzie Lens Power

Matt Overbeck, Wood Mackenzie Senior Vice President, Head of Power and Renewables, said: “We’ve been in the power modelling business for a decade and have invested heavily to build out our energy transition division, both organically and through acquisition. We’re delighted to partner with Quinbrook, a specialist investment management firm focused exclusively on low carbon and renewable energy infrastructure investment and operational asset management.”

Quinbrook is widely recognised for making positive contributions towards Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing, winning multiple awards for its Low Carbon Power Fund, and for its role as a value-add investment manager of clean energy infrastructure.

William Blake, Senior Vice President at Quinbrook, said: “Partnering with an established global energy data analytics company like Wood Mackenzie offers us a collaborative and responsive setting to discuss, implement, and improve the data, technology, and tools that aid our evaluation and monitoring of market trends and investment opportunities across the clean energy landscape.

“The energy transition to a zero-carbon future is driving a significant amount of investment opportunity, but it is also spawning new and complex risks for investment managers and market participants to navigate. Identifying, understanding, and actively addressing these risks head-on is fundamental to our approach in creating long-term and resilient asset value for our investors.

“Having access to the Wood Mackenzie Lens Power platform provides us with data-driven insight critical in supporting a disciplined underwriting when allocating our investor’s capital.”

Lens Power, integrating conventional power, solar, wind, energy storage, and hydrogen data sets in an integrated and easy-to-use platform, is attractive to energy players in the financial, utility, manufacturing, and oil and gas sectors.

About Wood Mackenzie Lens®
Wood Mackenzie’s Lens® platform is the industry standard in critical decision-support, harnessing the power of big data to provide answers to complex questions, enabling customers to manage their operations, processes, and capital swiftly and efficiently, wherever they are. https://www.woodmac.com/wood-mackenzie-lens-power/

For further information contact:
Laura Hindley
Senior Global PR Manager
laura.hindley@woodmac.com

About Wood Mackenzie
Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk Analytics business, is a trusted source of commercial intelligence for the world’s natural resources sector. We empower clients to make better strategic decisions, providing objective analysis and advice on assets, companies, and markets. For more information, visit: www.woodmac.com or follow us on Twitter @WoodMackenzie

WOOD MACKENZIE is a trademark of Wood Mackenzie Limited and is the subject of trademark registrations and/or applications in the European Community, the USA and other countries around the world.

About Quinbrook
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (www.quinbrook.com) is a specialist investment manager focused exclusively on lower carbon and renewable energy infrastructure investment and operational asset management in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Quinbrook is led and managed by a senior team of power industry professionals who have collectively invested over US $8 billion of equity in energy infrastructure assets since the early 1990s, representing a total enterprise value of US $28.7 billion or 19.5 GW of power supply capacity. Quinbrook’s investment and asset management team has offices in Houston, London, Jersey, and the Gold Coast of Australia. Quinbrook’s global investment and portfolio company teams are actively developing and constructing a portfolio exceeding 17GW of onshore wind, solar PV, reserve peaking power, battery storage projects, grid support infrastructure, Virtual Power Plants and Community Energy Networks across the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

About Verisk
Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) provides predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in the insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services industries. More than 70 percent of the FORTUNE 100 relies on the company’s advanced technologies to manage risks, make better decisions and improve operating efficiency.

The company’s analytic solutions address insurance underwriting and claims, fraud, regulatory compliance, natural resources, catastrophes, economic forecasting, geopolitical risks, as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary, the company continues to make the world better, safer and stronger, and fosters an inclusive and diverse culture where all team members feel they belong. With more than 100 offices in nearly 35 countries, Verisk consistently earns certification by Great Place to Work.

For more: Verisk.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

ZHUHAI, China, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jafron Biomedical, a pioneer in the blood purification industry, announced it’s founding the Global Advisory Board, which includes the world’s top medical experts in clinical research and critical care medicine.

The six members of the recently founded Global Advisory Board include: Prof. Claudio Ronco, Full Professor of Nephrology at the University of Padova, Italy; Prof. Rinaldo Bellomo, Head of Research of the Department of Intensive Care at the Austin Hospital of Melbourne, Australia; Prof. Thomas Rimmelé, Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine of Edouard Herriot Hospital, Lyon, France; Dr. John R. Prowle, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Intensive Care Medicine at Barts, UK; Dr. Antoine Schneider, intensive care specialist at the Adult Intensive Care Unit at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) of Lausanne, Switzerland; Prof. Olivier Joannes-Boyau, Associate Head of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care department SUD at Bordeaux University Hospital, France.

This international non-commercial expert team funded by Jafron Biomedical aims to establish reliable, evidence-based data to further guide the application of hemoadsorption therapy. “Very pleased to join the advisory board. Through the screening of published clinical experience and further trials, the Advisory Board is committed to providing the medical community with further guidance and new solutions for the clinical usage of MOST (multi-organ support therapy),” said Prof. Rinaldo Bellomo.

“We are honored to have the support of an outstanding group of world-renowned clinicians and researchers in these fields. Their international leadership, extensive clinical expertise will be invaluable in the future development of Jafron”, stated Mr. Dong Fan, Founder and Chairman of Jafron. “This is a successful model of cross-field cooperation between research and industry in coordination with our Global Senior Consultant Mr. Jean Paul Menneguerre, which will make a great contribution in critical care and help more patients in the future.”

Prof. Claudio Ronco is a Full Professor of Nephrology at the University of Padova, Italy. He is also director of the Department of Nephrology and the International Renal ResearchInstitute (IRRIV) of San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy. He is considered a pioneer in many areas of nephrology, including peritoneal dialysis, critical care nephrology, CRRT, cardiorenal syndromes, and wearable dialysis technology. He has received several international awards and invented the first CRRT machine for neonates CARPEDIEM (Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine).

Prof. Rinaldo Bellomo is Director of Intensive Care Research at the Austin Hospital; Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, University of Melbourne. Together with Dr. Prof. Ronco, Prof. Bellomo has been a lead investigator in the field of blood purification in sepsis, renal replacement therapy, and multi-organ support therapy for three decades with hundreds of publications in these fields of research and clinical practice.

Prof. Thomas Rimmelé is the Chairman of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at Edouard Herriot Hospital, Lyon, France, and Chairman of the Department of Organ Harvest Coordination for the Hospices Civils de Lyon. Prof. Rimmelé’s academic interests include blood purification for sepsis, acute kidney injury, renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit, and simulation in healthcare. He is also the co-director of the simulation center at Lyon University.

Dr. John R. Prowle is an Honorary Consultant Physician in Intensive Care Medicine and Renal Medicine at The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK. Dr. Prowle’s academic interests include the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment, and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury, Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies in the ICU, Fluid Therapy, and Medical Complications of Major Surgery.

Dr. Antoine Schneider works as an attending physician at the Adult Intensive Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland. His area of research entitles renal perfusion, epidemiology of acute renal failure, and blood purification. He is currently the deputy chair of the AKI section of the ESICM and Course Director of the CRRT masterclass.

Prof. Olivier Joannes-Boyau, MD, is a full-time clinician in a 35 beds intensive care unit in a tertiary university hospital in Bordeaux (France). He has worked in the field of acute kidney injury, Renal Replacement Therapy, and multi-organ support therapy for about 20 years. He is the president of the ICU committee at the French society of anesthesiology and critical care (SFAR), a member of the European society of intensive care (ESICM), and the International Pan-Arab critical care medicine society (IPACCMS).

Please visit en.jafron.com to learn more about the hemoadsorption therapy and services offered.

About Jafron: Jafron Biomedical is an A-shared GEM listed corporation established in 1989. As pioneer enterprise in hemoadsorption industry, Jafron provides comprehensive solutions with full line hemoperfusion products including HA Series Hemoperfusion Cartridges, BS Bilirubin Adsorption Column and DNA Immunoadsorption Column. Annually there are over 3 million cases using Jafron hemoadsorption therapy in more than 80 countries, 6000 major hospitals worldwide. With the support of its new Global Advisory Board, Jafron strives to contribute the global medical community with more extensive research and guidance in blood purification and its cutting-edge technology.

Media Contacts
Company name: Jafron Biomedical Co., Ltd
Address: No. 98 Technology Six Road, High-tech Zone,Zhuhai City, China
Phone Number: +86-756-3689708
Website: en.jafron.com
Jafronclub: https://www.jafronclub.com

WATERLOO, Ontario, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq: DSGX) (TSX: DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announces that online Swiss beauty vendor haar-shop.ch AG significantly improved order fulfillment productivity by over 40% and increased its warehouse utilization rate by more than one third by using Descartes’ cloud-based ecommerce warehouse management solution (WMS).

As haar-shop.ch‘s online business grew, it quickly became clear that manual fulfillment processes needed to be modernized. Its existing inventory management system did not offer advanced warehouse management capabilities such as “chaotic warehousing,” which speeds the put away process and maximizes warehouse space utilization. Employee processing and warehouse capacity quickly reached their limits. “We had sorted the shelves by brand, so every employee was required to memorize the product location in the warehouse,” said Markus Stoller, Head of IT at haar-shop.ch. “Our warehouse operations were inefficient as a result, and we couldn’t implement multi-order picking to improve employee productivity.”

With the Descartes solution, haar-shop.ch not only optimized the use of warehouse space, but also significantly increased shipping speed. “Our goals were exceeded. We gained over 35% storage space and increased productivity in order fulfillment by more than 40%,” Stoller explained. “By automating fulfillment processes, manual steps are reduced, which initiated massive changes in daily routines, but definitely paid off quickly. In fact, the benefits we had aimed for were achieved in only two weeks!”

Part of Descartes’ ecommerce solution suite, the Descartes Ecommerce WMS solution helps direct-to-consumer brands, ecommerce retailers, and traditional retailers rapidly scale in combination with providing a remarkable customer experience. The solution helps ensure that clients can ship on time, ship the right items, do not oversell existing inventory, and have full transparency into warehouse operations. The Descartes Ecommerce WMS solution is pre-integrated to major ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento or Shopware to accelerate implementation and time to value. Order information is automatically available to be executed via mobile driven multi-order pick-and-pack strategies and then fed into parcel shipment systems.

“The Descartes solution can help haar-shop.ch’s warehouse logistics processes scale along with their online store’s sales growth. We’re very proud to be able to support haar-shop.ch in offering its customers an outstanding shopping and delivery experience,” said Dirk Haschke, VP & General Manager, Ecommerce at Descartes. “For companies with ecommerce warehouse operations, excellence in order fulfillment is a key element for sustainable, successful business growth.”

About haar-shop.ch AG

Launched around 11 years ago, haar-shop.ch is the Swiss online specialist for professional hair and beauty products, now offering over 21,000 products. Based in Uetendorf in the canton of Bern, the company employs around 70 people. haar-shop.ch not only offers a wide range of products, but its customers also benefit from attractive prices and fast, reliable delivery. For more information, visit https://www.haar-shop.ch/en/.

About Descartes

Descartes (Nasdaq: DSGX) (TSX: DSG) is the global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance and security of logistics-intensive businesses. Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, schedule, track and measure delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; access global trade data; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world’s largest, collaborative multimodal logistics community. Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world. Learn more at www.descartes.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Global Media Contact
Andra Schaz                                                       
Tel: +49 (0)89 961 60 61 66                            
aschaz@descartes.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”) that relate to Descartes’ solution offering and potential benefits derived therefrom including potential efficiency gains and potential productivity improvements; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, “Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results” in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada including Descartes most recently filed management’s discussion and analysis. If any such risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In that case, the trading price of our common shares could decline, perhaps materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of providing information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.