Smart Digital Khabar: May 2021

Monday, May 31, 2021

Here’s How Fully Vaccinated People Can Still Catch Covid

The CDC had detected over 10,000 breakthrough infections in the U.S. out of 101 million fully vaccinated individuals till April 30.

Highlights

According to CDC, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have shown efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic and severe disease.
The chances that fully vaccinated people can catch Covid infection are only about 0.01 percent.
Those who can still catch Covid after getting vaccinated may have a weak immune response or catch new variants that can break the protective layer of the vaccine.

The old advice of Hippocrates that says “medicine cure rarely, comfort mostly, but console always” can be still considered valid as the world fights the deadly Covid-19 virus. Though with the intense hard work and dedication showcased by scientists around the globe, the world finally got a handful of vaccines to ensure the safety of the people from the virus. But it is learned that no vaccine is 100 percent safe. All of them act just as a protective layer from the virus. There are probable chances that even if you have completed two doses of vaccine, you can be caught by the virus. Such cases have been given the term “breakthrough infection”.

Chances that even if you have completed two doses of vaccine, you can catch Covid.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic and severe disease, and hospitalization with Covid-19. These vaccines also are effective against the new variants including the B.1.1., the UK variant, and the South Africa variant. But the question again arises here, that if the vaccines are effective against the strains, then why are some people still catching the infection?

No 100 percent guarantee

All the vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford–AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Convidecia, Sputnik Light, and others do not claim the 100 percent guarantee of protection from the virus. CDC has also claimed that those who catch Covid infection after vaccination have it mild or are asymptomatic and these cases are rare too. There are only about 0.01 percent chances that anyone vaccinated would catch the infection. As mentioned, the vaccines are only there to protect you from developing any severe symptoms of Covid and also less prone to transmit the virus.

Infographic: How Effective Are The Covid-19 Vaccines? | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

The rarity of breakthrough cases

When the vaccines are into clinical trials, the population size is decided and every process runs according to the plan. But when the vaccine enters the real world and millions of people get the shots on their arms, the picture completely changes. It is called “real world effectiveness”. According to two studies published in March, it was given that breakthrough cases were very rare among fully vaccinated people. The first study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found out that out of 8,121 employees who were fully vaccinated, only 4 tested positive for coronavirus. Another study found that out of 14,990 California health workers, only 7 tested positive right after two weeks of their vaccination.

Infographic: Breakthrough Covid-19 Cases Remain Rare In The U.S. | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

The inferences drawn from the studies were that the chances of catching the infection after both doses of the vaccine were only 0.05 percent. And another revelation that came across that these people tested positive during the post-holiday surge of the cases.

The scientists always try that the vaccines should be made not just only to prevent the illness but also can help achieve the “sterilizing immunity”. This means that when people are vaccinated, the shot can block the germs from entering the body and neither will they catch any Covid infection, nor it will be spread further.

The inferences drawn from studies in the US is that the chances of catching the infection after both vaccine doses is only 0.05 percent.

When the pandemic hit the world, the medical sector and the scientists believed that if a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2 then it will protect them from any reinfection. The neutralizing antibodies would act as a protective immune mechanism or correlate with protection. The process of understanding how much durability of immunity that the Covid-10 vaccines are offering and where in the body it is working is still a subject of study for scientists.

Causes of breakthrough infection

There are two types of causes when a fully vaccinated person can still catch Covid-19 infection:

Weak immune system response

Everybody is different and some people do not develop an optimum immune response even after getting vaccinated. There are various reasons for it such as weakening of the immune system because of certain medication as cancer treatment or any genetic difference. Another reason could be the age that already weakens the immune response. In this case, the body is vulnerable to catch any kind of infection and there are chances that a person with a weak immune response can catch Covid even after two doses of vaccination.

New variants

The virus always keeps mutating and the Covid-19 vaccines developed showcase their efficacy against the known variants. But there are high chances that some new variants could escape from the protection that is given to the vaccinated people and that can lead to breakthrough infections.

As of April 30, the CDC has detected over 10,000 breakthrough infections in the U.S. out of 101 million fully vaccinated individuals. And 64 percent of those are infected by the variants of concern. Though breakthrough infection is not contagious as there is 80 to 95 percent protection provided by the vaccine, the people should know that they can still catch Covid even after getting vaccinated and should ensure that Covid appropriate behavior is followed at all times.

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Mamata Banerjee questions presence of Suvendu Adhikari in meeting at Kalaikunda Why was Shuvendu at the meeting in Kalaikunda? Mamata raises questions in letter to Modi – News18 Beganli

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#Kolkata: Why was Shuvendu Adhikari present at the Kalaikunda meeting? Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the question directly in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming the Nandigram MLA. He claimed that there was no excuse for a MLA to be present at the scheduled meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister. The chief minister also claimed in the letter that the chief secretary had informed a senior official accompanying the prime minister about the matter before the meeting began. If the issue is not resolved, the Chief Minister will not be present at the meeting In a letter to Modi, Mamata also demanded that a separate meeting be held between the chief minister and the prime minister. However, in a letter to the Prime Minister, Mamata Banerjee did not mention Shuvendu’s name but referred to him as a MLA.

However, the BJP has repeatedly claimed that Shuvendu Adhikari was invited to the meeting not only as a MLA but also as the state’s opposition leader.

The controversy began with the Prime Minister’s review meeting on Hurricane Yas in Kalaikunda on May 26. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the meeting and returned after handing over the state’s losses to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was accompanied by Chief Secretary Alapan Banerjee Later that night, the central government ordered the transfer of Chief Secretary Alapana Banerjee to Delhi. The chief minister later alleged that at first only the prime minister was scheduled to meet him but later many others, including the governor, were called for the meeting. Last Saturday, the chief minister alleged that the meeting had turned into a party meeting of the BJP However, Mamata claimed that the Prime Minister had not been disrespected by her or the state

The Trinamool Congress had objected to the presence of Shuvendu Adhikari in the meeting from the very beginning. It is also clear in the Chief Minister’s letter to the Prime Minister that the presence of the Nandigram MLA was one of the main reasons for his absence. Apart from Shuvendu, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Debashree Chowdhury were also present at the meeting.

On this day, the Chief Minister wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to withdraw the transfer order of the Chief Secretary Referring to the Kalaikunda meeting, the Chief Minister wrote in the letter, “I wanted to have a meeting with you in a peaceful atmosphere. But you changed the structure of the meeting and included a local MLA from your party in the meeting From my long experience of forty years, I can say that a MLA has no right to attend a meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister. Hon’ble Governor and Union Ministers were called for that meeting Courtesy, I do not object to that But the presence of a MLA who has no authority to be present at that meeting cannot be accepted. The chief minister, however, claimed in the letter that the governor had no constitutional role in the meeting.

The chief minister further wrote in the letter that he hoped that the transfer of the chief secretary of the state had nothing to do with the meeting in Kalaikundar. He also claimed that he had arrived in Kalaikunda just before the scheduled start of the meeting at 2.30 pm out of respect for the Prime Minister. Minister of State Soumen Mohapatra, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police were present in Kalaikunda to welcome the Prime Minister.

The BJP, however, claimed that Shuvendu had joined the meeting as the Leader of the Opposition The letter from the Legislative Assembly recognizing him as the Leader of the Opposition was also made public by Gerua Shibir after the debate.

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IESE: Corporate Venturing in Deep Tech on the Rise in East and Southeast Asia

Business Wire India

77 innovation leaders took part in IESE Business School’s new report, revealing their biggest challenges innovating with deep-tech start-ups
Japan, South Korea, mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand are the East and Southeast regions with the highest adoption rate of corporate venturing
71% of analyzed companies expect to increase their collaboration with deep-tech start-ups during the next 5 years

IESE Business School releases today a new report on corporate venturing in deep tech in East and Southeast Asia, which finds that the region’s largest companies are stepping up their collaborations with start-ups at the cutting edge of technology.

The study covers the regions of Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, mainland China, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and looks at how companies are working with start-ups on the frontlines of innovation.

“Deep tech refers to emerging technologies based on scientific discoveries or engineering innovations, seeking to tackle some of the world’s fundamental challenges–encompassing work in expanding fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain, robotics, and quantum computing,” co-authors Josemaria Siota and Prof. Mª Julia Prats explain in the report.

The study found that among the analyzed companies, corporate venturing – the practice of established companies innovating with start-ups – has increased 2.8 times in the past five years, while deep-tech cooperation has gone up 4.2 times.

This growth puts East and Southeast Asia ahead of Latin America but still behind the United States in terms of corporate–start-up innovations among corporate giants. On average, East and Southeast Asia have a 57% adoption rate of corporate venturing, compared to Latin America with 40% and the United States with 90%.

The study also looked at obstacles to this type of cooperation. Based on 77 interviews, the study identifies seven areas that keep chief innovation officers up at night, ranging from technology evaluation, corporate short-term view over deep-tech start-ups, silos between R&D and corporate venturing teams, regulation, to top-down innovation approach.

The report is being released in Hong Kong at the Corporate Innovation Summit organized by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), which is discussing corporate innovation trends and best practices.

Mindteck Reports Results for the Financial Year 2020-21

Business Wire India
Mindteck (India) Limited (BSE: 517344 and NSE: MINDTECK), the global engineering and technology solutions company with niche knowledge and expertise in the storage, medical device, semiconductor and analytical instrument industries, reported its audited financial results for the year ended March 31, 2021.

Consolidated Revenue for the year 2020-21 stood at Rs. 286.72 crores, as against Rs. 276.13 crores for the previous year ended March 31, 2020. The company reported a Consolidated Net Profit for the year 2020-21 of Rs. 10.86 crores as compared to a loss of Rs. 64.80 crores for the previous year ended March 31, 2020. Last year’s loss included an exceptional non-cash item amounting to Rs. 59.42 crores on account of impairment of goodwill on consolidation of the US and Singapore subsidiaries.

The Company’s Standalone Revenue for the year 2020-21 was Rs. 103.98 crores, as against Rs. 92.31 crores for the previous year ended March 31, 2020. Standalone Net profit for the year 2020-21 stood at Rs. 8.53 crores as compared to a loss of Rs. 59.24 crores for the previous year ended March 31, 2020. Last year’s loss included an exceptional non-cash item amounting to Rs. 56.66 crores on account of impairment of investment in subsidiaries in the US and Singapore as mentioned above.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Yusuf Lanewala, Non-Executive Chairman, said, “Despite the profound challenges posed by the pandemic, we improved our operating profitability considerably in comparison to the previous year. This was possible on account of expansion in our existing client relationships and increased visibility across multiple regions, in the areas of analytical instruments, storage and product engineering.

During the past year, we added a total of 29 logos to our client roster. I am especially pleased to report that this includes leading companies in the medical device, semiconductor and storage industries. This is further testament to the increased recognition of our valued niche knowledge in these domains.”

Mr. Lanewala added, “Although 2020-21 could be characterised as a year of uncertainty for businesses around the globe, many of our clients continued to pursue product development and innovation to meet their growth objectives. We are fortunate to have secured some of these important projects, including:

Enhancing the application integration workflows on radiation oncology software, as well as a mobile workflow management tool used for patient care by healthcare professionals.
Reengineering the hardware and modernising the user interface of a medical system that helps to prevent infection transmission.
Designing and developing common process modules software for metal deposition technology.”

Mr. Anand Balakrishnan, CEO and Managing Director, remarked, “I might add that we are also delighted to be working with an existing client’s UK subsidiary on two new interesting projects – one for advanced mass spectroscopy solutions development and the other involving big data analytics. Overall, it appears that the business continuity measures we instituted at the early start of the pandemic helped us to remain ready and able to support our clients throughout the year. We are also very appreciative of the dedication reflected by all our employees every single day.”

He added, “Indeed, it is impossible to neglect the current state of the pandemic in India. While the effects of the ravage are challenging, we have been taking extra measures to ensure both seamless delivery and employee well-being. We are hopeful that the year ahead will bring relief and renewal as we continue to pursue a future of predictable, profitable and sustainable growth.”

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Bidding farewell to Spielwarenmesse eG: Ernst Kick and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter step down from the Executive Board at the end of June

NUREMBERG, Germany, May 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Having spent the last two decades steering the fortunes of Spielwarenmesse eG, Ernst Kick (CEO) and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter are withdrawing from the Executive Board when their terms come to an end on 30 June. In almost 20 years of service to Spielwarenmesse eG, whose hobbyhorse is the world’s leading trade fair for the toy industry, both have achieved important milestones in their successful quest to strengthen the company and its services so that they reflect market needs and remain fit for the future.

Stepping down from Spielwarenmesse eG after almost 20 years: Executive Board Members Ernst Kick (CEO; left) and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter. Bildnachweis: Spielwarenmesse eG/Peter Dörfel

Ernst Kick was appointed CEO in 2002. During his term in office, he has driven the cooperative forward whilst reinforcing the leading position of the Spielwarenmesse. His many achievements include the reorganisation of the trade fair’s structure so that it would provide a more focused market overview. This saw the introduction of new and relevant product groups and the retail-led presentation of special themes in dedicated activity areas. The ToyAwards and the annual trends are a direct result of his innovation drive and have since grown into established features that are recognised throughout the toy industry. Ernst Kick has also raised the company’s international profile in important growth markets by professionalising its global network of representatives, establishing subsidiaries, and launching an international exhibition programme which includes independent events and international pavilions at trade fairs around the world. In Nuremberg alone, staff numbers have increased under his leadership from 16 to 60 employees today.

Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter joined the Spielwarenmesse eG’s Executive Board in 2005 and has primarily been responsible for legal and membership matters. For six months in 2002, the lawyer acted as interim CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG until Ernst Kick took over the role. In 2013, the two board members set another milestone in the company’s history by registering Spielwarenmesse as a word mark with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.

Their final year in office turned out very differently for both Ernst Kick and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter. Mr Kick commented: “We would have liked to say goodbye to all our long-standing colleagues in person.” Instead, the pandemic confronted them with a whole host of unprecedented challenges. New concepts had to be developed, digitalisation accelerated. Their successors, who have been recruited in-house, have been heavily involved in these processes. Christian Ulrich, Florian Hess and Jens Pflüger will be taking over the helm of Spielwarenmesse eG on 1 July. Mr Kick concludes: “Dr. Richter and I are very confident that the new three-member board will steer Spielwarenmesse eG into a successful future, building on its role as a driving force within the industry – we firmly believe in the continued need for and benefits of trade fairs.”

Spielwarenmesse eG

Spielwarenmesse eG is the fair organizer and marketing services provider for the toy sector and other consumer goods markets. The Nuremberg company organizes the world-leading Spielwarenmesse^® in Nuremberg, Kids India in Mumbai and Insights-X in Nuremberg. The range of services provided by the cooperative also includes industry campaigns and the international fair programme, World of Toys by Spielwarenmesse eG, which enables manufacturers to exhibit at pavilions featured at trade fairs in Asia and Russia. Spielwarenmesse eG operates a worldwide network of representatives in over 90 countries. It also has several subsidiaries, including Spielwarenmesse Shanghai Co., Ltd., responsible for the People’s Republic of China and Spielwarenmesse India Pvt. Ltd., covering the Indian market. The cooperative holds a majority stake in the Russian exhibition company Grand Expo, which organizes Kids Russia in Moscow. Die roten Reiter GmbH subsidiary with headquarters in Nuremberg works as communication agency for the consumer and capital goods industry. The complete company profile of Spielwarenmesse eG can be seen on the Internet at www.spielwarenmesse-eg.com.

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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1167105/Spielwarenmesse_eG_Logo.jpg

The content is by PR NewsWire. DKODING Media is not responsible for the content provided or any links related to this content. DKODING Media is not responsible for the correctness, topicality or the quality of the content.

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He took the election campaign by storm, this time he made his debut next to the people devastated by the storm

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#Kolkata: After the cyclone Yaas hit the coastal areas of Bengal, the Hugli River embankment in Diamond Harbor has broken and flooded a large area due to the rising water level. Last Wednesday afternoon, Abhishek Banerjee, an MP from Diamond Harbor and All India President of the Youth Trinamool Congress, visited the devastated areas along the Hooghly River. In addition to visiting the Behal River Dam, he also visited flood centers and relief camps. This time, Abhishek is going to visit other devastated areas of North and South 24 Parganas.

According to the Trinamool Congress, Abhishek will visit various areas in South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas on Wednesday, June 2. He will meet the affected people from Sagar to several places in Hingalganj.

Incidentally, due to Yas, the dam of Hooghly River overflowed and flooded a large area of Shrifalberia in Nurpur of Block No. 1 of the municipality and Block of Diamond Harbor-2. Several mud houses collapsed. However, the residents were rescued earlier and taken to the relief camp. Abhishek, an MP from Diamond Harbor, visited the Behal Dam area of Hooghly River in Diamond Harbor on Wednesday afternoon. He then inspected five relief camps, including the local Fakirchand College, Diamond Harbor High School, and Nurpur Haimadrasa, and spoke to the people who had taken refuge. The MP also directed to repair the dam quickly.

Before Yas hit, however, there was a strong tidal wave in Sagardwip of South 24 Parganas. One village after another broke the sea dam is still under water. The water of Mani river flowed into Raydighi. Govardhanpur of Kakdwip was also submerged. Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already visited Sagar, Hingalganj and Digha. He also instructed the party leaders to stay in their respective places.

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Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair (BGJF): Asia’s Largest Jewellery Virtual Trade Fair to Be Organized on 22-24 June 2021

Business Wire India

The Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair (BGJF), one of the largest gems and jewellery trade fairs in the world, will be held virtually between June 22-24, 2021, under the name of “BGJF Virtual Trade Fair (the 66^th Special Edition)”.

This BGIF Virtual Trade Fair will feature products with latest innovation, many up-and-coming artisans and designers, exquisite pieces of the world's top craftsmanship and nationally-renowned manufacturing companies as well. It will serve as an online platform for gems and jewellery trading and networking, where buyers and exporters from all over the world will be able to conduct businesses and build long-term trading relationships despite the COVID-19 restrictions.

Moreover, key players in the industry, including Thai Silver Exporters Association, Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce and other related agencies can provide useful and necessary information to assist businesses and individuals in their buying process.

Thailand, one of the main Jewellery exporters in Asia is renowned for its jewellery resources, design, manufacturing and exquisite craftsmanship. In the recent years, Thai silver jewellery has gained popularity as it is more affordable compared to other metals such as gold and platinum. The export value of Thai silver jewellery from January-March 2021 is totaled at 371.30 million USD, an increase of 6.46 percent from the same period of last year, mainly driven by higher demand and sales volume according to the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP). The industry is forecasted to see a rise in exports of silver jewellery and accessories throughout 2021.

In addition, silver goes well with casual, traditional, western or professional attire and men have developed their liking for silver jewellery such as bracelets, chains, rings, etc., making it a leading favorite for jewellery lovers and savvy collectors. The versatility makes it more complimentary to mixing and matching for those who seek to create interesting and distinctive look.

Consumer appetite for jewellery and accessories, which has been dampened by COVID-19 pandemic has started to increase due to the dynamic of the industry and changes in consumer behavior. One of the main indicators is the value of the global jewellery market, which is expected to rise from USD 230 billion in 2020 to USD 292 billion by 2025 according to Statista.com.

Gems and jewellery industry in Thailand offers flexibility in terms of OEM services from sourcing, designing, packaging to manufacturing. Buyers are able to address their demands, quality, quantities and budget, enabling it to be a major jewellery trading hub in Asia. One of the country’s main export markets is India, with an export value of 143.97 million USD from January-March 2021. Apart from silver jewellery and accessories, Indian market is the third largest buyer of Thai colored gemstones due to their fine craftsmanship, competitive price and excellent quality.

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Waters Introduces the SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) toAdvance Clinical Research of Infectious Diseases

Business Wire India

NEWS SUMMARY:

Enables reproducible results with three unique peptide biomarkers
Adaptable analytical method for a variety of biomarkers
Developed in cooperation with academic, commercial and government research scientists
This kit is for Research Use Only (RUO) – not intended for diagnostic use

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) today introduced a new RUO LC-MS test method to advance critical infectious disease research. Waters™ SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) uses an orthogonal analytical method that directly detects and quantifies SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (NCAP) peptides that initial studies have shown to yield highly accurate, quantitative results.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005257/en/

Waters' SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) (Graphic: Business Wire)

“For biomedical and clinical research laboratories that are involved in fighting the pandemic, this kit offers a useful research tool for deeper study of the virus and the versatility to enable pioneering research of other infectious pathogens,” said Dr. Udit Batra, CEO and President, Waters Corporation. “The accelerated development of this method shows what’s possible through collaboration and represents an important step towards equipping scientists around the world with a highly versatile, reproducible, and quantitative platform capable of providing new insights into this and future pandemics.”

Waters developed the SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) in support of a coalition of academic, commercial and government research scientists¹. This coalition worked to develop an alternative test method on LC-MS platforms in support of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) Test & Trace program. Their goal was to create a complementary, high-throughput screening method that would also use different reagents to help relieve strain on the PCR reagent supply chain. In just 16 weeks, the research coalition went from development of the method in university labs to a translated LC-MS workflow – upon which the SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) is based.

Analytical tests show that researchers can achieve the analytical sensitivity required to detect and quantify low levels of three unique peptides derived from the SARS-CoV-2 NCAP protein – data on the Xevo™ TQ-XS System shows a lower limit of quantitation of just 3amol/µL. This is possible through the use of an innovative anti-peptide antibody enrichment sample preparation method and antibodies from SISCAPA^® Assay Technologies that improves the performance of mass spectrometry for measurement of pre-selected protein targets. Results can be captured with clean, low-noise chromatograms in less than two minutes per sample.

While further investigation is needed to collect objective evidence in promising research applications, initial test results and the readily adaptable properties of the analytical test method indicate the RUO kit could be leveraged for the following research studies:

Peptide concentration ² – quantitate SARS-CoV-2 signature peptides at different stages of infection
Research of infection and long-term effects through peptide quantitation
Future pandemic preparedness studies and research of signature peptide-based biomarkers may enable future research of other infections

The Waters SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO) has been optimized on the ACQUITY™ I-Class Plus System and the Xevo TQ-XS System. It comes in an adaptable automation-friendly format with liquid handling protocols for the Andrew⁺ Pipetting Robot on OneLab™ Software.

This kit is for research use only and has not been approved for use in clinical diagnostic procedures. This RUO kit has not been tested with clinical samples.

Additional Resources

Read the Blog: Supercharging Mass Spectrometry in the Fight Against SARS-CoV-2
Learn more about the Waters’ SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit (RUO)
Learn more about SISCAPA Assay Technologies
Follow and connect with Waters via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

About Waters Corporation

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT), the world's leading specialty measurement company, has pioneered chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis innovations serving the life, materials, and food sciences for more than 60 years. With more than 7,400 employees worldwide, Waters operates directly in 35 countries, including 14 manufacturing facilities, and with products available in more than 100 countries.

Waters, ACQUITY, Xevo and OneLab are trademarks of Waters Corporation. SISCAPA^® is a mark of Anderson Forschung Group LLC.

Cov-MS: A Community-Based Template Assay for Mass-Spectrometry-Based Protein Detection in SARS-CoV-2 Patients, JACS Au Article ASAP (2021); DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00048
Testing at scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercer, T.R., Salit, M. Testing at scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Rev Genet (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-021-00360-w

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IDEMIA Enters the Japanese Payment Cards Industry as It Launches Its First Banking Card

Business Wire India

As the global leader in Augmented Identity, payment card issuance and payment solutions, IDEMIA (Japan office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Vice President of Japan Sales: Nezu Nobuyoshi), today announced that it will provide dual-interface credit cards to financial institutions in Japan that are compliant with the JIS2 standard and certified by Visa, JCB and other brand schemes. The cards are embedded with a JIS2 standard – an embedded surface magnetic stripe on the card, to deliver enhanced security and contactless payment services to end-users.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210530005019/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

IDEMIA has delivered the contactless dual-interface cards to Fintech issuers such as UPSIDER, Inc, and major issuers including Toyota Finance Corporation in Japan to expand and scale rapidly.

“We are proud to be able to deliver our first contactless card that is compliant with the JIS2 standards. We are also proud to work with major issuers and Fintech issuers in Japan to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese consumers. With its global footprint and expertise in payments, IDEMIA is well positioned to support the market evolution and fast growing Fintech demand. We will continue to enhance the security and contactless features to our payment cards used by financial institutions all around the world,” said Mr. Nezu Nobuyoshi, Vice President of Japan Sales, IDEMIA.

Issuers in Japan can also integrate IDEMIA’s contactless cards with IDEMIA portfolio of smart digital solutions, such as Smart PIN to get their card PIN issued through digital channels or Smart Instant Issuance to get their card delivered instantly at the branch or in-store. Consumers can also benefit from IDEMIA Connect, which simplifies the card activation experience with a simple tap of the card on the phone.

IDEMIA has also developed and expanded in its global offerings for financial institutions, such as GREENPAY, its end-to-end sustainable portfolio for financial institutions, and the Fintech Accelerator Card Program which supports Fintechs and neobanks to deploy innovative card and digital payment solutions rapidly around the world.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210530005019/en/

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Kavalan Claims ‘Best of the Best’ Single Malt in Tokyo

TWSC 2021 names Kavalan 10th Anniversary Sky Gold Wine Cask Matured the best single malt in the world

TAIPEI, May 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Kavalan has been named the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition’s (TWSC) 2021 “Best of the Best” single malt.

Kavalan 10th Anniversary Sky Gold Wine Cask Matured is TWSC 2021’s ‘Best of the Best’ single malt

Kavalan awarded a record 4 Superior Golds in 2021 TWSC

Kavalan took out four of the contest’s top 5 single malts, ranking 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place out of all single malts entered from across the world this year.

The Best of the Best single malt of the competition is determined by a two-stage process: the top 14 single malts in the first round are independently blind tasted again in a second round by a special team of 15 judges to find the Best of the Best among those 14 single malts.

Also for the first time in the contest, Taiwan was made a new whisky region, with Kavalan scooping its region’s top two category prizes of Taiwanese NAS Single Malt and Taiwanese Single Malt Single Cask.

Kavalan Awards in 3rd Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition

Best of the Best Single Malt – First Place

Kavalan 10th Anniversary Sky Gold Wine Cask Matured Single Cask Single Malt Whisky

Category Winner Taiwanese Whisky Single Malt No Age Statement

Concertmaster Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky

Category Winner Taiwanese Whisky Single Malt Single Cask

Solist Moscatel Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky

Superior Gold

1st Place – Kavalan 10th Anniversary Sky Gold Wine Cask Matured Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
3rd Place – Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
4th Place – Kavalan 10th Anniversary Earth Silver Wine Cask Matured Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
5th Place – King Car 40th Anniversary Selected Wine Cask Matured Single Malt Whisky

Gold

Concertmaster Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky
Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Solist Fino Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Solist Manzanilla Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Solist PX Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Solist Moscatel Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Distillery Reserve Rum Cask Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky

CEO Mr Lee said Kavalan faced stiff competition among the finest single malts, especially in Japan.

“We are humbled to be named TWSC’s Best of the Best. We will work hard to live up to this title, improving our quality, smoothness, and complexity for both our fans and critics,” Mr Lee said.

According to the TWSC, the competition is built upon the Japan Whisky Research Centre’s body of knowledge and was created as the first major domestic venue for the judging of Japanese whisky. The panel of judges, numbering 202 this year, comprises mainly bartenders from prefectures right across Japan and experts in the Japanese spirits manufacturing and wholesale business.

About Kavalan Distillery

Kavalan Distillery in Yilan County has been pioneering the art of single malt whisky in Taiwan since 2005. Our whisky, aged in intense humidity and heat, sources the meltwaters of Snow Mountain and is enhanced by sea and mountain breezes. All this combines to create Kavalan’s signature creaminess. Taking Yilan County’s old name, our distillery is backed by about 40 years of beverage-making under parent company, King Car Group. We have collected more than 500 gold awards or higher from the industry’s most competitive contests. Visit www.kavalanwhisky.com

Media Contact information

Kaitlyn Tsai

+886(0)39 229 000#7164

kaitlyn@kingcar.com.tw

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1521670/Sky_Gold_Wine.jpg

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1521671/4_Superior_Golds_2021_TWSC.jpg

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1521672/8_Golds_2021_TWSC.jpg

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Solos Season 2: Here’s Everything We Know So Far

In May 2021, Amazon Prime performed the seemingly impossible task of bringing some of the biggest Hollywood stars in one series called ‘Solos’. While it received a mixed reception, we ponder upon the possibility of the second season.

Amazon Studios’ ‘Solos’ happens to be one of the highlighted series’ on the streaming giant. The anthology contains seven stories that are different from each other but are bounded with one common theme- what it means to be human in a world where science dominates. With a stellar star-cast full of celebrated names such as Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Helen Mirren, and Uzo Aduba among others, the series was a poignant meditation on the fragility of human emotions and the repercussions of their actions.

However, despite being a relatively fresh concept, the series couldn’t achieve the desired critical reception. Even then, can the series be revived for a second season? That is a question every fan of the series is asking.

Highlights

Has ‘Solos’ Season 2 been already announced?
The cast of ‘Solos’ Season 2

The series premiered on May 21, 2021, on Amazon and was another high-profile addition to its slate of engaging content. The first episode dealt with the story of a schizophrenic Alzheimer’s patient named Stuart, played astonishingly well by Morgan Freeman. He also served as the narrator in other stories, apart from his own. Yeah, because you can’t not use Morgan Freeman’s soothing voice if you have hired him to work with you. His narration provides the necessary depth to the beginning and the end of most stories.

‘Solos’ Season 2: Everything we know so far

The first story sets up the stage for more stories that deal with science-fiction themes with an existential twist. It included Anne Hathaway trying to time travel, Uzo Aduba playing a woman who thinks her smart-house is plotting against her, Nicole Beharie births a child that ages fast etc. All the stories have different science fiction concepts being explored, with the central theme being constant.

As we move on with the stories one by one, the connection between them becomes apparent. Discussing existential ideas such as isolation, shared experience, and depression is the central point in most stories. We float through the stories, getting mesmerized by them one by one.

Is ‘Solos’ Season 2 on the cards yet?

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The problem with anthologies is that the response to them is generally mixed. It is quite rare that all the stories involved are loved the same. The same tragedy happened with ‘Solos’. While most stories were wholeheartedly appreciated, others were not. And that mixed response somehow had the series struggle in the eyes of the producers to be carried forwarded. And thus, it is still not confirmed by any of the cast member, or the producer or Amazon Prime whether the series will be renewed for a second season. However, given the star-studded cast of the series, it will be hard for Amazon Prime to let this series go. After all, not every day do you get such a stellar star cast with such big names.

‘Solos’ Season 2 cast

However beneficial this ‘big ensemble cast’ seems, this also comes with its own share of problems. First of all, most of the big stars are usually busy with their other projects. Bringing them around on the sets at the same time becomes hectic. This also results in projects facing long delays among other issues. And also, it is not very normal in Hollywood to bring such an ensemble on the same page. Considering the series works as an anthology, it might be a daunting task to bring more Hollywood biggies for the second season.

However, it must also be considered that the stars don’t have to devote a lot of time to the series as they appear in single episodes. So, as we can see there are both drawbacks and benefits of making something like ‘Solos’. While the second season is yet to be announced, the speculations about the cast of ‘Solos’ Season 2 are already doing the rounds.

Video Credits: NEW FILM

‘Solos’ Season 1 was shot during October and November 2020, during the raging pandemic. So, if the makers decide to renew it now, we can probably have the second season streaming in the spring or summer 2022. Let’s wait and watch.

Write in the comments what was your favourite story in the anthology? Also, tell us your cast expectations for the second season of ‘Solos’.

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AUSIS – AI Based Dynamic and Personalized Risk Underwriting Automation Platform by Artivatic

Business Wire India
Insurance businesses asses risk by means of rules, and understanding for every new application that needs insurance. This practice is going on for decades. This is fair practice to apply set of rules to assess the risk and provide acceptance/rejection decision.

As the insurance industry undergoes a mammoth shift, the effects are being felt across every major process. Companies have made large-scale investments in modernizing and evolving claims and processing platforms. Underwriting being a crucial function in evaluating and analysing the company’s financial performance is increasingly gaining the traction of businesses.

The need for a process evolution with market dynamics evolving at a rapid pace, let’ have a close look at the key factors propelling the insurance industry to advance their underwriting function:

Rise in data: 80% of the data received by underwriters is unstructured, residing in the form of emails, PDFs, forms, and images. Extracting meaningful information from these data sources and documents proves to be a herculean task. It dials down the efficiency of the underwriting team while increasing the processing time and potentially weakening risk assessment. Not only structural data but also using 3rd party data like environmental, social, digital, location, govt. databases, crime data, sanitation, health devices etc are challenge to the existing underwriting system to dynamically build underwriting models.

Higher customer expectations: With the advent of new technologies, the display of an omnichannel (or channel-agnostic) behaviour by customers has become prominent. Insurers are compelled to deploy digitally adept methods to set new benchmarks of quality and keep up with customer expectations. They require ways to minimize the customer waiting time that consumes at least 95% of the insurance application processing time. The current systems lacks of personalized premium, benefits and coverages.

The average insurer has 10 to 14 core systems installed. One multinational insurer had more than 80 core systems. This complexity means creates processes too slow, and chances of innovation reduces. Estimates vary, but it is not uncommon for insurers to spend up to 80% of their IT budget on maintaining legacy systems.

Reasons to transform

At its heart, underwriting is a decision-making process bound by time and information. And like any assessment process, depriving underwriters of the time they need to apply their knowledge and insights is to risk selection, and pricing often leads to suboptimal choices that manifest through an adverse claims experience.

In addition to making better underwriting decisions, efficient processes also benefit the ultimate decision maker: the customer. Transparent, simple, seamless processes and better-quality decisions all increase customer satisfaction, whether it's for the end customer or the insurance broker who influences their decisions.

AUSIS is enabling Underwriting Transformation for Life Insurance & Health Insurance using AI & 3^rd Party Data

AUSIS is an AI Based Smart Underwriting system that either can connect to an existing legacy system to enhance or make it intelligent or allows to have end to end new age UW system for STP & NSTP processes to become simple, seamless, efficient, data driven, customer centric, faster and automated.

AUSIS by Artivatic allows businesses for:

Ability to capture real-time customer data (wearables data, environmental data, govt, social media etc.) and perform risk assessment basis both historical and real-time data
Ability to perform facial analysis to estimate smoking, gender, BMI and other information for better risk scoring
Automated risk assessment across 1200+ parameters (financial, social, kyc, health, bureau, behaviour, activities, govt etc)
Automated verification of all data points, documents extraction (printed, medical, finance, handwritten etc.), signature along with compliance reporting
Rich decision-making aptitude due to learnings from processing over 2 Mn+ insurance policies and 200K+ Claims. Provides propensity to early claims.
AUSIS is next-gen Smart Underwriting Cloud that will enable to connect, integrate and existing or 3rd party apps, APIs for end-to-end process
Embedded Insurance: Artivatic allows embedded underwriting to various non-traditional platforms using AI & Simple onboarding journey
Alternative Underwriting: Artivatic collects and builds document less underwriting process for insurance to issue policies with no too many documents
Intelligent workflow and 3rd party data layer integration to smoothen process, intelligence, risk and digital insurance

AUSIS is live more than 10+ Large Insurance corporates in India, APAC & USA.

AUSIS helps Insurance Businesses in:

Reducing TAT up to 90%
Enabling data intelligence up to 80%
Improving efficiency up to 60%
Reducing cost up to 45%
Reducing risk up to 30%
Personalized Risk Profiling
Help in increasing STP from NSTP up to 20-25%
Automating documents extraction/verification up to 90%
Medical Robo Advisory for medical risk assessment
Scoring and credibility analysis
Use of devices, interactions, sanitation, weather, AQI, Mortality, social, digital, and more data to build non-invasive health/social/profile risk indicators
Automating onboarding process up to 90%
Increase better customer experience up to 70%
Embedded Insurance to connect to non-traditional platforms like Travel, Pharma, marketplace, ecommerce etc

Future of Smart UW

360 comprehensive UW with all data connectors, data layers and decisioning process using AI
Unified UW platform for all processes including pricing, personalization, embedded distribution, medical examination, PIVC, TeleMER as just with 1 Click setup
Integrate 3rd party apps, systems with just one click for better risk decisions, reducing early claims and enhancing data driven pricing
Use with help of APIs or via modular platforms on top of existing systems or use independently.

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Harappa Receives Honorable Mention From Fast Company For Its #BEAT2020 Initiative

In March 2020, even before India’s first lockdown was announced, Harappa opened up enrollment to its Embracing Change course; to help individuals build grit, resilience and effectively navigate setbacks
For the initiative, Harappa received an honorable mention in Fast Company’s list of companies that have achieved the incredible impact in 2020
Announces TENACITY Initiative, to strengthen its commitment to helping its learner community

NEW DELHI, May 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Harappa, a learner-centric institution of the future, recently received an honorable mention in Fast Company’s list of companies that have achieved incredible impact and have been in business for under 4 years. This acknowledgement was a result of their #BEAT2020 campaign that was launched last year to help learners, students and anyone else interested fearlessly navigate tough times.

With the belief that no matter where we are or what we do, we can overcome every challenge we face, Harappa had opened up enrollment to their Embracing Change course in March 2020. 280,000 learners enrolled for the course and many have reviewed and rated it positively.

Shreyasi Singh, Founder & CEO, Harappa, said, “It’s no secret that the pandemic has changed the world in ways we could’ve ever imagined. It has disrupted dreams and industries, shifted goalposts, and made plans redundant. It’s been confusing, chaotic, and challenging to say the very least. In times like these, it’s crucial for individuals and organizations to come together to share their expertise and resources. We’re delighted to receive an honorable mention from Fast Company and hope our latest initiative – TENACITY – will continue to benefit our learner community through key resources, frameworks and toolkits.”

Harappa has strengthened its commitment to empowering its learning community through a 30-day resilience journey called TENACITY. The initiative aims to help its learners – and anyone else interested – navigate the uncertainty and chaos that the second wave of the pandemic has brought with it. TENACITY leverages collective insights and a wealth of lived wisdom across Harappa faculty and their self-paced courses. Interested individuals can sign up for the initiative to receive something unique in their inbox everyday for 30 days: a video clip, a tool, an invite to a live webinar, and more.

About Harappa Education

Harappa is a learner-centered institution of the future. Their courses and programs drive transformative career success using Thrive Skills-an essential set of cognitive, social, and behavioral skills that enable individuals to continuously succeed, at every stage of their career. Harappa’s pedagogical approach is rooted in academic research, expert insights and behavioral science.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1520907/HarappaLogo.jpg

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Not the North Block, the conversation went to Nabannei! The Chief Minister is fighting relentlessly for the post of Chief Secretary

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Kolkata: He was to report to the North Block of New Delhi at 10 am on Monday. But Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the chief secretary of Bengal, reached Navanne at 10.30 am on Monday. Earlier, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pleaded, “Please reverse this decision in the interest of the people of Bengal.” On the same day, at 3 pm, the Chief Secretary Alapan will be present at the review meeting called by the Chief Minister. In other words, the veteran bureaucrat did not follow the instructions of the center for the time being.

The point is, the state is not letting Chief Secretary Alapana Banerjee go. This was stated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a stern letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday morning. In the letter, he made it clear that the manner in which the Chief Secretary in the extension was suddenly called for appointment to the central post was unprecedented, out of order and unconstitutional. He requested the Prime Minister to withdraw the directive immediately. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mamata mentioned the Kalaikunda meeting. In a long five-page letter to the Chief Secretary, he openly questioned the Prime Minister as to whether there was any role in the incident in Kalaikunda behind the Delhi summons.

It is to be noted that this controversy started around the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday to inspect the damage caused by cyclone Yas. The BJP has alleged that Mamata did not attend the meeting convened by the Prime Minister at Kalaikunda Airport. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also raised her voice against the counter-center at the meeting, alleging politicization and rudeness. In a letter to the Prime Minister on the same day, the Chief Minister mentioned that issue in detail. He claimed that neither the state government nor the Prime Minister had shown any disrespect to him. Instead, the Prime Minister has violated the customary practice of calling local MLAs or BJP leaders.

Finally, he wrote in the letter that for whatever reason, the state government is not abiding by the way the Chief Secretary has been summoned to Delhi in this difficult situation. It is not possible for the state government to release the chief secretary at a time when the state is simultaneously dealing with the Corona Extreme Disaster and cyclone damage. And not without him. That is why the state government had applied to the Center for an extension of his three-month term. The central government also accepted the request. But now the Chief Minister has expressed surprise over the reason why Alapana Banerjee was summoned to Delhi. However, he hoped that the central government would withdraw the directive and uphold the old directive to extend the tenure of the chief secretary.

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