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eBay rethinks digital marketing approach in the UK
 EBay has a perception problem: People think of it as a storefront for used goods, when in fact, over 80 percent of what it sells on the site is new. To help it rebrand and shift people’s thinking, the online retailer launched a global campaign in June. As it rolls out to the U.K. over the coming weeks, social media — particularly Instagram, Snapchat and influencers — is set to play a key role.

On Instagram, for instance, eBay is running dynamic videos, which automatically pull product inventory in real time from its Deals program that is then rendered into the ad format. The ads play between Stories, which are 15 seconds or less, and take up a user’s full mobile screen. It’s too early to share the results of this “incubation test,” eBay said, though the aim is to combine the high engagement in Stories with Facebook’s robust targeting.

On Snapchat, the brand found the app’s audience much older than it initially expected and the “scale significant,” said Gareth Jones, eBay’s senior director of marketing in the U.K. He recently ran a campaign positioning eBay as a destination for people who need products to help them move, which included cardboard boxes, tape, new sofas, kitchen equipment, paint and furniture. The Home Move Snapchat campaign reached 3.5 million people who were 18 and over, said Jones. Earlier in the year, eBay ran a Mother’s Day lens, which generated 16 million views on the platform “in a few days,” said Jones. More than half (57 percent) of all Snapchat’s users in the U.K. engaged with the content, he added.

Unlike other retailers, eBay’s social efforts must build loyalty around a brand using products that are usually sold within a matter of days. However, the business is turning the ephemerality of its products into an opportunity, tapping into millions of unique stories every month from its sellers’ products. How this plays on each of eBay’s 16 social media platforms varies; on Facebook, for example, eBay mainly pushes time-sensitive promotions and retargeted items that people have previously viewed on the site. On Pinterest, the brand has created over 50,000 pins promoting lifestyle-based products related to relationships, home and garden as well as fashion.

“TV has a big role, but people consume audiovisual content in a myriad of different ways now,” Jones said. “So we have developed content for linear TV, but also filmed bespoke content for Facebook, Snap, YouTube, etc. For eBay, the days of slicing and dicing the TV ad to squeeze it into shorter formats across social are over.”

The company’s CEO Devin Wenig envisions eBay becoming a destination for unique goods, while Amazon is the place for everyday products and commodities. For that to happen, the latest campaign, which attempts to position the business as a colorful contrast to Amazon, will need to be mindful of making major changes to what is still the second-most popular e-commerce site in terms of unique monthly visitors, which now top 170 million.

YouGov brand-tracking data from the U.K. underlines eBay’s strong position. In terms of Impression score, which is compiled by asking consumers if they have a positive or negative sentiment about the brand, the business ranks sixth in the sector rankings, only trailing BBC iPlayer and global giants such as Google, YouTube and Amazon. Furthermore, eBay’s Recommend rating (whether you would recommend the brand to someone else) remains comfortably near the top of the sector, suggesting it continues to appeal to both sellers and buyers alike.

EBay’s recent campaigns show it had a successful Christmas period. During this time, its Ad Awareness score (whether a person has seen an ad for a brand in the last two weeks) grew by eight points — from 9 percent to 17 percent. Since then, the brand has maintained about a 15 percent average Ad Awareness score for the last six months, meaning it is in a strong position for its new campaign.

Output: eBay is implementing a new digital marketing strategy for the UK roll-out of its latest global campaign. The online marketplace is targeting social media sites and apps with dynamic adverts which incorporate current products from its inventory in real time. The strategy includes bespoke footage filmed specifically for online use, rather than edited versions of TV ads, and seeks to position eBay as a hub for unique items. Meanwhile, tracking surveys show that the company retains a strong position as a trusted brand.


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Workplace injury link needed for claims for suicide attempts
 Suicide is not always covered under workers compensation, but experts say in certain cases it can be.

“Whether an employer is liable for suicide or attempted suicide depends upon a causal connection between the emotional state that resulted in those activities and the employer,” said said Robert Buch, Los Angeles-based partner and attorney at Seyfarth Shaw L.L.P. “In the case of physical injuries which require long care, cause significant pain, and maybe require multiple surgeries, an injured worker can develop something called a functional overlay, which is an emotional reaction to the long recovery process that could cause an emotional state resulting in suicide. In other instances, the question is whether the person has a pre-existing condition that he exhibits at the worksite ... where the employer plays no role but it just happens to be an active stage upon which this suicide occurs. These are medical questions that doctors have to advise us.”

A 2012 study conducted by Abay Asfaw, senior research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Kerry Souza, epidemiologist in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, that examined if injured workers were more likely than non-injured workers to be treated for depression after an occupational injury determined that within 3 months of an injury the odds of injured workers being treated for depression were 44% higher than for non-injured workers.

This month, a federal appeals court ruled in Leeward Marine Inc.; Hawai’i Employers’ Mutual Insurance Co. v. Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Program; William B. Kealoha that William Kealoha was entitled to workers comp for injuries from a suicide attempt.

In 2001, Mr. Kealoha worked for Ewa Beach, Hawaii-based Leeward Marine Inc. During his time as an employee of the company, he fell from a barge to a dry dock and landed on a steel floor, suffering blunt trauma to the head along with many other injuries. In 2003, Mr. Kealoha shot himself in a suicide attempt that he said was a result of his fall and stress stemming from litigation over a workers comp claim related to his injuries. A psychiatrist testified that due to the related trauma, chronic pain and stress, Mr. Kealoha suffered from major depressive disorder. He sought workers comp benefits and would eventually be awarded benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, according to court documents.

Suicide is compensable when it can be tied to an uncontrollable impulse resulting from the workplace injury, experts say.

In 2008, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in Sharon Vredenburg vs. Sedgwick CMS and Flamingo Hilton-Laughlin that Sharon Vredenburg, the surviving spouse of Danny Vredenburg, who committed suicide after a fall caused disc derangement in several locations along his spine, would be awarded workers comp benefits.

“We conclude that suicides may be non-willful deaths under Nevada's workers compensation law if they are sufficiently causally connected to an industrial injury. In reaching this conclusion, we adopt the chain-of-causation test to determine whether a sufficient causal connection exists,” the court said.

While it is possible to receive workers comp benefits in cases involving suicide, experts say these cases can be challenging to prove. There needs be “causal connection between the stressor and the causation of the suicide,” said Mr. Buch.

“It’s challenging because when you think about it often you don’t know what a person’s history is,” said Dr. Teresa Bartlett, Detroit-based senior vice president, Medical Quality at Sedgwick Claims Management Inc. “You don’t know if they have a history of severe depression or mood disorders or a prior injury that may have impacted this.”

“Aggressive medical management early in a claim is the prevention to a tragedy, there is nothing better than quality care, and keeping an injured worker on a treatment regime is the most beneficial,” she said.

Output: Suicide is included in US worker compensation insurance when it can be tied to an uncontrollable impulse that results from a workplace injury, several US courts have ruled. However, to prove the right to workers' compensation benefits in suicide cases, there needs to be a causal connection between the stressor and the suicide, said Robert Buch, a partner and attorney at Seyfarth Shaw. Dr Teresa Bartlett, senior VP of medical quality at Sedgwick Claims Management, said that by offering an injured worker quality care, employers can prevent a tragedy.


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California development to offer zero-net-energy housing
 California’s largest net-zero-energy housing development is coming next year to the Central Valley.

Third-generation homebuilder De Young Properties unveiled the 36-unit project Tuesday in Clovis, northeast of Fresno. The company has spent years redesigning its signature floor plans to include cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. The goal is to minimize the building’s electrical load and install enough rooftop solar to cover what remains, matching consumption and production over the year.

In practice, that boils down to improvements in the building envelope, which keeps air conditioning in and summer heat out. That’s not so hard in temperate coastal zones, but it’s a whole different story in the sun-baked Central Valley, which was forecast to hit 108 degrees Tuesday.

California is driving new home construction to net-zero energy by 2020 through the building code, as part of a broader climate goal to cut greenhouse gases from its economy. The first homes in De Young's EnVision community will be completed in Q2 2018.

"We know that at some point the state will require everyone to do this. Why not learn it ahead of time, get used to it and figure out how to bring costs down earlier?" said Executive Vice President Brandon De Young. "You're spending less on your energy bill, and the home's going to be more comfortable as well."

That quest has attracted some notable allies: Utility Pacific Gas & Electric and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) partnered in the endeavor to gather data on the energy improvements and the broader impact on the grid from this type of development.

All about the envelope

Achieving this level of load reduction requires a lot more than buying fancier appliances.

Reducing the energy load needed for climate control starts with higher density insulation, better insulated windows, an electric heat pump and high-efficiency air conditioning.

On top of that, De Young added a thicker frame by switching out 2x4 wall studs for 2x6 lumber. That simple change demanded redesign, re-engineering and re-permitting for all the plans.

The homes sit on concrete slabs, so the duct work for heating and cooling goes in the attic. Historically, attics haven’t been insulated, and can get up to well above the outside temperature in extreme heat. That means the HVAC system uses extra energy to counteract the heat that’s fighting its way into the ducts from the attic.

All that energy usage, by the way, makes it possible for homes in this area to pay $800 to $1,000 a month for the utility bill, De Young said.

His way out of the steamy attic scenario: Insulate the roof, rather than the ceiling. This extends the “thermal boundary” and buffers the existing ductwork against the outside heat; the attic stays pretty close to the temperature inside the living quarters.

Once all that is done, the designers size the solar capacity to match the total annual demand of the house. Homeowners will lease from SolarCity (now Tesla) or buy the system outright as an additional feature on the home.

Yes, but is it cost-effective?

De Young Properties has been iterating models of energy-efficient home packages since around 2009. Since then, De Young said, prices have come down for efficient components.

"The cost for upgraded windows in 2009 was a pretty significant premium," he said. "If we included it, we had to market the heck out of it to make sure people knew they were buying a better product. Now the windows that were expensive then are pretty commonplace."

The company built its first zero-net-energy pilot home in 2013 and has been optimizing design components to bring costs down since. The upfront premium for one of the new net-zero homes versus a comparable equivalent is down to single digits, De Young said.

Whether that investment succeeds in zeroing out energy bills will depend on a family's consumption patterns, he cautioned (and there are fees that prevent anyone from truly getting to zero). If the monthly bill to beat is $1,000, though, it's hard to see these homes not making a massive improvement for a resident's energy budget.

EPRI's role is to analyze the performance of the homes to verify the cost-effectiveness of the improvements.

"The ultimate goal is to achieve market transformation that leads to our decarbonization goals," said EPRI principal program manager Ram Narayanamurthy. "Anytime we are trying to push the envelope as we are doing, we have to figure out what works and what doesn't."

That group's work with an earlier net-zero home project built by Meritage in Fontana had a felicitous outcome. The extra cost to achieve net zero was less than $20,000, or about $8 per square foot, Narayanamurthy said. When you break that out into additional monthly mortgage payments versus energy bill savings, the customers save more than they spend.

De Young's use of basic insulation materials in the attic to drive significant efficiency savings sets it up well for cost-effective performance, he added.

"It's about how you rethink your standard practice," Narayanamurthy said. "Once you move to the new normal, it's really not that much more expensive."

A duck curve in every kitchen

PG&E's involvement may come as more of a surprise, given that an aim of net-zero homes is to minimize the net flow of money from customers to their electric utility.

Under current regulatory policy, though, PG&E doesn't make a profit on kilowatt-hours sold, said Peter Turnbull, the zero net energy program manager there. Regulators have tasked the utility with increasing both renewable generation and energy conservation, and the De Young project is a test case for both.

Plus, the utility also has a stake in understanding what an influx of net-zero houses means for grid integration.

"Until you actually do it, there are some unknowns," Turnbull said.

Each house will generate its own family-sized duck curve: demand in the morning before work, then an abundance of solar production for the middle of the day and an evening peak as the sun tapers off and residents arrive home after work.

Since these homes aren't configured with battery storage, they could push a lot of kilowatts onto the grid at the same time as all the other solar generation rushes onto the grid. Then again, if the smart appliances and HVAC systems can crank at midday to take advantage of the surplus power, they could prevent irksome solar dumps on the wires.

The total load of these homes will be considerably smaller than equivalent-sized homes without the net-zero makeover, so that should minimize the broader impact as well.

There are enough variables here to demand a proper study before drawing conclusions. There's a little over two years left to learn before this becomes standard practice across the world's sixth-largest economy.

Output: California house builder De Young Properties is to start work on the state's largest zero-net-energy housing development, with completion targeted for Q2 2018. Under the 36-unit scheme, which is backed by Utility Pacific Gas & Electric and the Electric Power Research Institute, homes will be constructed with an extended thermal boundary, as well as specially designed solar capacity. Additionally, when not consuming power the buildings can not only plough excess electricity back into the grid, but, with the use of appliances and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems working at noon, prevent solar dumps on to the grid as well.


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Universal in talks to sell stake in China's Oriental DreamWorks
 Universal is in talks to sell its stake in Oriental DreamWorks, the China-based joint venture animation company, according to reports.

The Financial Times reported Monday that Universal has held discussions to dispose of the 45% stake in the venture that it inherited when Comcast acquired DreamWorks Animation last year. The majority 55% holding is owned by Chinese investment and media group China Media Capital.

The report says that Universal and CMC have disagreed over strategy at the animation company and that it could be scaled down. Universal has its own access to animation production and may have greater priorities in China than a minority interest in an animation studio that has produced only one feature movie, “Kung Fu Panda 3.”

The Financial Times report quoted CMC boss Li Ruigang pointing to strategic differences between the two firms. “I am more focused on just China and less globally, while they want to make films in China for the world. Today the priority of Universal is a theme park in Beijing,” he said.

Last October, the Chinese government announced a surprise antitrust investigation into Comcast-NBCUniversal’s acquisition of DWA. China’s anti-monopoly laws empower the government to investigate foreign deals even if no Chinese companies are involved. It was not clear whether the probe focused on a possible concentration of animation production capacity in foreign hands through Comcast’s ownership of Oriental DreamWorks, or whether the government was more focused on foreign ownership of theme parks in China. Comcast is building a Universal park near Beijing and has a smaller interest in a project in Shanghai. Disney has enjoyed a successful first year with its Shanghai Disneyland, while Fox and Six Flags are also building major parks.

In March, Variety reported that CMC and Universal were both looking at their options concerning Oriental DreamWorks. These included CMC taking control of Universal’s stake for a face-saving nominal price, and then a possible integration of the business with other firms backed by CMC.

Oriental DreamWorks laid off some 40 animators in March. It is understood that other personnel have departed since that time.

“It is very unlikely that Warner Bros. will step into the mix. They may just be being polite to CMC,” one well-placed source told Variety. Time Warner and Warner Bros. have been long-term investors in CMC’s multiple funds. Warner Bros. also has another joint venture with CMC, the Beijing- and Hong Kong-based Flagship Entertainment, whose mission is to produce films for China and global audiences.

Glendale-based DWA has been re-evaluating the projects in its own pipeline. It canceled “The Croods 2” and “Larrikins,” which was to have starred the voices of Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts. “Kung Fu Panda 3” failed to perform as well as expected at the box office.

DWA’s own productions with release dates include: “How To Train Your Dragon 3,” with a March 1, 2019 date; “Trolls 2” on Oct. 10, 2020; and “The Boss Baby 2″ due for March 26, 2021.”

Himalayan tale “Everest,” due out in September 2019, is the only ODW-backed picture on DWA’s slate currently with a release date. That film is to be co-produced with Oriental DreamWorks, but funding for the film has not been finalized.

“Everest” tells the story of a girl who tries to bring a yeti from the Himalayas back to Shanghai. The film was announced as being directed by Tim Johnson (“Home,” “Over The Hedge”) and Todd Wilderman (“Open Season 2”) and produced by Suzanne Buirgy (“Home,” “Kung Fu Panda 2”). The script was written by William Davies (“How to Train Your Dragon”).

Output: Universal has been holding talks about disposing its 45% stake in Chinese joint venture Oriental DreamWorks. The move follows disagreements with majority stakeholder China Media Capital (CMC), with CMC boss Li Ruigang telling the paper "I am more focused on just China and less globally, while they want to make films in China for the world." Last year, the Chinese government launched an antitrust investigation into Comcast-NBCUniversal’s acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, which included Oriental DreamWorks as part of the deal.


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Google creates new metric to show frequency of shopping ads
 by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, September 1, 2017

Google has introduced a report to show aggregate product status and a new metric — absolute top impression share — showing the frequency of Shopping ads and Local Inventory ads that appear in the first spot on desktop and on mobile.

The product status report and absolute top impression share aim to identify the gaps in products ahead of the holiday season, but also help marketers to measure a brand's competitiveness in Shopping campaigns.

The new diagnostics report in AdWords for the products page helps identify the aggregate product status, which shows the current status of an individual product in a campaign, such as products in the "ready to serve" or the "disapproved" category.

When Google disapproves a product in the Merchant Center for any reason, the campaign will not serve up in Shopping. Marketers can see the reason for the disapproval in the product status column. A detailed explanation and information on how to fix it will appear in the speech bubble.

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When products serve up in Shopping, internal data from Google conducted in fourth-quarter 2016 found that the left-most ad on mobile Shopping results earns up to three times higher engagement from shoppers. Impressions in this position are called "absolute top," per Google.

The company defines this as the total number of times the ad has appeared in the No. 1 position in Shopping during the times it would not otherwise have been in this position. For example, if the ad served up in the top spot in the results of eight queries, but was eligible for 20, then the "absolute top impression share" would be 40%.

"Absolute top” impressions include ads from the Shopping carousel on Google search results and are available for both Shopping ads and Local Inventory ads.

If disapproved, products not eligible to serve up in Shopping campaigns, it can influence the number of shopping results that consumers see when searching on google.com and ultimately reduce the brand's total score.

Output: Google has created a metric called absolute top impression share (ATIS), enabling marketers to determine which of their products are achieving the most impressions. According to the search giant, products that appear on the left of a carousel perform the best on mobile and desktop. ATIS offers campaigns a percentage score based on the number of times they appeared in that far-left slot, compared to the number of times they could have.


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China's Legend buys 90% of Luxembourg bank for $1.76bn
 Legend Holdings chairman Liu Chuanzhi attends a news conference on the company's annual results in Hong Kong, China, March 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Legend Holdings Corp, parent company of the world's biggest PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd, reached an agreement on Friday to buy 90 percent of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg (BIL) for 1.48 billion euros ($1.76 billion), Reuters reported.

It marks the biggest takeover of a European deposit-taking bank by a Chinese firm so far, as well as Legend's biggest overseas acquisition.

Legend said the acquisition is being made through its Hong Kong subsidiary Beyond Leap Limited.

Reuters reported in July that Legend was in talks with Precision Capital to buy a 90 percent stake in BIL. The remaining 10 percent is owned by the Luxembourg government.

Founded in 1856, BIL is the oldest private bank in Luxembourg. It employs more than 2,000 people globally and, as of the end of 2016, managed a total of 37.7 billion euro in assets.

The deal is an important strategic investment for Legend. Financial services is one of the key target industries for the company, Legend Chairman Liu Chunzhi said.

Liu said that Legend planned to support BIL and its current management, and build BIL into a Luxembourg-based international bank.

The deal, which has to obtain approvals from regulators including the European Central Bank and Luxembourg's Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

Legend said the company hoped to expand its financial sector layout in Europe through the deal, and provide services to enterprises participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to BIL's annual report, its net profit fell to 110 million euros in 2016 from 134 million euros in 2015, partly due to write-downs and restructuring expenses.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Output: Chinese investment holding giant Legend Holdings is buying 90% of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg for $1.76bn. The acquisition represents the most sizeable takeover by any Chinese company of a European deposit-taking bank. The move is also the largest overseas deal Legend has ever closed. The remaining 10% of the bank is owned by the Luxembourg government.


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Redrow Redrow part of consortium which plans to build 1,000 homes
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PLANS for 1,000 new homes near Nantwich are moving forward now that a sale of land in Reaseheath has been completed.

A consortium of builders Taylor Wimpey, David Wilson Homes and Redrow Homes has completed the purchase of a site in Reaseheath, which has planning permission for more than 1,000 properties.

The plans for the development include affordable housing, land reserved for a district centre and new school as well as large areas of Public Open Spaces including equipped play areas, and open spaces.

The development will also make financial contributions towards off site highway improvements, primary and secondary schools, and public realm.

Ian Harrison, land and planning director at Taylor Wimpey North West, said: “This development is a long time in the making and we’re delighted to partner with both David Wilson and Redrow to buy this site and bring much-needed housing to the area.

“The Reaseheath development promises to be much more than just houses – we’re building a community we want new and existing residents in and around the area to be a part of and proud to live in.”

Jason Corner, development director at David Wilson Homes, said: “This development will provide a positive addition to Nantwich and we are delighted to be working alongside Taylor Wimpey and Redrow.

“The scheme will provide new homes and community benefits along with highway improvements for the wider area.”

Alex Wood, land director for Redrow Homes (NW), added: “Redrow is proud to be part of the consortium which will create a sustainable new community, complete with homes, school, employment and sports and recreational opportunities in the town, and will deliver significant improvements to the local area in addition.”

The step forward for the development was welcomed by Nantwich town councillor and Mayor of Cheshire East, Arthur Moran, who said the news of a new school and improvements to the highways are particularly exciting.

Cllr Moran said: “When we (Nantwich Town Council) were asked to comment on the local plan, it was on of the areas supported by the town council, unlike some of the sites that have since been developed.

“It is a big development for Nantwich and it will provide a lot of facilities.”

Work on the site will start this summer.

Output: UK house builder Redrow is among a consortium of companies planning to build up to 1,000 homes near Nantwich in Cheshire. Redrow will work alongside Taylor Wimpey and David Wilson Homes to develop the recently-purchased site in Reaseheath, which will include housing, play areas, a district centre and a new school. The development will also contribute to off-site improvements.


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Researchers devise algorithm to improve PV microgrid performance
 A group of scientists from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Chinese Association of Automation is proposing to increase the inertia of PV systems connected to micro-grids through inertia emulation, in order to improve the reliability and stability of the micro-grids.

The research team claims it has developed a computer-based algorithm that can be integrated with distributed generation setting algorithms to improve dynamic performance and lower implementation requirements.

According to the scientists, the algorithm is able to mirror the microgrid's inertia as needed by alternating the system's direct current over specific ranges.

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“The inertia emulation is realized by controlling the charging/discharging of the direct current (DC)-link capacitor over a certain range and adjusting the PV generation when it is feasible and/or necessary,” the researches said in their paper, which was published in IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica (JAS).

The algorithm, the researchers said, can make the microgrid work like a large power grid with large inertia. Simulations performed by the scientists seem to confirm that the solution does work as intended.

Output: The inertia of PV systems connected to microgrids can be controlled by altering the charging of the direct current, according to scientists from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Chinese Association of Automation. An algorithm is able to copy the microgrid's inertia, which can be changed as required by means of the direct current. According to the researchers, the algorithm can make the microgrid work like a large power grid with large inertia.


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China to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for 2022 Olympics
 Hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars will be produced in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei province, to serve the 2022 Winter Olympics to be jointly hosted by the city with Beijing, as an automatic production line of hydrogen fuel cell engines recently went operation, Beijing Daily reported on Sept. 1.

The production base established with an investment of 1 billion RMB ($152 million) by Beijing SinoHytec Co., Ltd is projected to manufacture 10,000 vehicles a year after construction of all production lines is completed in 2018.

The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, with a maximum range of 500 kilometers, can be started at even 30 degrees Celsius below zero, and can be stored at even lower temperatures, which means the vehicles are suitable for the winter weather in Zhangjiakou.

Li Jianqiu, a professor at Tsinghua University, noted that, compared with traditional vehicles that consumes 6 to 8 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers at a cost of 40 to 50 RMB, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle consumes only 1 kilogram of hydrogen at a cost of 30 RMB.

About 2.04 million diesel trucks in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are believed to discharge some 6.48 million tons of pollutants each year, while the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce zero emissions and are thus environmentally friendly.

In addition, the hydrogen used as fuel for the vehicles can be discharged in a timely fashion, which ensures safety of the vehicles.

Zhangjiakou is advantageous for developing hydrogen energy as it has a demonstration zone of renewable energy and the world’s largest wind power hydrogen production. Producing hydrogen with wind power not only lowers costs, but makes efficient use of the surplus wind power of more than 10 billion kilowatts of the city on a yearly basis.

Output: Hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles are being produced to serve the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. The vehicles will be manufactured in Zhangjiakou City, which is jointly hosting the Games with Beijing. A new production plant is being created with an investment of CNY1bn ($152m) from Beijing-based vehicle tech firm SinoHytec and is expected to produce 10,000 vehicles a year when it is completed next year. The hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are well suited to the local cold climate as they can be started at temperatures as low as -30C.


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Jaguar Land Rover reinvents the steering wheel
 The steering wheel as we know it doesn't have a bright future -- in fact, it might disappear altogether as self-driving cars hit the road. Jaguar Land Rover, however, has an idea as to how it might survive. The British automaker has unveiled a concept steering wheel, Sayer, that's designed for an era where cars normally drive themselves and personal ownership is a thing of the past. The wheel would have its own AI system, and would follow you from car to car -- you'd just hook it in to bring your experience with you.

The AI would largely serve as a concierge. It would link you to an on-demand service club, whether or not you own your car, and would help you get a ride when and where you need it. If there's a must-attend meeting, for example, you could tell the wheel while it's still in your living room and it would figure out when a car needs to arrive and tell you when you might want to take control.

Sayer (named after influential designer Malcolm Sayer) will be a core feature on an upcoming concept car, the Future-Type.

Will something like this wheel ever reach production? Probably not. Jaguar Land Rover is making a few assumptions about self-driving cars, such as the likelihood that you'll have a steering wheel and the need to integrate AI into a dedicated device. Your phone and a cloud service might be all you need. Instead, we'd treat this as a thought exercise. It might never come to pass, but it could give engineers something to consider when they design the first wave of autonomous vehicles.

Output: Jaguar Land Rover has developed Sayer, an artificial intelligence (AI) steering wheel concept, which the company said could ensure the component's survival in an age of self-driving cars. Sayer, which comes with its own AI system, would follow drivers, who would not need to own their own vehicle, from car to car, linking to an on-demand service club or organising transport for users.


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Redrow Redrow offers homes for 75% of value through scheme
 Home advantage for families in Prestwich

Families who fear being forced out of Prestwich by rising house prices are being given a helping hand by Redrow.

The homebuilder has got a number of properties at its Woodland View development for sale under its unique Advantage scheme, which means they can be bought for just 75% of the market value providing people fulfil a strict criteria.

“We are very much aware of how hard it can be to get on to the property ladder, so it’s important that our developments offer different ways to help people achieve home ownership,” explains Claire Jarvis, sales director for Redrow Homes (Lancashire).

“And it’s why our developments like Woodland View include a range of affordable homes designed to help local people stay in the area, thereby strengthening the community. Communities can be created anywhere, but they are considerably enhanced by people who have lived in the area for many years and whose families have lived here too. They are invested in a place and interested in making it a better place – for everyone.”

Redrow is offering a range of 24 homes for sale under the Advantage umbrella at Woodland View, off Pinfold Drive. Ten of them will be four-bedroom Kenilworth family-sized homes, of which four are available now.

“It is important that we don’t just make our Advantage homes available for younger first-time buyers,” adds Claire, “It’s vital to provide for the family market too, whether that’s to accommodate growing numbers of children or, simply, children who are growing up and need that private space and independence.

“In an area like Prestwich, which is very much on the up following a massive town centre regeneration scheme, it becomes even more difficult as demand forces prices up even further and people can be left with no alternative but to move away to be able to afford a home of their own.”

The four Kenilworth homes currently available are offered at the discounted price of £213,750 – a massive saving of £71,250 – for those who fit the specified criteria set by Bury Council within whose authority the homes are being built: that means families who need the extra space with a joint income of circa £60,000 (in order to confirm eligibility, the council will multiply gross annual income by four for single applicants or by 3.5 for joint applications).

Further qualifying factors include it being the family’s main residence and being able to show a need for the size of home being applied for (ie. a single person or couple will only be able to apply for a two-bedroom property). Certain considerations can be waived if a property has been completed and there is no interest from other qualifying families, but buyers do have to be on the council's affordable housing waiting list to access the homes and they must have lived in the area for at least six months.

“Unlike other incentives like Help to Buy, the 25% discount does not have to be paid back at a later day. All we ask if that people who use Advantage pass the discount on to similar qualifying people when they come to sell,” Claire says.

Woodland View features a range of two, three and four-bedroom homes from Redrow’s Arts & Crafts-inspired Heritage Collection, which combines traditional craftsmanship exteriors based on the popular era with bright, spacious interiors.

The three-storey Kenilworth townhouse is an integral part of that collection with plenty of period-style features outside and a modern, well-appointed interior within. Its accommodation includes an open plan kitchen and dining area, lounge, cloakroom and laundry room on the ground floor; three bedrooms and a family bathroom on the first floor; and a sumptuous master bedroom with en-suite spanning the entire top floor.

Other properties due to be offered under the Advantage umbrella at a later date include a pair of four-bedroom detached Stratfords, four Broadway three-bedroom terraces and eight two-bedroom apartments, ensuring plenty of variety for local buyers.

Other three and four-bedroom detached open market properties are coming soon.

Woodland View is close to a Tesco superstore and residents can take advantage of the independent shops, bars and restaurants of Prestwich village centre

Less than four miles from Manchester, the development is situated just off junction 17 of the M60, so close to the extensive motorway network. It is also on the doorstep of Phillips Park, with its extensive woodland and open spaces, which makes it ideal for families and professionals who want to commute to work but get that work/life balance for a better quality of life.

Prestwich is part of the Manchester Metrolink Tram system, with regular trams every few minutes during the rush hour, connecting to Manchester in around 17 minutes and Bury in 19.

To find out more about the Advantage Scheme and qualification, and about Woodland View itself, visit the show home and sales centre, open Thursday to Monday between 10am and 5.30pm; or go to redrow.co.uk/woodlandview.

Output: UK housebuilder Redrow is offering aspiring homeowners in Prestwich 25% off the market price on one of 24 houses on its Woodland View development, thanks to the company's Advantage scheme. The properties are available to anyone fulfilling the criteria laid down by Bury Council, which include a minimum residency of six months in the area and a minimum joint income of around £60,000 ($77,680). The Advantage scheme does not require customers to pay back the 25% reduction, but rather pass it on when they come to sell.


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ReNew Power Ventures is India's largest renewable energy company
 January 2011Gurgaon$200 million$880 millionNAIn a span of six years ReNew Power Ventures has become India’s largest clean energy producer and what has been remarkable is the its ability to raise large rounds of funding.Operating in the infrastructure sector is not easy given the high capex involved, but ReNew and its founder, Sumant Sinha, has done it with remarkable ease. The company is one of the well-funded in not only the renewable energy space, but also across industries in the year 2017.“To consistently be able to maintain a leadership position in the renewable energy space in India as the leading wind and solar IPP in the country is something that we pride ourselves on. We have a clean capital structure and have established a high degree of credibility which allows us to raise funds faster from marquee investors,” said a spokesperson from ReNew Power Ventures.The company boasts of investors such as Goldman Sachs , the largest shareholder in the company, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Asian Development Bank and Global Environment Fund.The company raised $200 million from JERA – an equal joint venture between Japan’s largest utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and Chubu Electric Power Co earlier this year. Overall, it has raised $880 million in equity funding till now.The ability to raise equity as well as debt funding successively has helped it become one of the leading renewable energy players in the Indian industry. On the back of this capital, ReNew Power Ventures has quickly scaled up its capacity to 2 GW from 1 GW in the last one year.“We look forward to maintaining our leadership role in the sector and have at the start of the year been able to commission the largest solar project amounting to 143 MW in the state of Telangana. ReNew Power has added 1GW in the last financial year and we hope to maintain a similar pace of growth in the future as well. However, it will depend upon the upcoming auctions in the wind and solar energy sector. Our commissioned and under construction capacity today is over 3000 MW,” shared the spokesperson.Sinha, whose father is the former finance minister Yashwant Sinha and brother is the current Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, was the COO of wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy before starting up in 2011.The first company in the renewable space to have over 1000 MW in wind and solar capacity, Sinha recently told ET that the company was preparing for an IPO. "The IPO could be launched within the next 12 months and could be amongst the largest listings of shares in recent times," said Sinha to ET. According to estimates, the company is valued at $2billion.However, there are significant challenges for the company. Some of the factors keeping the renewable energy sector in a stranglehold like high tariffs and prohibitory capital costs have been resolved to a great extent, yet payment delays by discoms is affecting the entire chain.Discoms have always been the weak link of the energy chain and have almost brought the sector to its knees many times in the past. And, ReNew wants government to step in and secure the chain.“For several states, payment cycles have been erratic, there have been delays in payments. In such cases, the risk premium attributed to a state gets increased and is reflected in the levellized cost of energy in subsequent bids. The government must therefore work towards developing a payment security mechanism which ensures payments are made on time,” shared the spokesperson.The PPAs (power purchase agreements), a contract signed between power producers and the distribution companies, have been a most abused agreements in the industry. With discoms running in losses, most of them have shown their inability to honour the agreements which they have made with power producers.“At the state level, there should be policy consistency which will aid in the prompt signing of PPAs. Discoms should also maintain the sanctity of the signed PPAs and not try to renegotiate or cancel the commitment that has already been made. The government should continue to work on enhancing the process of grid integration of renewables and the must run status of renewables should be protected,” shares the spokesperson.Rating agency ICRA had also recently warned against the renegotiation or cancellation of signed PPAs which are bound to affect the rating of independent power producers like ReNew. State discoms in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh have attempted to walk this road.With technology moving fast, renewable companies are looking at an exciting time ahead. Technological advances like smart grids and storage are two of the things which ReNew management feels will play a big part in disrupting the sector.“Storage, both behind the meter as well as grid scale will emerge as a disruptive force in the Indian market. When the costs eventually come down, we will be able to deploy Giga-Factories for manufacturing of storage technologies in India. This will be a compliment deployment of renewable capacities across the country. A key innovation that is required to provide a fillip to the renewable energy industry is the setting up of a smart grid with an ability to accommodate a large share of renewable energy capacity,” said the spokesperson.Working in an extremely complex segment, the Sinha has insisted on fostering an entrepreneurial culture instead of a bureaucratic way of functioning and this is what, the spokesperson says, has kept the company keep abreast of the competition.With the government planning to generate 175 GW of its electricity through renewable energy, ReNew plans to consistently target 10% of the new capacity added every year in the country.

Output: ReNew Power ventures has become India's largest renewable energy company and is preparing to go public with an IPO within the next year. Founded in 2011, the company has attracted $880m in equity funding to date, with investors including Goldman Sachs, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Asian Development Bank, and Global Environment Fund. The backing has enabled it to double its capacity from 1 GW to 2 GW in the past year, and the company is reportedly valued at $2bn. Its future plans are based on targeting 10% of the new renewable capacity added in India each year.


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3D printing could significantly reduce downtime in offshore O&G
 Additive layer manufacturing technology has gained prominence in the aerospace sector and is being used for the rapid production of prototype parts. Its credibility has quite literally ‘taken off’ and is now used to build in-flight production components for aircraft.

Its applications are being adopted in other sectors such as medical and automotive as a potentially faster and more economical alternative to traditional manufacturing methods for certain applications. Though it offers huge potential to the oil and gas arena, its uptake so far has been limited. The industry’s risk-averse culture, lack of infrastructure and stringent standards have been cited by leaders as barriers to adoption.

Yet, as experienced in other industries, the technical and economic benefits far outweigh the obstacles. The oil and gas industry’s growing focus on operational efficiency in today’s low price climate is slowly driving change and a realisation that the challenges are not insurmountable.

Two main groups of technologies can be of benefit to the oil and gas industry: powder bed fusion and direct energy deposition. Both use a diverse range of metals in wire and powder form, which can be fused together using lasers, electron beams and electric arcs.

Asset life extension

For ageing oil and gas assets, replacement components may be difficult to source, require a long lead-time to manufacture and incur significant expense to produce.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, senior manufacturing engineer with the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) believes the direct energy deposition additive technique called laser metal deposition could be the answer to re-manufacture difficult to weld oil and gas components, such as those made of corrosion resistant steels and heat resistant super alloys.

He says: “Currently, no re-manufacturing procedures exist for some high value components, but by applying additive material to a specific area that’s worn; you can extend the life of a component, and increase its functional performance. This could play a key role in enabling oil and gas operators to reinstate their existing old equipment, reduce lead-time, allow options to extend maintenance schedule cycles, and increase functional performance.”

Laser metal deposition is a powder additive manufacturing process where powders are conveyed through a nozzle and a laser is used to melt the layer of powder into a desired shape. According to Fitzpatrick, this process offers many benefits for the oil and gas sector and in particular, for re-manufacturing applications.

“It has very fast cooling rates, which creates a very fine microstructure,” he says. “There is also very low dilution and heat-affected zone into the substrate material, meaning that thinnerclad layers can be applied whilst still ensuring that the clad composition is achieved.

“A secondary benefit to lower dilution and a small heat-affected zone is that there will be shallower residual stress profiles, meaning very little distortion of components. This process can be applied very accurately meaning fine features can be achieved with minimal post-process machining. Alloy powders can also be mixed together to create new alloys that can be functionally graded to obtain tailored properties.”

Though this technology has been around for several years, its adoption has been slow, which may be due to a lack of control and insight into the process.

“With growing research, advanced optics and the availability of high powered lasers achieving the correct parameter windows, the additive process is realising its potential,” Fitzpatrick explains: “This is particularly relevant for remanufacturing applications where old assets can be reinstated into service to last beyond original design life. In some instances, there is an opportunity to avoid unnecessary scrapping and increase performance to that greater than the original component. Overall, this will have a significant economic impact for oil and gas businesses.”

The AFRC is currently investigating deploying laser metal deposition for remanufacturing of aging assets, such as shafts, valves and pumps and as an alternative to traditional cladding of valves. A development process is initially undertaken so that porosity is mitigated and the correct parameter windows are identified to provide a quality output. This can then be tested and validated.

Building complete parts

There are other direct energy deposition technologies that could also have a big impact on the industry.

“A lot of oil and gas companies are also looking at wire arc additive manufacturing to start building complete parts,” says Fitzpatrick. “This method allows you to build a component from nothing to a near net shape state. Again, this isn’t a new process. It makes use of traditional gas metal arc welding techniques to build large structures, and offers the potential of improved material utilisation, extremely short lead times and overall cost reduction.”

The potential of offshore 3D printing

Additive layer manufacturing, a form of 3D printing, also offers significant opportunities. The use of powder bed fusion additive processes to manufacture spares for instance, is likely to increase, helping to save costs from not having to carry inventory. Other benefits include being able to rapidly produce complex prototype geometries and the consolidation of various parts into a single manufactured component bespoke to requirements, that may be difficult, if not impossible, to make using standard manufacturing techniques.

As manufacturing needs not be constrained to a complex fabrication facility, further reaching benefits for the oil and gas industry also include reduced supply chain as well as the future potential to produce parts quickly, when required, on an offshore asset, which could reduce the risk and costs of downtime.

Additive manufacturing and composite material systems will undoubtedly continue to replace many of the traditional uses of formed metallic parts and materials in the oil and gas industry. However, there are still an important set of conditions when forged and formed components are unquestionably the right answer – both economically and technically – to a particular design or manufacture challenge.

Research carried out by the AFRC has shown that additive manufacturing can offer opportunities to improve existing routes of material production or even to replace some of them. However, further research is needed to fully understand the influence of different process parameters on microstructure and properties of the final product.

Output: Using 3D printing technology to manufacture spares could drastically reduce offshore downtime in the oil and gas industry. The use of powder bed fusion additive processes is likely to rise, helping reduce costs by extending the lifespan of individual components, and reacting more efficiently to faulty ones. The ability to produce bespoke components like spare parts instantaneously on-site, and a reduced supply chain, will also prove a boon to the flagging industry.


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Blockchain solar-energy marketplace Power Ledger raises AUD17m
 Power Ledger, a blockchain-based peer-to-peer renewable energy marketplace, has netted more than $17 million AUD through two POWR token presales. Once it opens to the ...

Power Ledger, a blockchain-based peer-to-peer renewable energy marketplace, has netted more than $17 million AUD through two POWR token presales. Once it opens to the public, the Power Ledger ICO is expected to raise more than $30 million.

The Power Ledger ICO is Australia’s first initial coin offering, and the Perth-based company has attracted notable investors, including Blockchain Capital and venture capitalist Bill Tai.

The Power Ledger P2P marketplace, which has already been rolled out to some parts of Australia, allows property owners and organizations to buy and sell solar power over a blockchain-secured network. POWRs, which are ERC20 tokens and thus tradeable on the Ethereum blockchain, can be converted to SPARKZ, the marketplace’s native currency. Users can then trade SPARKZ for units of electricity on the company’s private blockchain.

According to a media release, Power Ledger held both a discounted private presale and a public presale. Both of these distribution events had contribution caps, and they raised a total of $17 million AUD, which includes $8.8 million in direct USD investment. On September 8, Power Ledger will begin an uncapped sale, after which they expect to have raised $30 million.

https://twitter.com/PowerLedger_io/status/903177331698798592

“Demand has significantly exceeded our expectations,” remarked co-founder and Managing Director Dave Martin. “As the first Australian ICO, we’ve been breaking new ground, and have been unable to rely on precedent to help us set targets. We initially hoped to raise a conservative AUD$5-$10 million, but the strength of the market response has been phenomenal.”

The company plans to use the funds to open its marketplace to new platforms, including India and other emerging markets.

“We want to spread the tokens far and wide, allowing as many potential future users access to them from inception and creating a diverse and powerful network,” Martin added. “We believe that literally giving power back to the people will catalyze the movement towards peer-to-peer renewable energy trading, which lies at the core of Power Ledger.”

Output: Australian peer-to-peer renewable energy marketplace Power Ledger has raised more than AUD17m ($13.6m) in presales, ahead of the country's first initial coin offering (ICO). Power Ledger's blockchain technology allows companies and organisations to buy and sell solar power directly over the network. The company said both distribution events had contribution caps, but that the ICO demand "significantly exceeded" their expectations. Power Ledger plans to use the funds to expand into India and other emerging markets.


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Vestas partners with Tesla on wind farms that can store energy
 By Anna Hirtenstein

Tesla Inc. has partnered with Vestas Wind Systems A/S to figure out how to combine wind turbines and batteries, socking away power during breezy times to use when the air is still.

This partnership is part of a wider global program run by Vestas, the world’s biggest wind-turbine maker. It’s seeking to add energy storage to its wind farms and is working with a number of other battery makers on about 10 projects in total.

Vestas announced its new focus on storage at its latest annual general meeting in April, and the partnership with Tesla was first reported by Denmark’s Borsen newspaper. Chairman Bert Nordberg has said Vestas is seeking a new competitive edge amid consolidation in the industry and after it surpassed General Electric Co. last year to take the biggest market share in the U.S.

“Across a number of projects, Vestas is working with different energy storage technologies with specialised companies, including Tesla, to explore and test how wind turbines and energy storage can work together in sustainable energy solutions that can lower the cost of energy,” Vestas said in a statement on Friday.

The broader program started in 2012 with a project in Lem-Kaer, Denmark, with atest project to combine wind turbines and batteries. Vestas said it plans to commission additional projects worldwide.

Tesla has recently begun to seek new applications for its batteries beyond its electric cars and Powerwall battery units. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk signed a deal with the South Australian government in July to built a giant energy storage facility to help balance the grid.

Output: Tesla has joined forces with Vestas Wind Systems to determine how wind turbines and batteries can be combined to store energy that can be used during non-windy periods. Vestas is looking to add energy storage to its present wind farm facilities, working on 10 projects to find a solution with battery manufacturers. Vestas currently has the largest market share among wind turbine makers in the US, ahead of General Electric. Tesla is seeking new opportunities for its batteries beyond electric cars and battery units.


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Sembcorp buys private-equity stake in Indian renewables venture
 Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) will invest $301 million to increase its stake in a renewable energy business in India.

Sembcorp's wholly-owned subsidiary Sembcorp Utilities has agreed to acquire IDFC Private Equity Fund III's remaining stake in Sembcorp Green Infra (SGI) for 14.1 billion rupees (approximately S$301 million).

This comes after Sembcorp Utilities had raised its stake in SGI to 72 per cent for one billion rupees in August this year.

Sembcorp said SGI is one of the largest renewable energy providers in India, operating in seven states there.

It was awarded 250MW in India's first national wind power tender earlier this year, reflecting the strength of its capabilities, said Sembcorp.

"Buying IDFC's stake in SGI reaffirms Sembcorp's commitment to a long-term presence in India.

"The deal will allow us to drive SGI's growth as the 100 per cent owner, and increase our investment in a wind and solar generation portfolio that strongly complements our thermal power assets in the country," said Sembcorp group president and chief executive Neil McGregor.

Output: Sembcorp Industries' subsidiary Sembcorp Utilities will acquire IDFC Private Equity Fund III's stake in Sembcorp Green Infra (SGI) for INR14.1bn ($220m) to take complete control of the company. In August, Sembcorp raised its stake in SGI to 72% for INR1bn. As the full owner of SGI, Sembcorp Industries will develop renewable power generation and deliver more sustainable electricity to its customers, said Sembcorp group president and CEO Neil McGregor. SGI's combined wind and solar power capacity in operation and under development comes to almost 1,200 MW.


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World Bank to lend $150m to Indian solar project
 IFC likely to lend $150 mn to ACME Jaipur Solar Power

International Finance Corporation, the private-sector investment arm of the World Bank, is likely to provide debt financing worth $150 million (around Rs 960 crore) to ACME Jaipur Solar Power Pvt. Ltd to construct a 250 MW solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh.

IFC will provide $50 million by subscribing to non-convertible debentures (NCDs) and mobilise a loan worth $100 million from other lenders, it said in a disclosure. The project is estimated to cost around $200 million.

In February 2017, ACME Solar Holdings Ltd had won a bid to set up the 250 MW plant at the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh.

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ACME Solar is a wholly owned subsidiary of ACME Cleantech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ACME Jaipur Solar Power, a subsidiary of ACME Solar, will undertake the project development, construction, financing, operations and maintenance of the plant.

The plant is likely to be commissioned by November 2018 and the power generated will be sold to Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Ltd and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed IFC as the lead transaction adviser to facilitate private investment for the Rewa solar project.

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Earlier this week, IFC proposed to provide debt finance of $150 million (Rs 960 crore) to Actis-owned Solenergi for constructing a 250 MW solar power plant in the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park. The park is set to house three units of 250 MW each.

In 2015, IFC had provided $50 million debt finance to one of ACME Solar’s power plants in Rajasthan. But ACME Solar is no longer associated with the project as it has been handed over to France’s EDF Energies Nouvelles as part of an asset swap, according to the disclosure.

In November 2016, ACME Cleantech Solutions raised Rs 500 crore ($73 million) from billionaire Ajay Piramal-controlled Piramal Enterprises Ltd and Dutch pension fund APG Asset Management NV to buy out French firm EDF Energies Nouvelle and Luxembourg-based EREN Renewable Energy, which held a 25% stake each in group company ACME Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd.

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ACME Solar is an independent power producer, which builds, owns and operates solar power plants in India. It has an operating capacity of over 809 MW solar projects in India.

ACME Group was founded by Manoj Upadhyay in 2003. The group is into energy, environmental and telecommunications infrastructure solutions.

IFC has both direct and indirect exposure to Indian companies. It often acts as a limited partner to local private equity and venture capital funds.

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IFC joined hands with Tata Group to create the first private sector ‘green investment bank’ in India, called Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd. In May, IFC said it had planned to invest $40 million in Tata Cleantech.

IFC has emerged as a large investor in the renewable energy space.

Last year, it had invested $125 million in Hero Future Energies.

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IFC had also invested in Azure Power and provided debt funding to Actis-backed Ostro Energy.

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Output: The World Bank's private sector investment arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is to lend $150m to independent power producer Acme Jaipur Solar Power to build a 250 MW solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh. Acme solar projects in India already have an operating capacity of more than 809 MW. Acme secured $50m of debt finance from the IFC in 2015 for a project in Rajasthan, which was subsequently handed to France’s EDF Energies Nouvelles.


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AI helps in the fight to spot sex traffickers
 Follow the money APA-PictureDesk GmbH/REX/Shutterstock

After Kubiiki Pride’s 13-year-old daughter disappeared, it took 270 days for her mother to find her. When she did, it was as an escort available to be rented out on an online classified web site. Her daughter had been drugged and beaten into compliance by a sex trafficker.

To find her, Pride had to trawl through hundreds of advertisements on Backpage.com, a site that in 2012, the last date for which stats are available, was hosting more than 70 per cent of the US market for online sex ads. When it comes to identifying signs of human trafficking in online sex adverts, the task for police is often no easier. Thousands of sex-related classifieds are posted every week. Some are legal posts. Other people, like Pride’s daughter, are forced to do it. Working out which ads involve foul play is a laborious task.

However, the task is being automated using a strange alliance of artificial intelligence and bitcoin.

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Learn about the future of AI: Join DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis at New Scientist Live

“The internet has facilitated a lot of methods that traffickers can take advantage of. They can easily reach big audiences and generate a lot of content without having to reveal themselves,” says Rebecca Portnoff at the University of California, Berkeley.

But a new tool developed by Portnoff and her colleagues can ferret traffickers out. It uses machine learning to spot common patterns in suspicious ads, and then uses publicly available information from the payment method used to pay for them – bitcoin – to help identify who placed them.

The digital trail

The tool will help not only the investigation and intervention of potential traffickers, “but also to support prosecution efforts in an arena where money moves with rapidity across financial instruments and disappears from the evidence trail”, says Carrie Pemberton Ford at the Cambridge Centre for Applied Research in Human Trafficking.

There are about 4.5 million people who have been forced into sexual exploitation. In the US, many of them end up advertised on Backpage, the second biggest classified ad listing site. People list everything from events to furniture there, but it has also become associated with sex ads and sex trafficking – so much so that the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has said that the majority of child sex trafficking cases referred to them involve ads on Backpage.

Normally, the tell-tale sign that an advert involves trafficking is that the person behind it is responsible for many other adverts across the site. However, this is difficult to spot, as adverts mention the people being trafficked, not the traffickers.

To identify the authors of online sex ads, Portnoff’s tool looks at the style in which ads are written. Artificial intelligence trained on thousands of different adverts highlights when similar styles have been used, and clusters together likely candidates for further investigation.

The second step comes via the payment method. Credit card companies stopped the use of their services on Backpage in 2015, leaving bitcoin as the only way to paying for adverts.

Every transaction made using bitcoin is logged on a publicly available ledger called the blockchain. It doesn’t store identities, but every user has an associated wallet that is recorded alongside the transaction. The AI tool searches the blockchain to identify the wallet that corresponds to each advert.

Evidence for the prosecution

It is also easy to see when each ad was posted. “We look at cost of the ad and the timestamp, then connect the ad to a specific person or group. This means the police then have a pretty good candidate for further investigation,” says Portnoff.

Once the police know which ads are of dubious origin, they can call the numbers on them in the knowledge that they might well be linked to crime. “Narrowing down from the hundreds of thousands of ads online will be very useful for law enforcement officers who have to read through so many ads during an investigation,” says Portnoff.

During a four-week period, the research team tried out their tool on 10,000 adverts. It correctly identified about 90 per cent of adverts that had the same author, with a false positive rate of only 1 per cent. One of the bitcoin wallets they tracked down was responsible for $150,000 worth of sex adverts, possible evidence of an exploitation ring.

Backpage has not yet responded to New Scientist’s requests for comment.

The team is working with a number of different police forces and NGOs with the hope of using the tool in real investigations soon. The work was presented at the Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining in Canada this month.

The trafficker who kidnapped Kubiiki Pride’s daughter was eventually caught and sentenced to five years in prison. Successfully prosecutions like that are rare, but with Portnoff’s new tool that could soon change.

Output: The University of Berkeley, California has developed a method of finding human traffickers using machine learning. The technique utilises AI to spot common patterns in ads for sex workers on sites such as Backpage, and tracks the people behind the ads from publicly available data on the payment method, Bitcoin. The only way to pay for an ad on Backpage is through Bitcoin, making the payment traceable through the blockchain to a particular wallet. The technology was tested on 10,000 ads with 90% accuracy, and tracked a wallet that was responsible for $150,000 worth of ads, likely indicating an exploitation racket.


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Shell to build world’s largest hydrogen electrolysis plant
 Shell is planning to build the world’s largest hydrogen electrolysis plant in Germany

The project, with ITM Power, will take shape at the Wesseling site of the Rhineland refinery.

With a capacity of ten megawatts, it would be the largest plant of its kind in Germany and the largest PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) electrolysis in the world.

In addition to the production of hydrogen, the technology could also contribute to the stabilization of the electricity grid with an increasing share of irregularly available renewable energies in the energy mix.

Shell represented by Shell Deutschland Oil GmbH and Shell Energy Europe Ltd, together with the European consortium partners ITM Power plc, SINTEF, thinkstep and Element Energy, have been invited by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) to prepare a contract to promote the project.

The Rheinland refinery already uses around 180,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year for its production processes. This is produced by steam reforming from natural gas and water vapor. In the case of electrolysis, on the other hand, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen by means of current.

The project would enable the construction and operation of an electrolysis with a capacity of ten megawatts. The aim is to test the technology on an industrial scale, to achieve cost synergies and to develop new business models. The electrolysis operated with inexpensive electricity from renewable energies could be a key technology for a potential CO 2 free hydrogen generation in the Rhineland refinery.

“The planned hydrogen electrolysis would be a step that opens up many possibilities for the future,” says Raffineriedirektor Dr. Thomas Zengerly.

“The hydrogen produced can be fully integrated into the refinery processes. The site also allows the facility to be expanded at a later stage to deliver hydrogen to potential customers outside the refinery.”

“Hydrogen is a promising technology also beyond the direct use as a clean fuel in the transport sector . In the future hydrogen is expected to play an important role in the integration of energy storage and grid balancing. In this way, hydrogen can contribute to the reliability of the energy system with a growing share of irregularly available renewable energies in the energy mix,” said Brian Davis, VP, Integrated Energy Solutions at Shell.

Output: Shell is heading a consortium that includes ITM Power and SINTEF, which aims to open a 10 MW hydrogen electrolysis plant at its Wesseling refinery site in Germany. The project, the biggest of its kind in the country, and the world's largest polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis facility, aims to test the technology on an industrial scale, as well as identify cost savings and develop new business models. "Hydrogen is expected to play an important role in the integration of energy storage and grid balancing," said refinery director Dr Thomas Zengerly.


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Three San Diego hospitals fined for patient harm incidents
 Three San Diego hospitals are among 10 across the state penalized Thursday for mistakes that severely injured, or killed, patients.

The California Department of Public Health levied a total of $618,002 in penalties against the facilities, including $233,650 in financial pain for Sharp Coronado Hospital, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns and Vibra Hospital of San Diego, for errors which included an attempted suicide, a sponge left inside a patient and a fall-related death.

It’s the first such penalty for Sharp Coronado, the fifth for Sharp Memorial and the second for Vibra.

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All of the incidents are described in investigative reports which were also released by the state Thursday as part of an ongoing “immediate jeopardy” program created in 2007 by the state legislature in an attempt to curtail preventable harm in hospitals which are estimated to kill between 210,000 and 400,000 Americans each year.

The health department periodically penalizes hospitals after investigations are complete and notifies the public of the infractions. The latest batch of penalties involve incidents which occurred across a four-year span from 2012 to 2016.

Sharp Coronado received a $47,025 penalty for the most recent incident on the list. According to the state’s investigative report, a man arrived in the hospital’s emergency room on Sept. 24, 2015, and, when asked why he was there, reportedly told a security guard “that he would only talk to a doctor.”

Nearly one hour later, the man was found with a belt around his neck hanging from a hook in the emergency department’s bathroom. A medical team, according to the report, later found that the patient had gone so long without oxygen that he suffered severe brain damage and remained on a breathing machine, a feeding tube in his stomach, when he was discharged 21 days later.

The situation was made worse when a responding nurse was not able to open the restroom door because it was locked from the inside and the normal tools used to open the lock, usually a “pair of scissors or a dime” according to the report, were not immediately available.

In a statement, Sharp said it regrets the incident and has made changes.

“The plan of correction included steps to ensure that all emergency department patients are immediately seen by a nurse and that ED nurses are proficient at emergency access to restroom doors,” Sharp said in a statement.

Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns in Serra Mesa was fined $86,625 for failing to follow surgical procedures when a woman who underwent a C-section operation on Oct. 8, 2014, was later found to have an 18-inch-square sponge in her abdomen which was not removed before her surgical site was closed. The sponge was not discovered until 11 weeks later, and, by then had caused enough internal damage to require “removal of scar tissue, (her) right fallopian tube and part of (her) colon,” according to the state’s report.

Investigators were unable to determine whether the hospital’s policy of counting all sponges before each surgery, and again before closing surgical sites, was followed to the letter. Though interviews with nurses and other technicians involved in the procedure indicated that the employees thought they had followed the procedures, there was no way to prove that was the case because the white board used to track sponge counts is not part of each patient’s medical record.

The physician who performed the C-section, according to the state, “no longer works at the facility and was unavailable for interview.” It was unclear Thursday what exact circumstances made the doctor unavailable to investigators.

In a written statement, Sharp said it regrets the sponge slip up and has made changes at Mary Birch from mandatory education to enhancement of “sponge audits.” Those audits, the statement said, include “using clear plastic bags (instead of red biohazard bags) to collect removed sponges for easier visualization and counting” and “implementation of radio frequency technology which aids in identifying the location of surgical sponges.”

Vibra Hospital of San Diego, a long-term care facility in Hillcrest, was fined $100,000 after a patient, who was admitted on Sept 16, 2015, with multiple skin infections, a brain disorder and other serious medical issues, fell in his room on Sept 29. Investigators state in their report that the patient suffered a brain bruise called a subdural hematoma when his head struck the ground. He died on Oct. 2 and investigators later found that nurses assigned to the patient had not conducted a proper fall assessment.

Yameeka Jones, the facility’s chief executive, said in an email “Vibra Hospital of San Diego places the highest value on patient safety and has worked closely with the California Department of Public Health to remedy the deficiencies.”

Facilities fined by the state Wednesday, in addition to those in San Diego County, include:

Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Los Angeles: $75,000

Kindred Hospital South Bay, Gardena: $71,250

Loma Linda University Medical Center, Murietta: $42,750

Mission Community Hospital, Panorama City, $50,000

St. Joseph Hospital, Eureka: $40,000

Valley Children’s Hospital, Madera: $71,962

Health Playlist × On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson

Output: Three San Diego hospitals are among 10 across the state penalized Thursday for mistakes that severely injured, or killed, patients.


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The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Alternative Payment Models
 The current focus on improving Medicare physician payment through a variety of Alternative Payment Models (APMs) is widely perceived as a major shift away from fee-for-service, therefore reducing the importance of improving Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). But even if APMs eventually replace the PFS as the dominant payment methods, key aspects of the fee schedule (or an equivalent tool) will remain important and deserve attention. Not only does the PFS continue to govern nearly $90 billion in Medicare payments annually, it also serves as the basis for, among other things, setting payment rates, making real-time payments to providers, and calculating shared savings.

On Tuesday, September 26, the Urban Institute, the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy, and the Actuarial Research Corporation hosted a one-day conference on the evolution and state of the PFS and to consider the movement to new payment models. The conference included four sessions and a brief lunchtime address, and feature experts involved in designing and implementing the PFS 25 years ago, those currently working on improvements to the PFS, and those working to design and implement new APMs and other innovations.

Output: Even if APMs eventually replace the PFS as the dominant payment methods, key aspects of the fee schedule (or an equivalent tool) will remain important and deserve attention.


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Trump Administration Sharply Cuts Spending on Health Law Enrollment
 WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is slashing spending on advertising and promotion for enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, a move some critics charged was a blatant attempt to sabotage the law.

Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services, who insisted on not being identified during a conference call with reporters, said on Thursday that the advertising budget for the open enrollment period that starts in November would be cut to $10 million, compared with $100 million spent by the Obama administration last year, a drop of 90 percent. Additionally, grants to about 100 nonprofit groups, known as navigators, that help people enroll in health plans offered by the insurance marketplaces will be cut to a total of $36 million, from about $63 million.

The officials said the administration believed that the cuts were necessary because of “diminishing returns” from advertising. They said the number of first-time enrollees in Affordable Care Act coverage fell by 42 percent this year, compared with 2016. In addition, they said that many navigator groups failed to meet their enrollment targets last year, despite sometimes receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funds.

The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, denounced the cutbacks. “The Trump administration is deliberately attempting to sabotage our health care system,” he said. “When the number of people with health insurance declines and costs skyrocket, the American people will know who’s to blame.”

Output: The Trump administration is slashing spending on advertising and promotion for enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, a move some critics charged was a blatant attempt to sabotage the law.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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How one California county is fighting high-priced surgeries
 Retiree Leslie Robinson-Stone and her husband enjoyed a weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to a luxury resort — all thanks to the county she worked for.

The couple also received more than a thousand dollars in spending money and a personal concierge, who attended to their every need. For Santa Barbara County, it was money well spent: Sending Robinson-Stone 250 miles away for knee replacement surgery near San Diego saved the government $30,000.

“The only difference between our two hospitals is one is expensive and the other is exorbitant,” said Andreas Pyper, assistant director of human resources for Santa Barbara County, referring to the local options.

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After years of hospital industry consolidation, frustration with sky-high hospital bills and a lack of local competition is common to many employers and consumers across the country. Fed up with wildly different price tags for routine operations, some private employers are steering patients they insure to top-performing providers who offer bargain prices. Santa Barbara County, with about 4,000 employees, is among a handful of public entities to join them.

The county has saved nearly 50% on four surgery cases since starting its out-of-town program last year, officials said. The program is voluntary for covered employees.

At a Scripps Health hospital in the San Diego area, the county paid $61,600 for a spinal fusion surgery that would have cost more than twice as much locally. It avoided two other operations altogether after patients went outside the area for second opinions.

Typically, employers are seeking deals through “bundled payments” — in which one fixed price covers tests, physician fees and hospital charges. And if complications arise, providers are on the hook financially. Medicare began experimenting with this method during the Obama administration.

Santa Barbara County is among about 400 employers on the West Coast working with Carrum Health, a South San Francisco, Calif., start-up that negotiates bundled prices and chooses surgeons based on data on complications and readmissions.

“Not all surgeons are equal. We don’t want to give Scripps a blank check. That defeats the whole purpose,” said Sachin Jain, Carrum’s chief executive.

Santa Barbara officials try to persuade workers and their family members to participate in its program by waiving co-pays and deductibles. The county pays about $2,700 in travel costs and still comes out way ahead.

“If that doesn’t speak to the inefficiencies in our healthcare system, I don’t know what does,” Pyper said. “It’s almost like buying a Toyota Corolla for $50,000 and then going to San Diego to buy the same Corolla for $16,000. How long would the more expensive Toyota dealership last?”

Even as more employers and insurers embrace bundled payments, the Trump administration is applying the brakes.

In August, Medicare officials proposed canceling mandatory bundled payments for certain surgeries and scaling back the program for knee and hip replacements. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, when he was still a member of Congress, accused Medicare of overstepping federal authority and interfering in the doctor-patient relationship. Hospital trade groups have voiced similar objections.

That leaves some health-policy experts dismayed.

“These bundled payments put pressure on medical providers … and the savings are astonishing,” said Bob Kocher, a former health official in the Obama administration and now a partner in the venture capital firm Venrock.

Santa Barbara County officials said they had no choice after seeing their medical costs soar by 15% in each of the last two years. Like many local governments, it has an older workforce prone to chronic illness, blocked arteries and bum knees.

But health costs run higher than the state average in this scenic coastal county of about 450,000 people, according to data from Oakland-based Integrated Healthcare Assn. By one measure, the average health insurance premium in the individual market runs $660 a month in Santa Barbara, 27% higher than in Los Angeles.

Still, Maya Barraza, the county’s manager for employee benefits and rewards, knew the program would be a hard sell to workers. “You don’t want to be away from your family and what’s familiar,” she said.

Cottage Health, the county’s largest health system, says it wants to keep patients in town for treatment and follow-up care.

Established in 1891, it’s grown from a single hospital to more than 500 beds across three hospitals, and annual revenue hit $746 million last year.

Valet attendants greet visitors at two entrances outside the group’s white, Spanish-style hospital in the city of Santa Barbara. In the main lobby, the names of wealthy donors are splashed across one wall, including billionaire investor and Donald Trump confidant Thomas Barrack.

“We are continually looking at reducing costs and improving quality,” said Cottage Health spokeswoman Maria Zate. “Cottage Health has some of the top surgeons in California.”

Sixty miles north in Santa Maria, the state’s largest hospital chain, Dignity Health, offers another option: Marian Regional Medical Center.

Both Cottage and Dignity hospitals in Santa Barbara County have quality scores of fair to excellent for joint replacements, spinal procedures and coronary bypass surgeries, according to three years of Medicare data analyzed by research firm Mpirica Health.

Dignity Health didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Carrum tries to help employers like Santa Barbara County find more affordable options. It has struck bundled price deals for various procedures with Scripps hospitals in the San Diego area, Stanford Health Care in the Bay Area and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, part of the Providence Health chain.

Some companies have gone so far as to send patients overseas for cheaper care, but most employers favor a more regional approach, experts say. Workers still rely on local physicians for follow-up care.

For some hospitals, there are advantages in offering deep discounts: They get patients they otherwise would never see and are paid in full right after the patient is discharged, avoiding the onerous billing and collections process.

They also have the financial capacity to offer such sharply reduced prices.

Michael Bark, assistant vice president of payer relations at Scripps Health, said most hospitals significantly mark up their commercial rates for orthopedic procedures and cardiac surgeries to compensate for lower government reimbursements.

“There are immense profit margins built into those cases,” Bark said.

Robinson-Stone, a former county sheriff’s deputy and a computer support specialist, was initially wary of traveling for her surgery. But the 62-year-old had ongoing pain that kept her from biking, walking her dogs and tending to her fruit trees. Medication and cortisone shots didn’t work, and she had no ties to local surgeons. So she signed up online and was given a choice of six orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla.

In June 2016, she and her husband, Frank Stone, checked in at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa.

Robinson-Stone met the surgeon on a Wednesday, had the operation the next day and returned to her hotel room by Saturday. She continued physical therapy at the hotel and returned to the hospital a few days later to have the staples removed.

She was back on her bike within two months and eventually lost about 20 pounds.

“I just celebrated one year from surgery,” she said, “and I’m a happy camper.”

Chad Terhune is a senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent publication of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Heidi DeMarco contributed to this story.

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Output: Sending Robinson-Stone 250 miles away for knee replacement surgery near San Diego saved the government $30,000.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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For older adults with chronic conditions, non-drug behavioral treatments may help
 When we have several chronic health conditions as we age, the symptoms we experience can reduce our quality of life. In fact, having multiple chronic conditions is linked to symptoms that can restrict our ability to perform our daily routines. Some 70 percent of adults over the age of 75 have more than two chronic health conditions. Nearly 55 percent of Medicare recipients who have had a stroke or heart failure have five or more chronic conditions.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers note that little is known about treating symptoms of multiple illnesses because people with two or more conditions are usually excluded from studies for specific diseases.

The researchers examined the results of a study that was originally designed to test how well people did after they stopped taking statin medication used to lower cholesterol levels. Their goal was to better understand the outcomes of having multiple diseases, the burden that symptoms placed on older adults, and the effects multiple chronic problems had on older adults' ability to function. In addition, the researchers compared how a having diagnosis of cancer to having multiple chronic conditions affected an older adult's ability to function.

The study had 381 participants, mostly in their 70s. Nearly 52 percent of study participants had been diagnosed with cancer. People without cancer were diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a long-term illness in which breathing becomes more and more of a challenge), congestive heart failure, dementia, renal disease (diseases that affect the kidney), and other chronic illnesses. Most commonly, the participants had combinations of COPD, congestive heart failure, and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers learned that having multiple chronic conditions was linked to symptoms that could be a burden for people. However, the symptoms did not affect their ability to function. Researchers also learned that people with cancer functioned better than people with multiple chronic conditions.

The researchers concluded that the total sum of symptoms, rather than the combination of chronic conditions, was linked to an older adult's ability to function well. They suggested that specific symptoms, such as depression and fatigue, might be responsible for the effect symptoms had on a person's ability to function well. Depression and fatigue were proven to worsen other symptoms, note the researchers.

"Our findings support the growing evidence recommending a shift from disease-specific treatment to addressing the symptoms that result from having multiple chronic conditions," wrote the researchers.

More information: Jennifer D. Portz et al, High Symptom Burden and Low Functional Status in the Setting of Multimorbidity, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2017). DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15045 Journal information: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Output: When we have several chronic health conditions as we age, the symptoms we experience can reduce our quality of life. In fact, having multiple chronic conditions is linked to symptoms that can restrict our ability to perform our daily routines. Some 70 percent of adults over the age of 75 have more than two chronic health conditions. Nearly 55 percent of Medicare recipients who have had a stroke or heart failure have five or more chronic conditions.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

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New assessment predicts fracture risk for patients in long-term care
 Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research have developed and validated a new assessment to predict the risk of falls in long-term care patients. The study on the assessment titled "Fracture Risk Assessment in Long-term Care (FRAiL)" was published today in the Journal of Gerontology Medical Science.

The FRAiL model was developed by following a large cohort of nursing home residents over a 2 year period to identify which risks most often led to hip fractures for those living in a nursing home. By studying a sample of only nursing home residents, the FRAiL model was able to identify those fracture risks which are unique to nursing home residents, and ultimately differ quite a bit from the fracture risks facing seniors living independently.

What the study revealed is a collection of characteristics that are significant predictors of hip fracture in nursing home residents. These factors are: older age, white race, female, impaired cognition, independence in the activities of daily living, locomotion independence, urinary continence, previous falls, transfer independence, easily distractible, proclivity towards wandering, and others. For both men and women in nursing homes, it seems that the more independently mobile one is, the more apt they are to fall and incur a hip fracture. This is in direct opposition to seniors who live outside of the nursing home, who are more apt to fall and incur a fracture if they are less independent in their daily living skills.

The new FRAiL assessment is an important tool for senior long-term care providers as nearly 10% of hip fractures occur among nursing home residents. Of those nursing home residents who incur fractures, 36% will die within 6-months, and another 17.3% will become completely disabled. If service providers can screen for falls risk early on, they may be able to prevent debilitating and life threatening hip fractures before they occur.

Sarah D. Berry, MD, MPH and lead author of the study said, "The FRAiL model is the first clinical tool that could be used to discriminate residents at high risk for fracture and standardize fracture prevention efforts in the nursing home."

Output: Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research have developed and validated a new assessment to predict the risk of falls in long-term care patients. The study on the assessment titled "Fracture Risk Assessment in Long-term Care (FRAiL)" was published today in the Journal of Gerontology Medical Science.