Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Long-term Care: Investing in Models That Work
 President Trump and the US Congress have promised to reduce federal spending, through tactics that include cutting Medicaid and Medicare. What they fail to take into account is that sometimes investing in programs that work well can reduce spending while improving the health and well-being of people. A case in point: programs that help older adults and those who are disabled remain in their homes and out of long-term care facilities.

American Medical Association

The proportion of the US population 65 years or older is expected to almost double by 2050, to more than 87 million, when surviving baby boomers will be older than 85 years and likely frail. Older adults’ needs for assistance in activities of daily living will increase, challenging both care delivery systems and costs. With the average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home now more than $100 000, keeping people in their own homes and communities could dramatically reduce federal Medicaid spending. But how can this be accomplished?

Several mature demonstration projects have been shown to prevent nursing home admission, but scaling them up will require start-up funding in communities nationwide, removing regulatory barriers, and embracing a social model of health.

Models That Keep Older Adults at Home

The Altarum Institute Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness has proposed a model called MediCaring communities for keeping frail elders in the community while enhancing quality of life and reducing the use of medical services. It requires a person-centered approach that integrates long-term services and supports (LTSS) with medical and nursing care. These services may include care coordination, home-delivered meals, dementia training programs for home health aides, home maintenance and modification programs to help with disability, and personal care.

Altarum conducted a rigorous financial simulation of 4 diverse MediCaring communities and found that they all reduced per-capita costs, and the savings could be used to shore up underfunded LTSS. The model also could be extended to older adults who are not yet frail and to those who are significantly disabled.

Altarum suggests that the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) could launch a MediCaring community program if Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rules were more flexible, for example, by allowing PACE programs to serve Medicare-only patients according to their health status. PACE started in San Francisco in 1973 with On Lok (Cantonese for “peaceful, happy home”), an organization serving an Asian American community. There are now 233 PACE centers in 31 states serving about 40 000 nursing-home eligible people older than 55 years. With capitated payments from Medicare and Medicaid (if approved by states), PACE programs assume financial risk and provide comprehensive social, medical, and nursing services. Services include adult day care, transportation to and from the center, food programs, home care, primary care, social services, and other preventive services, all at a lower cost than institutionalization.

Anne Montgomery, MS, deputy director of Altarum’s Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness, says, “Expansion of PACE to Medicare-only beneficiaries who have LTSS needs—both those who are already nursing-home eligible and those who are not—makes enormous sense as we try to retrofit our existing care system to be more comprehensive and to include LTSS. This is a no-new-dollars approach.”

The CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders) program could augment the MediCaring community model by building older adults’ capacity to remain in their homes. Initially tested with a grant from CMS, CAPABLE uses registered nurses, occupational therapists, and handymen to provide Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with home repairs, coaching on self-management to maintain independence, and making referrals, as needed. It reduces disability by improving ability to perform activities of daily living, and lowers rates of emergency department use, hospital readmissions, and depression. Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at Johns Hopkins University and founder of CAPABLE, reports that the documented cost savings are sufficient to prompt some home care agencies, 5 cities in Michigan, accountable care organizations, insurers, and others to adopt CAPABLE or integrate it into other models of care.

These and other demonstration models suggest that we can reduce costs by helping people stay at home as they age. But services must also include support of family caregivers, notes Claudia Beverly, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at the University of Arkansas and former director of the Arkansas Aging Initiative. “Family caregivers burn out when urinary incontinence and dementia set in, so they need training in complex caregiving, use of a well-trained home health aide, help with shopping and cleaning, or respite care.”

Barriers to MediCaring Communities Nationwide

There are several barriers to implementing these and similar models.

First, states may look for ways to cut services if Congress deeply cuts federal Medicaid funding, even if investing in these models would control Medicaid spending on long-term care. Not all states have opted into the PACE program, despite the documented Medicaid savings.

Second, many communities are likely to need funds to create MediCaring communities based on the PACE model. PACE requires substantial preparation to establish a network of services, including housing for the day center, transportation, connections with medical and nursing care professionals, and administrative infrastructure. Peter Fitzgerald, MSc, executive vice president of policy and strategy for the National PACE Association, says, “PACE is not easy. You have to establish provider capacity, and that takes time.”

The Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration and the Balancing Incentives program authorized by the Affordable Care Act show that state incentives can increase the proportion of older and disabled people on Medicaid who can move out of institutions into home settings, with some of the savings going to support services.

For example, Balancing Incentives provided states with enhanced federal funding over 5 years for improving and expanding home and community-based services through an equitable, user-friendly, consistent process. The enhanced funds helped states create enrollment systems with “No Wrong Door”/Single Entry Point for all people in need of information about and access to LTSS, core standardized assessments, and conflict-free case management services. In an evaluation of the program, Mathematica found it successful in increasing the proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries in community settings at no detriment to their health and with increases in quality of life.

Third, regulatory barriers for Medicare and Medicaid get in the way, providing a “deregulatory opportunity” for the Trump administration. Certain regulations can facilitate the expansion of PACE, for example, such as expanding PACE to disabled people younger than 55 years and to older adults who are not yet nursing home eligible. This was authorized under the PACE Innovative Act but doesn’t have implementing regulations yet. The Bipartisan Policy Center has proposed, among other things, that Medicare’s payment risk adjustment incorporate a measure of functional impairment because it drives health care use and nursing home placement, and that Medicare pay for supportive services that can reduce the need for institutional care.

Peter Fitzgerald has a theory as to why we haven’t scaled up effective programs such as PACE: “We got so taken with the idea that we needed something new that we didn’t look at what has worked.” But this is changing, he adds, as caring for the boomer generation becomes a reality. I hope he’s right.

Back to top Article Information

Corresponding Author: Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN (djmasonrn@gmail.com).

Published Online: September 13, 2017, at https://newsatjama.jama.com/category/the-jama-forum/.

Disclaimer: Each entry in The JAMA Forum expresses the opinions of the author but does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of JAMA, the editorial staff, or the American Medical Association.

Additional Information: Information about The JAMA Forum, including disclosures of potential conflicts of interest, is available at https://newsatjama.jama.com/about/.

Note: The print version excludes source references. Please go online to jama.com.

Output: Investing in long-term care models can lower spending and improve citizens’ health, a fact that has not translated into recent legislation promises in the United States. The Trump administration and Congress have pledged to reduce the level of federal spending, but have focused on reducing Medicaid and Medicare spending. As the proportion of those aged 65 and older is predicted to nearly double to reach 87 million by 2050, daily assistance and long-term care will become an expensive burden. However, models have been proposed that could improve quality of life and reduce the burden on medical services. The Altarum Institute Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness has suggested a new model named MediCaring communities, designed to help elderly citizens to continue residing in their local communities but also reducing the usage of medical services. The model utilizes a person-centered approach that includes long-term services (LTSS) and blends it with medical and nursing care. The model covers care coordination, meal delivery services, training programs on dementia for home health aides, home modification and maintenances, and personal care. Altarum’s financial analysis of four MediCaring communities found that per-capita costs were reduced, with savings potentially being used for LTSS services that are underfunded. The system could also be used for older adults who are not yet classified as frail, or to those with significant disabilities. The existing Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) could offer a MediCaring community program, if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation was more lenient and would allow PACE programs to offer Medicare-only patients the option, depending on their health issues. The model is a “no-new-dollars approach”, says Anne Montgomery, the deputy director of Altarum’s Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness. The CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders) program could also help to extend the MediCaring community model by helping older citizens to remain in their homes. Originally enabled via a grant from CMS, CAPABLE offers Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries the assistance of registered nurses, occupational therapists, and handymen for maintaining independence. The program has been shown to lower the burden on emergency departments and hospitals, as well as lowering patient depression. However, there are issues in implementing these programs. States may be looking to reduce services if federal Medicaid funding is cut by Congress, despite the fact that investment in these type of models could reduce Medicaid spending on long-term care. At present, some states have not opted into the PACE program, despite its proven reduction in cost. Additionally, funds will be needed to create the MediCaring communities that use the PACE model at first, as it requires significant preparation for service networks to be set up. Regulatory barriers for Medicare and Medicaid could also prove to be an obstacle, allowing the Trump administration to take advantage of this “deregulatory opportunity”. PACE could be expanded to disabled people under the age of 55 and to older adults not yet eligible for nursing homes under the current PACE Innovative Act, but no regulation has been put into place.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Nearly Half of All Medical Care in the US Is in Emergency Departments
 The percentage of care delivered in emergency departments has increased with nearly half of all medical care in the United States occurring there, according to a study.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) were able to quantify the contribution of emergency department care in reference to overall US healthcare. The study examined public data from 1996 to 2010 from national health databases. A paper explaining the findings was published in the International Journal for Health Services.

For 2010, the researchers found that there were nearly 130 million emergency department visits, while there were 101 million outpatient visits and almost 39 million inpatient visits. Throughout the full 14-year study period, 3.5 billion healthcare contacts occurred—emergency department visits, outpatient visits, and hospital admissions. The emergency care visits increased by nearly 44% during that time.

“I was stunned by the results," David Marcozzi, an associate professor in the UMSOM Department of Emergency Medicine, and co-director of the UMSOM Program in Health Disparities and Population Health, said in a statement. "This really helps us better understand health care in this country. This research underscores the fact that emergency departments are critical to our nation’s healthcare delivery system."

The study also noted that certain demographics were more likely to use the emergency department for healthcare. African American patients and those who were considered “other” for their health insurance category—such as those without any type of insurance—were found to be significantly more likely to use the emergency department.

The increase in emergency room cases were able to be accounted for by certain groups including African Americans, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, residents of the South and West, and women. The authors suggested that this further reveals the vulnerable populations that potentially face healthcare inequalities.

“Patients seek care in emergency departments for many reasons. The data might suggest that emergency care provides the type of care that individuals actually want or need, 24 hours a day,” Marcozzi said.

The paper recommends working to connect the care delivered in emergency departments with the level of delivered care in the rest of the healthcare system.

Output: Emergency department use in the US now accounts for half of all medical care provided and is critical to health care delivery in the nation according to a recent study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The researchers focused on data from 1996 to 2010 and the 3.5 billion health care interactions that took place during this time relating to emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and outpatient visits. In 2010 there were a total of 39 million inpatient visits, 101 million outpatient visits, and 130 million emergency department visits, a rise of 44 percent over the course of the 14-year study. These increases in the use of emergency room cases can be accounted for by the groups most likely to use the service. Primarily this included women, African Americans, Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, as well as residents from the South and West. In addition to this, the research also demonstrated that there were significant demographic distinctions in the use of emergency care. Alongside those classed as being without any type of health insurance, African Americans were the most likely to use the emergency department and the authors believe that their statistics indicate that health care inequalities impact primarily upon the most vulnerable populations. A key recommendation of the paper is that more should be done to connect the care services offered in emergency departments with care delivery systems across the rest of the health network.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
China seeks to challenge dollar's global dominance
 China is looking to make a major move against the dollar's global dominance, and it may come as early as this year.

The new strategy is to enlist the energy markets' help: Beijing may introduce a new way to price oil in coming months — but unlike the contracts based on the U.S. dollar that currently dominate global markets, this benchmark would use China's own currency. If there's widespread adoption, as the Chinese hope, then that will mark a step toward challenging the greenback's status as the world's most powerful currency.

China is the world's top oil importer, and so Beijing sees it as only logical that its own currency should price the global economy's most important commodity. But beyond that, moving away from the dollar is a strategic priority for countries like China and Russia. Both aim to ultimately reduce their dependency on the greenback, limiting their exposure to U.S. currency risk and the politics of American sanctions regimes.

The plan is to price oil in yuan using a gold-backed futures contract in Shanghai, but the road will be long and arduous.

"Game changer it is not — at least not yet," said Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington based think tank focused on energy security. "But it is another indicator of the beginning of the glacial, and I emphasize the word glacial, decline of the dollar."

Beijing faces skeptical global oil markets and global perceptions it exerts too much state control. Those factors will hinder its drive to build a viable oil pricing benchmark that's able to compete with more established benchmarks like or (both dollar-denominated).

The architects of the "petro-yuan" face an uphill struggle in dislodging the "petrodollar" and, with it, more than four decades of U.S. dollar-priced oil. Attracting interest from entrenched and active markets in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East — used to price more than two-thirds of the world's oil worth trillions of dollars – poses another major challenge.

"Many, many futures contracts are launched because they make some sense from a logical market point of view and they get a lot of attention. But then they die because the key is liquidity," said Jeff Brown, president at FGE, an international energy consultant.

There are really only a handful of truly global oil contracts from which all else is based, Brown explained, adding: "It will be extraordinarily difficult to change that."

Output: China is seeking to disrupt the power of the dollar with a new method of pricing oil using gold-backed futures contracts in yuan. If the benchmark is adopted, it could help to push the value of the yuan past that of the dollar, given China's position as the leading global oil importer. Both China and Russia plan to curtail their dollar dependency to reduce currency risk. Gal Luft, a co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, said the move could be the "beginning of the glacial … decline of the dollar".


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Elon Musk attacks Way of the Future AI religion
 Experts who talk of artificially intelligent (AI) robots reaching divine status should "absolutely not be allowed" to create a machine smarter than humans, Elon Musk warned on Twitter.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was addressing an article from tech news site VentureBeat about the possibility of an AI "god" emerging by 2042.

TWEET

One of the experts cited in the feature, former Google self-driving car engineer Anthony Levandowski, established a nonprofit religious organization called Way of the Future. The firm's mission statement reads: "To develop and promote the realization of a Godhead based on artificial intelligence and through understanding and worship of the Godhead contribute to the betterment of society."

Levandowski was at the center of a lawsuit between Uber and Alphabet's Waymo unit, the latter of which accused Levandowski of stealing trade secrets related to autonomous vehicles and taking them with him to Uber.

Another expert, Vince Lynch, said there was a "commonality" between AI and religion. Lynch's company IV.AI demonstrated a model whereby a computer could write new verses from the Bible.

Output: A religion called Way of the Future has been founded by Anthony Levandowski, the engineer at the centre of a Silicon Valley autonomous car lawsuit. Its declared aim is to "develop and promote the realisation of a godhead based on artificial intelligence” by 2042, reported Leslie Hook in the Financial Times. Elon Musk has attacked Levandowski's idea, warning that such people should not be allowed to create a machine that is more intelligent than people.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
California's Project Frog integrates tech into prefab building kits
 Thank you for your interest in The Registry. You must Subscribe or Log In to read the rest of this content.

Output: San Francisco firm Project Frog has cut labour costs by up to 80% and reduced construction times by two-thirds, after integrating technology into its prefabricated buildings, according to CEO Drew Buechley. He said using cloud design applications to design prefab kits offered "architectural freedom", while its automation engine examined site conditions against their kits, allowing the creation of "fabrication-level detail". Project Frog has several projects under way across California and has completed a net-zero energy facility in Hawaii.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Publiq Foundation launches content platform for unbiased news
 Swiss non-profit the Publiq Foundation has launched a blockchain-based content platform that aims to fight “fake news” and bias reporting.

The organization uses blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) to build an ecosystem operated by authors, journalists, bloggers and advertisers that’s censorship proof and where all profits gained through the platform are distributed between content providers. It also introduces a reputation-scoring system based on readers’ views and feedbacks intended to allow authors to be more fairly rewarded.

Publiq said its goal is to “overcome the massive flow of poor, fake and fabricated news” by offering a transparent rewarding process that incentivizes members to write quality content. It said it aims to solve the numerous problems that have plagued the media industry including over centralization, unfair remunerations, poor customer experience and lack of quality content.

“By creating a content distribution platform, we’re trying to tackle the tabloid journalism that is consumed daily,” said Alexandre Tabbakh, CEO of the Publiq Foundation.

“Propaganda and fake news are some of the main problems the media industry faces. We are creating an ecosystem of accredited authors with trusted reputations, and guarantee that only high quality content will be promoted over the platform. The merit-based distribution will result in a paradigm shift by unchaining the creative power of an individual to become a full participant of the economy of the future.”

Publiq is a distributed media environment owned, governed and operated by a global independent community, the organization said.

Content on Publiq’s blockchain-based platform is cryptographically sealed, distributed, and published, preventing any third parties from tampering with the author’s work.

Authors are rewarded in PBQ tokens, the in-house token, according to their Publiq Score, which is calculated by the previous engagement their pieces have earned and which is based on feedbacks from readers.

This introduces a mechanism of community governance and removes the need of intermediaries or traditional publishing houses from the chain of creation and distribution, Publiq said.

Advertisers can use the platform as well for a more targeted advertising process. The AI algorithm provides an advertisement platform mechanism based on readers’ preferences.

Publiq is amongst the numerous startups that are leveraging blockchain technology to transform the media and news industry. Copenhagen-based startup Media Shifter is using blockchain and the wisdom of the crowd to change the way we consume news.

Media Shifter’s news aggregator is built on top of a community that validates aggregated content through blockchain-powered user consensus, enabling readers to better “navigate through the noise and bias of the current media landscape.”

Another venture, called Userfeeds, is building a content ranking and reputation system for blockchain communities.

Output: Switzerland's Publiq Foundation has set up a blockchain-based platform where journalists, bloggers and writers can publish quality content. The blockchain technology allows content to be cryptographically sealed, rendering it tamper-proof, while the merit-based payment system, based on audience engagement, will be paid in the platform's PBQ tokens. Publiq said advertisers using the platform would benefit from an artificial intelligence algorithm that facilitated personalised targeting.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Legal firms pre-emmptively open bitcoin wallets in fear of hacks
 In response to a spate of hackings, some law firms have made the decision to preemptively open Bitcoin wallets to pay their attackers. John Sweeney, president of IT and cyber security advisory company LogicForce claimed that accounts would be used to settle ransoms as a “last resort” and the measure should be part of a wider contingency plan.

For Sweeney, the decision is proactive rather than reactive. However, what exactly is proactive about waiting to get hacked and then paying a ransom is unclear. There aren’t even any guarantees that the criminals will release the breached data following settlement of demands. According to the cyber security expert himself, it has taken some firms months and multiple ransoms to even recover data from hackers. Even then, the data may already be compromised, rendering confidentiality agreements between clients and companies useless and potentially exposing sensitive details.

The latest security breach was announced earlier today. An offshore law firm catering to super-rich clients was hacked by a criminal group. Those served by Appleby in Bermuda will be awaiting the criminals’ next move which likely be either blackmail or straight up exposure. This highlights a major issue with law firms’ security which Sweeney says needs to be tackled. Data is often sent via unencrypted emails and thus risks being breached by any hacker savvy enough to get around the often-scant security procedures in place. Certain data obtained via such a practice is understandably extremely valuable to the parties concerned. Sweeney commented about the growing trend within the industry:

We are predicting there are going to be more sophisticated attempts to intrude at firms that work with highly visible clients whose IP or business information is extremely valuable.

Exacerbating the problem is the fact that cyber-criminals’ can often cover their own tracks impeccably. This makes it unlikely that they’ll be caught and for Sweeney, it represents a risk/reward proposition that’s “totally in the cyber criminals’ favour.”

However, the decision to announce that some firms will have a digital wallet loaded with funds to pay off hackers seems to do little else than paint a huge target on the law industry. Clearly, by having the money ready, the implication is that firms are willing to settle ransoms, leaving them further exposed. Sweeney does however urge firms to do more to enhance their security and eliminate potential online attack vectors. There are no shortage of funds within the law industry, so in reality, there is no excuse for not employing the most up-to-date encryption techniques for sensitive data, as well as suitable backup solutions. Prevention, as they say, is much better than cure.

Output: Legal firms should focus on beefing up their security to prevent cyber attacks, rather than having bitcoin wallets on standby to pay off ransomware users, according to Richard Delaney, writing for NewsBTC. He said companies which set aside cryptocurrency as a pre-emptive measure did little more than "paint a huge target" on the industry, and criticised the use of unencrypted e-mails to send sensitive information which could be highly attractive to cyber criminals.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Belgium's Bancontact rolls out contactless mobile payments
 Belgian payment scheme Bancontact has rolled out contactless smartphone payments to the general public.

Supported by 20 banks across Belgium, the Bancontact app currently processes one million payments a month on behalf of users.

The contactless functionality has been enabled for Android phone users only and enables payments without a PIN for sums below EUR25 with just a tap at the terminal.

"The smartphone is steadily becoming a genuine extension of our wallets," says Boncontact CEO Kim Van Esbroeck. "Every cardholder can benefit from this technology, regardless of who they bank with or which bankcard they have."

Output: Belgian payments provider Bancontact has launched contactless smartphone payments for the general public, allowing Android mobile users to make contactless payments without a PIN for amounts under €25 ($29). The Bancontact app has support from 20 banks across Belgium and deals with one million payments per month.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Alipay partners with JPMorgan to offer PoS mobile payments in US
 In another move designed to simplify transactions for the growing number of Chinese consumers traveling in North America, Alipay has partnered with JPMorgan Chase. Users of the Alipay app will be able to pay using their Alipay Mobile Wallet at the POS of many Chase Merchant Services clients. As many as 4 million Chinese consumers are expected to visit North America in 2017 alone.

With the proposed Alipay-Chase relationship, Chinese travelers will be able to locate nearby merchants via the app’s geolocation-based “Discover” function and receive promotion information via push notifications. Local merchants will be able to better target and connect with these consumers.

Alipay has been steadily expanding its capabilities in the North American market since its initial announcement at the NRF Big Show in January 2017. The third-party payment platform, which is operated by Alibaba’s Ant Financial Services Group, has:

Advertisement

• Integrated local content from Yelp and entered into a joint venture with Marriott Hotels in August;

• Allowed consumers to use their wallets in Rebecca Minkoff stores and web sites in September; and

• Earlier this month, partnered with Verifone to allow Chinese consumers to use Alipay for taxi rides in New York and Las Vegas.

Output: Online and mobile payments provider Alipay is working with JPMorgan Chase to enable Alipay Mobile Wallet PoS transactions at Chase merchant clients. The move will allow Chinese consumers to use Alipay across North America, with up to four million Chinese visitors predicted to visit North America this year. Merchants will be searchable through a geolocation-based feature and can send promotional information through push notifications.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Electric cars emit half the total greenhouse gas of diesels
 Electric cars emit significantly less greenhouse gases over their lifetimes than diesel engines even when they are powered by the most carbon intensive energy, a new report has found.

In Poland, which uses high volumes of coal, electric vehicles produced a quarter less emissions than diesels when put through a full lifecycle modelling study by Belgium’s VUB University.

CO2 reductions on Europe’s cleanest grid in Sweden were a remarkable 85%, falling to around one half for countries such as the UK.

“On average, electric vehicles will emit half the CO2 emissions of a diesel car by 2030, including the manufacturing emissions,” said Yoann Le Petit, a spokesman for the T&E think tank, which commissioned the study.

“We’ve been facing a lot of fake news in the past year about electrification put out by the fuel industry but in this study you can see that even in Poland today it is more beneficial to the climate to drive an electric vehicle than a diesel.”

The new study uses an EU estimate of Poland’s emissions – at 650gCO2/kWh – which is significantly lower than calculations by the European commission’s Joint Research Centre science wing last year.

But its findings will likely be welcomed in Brussels, where a new emissions standard for 2030 is set to be unveiled in November, along with some potentially more radical proposals.

Speaking in the European parliament this month, the EU’s climate commissioner, Miguel Canete, said: “One option we’re looking at is a mandate to ensure a minimum share of low – for manufacturers it could be zero – emitting vehicles.”

Today, just 1.7% of new vehicles sold in Europe are electric, and some EU officials question whether Europe has access to enough lithium to create a 5-10% market share for electric cars anytime soon. Its capacity to scale up construction of battery plants may also be in doubt.

“You can’t have a massive explosion of electric cars as there’s no plants here to build the batteries,” one EU source said. “In any case, when you take into account the emissions from battery manufacture and electricity supply, their GHG emissions are not so attractive.

The VUB study says that while the supply of critical metals – lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite – and rare earths would have to be closely monitored and diversified, it should not constrain the clean transport transition.

As battery technology improves and more renewables enter the electricity grid, emissions from battery production itself could be cut by 65%, the study found.

Output: Electric cars emit half as many greenhouse gases over their lifetime as diesel engines, even when powered by carbon-intensive energy, according to a study by Belgium’s VUB University. In Poland, electric vehicles were found to produce 25% fewer emissions than diesel cars, while emissions in Sweden, which has the cleanest grid in Europe, fell by 85%. Reductions of around 50% were found in other countries, including the UK. The study also found that improvements in battery technology and increased use of renewables could cut battery production emissions by 65%.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Security awareness firm KnowBe4 pulls $30m in funding
 KnowBe4, a fast-growing security awareness training and phishing simulation provider, announced they have closed on a $30 million Series B investment led by Goldman Sachs. The funding comes on the heels of 18 consecutive quarters of growth, which resulted in the company landing at No. 231 on the Inc. 5000 annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized computer security expert and KnowBe4’s chief hacking officer — often referred to as the world’s most famous hacker — helped design KnowBe4’s cybersecurity training.

Cyber threats and need for employee training continue to grow

Helping organizations combat the burgeoning ransomware threat by training their employees is a huge market opportunity.

A whopping 91 percent of cyber attacks and the resulting data breaches begin with a spearphishing email, according to numerous sources. KnowBe4 states that this conclusively shows end users really are the weak link in IT security.

A growing percentage of phishing emails, when clicked by users, inject ransomware into computers and mobile devices.

Further, global ransomware damage costs are predicted to exceed $5 billion in 2017, up from $325 million in 2015 — 15x in just two years. And the impact is expected to worsen, especially for healthcare organizations, which have been attacked the most and may see ransomware attacks quadruple by 2020.

The human attack surface is growing exponentially year over year at a time when people have moved ahead of machines as the primary targets for hackers. There are 3.8 billion internet users in 2017 (51 percent of the world’s population of 7 billion), which is up from 2 billion in 2015.

Cybersecurity Ventures predicts there will be 6 billion internet users by 2022 (75 percent of the projected world population of 8 billion) — and more than 7.5 billion internet users by 2030 (90 percent of the projected world population of 8.5 billion, 6 years of age and older).

The total addressable market — or T.A.M. as venture capitalists call it — for the security awareness training market is exploding. One report predicts the market for training employees on how to detect and defend against spearphishing emails, ransomware attacks and other cyber threats will reach $10 billion by 2027, up from $1 billion in 2014.

Goldman Sachs: KnowBe4 platform is a must-have

“KnowBe4 has separated itself as a leader in the cybersecurity awareness training market, with their platform becoming a 'need to have' for businesses across sectors and geographies in the fight against cyber threats,” said Hans Sherman, a vice president in Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division who will join the KnowBe4 board of directors in connection with the investment.

Institutional investors and VC firms may view the Goldman Sachs investment as a call to action. There’s a solid lineup of security awareness training companies — each bringing their own unique programs and tools to turn employees into cyber defenders.

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that a whole lotta employees need to be trained on security. The security awareness market will be an interesting one to watch.

Visit SteveOnCyber.com to read all of my blogs and articles covering cybersecurity.

Follow me on Twitter @CybersecuritySF, or connect with me on LinkedIn. Send story tips, feedback and suggestions to me here.

Output: KnowBe4 has capped 18 consecutive quarters of growth with a $30m series B investment from Goldman Sachs. KnowBe4 provides cybersecurity awareness training and phishing simulations to help companies recognise and avoid cyber attacks, and boasts Kevin Mitnick, regarded as the world's most famous hacker, as its chief hacking officer. The market for security awareness training is set to explode, amid estimates that by 2030, 90% of the world's population will be using the internet. In 2017, global ransomware attacks are set to cost $5bn, a 15-fold increase on the 2015 figure of $325m.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Health experts demand minimum alcohol price in UK
 The UK government should follow Wales and introduce minimum unit alcohol pricing to reduce harm and the economic cost of abuse, health professionals and campaigners have said.

On Monday the Welsh government announced plans to follow the lead set by Scotland in 2012 for a minimum unit price of alcohol, although it has yet to be introduced north of the border because of legal challenges.

Ministers in Westminster have defied calls to embrace the policy, citing a lack of evidence, but are facing fresh pressure to change tack.

In a letter to the Guardian, 50 signatories, including the Tory MP Dr Sarah Wollaston and representatives of bodies including Alcohol Health Alliance UK, the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Public Health, wrote: “Minimum unit pricing is a highly effective tool to reduce the number of deaths related to alcohol, crime and workplace absence.

“The Welsh government continues to demonstrate its firm commitment to tackle the problem of cheap alcohol and the devastating effect this has on our communities, especially its most vulnerable members.”

It added: “With alcohol misuse costing £21bn-52bn per year, the UK government must now follow Wales and Scotland by implementing a policy that will save lives, relieve pressure on our NHS and fulfil its commitment to even out life chances.”

The letter, also signed by representatives of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Liver Trust and the UK Health Forum, said it was unacceptable that three litres of white cider, containing the equivalent alcohol of 22 shots of vodka, can be bought for just £3.49. It stated that the legislation would not impact prices in pubs but would target “pocket money-priced alcohol”.

In 2014, research on the impact of introducing a 50p minimum unit price (the level set by Scotland) in Wales estimated there would be 53 fewer deaths and 1,400 fewer hospital admissions in Wales each year, saving the NHS more than £130m over 20 years.

The Welsh government has not stipulated its minimum unit price but the public health minister, Rebecca Evans, said: “There is a very clear and direct link between levels of excessive drinking and the availability of cheap alcohol.”

The UK government has previously resisted calls to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol despite its health advisers throwing their weight behind the policy. In a review commissioned by the government, published last year, Public Health England found that drink was the biggest killer of people aged between 15 and 49 in England, accounted for 167,000 years of lost productivity each year and was a factor in more than 200 illnesses.

The coalition government pledged in March 2012 to bring in minimum pricing but made a U-turn in July 2013 after intense lobbying by the alcohol industry.

The Scotch Whisky Association has challenged the Scottish legislation, arguing it is in breach of EU law because it restricts free trade and is anti-competitive. The supreme court is expected to give its judgment within the next few weeks, in the latest stage of the long-running legal battle.

A government spokesman said: “Minimum unit pricing in England and Wales remains under review pending the outcome of the legal case between the Scottish government and the Scotch Whisky Association, and any subsequent introduction in Scotland.

“The UK government will assess the legislative competence of any Welsh government legislation that is introduced, as is standard practice with all Welsh assembly bills.”

Output: The UK should introduce minimum unit alcohol pricing to reduce the physical and economic damage of alcohol abuse, according to a letter from 50 health professionals and campaigners, including the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Public Health. The letter, sent to The Guardian, claims that alcohol misuse costs the UK between £21bn ($28bn) and £52bn ($69bn) each year. On Monday, the Welsh government announced plans to follow the example of Scotland, which fixed a minimum unit price in 2012. The Scottish law has yet to be introduced due to legal challenges.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Health experts demand minimum alcohol price in UK
 We unequivocally endorse the Welsh government’s adoption of a minimum unit price for alcohol (Wales reveals plan for minimum alcohol price, 23 October).

Minimum unit pricing is a highly effective tool to reduce the number of deaths related to alcohol, crime and workplace absence. The Welsh government continues to demonstrate its firm commitment to tackle the problem of cheap alcohol and the devastating effect this has on our communities, especially its most vulnerable members.

This decisive action will not impact prices in pubs or bars but target pocket-money-priced alcohol. It is simply unacceptable that three litres of white cider, containing the equivalent alcohol of 22 shots of vodka, can be bought for just £3.49.

With alcohol misuse costing £21bn-£52bn per year, the UK government must now follow Wales and Scotland by implementing a policy that will save lives, relieve pressure on our NHS and fulfil its commitment to even out life chances.

Prof Sir Ian Gilmore Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance UK

Dr Andrew Yeoman National clinical lead, Wales Liver Disease Delivery Plan

Dr Sarah Wollaston MP

Liam Byrne MP

Fiona Bruce MP Chair of the APPG on Alcohol Harm

Clive Brooke Labour, House of Lords

Ilora Finlay Crossbench, House of Lords

Katherine Brown Chief executive, Institute of Alcohol Studies

Dr Richard Piper Chief executive of Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern

Prof Jonathan Shepherd Director, Violence Research Group

Dr Andrew Furber President, Association of Directors of Public Health

Rob Poole Professor of social psychiatry, Centre for Mental Health and Society, Bangor University

Dr Adrian Boyle Consultant emergency physician, Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust

Dr Kieran Moriarty British Society of Gastroenterology

Dr Peter Rice Chair, steering group, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems

Prof Roger Williams Foundation for Liver Research

Prof Nick Sheron Head of clinical hepatology, University of Southampton

Alison Douglas Chief executive, Alcohol Focus Scotland

Dr Eric Carlin Director, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems

Prof Paul Lincoln CEO, UK Health Forum

Dr Ranjini Rao Consultant psychiatrist in addictions, and chair of addictions faculty in Wales, Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych)

Prof Parveen Kumar Chair, board of science, British Medical Association

Dr Gerry Lynch Consultant psychiatrist, chair of RCPsych in Northern Ireland and vice-president of RCPsych

Richard Gardner Chief executive, British Society of Gastroenterology

Prof Matthew Cramp President, British Association for the Study of the Liver

Shirley Cramer Chief executive, Royal Society for Public Health

Dr Linda Bauld Deputy director, UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies

Prof John Middleton President, UK Faculty of Public Health

Catherine Robinson Professor of social policy research, Centre for Mental Health and Society, Bangor University

Prof Jennifer Mindell Chair, Health Improvement Committee, UK Faculty of Public Health

Dr Ewan Forrest Consultant hepatologist and honorary clinical associate professor, Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Judi Rhys Chief executive, British Liver Trust

Dr Linda Harris Lead for substance misuse, Royal College of General Practitioners

Dr Dominique Florin Medical director, Medical Council on Alcohol

Dr Zul Mirza Consultant in Emergency Medicine

Helen Donovan Royal College of Nursing

Prof Keith Lloyd Chair of RCPsych in Wales and vice-president of RCPsych

Dr Helen Toal Consultant psychiatrist, and chair of addictions faculty, RCPsych in Northern Ireland

John Jolly Chief executive, Blenheim

Dr Clementine Maddock Consultant psychiatrist

Dr Ahmed Khan Chair of the RCPsych in Scotland Addictions Faculty

Professor Robin Touquet Emeritus professor of emergency medicine, Imperial College London and St Mary’s hospital, Paddington

Nigel Bongard Trustee of Alcohelp

Terry Martin Trustee of Alcohelp

Dr Chris Record Consultant hepatologist

Dr John Crichton Chair of RCPsych in Scotland and vice-president of RCPsych

Dr Bruce Ritson

Prof Frank Murray Consultant gastroenterologist

Diane Goslar Patient representative, Royal College of Psychiatrists

Professor Woody Caan Faculty of Public Health alcohol special interest group

Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

Output: The UK should introduce minimum unit alcohol pricing to reduce the physical and economic damage of alcohol abuse, according to a letter from 50 health professionals and campaigners, including the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Public Health. The letter, sent to The Guardian, claims that alcohol misuse costs the UK between £21bn ($28bn) and £52bn ($69bn) each year. On Monday, the Welsh government announced plans to follow the example of Scotland, which fixed a minimum unit price in 2012. The Scottish law has yet to be introduced due to legal challenges.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Catholic Church considers contactless payments for donations
 The Catholic Church in London is considering contactless collections to make donations easier.

The move is one of a number of possible options to help parishioners and visitors in an increasingly "cashless society", officials said.

Several Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Westminster have already taken up the chance to allow parishioners to donate via text message on their mobile phone.

All parishes have been offered a code to allow them to do this, and the diocese said a few had already begun using this technology.

Output: Catholic parishioners in London may be able to use contactless payments to make donations, according to the diocese of Westminster. It said it was one of several options being considered to help both churchgoers and visitors in the city, who wished to support the church. The diocese said all parishes have been offered a code to enable the payments and a few have already begun to do so.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Daimler shows off E-Fuso Vision One prototype EV truck
 At the Tokyo Motor Show today, Daimler’s Mitsubishi Fuso Truck division launched a new product brand entirely dedicated to electric trucks & buses.

As part of this new brand, the company unveiled a new all-electric heavy-duty concept truck at the show.

The new concept vehicle is called the E-FUSO Vision ONE.

Fuso says that it’s a Class 8 truck that has a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 23.26 tons and a payload of 11.11 tons, which is only 1.8 tons less than its diesel counterpart, and a range of up to 220 miles (350 km) with a single charge.

The truck maker claims that the range is enabled by a 300 kWh battery pack.

Daimler already released a smaller all-electric truck called the FUSO eCanter, which is meant for urban routes with a range of only 100 kilometers (62 miles) and a load capacity up to three and a half tons.

The E-FUSO Vision ONE would instead aim at enabling longer routes with bigger loads:

“The E-FUSO Vision One represents FUSO’s view on the near future of electric trucks, extending the usage beyond the urban city limits. This prototype illustrates the possibilities of extending the current usage of all-electric trucks from the inter-urban centers to highways. The technology addresses medium-duty today and is developing for tomorrow’s longer-haul semi, class 8 trucks.”

Electrek’s Take

That’s an interesting move emphasizing Daimler’s commitment to electric trucks, which is especially important considering it is the biggest truck maker in the world across all its brands.

It’s not clear if they have a working prototype of the new Class 8. Daimler was offering test drives with the eCanter, but not the Vision ONE.

But that’s not even the most important missing piece of the puzzle. We know that Daimler can make an electric truck powertrain, but trucks are all about the economics.

It would have been nice to have some details on that front in order to estimate the cost per mile of operation, which is by far the most important thing for fleet operators and independent drivers.

Cummins, VW, and several others have also been developing electric trucks. Tesla was first supposed to unveil its own electric truck, Tesla Semi, this week, but it has been pushed to next month. It’s not clear which one is closest to production, but it would be interesting start seeing some real numbers.

Some analysts suggest that electric trucks could be 70% cheaper to operate than diesel-powered trucks.

Output: Motor manufacturer Daimler has demonstrated the protype of its first heavy-duty electric truck, which it is developing under its Fuso brand. The E-Fuso Vision One can carry 11 tons of cargo, has a range of 220 miles, and could be on the market in Europe, Japan and the US within four years. The announcement comes just weeks before electric vehicle specialist Tesla is planning to launch its own new truck, and the timing by Daimler is being seen as a sign of increased rivalry between the companies.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Amazon Key will let couriers into your home – under surveillance
 Twelve years ago, Amazon launched Prime, a subscription service that entitled members to free two-day shipping in the United States. Since then, it has added a number of options to make delivery faster and more convenient. Prime customers can get same-day delivery, and drop off with an hour or two on some items. Of course, customers aren’t always home to receive their packages. So Amazon started putting lockers in nearby convenience stores and building lobbies. It even showed off drones that could drop the package right into your backyard. Today it’s taking the obvious next step and introducing a service that will allow Amazon couriers to open your front door and put your package safely inside your home.

The service is called Amazon Key, and it relies on a Amazon’s new Cloud Cam and compatible smart lock. The camera is the hub, connected to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. The camera talks to the lock over Zigbee, a wireless protocol utilized by many smart home devices.

When a courier arrives with a package for in-home delivery, they scan the barcode, sending a request to Amazon’s cloud. If everything checks out, the cloud grants permission by sending a message back to the camera, which starts recording. The courier then gets a prompt on their app, swipes the screen, and voilà, your door unlocks. They drop off the package, relock the door with another swipe, and are on their way. The customer will get a notification that their delivery has arrived, along with a short video showing the drop-off to confirm everything was done properly.

The Amazon Cloud Cam and compatible locks Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

The system works with locks from Yale and Kwikset, two well-known brands. But the other piece, the connected camera, is made by Amazon, and that’s a really big deal. Amazon is pushing even further into the smart home space, a market it’s made big strides in, thanks to the huge popularity of its Alexa devices. Amazon’s Cloud Cam is a central piece of its Key service, but it’s also just a straightforward home security camera, one that can respond to voice commands and integrates with other Alexa devices. Amazon is planning to sell them in bundles and offer a subscription service for customers who want video archives and advanced home monitoring, putting the product in direct competition with Alphabet’s Nest brand and others in the smart home space, like Ring and Logitech.

Prime customers can preorder the camera today. The Key app and actual delivery service will become available November 8th.

Will Prime customers trust Amazon with entry privileges?

All this raises a big question, however: will Prime customers trust Amazon to monitor their homes around the clock, and to know when it’s okay to unlock their doors for a stranger? And will the benefit of having your packages delivered quickly and securely outweigh any concerns about privacy and security customers might have?

For $249.99, Amazon will sell you a bundle that includes a smart lock, the connected camera, and free installation. Once you have the system in place, in-home delivery will begin to appear as an option every time you order something on Amazon. There is no additional charge, and Amazon says the in-home delivery will be available on over 10 million items (anything that isn’t too big and bulky). The one caveat is that, for now, Amazon only trusts its own delivery team to handle this work. So Amazon Key is only available in 37 cities across the US where Amazon Logistics handles the drop-off. But the company says it hopes to expand the service more widely in the future. It will be interesting to see if it eventually allows third-party delivery companies to handle this sensitive process.

Cloud Cam streaming on an Echo Show Photo: Amazon

Amazon knows that it’s asking a lot of consumers with its new Key service. You have to really trust a company to let it record what’s going on inside your home at all times, and even more to unlock your door for strangers. So it tries to make sure the process is minimally invasive and totally transparent. Customers will get a notification the morning of a delivery, with a window of time when they should expect Amazon to arrive. They will get another notification when the delivery van shows up. That means you can start watching a live stream of the delivery on your camera if you want to keep an eye on things.

Even if you choose in-home delivery, couriers are instructed to ring the bell or knock on the door first. That’s meant to let people inside know someone is entering, and also give the delivery person a chance to check for potential hazards like angry dogs. Couriers are instructed to open the door as little as possible, slide the packages in, and not enter the home if possible.

While Amazon isn’t going to allow any third-party delivery services to get inside your house with Key (at least not at launch), the company is hoping that you’ll use Key when ordering stuff like dog walking or kitchen cleaning from its Amazon Home Services division. In the coming months, it says Key will be integrated with over 1,200 service providers across 60 professions. You’ll log on to the website or app of a service like Rover.com or Merry Maids, and there will be a button offering the option for in-home service through Amazon Key.

Amazon’s Cloud Cam and a compatible smart lock are essential ingredients for in-home delivery. But the company is hoping you’ll use these devices for other things as well. The Key app is designed to make it simple for you to grant access to trusted friends and family. You can give permanent access, a one-time pass with a time limit, or recurring access that works on certain days and at certain times. You can grant access through the app or send permissions via a simple SMS message.

Individual Cloud Cams cost $120, but Amazon says it will be much cheaper if you buy them in bulk. Its forthcoming subscription service will allow you to archive and review footage and activate high-end features like motion detection, people detection, and zone monitoring. It’s integrated with Alexa, so if you were down in the basement, you could ask Alexa to show you who’s at the front door. For now, it’s billed as an indoor security camera, and won’t work if left outside in the rain.

While Amazon’s foray into smartphones flopped, it staged a coup with the introduction of Alexa, vaulting to the front of the pack when it comes to smart home gadgets. Alexa was the star of the show at CES for the past two years, finding its way into a wide range of products. Amazon has been aggressively pushing out more Alexa devices this year, everything from wardrobe assistants to alarm clocks. The Amazon Look is probably its most daring product; a camera that’s meant to live in your closet and watch you change clothes requires a very high level of trust. But so far, Amazon has limited access to this device, which is still available for purchase by invitation only.

That makes Amazon Key a crucial stepping stone in Amazon’s quest to manage your home life and integrate itself into your daily routine. Prime customers, of which there are now an estimated 85 million, may sign up for the service because they’re interested in the convenience and security of having their deliveries left inside their homes. But in the process, they would be positioning Amazon to know a lot more about their lives and habits, like when they leave the house in the morning, how often they go on vacation, and when they get back from work at night.

Output: Amazon is launching delivery service Amazon Key. Using a technology bundle featuring the company's new wireless Cloud Cam and a smart lock provided by Kwikset or Yale, customers can have orders not just delivered to their doors, but placed inside their homes, as couriers use the technology to enter properties, with their movements recorded by means of the camera. Amazon said only its own staff will be trusted to make these deliveries and the service will initially only be available in the 37 US cities where Amazon Logistics does home deliveries. Amazon Key retails for $249.99.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
P2P parking space platform AirGarage wins Phoenix hackathon
 Dive Brief:

AirGarage, a marketplace that links homeowners or commercial properties that have unused parking spaces with drivers looking for a parking spot, won the third Phoenix Smart City Hack competition, according to Phoenix Business Journal.

The startup was launched by two Arizona State University students who were awarded with $3,000 and a trip to Barcelona to represent Arizona in the international Smart City Hack competition.

Six other startups joined AirGarage in the finals. IoT Supercomputer, a platform capable of harnessing idle CPUs across the internet to turn idle computers into supercomputers, took second place. Life 365, a kit distribution service that connects hospital resources to the home, took third.

Dive Insight:

The Ideathon challenge was announced in June, calling on innovators with focuses on transportation, health, education and sustainability. Competitors had fairly large shoes to fill — the winners of the previous years' Hacks were Grand Canyon University startup Storage Together, a mobile app that connects homeowners with extra storage space to people who need it, and ParkX, a parking payment startup that began at University of Arizona and was eventually acquired by Passport Inc.

As evidenced by the three winners of this competition, events like Smart City Hack give students the opportunity to showcase ideas in a high-profile setting where opportunities for engagement are higher than they would be elsewhere. ParkX, for instance, began as a four-person operation called Park Genius, only to be successfully acquired and expanded to 2,000 locations thanks to the Hack exposure. It is likely that following this year's competition, AirGarage will grow in a way that two students may not have had the capacity to achieve on their own.

The objective of AirGarage — to provide affordable parking in congested areas — addresses a problem that is troubling cities nationwide, and the solution is one that falls in line with a bigger smart city trend of utilizing shared space. As demonstrated with apps like Storage Together or ride-share services, optimizing available space is becoming increasingly crucial, especially in the wake of growing populations.

Output: Two Arizona State University students have won this year's annual Phoenix Smart City Hack competition with their online platform AirGarage. It connects people who have spare parking spaces with drivers seeking a spot. AirGarage collected a $3,000 prize, and will go on to represent Arizona in the international Smart City Hack competition in Barcelona next month.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
'Of course it's a bubble': Ethereum co-founder
 For Wall Street analysts and investors trying to figure out whether cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether are destined to deflate, Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin has an answer for you: yes.

But just because a bubble pops doesn’t mean it’s the end, he says. It actually might be better for the technology’s long-term growth.

Advertisement

“Of course it’s a bubble. Hopefully it’s one in a series of increasingly larger bubbles,” Lubin said at an event hosted by Quartz and Retro Report yesterday (Oct. 24) launching their What Happens Next series. “These bubbles bring attention, they bring value into the ecosystem. That value is recognized by software developers and business developers, and they create fundamental value and projects that grow the new architecture.”

Lubin says that a Gartner analyst recently pegged Ethereum’s developer base at 30 times larger than IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric, a competitor in the blockchain space that enjoys all the benefits of having the support of a legacy computing company that has already won the trust of business.

Ether’s price hovers just below $300 at time of press, but in recent months has been struggling to recover to its all-time high of $414. Ether serves as a currency which users of Ethereum pay to keep their programs on the service’s decentralized computing service. A lower price means less bang for each ether.

Speaking to the volatility of cryptocurrencies, Lubin says that it’s just a matter of fewer people using them compared to traditional currency systems, and that it’s an addressable problem.

Advertisement

“As they get a larger and larger monetary base, I think the volatility will decrease significantly. There are many state-issued currencies on this planet that are as volatile or more volatile than bitcoin or ether,” he said.

Analysts from Credit-Suisse have noted that bitcoin is 11 times more volatile than the post-Brexit exchange rate between the British pound and US dollar, and three times more volatile than the price of oil.

Output: Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin has confirmed that cryptocurrencies are a "bubble", but said that he hopes it is "one in a series of larger bubbles" that could be good for long-term growth. The bubble effect attracts interest and increases the Ethereum ecosystem's value, said Lubin. He made assurances that the volatility in cryptocurrency value would decrease as the monetary base increases, stating that many fiat currencies have suffered worse than ether.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Autonomous vehicles could cut insurance premiums: UK minister
 John Hayes, transport minister in England, highlighted the potential savings for owners of driverless cars in a parliamentary session in which proposed new legislation to encourage growth in the development and commercialisation of driverless cars was discussed by MPs. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill was introduced before the UK parliament last week.

"My guess is that initially, as the marketplace develops and new products emerge, prices will be much as they are now; but that as the record becomes established and insurers’ calculations about the likelihood of claims are affected by the greater safety provided by autonomous vehicles, prices may well fall," Hayes said.

The minister qualified his comments by stating that the pricing of motor insurance policies for driverless cars would be "a matter for insurers" and was "not something that the government can stipulate, dictate or even, with any certainty, predict".

However, Hayes referred to comments made by David Williams, chief commercial underwriter at AXA who has predicted "substantially reduced premiums" in future as a result of driverless cars "making our roads safer" and reducing "the costs of claims".

Hayes said: "It seems to me that if the safety of autonomous vehicles means fewer accidents, insurers will find that out. As they do so, the ability to insure a vehicle will grow and the price of doing so will fall. That is, as I say, a matter for the future and not for now."

According to the new Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, insurers would generally be liable for damage stemming from an accident caused by an automated vehicle "when driving itself" where the vehicle is insured and "an insured person or any other person suffers damage as a result of the accident".

Where driverless cars are not insured, owners would be left liable for the damage stemming from accidents.

Insurers would be able to exclude or limit their liability for damage if insured individuals make "software alterations" that they are prohibited to make under their insurance policy, or if they do no install "safety-critical software updates" that they at least "ought reasonably to know" are "safety-critical".

Where insurers are liable to make payment for damages to those impacted by an accident, they would have a right to raise a claim against those responsible for the accident for recovery of the money they have paid out.

Hayes said insurers' rights to recover costs from "the liable party" under the Bill would apply under "common and product law".

"Automated vehicles, together with an effective insurance framework, as the government propose in the Bill, could deliver significant financial and safety benefits for road users," the minister said.

Output: As the market adjusts to autonomous vehicles, insurance premiums for auto policies could trend downwards, as greater use of autonomous technology leads to fewer accidents, according to England's transport minister John Hayes. Pricing may, however, remain flat following the initial introduction of autonomous cars as consumers and insurers adjust. The government is also not planning to get involved in determining how insurers should price coverage for self-driving cars, Hayes added.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Tech integration key to growth for oilfield services companies
 Hardware ownership has become a critical part of Schlumberger’s (NYSE: SLB) technology strategy as it expands its digital offerings, but don’t expect the world’s largest oilfield service company to start taking full ownership of rigs, floaters and other equipment.

Schlumberger CEO Paal Kibsgaard sees the E&P industry like an outdated and cluttered computer hard drive. Information is spread out and separated by artificial dividing lines, creating slowdowns and inefficiency.

Schlumberger’s goal is to upgrade hardware and software into “complete technology systems.” In projects such as its “Rig of the Future” the company is developing “streamlined and redefined end-to-end workflows,” Kibsgaard told analysts Oct. 23.

The company wants relationships with jackup providers and potentially floater providers, but its focus now is on jackups.

“We have no intention whatsoever of going back into full ownership of offshore rigs,” he said.

Kibsgaard spoke about Schlumberger’s technology efforts following the release of the company’s third-quarter 2017 earnings report that brought news of a $581 million increase in profit—a 65% improvement from a year ago—and revenue of $7.91 billion, up from $7.02 billion.

Oilfield service companies, which suffered massive profit losses and headcount reductions during the downturn, have been ramping up their offerings with an increasing focus on digital technologies as the industry reaps the benefits of improved efficiency and growth from technology advances in general. The industry’s largest service companies—Schlumberger; Baker Hughes, a GE company; Halliburton and Weatherford—have all expanded their technology offerings.

Baker Hughes released IntelliStream upstream enterprise software, which the company said: “provides analytic-driven insights and continuous learning across reservoirs, wells, networks, facilities and people, continues to gain interest in the marketplace.”

Halliburton teamed up with Microsoft in a quest to “drive digital transformation across the oil and gas industry,” making DecisionSpace 365 available on Azure for real-time data streaming and deep-learning applications.

Weatherford released this month its PressurePro control system, which was described by the company as “a fully integrated rotating control device and choke system for wellbore pressure management on land.”

Schlumberger, which also released new technology, is in pursuit of technology system integration, and Kibsgaard says hardware ownership is a critical element of its strategy.

“Today the broad and complex E&P industry workflows are still predominately enabled by discrete and fragmented products and services with the dividing lines between the various work packages defined by our customers’ contracting framework, which was established decades ago,” Kibsgaard said. “These artificial dividing lines made sense at the time of creation when technology systems were made up of a limited number of isolated hardware building blocks and the value of software and data was still nascent.”

However, “For the complexity of data’s oilfield operations and the advances made in other industries in terms of total system performance it is clear that replacing the industry’s fragmented approach with a new focus on complete technology systems holds a massive performance upside,” he added.

Kibsgaard said Schlumberger sees potential in creating hardware technology with a broader scope, a smaller footprint and fewer interfaces. He added the company believes the next step-change for the industry will come in the form of complete technology systems that integrate software and hardware components—an example being the Rig of the Future. The land drilling system is a cognitive drilling rig that incorporates a software platform driven by data.

RELATED: Drilling In A Digital World

But maximizing the performance of E&P industry workflows will require leveraging the latest technological advances, Kibsgaard added. “We achieve this by making these enabling technologies an integral part of the new hardware and software technologies systems as opposed to attaching them on the outdated and fragmented technologies of yesterday. What we’re doing with DELFI, which was introduced at the SIS Global Forum, during the third quarter is an example of this.”

The DELFI cognitive E&P environment utilizes digital technologies such as security, analytics and machine learning, high-performance computing and the Internet of Things to improve operational efficiency and deliver optimized production. Schlumberger also released DrillPlan digital well construction planning solution that the company said is the first step in the DELFI cognitive E&P environment. DrillPlan enables operators and service companies to have access to all data and science needed in a single, common system.

“We have also deployed an E&P data lake on Google Cloud platform comprising more than 1,000 3-D seismic surveys, 5 million wells, 1 million well logs and 400 million production records from around the world demonstrating a step-change in systems scalability,” Kibsgaard said. “DELFI will ultimately cover all industry workflows; however, the initial focus is on drilling and well construction.”

Technology played an important role in driving revenue growth for Schlumberger for the third quarter with the production group, for instance, seeing a 15% rise in revenue attributed in part to gains in the North American hydraulic fracturing market, more unconventional activity in the Middle East and new several technology deployments.

Third-quarter highlights also included Schlumberger and Borr Drilling signing an agreement earlier this month to offer integrated, performance-based drilling contracts in the offshore jackup market. Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. has a 20% ownership in Borr Drilling, which recently agreed to buy nine jackup drilling rigs from Sembcorp Marine subsidiary PPL Shipyard (PPLS) in a $1.3 billion deal.

In an earnings preview, analysts at Barclays noted Kibsgaard’s focus “is to flex technology up or down in their service offerings to align performance with how much SLB will be rewarded for it. This sentiment is clearly echoed in its recent agreement with Borr Drilling.”

The analysts added that Kibsgaard, who presented at a Barclays conference in September, is “confident that he can scale technology in either direction all while delivering incrementals and believes the issue of technology gets ‘over-emphasized.’”

Barclays added, “Kibsgaard noted this strategy aligns with SPM [Schlumberger Production Management], and E&Ps will start paying for technology again once they start experiencing stagnant results.”

Velda Addison can be reached at vaddison@hartenergy.com.

Output: Schlumberger, the world's biggest oilfield services company, is developing complete systems that  consolidate the technology used in the exploration and production industry. CEO Paal Kibsgaard said digital offerings, such as its analytics and machine learning tool Delfi, would increase efficiency, while combined software and hardware systems underpin Kibsgaard's vision of the "rig of the future". Schlumberger reported Q3 revenues of $7.91bn and a 65% uplift in profits year on year. It recently signed a deal with Borr Drilling to offer performance-based contracts to offshore jackup rigs. Other oilfield services companies, such as Halliburton, are also investing in digital technology.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Instagram allows users to add a friend into split-screen live video
 Now you can broadcast live alongside a friend on Instagram, wherever they are

Instagram has introduced a new video feature as it looks to capitalise on the ever-increasing production and consumption of video content on its app. Now, users are able go livestream at the same time as a friend in split-screen.

To go live alongside a friend, Instagrammers start broadcasting alone, before inviting a friend to stream with them through the new dual-livestream icon at the bottom of screen. Once the invitation is accepted, the screen splits in two both users stream the shared live video to their respective followers.

The guest can be removed from the shared stream at any time and replaced with another person, or they are free to exit on their own accord. As normal, live videos can be added to stories once the broadcast has ended, or discarded.

When someone is streaming live with a friend, two circles are stacked together in the Stories bar. This can be tapped to watch, and can be liked and commented on just like any other live video.

Join us at the 2017 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards Ceremony, taking place in London on Thursday 16 November, to mix with the industry's best and brightest, and raise a glass to the year's best campaigns and solutions. To find out more, and to book your place, click here.

Output: Social media site Instagram is aiming to capitalise on the growing popularity of video by unveiling a tool allowing users to stream live video with a friend using a split-screen option. Users broadcasting video can invite another person to join them by clicking the dual-livestream icon, while others are notified of the dualstream by an icon featuring two stacked circles in the Stories bar. Completed videos can also be posted to Stories.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Fully virtual clinical trial performed by Science 37
 Los Angeles-based research company Science 37 announced the completion of a clinical study for AOBiome Therapeutics conducted entirely through a smartphone app.

The Phase 2b study ran on the back of Science 37’s mobile Network Oriented Research Assistant (NORA) platform, which allows for real-time video chat, customized self-photography models, data collection, and electronic consent. Science 37 Cofounder and CEO Dr. Noah Craft said that this study marks the first time an interventional, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of this kind has been conducted completely in the virtual space.

“Over the last three years we have had great success using our ‘Metasite’ approach to complete portions of larger trials; this is the first time we have run an entire trial virtually from start to finish,” Craft, who was also the study’s principal investigator, said in a statement. “With this technology, we were able to accelerate enrollment, capture on-the-ground results as they occurred, and ensure a greater diversity of participants in this truly patient-centered study.”

Through the platform, researchers screened more than 8,000 people and enrolled 372 participants within seven months to participate in the study of AOBiome’s acne treatment. Science 37 said this is approximately half the time that would have been necessary with a standard enrollment, and also noted the increased recruitment of non-white participants compared to most studies.

“We originally estimated that the Phase 2b acne study would take significantly longer, requiring numerous clinical sites to complete,” AOBiome President Todd Krueger said in a statement. “We are proud to have innovated the study design with the Science 37 team. This is truly an industry-first and we are excited about the results of the partnership.”

Enrolled participants were loaned an iPhone and data plan, and self-administered the spray-based intervention twice a day over 12 weeks with an additional four weeks of follow-up. With their devices, participants were able to connect with investigators 24-7 without having to visit any particular study site. In their own statement, AOBiome announced positive safety and efficacy findings based on the data collected through NORA.

"The completion of the AOBiome study is a great demonstration of efficacy and the ability to scale and run entire trials remotely through Science 37's Metasite model without the need for brick-and-mortar facilities,” Craft told MobiHealthNews. “We believe that at least half of trials today can be done [virtually] with the right expertise and logistics behind them."

Currently, Science 37’s model is also being implemented in trials investigating headache, liver disease, cancer, and diabetes. Earlier this year, the company raised an additional $29 million after receiving an even greater amount in its previous round last year. It currently reports approximately $67 million in total funding.

Output: An acne clinical trial has become the first in the world to be conducted entirely through a smartphone app. AOBiome Therapeutics ran the 16-week, randomised, placebo-controlled study using Science 37’s mobile Network Oriented Research Assistant (NORA) platform. As well as halving the enrolment period, the virtual study also saw more non-white participants involved than traditionally managed trials. Science 37's NORA model is seeing use in trials exploring cancer, diabetes, liver disease and headaches.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Jiangte Motor to take AUD20m stake in lithium miner
 The funding from Jiangte Special Electric Motor Co, which comprises $20 million in equity and $5 million in debt, means Tawana is now all set to begin production next quarter.

The equity was priced at 35c per share, a 5.4% premium to Tawana’s recent trading levels.

Tawana also said it had renegotiated a lower repayment rate for the repayment of a $12.5 million pre-payment by offtaker Burwill Commodity – from 20% per shipment to 15% - the result of which means increased cashflow will be heading Tawana’s way.

Burwill has a downstream lithium joint venture with Jiangte, with the Chinese company described as a “veteran special electric motor manufacturing company … (that) has been actively participating in the development of the new energy - lithium battery industry in recent years”.

Jiangte owns Weier Antriebe und Energietechnik, a German company said to be an electric motor specialist formed in 1945.

Tawana owns 50% of Bald Hill, with its interest being earnt from Singapore listed Alliance Mineral Assets in return for funding development of the venture – with processing infrastructure previously established at Bald Hill for a tantalum mining venture.

Tawana and Alliance executed offtake agreement in April for the supply of lithium concentrate over a five-year term with pricing for 2018 and 2019 of US$880/t (FOB Esperance) for 6% Li2O.

Bald Hill is 50km south east of Kambalda.

Shares in Tawana were up 8% to 39c in midday trade, capitalising the company at $172 million.

The stock is up about 1800% from 18 months ago.

Output: A unit of Jiangte Motor plans to buy 57 million shares in Australia-listed lithium miner, Tawana, for AUD20m ($15m) as it seeks to ensure lithium concentrate supply for a company in which it owns 50%. Jiangte will own 11.45% of Tawana after the transaction.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Homelyfe closes $2.4m seed funding round
 InsurTech startup Homelyfe has raised £2.4m in a Seed round led by Tallis Capital and Peterson Ventures.

Homelyfe will use the money to continue developing its proprietary technology and to grow its team.

“Our vision for Homelyfe is to build an insurance solution around the needs of the modern consumer,” said CEO and co-founder of Homelyfe, Peter Goodman.

“The insurance industry has seriously fallen down on customer centricity, not interacting with people on the technology they want to use, or with the solutions they expect and not being wholly transparent around pricing. Homelyfe is giving the insurance industry a much-needed update; making insurance simpler to help consumers get the right policy, at the right price, 24/7,” he added.

Homelyfe was co-founded by Goodman and Andrew Craven, serial entrepreneurs who previously set up Brighten Option, now Social.com, which sold to Buddy Media and then Salesforce in 2012.

They launched Homelyfe to enable consumers to do everything from getting insurance quotes and purchasing, to managing and renewing multiple policies and initiating a claim using the smartphone app.

Vasile Foca, managing partner of Talis Capital, said: “At Talis, we believe in combining cutting edge technology with conventional business, and Homelyfe’s modern and consumer-centric approach to insurance fits perfectly with that ideal.”

“InsurTech is an area we continue to monitor closely, especially as it’s a sector experiencing monumental shifts in technology. Peter and his team have built an extremely scalable solution, and we’re delighted to back a company that promises to change the attitudes and experience of the insurance industry.”

Randall Lloyd, of Peterson Ventures, concluded: “When we invest, we’re on the lookout for outstanding entrepreneurs to back. The Homelyfe team has an impressive track record that is supported by a compelling business idea, which addresses a notable gap in a market that is ripe for disruption and improvement.”

Check out our UK tech investment tracker for the latest industry deals.

Output: Homelyfe, an insurtech firm offering homebuyers policies which protect against gazumping, has closed a funding round having raised $2.4m in seed capital. Tallis Capital and Peterson Ventures led the round. The firm is planning on using the funding to further develop its technology. The firm's online service allows consumers to both find and purchase policies while also serving as a management tool for customers with multiple policies relating to their home.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
World first as woman receives 3D-printed jaw
 Oct 24, 2017 | By Julia

A woman from Swansea in Wales has become the first person in the world to be fitted with a 3D printed jaw.

Retail worker Debbie Hawkins had developed a tumour in her lower jawbone that was growing at an alarmingly fast rate, to the point of nearly breaking the bone. After a lengthy consultation process at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital, it became clear that conventional techniques wouldn’t cut it. A more innovative approach was needed.

Putting together all the resources they could muster, the Hospital’s surgical team developed an ingenious method of reconstructing Hawkins’ jaw via 3D printing—the first of its kind in the world.

Using 3D scanning technology to plan the operation in precise detail, doctors set to work rebuilding Hawkins’ jaw bone through a combination of traditional bone grafts and 3D printed titanium plates customized to fit the Swansea patient’s individual anatomy.

“When they told me what the procedure involved I was scared at first,” Hawkins told press. “I really didn't know what to expect. But what they have done, and the aftercare I have received, has been absolutely amazing.”

After spending two weeks in the hospital after the operation, Hawkins was sent home. She was then able to return to work within three months.

Said to be the first of its kind ever performed, the Morriston Hospital technique is a vast improvement over traditional methods, which involve removing a length of fibula from the patient’s leg in order to replace sections of jaw. Despite its widespread use, this traditional method can comprise the shape of the patient’s jaw line, resulting in the jaw being set too low to accommodate dental implants.

Morriston’s technique, on the other hand, used Hawkins’ CT images to engineer an anatomically precise 3D printed titanium plate which holds the fibula bone in place, maintaining the natural aesthetic shape of the jawline. Cutting guides created by the team ensured that the bone taken from the fibula matched the removed jaw section exactly.

According to Peter Llewelyn Evans, Maxillofacial Laboratory Services manager at Morriston Hospital, "The titanium implant fits the patient's jaw perfectly without the surgeon having to do any adjustment."

The technique proved so effective that the Hospital team has since adopted it into its roster of treatments. Hawkins’ consultant surgeon Madhav Kittur noted that five procedures have already been carried out at Morriston, with a sixth currently in the planning stage.

“It has taken away the uncertainty,” Kittur added. “We know exactly what is going to happen before we go into theater as everything is computer planned.”

Efficiency is among the many benefits of the new procedure: where the traditional operation would take between eight and 10 hours, Morriston’s new technique saves up to two hours of that time. “This is a big advance,” said Kittur. “It’s better aesthetically, the patient is under anaesthetic for less time, and recovery is better.”

Hawkins agrees. "Now and again I do have a few problems with my speech because I'm having to make certain jaw movements," she added. "But I'm feeling much better. I get my odd days but otherwise I'm getting stronger all the time."

Previous 3D printed jaw procedures have involved making prostheses from 3D printed molds. Hawkins is the first patient to have actual 3D printed parts fitted to her face.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:

Adam wrote at 10/24/2017 8:14:39 PM:I think Xilloc has been 3d printing HA scaffolds for a few years now and could also have been used here. It's hard to replace such a large chunk of bone, maybe she wasn't a good candidate. The traditional approach may still fare better over time, even if the initial results were better.

Output: Surgeons at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in Wales have used 3D printing to reconstruct a cancer patient's jaw, in a first-of-its-kind procedure. Using detailed CT scans of the patient's face, anatomically precise, 3D-printed titanium plates held a piece of fibula in place to create a replacement jaw, with no adjustments required. The technique, which takes two hours less than the traditional surgery to complete and resulted in improved patient recovery, has proved so successful it was subsequently carried out a further five times, with a sixth operation being planned.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Bank of America submits data transfer blockchain patent
 Stay up to date with news and updates on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and all the cryptocurrencies with us.

Output: Bank of America has filed the latest in a series of patents covering blockchain technology, focusing on a solution which aims to improve the management and processing of large quantities of data. The US's second-biggest bank has been filing patents for blockchain and cryptocurrency technology since 2014, alongside rivals such as JPMorgan, which is looking to blockchain to help speed up dollar transactions.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Russia, Angola pass Saudi Arabia as China's biggest oil suppliers
 Russia continues to pull ahead of its oil rivals including Saudi Arabia in China, the world’s biggest energy user.

The Asian nation’s imports of Russian crude jumped 61 per cent to a record 6.35 million tonnes in September from a year earlier, according to general administration of customs data. That helped Russia retain the top spot for the seventh straight month. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, supplied about 10 per cent more at 4.28 million tonnes, while retreating to the third-biggest. Angola was the second-biggest seller.

Russia is on a path to become the top supplier for the full year again, after last year surpassing the kingdom that has been a dominant supplier for years. Russian shipments during the first nine months were 45 million tonnes, the biggest volume among suppliers, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Angola shipped 39.9 million tonnes and Saudi 38.5 million tonnes.

______________

Read more:

Seen from space, Chinese oil demand grows

Rosneft moves into Kurdistan with oil deal for five blocks

______________

Russia is dominating amid heightened competition for major markets including China and India as Opec and other producers such as Russia implement output cuts to clear a glut and lift oil prices. The nations that are part of the deal will meet on November 30 in Vienna to discuss prolonging the curbs beyond March.

The Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that compliance with a global output cut deal in the past nine months had been 102 per cent.

He said compliance by Opec countries had been 100 per cent and compliance by non-Opec countries 106 percent.

Speaking at a business forum in Moscow, Mr Novak said it was too early, however, to take a decision on whether the output deal should be extended beyond the end of March.

Output: Russia is still ahead of oil rivals such as Saudi Arabia as the biggest supplier of crude oil to China, with imports surging 61% year on year to 6.35 million tonnes in September. Angola now the second largest seller, followed by Saudi Arabia. Russia is now set to be China's primary supplier for 2017 as well as last year, following years of Saudi Arabia being the main supplier.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Adelphi buys autonomous vehicle technology firm Nutonomy for $450m
 Delphi, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, is acquiring Boston-based self-driving car startup NuTonomy for an upfront purchase price of $400 million as well as $50 million in earn-outs, the companies announced today.

Delphi isn’t as well-known in the self-driving space as its much bigger rivals Uber, Waymo, and Tesla. A GM spinoff now based in the UK, the company has been showing off its autonomous technology for over three years, mostly in Pittsburgh and Singapore. And NuTonomy, which spun out of MIT in 2013, has also been operating autonomous taxis in Singapore since 2016, and recently received permission to test its self-driving vehicles in Boston.

The acquisition is the latest in a series of big-dollar deals in the automated driving sector, as huge automakers and suppliers funnel millions of dollars into tiny startups with the goal of being first to deploy fully self-driving cars. NuTonomy CEO Karl Iagnemma said today’s deal puts his company and Delphi on the path to winning that race.

“We have, between us, really outstanding technical expertise.”

“We have, between us, really outstanding technical expertise — on the scientific side, on the algorithmic side,” he said during a conference call with reporters today. “We have now deep and long-standing expertise on the automotive engineering side. And we have conduits, pathways, to selling it to all the various businesses that autonomous driving can impact, through traditional OEM channels, and through mobility services.

Iagnemma added, “So I feel great about the fact that this acquisition puts the combined team in the pole position to be one of the winners in the global automated driving race.”

Glen De Vos, chief technology officer at Delphi, said the acquisition will help speed the company’s efforts to bring a fully self-driving car to market — even if that vehicle isn’t one for personal ownership. “The market for consumer vehicles is going to be slow-moving, and that’s going to take some time for the cars you and I buy, that we drive,” he said. “There’s no question that in commercial sector, that automated mobility on demand, logistics on demand, commercial services, transportation services — this is an area where automated driving has really accelerated.”

“The market for consumer vehicles is going to be slow-moving.”

As part of the deal, NuTonomy will combine more than 100 employees, including 70 engineers and scientists, to Delphi's more than 100-member automated driving team. After the transaction is completed, Delphi will have self-driving operations in Boston, Pittsburgh, Singapore, Santa Monica, and Silicon Valley; NuTonomy will continue to be based in Boston, where both companies currently operate pilot programs. By combining efforts with NuTonomy in Boston, Singapore, and other pilot cities around the world, Delphi will have 60 autonomous cars on the road across three continents by years end.

Output: Car parts maker Delphi has bought autonomous vehicle technology company Nutonomy for $450m. Delphi's chief technology officer, Glen De Vos, said the acquisition of the Boston-based outfit was part of the automotive supplier's plan to lead the race in developing autonomous vehicles, although he said that they were unlikely to be for personal use. “The market for consumer vehicles is going to be slow-moving, and that’s going to take some time for the cars you and I buy,” De Vos said. Delphi is based in the UK; however, the Nutonomy team will stay in Boston.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Motor insurtech introduces insurability metric
 Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io Stock quotes supplied by BarchartQuotes delayed at least 20 minutes.By accessing this page, you agree to the following Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions

Output: The Zebra, an insurtech firm focusing on auto insurance, has introduced a metric allowing customers to see how insurable they are. The firm's Insurability Score tells consumers what is impacting their individual risk and how they can take steps to alter this. The company will use its own technology to analyse clients individually. According to a survey conducted by The Zebra, more than a third of customers believe there is nothing they can do to lower insurance rates.