Problemi di comunicazione e di circolazione

Mi riferisco, nello specifico, ai nuovi orientamenti sul trasporto urbano i quali attengono l’uso intensivo del veicolo “ibrido”, sia se dotato di un diesel a bassissima emissione di gas o a batterie, per consentire la trazione elettrica, oppure con motore ad idrogeno, con scarichi di vapore acqueo. Questi criteri sono di per sé validi. Resta, tuttavia, la mancanza di spazi per muoversi congiunto ai problemi di sicurezza, se pensiamo al modo come sia possibile manipolare un gas così insidioso qual è l’idrogeno. Attualmente i trasporti urbani di numerose città italiane ed europee utilizzano il biodiesel.
Esso è un prodotto ottenuto dalla esterificazione di oli vegetali (colza, soia, girasole) e i loro derivati con alcoli inferiori (ad esempio alcol metilico). Costa quasi il doppio del gasolio, ma non contiene zolfo e quindi bruciando non emette anidride solforosa. Ma tutto sommato si è rivelato ben poca cosa per ridurre l’inquinamento atmosferico delle grandi città. (redazionale)

Teatro: Il motore di Roselena con Gea Martire

Roma 15 – 26 gennaio 2020 Via del Teatro Marcello, 4 Orari spettacolo: dal martedì al venerdì ore 21.00. Sabato doppia replica ore 17,00 e ore 21,00. Domenica ore 17.00. Costo biglietti: platea 25 euro, prima galleria 20 euro, seconda galleria 18 euro sarà in scena IL MOTORE DI ROSELENA, da un’idea di Gea Martire, drammaturgia di Antonio Pascale e Gea Martire. Protagonista una travolgente Gea Martire, diretta da Nadia Baldi. I costumi sono di Carlo Poggioli.
Storia in forma monologata dell’emancipazione di Roselena, nata e cresciuta dietro al Vesuvio. Il tono è tragicomico, come lei. Roselena è infiammata da una grande passione per le macchine. Una donna! C’è chi si sogna in abito da sposa, chi in tailleur manageriale, lei in tuta da pilota. L’importante nella vita è avere un motore e lei ce l’ha in testa come un chiodo fisso. Fin da piccola. Con molta meraviglia la madre si rende conto che il rumore dei motori delle macchine l’acquieta come nessuna ninna nanna e la mette di buon umore. Crescendo, il suo linguaggio dialettale, spesso sgrammaticato, colorito e poco forbito, diventa adeguato, calzante, perfetto se si ritrova a parlare di motori, carburatori, testate, pistoni, aerodinamicità. Le reazioni di chi la conosce passano dallo stupore alla perplessità allo scherno. Perché le persone intorno a lei sono fossi pieni d’acqua dentro i quali il suo motore si affoga. La bloccano, la mandano in avarìa. Ma Roselena sa aggiustare i motori scassati e truccarli a dovere, e ogni volta mette insieme i pezzi e riparte. Riuscirà ad arrivare alla meta e battere ogni record? O prenderà altre direzioni, condotta da quella macchina che tutti chiamano destino e che procede ignorando i nostri comandi? In ogni caso Roselena avrà vinto perché ha sfidato, combattuto e, di sicuro, non si è annoiata. Durata 1 ora e 20 minuti.

Scuola: Concorso infanzia e primaria per 17 mila maestri

Sembra imminente il bando del concorso ordinario infanzia e primaria, posti comuni e di sostegno: sul sistema telematico Polis – Istanze On Line, il ministero dell’Istruzione ha pubblicato in queste ore una schermata sulla procedura rivolta agli aspiranti docenti del primo ciclo. Per Anief bisogna bandire contemporaneamente anche un nuovo concorso riservato e confermare i ruoli di chi ha superato l’anno di prova. Marcello Pacifico, presidente nazionale Anief: “Si andranno a coprire soltanto una minima parte dei posti senza titolari, mentre per decine di migliaia di precari di lungo corso si continuerà a tenere la porta chiusa, anche a coloro che saranno licenziati dopo aver superato l’anno di prova. Si deve organizzare anche un nuovo concorso riservato perché così si danneggiano i precari della scuola dell’infanzia e della primaria due volte e senza alcuna ragione.”Secondo la rivista Orizzonte Scuola, il Miur “sta effettuando le prime prove per l’inserimento delle domande e per la loro compilazione. Si stanno anche ultimando i conteggi dei posti vacanti e disponibili per gli anni 2020/21 e 2021/22”.Manca davvero poco per l’avvio della selezione dei maestri di infanzia primaria. In base al DPCM pubblicato in Gazzetta Ufficiale, il concorso servirà all’assunzione di 16.959 docenti: 10.624 per l’anno scolastico 2020/2021; 6.335 per l’anno scolastico 2021/2022. Tuttavia i posti potrebbero subire una leggera flessione in considerazione della proroga di un ulteriore anno delle graduatorie del concorso 2016. In ogni caso il concorso sarà bandito esclusivamente nelle regioni in cui, per il periodo considerato, ci saranno posti vacanti e disponibili, in modo da assicurare le assunzioni in ruolo.Il bando indicherà le date di presentazione della domanda. Gli unici titoli di accesso al concorso ordinario Infanzia e Primaria risultano la laurea in Scienze della formazione primaria oppure il diploma magistrale con valore di abilitazione e diploma sperimentale a indirizzo linguistico, conseguiti presso gli istituti magistrali, o analogo titolo di abilitazione conseguito all’estero e riconosciuto in Italia ai sensi della normativa vigente, conseguiti, comunque, entro l’anno scolastico 2001/2002. È possibile presentare un analogo titolo conseguito all’estero e riconosciuto dal Miur. Non saranno richiesti i 24 CFU in discipline antropo-psico-pedagogiche e nelle metodologie e tecnologie didattiche (richiesti solo ai laureati per l’accesso al concorso della secondaria), né requisiti di servizio di insegnamento. E potranno partecipare anche i docenti di ruolo.
Per i posti di sostegno è invece necessario essere in possesso, oltre ad uno dei titoli suddetti, del titolo di specializzazione sul sostegno per il grado specifico. Il bando specificherà la possibilità di accesso con riserva per i docenti che stanno partecipando al IV ciclo TFA sostegno: il titolo dovrà essere conseguito entro il 15 luglio 2020. Saranno ammessi con riserva coloro che, avendo conseguito all’estero i titoli di cui alle lettere a) e b) del comma 1 e di cui al comma 2, abbiano comunque presentato la relativa domanda di riconoscimento alla Direzione generale per gli ordinamenti scolastici. Il decreto scuola ha ampliato i requisiti di accesso, permettendo la partecipazione con riserva dei docenti specializzandi SOS IV ciclo TFA sostegno.

BPER Forum Monzani

Modena dall’11 gennaio al 2 febbraio via Aristotele, 33 BPER Forum Monzani porta sul palco grandi autori con i loro ultimi libri. Forum Eventi, la rassegna organizzata da BPER Banca con il patrocinio del Comune di Modena, propone cinque nuovi appuntamenti gratuiti con scrittori, giornalisti, filosofi, personaggi televisivi.
Si comincia sabato 11 gennaio alle 17.30 con il teologo Vito Mancuso che presenta il suo libro La forza di essere migliori (Garzanti). Viviamo secondo un modello di sviluppo che adora gli oggetti, non la lettura, la cultura, la partecipazione sociale e politica. Consumiamo, inquiniamo, ma così devastiamo noi stessi e il nostro pianeta. Essere migliori è diventato quindi un’urgenza, e il lavoro etico e spirituale una necessità non rimandabile. Ma come far nascere, in noi, il desiderio di praticare il bene? Riscoprendo le nostre radici che affondano nella cultura classica e nella tradizione cristiana Vito Mancuso ci accompagna in viaggio lungo il sentiero delle quattro virtù cardinali, e offre una nuova prospettiva di senso per le nostre vite in balìa dei tumultuosi venti dell’esistenza. Perché solo colui che non cerca più di vincere e di prevalere, ma recupera il senso profondo dell’essere forte, saggio e temperante, può infine essere giusto, e fiorire in armonia con il mondo.
Lunedì 13 gennaio alle 21 c’è ‘ la regola del 9 di Lorenzo Bernardi, una ricetta personale che ora è diventata il titolo del primo libro del famoso pallavolista – edito da Roi Edizioni, scritto in collaborazione con Serena Piazza – che Bernardi: Sarà presentata con la partecipazione di Julio Velasco, Livio Proli e Stefano Domenicali. Giocatore di punta di quella ‘generazione di fenomeni’ allenata da Julio Velasco che ha fatto splendere al massimo la stella del volley maschile italiano, Lorenzo Bernardi è oggi tra i migliori allenatori di pallavolo in circolazione.
Domenica 19 gennaio alle 17.30 il giornalista Gian Antonio Stella racconta la storia della disabilità, ripercorsa nel suo libro Diversi (Solferino): si tratta di una storia di orrori, crimini, errori scientifici, incubi religiosi fino alla catastrofica illusione di perfezionare l’uomo e al genocidio nazista degli «esseri inutili», attraverso le vite di uomini e donne che hanno subìto di tutto. Tra loro Stella cita Stephen Hawking, che poteva muovere solo la palpebra dell’occhio destro ma continuava a fare conferenze e rinnovò fino all’ultimo la prenotazione per un volo nello spazio. Dodicimilacinquecento anni prima il suo avo preistorico «Romito 8», paralizzato per una brutta caduta, riuscì a vivere e a essere utile agli altri grazie a ciò che gli era rimasto di intatto: i denti. Il libro racconta di vicende umane straordinarie, uomini e donne che hanno resistito meglio potevano all’odio e al disprezzo fino a riuscire piano piano a cambiare il mondo. Almeno un po’.
Domenica 26 gennaio alle 17.30 E’ “Il colibrì” (La nave di Teseo) il protagonista del nuovo romanzo di Sandro Veronesi, che l’autore presenta al Forum insieme all’amica scrittrice Teresa Ciabatti: la vita di Marco Carrera è fatta di continue sospensioni ma anche di coincidenze fatali, di perdite atroci e amori assoluti. Non precipita mai fino in fondo: il suo è un movimento incessante per rimanere fermo, saldo, e quando questo non è possibile, per trovare il punto d’arresto della caduta – perché sopravvivere non significhi vivere di meno. Intorno a lui, Veronesi costruisce altri personaggi indimenticabili, che abitano un’architettura romanzesca perfetta. Un mondo intero, in un tempo liquido che si estende dai primi anni settanta fino a un cupo futuro prossimo, quando all’improvviso splenderà il frutto della resilienza di Marco Carrera: è una bambina, si chiama Miraijin, e sarà l’uomo nuovo. Un romanzo potentissimo, che incanta e commuove, sulla forza struggente della vita.
Domenica 2 febbraio alle 18Pensieri ad alta voce diventati appunti scritti, che ora aprono i diciotto capitoli di Perché parlavo da solo (Rizzoli), il libro in cui Paolo Bonolis svela per la prima volta il suo mondo oltre lo schermo. Molto più di un’autobiografia, un diario intimo e ironico alla ricerca del senso della vita in cui il conduttore – tra i più amati – si interroga sul mondo, sulla felicità, sulla televisione, sullo stupore, sull’amore e la famiglia, sulla tecnologia che non rispetta i ritmi della biologia, sullo sport che è passione e su Roma. Riflessioni che svela nel volume e commenta per il pubblico del BPER Forum Monzani . Da sempre Bonolis, come racconta lui stesso, parla da solo per tornare sui suoi pensieri, elaborarli, rivoltarli. E’ nato così questo flusso appassionato e coinvolgente di ricordi, personaggi ed episodi, in cui l’autore sorprende i lettori con le sue domande ora poetiche ora al vetriolo: leggerezza e accettazione sono antibiotici per l’esistenza? Un amore è un dato oggettivo o un fiume di farfalle? Un libro da consegnare ai suoi figli e a tutti quelli che nel tempo l’hanno apprezzato o anche criticato.

FCNL Condemns Assassination, Urges Congress to Oppose Escalation of Deadly Conflict with Iran

In response to this week’s assassination of an Iranian military leader by the United States, Friends Committee on National Legislation’s Executive Secretary Diane Randall released the following statement:The Trump administration’s assassination of the military commander of Iran’s Quds Force is a dangerous escalation of the confrontation with Iran that will lead to more bloodshed, further destabilize Iraq, and expand conflict and instability throughout the Middle East.FCNL condemns the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and other pro-Iran militia leaders. We are opposed to all killings and condemn the killings of hundreds of Americans and other civilians by Iran’s Quds Force and their militia allies. The only way to de-escalate tensions and resolve our differences with Iran is through diplomacy.
As a Quaker organization, we hold firm to the faith that war is not the answer; neither is assassination or mass killings of innocent civilians. We believe the origin of this crisis lies with the Trump administration that has withdrawn from the international nuclear agreement with Iran, undermined diplomatic efforts, and escalated economic and military pressure on Iran. And with Congress’ failure to act to explicitly reject war with Iran and insist on diplomacy.
Make no mistake, Congress has not authorized war with Iran. But in December 2019, Congress struck language from a military policy bill that would have explicitly denied authorization for a war with Iran. That legislative language would have repealed the outdated 2002 Authorization for War with Iraq, which the administration may be using to provide legal cover for this assassination.Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Eliot Engel (NY), Sen. Chris Murphy (CT) and other members of Congress who have stated that Congress did not authorize this escalating war with Iran are correct. Congress should – as many members are already declaring – demand a full briefing on the attack and hold public hearings on the escalation of violent conflict with Iran. But Congress’ core concern should be stopping a destructive war. That is why we urge Congress to swiftly pass legislation taking away any legal justification and explicitly prohibiting funding for war.
Truly, these escalating acts of war will not end what has been an endless war in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East. This recent assassination will only unleash a new cycle of the deadly conflict at the cost of millions of peoples’ lives and livelihoods. It will be answered with violence and war, not peace.Congress has the power to stop the march to war with Iran and return our nation to the path of diplomacy and international engagement – that is the only way to prevent war. It must exercise its constitutional authority now.

CES2020: Debut of First Football-size Transformable Drone

Robotic Research LLC, a leading provider of autonomy and robotic technologies to commercial and federal customers, will be debuting a new football-size transformable drone, the Pegasus Mini™, at CES 2020 in the company’s Booth #25664 in LVCC South Hall 2. The Mini is a smaller version of the original Pegasus™, introduced in August, which established a new category of transformable unmanned autonomous vehicles (hybrid unmanned aircraft system/unmanned ground vehicle) that both drive on land and fly. This patented combination of features provides a new range of capabilities to support commercial industry, first responders, law enforcement and military customers that previously had not been possible with autonomous drones or land vehicles.“We are excited to be at CES to showcase Pegasus as a new line of transformable robots and debut the Pegasus Mini, which offers a super-compact yet powerful drone and land vehicle combination capable of bringing remote cameras and sensors into previously unreachable locations,” said Alberto Lacaze, president of Robotic Research. “This small but mighty system has immense versatility and reach like no other robotic vehicle, flying at very high speeds with a payload capacity that can carry important tools to reach critical locations in unpredictable environments. We look forward to leveraging these unique features of the Pegasus Mini to provide more flexible, easily deployable, autonomous systems for customers in both the commercial and federal markets.”The Pegasus hybrid UAS/UGV configuration delivers advanced GPS-denied mapping with fully autonomous high-speed flying and driving capabilities. Pegasus Mini is designed to provide the extra reach that a UAV or UGV alone cannot provide. Uses include inspection, rescue, rapid response, and applications that strongly benefit organizations in oil and gas, public transportation, law enforcement, public safety, and more.

Anixter International Inc. to Consider Revised WESCO Proposal

Anixter International Inc. (“Anixter” or the “Company”) (NYSE: AXE) announced that today WESCO International, Inc. (“WESCO”) submitted a revised proposal to acquire the Company for nominal consideration of $97.00 per share in cash and stock, consisting of $63.00 cash, plus a fixed exchange ratio of 0.2397 shares of WESCO common stock, plus $19.89 in face amount of a newly created class of WESCO perpetual preferred stock. As previously announced on January 2, 2020, Anixter agreed to an amendment and restatement of its merger agreement with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC (“CD&R) to increase the per-share consideration payable to Anixter’s shareholders to $93.50 per share in cash (from $86.00 per share in cash and a $2.50 contingent value right upon the occurrence of certain events). The current merger agreement with CD&R does not include the contingent value right. In accordance with the merger agreement with CD&R, and in consultation with its financial and legal advisers, the Board will carefully review and consider WESCO’s latest proposal. The Company does not expect to comment further on the latest WESCO proposal until it has completed its review and consideration. Anixter remains subject to, and Anixter’s Board of Directors has not changed its recommendation in support of, the current merger agreement with CD&R.

REPAY to Attend 22nd Annual Needham Growth Conference

Repay Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: RPAY) a leading provider of vertically-integrated payment solutions, today announced that the Company will present at the 22nd Annual Needham Growth Conference on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 in New York, NY. The presentation will begin at 4:10pm ET.The presentation will be webcast live from the Company’s investor relations website at https://investors.repay.com/ under the “Events” section. An archive of the webcast will be available at the same location on the website for 90 days.
REPAY provides integrated payment processing solutions to verticals that have specific transaction processing needs. REPAY’s proprietary, integrated payment technology platform reduces the complexity of electronic payments for merchants, while enhancing the overall experience for consumers.

Bophelo Partners with DNA Genetics in Lesotho

Halo Labs Inc. (“Halo” or the “Company”) (NEO: HALO, OTCQX: AGEEF, Germany: A9KN) is pleased to announce that Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness (“Bophelo”) has signed a strategic alliance and seed purchase agreement with OG DNA Genetics Inc. (“DNA Genetics” or “DNA”), to give the Bophelo exclusive rights to develop new and existing DNA Genetics’ strains of medical cannabis in Lesotho (the “Strategic Alliance”) for worldwide exportation.
Halo signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bophelo on November 27th, 2019. The acquisition of Bophelo by Halo is expected to close within the next 30 days. DNA is one of the world’s leading creators of high-quality cannabis seeds, whose strains consistently contain high cannabinoid and terpene concentrations. DNA’s cannabis strains already command premium market prices in Canada, the United States and Europe and are some of the most sought-after strains and seeds in the world.
Under the terms of the Strategic Alliance, Bophelo is the only company in Lesotho that has the right to grow and develop DNA’s strains of cannabis through breeding, cultivation, phenotyping and prompt regulatory certification.
Louisa Maliako Mojela, Chairman of Bophelo, commented, “Bophelo’s strategic alliance with DNA Genetics in Lesotho gives us a significant competitive edge, as we strive to become one of the world’s leading exporters of medical cannabis and related products.Our vision is to create the largest medical cannabis cultivation zone on the planet at Bophelo. This is fast becoming a reality. The maiden harvest of 1,000 plants is on course for early Q2 2020, the first phase of greenhouse construction nearing completion and we are securing international GACP certification for our site. The alliance with DNA is even further validation of how rapidly our Lesotho operations have developed and the unlimited potential of this opportunity.Now, with the introduction of DNA’s award-winning world-class cannabis strains, we can accelerate our breeding program to grow medical-grade cannabis in very large quantities at Bophelo, which will command premium export prices.”

Analog Devices to Participate in the J.P. Morgan Tech/Auto Forum

Analog Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADI), a leading global high performance analog technology company, today announced that the Company’s Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, will speak at the J.P. Morgan 18th Annual Tech/Auto Forum at the 2020 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 11:50 a.m. Pacific Time.The audio webcast for the conference may be accessed live via the Investor Relations section of Analog Devices’ website at investor.analog.com. An archived replay will also be available shortly following the webcast.
Analog Devices (Nasdaq: ADI) is a leading global high-performance analog technology company dedicated to solving the toughest engineering challenges. We enable our customers to interpret the world around us by intelligently bridging the physical and digital with unmatched technologies that sense, measure, power, connect and interpret. Visit http://www.analog.com.

Kaman Completes Acquisition of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.

Kaman Corp. (NYSE:KAMN) announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. (“Bal Seal”), a leader in the design, development, and manufacturing of highly engineered products including precision springs, seals, and contacts. With this acquisition, Kaman has significantly expanded its portfolio of engineered products and offerings while creating new opportunities to reach customers in medical technology, aerospace and defense, and industrial end markets.“I want to welcome all the employees of Bal Seal to the Kaman family,” stated Rick Barnhart, President, Kaman Aerospace Group. “We look forward to working with Rick Dawson and the entire team at Bal Seal to continue to build upon the history of hard work, innovation, and ingenuity that has made Bal Seal a world class supplier of seals, springs, and contacts for over 60 years.”“We are excited to welcome the Bal Seal team to Kaman as we work together to leverage our expanded portfolio of highly engineered products, proprietary technologies and deep customer relationships,” said Neal J. Keating, Chairman, President and CEO. “Together with Bal Seal, Kaman is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities across a number of attractive end markets, including the higher growth medical end market. We look forward to realizing the strategic and financial benefits of this transaction, including anticipated meaningful near-term margin and cash flow accretion.”

Mobility Is the Heartbeat of Life: Continental at CES 2020

Mobility is a crucial human need and a healthy mobility ecosystem is the driving force behind society, the economy and the entire world. At its press conference on January 6 at CES in Las Vegas, Continental will demonstrate the role the technology company is playing in the development of safe, convenient and efficient solutions in the mobility ecosystem. Based on the pillars of connectivity, data and high-performance computing, as well as automated driving and user experience, Continental will show its latest innovations and technologies in a private exhibition area at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. Continental’s “transparent hood” function is first to market globally. Displaying the area beneath the hood, it enables the driver to see terrain and obstacles that would otherwise not be visible. The transparent hood is based on Continental’s Surround View system, which consists of four satellite cameras and an electronic control unit. An intelligent image processing algorithm reconstructs the image below the vehicle and inserts this image exactly into the view displayed to the driver. Continental received the CES 2020 Innovation Award for this innovative technology.

Global Medical Robotics Market, Forecast to 2026

The medical robotics global market is expected to grow at double-digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026 to reach $13,899.4 million by 2026.Some of the factors driving the market are increasing demand for minimally invasive surgery, increasing prevalence of gynecology, urology and orthopedic disorder, increasing aging population, technological innovations, the rising adaption of medical robots among the population and increasing clinical trials.The medical robotics market by product is segmented as surgical robotics, rehabilitation robotics, and hospital & pharmacy robotics. The surgical robotics segment accounted for the largest revenue in 2019 and is expected to grow at a low teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Rehabilitation robotics segment is expected to grow at a high single-digit from 2019 to 2026. Hospital & pharmacy robotics segment is expected to grow at a mid-single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026.Surgical robotics global market by product type is segmented into systems, instruments & accessories and services. Among surgical robotics, instruments & accessories segment accounted for the largest revenue in 2019 and it is expected to grow at a mid-teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Systems segment is expected to grow at a double digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026. The services segment is expected to grow at a mid-teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026.
Surgical robotics global market by application is segmented as orthopedic, gynecology, urology, neurosurgery, general and gastroenterology (laparoscopy), cancer and others (cardiovascular, cardiothoracic, retina, and hair transplant). Among applications, the general and gastroenterology segment accounted for the largest revenue in 2019 and it is expected to grow at a low-teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026. The neurosurgery segment is expected to grow exponentially from 2019 to 2026.Rehabilitation robotics global market by product type is segmented into Assistive (Cognitive) Robots, Exoskeleton Robots and prosthetic robots. Among rehabilitation robotics, Assistive (Cognitive) Robots holds the largest revenue in 2019 and is expected to grow at a high single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Exoskeleton Robots segment expected to grow at a high single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Prosthetics Robots segment is expected to grow at a mid-single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026.Hospital and pharmacy robotics global market by product type is segmented into pill dispensing robots, fill & pack robots and other robots (cleaning sterilization and clinical trial robots). Among hospital and pharmacy robotics, fill and pack robots accounted for the largest revenue in 2019 and it is expected to grow at a mid-single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Pill dispensing robots segment is expected to grow at a low single digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026. Other robots segment is expected to grow at a mid-single-digit CAGR from 2019 to 2026.North America accounted for the largest revenue in 2019 and is expected to grow at a low teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026 mainly due to increased prevalence of chronic illness and lifestyle disorders, growing aging population, increase in healthcare expenditure, availability of surgical expertise, increase in research activities, steady number of product approvals and new product launches among the key market players, increased demand for assistive robots and adoption of new technologies.The Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow with a mid-teen CAGR from 2019 to 2026 due to high levels of healthcare expenditure, improving healthcare infrastructure and increasing government healthcare budgets, funds, growing acceptance of technological advancements, increasing aging population, increasing awareness about medical robotics and rise in healthcare awareness in the emerging countries, such as India and China.

Campaign Monitor’s Newest Report Shows Email Marketing Engagement Grew in 2019

Campaign Monitor—a provider of powerful yet approachable email marketing software—today released its annual global email marketing benchmarks report providing marketers with insights into industry averages and empowering them to build a data-backed strategy. The report was developed after analyzing billions of emails sent globally using the Campaign Monitor platform. “Marketing has evolved to become a data-driven discipline, and marketers need to actively measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and programs,” said Lane Harbin, director of marketing at Campaign Monitor. “Campaign Monitor’s annual global email marketing benchmarks report gives marketers a resource to see how their performance stacks up globally and within their industry in key areas, such as email open, click-through, click-to-open, unsubscribe and bounce rates. Savvy marketers can use this information to quickly double down on areas where they are excelling and determine where they need to make improvements in 2020.”

The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company Announces New Name for Dallas-Area Agency

The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company has announced a name change for its Texas agency, Armor Wealth Management, to Penn Mutual Wealth Strategies. This change reflects the Addison-based company’s dedication to the 4,700 policyholders the agency insures and serves, and their desire to align with the strength and stability of a 172-year-old institution. The firm’s rebrand is also accompanied by a move to a new office space, located at 15851 Dallas Parkway, Suite 100 in Addison, Texas.Originally founded in 1972, the firm focuses on providing unmatched strategic planning, wealth management services and financial products through the expertise of its 31 advisers. The firm remains under the leadership of managing partner Nancy Dinh, who joined the organization in 2018.
Dinh expressed that the name change and upgraded office space better represent the long-term growth objectives of the firm, and their commitment to creating a business culture that wholly aligns with the diverse philosophies shared by those in the community.

ICANN and Verisign Announce Proposed Amendment to .COM Registry Agreement

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and VeriSign, Inc. (Verisign), the registry operator of the .COM top-level domain (TLD) today announced that they have reached a proposed agreement to amend the .COM Registry Agreement (RA). In addition, ICANN and Verisign announced a new proposed framework for working together on initiatives related to the security, stability and resiliency of the Domain Name System (DNS) in the form of a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) between the two organizations.Together, these agreements fulfill commitments that ICANN and Verisign made in 2016 when they previously amended the .COM RA. The new terms, which are now open for public comment, will enhance the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS; provide limited and transparent pricing flexibility for .COM registry services; and standardize the .COM RA by including certain technical and reporting requirements based on terms in other registry agreements between ICANN and the registry operators of other TLDs.Verisign’s operation of the .COM TLD is governed by two separate agreements: the .COM RA, and the Cooperative Agreement between Verisign and the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2016, Verisign and ICANN formally agreed that if and when the Department of Commerce and Verisign made changes to the Cooperative Agreement, ICANN and Verisign would negotiate in good faith to ensure those changes were reflected in the .COM RA.On Oct. 26, 2018, following a review and deliberation by the U.S. Government, Verisign and the Department of Commerce entered into an amendment that included an extension of the Cooperative Agreement.
Under the amended Cooperative Agreement, the Department of Commerce noted that the domain name marketplace had grown more dynamic and concluded that it was in the public interest that, among other things, Verisign and ICANN may agree to amend the .COM Registry Agreement to permit an increase to the price for .COM registry services, up to a maximum of 7 percent in each of the final four years of each six-year period (the first six-year period commenced on Oct. 26, 2018). The proposed agreement announced today updates the .COM RA to reflect those changes. ICANN is not a price regulator and defers to the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Justice for the regulation of pricing for .COM registry services.While Verisign does not set retail prices for .COM domain names, the proposed amendment to the .COM RA will provide pricing certainty by limiting the potential maximum wholesale price for .COM domain names. For example, if the four standard price increases are taken in this six-year period, the maximum wholesale price for .COM domain names would be $8.39 no earlier than Oct. 26, 2020 (compared to $7.85 today), and cannot exceed $10.26 until October 2026.In addition to aligning the pricing for .COM registry services with the Cooperative Agreement, the updated .COM RA and LOI achieve four additional important objectives:Alignment with certain technical and reporting obligations for the .COM TLD with those in the Base gTLD Registry AgreementIncorporation of commitments related to the implementation of the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) Formalization of a framework by which ICANN and Verisign will work together to support additional enhancements to security and stability of the DNS, including to help combat DNS security threats
Additional funding to ICANN to continue to conduct, facilitate and support activities that preserve and enhance the security and stability of the DNS, in support of Verisign’s and ICANN’s longstanding commitment in this area and ICANN’s core mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the internet’s unique identifier systems
Because of the significance of the .COM TLD, these security, stability and resiliency enhancements will benefit internet users worldwide. The .COM TLD is an important part of the internet’s global addressing system, providing the foundation for hundreds of millions of websites, apps, email accounts and core internet infrastructure elements across the globe. The .COM TLD is an important part of global commerce, making its continued secure, stable and resilient operation a top priority for both ICANN and Verisign.These obligations expand on Verisign’s long-standing commitment to evolving and improving DNS security, stability and resiliency, through technical innovation, active participation in groups like ICANN’s Root Server System Advisory Committee and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee, as well as in Verisign’s role as root zone maintainer, and operator of two of the world’s 13 authoritative root servers. For more than 22 years, Verisign has maintained 100 percent operational accuracy and stability for the .COM DNS.ICANN facilitates the coordination of the 12 operators of the 13 authoritative root servers. These root servers are the foundation of the DNS. In keeping with ICANN’s mission to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global internet, a pillar of its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan is to strengthen the security of the DNS and the DNS Root Server System by partnering with relevant stakeholders to strengthen DNS root server operations governance and coordination; improve awareness of security threats to the DNS; and foster greater diversity of thought to best anticipate, respond to and mitigate potential threats.

ClinOne Continues Global Expansion and Opens Office in The United Kingdom

ClinOne – a leader in creating technology for clinical trials – will open its first European Office just West of London, UK. This location will be ClinOne’s third office, following its addition of a Philadelphia, PA office this past summer. This brings boots on the ground coverage to our many clients across Europe and the availability of dedicated staff for continuing expansion in the region.“We are privileged to have a large number of global pharmaceutical clients across Europe and it’s time we provided even greater support for our current and upcoming clients in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, and Israel,” according to Rob Bohacs, CEO of ClinOne. ClinOne continues to scale its presence globally; the company has 1,900 institutions from 55 countries utilizing its clinical trial software solutions.The United Kingdom is home to more than 400 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and presents an exceptional location in Northern Europe. The UK is also home to tremendous clinical research talent which will allow ClinOne to continue expanding their team with world-class talent.

The Future of Robotics Takes Center Stage with UBTECH at CES 2020

From a humanoid robot butler that makes home life easier to fun and creative robot building kits that will inspire the next generation of STEM leaders, the future of robots will be on display with UBTECH at CES 2020. Located in Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall 2, Booth 26015, UBTECH will be showing its newest and most innovative robots, including the latest updates to Walker, the intelligent humanoid service robot that wowed audiences at last year’s CES, plus autonomous indoor monitoring robot AIMBOT, enterprise service robot Cruzr, and award-winning JIMU Robot kits for kids.
Walker, a finalist for the Best of CES 2019 award, will be back at CES 2020 with new capabilities and functionality improvements including faster motion performance, improved mobility interactions, and enhanced environmental perception. This year’s presentation will demonstrate Walker’s faster, human-like walking as well as yoga poses with dynamic stability showing its huge improvement in motion control. Walker will also demonstrate new abilities such as the ability to push a cart, draw pictures, and write characters, showing improved static balance with full-body compliance control. Visual servoing now allows Walker to perform more complex grasping actions such as pouring liquid into a cup, using smart environmental perception to adjust the grasping posture of its palms in real time.

PowerVision Hatching New All-In-One PowerEgg X Autonomous Personal AI Camera at CES 2020

PowerVision Robot Corporation, a global leader in smart drones, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, is launching its newest product, the PowerEgg X, at CES 2020. The multi-function device can be used as an autonomous personal AI camera, as a handheld 3-axis AI camera, also a high-performance drone. In launching the PowerEgg X, PowerVision has created an entirely new product classification, the all-in-one autonomous personal AI camera category.The instant-sharing PowerEgg X fills consumers’ demand for an all-in-one, smarter, easier-to-use, versatile, portable, cost-effective camera that, oh by the way, can also fly. It is equipped with a 4k/60fps HD camcorder with a three-axis gimbal. It produces professional quality images, whether it is used as an AI camera, handheld gimbal camera or a drone. All of this, in an IPX6 rated waterproof case that will be demonstrated at CES 2020 in our drone cage with a waterfall.”‘Innovate the Future’ is our mission and innovation is in our DNA,” said Wally Zheng, Founder and CEO of PowerVision. “Three years in development, PowerEgg X pulls together the technology consumers are seeking and puts it in a small, elegant egg shape. With smart-image recognition tracking, image mechanical stabilization, and simple video-editing tools, it is easy for anyone to shoot material as if they were a professional-grade videographer. By creating a multi-purpose device, PowerVision has reduced the user’s total purchase cost, storage requirement, increased ease-of-use, and giving the user unprecedented convenience.”

Know Labs Discusses Intellectual Property Strategy

Know Labs, Inc. (OTCQB: KNWN) today reviewed its intellectual property strategy for investors as it moves into the 2020 calendar year. As discussed in its recent annual 10-K filing, the Company has pursued for several years an ambitious intellectual property strategy focused on patent filings, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.The Company currently has 13 issued patents to which it possesses all right, title and interest. It also has an exclusive license to 9 patents owned by Allied Inventors, a spin-off subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, the largest IP-centric fund in the world. In addition, the Company has a growing number of patents pending. That number is added to with regularity as the Company aggressively expands its patent portfolio.The Company expects new patents covering its foundational technology to issue over time. Recently, the Company received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on an important addition to its patent portfolio covering foundational elements of its technology. The Company will provide detail on the scope and reach of its intellectual property patent portfolio as patents are issued.