PURECIRCLE AND NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS SOON HARVEST COMPANY'S FIRST COMMERCIAL STARLEAFTM STEVIA CROP GROWN IN THE U.S.

Follows Successful Growing Season With Partner Farmers
 
CHICAGO, Sept 28 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world’s leading producer and innovator of stevia sweeteners, and its North Carolina farmer partners are about to harvest the company’s  first commercial-scale crop of Starleaf™ stevia grown in the U.S.  PureCircle’s proprietary Starleaf stevia contains more of the best-tasting stevia sweeteners, such as Reb M, than other stevia plant variants.  Fortunately, the North Carolina farms growing the Starleaf stevia plants were not damaged by Hurricane Florence which tragically ravaged some areas of the Carolinas.

Following successful Starleaf stevia plot trials in North Carolina in 2017, PureCircle and a number of farmers in the state increased the amount of acreage dedicated to stevia by tenfold this year.  The quality and yield of that Starleaf stevia met PureCircle’s standards.  As a result, PureCircle plans to increase significantly the acreage used to grow stevia in the U.S. over the next two to three years.

The North Carolina program is enabling PureCircle to broaden and diversify its supply chain by increasing the amount of Starleaf stevia grown in different areas around the globe and throughout the year. This gives food and beverage companies further confidence to launch global brands with PureCircle’s best-tasting stevia leaf sweeteners like Reb M.

The North Carolina farming partnerships have provided innovations for both PureCircle and the farmers. The work in North Carolina has yielded advances for the company’s stevia agronomy program, including how to adapt growing stevia plants to different regions of the world. In addition, the mechanization of farming – and advances from this program – are particularly important in North Carolina to maintain a sustainable economic crop.

PureCircle’s North Carolina farming partnerships are also helping farmers productively and profitably utilize acreage that once grew tobacco.

Commenting on the North Carolina Stevia farming initiative, PureCircle CEO Maga Malsagov said:

“Our partnerships in North Carolina will significantly increase our supply of Starleaf stevia plants grown in North America and thereby geographically diversify our stevia plant supply. We plan to increase the North Carolina program next year and again in future years.  We currently have three strong farming partnerships in North Carolina, and we expect to bring many more farmers into our program.”  He added: “We could not be more pleased with this year’s results.”

PureCircle recently announced advances which enable it to supply significantly more Reb M for the food and beverage industry. The Company produces Reb M both directly from Starleaf stevia plants, like the ones being grown in North Carolina, and from other stevia sweeteners in the plants.  In the latter case, PureCircle starts with purified stevia leaf extract with low Reb M content and by adding an enzyme, the maturation to Reb M is completed just as the leaf does itself.

The recent advances now enable PureCircle to significantly boost production of the stevia sweeteners which have the most sugar-like taste and which are most sought after by beverage and food companies.  PureCircle’s two-front innovation enables the company to provide its best-tasting stevia sweeteners in significant quantities and cost effectively for its customers.

As the result of its innovation, research and development work with stevia, PureCircle has been granted an array of stevia-related patents.  These patents – plus additional applied for patents — cover a wide range of stevia-related products and processes which play a role across PureCircle’s vertically integrated supply chain.

For more information on PureCircle's North Carolina farming partnerships, please see: https://youtu.be/dnb3uS3JpMo

For more information on PureCircle, please see: www.purecircle.com

Media may direct inquiries to:

Carolyn Clark, Director of Global Marketing 
Email:  carolyn.clark@purecircle.com  Phone: 1 (630) 517 0812
 
Jackson Pillow, Media Relations Manager
Email:  Jackson.Pillow@purecircle.com  Phone: +1 630 256 8394
 
About PureCircle

• PureCircle combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners.
• The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.
• PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies.
• PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products.
• Founded in 2002, PureCircle is continually investing in breakthrough research and development and it currently has more than 100 stevia-related granted patents and more than 250 patents pending globally.
• PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
• To meet growing demand for stevia sweeteners, PureCircle is rapidly ramping up its supply capability. It completed expansion of its Malaysian stevia extract facility in March 2017, increasing its capacity to rapidly supply the newer and great-tasting stevia sweeteners and helping provide ever-increasing value to its customers.
• PureCircle's shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
• For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com 

 
About stevia

• Given the growing global concerns about obesity and diabetes, beverage and food companies are working responsibly to reduce sugar and calories in their products, responding to both consumers and health and wellness advocates. Sweeteners from the stevia plant offer sugar-like taste and are becoming an increasingly important tool for these companies.
• Like sugar, stevia sweeteners are from plants. But unlike sugar, they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of beverages and foods.
• Stevia leaf extract is a natural, zero calorie, high-intensity sweetener, used by global food and beverage companies as a great-tasting zero-calorie alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
• Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America; today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and the US.
• The sweet-tasting parts of the stevia leaf are up to 400 times sweeter than sugar: stevia's high-intensity sweetness means it requires far less water and land than sugar.
• Research has shown that the molecules of the stevia leaf are present and unchanged in the dried stevia leaf, through the commercial extraction and purification process, and in the final stevia leaf extract product. Many major global regulatory organisations, across 65 countries, have approved the use of high-purity stevia leaf extracts in food and beverages.
• For more information on the science of stevia, please visit https://www.purecirclesteviainstitute.com/

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77c93d75-bd24-45e9-970c-f840f5f2b5c4

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae00aefe-7745-4df8-a129-6fac9e450cef

SOURCE: PureCircle

--BERNAMA

ABU DHABI'S FUND AGREED FRIENDLY TOB WITH MINDOL

HONG KONG, Sept 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Abu Dhabi Dubai STOB Series 22 Investment Limited Partnership (”AbuDhabi22”as follows) and MINDOL HOLDINGS LIMITED (”MINDOL” as follows) which is listed on the Coinsuper Exchange in Hong Kong (https://www.coinsuper.com) agreed AbuDhabi22 to get 33% of crypto currency MINDOL (MIN)(http://mindol.net) that MINDOL issued by TOB.

Strengthen strategic partnership with MINDOL by implementing TOB. Both of companies chose TOB as strategic approach to make a purchase at a stable price because acquisition price that AbuDhabi22 planned would be expected to significantly exceed with purchases via regular exchanges. TOB STAGE 1 has already finished and now TOB is being implemented at the purchase price of TOB STAGE 2.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32786

CONCORD TECHNOLOGIES UNVEILS NEXTSTEP - AI-DRIVEN, CLOUD-BASED PLATFORM THAT SIMPLIFIES PATIENT DATA CAPTURE AND DOCUMENT WORKFLOWS

SEATTLE, Sept 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concord Technologies, a leading provider of cloud fax services and document process automation solutions, today launched NEXTSTEP, a new, AI-driven, cloud-based platform optimized for healthcare providers to reduce the effort required to capture, access and integrate patient health information from paper and digital documents.

Concord has optimized NEXTSTEP for healthcare providers struggling to digitize document-intensive clinical workflows, though its core features apply across all highly-regulated industries. Unlike conventional systems, NEXTSTEP is pre-trained to identify, classify and extract specific, field-level data, so it saves providers the cost and effort to “teach” the system what to look for. It also extends automated document classification and routing with the ability to coordinate document handling even with frequently-changing clinical processes.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32776

TRAVEL INDUSTRY WILL RECORD 2.4 BILLION INTERNATIONAL TRIPS BY 2030

LONDON, Sept 27 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Market research company Euromonitor International released today new data on the future of the travel industry.

New research shows the travel industry is set to record strong growth with international arrivals reaching 2.4 billion by 2030, corresponding to USD 2.6 billion in incoming receipts. China, France and the US will be the main beneficiaries of international arrivals.

Nadejda Popova, travel industry manager at Euromonitor International comments, “Rising incomes and middle classes lead to growing confidence among consumers globally. Young and urban consumers are seeking out new travel experiences, driving travel and tourism trends along with more targeted services and products than ever.”

Euromonitor International’s new research shows that:

• Global arrivals will grow by 5 percent between 2017 and 2018 to reach 1.4 billion trips, thanks to an upgraded economic outlook for major economies such as the US, Japan and the Eurozone.
• Low-cost carriers are expected to show a passenger growth rate of 6 percent in 2018-2023, thus outperforming the scheduled operators.
• By 2023, travel intermediaries are forecast to exceed USD 2 trillion stimulated by digital advances and the shift to mobile sales representing 70 percent of travel agents’ sales in 2017.

“Over the years, the ever-evolving and very dynamic travel industry has witnessed several disruptors shaking the status quo, making it hard to even picture the way it used to be. The sharing economy and digitalisation are bringing new business models with consumers becoming more sophisticated and demanding,” states Popova. “Providing a seamless travel experience is critical for competitive advantage, from the inspiration stage, through search and booking to in-destination services. Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data and cloud computing all help power the drive for personalised and frictionless travel experiences,” she concludes.

Euromonitor International’s analysts will introduce the ‘Megatrends Shaping the Future of Travel’ report at the World Travel Market (WTM) London on November 6, 2018.

Pre-register now to receive a free copy of the report: http://go.euromonitor.com/wtm2018-megatrends-shaping-the-future-of-travel.html

ABOUT EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL

Euromonitor International is the world’s leading provider for global business intelligence and strategic market analysis. We have more than 40 years of experience publishing international market reports, business reference books and online databases on consumer markets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180926005807/en/

Contact
Arianna Anzaloni
Communications Executive - Euromonitor International
Tel: 0044 (0) 20 7251 8024 EXT 5587
arianna.anzaloni@euromonitor.com

Source : Euromonitor International

--BERNAMA

SLICE LABS RAISES $20M IN EXTENDED SERIES A TO GLOBALIZE ITS ON-DEMAND INSURANCE CLOUD PLATFORM

The additional funding led by The Co-operators brings Slice’s total series A to $31.6M


NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Slice Labs, a leading on-demand insurance cloud platform provider, today announced it has raised an additional $20 million in Series A funding, led by The Co-operators with participation from XL Innovate, Horizons, Munich Re/HSB Ventures, SOMPO, Veronorte, the investment arm of Grupo Sura, and JetBlue Technology Ventures. This sizable, extended round will be used to execute on the higher than planned global demand for Slice Insurance Cloud Services (ICS).

Slice launched in 2016 with a mission to change, improve and redesign insurance. The company’s Insurance Cloud Services (ICS) is transforming traditional insurers into digitally-driven carriers by providing them with a platform that enables them to quickly ideate, experiment, test and deploy new, on-demand insurance products. Top global insurers have launched on-demand insurance products using ICS, and Slice will use this new financing to continue expanding its offering on a global scale.

“The ICS platform is rapidly growing as insurers increasingly realize the need to engage a cloud-based platform and the competitive edge a fully digital on-demand insurance offering provides,” said Tim Attia, CEO of Slice. “This exceptional bench of new and returning investors will be a tremendous asset as we continue scaling our business and experimenting with the unmatched potential of digital insurance.”

The ICS platform is a high-value service enabling insurers to launch new, on-demand, digital insurance products within weeks. Powered by machine learning, advanced data analytics and Ph.D. level behavioral science expertise in a subscription model and that includes API-based pricing, rating, licensing, claims process and automated underwriting, ICS represents the next step in advancing insurance technology.

“As the digital economy expands, Slice’s unique platform and approach will enable innovative, agile and needs-based insurance solutions for a rapidly changing world,” says Rob Wesseling, president and CEO of The Co-operators. “Through our partnership with Slice, we’re not only investing in a technology that enables us to stay on the leading edge of those solutions, we’re investing in our long-term ability to continue meeting the changing needs of our members and clients.”

Slice first used the technology behind ICS to launch its first product in October 2016 and to rollout their digital on-demand platform to 50 States last year. The company introduced the ICS platform to the market in January 2018, and has seen significant demand globally, which includes the announcement of three new Slice ICS customers developing various on-demand insurance offerings, including XL Catlin, Legal & General and The Co-operators. Additionally, to support its strong momentum, Slice recently announced the hire of its Chief Growth Officer, Philippe Lafreniere, a seasoned insurance executive, in August who will play an integral role in helping global insurers realize the value on-demand digital insurance models can have on customer experiences.

About Slice Labs

Slice Labs is a leading on-demand insurance cloud platform provider that empowers insurers to deliver new value to customers through direct insurance or insurance agent models without investing in infrastructure to provide customized on-demand, pay-as-you-go insurance products. The Slice Insurance Cloud Services platform (ICS) is powered by machine learning and advanced big data technologies along with Ph.D. behavioral science expertise. ICS is the foundation for new digital insurance products being released globally by top insurers and is also the base for Slice’s own digital insurance products serving the new economy.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180926005145/en/

Contact

Slice Labs Inc. PR
Emily Kosick, 303-886-5708
pr@slice.is

Source : Slice Labs

Toshiba releases motor driver with current limiter function

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched an integrated dual H-bridge DC brushed motor driver IC that includes an output current limiter function rated at 50V/3.0A.

The new TB67H401FTG device can handle applications where monitoring and feedback of the motor state is necessary, including office equipment, ATMs, home appliances, robotic cleaners and more.

It is fabricated with Toshiba’s BiCD process and has an inbuilt flag output circuit, which monitors the current state and indicates when it has reached the upper threshold, a statement said.

It supports a total of four drive modes: forward (CW), reverse (CCW), brake (short brake) and stop (off). It also includes a mode switching function that extends the application range.

Mass production of the product has started. More details on https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com.

-- BERNAMA

​A.M. BEST WITHDRAWS CREDIT RATINGS OF ECICS LIMITED

SINGAPORE, Sept 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “bbb ” of ECICS Limited (ECICS) (Singapore). The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to negative from stable, while the FSR outlook remains stable. Concurrently, A.M. Best has withdrawn the ratings of ECICS, as the company has requested to no longer participate in A.M. Best’s interactive rating process.

The ratings reflect ECICS’ balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strong, as well as the company’s marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32768

NUS COMPUTING FORMS ACADEMIC BLOCKCHAIN THINK TANK

A new academic research centre from the laboratory that created Zilliqa and Kyber Network looks to solve big issues in blockchain

SINGAPORE, Sept 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Computing today announced the creation of the CRYSTAL (Cryptocurrency Strategy, Techniques, and Algorithms) Centre, an academic research laboratory and think tank aiming to lead as one of the world’s foremost centres for research on blockchains. Assistant Professor Prateek Saxena and Associate Professor Keith Carter, who are from the Department of Computer Science and Department of Information Systems and Analytics at NUS Computing respectively, will co-direct the Centre. The CRYSTAL Centre, founded by NUS Computing faculty members, has a goal of providing scientific clarity in shaping technical ideas in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. The team of experts has been responsible for several academically grounded spin-offs over the last two years in the blockchain ecosystem.

The CRYSTAL Centre, located at NUS Computing, will initially comprise between 5 and 10 faculty members and several scholars working in different research sub-areas. This includes experts in program language design and verification (Asst Prof Aquinas Hobor and Asst Prof Ilya Sergey), distributed computing algorithms (Assoc Prof Haifeng Yu), security (Asst Prof Min Suk Kang and Asst Prof Prateek Saxena), and market economics (Assoc Prof Keith Carter). The Centre will conduct research on scalable consensus protocols, verification and testing techniques, privacy-preserving computation, safe programming language design, blockchain applications, fundamentals of trading cryptocurrency, analysis of cryptocurrency economics, and highly available peer-to-peer (P2P) network designs. These topics touch on many challenges that the blockchain and cryptocurrency space currently faces.

“We hope to make debates in the community more scientifically-grounded. The goal is improve interaction between those armed with intuition and those with scientific rigour. We also hope to draw attention to unforeseen scientific challenges, both near-term and long-term,” said Asst Prof Saxena.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32758

BOMBARDIER DELIVERS FIRST 90-SEAT Q400 AIRCRAFT TO SPICEJET

TORONTO, Sept 24 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today announced the delivery of its first 90-seat Q400 aircraft. The aircraft was handed over to India’s SpiceJet Limited (“SpiceJet”) the launch operator for the extra-capacity, 90-seat aircraft.

“We are excited to induct the 90-seat Q400 aircraft into our fleet,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet. “The additional seats and performance improvements will result in substantial reduction in unit costs and also we will enable us to address our market needs in the regional space.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=32764

WORLD CONFERENCE ON LUNG CANCER TUESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE: IMPROVING THE CURE RATE FOR STAGE III LUNG CANCER

TORONTO, Sept 26 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today’s press conference at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC’s) 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) featured some of the year’s most innovative research in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. Frances Shepherd, M.D., FRCPC, WCLC honorary chair, medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and former president of the IASLC (2005-2007), opened with the practice-changing importance of data shared this morning at the 2018 Presidential Symposium. Dr. Shepherd continued with background on the current inoperability and low cure rate of Stage III lung cancers, which comprise 1/3 of all lung cancers. Ground breaking data presented during today’s symposium demonstrated an advancement in disease treatment not seen for many years.
 
PACIFIC study shows durvalumab improves overall survival in patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer without progression after chemoradiotherapy
Recent findings from the PACIFIC trial found that durvalumab demonstrates statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with placebo for patients with Stage III, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not progressed following chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
 
According to Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D., department chair of the Thoracic Oncology Department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa and Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, these results are significant, as PACIFIC is the first trial to show a survival advantage following CRT in this patient population.
 
“Results of PACIFIC provide compelling evidence for the unprecedented benefit of durvalumab treatment as the standard of care in this patient population,” said Dr. Antonia. “Durvalumab offers the first major advance in this disease setting in many years, offering new hope to patients with Stage III, unresectable NSCLC without progression after CRT.”
 
Read the full press release here.
 
Interim analysis of ALTA-1L demonstrates potential for brigatinib as first-line treatment option for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer
An interim analysis of the ALTA-1L study provided the first comparative data on the efficacy and safety of brigatinib versus crizotinib, the first-line standard of care comparator, in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor-naive ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
 
Lead investigator Ross Camidge, M.D., Ph.D., Joyce Zeff Chair in Lung Cancer Research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, and team found one-year post-treatment, 67 percent of patients treated with brigatinib remained progression-free compared to 43 percent of those treated with crizotinib, and the risk of progression or death was reduced by 51 percent with brigatinib compared to crizotinib.
 
“Interim data shows brigatinib is set to become a first-line treatment option for ALK+ lung cancer,” said Dr. Camidge. “Even with only nine to 11 months of follow-up, the efficacy of brigatinib is clearly superior to crizotinib.”
 
Read the full press release here.
 
NELSON study shows CT screening for nodule volume management reduces lung cancer mortality by over fifty percent
Recent findings from Europe’s largest running lung cancer screening trial, the NELSON study, demonstrate that the use of computed tomography (CT) screening with a unique nodule management protocol led to a 26 percent reduction in deaths among lung cancer patients at eight years of study follow-up.
 
Harry J. De Koning, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Public Health & Screening Evaluation, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands, and team initiated the study to assess the effect of CT screening, in combination with increasing screening intervals, on lung cancer mortality.
 
“These findings show that CT screenings are an effective way to assess and manage nodule volume in lung cancer patients, often leading to detection of suspicious nodules and subsequent surgical intervention, and can positively impact survival rates,” said Dr. De Koning. “These results can be used to inform and direct ongoing medical follow up and intervention for lung cancer patients.”
 
Read the full press release here.
 
Atezolizumab improves outcomes for small cell lung cancer when added to standard-of-care treatment
The IMpower133 study successfully met its co-primary endpoints, demonstrating that adding 1L atezolizumab to standard carboplatin and etoposide prolonged overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), as compared to carboplatin and etoposide treatment alone.
 
According to presenter Stephen V. Liu, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Georgetown University and a member of the trial steering committee, these findings have the potential to change the current treatment landscape for ES-SCLC.
 
“The standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer has been unchanged for decades, which has contributed to unacceptably poor outcomes,” said Dr. Liu. “This is the first study in 30 years to show a significant improvement in survival in the first line treatment of this highly lethal disease. This is an exciting time in oncology, and we are thrilled to finally see real progress in the SCLC space.”
 
Read the full press release here.
 
LUME-Meso study shows nintedanib plus pemetrexed/cisplatin does not improve progression-free or overall survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma of epithelioid subtype
Findings from the LUME-Meso study demonstrate that triple angiokinase inhibitor nintedanib combined with standard-of-care pemetrexed/cisplatin does not impact progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients with epithelioid histology.
 
When Phase II data of LUME-Meso showed patients with epithelioid histology derived the greatest benefit from nintedanib added to pemetrexed/cisplatin in terms of improved PFS versus placebo and a trend towards improved OS, Giorgio V. Scagliotti, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Turin’s Department of Oncology and S. Luigi Hospital, president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and team amended the Phase III protocol to focus solely on this subgroup.
 
“Unfortunately, the Phase III results of LUME-Meso did not confirm that nintedanib in combination with pemetrexed/cisplatin prolongs patients’ lives,” said Dr. Scagliotti. “However, the trial reaffirms the need for solid confirmatory studies, adequately sized, to challenge the standard of care in advanced malignant mesothelioma.”
 
Read the full press release here.
 
Livestreams of the daily press conferences are available here.
 
About the WCLC

The World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) is the world’s largest meeting dedicated solely to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting over 7,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visit http://wclc2018.iaslc.org/. Follow the conference on social media with: #WCLC2018.
 
About the IASLC

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 7,500 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit www.iaslc.org for more information. You can also follow the IASLC on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
 
Contacts:
Lisa Rivero          
Vice President  
lrivero@jpa.com | +1 617-657-1305
 
Becky Bunn, MSc
Public Relations Manager
Becky.Bunn@IASLC.org | +1 720-254-9509

SOURCE: IASLC
 
--BERNAMA

QUBERCOMM TECHNOLOGIES PARTNERS WITH ENERGOUS CORPORATION TO LAUNCH NEW ASSET TRACKING SOLUTION

New asset tracking solution powered by RF-based wireless charging technology for improved charging flexibility
 
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept 26 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Qubercomm Technologies, the leading solution provider for asset tracking solutions in healthcare, hospitality, retail and warehouse applications, today announced the availability of Locatum asset tracking tags with wireless charging capability that is enabled with WattUp®, an RF-based wireless charging technology from Energous Corporation (NASDAQ: WATT).
 
Locatum® represents an innovative approach to asset tracking in decoding the received beacons with Qubercomm’s patent-pending positioning methods to deliver accurate position with near zero latency. The Locatum cloud portal provides device and tag management, and a detailed analytics platform to make real sense of the data. Locatum tags leverage WattUp® RF charging technology from Energous Corporation, thus reducing the overhead to replace batteries.
 
The Locatum tags’ RF-based wireless charging capabilities support easy drop-and-charge, orientation-free charging of up to 20 units on a single charging pad, while monitoring battery levels of individual tags and managing the distribution of power across devices.
 
“Adoption of the Internet of Things is predicated on the ease-of-use of solutions. Our WattUp-enabled wireless charging Locatum solution is a powerful enabler, specifically in environments like warehouses, where the tags are in continuous circulation and must remain charged, in hospitals, hotels and casinos where the emergency call buttons need to function 24/7, or in retail environments where space is at a premium,” said Sudarsan Vasudevan, CEO of Qubercomm. “Our truly disruptive solution is built for industrial use and assures customers that their tags have sufficient power at all times.”
 
“The key challenges to any locationing technologies are accuracy, latency, manageability and battery life. Qubercomm’s expertise and IP enables us to address the challenges of accuracy, latency and manageability to make Locatum the preferred choice for our customers. Now partnering with Energous, we are addressing the final frontier of battery life as well,” said Senthil Kumar Balasubramanian, CTO of Qubercomm.
 
“As the leader in wireless charging 2.0, we have developed a highly scalable technology that can be scaled up to increase power or down to reduce footprint, depending on the specific needs of our customers applications,” said Stephen R. Rizzone, CEO of Energous Corporation. “Partnering with an industry leader like Qubercomm to bring a state-of-the-art asset tracking system to market represents another milestone for the company as we continue to roll out our WattUp technology on a global basis across a number of rapidly expanding vertical markets.”
 
To learn more about Locatum and wireless charging asset tags, please visit locatum.io.
 
About Qubercomm Technologies
 
Qubercomm Technologies is focused on delivering superior products and services that enable enterprises to build IoT solutions that solve real-world problems in dynamic, high-interference environments across different industries. The company’s value-added services, sophisticated patent-pending technologies and deep domain expertise help clients create IoT-powered real-time locationing systems for complex indoor environments and various industrial use cases. With offices in USA and India with plans to grow into the APAC and MEA regions, the company is well positioned to cater to customers across the globe. To learn more about the company, please visit Qubercomm.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180925005340/en/
 
Contact
Qubercomm
Deepa Sudarsan, 650-209-4747
Director, Corporate Affairs
Deepa.sudarsan@qubercomm.com
 
Source : Qubercomm Technologies
 
--BERNAMA

Kansai International Airport back in operation

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- As of Sept 21, Kansai International Airport has been up running following damage inflicted by Typhoon 21 in early September.

The Kansai Tourism Bureau released a video today at http://welcomekansai.net and https://youtu.be/HvvQhIcudn4 to inform travellers of this and to welcome them back.

Typhoon 21 struck the Kansai area on Sept 4, causing unprecedented disruption and shutting down the airport.

Runways were flooded and some power facilities and bridges were damaged, severely crippling operations.

Thanks to the immense support of all those involved, a statement said, service is now restored to pre-disaster levels.

-- BERNAMA

A.M. Best validates SFM and its subsidiaries

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A++ (superior) and long-term issuer credit rating (long-term ICR) of ‘aa+’ for Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co Ltd (SFM), South Korea.

At the same time, it affirmed the FSR of A (excellent) and the long-term ICR of ‘a’ for SFM’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Samsung Reinsurance Pte Ltd (SRE), Singapore, as well as a FSR of A- (excellent) and the long-term ICRs of ‘a-’ for Samsung Vina Insurance Co Ltd (SVI), Vietnam and PT Asuransi Samsung Tugu (AST), Indonesia.

The outlook of these credit ratings is stable, the global rating agency said in a statement.

The ratings of SFM reflect its balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorises as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, very favourable business profile and very strong enterprise risk management (ERM).

SFM’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR).

The company’s large absolute capital base, low level of underwriting leverage and its prudent investment strategy also support its robust capitalisation.

SFM’s limited exposure to long-tail risks and tight internal capital monitoring practices add stability to its strong capitalisation.

SFM has outperformed the industry in operating profitability consistently over the past five years, while demonstrating highly-stable underwriting profitability.

The company’s stable investment income stream, which is composed mostly of interest and dividend income, supports its strong operating performance.

SFM is an indisputable market leader in South Korea’s non-life insurance industry with about a quarter of the market share in terms of direct premium written.

SRE is a small regional reinsurer mainly focused in Southeast Asia and strategically important to SFM in its effort to expand internationally.

SVI is 75 per cent-owned by SFM and strategically important because it offers coverage to Samsung Group companies and other KIA in Vietnam, a major destination of South Korean investments in Southeast Asia.

AST is a joint venture between SFM and PT Asuransi Tugu Pratama Indonesia, Tbk which have 70 per cent and 30 per cent ownership, respectively.

It is a small player in Indonesia’s non-life insurance market and mostly underwrites niche businesses of Samsung Group and other KIA in Indonesia.

For more information, visit www.ambest.com

-- BERNAMA