Just in case you missed it last night buried in our interview with Epic Games VP Mark Rein, the company showed off a new real-time demo at GDC 2013 this week, titled "Infiltrator." The nearly four-minute clip, showcases a sci-fi shootout created with its Unreal Engine 4, and remarkably powered by a single GeForce GTX 680. Now that we've piqued your curiosity a bit, check out this gorgeous display of futuristic espionage after the break, plus a bonus clip of the "Elemental" UE4 demo running on a PlayStation 4 dev kit in real-time.
FILE - In this March 12, 2013 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican Party?s search for a way back to presidential success in 2016 is drawing a striking array of personalities and policy options. It?s shaping up as a wide-open self-reassessment by the GOP. Some factions are trying to tug the party left or right. Others argue over pragmatism versus defiance. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - In this March 12, 2013 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican Party?s search for a way back to presidential success in 2016 is drawing a striking array of personalities and policy options. It?s shaping up as a wide-open self-reassessment by the GOP. Some factions are trying to tug the party left or right. Others argue over pragmatism versus defiance. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., makes a point as he is joined by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Michael Bennett, D-CO, during a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. A group of influential U.S. senators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Even with one of the largest hurdles to an immigration overhaul overcome, optimistic lawmakers on Sunday cautioned they had not finished work on a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.
The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties conceded that the negotiations were not finished.
"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.
But it hasn't taken the form of a bill and the eight senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough.
"We haven't signed off," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," he added.
Yet just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows, Sen. Marco Rubio warned he was not ready to lend his name ? and political clout ? to such a deal without hashing out the details.
"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.
Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.
Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but said 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.
The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.
"I think we're on track. . But as Sen. Rubio correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement till we look at all of the legislative language and he's correctly pointing out that that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also noted the significance of the truce between labor and business but added that this wasn't yet complete.
"That doesn't mean we've crossed every 'i' or dotted every 't,' or vice versa," said Flake, who is among the eight lawmakers working on the deal.
Schumer negotiated the deal between AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue during a late-Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W'' visa for low-skill workers who would earn wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.
The proposed measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.
It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the faltering U.S. immigration system in more than two decades.
"This is a legacy item for him. There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform," said David Axelrod, a longtime political confidant of Obama.
During the last week, an immigration deal seemed doomed. But the breakthrough late Friday restarted the talks.
Ultimately the new "W'' visa program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau being pushed by labor groups as an objective monitor of the market, according to an official involved with the talks who also spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.
A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap, the official said, if they could show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the next year's cap.
The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.
"As to the 11 million (illegal immigrants), they'll have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and it will be hard, and I think it is fair," Graham said.
The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.
Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.
Schumer, Flake and Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Graham was interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union."
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Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a first-of-its-kind diabetes drug from Johnson & Johnson that uses a new method to lower blood sugar ? flushing it out in patients? urine.
The agency cleared J&J?s Invokana tablets for adults with Type 2 diabetes, which affects an estimated 26 million Americans. The once-a-day medication works by blocking the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar, which occurs at higher levels in patients with diabetes than in healthy patients. Regulators highlighted the drug as the first in a new class of medications that could help address the nation?s growing diabetes epidemic.
Analysts estimate Invokana could eventually grow into a blockbuster drug, generating more than $1 billion in sales annually for New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J.
Invokana differs from older drugs that work by shrinking the amount of sugar absorbed from food and stored in the liver. The most common side effects of Invokana are yeast infections and urinary tract infections, due to the higher amounts of sugar passing through a patient?s urine.
The drug also can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure when a patient stands up, which can lead to dizziness or fainting, according to the FDA.
The FDA said it approved the drug based on nine studies involving more than 10,000 patients. The studies showed that Invokana, both alone and in combination with other diabetes drugs, helped control blood sugar levels.
?We continue to advance innovation with the approval of new drug classes that provide additional treatment options for chronic conditions that impact public health,? said Dr. Mary Parks, director of the FDA?s division of endocrinology products.
Regulators are requiring Johnson & Johnson to conduct five follow-up studies to assure the drug?s safety. The company will track rates of heart problems, cancer, pancreatitis and liver abnormalities, among other issues.
In recent years, the FDA has required companies developing diabetes drugs to closely monitor all heart-related side effects in patients. That?s because diabetes medicines are taken daily for many years, and one former blockbuster, GlaxoSmithKline PLC?s Avandia, was linked to higher heart attack risks. In 2010, the FDA restricted Avandia?s use to patients not helped by any other diabetes treatments, and European regulators banned sales of Avandia completely.
Last year the FDA rejected a similar experimental drug in the same class, dapagliflozin, from partners Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and AstraZeneca PLC. The FDA cited concerns about possible liver damage and elevated rates of bladder and breast cancer.
Recent inspections of Russian NGOs were conducted in order to monitor their activity, and to ensure they comply with Russian law, President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with his human rights plenipotentiary.
?The Prosecutor General?s Office must check the legality of actions of all bodies of power ? regional, municipal, and also public organizations. I think in this case the goal of the inspections is to check how the activities of non-governmental organizations comply with their declared objectives, and with the laws of Russian Federation,? Putin said during his meeting with Vladimir Lukin, Russia?s top Human Rights Commissioner.
The meeting took place as Russian prosecutors, the Justice Ministry and the Tax Service launched a series of surprise inspections of the country?s major NGOs, including leading Russian organizations and the Russian branches of international groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The international rights community sounded the alarm, blasting the checks as an attempt to pressure activists and silence critics. Germany, France and the United States officially voiced concern over the probes.
During his meeting with Lukin, President Putin tasked the commissioner with monitoring the ongoing situation: ?I would like to rule out any excesses there.?
The Russian Justice Ministry issued a statement on Monday announcing that the NGO inspections were routine and within legal norms: Law enforcement was working under the recently introduced Law on Foreign Agents, which requires all groups with foreign workers or funding to register on a special list and publicly announce their ?foreign agent? status.
The Prosecutor General?s Office said on Thursday that their probes into NGO work were part of an attempt to verify reports that several banned extremist and ultranationalist organizations had attempted to re-register under new names and resume their activities.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that regular inspections of such organizations was a generally accepted international practice, and that all groups working in Russia must observe Russian law and report their activities to the authorities.
So far, the auditors have reported no violations in the activities of non-governmental groups, apart from one incident. On Thursday, ?For Human Rights? leader Lev Ponomaryov refused to turn over working documents to inspectors, saying that his organization had already been subjected to a recent check. Law enforcers said the move was a refusal to comply with their lawful demands, and started an administrative case against the activist.
Ouya had their big backer launch bash at GDC 2013, giving everybody a shot to try out the $99 Android-powered gaming console. There has been a lot of excitement leading up to this launch, not only because it stands to be yet another Kickstarter success story, but also because it's paving the way for a whole new product category of Android devices.
The giant egg available for sale was laid by a now-extinct giant bird that resembled an 11-foot tall ostrich. The egg is about 100 times the size of an average chicken's.
By Associated Press / March 28, 2013
Christie's specialist James Hyslop holds a chicken egg next to a pre-17th century, sub-fossilised Elephant Bird egg in London, March 27. The rare egg is expected to sell for $30,000-45,000 when is it auctioned next month. The extinct Elephant Bird, a native of Madagascar, resembled a giant ostrich around 11 feet in height.
Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
Enlarge
The giant egg for sale is a foot long, nearly nine inches in diameter, and would once have made a really, really, big omelet.
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A London auction house is hoping buyers will be scrambling to take a crack at this natural wonder, a massive fossilized egg laid long ago on the island of Madagascar by a now-extinct?elephant?bird.
Christie's said Wednesday that the oversized ovum ? laid sometime before?elephant?birds?were wiped out several hundred years ago ? is expected to sell for up to 30,000 pounds (roughly $45,000).
Flightless, fruit-gobbling?elephant?birds?resembled giant ostriches and could grow to be 11 feet high (3.4 meters). Christie's says their eggs are 100 times the size of an average chicken's.
The egg is being sold during a travel and science sale on April 24.
As much as we're intrigued by the prospect of Twitter's music app, the rumored emphasis on SoundCloud would potentially limit the selection given major label resistance to giving away ad-free content: we'd expect a lot of DJ sets and indie demos. A supposed leak from AllThingsD has Twitter catering to the less adventurous among us by adding Vevo support. While the full workings of the rumored app remain a mystery, Twitter would reportedly play Vevo's mostly pop-oriented music videos through a custom player. It might not be the only service involved, too: the same tips suggest that Twitter wants to round up multiple services, and the two that have surfaced so far are just the first to hop aboard. We have a hunch that the expanded app (if real) won't make the originally claimed March launch when we're already at the last weekday of the month, but the latest tidbit suggests Twitter is far from giving up on turning microblogs into mini jukeboxes.
Author, Dr. Sherry Gorman M.D. talks about her real life experience, that lead her to write the medical mystery thriller, "It's Nothing Personal."
VividLife Radio?s Edie Weinstein welcomes Nancy Dreyfus, Psy. D, to discuss her best selling book Talk To Me Like I'm Someone You Love.
Teen hosts Jackie, Brooke, and Drew discuss the challenge of what to do after high school graduation. They are joined by guest Andrea Hahn from CNY Works.
Join Democracy Interactive for a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner and reporter Hedrick Smith, about his book "Who Stole The American Dream?"
Hear hosts Ben and Corey of mHealth Zone in a conversation with doctors who are driving mobile health.
This week on the BIG show, host Tim Gordon will welcome writer/director Storm Saulter to discuss his latest film, the Caribbean crime drama, Better Mus' Come.
The PointClickFish.com Team welcomes Captain Tyler McLaughlin, the Captain of the F/V Pin Wheel on National Geographic Channel?s hit series Wicked Tuna.
Bernice Bennett welcomes Joanne Abel for a discussion of the Jeanes Teachers and their community organizing work to build Rosenwald Schools in the rural South.
NWP welcomes Terry Brooks, known for his mega-series Shannara, Landover, and for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Millions of fans read and love Terry Brooks.
Bleacher Report feature columnist Ian Berg joins Weigh In Sports! Listen as they previews all Sweet 16 match ups. Ian gives his keys to victory for each team!
Raider's Jason Tarver, Lion's Ben Archibald, Patriot's Daniel Fells, Viking's/Steeler's Todd Kalis and Brown's Anthony Griggs join the Thursday Night Tailgate.
John Marsh owns Triton Mixed Martial Arts Studio but his latest venture is Wyatt?s BBQ & Catering Company. Learn how both his passions cross paths.
Dennis Daniel talks with voice actor Christopher Sabat, best known as Vegeta and Piccolo from the iconic cartoon series, "DragonBall Z"
Doreen Taylor, named the "One to Watch for 2013" by guyism.com, talks to Olivia Wilder about her 2013 "Magic" tour, kicking off in Philadelphia on May 23rd.
Robin Donley, of Perceptual Testing, talks about her system and starting a business in California. Leslie Eastman adds free market and science perspectives.
Join The SpeakEasy Cafe's Open-Mic Poetry Show! Poets, you're invited to take the stage! Call in and inspire, listen in and be inspired!
Experience The Witch's Tale, a horror-fantasy radio series running from 1931 to 1938. The program was created, written and directed by Alonzo Deen Cole.
Alexia Vernon also known as the ?Moxie Maven? is the creator of Step Into Your Moxie, which helps women learn to speak with power and impact.
Join Pete Peters from Straight Down the Middle as he welcomes Dean Visser,Tournament Coordinator of the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
The Best Ever You welcomes Dr. Lisa Christiansen, one of the most sought-after motivational speakers, life coaches, and business consultants worldwide.
Paranormal Research Society explores a mysterious phenomenon called shadow people, one of the most seen figures in the paranormal, yet the least talked about!
Fieldstone Common welcomes Prof. Ava Chamberlain, author of The Notorious Elizabeth Tuttle: Marriage, Murder, and Madness in the Family of Jonathan Edwards.
Master Energy Coach Sheevaun O?Connor Moran, joins The Feminine Soul! Learn how to manage your energy so you can achieve your dreams beyond any obstacle!
When he agreed to a three-year, $6 million deal with the Ravens, one of the first things Michael Huff did was text Ed Reed.
But at the same time, he doesn?t need to spend too much time trying to be Ed Reed.
?It means a lot,? Huff said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. ?He?s one of the greatest, if not the greatest free safety to ever play the game. I just told him that I?ll carry on his legacy, carry on the tradition of great safeties in Baltimore. I?m definitely going to go out there and hold up my end.
?For me to come in here, I don?t really feel like I?m following his footsteps. I?m more kind of starting my own legacy and going in here to help the defense and help us win.?
There are two important reasons not to invite comparisons. One, Reed?s a former NFL defensive player of the year who?s likely to end up in the Hall of Fame when he?s finished.
But as importantly, Reed wasn?t Reed any more on the field last season, which is why they were willing to let him go become a Texan.
The Ravens weren?t going to get into a bidding war for a guy who?s turning 35 this season, allowing Houston to pay him a three-year, $15 million deal for intangibles.
So they found a player who is nearly five years younger, $9 million cheaper, and for the moment, perhaps a better fit.
Huff?s in Baltimore to play safety, but was forced into playing corner last year in Oakland. While he?s not someone you want on an island playing coverage, he can still cover ground, and that?s something the Ravens need in the middle of their new defense.
?He?s just a tremendous player, a tremendous guy,? Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. ?He fits us really well both football-wise and technique-wise, the type of person he is, the type of family man he is.
?He?s going to enable us to keep doing the things on defense that we have been doing and even build on those things. He has done it all because he?s smart, he?s tough and he knows how to play the game.?
So while the Ravens might not have the same kind of name recognition they once had on defense, they might be better. For roughly the same $41 million the Browns spent to lure outside linebacker Paul Kruger away, the Ravens have restocked by signing pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil, lineman Chris Canty and Marcus Spears and Huff, which gives them a better opportunity to live up to the reputation the old guys created.
Technology in 2066 hasn't changed much, aside from the minor (and major)improvements in efficiency. There are still no flying cars, there are still no soldiers wearing power armor (even though the idea is being heavily researched into and has already progressed into multiple prototype stages). Hell, there still aren't any robots fighting our enemies in our place.
The future lied to all of us.
Oh, wait.
We're part of CyberTech Security (more specifically, the Special Activities Division). Being part of a privately owned Research and Development company, that holds contracts with DARPA and the CDC (or what's left of both organizations), designing military-grade weapons and equipment (such as power armor, perhaps?) While our tech can be considered on par with the United States military, being part of Delta Squad certainly has its perks: We get to wear whatever fuckin' armor we can wear (including our own modifications, provided that Corporate gives us the green light on what we can mod), whatever fuckin' weapons we can hold in our two hands, and certainly operate whatever fuckin' vehicles we can climb into.
Provided we stay and work together.
Here's a list of the list of "shit" CyberTech has to offer to us (special people).
AEGIS Advanced Armor Defense System The AEGIS AADS is self-contained and capable of withstanding most elements and hazardous conditions, created by Cybertech Corporation as a modular means of defense against the infection, exclusively for the 102nd Special Activities Division. The suit's Tactical helmet sports limited air supply and air filters, and completely encases the operative's head and face. Sensors built into the helmet allow them to also see in infra-red and night-vision, crucial should the lights go out. A comm system is build into the face-mask, including a broadcast speaker.
It enhances the speed and power of the wearer, a sharp contrast to previous versions which required powered motors to allow the users mobility. Because of this advancement, the design more closely resembles an actual suit of armor, as opposed to a powered exoskeleton. On one level, the user moves the suit, and in return, the suit moves the user. This allowed for an incredibly compact design when compared to the previous incarnations.
The pyramid-shaped helmet has led to the nickname of "Diamondback" by both military and security personnel alike.
XLR8 Advanced Reconnaissance Combative Awareness Suit The ARCAS is a Ghost-exclusive variation of the AEGIS AADS, in which instead of the increased protection that the defense system provides, it is outfitted with a lighter amount of armor to provide better mobility. The system is also equipped with a prototype optical cloaking system that helps remove the visual spectrum from any infected that rely on sight. However, since it's in a prototype stage, there are times where the system will fail to activate, often leaving the operative within sight.
Advanced Lifeform Interface for Combat Environments ALICE is an operative's semi-intelligence system. Also known as their best friend. Programmed into each operative's suit, ALICE will provide basic information regarding its user, such as both mental and physical conditions, as well as information relating to other members of the operative's team via voice commands. It will also provide both basic and tactical information about the user's environment, such as temperature and infection levels, and is capable of providing the general location of other users (including Ghost operatives).
ALICE is also connected to Dispatch to provide a stronger connection with Corporate.
Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, right, celebrates with goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, from Finland, in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues in Calgary, Alberta, Sunday, March 24, 2013. The Flames won 3-2. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, right, celebrates with goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, from Finland, in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues in Calgary, Alberta, Sunday, March 24, 2013. The Flames won 3-2. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Calgary Flames general manager Jay Feaster speaks to the media following the team's announcement trading captain Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The Flames have trade Iginla in exchange for forwards Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and the Pittsburgh Penguins 2013 first round pick. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley speaks to the media following his team's game in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The Calgary Flames Hockey Club have traded team captain Jarome Iginla in exchange for forwards Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and the Pittsburgh Penguins 2013 first round pick. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
PITTSBURGH (AP) ? The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames.
The Flames announced the deal after their victory over Colorado on Wednesday night, sending their longtime captain to the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins in exchange for college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick this year.
The deal was Penguins' third big move in four days. They picked up forward Brenden Morrow in a deal with Dallas on Sunday, and acquired defenseman Doug Murray from San Jose on Monday.
The 35-year-old Iginla is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. He was scratched from Calgary's lineup against Colorado, ending his consecutive games streak at 441.
Flames general manager Jay Feaster said the deal was completed during the Flames' 4-3 victory over Colorado, and that team was fielding three offers.
"We as an organization owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jarome," Feaster said, "not only for what he did for the franchise during his tenure as a player here and as our captain, but also for the fact that now as we recognize that despite our best efforts, and despite the work we've put in, we've fallen short of the goals we set for ourselves as an organization.
"We respect very, very much the fact that Jarome worked with us to enable this to come about."
Iginla has nine goals and 13 assists in 31 games this season. In 1,219 career regular-season games in 16 seasons, all with Calgary, he has 525 goals and 570 assists. He has 28 goals and 21 assists in 54 career playoff games and has played for Canada in three Olympics.
Calgary is 14th in the Western Conference and will likely miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Agostino plays for Yale, and Hanowski at St. Cloud State. Both are forwards.
The 20-year-old Agostino was selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. The junior leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 goals and 22 assists in 33 games this season. Yale will face Minnesota on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The 22-year-old Hanowski, a third-round pick in 2009, recently finished his senior season at St. Cloud State, where he was the team's captain. He had 16 goals and 13 assists in 34 games this season.
?Data Driven Thinking? is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media.
Today?s column is written by?Khurrum Malik, CMO at?eXelate.
Advertisers who fully grasp the interplay between ad tech and Business Intelligence (BI) will maximize customer lifetime value in the accelerating digital world. Here's why.
In the late '90s, relational databases and the advent of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) laid the foundation for today?s BI industry. Players like Siebel, Oracle and even JD Edwards pushed enterprises to capture and retain data about their customers to grow their base. Then came a need to analyze and report customer information with BI tools like Cognos and Crystal Reports.
Fast forward to today?s BI market. ?One sees a thick ecosystem of software (Microstrategy, IBM, Alteryx, Domo) and services (Accenture, Deloitte), providers who are chasing a multibillion-dollar market dedicated to helping businesses analyze and optimize performance.? BI has evolved from simple reporting to predictive analytics, ?demonstrating a hunger to answer as many customer questions as possible ? all behind or at the firewall.? It is important to note that a majority of this spend is controlled by enterprise CIOs who are dedicated to maximizing the value of technology investments, but who are also sometimes at odds with CMOs.
Enter the ad tech and digital advertising ecosystem, built to fulfill the needs of the CMO ? specifically, the needs of advertisers to improve awareness, consideration, and eventually acquisition of customers through digital channels.? When a potential customer is in the awareness and consideration phase, ad tech nudges the customer forward to acquisition.? But this ecosystem must realize it is only part of the customer journey.? With billions of dollars being spent on improving digital funnel performance from customer awareness to consideration to acquisition, companies across the ad tech industry are wondering if there is more they can do to meet the needs of advertisers worldwide ? and not just play outside the firewall.
Imagine a major wireless company; let?s call it Horizon Wireless.? Horizon?s marketing team wants to acquire as many customers as possible, retain them as long as possible, and grow (upsell, cross-sell) their customers ? all to maximize customer lifetime value.? In order to meet these goals, Horizon utilizes the ad tech ecosystem to raise awareness and drive consideration for potential customers; however, once Horizon acquires customers, BI plays a larger role in retaining and growing them.
So why should advertisers care about BI?? Three major reasons pop out:
Size Matters ? The Business Intelligence market isn?t going away.? With analysts sizing the market anywhere from $12B to $30B-plus and growing at double-digit rates, BI will continue to capture enterprise budgets and deepen relationships with both the CIO and, increasingly, the CMO.
Expansion ? Almost all BI players are recognizing the ad tech impact and utilizing legacy BI/enterprise data with ad tech smart data to drive smarter decisions and accelerate the customer journey.? Why not take first-party customer conversion data and use that to seed online third-party smart data, more effectively targeting many potential customers?
New Advantage ? Companies that can lay out a strategy and execution plan which demonstrates the right mix of ad tech and BI interplay are poised to flourish, capturing the mindshare and budgets of CIOs and CMOs worldwide.
Some companies are already positioning to take advantage of this trend:
Software/SaaS ? Industry leaders like Microsoft, Adobe and IBM already see this dynamic and are investing within and outside the enterprise to accelerate the customer journey. Another example is Salesforce?s move to purchase Buddy Media.
Services ? Players like Accenture and Deloitte are pushing their comfort zones beyond BI and analytics to help clients influence customers earlier in the customer journey.
Ad Tech ? Companies like comScore are bridging this gap with audience, advertising and digital analytics across the customer journey, while agencies like Merkle and R/GA are moving proactively to carve pre- and post- acquisition inroads with CMOs.? Industry giants like Facebook are already pushing across customer touchpoints by positioning themselves as a one-stop shop for awareness and brand growth.
The time for behind-the-firewall (BI) and beyond-the-firewall (ad tech) collaboration is here. Only those who can bridge the gap and accelerate the customer journey will survive the shifting digital landscape.
Follow Khurrum Malik (@trihoos) and AdExchanger (@adexchanger) on Twitter.
The Rust Belt city of Buffalo, N.Y., is recasting itself as a home for high-tech industry and green infrastructure.
Central to this makeover is a new home for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at University of Buffalo, which is drawing attention from design, industry and government circles alike.
Designed by Perkins+Will New York, the memorable SEAS building ? also known as the Barbara and Jack Davis Hall ? brings world-class technology and a tech-savvy collaboration platform for University of Buffalo (UB) to expand research into nanotechnology, bio-based security systems, and green tech, among other fields.
Tracking LEED Gold, the building helps fulfill UB?s commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality by 2030.
Even more important, the school is drawing together high-tech and sustainability leaders to further Buffalo?s economic development.
Just last week, SEAS and the EPA hosted the ?Western New York Green Infrastructure Forum,? which drew together architects, engineers, government administrators and scientists from around the country.
The $75 million, 130,000 s/f Davis Hall classroom and laboratory building is home to SUNY-Buffalo?s computer science and electrical engineering departments and was built by Turner?s New York City office.
Its hybrid design offers interactive and collaborative learning spaces thanks to a multi-story glass gallery space that integrates pedestrian traffic through the building into campus. It also features a state-of-the-art ?cybertorium,? or ?smart? auditorium.
The hybrid design stresses the value of interactive space for learning and discovery at SEAS. Organized around a glass-enclosed, multi-story gallery that facilitates pedestrian traffic into the existing campus, this colorful and dynamic architecture creates an interactive education/research environment.
?Perkins+Will is proud to work with the University of Buffalo to help launch a new generation of interdisciplinary, innovative and sustainable buildings on the UB Campus with the design of the Barbara and Jack Davis Hall,? said Robert Goodwin, AIA, LEED AP, Design Principal.
?The hybrid program, sculptural form and interactive spaces of the building make a bold statement about the University?s commitment to explore new directions in research, education and collaboration.?
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Olympus Has Fallen" provided the biggest box office surprise so far this year with this weekend's $30 million opening, about $10 million above industry and analysts' projections.
Bigger may ultimately prove better when it comes to president-in-peril movies. Sony is in post-production on its similarly-themed Roland Emmerich film "White House Down," and the $150 million epic starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx is expected to be a blockbuster.
But it's good to be first, and the strong debut for "Olympus" is a coup for Film District, which marketed and distributed the $70 million Millennium Films production.
To put the success of "Olympus" in perspective, it easily topped the $25 million debut that Bruce Willis managed with "Good Day to Die Hard" in February. And its opening was bigger than the bows of Sylvester Stallone's "Bullet to the Head," Arnold Schwarzenegger's "The Last Stand" and Jason Statham's "Parker" combined, according to Box Office Mojo.
It was the biggest opening ever for Film District, which was founded in September 2010 by Peter Schlessel, in partnership with Graham King and Timothy Headington.
The Film District marketing department, led by Christine Birch, identified the target demographic as older, male and maybe military, and nailed it. The "Olympus" audience was 73 percent over 25 and 53 percent male. A series of special pre-release screenings at military bases paid off, too -- cities with large armed forces populations like Norfolk, Va., El Paso, Texas, and Honolulu all overperformed, Film District distribution chief Jim Orr told TheWrap.
The gender breakdown suggests "Olympus" turned into a date-night movie, no small feat for an R-rated action film.
"I think Gerard Butler gets a lot of credit for that," Orr said. "He's an action star."
That's something Butler may have needed to be reminded of. He's never been able to match the box-office success of 2007's "The 300," and was coming off a string of misfires in non-action roles.
He topped a first-rate ensemble cast that included Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster and Ashley Judd. But the biggest name - and one the marketing campaign focused on -- was director Antoine Fuqua.
The "Training Day" director attracted an audience, and they loved the film. It received an "A-" CinemaScore, very strong for an action film.
"When we saw the Saturday numbers coming in, we knew word of mouth was a factor," Orr said.
Fuqua didn't waste any time either, which was critical, since it was important for "Olympus" to beat the bigger, more-hyped "White House Down" to market.
"That made a difference," Orr said, "and gave us some flexibility." April 5 was the original release date for "Olympus," but Film District switched off that to avoid "The Heat," the Sandra Bullock-Melissa McCarthy FBI movie, and get in ahead of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," which opens Thursday.
"The Heat" subsequently shifted its release date to June 28 - the same day "White House Down" debuts.
The irony of dueling movies and dates isn't lost on Orr. He was at Paramount back in 1998, when that studio debuted "Deep Impact," a movie about a giant lethal mass hurtling toward earth. Two months later, Disney rolled out "Armageddon" - about a giant lethal mass hurtling toward earth.
For the record, there was plenty of room in the market for both films. "Armageddon" opened to $36 million and went to make $201 million domestically. "Deep Impact" opened to $41 million, and made $140 million.
"I sure don't think our opening will hurt 'White House Down,'" Orr said. "In fact, I think the buzz around our success could help it."
New study identifies unique mechanisms of antibiotic resistancePublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Kritz Jennifer.Kritz@tufts.edu 617-636-3707 Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
BOSTON (March 26, 2013) As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics used as a last resort for the treatment of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and even death. Infections involving resistant strains fail to respond to antibiotic treatments, which can lead to prolonged illness and greater risk of death, as well as significant public health challenges due to increased transmission of infection. The study, published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, demonstrates the lengths to which bacteria will go to become resistant to antibiotics.
Resistance to carbapenems usually emerges through the acquisition of an enzyme, carbapenemase, which destroys the antibiotic intended to treat infection. Resistance may also block entry of the drug into the E-coli bacteria. The current research, led by corresponding author Stuart Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology and of Medicine and Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics & Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, sought to determine what made this particular clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenem in the absence of carbapenemase.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) so-called 'super bugs' that have been found to fight off even the most potent treatments," Levy said. "We knew that bacteria could resist carbapenems, but we had never before seen E. coli adapt so extensively to defeat an antibiotic. Our research shows just how far bacteria will go with mutations in order to survive."
Levy and his colleagues determined that the E. coli genetically mutated four separate times in order to resist carbapenems. Specifically, the isolate removed two membrane proteins in order to prevent antibiotics from getting into the cell. The bacteria also carried a mutation of the regulatory protein marR, which controls how bacteria react in the presence of antibiotics. The isolate further achieved resistance by increasing expression of a multidrug efflux pump. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the E. coli was expressing a new protein, called yedS, which helped the drug enter the cell, but whose expression was curtailed by the marR mutation. yedS is a normally inactive protein acquired by some E. coli that affects how the drug enters the bacterial cell. It is generally expressed in bacteria through a mutation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE germs have increased from 1% to 4% in the United States over the last decade. Forty-two states report having identified at least one patient with one type of CRE. Approximately 18% of long-term acute care hospitals in the United States and 4% of short-stay hospitals reported at least one CRE infection in the first half of 2012.
The clinical isolate of E. coli studied by Levy and his colleagues came from the sputum of a patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, where three of the study authors are on the faculty. Drug resistance is a particularly serious public health concern in China, antibiotics are overprescribed and used widely in the livestock and farming industries.
"The first quinolone-resistant strains of bacteria came out of China, where we see that the drugs of last resort begin being used, because the other drugs don't work after so much overuse," Levy said.
###
Additional authors of the paper are Doug Warner, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Boston College; Qiwen Yang, Section Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Valerie Duval, Research Assistant at Tufts University Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; Minjun Chen, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; and Yingchun Xu, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI56021.
Warner, D.M., Yang, Q., Duval, V., Chen, M., Xu, Y., Levy, S.B. (2013). Involvement of MarR and YedS in Carbapenem Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Escherichia coli from China. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 57(4), 1935-1937. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02445-12.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.
If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Jennifer Kritz at 617-636-3707 or Siobhan Gallagher at 617-636-6586.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New study identifies unique mechanisms of antibiotic resistancePublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Kritz Jennifer.Kritz@tufts.edu 617-636-3707 Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
BOSTON (March 26, 2013) As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics used as a last resort for the treatment of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and even death. Infections involving resistant strains fail to respond to antibiotic treatments, which can lead to prolonged illness and greater risk of death, as well as significant public health challenges due to increased transmission of infection. The study, published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, demonstrates the lengths to which bacteria will go to become resistant to antibiotics.
Resistance to carbapenems usually emerges through the acquisition of an enzyme, carbapenemase, which destroys the antibiotic intended to treat infection. Resistance may also block entry of the drug into the E-coli bacteria. The current research, led by corresponding author Stuart Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology and of Medicine and Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics & Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, sought to determine what made this particular clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenem in the absence of carbapenemase.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) so-called 'super bugs' that have been found to fight off even the most potent treatments," Levy said. "We knew that bacteria could resist carbapenems, but we had never before seen E. coli adapt so extensively to defeat an antibiotic. Our research shows just how far bacteria will go with mutations in order to survive."
Levy and his colleagues determined that the E. coli genetically mutated four separate times in order to resist carbapenems. Specifically, the isolate removed two membrane proteins in order to prevent antibiotics from getting into the cell. The bacteria also carried a mutation of the regulatory protein marR, which controls how bacteria react in the presence of antibiotics. The isolate further achieved resistance by increasing expression of a multidrug efflux pump. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the E. coli was expressing a new protein, called yedS, which helped the drug enter the cell, but whose expression was curtailed by the marR mutation. yedS is a normally inactive protein acquired by some E. coli that affects how the drug enters the bacterial cell. It is generally expressed in bacteria through a mutation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE germs have increased from 1% to 4% in the United States over the last decade. Forty-two states report having identified at least one patient with one type of CRE. Approximately 18% of long-term acute care hospitals in the United States and 4% of short-stay hospitals reported at least one CRE infection in the first half of 2012.
The clinical isolate of E. coli studied by Levy and his colleagues came from the sputum of a patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, where three of the study authors are on the faculty. Drug resistance is a particularly serious public health concern in China, antibiotics are overprescribed and used widely in the livestock and farming industries.
"The first quinolone-resistant strains of bacteria came out of China, where we see that the drugs of last resort begin being used, because the other drugs don't work after so much overuse," Levy said.
###
Additional authors of the paper are Doug Warner, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Boston College; Qiwen Yang, Section Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Valerie Duval, Research Assistant at Tufts University Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; Minjun Chen, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; and Yingchun Xu, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI56021.
Warner, D.M., Yang, Q., Duval, V., Chen, M., Xu, Y., Levy, S.B. (2013). Involvement of MarR and YedS in Carbapenem Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Escherichia coli from China. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 57(4), 1935-1937. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02445-12.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.
If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Jennifer Kritz at 617-636-3707 or Siobhan Gallagher at 617-636-6586.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 26-Mar-2013
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