Daily Business Report: Oct. 26, 2023
Electron-rich metals make ceramics tough to crack
By Liezel Labios | UC San Diego
Researchers have discovered a way to make ceramics tougher and more resistant to cracking. By building these materials using a blend of metal atoms possessing more electrons in their outer shell, a team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has unlocked the potential to enable ceramics to handle higher levels of force and stress than before.
Ceramics offer many advantages due to their remarkable properties, including their ability to withstand extremely high temperatures, resist corrosion and surface wear, and maintain lightweight profiles.
These properties make them suitable for a variety of applications such as aerospace components and protective coatings for engines and cutting tools. However, their weakness has always been their brittleness. They break easily under stress.
But now, researchers have found a solution that could make ceramics harder to break. They published their work recently in Science Advances.
Photo: Samples of a class of ceramics, known as high-entropy carbides, that have been engineered to withstand more force and stress before breaking. (Photo by Liezel Labios/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering)
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Kris Galicia Brown joins Southwestern
Community College as new trustee
Southwestern Community College welcomed a new member to its governing board with the appointment of Kris Galicia Brown. Galicia Brown will serve through November 2024, completing the term left vacant by former Trustee Griselda Delgado.
She brings a wealth of experience and an impressive background, aligned with the institution’s values that have established it as an educational cornerstone in the region
Galicia Brown has a multitude of experience in public affairs, branding, advertising, and food industries.
She is an accomplished copywriter, art director, social media influencer, content creator, and published author. She has worked professionally with large brands, local governments, non-profits, restaurants, sporting events, start-ups, and local small businesses.
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Team successfully spawns three
Sunflower Sea Stars at Birch Aquarium
By Alex Feltes
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography successfully spawned three Sunflower Sea Stars in partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific, Steinhart Aquarium at California Academy of Sciences, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) and the Sunflower Star Laboratory, a monumental milestone in the recovery of these larger-than-life stars. This is the second time the aquarium has induced spawning on a Sunflower Star.
“Sunflower Stars are considered functionally extinct in our own state of California,” said Melissa Torres, Assistant Dive Safety Officer and Aquarist at Birch Aquarium. This species is also considered to be functionally extinct in Oregon. “Our collective goal is to save them from extinction,” continued Torres.
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A Deep Look into the AI Revolution
Artificial intelligence has captured the minds and curiosities of people and industries around the world. From commerce to education to medicine, the AI revolution offers promises and pitfalls in virtually every realm of society.
The UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences hosts a virtual event on the AI revolution Nov. 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Attendees will hear four perspectives on the future of AI — from futuristic AI-based simulations for developing new medicines and vaccines; to navigating the frontiers of science with mind-boggling image analysis; to unprecedented explorations of how the brain works.
Speakers: Rommie Amaro, professor, Department of Molecular Biology; Gavin Hartigan, vice president, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Uri Manor, assistant professor Dept. of Cell and Development Biology; Terry Sejnowski, professor, Department of Neurobiology and Salk Institute.
County supervisors vote to draft ‘unsafe camping’ homeless ordinance
City News Service via Times of San Diego
The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday in favor of drafting an unsafe camping ordinance similar to ones recently passed in the cities of San Diego and Poway in an effort to curb homeless encampments.
Supervisor Joel Anderson said the ordinance is necessary to handle the ongoing homelessness crisis, and also stressed that it could help reduce wildfire risks.
Supervisors directed the chief administrative officer to draft an ordinance that “would allow law enforcement to prohibit and abate illegal encampments, remove improperly stored property on public property, and protect vacant property, such as the San Diego River corridor, from fire and pollution,” according to information on Tuesday’s agenda.
Nordstrom to hire hundreds of positions in San Diego
Nordstrom is hosting hiring days on Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 in its San Diego area Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores for the holiday season. Many of these open roles will be in sales and fulfilling customer orders. Both events will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nordstrom offers competitive pay, a merchandise discount of 20 percent and opportunities for permanent employment once the season has ended that could include benefits such as medical coverage, employer-matched retirement plan and much more.
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First Emperor penguin chick in over
a decade hatched at SeaWorld San Diego
An Emperor penguin chick was hatched for the first time since 2010 at SeaWorld San Diego on Sept. 12. SeaWorld San Diego is the only place on the Western Hemisphere where Emperor penguins can be found, making the hatching a rare and celebratory event. Emperor penguins are currently listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act due to the loss of Antarctic sea ice and rising sea levels caused by climate change.
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Wiliot’s IoT Pixels and Visibility Platform
named to TIME’s list of Best Inventions
Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer, announced that its ambient IoT Pixels and Visibility Platform have been named to TIME’s list of the Best Inventions of 2023. The Wiliot ambient IoT Visibility Platform connects the digital and physical worlds using its IoT Pixels – stamp-sized, self-powered compute devices that cost only pennies. These IoT Pixels can attach to any “thing” to connect it to the internet; not just expensive things like cars, appliances, and shipping containers, but the things inside them: fruits, veggies, vaccine vials, clothes.
TC BioPharm selects Excellos for U.S. clinical trials
TC BioPharm, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing platform allogeneic gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer, announced it has selected Excellos, a San Diego-based Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) spun out of San Diego Blood Bank, for its expanding U.S. clinical trial efforts. Excellos was chosen after an extensive review process due to their ability to navigate the complex regulatory impediments between the UK and U.S.
Nuvve and Blue Bird equip first
all-electric school fleet in Texas
San Diego-based Nuvve Holding Corp., a global technology leader accelerating the electrificartion of transportation through its proprietary vehicle-to-grid platform, and Blue Bird Corporation, a leader in electric and low-emission school buses, have replaced Texas’s Martinsville Independent School District diesel fleet with five Blue Bird Vision electric buses, five Nuvve Level 11 chargers and the AI-powered Nuvve FleetBox 2.0 charge management software.
Visgenx announces issuance of U.S. patent
Visgenx, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for degenerative retinal diseases, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 11,793,890, titled “ELOVL2 Constructs for Human Gene Therapy.” The patent, which is exclusively owned by Visgenx, has an expiration date of Oct. 19, 2041. The issued patent covers an optimized ELOVL2 transgene that can be used in expression vectors targeting multiple tissues.
Greenbutts and Filtrona partner to produce biodegradable filters
Greenbutts and Filtrona announced a partnership to manufacture biodegradable filters for tobacco companies in the U.S., demonstrating a shared commitment to meet growing demand for sustainable plastic-free filters. Under the joint development agreement, Filtrona will lease a manufacturing machine from Greenbutts to produce biodegradable filters using proprietary technology. The partnership supports the strategy of both companies to drive the industry’s transformation by providing alternative sustainable filter solutions to traditional cellulose acetate filters.
Radicle Science to lead first clinical trial
conducted at San Diego trade show
Leveraging its unique healthtech approach to rigorous proof generation, Radicle Science will be leading the first ever clinical trial to take place at the SupplySide West trade show in San Diego. The blinded, placebo-controlled trial will study several non-caffeinated supplements and their immediate effects on energy, cognitive function, and fatigue on attendees at the tradeshow. Radicle Science has studied more than 30,000 Americans in some of history’s largest clinical trials on supplements.
OSC Insurance Services honored as an ‘Innovator of the Year’
Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs, announced that OSC Insurance Services was named “Data & Analytics Innovator of the Year” at Excellence in Insurance. The Excellence in Insurance awards ceremony took place in San Diego. It recognized the outstanding performances of P&C organizations in categories including exceptional policyholder service, digital transformation, and innovative excellence in data and analytics.
Announcing Blanchard Leadership Coach Certification program
Blanchard, a global pioneer in leadership development, consulting, and coaching for more than 40 years, announced the release of the Blanchard Leadership Coach Certification program. This unique course combines both expert coaching techniques and award-winning leadership and management content with the latest research in cognitive neuroscience—providing executive coaches with the expanded skills they need to better serve their clients.
To learn more, register for an upcoming information session, Take Your Coaching Practice to the Next Level.
