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Tag: medical devices

  • Squid have tiny teeth in their suckers — scientists could use their unique properties to make self-healing materials

    Squid have tiny teeth in their suckers — scientists could use their unique properties to make self-healing materials

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    (THE CONVERSATION) — When you think of a fearsome, sharp-toothed predator, a squid probably isn’t the first animal that comes to mind. But these complex creatures have sophisticated eyesight, a strong beak to crush shells and agile tentacles that help them snatch up prey.

    Oh, and they have teeth in their suckers. The serrated teeth inside the suction cups on their tentacles allow them to latch onto prey.

    While most hard tissues in animals are mineralized, with calcium fortifying their bones, shells or teeth, the squids’ sucker teeth are instead composed of structural proteins. Scientists don’t really understand how these teeth are made.

    By looking inside a squid sucker using an electron microscope, our team of scientists captured an image that shows the cell tissue that grows the teeth. The cells located in the inside walls of the suction cup secrete proteins that bind to each other and form complex teethed-ring structures.

    High-strength proteins in squid sucker teeth

    Squid sucker teeth have some outstanding properties. They’re resistant to compression, yet they’re flexible and can conform to the shape of their prey. Our team’s research tries to understand not only how these teeth are made, but also where their unique properties come from.

    The teeth are composed of a family of structural proteins, which have a mechanical function rather than a biological function. Some examples include keratin, which makes up hair and nails, or silk, which gives structure to spider webs and silkworm cocoons. In squids, these sucker teeth catch and grip onto prey.

    Proteins are made of amino acids arranged in a specific order, and that order defines their structure. Sucker teeth proteins have amino acids that form hard, tiny crystals called nanocrystals in the material. These nanocrystals connect the protein strands in a network – similar to knots in a fishing net.

    These nanocrystals come together to form nanotubes inside the material, like tiny honeycomb structures. When we look at them through an electron microscope, we can see a tooth cut in half, revealing the intricate internal structure with long but tiny nanotubes. Thanks to these nanostructures, the squid protein teeth have strength, toughness and a flexibility that outperforms many synthetic polymers and modern materials.

    Squid-inspired new materials

    Scientists and engineers can take inspiration from biology and use unique natural structures to model and develop new types of materials. For example, squid sucker ring teeth have inspired the development of self-healing materials that can repair their own cuts, punctures or scratches.

    The nanocrystals that hold together the squid teeth proteins can reform after they break. Materials made in our lab inspired by squid nanocrystals could lead to self-repairing medical devices or robots. These materials would last longer and require less upkeep, which would be useful in dangerous environments or inside the human body.

    These squid-inspired materials could also assemble and disassemble by themselves. Materials with this property could be recycled or degraded without leaving behind any waste. That would make this sort of material a promising bio-based alternative to single-use plastic.

    Abdon Pena-Francesch writes from the University of Michigan.

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/squid-have-tiny-teeth-in-their-suckers-scientists-could-use-their-unique-properties-to-make-self-healing-materials-227013.

    Licenced as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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    Abdon Pena-Francesch | University of Michigan

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  • China sends a probe to get samples from the less-explored far side of the moon

    China sends a probe to get samples from the less-explored far side of the moon

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    TAIPEI, Taiwan — China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.

    It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still the leader in space.

    Free from exposure to Earth and other interference, the moon’s somewhat mysterious far side is ideal for radio astronomy and other scientific work. Because the far side never faces Earth, a relay satellite is needed to maintain communications.

    China also has a three-member crew on its own orbiting space station and aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030. Three Chinese lunar probe missions are planned over the next four years.

    The rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe — named after the Chinese mythical moon goddess — lifted off Friday at 5:27 p.m. as planned from the Wenchang launch center on the island province of Hainan.

    Huge numbers of people crowded Hainan’s beaches to view the launch, which comes in the middle of China’s five-day May Day holiday.

    After orbiting the moon to reduce speed, the lander will separate from the spacecraft and begin scooping up samples almost as soon as it sets down. It will then reconnect with the returner for the trip back to Earth. The entire mission is set to last 53 days.

    China in 2020 returned samples from the moon’s near side, the first time anyone has done so since the U.S. Apollo program that ended in the 1970s. Analysis of the samples found they contained water in tiny beads embedded in lunar dirt.

    Also in the past week, three Chinese astronauts returned home from a six-month mission on the country’s orbiting space station after the arrival of its replacement crew.

    China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of U.S. concerns over the Chinese military’s total control of the space program amid a sharpening competition in technology between the two geopolitical rivals. U.S. law bars almost all cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese space programs without explicit congressional approval.

    China’s ambitious space program aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as bring back samples from Mars around the same year and launch three lunar probe missions over the next four years. The next is schedule for 2027.

    Longer-term plans call for a permanent crewed base on the lunar surface, although those appear to remain in the conceptual phase.

    China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.

    The three-module Tiangong, much smaller than the ISS, was launched in 2021 and completed 18 months later. It can accommodate up to six astronauts at a time and is mainly dedicated to scientific research. The crew will also install space debris protection equipment, carry out payload experiments, and beam science classes to students on Earth.

    China has also said that it eventually plans to offer access to its space station to foreign astronauts and space tourists. With the ISS nearing the end of its useful life, China could eventually be the only country or corporation to maintain a crewed station in orbit.

    The U.S. space program is believed to still hold a significant edge over China’s due to its spending, supply chains and capabilities.

    The U.S. aims to put a crew back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, aided by private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. They plan to land on the moon’s south pole where permanently shadowed craters are believed to be packed with frozen water.

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  • FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety

    FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety

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    WASHINGTON — Makers of medical tests that have long escaped government oversight will have about four years to show that their new offerings deliver accurate results, under a government rule vigorously opposed by the testing industry.

    The regulation finalized Monday by the Food and Drug Administration will gradually phase in oversight of new tests developed by laboratories, a multibillion-dollar industry that regulators say poses growing risks to Americans. The goal is to ensure that new tests for cancer, heart disease, COVID-19, genetic conditions and many other illnesses are safe, accurate and reliable.

    “The final rule announced today aims to provide crucial oversight of these tests to help ensure that important health care decisions are made based on test results that patients and health care providers can trust,” said FDA commissioner Robert Califf, in a release.

    Califf said inaccurate tests can lead to unnecessary treatment or delays in getting proper care.

    But in a significant move, the FDA decided that the tens of thousands of tests currently on the market will not have to undergo federal review. The agency said it will essentially grandfather those tests into approval to address concerns that the new rule “could lead to the widespread loss of access to beneficial” tests.

    Under the government’s plan, newly developed tests that pose a high risk — such as those for life-threatening diseases — will need to be FDA approved within 3 1/2 years. Lower risks tests will have four years to obtain approval.

    The FDA already reviews tests and kits made by medical device manufacturers.

    But labs, large hospitals and universities that develop their own in-house tests have been able to market them without each one undergoing agency review. The industry has resisted additional scrutiny for decades, saying it will stifle innovation and drive up costs.

    There are an estimated 80,000 medical tests currently available from about 1,200 labs, according to the agency’s estimate. They include tests for complex diseases, as well as simpler conditions like high cholesterol and sexually transmitted infections.

    In the 1970s and ’80s, most lab-based tests were “lower risk, small volume” products used mostly for local patients, according to the FDA.

    Over time, the tests have grown into a nationwide business, with labs processing thousands of blood, urine and other samples per week from hospitals and clinics. Others advertise directly to consumers — including some claiming to measure the risk of developing ailments like Alzheimer’s and autism.

    FDA officials have long voiced concerns about the accuracy of some tests, pointing to patients who have received inaccurate results for heart disease, Lyme disease and other conditions. Inaccurate tests can lead to patients getting an incorrect diagnosis, skipping treatments or receiving unnecessary medication or surgery.

    More than a decade ago, the agency drafted tougher guidelines for the industry, but they were never finalized. For years, U.S. labs have successfully lobbied Congress and other federal institutions against tougher regulation.

    When FDA released a draft of the new rule last September, a leading industry group argued the agency did not have legal authority to step into the testing market.

    The American Clinical Laboratory Association said Monday it “has grave concerns about this rule as a matter of both policy and law. The rule will limit access to scores of critical tests, increase health care costs, and undermine innovation in new diagnostics.”

    The group represents large testing chains such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, as well as smaller labs and test makers.

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    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • CDC identifies 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles

    CDC identifies 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles

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    FILE – This electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows a human T cell, in blue, under attack by HIV, in yellow, the virus that causes AIDS. Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are the first believed to have contracted the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, according to federal health officials. (Seth Pincus, Elizabeth Fischer, Austin Athman/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH via AP, File)

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  • She was too sick for a traditional transplant. So she received a pig kidney and a heart pump

    She was too sick for a traditional transplant. So she received a pig kidney and a heart pump

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    NEW YORK — Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.

    Lisa Pisano’s combination of heart and kidney failure left her too sick to qualify for a traditional transplant, and out of options. Then doctors at NYU Langone Health devised a novel one-two punch: Implant a mechanical pump to keep her heart beating and days later transplant a kidney from a genetically modified pig.

    Pisano is recovering well, the NYU team announced Wednesday. She’s only the second patient ever to receive a pig kidney — following a landmark transplant last month at Massachusetts General Hospital – and the latest in a string of attempts to make animal-to-human transplantation a reality.

    This week, the 54-year-old grasped a walker and took her first few steps.

    “I was at the end of my rope,” Pisano told The Associated Press. “I just took a chance. And you know, worst case scenario, if it didn’t work for me, it might have worked for someone else and it could have helped the next person.”

    Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute, recounted cheers in the operating room as the organ immediately started making urine.

    “It’s been transformative,” Montgomery said of the experiment’s early results.

    But “we’re not off the hook yet,” cautioned Dr. Nader Moazami, the NYU cardiac surgeon who implanted the heart pump.

    “With this surgery I get to see my wife smile again,” Pisano’s husband Todd said Wednesday.

    Other transplant experts are closely watching how the patient fares.

    “I have to congratulate them,” said Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Mass General, who noted that his own pig kidney patient was healthier overall going into his operation than NYU’s patient. “When the heart function is bad, it’s really difficult to do a kidney transplant.”

    More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant waiting list, most who need a kidney, and thousands die waiting. In hopes of filling the shortage of donated organs, several biotech companies are genetically modifying pigs so their organs are more humanlike, less likely to be destroyed by people’s immune system.

    NYU and other research teams have temporarily transplanted pig kidneys and hearts into brain-dead bodies, with promising results. Then the University of Maryland transplanted pig hearts into two men who were out of other options, and both died within months.

    Mass General’s pig kidney transplant last month raised new hopes. Kawai said Richard “Rick” Slayman experienced an early rejection scare but bounced back enough to go home earlier this month and still is faring well five weeks post-transplant. A recent biopsy showed no further problems.

    Pisano is the first woman to receive a pig organ — and unlike with prior xenotransplant experiments, both her heart and kidneys had failed. She went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated before the experimental surgeries. She’d gotten too weak to even play with her grandchildren. “I was miserable,” the Cookstown, New Jersey, woman said.

    A failed heart made her ineligible for a traditional kidney transplant. But while on dialysis, she didn’t qualify for a heart pump, called a left ventricular assist device or LVAD, either.

    “It’s like being in a maze and you can’t find a way out,” Montgomery explained — until the surgeons decided to pair a heart pump with a pig kidney.

    With emergency permission from the Food and Drug Administration, Montgomery chose an organ from a pig genetically engineered by United Therapeutics Corp. so its cells don’t produce a particular sugar that’s foreign to the human body and triggers immediate organ rejection.

    Plus a tweak: The donor pig’s thymus gland, which trains the immune system, was attached to the donated kidney in hopes that it would help Pisano’s body tolerate the new organ.

    Surgeons implanted the LVAD to power Pisano’s heart on April 4, and transplanted the pig kidney on April 12. There’s no way to predict her long-term outcome but she’s shown no sign of organ rejection so far, Montgomery said. And in adjusting the LVAD to work with her new kidney, Moazami said doctors already have learned lessons that could help future care of heart-and-kidney patients.

    Special “compassionate use” experiments teach doctors a lot but it will take rigorous studies to prove if xenotransplants really work. What happens with Pisano and Mass General’s kidney recipient will undoubtedly influence FDA’s decision to allow such trials. United Therapeutics said it hopes to begin one next year.

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    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • What Is the LifeVac Choking Rescue Device? Three Lifesaving Moments with LifeVac

    What Is the LifeVac Choking Rescue Device? Three Lifesaving Moments with LifeVac

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    What Is the LifeVac Choking Rescue Device? Three Lifesaving Moments with LifeVac

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  • Insurer delays and denials hamper patients seeking at-home breathing machines

    Insurer delays and denials hamper patients seeking at-home breathing machines

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    Lou Gehrig’s disease took away Grace Armant’s ability to speak, but the 84-year-old still has plenty to say about her insurance.

    UnitedHealthcare has rejected several requests from her doctors for coverage of a machine Armant needs to breathe as she deals with the fatal illness.

    “They are no good,” Armant said, typing slowly into a device that speaks for her. “I can’t do without the machine.”

    Doctors around the country say UnitedHealthcare and other insurers have made it harder to get coverage for certain home ventilators that patients like Armant need as their lungs fail. They say patients often must struggle first with less effective — and cheaper — devices before some insurers will pay. In other cases, insurers balk at paying for a second machine needed when patients transfer from their bed to a wheelchair.

    Temple University doctoral student Jaggar DeMarco waited more than three years to get his.

    “Breathing is not a luxury,” he said. “It’s really the bare minimum, and that’s what we’re asking for.”

    Some physicians believe insurers are making it harder on patients because more of the devices are being prescribed. Spending by the federal government’s Medicare program on the ventilators jumped from about $3 million to nearly $269 million between 2009 and 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

    Insurers say they do cover the machines, but that coverage can depend on several factors.

    These “noninvasive” ventilators help patients breathe around the clock by forcing air into the lungs, often through a mask. They are called noninvasive because they don’t require trachea surgery to open the airway, like ones used in hospitals.

    The machines have battery backups so they can keep working when the power goes out. They also are more powerful than other devices meant to be used mainly at night for conditions like sleep apnea. At around $1,200 a month, they can be three times as expensive as those devices.

    These ventilators can help prolong the life of someone with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, doctors say.

    But insurance rejections have picked up for those patients and people dealing with advanced cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Chuck Coolidge, chief strategy officer for VieMed, which provides respiratory equipment for patients in 46 states.

    That includes both initial approvals and reauthorizations, he said.

    “In early 2023, it was almost like a switch flipped,” he said.

    UnitedHealthcare spokeswoman Heather Soule said her company covers the machines and re-evaluates requests if it gets new information. Coverage can depend on the patient’s condition, terms of their health plan or guidelines from the federal government’s Medicare program.

    Those guidelines give insurers room to reject many ventilator requests, even those for seriously ill patients, said Dr. John Hansen-Flaschen, a pulmonary medicine expert with the University of Pennsylvania.

    Government-funded Medicare Advantage plans run by UnitedHealthcare now deny nearly all initial requests for the ventilators, said Dr. Cathy Lomen-Hoerth, a neurologist with the University of California San Francisco.

    In West Virginia, Dale Harper says it took several months and a personal plea before UnitedHealthcare would cover a ventilator for his 25-year-old son, Jacob, who has a rare and aggressive form of ALS.

    After appeals from Jacob’s doctor failed, Harper called a number on his insurance card and asked for a supervisor.

    “I said, ‘I can feed him, I can help him go to the bathroom, I can move him from one place to the other,’” the Winfield, West Virginia, resident recalled. “The only thing I cannot do is breathe for him … and he can’t breathe.”

    Harper said ventilator coverage was approved within an hour of that call early last year.

    Doctors caring for Armant, who lives outside New Orleans, say they usually get decent ventilator coverage.

    “No one thought there would be a problem,” said Deidre Devier, an LSU Health experimental psychologist who specializes in cognitive disorders.

    They first sought coverage in May, 2022, and Devier said Armant has only had it for around three months near the end of that year. She said a medical device company has been providing Armant’s ventilator for free while her case was appealed. But those appeals have ended.

    Armant’s daughter said she’s considering starting hospice care, which would allow for ventilator coverage but prevent her mom from seeing her regular doctors. She’s also looking online for a refurbished machine.

    “She doesn’t have $20,000″ to buy the machine, Terrellyn Armant said.

    Representatives of both patients with UnitedHealthcare coverage gave the insurer written permission to discuss their cases, but Soule declined to comment on the record.

    Coverage complications aren’t limited to UnitedHealthcare. DeMarco, the Temple student, said Aetna denied a request for a second breathing machine, and then several appeals. Eventually, his father’s employer essentially overruled the insurer and allowed coverage.

    Doctors recommend a second ventilator for people who use wheelchairs during the day. That avoids mistakes in adjusting the machine’s settings when moving someone from their bed.

    “I’m constantly angry that my life and what I can do with (it) is sometimes determined by insurance companies and bureaucracy,” said the 30-year-old DeMarco, who has chronic respiratory failure.

    An Aetna representative said the company could not comment on individual cases. But he added that Aetna does cover second ventilators in certain circumstances. Aetna’s policy bulletin says they are medically necessary for people who need an additional ventilator for their wheelchair during the day.

    Ventilator coverage problems started picking up after technology improvements made the devices easier to use, according to Dr. Lisa Wolfe, a professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. That led to a rise in use for patients with conditions that are not immediately life-threatening.

    She said she thinks insurers are reacting to that expanded use.

    ALS patients without ventilator access have limited options. They can use a device that’s covered but doesn’t work as well. They may get ventilator coverage by entering hospice care or having a tracheostomy.

    They also might wind up bouncing in and out of hospitals, said Hansen-Flaschen, the Penn physician.

    “Or they die prematurely, and it’s a wretched death because they can’t breathe,” he said.

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    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Japan’s moon lander survives a second weekslong lunar night, beating predictions

    Japan’s moon lander survives a second weekslong lunar night, beating predictions

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    FILE – This image provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University shows an image taken by a Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) of a robotic moon rover called Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, on the moon. A Japanese moon explorer, after making a historic “pinpoint” lunar landing last month, has also captured data from 10 lunar rocks, a far greater than expected work that could help find the clue to the origin of the moon, its project manager said Wednesday, Feb. 14 , 2024. (JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University via AP, File)

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  • Rise and shine: Japanese moon probe back to work after sun reaches its solar panels

    Rise and shine: Japanese moon probe back to work after sun reaches its solar panels

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    TOKYO — A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power.

    Japan’s first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdow n on Jan. 20, but landed the wrong way up, leaving its solar panels unable to see the sun.

    But with the dawn of the lunar day, it appears that the probe has power.

    The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Monday that it successfully established communication with the probe Sunday night, and the craft has resumed its mission, taking pictures of the Moon’s surface and transmitting them to the Earth.

    After a last-minute engine failure caused the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, to make a rougher-than-planned landing, JAXA used battery power to gather as much data as possible about the touchdown and the probe’s surroundings. The craft was then turned off to wait the sun to rise higher in the lunar sky in late January.

    With power, SLIM has continued work to analyze the composition of olivine rocks on the lunar surface with its multi-band spectral camera, seeking clues about the Moon’s origin and evolution, the agency said. Earlier observations suggest that the moon may have formed when the Earth hit another planet.

    A black-and-white photo posted by JAXA on social media showed the rocky lunar surface, including a rock the agency said it had named “Toy Poodle” after seeing it in initial images. The probe is analyzing six rocks, all of which have been given the names of dog breeds.

    SLIM is expected to have enough sun to continue operations for several earth days, possibly until Thursday. JAXA said it’s not clear if the craft will work again after another severely cold lunar night.

    The SLIM landed about 55 meters (60 yards) away from its target, in between two craters near the Shioli crater, a region covered in volcanic rock. Previous moon missions have typically aimed for flat areas at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide.

    SLIM carried two autonomous probes, which were released just before touchdown, recording the landing, surroundings and other lunar data.

    The landing made Japan the world’s fifth country to reach the moon surface, after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.

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  • CES 2024 updates: The most interesting news and gadgets from tech's big show

    CES 2024 updates: The most interesting news and gadgets from tech's big show

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    LAS VEGAS — Welcome to CES 2024. This multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association is expected to bring some 130,000 attendees and more than 4,000 exhibitors to Las Vegas. The latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care, sustainability and more will be on display, with burgeoning uses of artificial intelligence almost everywhere you look.

    The Associated Press will keep a running report of everything we find interesting from the floor of CES, from the latest announcements to most quirky smart gadgets.

    A new flying taxi concept, dubbed the S-A2 by Hyundai, made its debut at CES 2024.

    The South Korean vehicle manufacturer envisions the electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle as a commuter solution for urban areas with heavy traffic.

    Hyundai claims the vehicle will be able to cruise at 120 mph (190 kph) at a 1,500-foot (460-meter) altitude while operating as quietly as a dishwasher.

    The S-A2 builds on Hyundai’s S-A1 concept, which made its debut at CES in 2020. Company officials say they are working to get the vehicle ready to meet flight standards set by nations around the world.

    GE Appliances is looking to change the way you smoke food with its new $1,000 indoor smoker.

    About the size of a toaster oven or microwave, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker can fit a full brisket cut in half, 40 chicken wings or three racks of ribs. It still uses wood pellets to achieve a smokey flavor, but its technology traps the smoke inside, making it “perfect for people who live in urban environments,” like high-rise apartments, said Whitney Welch, a spokesperson for GE Appliances

    Artificial intelligence has been seen powering smart home hubs, cars, TVs, medical devices and even fingernail printers at CES 2024. Now it’s giving massages.

    Created by French company Capsix Robotics, iYU uses artificial intelligence to perform a real-time body scan and recommend the best kind of experience for the user. A robotic arm then performs a variety of massage techniques.

    It’s a new product but the functionality might ring familiar — Clicks Technologies’ iPhone keyboard is making a splash at CES 2024.

    According to co-founder Johnathan Young, the smartphone accessory is aimed at three core audiences: iPhone users with dexterity or accessibility issues, the younger generation looking to stand out, and people who miss their previous smartphone keyboards.

    Prices range from $139 to $159.

    Dutch startup Whispp aims to use AI to help millions of people suffering from vocal impairments speak again in their natural voices.

    While many current technologies focus on speech-to-text or text-to-speech, Whispp is using audio-to-audio-based AI, resulting in almost real-time speech conversion.

    Users also have the unique ability to recreate their distinct voice by providing recordings of their current or past voice, adding a personalized touch to their own communication.

    At CES 2024, Whispp launched an AI-powered assistive speech and phone-calling app.

    On Tuesday, businesswoman and media personality Martha Stewart took to the kitchen stage at the Samsung CES booth to craft her “Martha-tini” and smashed potatoes using the company’s SmartThings technology.

    As a bonus, the famed cooking, entertaining and homemaking celebrity revealed how she first got hooked on the tech culture scene.

    “Well, I got my first computer in 1982. An IBM. I still have it. … and all my friends and I would sit up all night long trying to figure out what the computer could do for us.”

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  • Biden administration announces $162 million to expand computer chip factories in Colorado and Oregon

    Biden administration announces $162 million to expand computer chip factories in Colorado and Oregon

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    WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is providing $162 million to Microchip Technology to support the domestic production of computer chips — the second funding announcement tied to a 2022 law designed to revive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

    The incentives announced Thursday include $90 million to improve a plant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and $72 million to expand a factory in Gresham, Oregon, the Commerce Department said. The investments would enable Microchip Technology Inc., which is based in Chandler, Arizona, to triple its domestic production and reduce its dependence on foreign factories.

    Much of the money would fund the making of microcontrollers, which are used by the military as well as in autos, household appliances and medical devices. Government officials said they expected the investments to create 700 construction and manufacturing jobs over the next decade.

    Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, emphasized that the funding would help to tame inflation.

    “Semiconductors are the key input in so many goods that are vital to our economy,” said Brainard, adding that greater U.S. production of chips would have reduced the supply problems that caused the cost of autos and washing machines, among other goods, to rise as the country emerged from the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.

    The inflation rate has since eased, but the scars caused by the sudden price increases have damaged President Joe Biden’s public approval.

    In August 2022, the Democratic president signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which provides more than $52 billion to boost the development and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.

    In December, the Commerce Department announced the first grants by saying it reached an agreement to provide $35 million to BAE Systems, which plans to expand a New Hampshire factory making chips for military aircraft, including F-15 and F-35 jets.

    Government officials expect to make additional funding commitments this year.

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  • GE's stock has its best year on record ahead of final breakup

    GE's stock has its best year on record ahead of final breakup

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    General Electric Co. has saved its best year for its last.

    At the beginning of the second quarter, GE’s power and renewable-energy business will be spun off as GE Vernova, while its remaining business will be relaunched as GE Aerospace. That follows the conglomerate’s separation of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
    GEHC,
    -0.28%
    in December 2022.

    But rather than mourn the final breakup of the 150-year old company, which was co-founded by Thomas Edison, Wall Street cheered like it never had before.

    GE’s stock
    GE,
    -0.54%
    has rocketed 95.1% in 2023 as of afternoon trading Friday. That would be by far the stock’s best year on record, based on available data going back to 1972, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The next best year was 1982, when it gained 65.4%. In comparison, the S&P 500 index
    SPX
    has rallied 24.2% this year.

    Read: GE stock sees biggest rally in more than 2 years after a big earnings beat, raised outlook.

    As good as the stock’s performance has been leading up to the breakup, most analysts feel like investors still have more to gain. Keep in mind that in many cases, a company’s parts are worth more individually than they are valued as part of a whole.

    Wells Fargo’s Matthew Akers has a pre-breakup target of $144 on GE’s stock, which implies about 13% upside from current levels.

    “GE combines an attractive business with high aftermarket mix, solid management team with a clean balance sheet, L-T margin upside and built-in catalyst with the Vernova spin in early Q2,” Akers wrote.

    J.P. Morgan’s Seth Seifman said he believes the combined equity values of GE Vernova and GE Aerospace, when including the company’s equity stake in GE HealthCare, is about $149 billion. That compares with GE’s current market capitalization of about $139 billion.

    Of the 18 analysts surveyed by FactSet who cover GE, 12 are bullish and six are neutral, while there are no bears. And the average price target is $139.23, or about 9% above current levels.

    GE’s 2023 marks the culmination of a five-year turnaround for the stock engineered by current Chief Executive Larry Culp, who will remain as CEO of GE Aerospace.

    GE’s stock has nearly tripled in the five years that Larry Culp has been CEO, outperforming the S&P 500 by a wide margin.


    General Electric Co.

    The stock had suffered its worst year ever in 2018, plunging 56.6%, just after it had its fourth-worst year in 2017, when it suffered a 44.8% decline.

    Things got so bad for GE that it got booted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average
    DJIA
    in June 2018, ending a record 111-year run in the blue-chip barometer.

    Culp was named CEO in October 2018. During his tenure, GE’s stock has had only two down years. It fell 3.2% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the aerospace business, and slumped 11.3% in 2022 as spiking inflation and interest rates fueled fears that a recession was on the horizon.

    But since the end of 2018, GE’s stock has climbed 181%, while the S&P 500 has rallied 90% and the Dow has gained 61%.

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  • Fisker, BGC Group rise; Hut 8 falls, Friday, 12/29/2023

    Fisker, BGC Group rise; Hut 8 falls, Friday, 12/29/2023

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    NEW YORK — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes on Friday:

    Boeing Co., up 31 cents to $260.66.

    The airplane builder is asking airlines to inspect 737 MAX planes for potential problems with the rudder control system.

    Alphabet Inc., down 54 cents to $139.69.

    Google’s parent company reportedly settled a lawsuit over browser tracking and privacy.

    Nvidia Corp., unchanged at $495.22.

    The chipmaker reportedly launched an advanced gaming chip to comply with U.S. export restrictions to China.

    Howmet Aerospace Inc., up 1 cent to $54.12.

    The maker of engineered products for the aerospace industry announced the completion of several debt actions.

    Boston Scientific Corp., up $1.53 to $57.81.

    The medical device maker started a study of its Farapulse system as an initial treatment for persistent irregular heartbeat.

    Hut 8 Corp., down $2.79 to $13.34.

    The Bitcoin miner received court approval to proceed with operations in connection to Celsius Network bankruptcy proceedings.

    BGC Group Inc., up 46 cents to $7.22.

    The brokerage company gave investors an encouraging financial update.

    Fisker Inc., up 24 cents to $1.75.

    The electric vehicle maker reported an increase in deliveries in the fourth quarter.

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  • The war took away their limbs. Now bionic prostheses empower wounded Ukrainian soldiers

    The war took away their limbs. Now bionic prostheses empower wounded Ukrainian soldiers

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    KYIV, Ukraine — When Alexis Cholas lost his right arm as a volunteer combat medic near the front lines in eastern Ukraine, his civilian career as a surgeon was over. But thanks to a new bionic arm, he was able to continue working in health care and is now a rehab specialist helping other amputees.

    The 26-year-old is delighted with his sleek black robotic arm — he described it as “love at first sight” — and realizes how lucky he was to get one.

    “There are fewer (bionic) arms available than lost ones,” Cholas said.

    Russia’s war on Ukraine has created a massive need for prosthetic limbs. An estimated 20,000 Ukrainians have had amputations since the war started in February 2022, many of them soldiers who lost arms or legs due to blast wounds.

    Only a small number was able to receive bionic prostheses, which are more advanced and can provide greater mobility than the traditional prosthetic limbs.

    They are also far more costly than conventional prostheses.

    Bionic artificial limbs typically pick up electrical signals from the muscles that remain above the amputation site, thanks to something called myoelectric technology, to carry out an intended motion.

    Cholas’ bionic arm was made by Esper Bionics. Before 2022, the Ukrainian startup primarily targeted the United States market, but due to the sharp rise in demand for prosthetic limbs caused by the war, Esper now distributes 70% of its products at home.

    The company’s production hub in the capital of Kyiv is working at full capacity, with more than 30 workers producing about dozen bionic hands a month.

    In one corner of the factory, a small group of engineers huddle as they program, assemble and test the elegant bionic arms — known as Esper Hand. Each finger’s movement on the robotic hand is accompanied by a soft whirring sound, assuring the engineers of its smooth operation.

    Bohdan Diorditsa, head of strategic relations at the company, says that despite ramping up production, Esper Bionics is struggling to keep up with demand, with almost 120 people on the waitlist.

    In Ukraine, the company says it provides the bionic prostheses at zero profit for about $7,000 a piece, just enough to cover production costs. In the United States, the Esper Hand sells for more than $20,000.

    “We do not consider Ukraine as a market, but rather as an opportunity to help,” says Diorditsa.

    Compared to a conventional prosthesis, which is designed to replicate simple basic functions of a missing arm or leg, a bionic one offers the capability to restore fine motor skills.

    “Everyone wants them,” says Anton Haidash, a prosthetist at Unbroken, a municipal center in the city of Lviv that focuses on rehabilitation of civilians and soldiers affected by the war. The center has helped provide prosthetic limbs to about 250 people so far, including about 20 bionic arms.

    The difference in cost is significant. While bionic limbs can cost up to $50,000, conventional artificial limbs are priced at $800-$2,700, Haidash says.

    Ukrainians can get the regular artificial limbs free of charge through the public health care system. However, to get a bionic prosthesis, they normally need additional funding from charities or rehabilitation centers such as Unbroken, which depend on donations.

    And while patients can make the final decision about the type of prostheses they want, a variety of factors, including the nature of the injury and the person’s occupation, also play a role.

    Unbroken purchases bionic prostheses from German and Icelandic companies as well as Esper Bionics, whose notable advantage is having both a manufacturing and a service center in Ukraine. This means people don’t need to travel abroad when a repair or resizing is required.

    Another outstanding characteristic of the Esper Hand, which is powered by artificial intelligence, is its ability to adapt over time, learning the user’s unique interactions with the hand.

    After getting outfitted with his bionic arm, Cholas went back to volunteering as a combat medic on the front lines, while in his day job in Kyiv he works as a rehabilitation specialist in a public hospital. Most of his patients are members of the military or civilians who, like him, have lost limbs. He says their shared experience helps him quickly develop a rapport with his patients.

    “I now know a lot not only from textbooks but also from my own experience,” he says.

    Cholas speaks to his patients encouragingly as he examines their injuries. His movements with the bionic hand are natural and fluid. He effortlessly removes a bandage and dresses a patient’s wounds without the assistance of nurses.

    The bionic prosthesis allows him to perform even delicate movements, such as picking up a grape without crushing it, he says.

    “I feel uncomfortable when I’m without the prosthesis,” he says. “But when I have the bionic arm on, I feel comfortable. It’s like a part of you.”

    ___

    Associated Press photographer Evegeniy Maloletka in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

    ___

    Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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  • SmileDirectClub winds down operations — but customers are told to keep paying

    SmileDirectClub winds down operations — but customers are told to keep paying

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    SmileDirectClub Inc. said late Friday it was winding down operations, effective immediately, seeming to cast its millions of customers adrift — except when it comes to their bills.

    SmileDirectClub
    SDCCQ,
    -45.32%
    said in a statement that its aligner treatment is not available to new customers. For existing customers, the company said, “we apologize for the inconvenience, but customer care support is no longer available” through its telehealth program, including periodic check-ins.

    The company did not immediately return a request for comment.

    People on the company’s SmilePay plan will need to make all payments until paid in full, the company said. SmileDirect also ended its lifetime guarantee.

    For those seeking refunds, the company said that “there will be more information to come once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”

    The company in late September filed for bankruptcy protection, saying it was seeking to find investors for a “comprehensive recapitalization.” In January, it laid off workers and ended a few international operations in a bid to become profitable.

    The company has long attracted criticism for its teledentistry model, which it has said aims to disrupt the orthodontics industry. There were allegations a few years ago that it had harmed customers by breaking teeth and causing nerve damage, which the company denied.

    Setbacks also include a scathing report from a short seller; regulatory action in California, Alabama and Georgia; and opposition to the company’s business practices from medical organizations including the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists.

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  • Netanyahu rejects calls for cease-fire as Israel battles Hamas at Gaza hospital

    Netanyahu rejects calls for cease-fire as Israel battles Hamas at Gaza hospital

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    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back Saturday against growing international calls for a cease-fire, saying Israel’s battle to crush Gaza’s ruling Hamas militants will continue with “full force.”

    A cease-fire would be possible only if all 239 hostages held by militants in Gaza are released, Netanyahu said in a televised address.

    The Israeli leader also insisted that after the war, now entering its sixth week, Gaza would be demilitarized and Israel would retain security control there. Asked what he meant by security control, Netanyahu said Israeli forces must be able to enter Gaza freely to hunt down militants.

    He also rejected the idea that the Palestinian Authority, which currently administers autonomous areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, would at some stage control Gaza. Both positions run counter to post-war scenarios floated by Israel’s closest ally, the United States. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the U.S. opposes an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and envisions a unified Palestinian government in both Gaza and the West Bank at some stage as a step toward Palestinian statehood.

    For now, Netanyahu said, “the war against (Hamas) is advancing with full force, and it has one goal, to win. There is no alternative to victory.”

    Pressure was growing on Israel after frantic doctors at Gaza’s largest hospital said the last generator had run out of fuel, causing the death of a premature baby, another child in an incubator and four other patients. Thousands of war-wounded, medical staff and displaced civilians were caught in the fighting.

    In recent days, fighting near Shifa and other hospitals in northern Gaza has intensified and supplies have run out. The Israeli military has alleged, without providing evidence, that Hamas has established command posts in and underneath hospitals, using civilians as human shields. Medical staff at Shifa have denied such claims and accused Israel of harming civilians with indiscriminate attacks.

    Shifa hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia said the facility lost power Saturday.

    “Medical devices stopped. Patients, especially those in intensive care, started to die,” he said by phone, with gunfire and explosions in the background. He said Israeli troops were “shooting at anyone outside or inside the hospital” and prevented movement between buildings.

    Israel’s military confirmed clashes outside the hospital, but Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari denied Shifa was under siege. He said troops will assist Sunday in moving babies treated there and said “we are speaking directly and regularly” with hospital staff.

    Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told broadcaster Channel 12 that as Israel aims to crush Hamas, taking control of the hospitals would be key but require “a lot of tactical creativity,” without hurting patients, other civilians and Israeli hostages.

    Six patients died at Shifa after the generator shut down, including the two children, spokesmen with the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.

    The “unbearably desperate situation” at Shifa must stop now, the International Committee of the Red Cross director general, Robert Mardini, said on social media. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths posted that “there can be no justification for acts of war in health care facilities.”

    Elsewhere, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli tanks were 20 meters (65 feet) from al-Quds hospital in Gaza City, causing “a state of extreme panic and fear” among the 14,000 displaced people sheltering there.

    Israel’s military released footage which it said showed tanks operating in Gaza. The images showed shattered buildings, some on fire, and destroyed streets empty of anyone but troops.

    A 57-nation gathering of Muslim and Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia called in their communique for an end to the war in Gaza and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid. They also called on the International Court of Justice, a U.N. organ, to open an investigation into Israel’s attacks, saying the war “cannot be called self-defense and cannot be justified under any means.”

    Netanyahu has said the responsibility for any harm to civilians lies with Hamas, which denied it was preventing people in Gaza City from fleeing.

    The spokesman of the Hamas military wing said militants were ambushing Israeli troops and vowed that Israel will face a long battle. The Qassam Brigades spokesman, who goes by Abu Obaida, acknowledged in audio aired on Al-Jazeera that the fight is disproportionate “but it is terrifying the strongest force in the region.”

    Israel’s military has said soldiers have encountered hundreds of Hamas fighters in underground facilities, schools, mosques and clinics during the fighting. Israel has said a key goal of the war is to crush Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years.

    Following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which at least 1,200 people were killed, Israel’s allies have defended the country’s right to protect itself. But now into the second month of war, there are growing differences over how Israel should conduct its fight.

    The U.S. has pushed for temporary pauses that would allow for wider distribution of badly needed aid to civilians in the besieged territory where conditions are increasingly dire. However, Israel has only agreed to brief daily periods during which civilians can flee the area of ground combat in northern Gaza and head south on foot along the territory’s main north-south artery.

    Since these evacuation windows were first announced a week ago, more than 150,000 civilians have fled the north, according to U.N. monitors. On Saturday, the military announced a new evacuation window, saying civilians could use the central road and a coastal road.

    A stream of people fled southward on the main road, some on donkey-drawn carts. One man pushed two children in a wheelbarrow.

    “Where to go, and what do they want from us?” said Yehia al-Kafarnah, one fleeing resident.

    Palestinian civilians and rights advocates have pushed back against Israel’s portrayal of the southern evacuation zones as “relatively safe.” They note that Israeli bombardment has continued across Gaza, including airstrikes in the south that Israel says target Hamas leaders but that have also killed women and children.

    Demonstrations and outrage continued. Police said 300,000 Palestinian supporters marched peacefully in London, the largest such event there since the war started. Right-wing counterprotesters clashed with police.

    “Shelling and explosions never stopped,” said Islam Mattar, one of thousands sheltering at Shifa. “Children here are terrified from the constant sound of explosions.”

    The Health Ministry told Al Jazeera there were still 1,500 patients at Shifa, along with 1,500 medical personnel and between 15,000 and 20,000 people seeking shelter.

    Thousands have fled Shifa and other hospitals that have come under attack, but physicians said it’s impossible for everyone to get out.

    “We cannot evacuate ourselves and (leave) these people inside,” a Doctors Without Borders surgeon at Shifa, Mohammed Obeid, was quoted as saying by the organization.

    More than 11,070 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people have been reported missing and are thought to be possibly trapped or dead under the rubble.

    At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack, Israeli officials say. The military on Saturday confirmed the deaths of five reserve soldiers; 46 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began.

    Nearly 240 people abducted by Hamas from Israel remain captive.

    About 250,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate from communities near Gaza and along the northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have traded fire repeatedly.

    “Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into a possible war,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said after meeting with soldiers stationed along the border.

    ___

    Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Baraa Anwer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.

    ___

    Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

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  • Hologic, Doximity rise; Trade Desk, Plug Power fall, Friday, 11/10/2023

    Hologic, Doximity rise; Trade Desk, Plug Power fall, Friday, 11/10/2023

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    Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Hologic, Doximity rise; Trade Desk, Plug Power fall

    ByThe Associated Press

    November 10, 2023, 12:18 PM

    NEW YORK — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes on Friday:

    Trade Desk Inc., down $12.80 to $64.01.

    The digital-advertising platform gave investors a weak revenue forecast for the current quarter.

    Illumina Inc., down $8.61 to $98.37.

    The genetic testing tools company cut its profit forecast for the year.

    Unity Software Inc., up $1.77 to $27.01.

    The video gaming software company is reviewing potential changes to its product portfolio and cost structure.

    Doximity Inc., up $3.33 to $23.83.

    The medical social networking site raised its revenue forecast for its fiscal year.

    Plug Power Inc., down $2.39 to $3.54.

    The alternative energy company warned investors that it could face financial collapse within the next 12 months.

    Groupon Inc., down $4.71 to $8.82.

    The online daily deal service reported disappointing third-quarter earnings.

    Flowers Foods Inc., down $1.53 to $20.63.

    The bakery goods company trimmed its sales forecast for the year.

    Hologic Inc., up $4.93 to $72.13.

    The medical device maker beat analysts’ fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts.

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  • Massachusetts is running out of shelter beds for families, including migrants from other states

    Massachusetts is running out of shelter beds for families, including migrants from other states

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    BOSTON — Massachusetts shelters are being pushed past their capacity, running out of beds for families, including migrants arriving from other states and residents weathering a housing crunch right before winter, said Democratic Gov. Maura Healey.

    On Thursday the state crossed a threshold set by Healey of 7,500 families seeking placement in emergency shelters. Healey has said that families seeking shelter will be put on a waitlist once the state reaches the cap.

    Families will continue to be placed in shelters until the end of Thursday, according to the administration.

    “Beginning tomorrow, families will be placed into shelter as units become available. If there are no available shelter units, families determined eligible for emergency assistance will be placed on a waitlist,” Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said in statement.

    He said the administration will continue to work with community organizations to connect families with “safe, overnight options.”

    Healey has said she doesn’t want to see families out on the street but that the state has reached its shelter capacity. The spike in demand is being driven in part by migrant families entering the state.

    Many of the migrants are arriving from other states. Some states led by Republicans — including Texas and Florida — have bused or flown immigrants to states and cities led by Democrats, including California, Massachusetts, New York and Chicago.

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced he is limiting shelter stays for migrant families with children to 60 days. In Chicago, officials have looked to relocate migrants seeking asylum from police stations and the city’s airports to winterized camps with massive tents.

    Critics argue Healey’s decision to cap shelter placements violates the state’s “right-to-shelter” law. Under the four-decade-old law, Massachusetts is legally required to provide emergency shelter to eligible families.

    Under Healey’s plan, women, young children and those with acute medical needs and health issues will be given priority. The state is also considering limiting how long a family can stay in a shelter, Healey said.

    With winter not far off, officials are scrambling to prevent families from ending up on the street. On Tuesday, Healey announced a $5 million grant program to help local organizations create overnight shelter for families and pregnant individuals with no other options. Healey has also said she’s pressing federal officials to speed up the process by which migrants can get work authorizations and ultimately exit the shelter system to free up more space.

    On Wednesday the Massachusetts House approved a bill for $50 million to set up one or more locations where homeless families could find temporary refuge while they wait for a shelter space.

    Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said that could be a single large site like the Hynes Convention Center in Boston or smaller sites spread around the state.

    “Where are these people going to go?” Mariano said Wednesday.

    For families denied shelter, the state has made a flyer that suggests a handful of options, the first being to “return to the last safe place you stayed.”

    Denying families emergency shelter could force some into unsafe living conditions, said Kelly Turley, director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

    She and other homeless advocates have pressed lawmakers to approve money for a large living site similar to what Mariano described.

    Advocates welcoming new migrants to the state say they’re concerned about how to help those with no friends or family and nowhere to stay.

    Homeless families are housed in hundreds of locations in 90 cities and towns in a range of facilities, from traditional shelters to temporary sites like college dorms.

    Families will be offered shelter based on their position on the waitlist, according to guidance issued last week by the The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

    Top priority will be given to families at imminent risk of domestic violence or who have an infant up to 3 months old, have family members with an immunocompromised condition, are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or who include a family member with a medical device, specifically a tracheostomy tube. Additional priority levels will take into account the age and medical needs of family members.

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  • Massachusetts to begin denying shelter beds to homeless families

    Massachusetts to begin denying shelter beds to homeless families

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    BOSTON — The number of homeless families seeking emergency shelter in Massachusetts is nearing a 7,500-family threshold, past which Democratic Gov. Maura Healey says the state can no longer accommodate them and will instead place families on a waitlist, prioritizing those with the highest needs.

    Healey has said she doesn’t want to see families out on the street but that the state has essentially reached its shelter capacity. The spike in demand is being driven in part by a surge of migrant families entering the state.

    Massachusetts joins other locales struggling under an influx of migrant families seeking shelter. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced he is limiting shelter stays for migrant families with children to 60 days. In Chicago, officials have looked to relocate migrants seeking asylum from police stations and the city’s airports to winterized camps with massive tents.

    On Wednesday, the number of families in emergency shelter in Massachusetts stood at 7,488, according to the state.

    At least one immigrant aid organization — La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Massachusetts — said later Wednesday that it appeared the cap had taken effect as they tried to place a family in a shelter.

    “We were informed we hit the cap and due to the cap, families are being put on a waitlist,” said Cherlin Dubon, triage case specialist for the group.

    Critics argue Healey’s decision to cap shelter placements violates the state’s “right-to-shelter” law. Under the four-decade-old law, Massachusetts is legally required to provide emergency shelter to eligible families.

    Under Healey’s plan, women, young children and those with acute medical needs and health issues will be given priority. The state is also considering limiting how long a family can stay in a shelter, Healey said.

    With winter not far off, officials are scrambling to prevent families from ending up on street. A flyer the state has prepared to hand to families denied shelter suggests a handful of options, the first being to “return to the last safe place you stayed.”

    On Tuesday, Healey announced a $5 million grant program to help local organizations create overnight shelter for families and pregnant individuals with no other options.

    Massachusetts lawmakers are also weighing a bill to set aside $50 million to set up one or more locations where homeless families could find temporary refuge while they wait for a shelter space.

    Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said that could be a single large site like the Hynes Convention Center in Boston or smaller sites spread around the state.

    “Where are these people going to go?” Mariano said Wednesday. “Where do they spend the night when they come in here on a Friday night at 7 o’clock? Are they just going to go directly to the (Boston) Common and bed down for the night?”

    Healey has said she’s pressing federal officials to speed up the process by which migrants can get work authorizations and ultimately exit the shelter system to free up more space.

    Denying families emergency shelter could force some into unsafe living conditions, said Kelly Turley, director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

    She and other homeless advocates have pressed the Legislature to approve money for a large living site similar to that described by Mariano.

    “We’re very concerned that after 40 years of having the right to shelter, that the administration is moving forward with their plan without making sure congregate shelter is available,” Turley said.

    Advocates welcoming new migrants to the state say they’re concerned about how to help those with no friends or family and nowhere to stay.

    “When people come, especially those with babies, do we send them to the street?” said Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston. “We are not sending them to the street, so we need a place to send them.”

    Families are currently housed in hundreds of locations in 90 cities and towns in a range of facilities, from traditional shelters to temporary sites like college dorms.

    The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities last week issued guidance on the coming changes to the shelter system.

    Top priority will be given to families at imminent risk of domestic violence or who have an infant up to 3 months old, have family members with an immunocompromised condition, are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or who include a family member with a medical device, specifically a tracheostomy tube. Additional priority levels will take into account the age and medical needs of family members.

    Under the guidance, families will be offered available shelter units based on their position on the waitlist. The list will be refreshed once a day and those eligible for shelter will be contacted by email, phone call and text. Families on the waitlist for six months or longer will have to undergo another assessment.

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  • Yellen calls for more US-Latin America trade, in part to lessen Chinese influence

    Yellen calls for more US-Latin America trade, in part to lessen Chinese influence

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    WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wants Latin America to trade more with the United States as part of an initiative that so far has failed to disrupt China’s dominance in global manufacturing.

    Still, U.S. efforts to diversify supply chains with “trusted partners and allies” including select South American nations have “tremendous potential benefits for fueling growth in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Yellen said in a speech delivered Thursday.

    Yellen kicked off an Inter-American Development Bank investment event on the sidelines of the inaugural Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit, which will be hosted at the White House on Friday.

    The heads of state of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica were in attendance.

    Yellen, who regularly talks about her friendshoring strategy for increasing supply chain resilience by working primarily with friendly nations as opposed to geopolitical rivals like China, laid out her vision of new U.S. investment in South America at the development bank on Thursday.

    Latin American businesses “will increasingly have the chance to lead in new areas of clean energy, for example, helping create vertical supply chains by using locally extracted lithium in local battery production,” Yellen said.

    “Medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies can grow and innovate to meet increased demand,” Yellen said, and skilled workers can produce automotive chips necessary for electric vehicles.

    The Inter-American Development Bank, which is the biggest multilateral lender to Latin America, would support new projects through grants, lending and new programs. The U.S. is the bank’s largest shareholder, with 30% of voting rights.

    Increasingly, policymakers in the U.S. have expressed concern about China’s influence at the bank. While the Asian superpower holds less than 0.1% voting rights, it holds large economic stakes in some of the 48 member countries of the bank.

    In 2022, Latin American and Caribbean trade with China rose to record levels, exporting roughly $184 billion in goods to China and importing an estimated $265 billion in goods, according to a Boston University Global Development Policy Center analysis.

    And diplomatic relations between Latin America and China have also increased. In March, Honduras cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China, following the steps of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic in turning their backs on Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has been increasingly sending ships and warplanes across the Taiwan Strait in an effort to intimidate the population of 23 million, who strongly favor the status quo of de-facto independence.

    The IDB’s president, Ilan Goldfajn, told The Associated Press that the U.S. is still a most influential member at the bank.

    “Whenever we have a U.S. company in the bidding process, the probability of winning is 70 to 80%,” he said. “So what we need is more U.S. companies involved. But if you’re not involved, this opens the door for anybody” to invest in Latin America.

    U.S. lawmakers this year proposed the Inter-American Development Bank Transparency Act, which would require the Treasury Department to issue a report every two years on the scope and scale of Chinese influence and involvement in all aspects of the bank, including a list of Chinese-funded projects and an action plan for the U.S. to reduce Chinese involvement at the bank. The bill has not moved out of committee.

    Latin America will be a region of increased focus in the next year, as Brazil takes the presidency of the Group of 20 international forum.

    A Treasury official told the AP that Yellen will be traveling frequently to South America and Latin America over the next year, due to Brazil’s G-20 presidency.

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