Maxim Integrated’s USB-C Power Delivery Solutions Accelerate Industry Adoption by Cutting Development Time by Three Months and Reducing Solution Size in Half

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Overcome the challenges of implementing USB-C Power Delivery (PD) with the MAX77958 USB-C PD controller and the MAX77962 28W buck-boost charger from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). As portable devices add new technologies such as 5G connectivity and 4K video, many are changing from single-cell to two-series (2S) cell architectures. With this change comes the need for higher…

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Overcome the challenges of implementing USB-C Power Delivery (PD) with the MAX77958 USB-C PD controller and the MAX77962 28W buck-boost charger from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). As portable devices add new technologies such as 5G connectivity and 4K video, many are changing from single-cell to two-series (2S) cell architectures. With this change comes the need for higher power delivery via USB-C PD and higher power charging (25W or higher). With the MAX77958 USB-C PD controller, designers can now cut development time by three months with an out-of-the-box USB-C PD compliant solution, while also reducing the solution size in half with the MAX77962 buck-boost charger.    

MAX77958: While USB-C PD systems are capable of meeting the demands of next-generation portable consumer, industrial and medical electronics, compliance to these USB-C specifications requires multiple components and custom firmware that can take several months to develop. The MAX77958 standalone USB-C PD controller saves three months of design, development and testing time with an out-of-the-box USB-C PD 3.0 compliant solution with Fast Role Swap and Dual Role Port (DRP) support. The MAX77958 includes features not typically integrated in traditional USB-C controllers, such as BC1.2 detection and integrated D+/D- switch for legacy USB port support. To enable robust designs, the IC features 28V VBUS rating, CC pin short protection, moisture detection and corrosion prevention.

MAX77962: New USB-C PD systems enable rapid charging of 2S Li+ batteries using an input voltage of 5V to 20V. The MAX77962 integrates high-voltage FETs (30V absolute maximum voltage) capable of delivering 28W of charging power in half the size of other 28W solutions. This buck-boost charger accepts an input voltage range from 3.5V to 23V, supporting USB-C PD as well as legacy USB sources.

The MAX77962 buck-boost charger and MAX77958 USB-C PD controller are suitable for applications such as game players, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices, cameras, wireless speakers, portable printers and handheld computers, as well as industrial equipment and medical devices. 

Key Advantages

  • Faster Development Time: Out-of-the-box USB-C PD compliance cuts development time; MAX77958 PD controller eliminates three months of firmware development with a GUI-driven customization script, BC1.2 support, Fast Role Swap, DRP mode and integrated D+/D- switch
  • Robust Design: MAX77958 USB-C PD controller features a 28V VBUS rating, integrated protection against shorting the USB-C Configuration Channel (CC) pins, moisture detection and corrosion prevention to enable robust designs
  • Smaller Size: MAX77962 buck-boost charger integrates all power FETs to reduce solution size by 50 percent
  • Wide Voltage Range: MAX77962 buck-boost charger offers a wide input voltage range of 3.5V to 23V supporting USB-C PD; Enables 28W rapid charging of 2S Li+ batteries

Commentary

  • «Consumer electronics will require more power for features like 5G and 4K video, and the appeal of faster charging will only increase,» said Nina Rao, analyst at Omdia. «The USB-C PD standard is remaking the charging landscape with the number of devices capable of USB-C PD expected to almost quadruple from 951 million in 2020 to 4.6 billion by 2024, according to Omdia’s recent USB-C report. However, new technologies require new solutions to speed market adoption.»
  • «Rapid battery charging for USB-C devices will alter the consumer electronics landscape,» said Bakul Damle, business management director, Mobile Power Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. «The MAX77958 and MAX77962 can help speed these new capabilities to market by helping developers adopt the new USB-C PD standard. Maxim Integrated has done the work of integrating important features and getting USB-C PD 3.0 compliance to shorten our customers’ development time by several months. Customers can accelerate their development using our combined MAX77958 USB-C PD controller and MAX77962 28W buck-boost charger evaluation kit.»

Availability and Pricing

  • Samples of MAX77958 are available at Maxim’s website for $0.99 (1000-up, FOB USA); also available from authorized distributors
  • Samples of MAX77962 are available at Maxim’s website for $2.35 (1000-up, FOB USA); also available from authorized distributors
  • The MAX77958EVKIT-2S3# USB-C PD controller with 28W 2-cell Li-ion charger evaluation kit is available for $80
  • The MAX77962EVKIT-06# and MAX77962EVKIT-12# 28W 2-cell Li-ion charger evaluation kits are available for $80

About Maxim Integrated

Maxim Integrated develops innovative analog and mixed-signal products and technologies to make systems smaller and smarter, with enhanced security and increased energy efficiency. We are empowering design innovation for our automotive, industrial, healthcare, mobile consumer and cloud data center customers to deliver industry-leading solutions that help change the world. Learn more at https://www.maximintegrated.com.

Contact:              
Mariel Santos
408-601-3145
Mariel.Santos@maximintegrated.com

 

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SOURCE Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Named a Best Place to Work in South Carolina for the Fourth Consecutive Year, Softdocs Demonstrates Local Impact of its Solutions in the State and Across North America

COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Softdocs, the education-focused provider of enterprise content management (ECM) solutions, has recently been named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. For 2020, this survey-and-awards program has identified and honored 74 employers as the best in the state, Softdocs…

COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Softdocs, the education-focused provider of enterprise content management (ECM) solutions, has recently been named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. For 2020, this survey-and-awards program has identified and honored 74 employers as the best in the state, Softdocs included—for the fourth consecutive year.

Founded and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, Softdocs has been a trusted partner of higher education and K-12 within South Carolina, the Southeast, and now across North America, for more than twenty years. Today, the Softdocs client base is comprised of over 700 educational institutions, including much of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), in addition to Columbia College and Columbia International University.

As one of the institutions that have most recently chosen to move forward with Softdocs’ ECM solutions, Columbia College views their pending implementation of electronic forms, workflow automation and content management as essential for business continuity moving forward.

«Paper always seems to be at the center of our limitations, complicating our ability to efficiently track or locate documents and effectively provide service to our students,» said Wilma Allen, VP of Finance and Administration at Columbia College. «We believe the Etrieve solution will provide us the flexibility to work efficiently across campus systems, to ensure business continuity, as we continue our response to the ongoing challenges facing Higher Education.»

A second higher education institution located in South Carolina, Columbia International University, also commented on the impact that deployed Softdocs solutions are making on campus. One year into their utilization of Softdocs’ Etrieve platform, CIU is approaching the 100th anniversary of their institution, with student-facing departments firmly committed to digitization as a means to protect the student experience from any disruption the future may hold. In regards to the current pandemic, Etrieve is proving vital within Student Enrollment and other departments. CIU’s coaches are now even using the platform to track athlete information, according to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) rules — one example of how Etrieve has helped the institution adapt processes to changing needs.

«Leveraging Softdocs’ Etrieve platform, we are simplifying processes to become more manageable and streamlined enterprise-wide with a goal of the best student experience possible,» said Michele Branch-Frappier, CIO/CTO and Vice President of Information Technology at Columbia International University. «Not only are we addressing inefficiencies, and their associated soft costs, but we are positioning to provide compliance and consistency across all departments for the long term.»

For 21 years, and counting, Softdocs has been a proud member of the Columbia, South Carolina, community and a trusted partner of educational institutions locally and across North America.

«The vision that has guided Softdocs from its founding through today, to empower Education with paperless processes and provide excellent service to every client, has come full circle as we humbly celebrate our recognition as a Best Place to Work in South Carolina,» said Mike Murphy, Founder and CEO of Softdocs. «At this moment, we joyfully celebrate our most recent clients and every relationship we’ve established with the institutions right here around us. Each one of our employees is dedicated to our clients’ success, satisfaction and continued creation of operational efficiencies through digital transformation. We will continue to be an industry leader, not only with the quality of our solutions and service, but in how we balance the success of our clients, our employees and our company.»

 

SOURCE Softdocs

Dallas County Public Defender’s Office and Uptrust Launch Court Reminder Text Message Program

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Dallas County Public Defender’s Office and Uptrust, the social justice communication platform, have announced a new partnership to employ Uptrust’s innovative, two-way communication technology which will reduce the number of Failure to Appear (FTA) incidents, arrest warrants, and…

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Dallas County Public Defender’s Office and Uptrust, the social justice communication platform, have announced a new partnership to employ Uptrust’s innovative, two-way communication technology which will reduce the number of Failure to Appear (FTA) incidents, arrest warrants, and technical violations in the county. The impact of implementing the unique platform is lower jail populations and a savings of millions of taxpayer dollars. In addition, the platform allows Dallas-area Police to focus efforts on crime prevention as opposed to aggressively seeking out those who have failed to appear in court, which results in a safe environment for both police and citizens.

«On any given night, too many people are being kept in Dallas County Jail for non-criminal acts like technical probation violations, missed court dates or non-violent minor offenses and simply cannot afford to post a monetary bail even though they have not been convicted of a crime,» said Lynn Pride Richardson, Dallas County Public Defender. «Allowing clients to message with their attorney before their hearing will allow for fewer incarcerations in the short and long-term.»

The Uptrust platform reinvents the court reminder system by sending personalized text messages to each public defender client from their assigned public defender. The messages act as reminders related to the client’s court hearing dates and other important legal appointments. Uptrust’s trademarked, communication platform also helps remind clients of meetings with their attorney, and to take time off work in anticipation of their court date. In the coming months, Uptrust will roll-out features in Dallas that allow attorneys and social-workers to refer their clients to local social services such as housing and employment assistance. Ensuring public defender clients are well-informed and connected to relevant social services will eliminate thousands of nights in jail per year and generate significant cost savings.

The Dallas County public defender’s office handles about 30,000 cases per year, which is approximately 50 percent of cases where a person qualifies for court appointed counsel. The new reminder program begins as the COVID-19 quarantine and social distancing measures continue to take effect. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many criminal court cases have been administratively adjourned due to the courts being closed. Many individuals with pending cases may not have any knowledge as to when their case will next be heard in court. Uptrust and the Dallas County Public Defender Office seeks to notify all of their clients of their next court appearance as well as the safety precautions that have been put into place.

To date, Uptrust’s messaging system has reduced Failure to Appear occurrences by more than 50 percent, with 30 percent of users texting back to their attorney, continuing the correspondence. The platform provides a communication and reminder tool similar to many modern dentist or doctor appointment applications tailored to the needs of low-income defendants. Dallas County is Uptrust’s second partnership in Texas, with two more set to launch in the next month. Uptrust is currently working with over 150 public defender offices in 26 states across and the US Territory of Guam.

Local governments spend more than $9 billion on unnecessary pretrial incarceration, and an additional $1 billion issuing and enforcing bench warrants when individuals are not present for their court appearance. Beyond the expense, enforcing warrants takes valuable time away from the police that could be spent on crime prevention. It also has the potential of being dangerous work, thus fewer bench warrants for failures to appear keeps both the police and the communities they serve safer.

«Dallas County recognizes that more needs to be done to assist more individuals awaiting their trial. Too many people are sitting in jail, who should not be there,» said Jacob Sills, founder of Uptrust. «Our partnership with the public defender will keep thousands of lives and families intact and save millions of dollars – a true win-win.»

ABOUT UPTRUST
Uptrust is a criminal justice system-focused communication and engagement tool helping defendants arrive at court for their scheduled hearings and other mandatory appointments. By improving the relationship between the criminal justice system and defendants, Uptrust has proved to keep low-income defendants out of jail on bench warrants and technical violations, while also saving attorneys time and reducing the cost to the municipality or county. Uptrust currently is contracted with more than 150 public defender offices around the US reaching over 900,000 defendants. Uptrust is a public benefit corporation supported by the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, RFK Human Rights, Schmidt Futures and the Heising-Simons Foundation; it has offices in San Francisco, CA and Northampton, MA. To learn more about Uptrust, visit http://www.Uptrust.co.

# # #

 

SOURCE Uptrust

Elderly Home Receives Bad PPE From FEMA, Health Firm Steps Up With Massive Donation Of Masks – Servant Health

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — In an unpredictable, chaotic year unlike anything else, St. Paul Elder Services in KauKauna, WI continues to do what they do best – care for elderly patients. In this season, PPE is key.

After getting a PPE supply boost from FEMA they were shocked that the vast majority of what they received was faulty. Local coverage details unknown gloves, gowns that were «glorified garbage bags», and other unusable product….

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — In an unpredictable, chaotic year unlike anything else, St. Paul Elder Services in KauKauna, WI continues to do what they do best – care for elderly patients. In this season, PPE is key.

After getting a PPE supply boost from FEMA they were shocked that the vast majority of what they received was faulty. Local coverage details unknown gloves, gowns that were «glorified garbage bags», and other unusable product. ([Nursing Homes Get Faulty FEMA Supplies » Urban Milwaukee] (https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/07/27/nursing-homes-get-faulty-fema-supplies/)

It was this press that caught the eye of the Servant Health team out of Dallas, Texas. (ServantHealth.com). As a Veteran owned healthcare advisory firm, Servant Health manufacturers and contract manufacturers PPE (Level 1-4 isolation gowns) in North America for major hospitals and institutions in the U.S.A.

«It was heartbreaking to see such a wonderful organization with the most at risk population not getting the support they needed. The PPE world has been ripe with fraud and misinformation and we couldn’t stand by and allow St. Pauls to be impacted by that,» said Dr. Evie Sabet (Partner & Clinical Advisor at Servant Health).

After hearing the news, Servant Health allocated a 10,000 mask donation just for St. Pauls and shipped it out immediately. They are asking for others with resources or quality PPE to donate as well.

«There is much more to do, but taking care of the Greatest Generation will always be a priority for us.» –Ben Davis (Advisor, Servant Health).

If you’d like to help donate PPE or resources to elderly care facilities with Servant Health – please reach out to Marshall@ServantHealth.com in order to facilitate the donation.

 

SOURCE Servant Health

PPE Wholesalers Making Strides- Over 300,000 Masks Sold Nationwide

FREDERICK, Md., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — 2020 has seen a drastic change in how things are done on a daily basis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Back in April, the CDC recommended that everyone wears a face mask in public. Now, most states have made it compulsory as the need for authentic and durable face masks is greater than before.

Earlier this year, all medical professionals in the U.S.A realized the shortage of PPE was inevitable. Dr. Rouhanian…

FREDERICK, Md., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — 2020 has seen a drastic change in how things are done on a daily basis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Back in April, the CDC recommended that everyone wears a face mask in public. Now, most states have made it compulsory as the need for authentic and durable face masks is greater than before.

Earlier this year, all medical professionals in the U.S.A realized the shortage of PPE was inevitable. Dr. Rouhanian was no different as he tried sourcing more masks and other PPE but companies had already placed a limit on each order as everyone else was trying to stock up. His practice, Quince Orchard Dental Care, which is located in Maryland, had purchased less than they were using, so stock running out was bound to happen.

«I have seen first-hand companies that are trying to profit off of everyone’s fear of the Coronavirus. As a medical professional, it was imperative that I sourced authentic face masks not only for my practice but for my loved ones and anyone who needed it» – Dr. M. Rouhanian D.D.S, owner of Quince Orchard Dental Care and PPE Wholesalers

Conversations about what could be done about the dilemma started happening between Dr. Rouhanian and his cousin Mo Emam. Mo has been a pharmacist for 10 plus years and has been running his pharmacy and a distribution company that moves prescription medicine across the U.S and overseas. They capitalized on Mo’s experience in working with distribution companies and were able to get directly in touch with a manufacturer of the authentic Powecom KN95 masks. This direct relationship eliminated the middleman which allowed them to be able to offer the masks at an affordable price. To ensure the masks’ authenticity, they ran their independent tests which proved to be very effective.

Dr. Rouhanian noted that some people have started wearing homemade masks, which is better than nothing at all but as a medical professional he knows they are not very reliable. This made him realize that it was important to not only supply other medical practices but businesses in other industries and individual consumers. Sadly, some people have also tried sourcing other masks only to end up with fake ones that are often repackaged, which is one of the biggest issues currently.

While riding the wave of people’s apprehension of the virus, companies have popped up all across the U.S.A to try to make a quick buck. This makes it difficult for the average person to decipher if the products they are paying for, really are authentic. PPE Wholesalers is a company with a difference and is bent on ensuring that each mask is authentic and up to U.S standards. Whether one package is bought as a consumer or thousands of masks are bought for your business operations, it does not matter as PPE Wholesalers just wants everyone to benefit from their quality product.

With the shortage of other types of approved masks and the market being filled with fake masks, Dr. Rouhanian and Mo are two medical professionals who have 100% trust in the Powecom KN95 masks. Both use the masks at their facilities and in their personal lives. Their main goal is to provide the masks at an affordable price to help keep everyone safe through this pandemic. These masks come with great benefits:

CDC and FDA recommended
N95 equivalent standards
Authentic

PPE Wholesalers has thousands of masks in stock in the U.S.A. that can be shipped to customers within the next business day. They understand the importance of their customer’s health so methods are in place to have it shipped quickly and free of cost. Their masks are authentic, affordable, and come with the seal of approval from their principals and their friends and family. These masks are not being dropped shipped from Asia but rather they are coming into the U.S where they are quality assured independently and by the F.D.A. They have supplied hundreds of thousands of masks across the United States including Governments, cities, and other national distributors. For more details visit their website at http://www.ppe-wholesalers.com.

 

SOURCE PPE Wholesalers

Jacobs Deploys Scientific Breakthrough in Radioactive and Hazardous Substance Contamination Monitoring

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Jacobs (NYSE:J) is deploying a new type of Raman spectroscopy technology, which makes it safer and cheaper to spot radioactive contamination or other hazardous substances in waste stores and nuclear facilities undergoing decommissioning.

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DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Jacobs (NYSE:J) is deploying a new type of Raman spectroscopy technology, which makes it safer and cheaper to spot radioactive contamination or other hazardous substances in waste stores and nuclear facilities undergoing decommissioning.

Raman spectroscopy1 – which works by firing lasers at a target and measuring the resulting molecular vibrations – is one of the most effective techniques for identifying specific chemical compounds. But it is rarely used in nuclear decommissioning, where access constraints and high radiation fields can prevent the spectrometer from working at its typical effective range.

However, a team from Jacobs and IS Instruments, based in Kent, U.K, designed a new type of Raman system which can still detect a weak laser signal when several meters from the target. In addition, the team found a way to mount the Raman probe onto either a remotely operated vehicle or robot arm. This enables the probe to get within two meters of the target and send a signal down an optical cable to the main Raman instrument, safely positioned tens of meters away.

«Standard equipment often cannot detect specific chemical agents, either because it can’t get close enough or because the signals are crowded out by the overall radiation levels,» said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions International Senior Vice President Clive White. «This new type of Raman system is an important breakthrough for the nuclear industry because it provides greater certainty about the presence of hazardous materials in high radiation waste facilities, making the materials easier, cheaper and safer to detect.»

Jacobs and Innovate UK, a U.K. government agency, have provided funding to take the system from proof-of-concept to commercial application. It is now being used to detect uranium and also substances such as kerosene and tri-butyl phosphate, which are used in reprocessing operations and can indicate the presence of plutonium or uranium contamination.

Legacy nuclear facilities sometimes contain significant amounts of poorly unidentified or unknown waste materials, so improved characterization capability can reduce decommissioning costs and timescales.

Raman technology is also a key feature of a new integrated decommissioning system built by Jacobs, which won a recent U.K. Government-funded innovation competition and will be demonstrated inside highly radioactive former fuel reprocessing facilities at Sellafield later this year.

Outside of the nuclear sector, this advance in Raman technology will be a valuable tool in areas where human access is impossible or problematic.

At Jacobs, we’re challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world’s most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, InstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management’s current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company’s business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 – Business; Item 1A – Risk Factors; Item 3 – Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 – Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A – Risk Factors, as well as the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:
Kerrie Sparks
214.583.8433

1https://is-instruments.com/background-science/what-is-raman-spectroscopy/

 

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SOURCE Jacobs

La Soka Gakkai insta a ratificar el tratado de prohibición en el 75º aniversario de las bombas atómicas

TOKIO, 11 de agosto de 2020 /PRNewswire/ — La organización budista Soka Gakkai emitió una declaración por el 75º aniversario de las bombas atómicas de Hiroshima y Nagasaki, en la que urge a erradicar los arsenales nucleares y a poner en vigor el Tratado sobre la Prohibición de las Armas Nucleares (TPAN) de las Naciones Unidas.

La Soka Gakkai manifestó su compromiso a trabajar infatigablemente por la eliminación íntegra de tales armamentos e instó…

TOKIO, 11 de agosto de 2020 /PRNewswire/ — La organización budista Soka Gakkai emitió una declaración por el 75º aniversario de las bombas atómicas de Hiroshima y Nagasaki, en la que urge a erradicar los arsenales nucleares y a poner en vigor el Tratado sobre la Prohibición de las Armas Nucleares (TPAN) de las Naciones Unidas.

La Soka Gakkai manifestó su compromiso a trabajar infatigablemente por la eliminación íntegra de tales armamentos e instó al Japón a sumarse al mencionado tratado de proscripción. Subrayó: «Estamos en un momento coyuntural en el que el gobierno japonés debería manifestar su disposición a participar en el TPAN y a ayudar a articular el debate internacional en torno a la erradicación nuclear».

Yoshiki Tanigawa, presidente del Consejo de Asuntos de Paz de la Soka Gakkai, señaló: «Vivimos una situación mundial exacerbante, ante vestigios de una nueva carrera armamentista nuclear entre países poseedores y la pandemia de la covid-19. Todo indica que la fuerza militar es incapaz de resolver los desafíos globales. ¿Cómo salvaguardar eficazmente la seguridad humana?». (Texto completo disponible en: www.sgi.org/in-focus/press-releases/75th-anniversary-hiroshima-and-nagasaki.html)

El 6 y el 8 de agosto, la Soka Gakkai de Hiroshima y Nagasaki celebrarán sendas reuniones por internet en las que los supervivientes de los ataques atómicos (hibakusha) ofrecerán sus experiencias. Los nuevos testimonios de guerra, incluidas las vivencias de los hibakusha, que recolectaron los jóvenes de la Soka Gakkai de ambas prefecturas en 2019, serán publicados este otoño en un volumen adicional de una colección existente. En septiembre, la Soka Gakkai del Japón efectuará una cumbre juvenil nacional por internet, con motivo de la capitulación nipona.

Igualmente, la Soka Gakkai Internacional (SGI) firmó una Declaración Conjunta Interreligiosa por el 75º aniversario de Hiroshima y Nagasaki, en la que participaron unas docientas entidades religiosas como el cristianismo, el hinduismo, el jainismo, el judaísmo, el islam y demás tradiciones indígenas. En el documento se lee: «La existencia de un solo arsenal nuclear viola los principios fundamentales de nuestras creencias religiosas y amenaza con la destrucción inconcebible de todo lo que valoramos». Los signatarios pidieron a los gobiernos ratificar el TPAN y ser conscientes de los efectos de la explosión nuclear en el medio ambiente, la salud y la economía. (Texto completo disponible en: https://20561860-86b7-4801-a5d6-af3a3b4e6a59.filesusr.com/ugd/dca5da_26cbc5f57ae94e36a3394ff914d00893.pdf)

La Soka Gakkai es una organización budista integrada por doce millones de personas en el mundo que promueven la paz, la cultura y la educación. Ha impulsado la abolición de las armas nucleares durante más de sesenta años, a partir de la Declaración por la Abolición de las Armas Nucleares pronunciada por su presidente Josei Toda, el 8 de septiembre de 1957.

Fuente: Soka Gakkai

Contacto:
Joan Anderson
Oficina Internacional de Información Pública
Soka Gakkai
Tel: +81-80-5957-4711
E-mail: anderson[at]soka.jp
www.sgi.org

FUENTE Soka Gakkai

Coalition Launches $100 Million PPE Initiative for Africa’s Community Health Workers

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — In the largest mobilization of private resources to protect Africa’s frontline health workers from COVID-19, a new 30+-member coalition today announced it has begun delivering nearly 60 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to countries across sub-Saharan Africa in the initiative’s first round.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — In the largest mobilization of private resources to protect Africa’s frontline health workers from COVID-19, a new 30+-member coalition today announced it has begun delivering nearly 60 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to countries across sub-Saharan Africa in the initiative’s first round.

The COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa (CAFA) is working in partnership with Ministries of Health to meet the essential PPE needs (including surgical masks, gloves, eye protection and more) of up to one million community health workers serving over 400 million people during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the only known effort to date that pools resources for PPE for community health workers in Africa.

CAFA is anchored by a $10 million commitment from Direct Relief, with additional support from Crown Family Philanthropies, and in-kind contributions from over thirty collaborating partners. In partnership with CAFA, the World Food Programme has committed to provide donated freight and logistics worth more than $1 million. The Fund seeks to raise up to $100 million to supply PPE to community health workers in as many as 24 African countries for approximately one year.

«This is a valiant and essential effort to mobilize PPE to protect our frontline heroes: community health workers,» says Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former Rwandan Minister of Health. «By preventing the spread of disease across their communities while ensuring the continuum of primary care, community health workers play a central role in all epidemics, especially COVID-19. As such, it is essential that we, as a global community, ensure they are respected, supported, and protected.»

Responding to estimated needs verified directly by Ministries of Health in each country, CAFA has thus far purchased an initial 25 million surgical masks, 35 million gloves, 822,000 face shields and 974,000 isolation gowns for the initiative. It is transporting the PPE to the ports of entry in each of the African countries, where local CAFA partners will deliver the supplies to the community health workers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The PPE will fill the equivalent of nine 747 cargo jets and weigh 441 metric tons. The first 500,000 pieces have been shipped from Direct Relief’s California warehouse, of which some have arrived in Lesotho and Zimbabwe; shipments are in progress for as many as 10 additional countries in first round.

Community health workers (CHWs) are healthcare workers who extend the reach of primary health care systems to communities otherwise underserved by formal health systems. They are recruited from and serve the communities in which they live and work. Community health workers contribute to significant improvements in health priority areas such as reducing child undernutrition, improving maternal and child health, expanding access to family planning services, and contributing to infectious disease control for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis.

«We visit households. We advise women to take their children for immunizations. We advise women to start their antenatal care visits on time. We manage other cases, like malaria. We need PPE just like any other health worker so we can protect ourselves and our community» – Euniter Adoyo, community health worker supervisor, Lwala Community Alliance and Kenya Ministry of Health, Migori County, Kenya.

While a global shortage of PPE is affecting all health workers, the brunt has fallen on low- and middle-income countries and community health workers in particular. In the absence of PPE, community health workers put themselves and the people they serve at risk. The current drop in access to PPE in Africa has already been followed by a 203 percent increase in COVID-19 infections among health workers. The experience of past epidemics, including the 2015 West African Ebola crisis, has shown that disruption of essential health services often leads to higher mortality rates than the epidemic itself.

As of Aug. 10, there were over 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the African continent and more than 20,000 deaths. COVID-19 threatens to reverse health and economic progress of recent years, as projections suggest its economies could lose nearly $200 billion in GDP in 2020.

About the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa (CAFA): CAFA is a continent-wide collaborative effort to aggregate and address the unmet need for COVID-19 related supplies for community health workers across as many as 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Fund pools resources to secure competitive prices for quality-assured essential supplies and works with in-country partners and governments to deploy products to the last mile.

Integrated with national responses, this is the only known effort that pools resources for PPE items specifically for community health workers in Africa. Over 30 in-country and global partners are involved in the effort. CAFA is jointly organized by Community Health Acceleration Partnership, the organizations of the Community Health Impact Coalition (including Integrate Health, Last Mile Health, Living Goods, Lwala Community Alliance, Muso, Partners in Health, Pivot, and VillageReach), Direct Relief, the organizations of the Pandemic Action Network, and Ministries of Health in 24 countries.

The 24 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

For more information, including a FAQ, please see https://directrelief.org/cafa.

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SOURCE COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa

Survey Shows Employees Felt Surprisingly Productive During COVID-19

BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — An international Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey on employee sentiment reveals that productivity can be maintained surprisingly well in a virtual or hybrid work setting, according to a new BCG article, <a target="_blank"…

BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — An international Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey on employee sentiment reveals that productivity can be maintained surprisingly well in a virtual or hybrid work setting, according to a new BCG article, What 12,000 Employees Have to Say About the Future of Remote Work. The survey, conducted in the US, Germany, and India, also shows that there is significant appetite for flexible ways of working among employees, as well as increased openness to this from managers. As working methods become increasingly remote or hybrid in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a key question for companies is how to maintain and improve this productivity in the workplace of the future.

Despite both the speed of the shift to remote working and its scale (the survey found the pandemic forced employers to move about 40% of employees to remote working), some 75% of employees said that during the first few months of the crisis, they have in fact been able to maintain or improve their perceived productivity on individual tasks (such as analyzing data, writing presentations, or executing administrative tasks).

While employees were working on collaborative tasks (such as exchanges with coworkers, working in teams, or interacting with clients), the number was lower, though still more than half—51%—of all respondents said they have been able to maintain or improve their productivity. This applies across geographic areas and both to employees working remotely and to those onsite. «It turns out that social connectivity is a critical element of what enables us to be productive when collaborating in the workplace,» said Debbie Lovich, a BCG managing director and senior partner. «So, for any company looking to adapt to new virtual or hybrid virtual/onsite workplaces, promoting virtual social connectivity between colleagues is going to be critical.»

Key Factors for Enhancing Productivity

When analyzing the data, BCG found four factors that correlate with employees reporting continued or even enhanced productivity on collaborative tasks: social connectivity, mental health, physical health, and workplace tools.

Of these, social connectivity emerged as the most powerful force. Respondents who reported satisfaction with social connectivity with colleagues are two to three times more likely to maintain or improve their productivity on collaborative tasks as those who are dissatisfied with this (for mental and physical health and workplace tools, it is about twice as likely).

And employees who experience satisfaction or doing better on all four factors are almost five times as likely to say they have felt able to maintain or improve productivity on collaborative tasks as those who are dissatisfied or doing worse on at least three factors.

A New World of Work

Equally striking in the data is evidence of a seismic shift in the way employees are thinking about their workplace, which is important for how companies recruit and retain talent. In the survey, 60% of employees said they want some flexibility in where and/or when they work. «In the future, we’ll see an increasingly distributed workforce in a workplace whose physical footprint will have shifted beyond recognition and will serve very different needs,» said Adriana Dahik, a BCG managing director and partner.

What all this means for employers is that they will have to work to implement new systems, norms, and technologies that will enable them to continue to support and increase workplace productivity. Key interventions include:

  • Identifying ways to maximize social connectivity among employees—whether work happens face to face or remotely
  • Creating awareness, tools, and benefits that support the mental and physical health of all employees
  • Investing in and building capabilities to use the technologies, tools, and systems that enable employees to work and collaborate remotely
  • Measuring employee productivity in conjunction with employee perceptions
  • Ensuring that the transitions between respective team norms for onsite and remote are as smooth as possible, giving employees a cohesive experience that feels designed, not random

«While COVID-19 has caused great personal, health, and economic hardship, it has also presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvent the workplace,» said Lovich. «And doing so will be essential if companies are to meet employee desires for flexibility while harnessing their potential for productivity and remaining competitive when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best talent.»

Those that get it right will not only position themselves for business success—they will also enable everyone to contribute to the creative, innovative, collaborative, and productive workplace of the future.

About the Survey

The BCG employee sentiment survey ran from the end of May through mid-June. It surveyed more than 12,000 professionals employed before and during COVID-19 in the US, Germany, and India. These employees work in roles such as analysts, engineers, HR personnel, teachers, and health care providers (but not jobs that must be performed onsite such as cashiers or assembly line workers). The survey explored their attitudes toward flexibility, their relative productivity on various tasks (individual, collaborative, and managerial), their well-being, career security, social connectivity, culture, learning and development, and the work tools they use.

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com.

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformation—inspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact.

To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital ventures—and business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive.

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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Neicea Ann Clemons’s newly released «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant» shares the wonderful adventures of a dog along with her unique friends

MEADVILLE, Pa., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant»: an enjoyable story about Molly, an endearing dog who goes on many adventures with her amazing and unique friends. «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant» is the creation of published author Neicea Ann Clemons, a driver of a transit bus and a dedicated writer.

Clemons shares, «This book is about no matter how hard we try to stay the same, we cannot. Life is ever-changing. Although difficult at times,…

MEADVILLE, Pa., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant»: an enjoyable story about Molly, an endearing dog who goes on many adventures with her amazing and unique friends. «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant» is the creation of published author Neicea Ann Clemons, a driver of a transit bus and a dedicated writer.

Clemons shares, «This book is about no matter how hard we try to stay the same, we cannot. Life is ever-changing. Although difficult at times, change is usually for the best. That is why we are all so uniquely different but divinely designed to work together.

«Even in the animal kingdom, over time, there have been many changes as you will learn through the adventures of a dog named Molly and her unlikely friends as told by Neicea Ann Clemons.

«Relax, listen to the story, and enjoy!»

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Neicea Ann Clemons’s new book shows the awe-inspiring power of friendship that encompasses all kinds of creatures great or small.

Follow the heartwarming journey of Molly the dog as she experiences the beauty of life with her beloved friends.

View the synopsis of «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant» on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant» at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about «Molly’s Adventures Featuring Baby Ant,» contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.

 

SOURCE Christian Faith Publishing