Day: May 19, 2022

HANOI, Vietnam, May 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — To catch up with the rapid development of blockchain in Vietnam, an official organization with a legal entity is undeniably needed. As the first blockchain organization with a legal entity in the country, Vietnam Blockchain Association is expected to be the catalyst in developing a legal framework and changing the perception of this technology in Vietnam.

At the Inaugural Ceremony on May 17th, 2022, Mr. Vu Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs, recognized their achievements and efforts. He shared his expectation:

“The Association is to protect their members’ legal rights and benefits in researching, establishing standards, developing and applying blockchain technology in all aspects of society, nurturing the human resource that adapts well to the global Industry 4.0, and contributing to socio-economic development.“

Mr. Vu Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs

Mr. Tran Van Tung, Deputy Minister – Ministry of Science and Technology, also congratulated the Association and shared that: “We hope that the association would gather talents to bolster the research and application of blockchain and play a pivotal role in the national digital transformation and developing the digital economy.”

Mr. Tran Van Tung, Deputy Minister – Ministry of Science and Technology

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Tuan, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, said: “I have high expectations for what the association would need to achieve in promoting digital technology application together with government agencies. Their cooperation with the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment in outlining and developing policies to accelerate the implementation of digital socio – economy would be crucial.” The National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment was assigned seven technology-related legislative tasks. It showed that the Vietnamese government emphasizes promoting technology in Industry 4.0, heading toward a digital era.

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Tuan, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment

The six objectives of Vietnam Blockchain Association

First, to gather members and utilize resources from Vietnamese blockchain enterprises and talents for the Association’s mission.

Second, to set member standards – which is essential since Vietnam has not had a legal framework. Such a framework will benefit Vietnamese blockchain startups when looking for funding and investment in the future.

Third, to encourage cooperation to exchange professional knowledge.

Fourth, to make blockchain knowledge accessible. Many people are reluctant to research blockchain because of its complexity and assume that it is all about crypto and finance.

Fifth, to promote a legal corridor for blockchain technology. Mr. Phan Duc Trung – Vice Chairman of the Association said: “The Association hopes to help members understand the legal environment and existing issues in Vietnam to increase our competitiveness in the region.”

Mr. Phan Duc Trung – Vice Chairman of Vietnam Blockchain Association

Sixth, international cooperation. The association representative commented that investment capital in the blockchain field in Vietnam is not much compared to the world, even though the global environment may not be as favorable. “There are a lot of chances for international cooperation. With effective policies, we will see huge investment flowing in,” he said.

The six Action Programmes

The six Action Programmes are the missions that the Association must fulfill. They will partner with many organizations to hold seminars to find the direction for each one.

Firstly, holding a Blockchain Summit in Vietnam that would welcome big corporations and capital investment into Vietnam.

Second, changing the community’s perception of blockchain. Mr. Phan Duc Trung remarked that limiting blockchain to finance would create the wrong notion that blockchain is against traditional financial products.

Third, a programme related to Central Bank Digital Currency – CBDC. The government had some clear directions, but Vietnam is still behind on research and application. Mr Phan Duc Trung believes that the Association’s members, who are experts in technology and finance and have experience in designing solutions for global banks, can be of help.

Fourth, a programme about digital assets. The lack of digital asset recognition that follows the International Accounting Standards (IFRS) has legal consequences. Fraud and dispute cannot be resolved with the law. Meanwhile, blockchain technology can help set directions for digital assets and the use of IFRS.

Fifth, an enterprise chain programme. Blockchain in enterprises is safer than a public blockchain and can be used in metaverse, Web3, and even vaccine research.

Sixth, risk and information management in digital assets. Information security technology and policies need to go hand in hand to ensure digital asset security.

The Action Programmes are expected to be aligned with the National Programme KC- 4.0/19-25 until 2025, focusing on supporting the research, development and implementation of technology in Industry 4.0, with blockchain technology being the foremost priority.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/01fdb153-ba8d-48f3-825d-64180d19e106

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a36c923b-d2a5-4a8d-979d-a9406e070bb1

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/914ab439-f66f-4ea2-8871-d7a5e369bc8b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed1a172c-b5b3-43d3-9c0d-46a700f85507

Email : info@blockchain.vn

• 2–3 hours of nightly PAP use shows health benefits at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years
• Health benefits significantly increase by use hour/night, up to 7 hours

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sleep apnea sufferers can gain health benefits from PAP (positive airway pressure) treatment in as little as two hours per night, according to a study led by ResMed (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) and presented at the American Thoracic Society’s annual International Conference.

The retrospective, observational study analyzed the deidentified usage data of 180,000 U.S. PAP users to observe their average rates of all-cause hospitalization and emergency room visits based on the number of nightly hours they use PAP, from zero to nine. Researchers found:¹

• The minimum PAP usage threshold for benefit was 2-3 hours per night (up to 50% lower than the 4 hours required by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and many private payers to prove adherence)
• Benefits begin at 2 hours of nightly PAP use and increase each hour up to 7 hours per night. Benefits were seen at 90 days, one year, and two years into the study.
• Over the two years, each additional hour of nightly PAP use reduced:
  • Hospitalizations by 5.0%
  • ER visits by 4.4%

“This study can positively change how healthcare professionals prescribe and encourage sleep apnea sufferers to use PAP – and how they’re covered,” said Atul Malhotra, lead author and research chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the University of California San Diego.

Today, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid define PAP therapy adherence as using a PAP device for at least four hours per night for 70% of nights in a consecutive 30-day period in the first 90 days of therapy.² Patients who do not achieve adherence may risk losing their machine after 90 days or having to pay for it themselves, depending on their insurance coverage.

“If just two hours of nightly PAP use can significantly lower a patient’s risk of getting hospitalized, our health systems should encourage and enable people to access and keep using these solutions,” Malhotra said.

An estimated 54 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea,³ a chronic disease in which throat muscles relax during sleep, constricting airflow. The body’s resulting jolt “awake” to take a breath causes dozens to hundreds of sleep interruptions per night. Sufferers often aren’t aware of these waking episodes, and 80% remain undiagnosed.⁴

Read the study’s full abstract here.

About ResMed
At ResMed (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) we pioneer innovative solutions that treat and keep people out of the hospital, empowering them to live healthier, higher-quality lives. Our digital health technologies and cloud-connected medical devices transform care for people with sleep apnea, COPD, and other chronic diseases. Our comprehensive out-of-hospital software platforms support the professionals and caregivers who help people stay healthy in the home or care setting of their choice. By enabling better care, we improve quality of life, reduce the impact of chronic disease, and lower costs for consumers and healthcare systems in more than 140 countries. To learn more, visit ResMed.com and follow @ResMed.

¹ Malhotra A et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med suppl (ATS Abstract) 2022
² Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?proposed=N&NCAId=204. Accessed May 2, 2022.
³ Benjafield AV et al. Lancet Resp Med 2019
⁴ Young T et al. Sleep 1997

For Media Kristin Deuber +1 615.975.4186 resmed@allisonpr.com

For Investors Amy Wakeham +1 858.836.5000 investorrelations@resmed.com

TORONTO, May 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advance Local, one of the largest media groups in the United States operating 10 leading news and information organizations and reaching 55 million people monthly, has quadrupled their subscription goal using Sophi Content Paywall Engine. Faced with advertising pressures exacerbated by the Coronavirus, Advance Local increased subscription conversions 45% using Sophi.io, an AI-powered automation, optimization and prediction platform developed by The Globe and Mail. Their success with Sophi has also earned them a spot as a finalist in the Digiday Media Awards, announced this week.

Neil Katz, Chief Customer Officer at Advance Local, said, “We wanted to see how much farther Sophi could take us, so we tested Sophi Content Paywall on one of our largest sites. The results were transformative. We were hoping for a 10% lift in conversion rate and Sophi delivered four times that result. We’re continuing to roll out Sophi solutions across more of our sites as we speak.”

Advance started using Sophi Content Paywall Engine on one of its largest sites, cleveland.com, to get better insights into the value of their content and fuel their new subscription business. The technology uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) to analyze every piece of content and select which articles to put behind a paywall. It picks only those articles where the subscription revenue opportunity outweighs the advertising revenue forgone.

During an experiment where Advance could see how Sophi performed side by side with their existing paywall, Sophi presented roughly the same amount of paywalls and generated a 45% lift in the total conversion rate, while also uncovering pockets of content that editors didn’t anticipate would generate subscriptions.

John Hassell, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director at Advance Local, said, “We wanted to see if Sophi’s content paywall could increase subscriber acquisition by 10% and it blew that goal out of the water. We’re feeling good about the platform and the way it is showing us just how valuable our editorial content is to our audience.”

Advance Local is also a finalist in the Digiday Media Awards, in the category of Best Subscription or Membership Product, for their work using Sophi Content Paywall Engine.

“Advance Local is an incredibly innovative organization that we’ve watched push the boundaries and we’re very excited to be working with them,” said Mike O’Neill, Co-Founder and CEO of Sophi.io. “We’re seeing great value come from the content paywall they’ve implemented and we’re excited to introduce some other cutting edge technology into this very strong brand.”

About Advance Local

Advance Local (www.advancelocal.com) is one of the largest media groups in the United States. It operates 10 leading news and information organizations and reaches 55 million people monthly across multiple platforms with its high-quality journalism. They are dedicated to unrivaled local journalism that improves the lives of millions of people.

About Sophi.io

Sophi.io (https://www.sophi.io) was developed by The Globe and Mail to help content publishers make important strategic and tactical decisions. It is a suite of AI and ML-powered automation, optimization and prediction solutions that include Sophi Site Automation, Sophi for Paywalls and Sophi for First Party Data. Sophi also powers one-click automated laydown of template-free print publishing. Sophi is designed to improve the metrics that matter most to your business, such as subscriber retention and acquisition, engagement, recency, frequency and volume.

Contact Us

Jamie Rubenovitch
Head of Marketing, Sophi.io
The Globe and Mail        
jrubenovitch@globeandmail.com
416-585-3355

Dr. Sams Brings 40 Years of Experience to Role

SURBITON, United Kingdom, May 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ikon Science, a leading global provider of geoprediction and open subsurface knowledge management software and data services, announced today the appointment of Dr. Mark Sams to the role of Vice-President, Services. Dr. Sams will provide leadership for Ikon’s data services group across the Asia Pacific, supporting the company’s growth in the region.

Dr. Sams is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities in rock physics and seismic quantitative interpretation. His career spans 40 years of academic and industry experience in rock physics and seismic reservoir characterization, and has conducted hundreds of global projects in these fields of work.

Prior to joining Ikon Science as Vice-President, Services, Dr. Sams was most recently engaged as a Specialist in Quantitative Interpretation for Petronas Carigali in Malaysia. Additionally, he served as Ikon’s Quantitative Interpretation Manager, Asia Pacific before joining Petronas. He brings a deep understanding of the Asia Pacific market to his new role.

“We are excited for Mark to lead our Services efforts in the Asia Pacific,” explained Dr. Denis Saussus, Chief Executive Officer of Ikon Science. “His renowned knowledge and global expertise is a valuable part of our continued commercialization of our data services portfolio, and supports our technology products.”

About Ikon Science

For over 20 years, Ikon Science has been a global provider of geoprediction and knowledge management solutions to optimize subsurface discovery by applying deep scientific expertise and technology innovation to help customers extract more actionable knowledge from sophisticated subsurface data. By bringing digital transformation to knowledge management, Ikon helps customers make the best moves – improving accuracy, accelerating results, and lowering costs. For more information, visit www.ikonscience.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e589123b-7813-415b-9964-33982c61d1a5

Press Contact:
Bethany Hilt, Hilt Strategic Communications LLC
hiltb@hiltstrategiccommunications.com
Phone: 1+ 330.338.6633