Daily Business Report-July 28, 2020
Professor Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick’s book explores how technology in the air changes politics on the ground. (Photo courtesy of USD)
University of San Diego professor’s new book
explores intersection of aerial technology and politics
Drones are famous for doing bad things: weaponized, they implement remote-control war; used for surveillance, they threaten civil liberties and violate privacy. A new book by Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., examines a different range of uses: the deployment of drones for the greater good.
“The Good Drone: How Social Movements Democratize Surveillance” (MIT Press) analyzes the ways small-scale drones — as well as satellites, kites and balloons — have been adopted by scientists, advocacy groups and journalists to help advance knowledge, shape public opinion and reframe debates.
“The book focuses on how new technology in the air changes politics on the ground,” said Choi-Fitzpatrick, who teaches about culture and technology at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School of Peace Studies. “After examining thousands of use cases, what struck me was how often people were using this technology for good. Activists, researchers and nonprofits all over the world are using drones to help us see the world in new ways.”
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Nature study identifies 21 existing
drugs that could treat COVID-19
A Nature study authored by a global team of scientists and led by Sumit Chanda, a professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, has identified 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The scientists analyzed one of the world’s largest collections of known drugs for their ability to block the replication of SARS-CoV-2, and reported 100 molecules with confirmed antiviral activity in laboratory tests. Of these, 21 drugs were determined to be effective at concentrations that could be safely achieved in patients. Notably, four of these compounds were found to work synergistically with remdesivir, a current standard-of-care treatment for COVID-19.
“Remdesivir has proven successful at shortening the recovery time for patients in the hospital, but the drug doesn’t work for everyone who receives it. That’s not good enough,” says Chanda, director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Programat Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. “As infection rates continue to rise in America and around the world, the urgency remains to find affordable, effective, and readily available drugs that can complement the use of remdesivir, as well as drugs that could be given prophylactically or at the first sign of infection on an outpatient basis.”
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After the Navy’s Bonhomme Richard
catastrophe, a far-reaching crackdown on fire safety
DefenseNews
U.S. Navy brass is telling sailors and contractors to put fire safety at the center of their work in the shipyards and on the waterfront in the wake of a catastrophic fire aboard the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard.
As Naval Sea Systems Command continues its formal assessment of the damage to Bonhomme Richard, the Navy has both sailors across the organization and contractors working on the ships reviewing their procedures and ensuring they are doing everything possible to prevent a second tragedy.
Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said the enterprise-wide effort was to prevent a similar event from taking place, a lesson he drew from the Navy’s response to a string of accidents in 7th Fleet in 2017.
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What’s going on with governor’s economic task force?
CalMatters
The star-studded task force Gov. Gavin Newsom launched more than three months ago to guide California’s economic recovery still hasn’t released a plan, raising questions about what exactly the group is doing, Politico reports.
How much its big-name members are influencing key decisions — such as when to open and close the economy — also remains unclear. Some critics say the 80-member roster is too unwieldy to agree on a course of action; others say Newsom’s decision to name billionaire businessman and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer as the panel’s co-chair was politically polarizing.
State Sen. Melissa Melendez, a Lake Elsinore Republican: “I don’t think it’s appropriate that three months later we still don’t know what they’re working on.”
Steyer: “We have been advising (Newsom) on the decisions that have anything to do with the economy from day one.”
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Viasat closes $175 million common stock
investment with Intercorp, The Baupost Group
GovCon Wire
Carlsbad-based Viasat has closed a $175 million common stock investment from affiliates of Intercorp and The Baupost Group to expand partnership and grow offerings, the satellite communications company announced Friday.
“Intercorp’s investment advances our strategic partnership throughout Central and South America, and the investment by Baupost expands our relationship with our largest shareholder,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman of the board and CEO at Viasat.
Under the terms of the investment, the investors purchased an aggregate of approximately 4.5 million shares of common stock at a price of $39.11 per share, representing a premium of 2.6 percent, to Viasat’s closing share price on July 22, 2020.
Additionally the investment will add a 5.1 percent premium to Viasat’s volume weighted average price over the 15 trading day period ending. With the funds, Viasat will grow general corporate purposes, such as financing costs related to the purchase, launch and operation of satellites, potential acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances and capital.
“We are hard at work on contributing to the solution: sustaining progress on our next-generation ViaSat-3 global constellation and expanding our geographic and market presence,” added Dankberg.
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Ashford University hosts 4th annual
Early Childhood Education Conference
Ashford University will host its 4th annual Early Childhood Education Conference virtually on Aug. 3-5. This year’s conference, “Educating with a Purpose,” brings more than 26 sessions presented by Ashford faculty, students, alumni, and early education professionals.
The keynote speaker lineup features Scarlett Lewis, founder of The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation and global speaker; Dr. Teresa McKay, Ashford University associate faculty member and National Association for the Education of Young Children reviewer; and Nancy Moretti, Ashford University associate faculty member and mindfulness expert.
Information on conference sessions and speakers is available here.
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Hot or cold, venomous rattlesnakes are still quick to strike
By Padma Nagappan | SDSU NewsCenter
In nature, how quickly a creature moves can mean the difference between life and death. Venomous rattlesnakes defend themselves by uncoiling and striking out when faced with predators or prey.
Most cold-blooded creatures tend to move more slowly when the temperature drops — but striking rattlers appear to be an exception. Cold weather barely slows them down and they still strike fairly quickly.
San Diego State University ecologist Rulon Clark and his students went to New Mexico last summer for several weeks to observe and collect a dozen Mojave rattlesnakes from their native habitat, and brought them back to the lab in San Diego to study, along with a dozen Western rattlers they collected locally.
When they placed the snakes in a temperature controlled container, they found that the rattlers continued to strike quickly at a balloon that played the role of an intruder, even when they lowered the temperature considerably and made the box quite cold. At most, they were about 25% slower, which goes against the logic behind dropping temperature and the impact on mobility.
“We expected their strike to be about half as fast for every 10 degree drop in temperature, but they’re still able to uncoil and strike fairly rapidly, even at our lowest test temperatures” Clark said.
Read more…
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La Jolla Institute among few nonprofits
accepting cryptocurrency donations
La Jolla Institute for Immunology has joined the ranks of a few nonprofit organizations able to accept donations in the form of cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency, the most well-known form of which is Bitcoin, currently has a total market value of over $267 billion with over 36 million Americans owning some form of the digital currency.
La Jolla Institute said it is able to offer supporters another avenue to accelerate its important work, including SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
“The Institute has been very successful over its history by incorporating unique approaches in advancing the study of the immune system, and we believe being an early adopter for accepting this type of gift matches the innovative culture of our organization. We are honored to offer the opportunity to those in the cryptocurrency community to make a lasting impact toward bringing about a life without disease.”
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San Diego Women’s Week Leadership Conference Goes Global
New virtual format with no boundaries features Daymond John, Linda Cureton, Ed Smart, Amy Trask
San Diego Women’s Week, celebrating 11 years of inspiring, empowering and connecting women is now virtual with leadership events for all ages and professions. Attendees enjoy virtual networking, keynote speakers, panel discussions, and more, all wrapped around creative solutions to everyday issues affecting leaders in the workplace and in their daily lives.
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Friday, Aug. 28, 2020
WHO: Keynotes for 2020 Leadership conference include:
- Daymond John from Shark Tank: Powershift, Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome.
- Linda Cureton, Former CIO – NASA: Managing and Leading in a Tough Environment.
- Ed Smart, Father of Elizabeth Smart: Two Miracles, and Standing up for Yourself.
- Amy Trask, Former NFL Team Executive – Los Angeles Raiders: Leadership Vulnerabilities.
WHERE: Wednesday – Virtual Women and Wine 6-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Virtual Leadership Conference 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Click here for complete list of speakers and additional details.
