Daily Business Report: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Engineers develop first fully integrated wearable
ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring
By Emerson Dameron | UC San Diego
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed the first fully integrated wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring, including for subjects on the go. It facilitates potentially life-saving cardiovascular monitoring and marks a major breakthrough for one of the world’s leading wearable ultrasound labs. The paper, “A fully integrated wearable ultrasound system to monitor deep tissues in moving subjects,” is published in the May 22, issue of Nature Biotechnology.
“This project gives a complete solution to wearable ultrasound technology—not only the
wearable sensor, but also the control electronics are made in wearable form factors,” said Muyang Lin, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Nanoengineering at UC San Diego and the first author on the study. “We made a truly wearable device that can sense deep tissue vital signs wirelessly.”
A wearable ultrasonic-system-on-patch mounted on the chest for measuring cardiac activity. (Photo by Muyang Lin for the Jacobs School of Engineering)
Governor wants to make it easier to build
roads, dams and more. What’s in his plan?
By Ben Christopher, Alastair Bland, Julie Cart and Alejandro Lazo
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make it easier for California to build big things. Today, he unveiled a plan to make it happen.
At an 1,100 acre solar farm near Patterson in Stanislaus County, Newsom announced a package of legislative proposals and signed an executive order aimed at speeding big infrastructure projects. He aims to limit the time opponents can jam projects up in court with challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act, the law known as CEQA (and pronounced see-kwa).
Buoyed by an influx of federal dollars and motivated by the need to dramatically reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, Newsom’s “CEQA-reform” proposal is likely to be cheered by industry groups, construction unions and even some climate activists.
He said the plan was about more than the urgency of climate change, but about rebuilding the public’s faith in the state’s ability to commit to and accomplish big things.
Long vacant 101 Ash Street is still
costing San Diegans millions each year
The vacant high-rise that first made news for costing the city of San Diego $18,000 a day continues to haunt taxpayers, who under Mayor Todd Gloria’s new budget will spend more than $6,000 every 24 hours just on maintaining the property.
Deep inside an analysis of the 1,460-page budget proposed by Gloria for the coming fiscal year is a two-sentence notice indicating that upkeep for the 101 Ash St. office tower will cost $2.4 million next year.
The expenses amount to $6,575 per day beginning July 1 — money that will pay for utilities, security, window cleaning, landscaping and a host of other services, according to a review of the proposed spending plan by the city’s independent budget analyst.
There is no end in sight for spending on the former Sempra Energy headquarters at 101 Ash St.
30th Major League Soccer franchise
coming to SDSU’s Snapdragon Stadium
The 30th MLS team will begin playing at Snapdragon Stadium in 2025, league officials announced alongside San Diego State University leaders. The partnership involves the MLS league, Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nation, and majority owner Mohamed Mansour — with SDSU serving as host partner. A number of city and CSU leaders, including Mayor Todd Gloria, as well as Padres player Manny Machado, attended the announcement last week.
Soccer fans can reserve their place on the list for season tickets to San Diego’s inaugural MLS season by paying $18 at SanDiegoFC.com.
Blue blobs wash up on Southern California beaches
By Karissa Duran | Scripps Oceanography
Little blue creatures have been spotted washing up in large numbers along Southern California’s coast over the past few weeks. But what are they? Where did they come from? Why are they washing up on our beaches?
Anya Stajner, a biological oceanography Ph.D. student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said these creatures are a species known as Velella velella or “by-the-wind-sailors.” Their common name refers to their sail-like appendage that sticks up above the water.
“Velellas float on the surface of the ocean and are passively moved across the water by the wind that catches their sails,” said Stajner, who studied these organisms as an undergraduate student. “Sometimes, when the wind is blowing towards the shore, large numbers of Velellas get washed ashore like we’re seeing now.”
General Atomics conducts series
of anti-submarine warfare exercises
In support of the U.S. Navy’s (USN) Integrated Battle Problem 2023 exercise in May, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises cooperatively with the USN Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadrons (HSM) 38, 49, 71, and 75. General Atomics flew a company-owned MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone under a USN Flight Clearance. The HSM squadrons flew the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter flown out of Naval Air Station North Island off the coast of San Diego on April 24-25, 2023.
SCI Investor Symposium to be held
June 29 in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The inaugural SCI Investor Symposium, a forum to discuss the most recent advancements and future trends for treating spinal cord injuries, will be held June 29 at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, Roth Auditorium, in San Diego. Attendees will hear presentations from biotechnology companies working to develop treatments for SCI (spinal cord injuries). To register
SeaWold Parks & Entertainment
kicks off nationwide recruitment week
SAN DIEGO — SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is hosting a national hiring event from June 5 -9 to fill over 10,000 positions across its parks nationwide. This includes all six brands with parks located in San Diego, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The company is hiring for a variety of seasonal, part-time and full-time positions in areas such as Lifeguards, Food & Beverage, Ride Operations, Retail, Guest Services, Park Quality, Ride Technician, Entertainment and more. Interested candidates should apply online at JoinSeaWorld.com.
Jacob Fraire to deliver National
University commencement address
SAN DIEGO — Jacob Fraire, president of the ECMC Foundation, will deliver the keynote address during commencement ceremonies June 9 and 10 at Petco Park for National University. The foundation is an organization focused on improving higher education to advance career success for underserved populations. Commencement ceremonies will be at 1:30 p.m. on June 9 and at 9:30 a.m. on June 10. A family-friendly celebration will be at 5 p.m. on June 9.
Aethlon Medical receives OK to add second
site to clinical trial of Hemopurifier
SAN DIEGO — Aethlon Medical Inc., a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to diagnose and treat cancer and life threatening infectious diseases, has received Ethics Review Board (ERB) approval from the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) for a second site for its ongoing clinical trial of Aethlon’s Hemopurifier to treat severe COVID-19 in India.MAMC was established in 1958 and is located in New Delhi, India. It is affiliated with the University of Delhi and is operated by the Delhi government.
Poseida Therapeutics to present
at June 24-28 conference
SAN DIEGO — Poseida Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage cell and gene therapy company advancing a new class of treatments for patients with cancer and rare diseases, announced that two abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the 31st Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), being held in Montreal, Canada and virtually on June 24-28, 2023.
EnergySource Minerals announces
contract with Ford for geothermal lithium
SAN DIEGO — EnergySource Minerals (ESM) announces a binding lithium supply contract to provide Ford Motor Company with lithium hydroxide produced at its Project ATLiS in Imperial Valley. Project ATLiS is expected to be operational in 2025. Using only a fraction of the carbon, water and land footprint of any other operation in the world, Project ATLiS aims to set a new standard in sustainable lithium production. The project will maximize lithium output in a closed-loop environment.
Engiven selected to receive
crypto.giving domain name
SAN DIEGO — Engiven, a leading complex giving software technologies company, has been selected to receive the crypto.giving domain name by the .GIVING TLD registry. Leveraging the new crypto.giving domain, Engiven has launched the crypto.giving website, which enables donors to give 95 different cryptocurrencies to most of the 1.8 million charities in the U.S. through the Engiven Foundation. The crypto.giving site immediately provides an IRS-compliant donation receipt and the required tax documents.
Superintendent of Cajon Valley Union
School District gets Inclusive Leader Award
EL CAJON — David Miyashiro, superintendent of Cajon Valley Union School District, has received GlobalMindED’s prestigious 2023 Inclusive Leader Award for K-12 Education. The award recognizes Miyashiro’s leadership in fostering inclusivity within the educational landscape and his unwavering commitment to an equitable and empowering learning environment for all students.
Watson Rx Solutions earns two
pharmaceutical accreditations
SAN DIEGO — Dalrada Financial Corporation announced that its pharmaceutical subsidiary, Watson Rx Solutions, has received Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation and Mail Service Pharmacy Accreditation from the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC). Watson Rx is now permitted to display official URAC Certification Seals on its website and on printed materials. Additionally, the pharmacy will be added to URAC’s list of accredited pharmacies, adding validity and providing increased visibility.
Strivr expands VR content solutions
SAN DIEGO — Strivr, a leading platform for enterprise-scale Virtual Reality (VR) solutions, announced the evolution of its offering to accelerate content and solution capabilities using Generative AI for enhanced storyline development, animation and asset creation, and optimization of visual and content-driven features. Strivr will also be using GenAI to intelligently derive unique insights from immersive user data to support HR and L&D leaders in making critical business decisions.
