HealthEM.AI wins NASSCOM Healthcare Innovation Challenge 3

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June 15, 2022

HealthEM.AI wins NASSCOM Healthcare Innovation Challenge

Tredence, a leading data science solutions provider, announced that its care management platform HealthEM.AI had won NASSCOM’s Healthcare Innovation Challenge 3 in inpatient volume prediction based on outpatient volume category.

Organized by NASSCOM Centre of Excellence (CoE), IoT & AI, the challenge aims to encourage tech innovation in the healthcare industry by making it efficient and more accessible.

HealthEM.AI is Tredence’s care management platform that enhances healthcare outcomes at scale and speed by converting data into actionable insights. The platform facilitates a strong foundation for healthcare providers to deliver critical wins associated with value-based care. The platform does this by identifying the future cost of the patient, identifying rising risk patients, enabling AI/ML predictive modeling, and improving care management productivity and effectiveness.

Built by data science and medical science professionals, HealthEM.AI facilities value-based care through modern machine learning and AI models while optimizing costs for healthcare providers and payers at the same time.

NASSCOM’s Healthcare Innovation Challenge focuses on accelerating the impact of digital technology in the healthcare sector. The program is an initiative of the NASSCOM Center of Excellence. This collaborative innovation platform helps deep-tech startups and companies leverage cutting-edge technologies to create market-ready products.

According to Tredence CEO and Co-founder Shub Bhowmick, with the health industry transforming from a fee-for-service model to value-based care, the adoption of AI to deliver personalized patient care has gained more attention. HealthEM.AI provides value-based care by optimizing revenues, operational efficiency, and patient experience with an accurate risk prediction, recommendation, and prioritization engine.

Archeologists use AI to discover fire use from a million years ago

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Sahil Pawar

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June 15, 2022

A team of archeologists from Israel and Canada have uncovered traces of use of fire about 1 million years ago using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The traces were found at a site in Israel where no such evidence has previously been found.

At Evron Quarry, an archaeological site in Israel, a 6 cm long flint tool was discovered to be altered by past heating to a temperature of about 300°C to 500°C. According to researchers, the molecular change is the evidence that human ancestors at the site may have been using fire as early as 800,000 to 1 million years ago.

There is ample evidence of the controlled use of fire as far back as 200,000 years ago, but the evidence that fire was used during earlier periods is more scarce.

To address the issue, a research team at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, developed a computer algorithm that uses deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence. The algorithm evaluates data gathered from stone fragments when exposed to ultraviolet light.

The procedure can detect if heating to hundreds of degrees has altered the stone’s molecular structure. Such signs are invisible to the naked eye but can be spotted by this computer-aided system.

After training the algorithm on test materials prepared in a laboratory, the group tested their method on an actual set of samples obtained from the archeological site, Evron Quarry, located near Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

The deep-learning algorithm detected the signs of heating in some of the flint tools. Further examination of the material uncovered fragments of burned elephant tusk.

Researchers believe that the possibility of a natural wildfire producing the results cannot be excluded. However, the discovery raises the prospect of a more comprehensive search for evidence of fire at similar ancient sites, especially places where such evidence could be attributed to Homo erectus.

Startup India launches its new SmartIDEAthon 2022 Challenge

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Dipayan Mitra

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June 15, 2022

Startup India, in association with Invest India, Venture Development Center, GITAM Deemed University, Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE), and Center for Emerging Markets, launches SmartIDEAthon 2022 Challenge.

The newly launched program is a student pitching competition for innovative ideas that help construct sustainable and resilient communities.

SmartIDEAthon 2022 Challenge involves individualized coaching and concept development for students through boot camps and coaching sessions for shortlisted candidates led by globally qualified venture coaches.

There are several themes included in the challenge, such as Food & Agriculture, Waste Management, Green Technology, Water Management, and Health Tech & Assistive Technology.

The challenge is divided into three rounds which include an online pitch, Bootcamp, and others. All teams and constituent members that qualify for the Semi-Finals phase will be invited to an advanced online Bootcamp session wherein they will be assigned a personal venture coach. The Semi-Finals and Grand Finale will be held on the GITAM campus in Visakhapatnam.

Eight teams will be selected from the semi-final round to participate in the finals of the challenge.

A significant benefit of this newly announced challenge is that throughout the event, teams will have several opportunities to network with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and other notable visitors. The Semi-Finals and Finals will be judged by a panel of national and international experts.

The winner of the competition will receive prize money of Rs 2,00,000, goodies worth Rs 20,000 and many other benefits. The competition is accessible to all current undergraduate and postgraduate students in any educational institution in India, along with recent graduates.

Interested candidates can start applying for this challenge from the official website of SmartIDEAthon. The last date to submit the application is on 3rd July 2022, and the challenge will begin on 15th July.

Coinbase lays off 18% of its Workforce

By

Dipayan Mitra

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June 15, 2022

Online crypto trading platform Coinbase announces that it plans to lay off 18% of its workforce. The announcement was made by the CEO of the company, Brian Armstrong.

Coinbase CEO @brian_armstrong announced today the difficult decision to reduce the size of the Coinbase team by 18%. More details and rationale in Brian’s email to employees, which has been made public for all to see ➡️ https://t.co/SpdZU3KdpS
— Coinbase (@coinbase) June 14, 2022

According to the company, this harsh decision was made to cut operational costs amidst the economic downfall. Coinbase is undergoing a financial crisis after successfully being in the game for over a decade.

The affected employees will receive an email notification in their personal email IDs as the company has cut access for them to Coinbase’s system.

On the contrary, the company had announced a few months earlier that it was planning to hire more than 1000 new employees in India. Coinbase mentioned that the decision was a step towards its goal of expanding its operations in India, which has the most number of crypto owners.

Coinbase has weathered four big crypto winters, and they have achieved long-term prosperity by carefully regulating their spending throughout each down spell. With this new monetary crisis, the company has taken this step to reduce the workforce.

Armstrong said, “At the beginning of 2021, we had 1,250 employees. At the time, we were in the early innings of the bull run, and the adoption of crypto products was exploding. There were new use cases enabled by crypto getting traction practically every week.”

He further added that they spotted the opportunity, but they needed to substantially extend their staff to be positioned to compete in a wide range of bets, and given the scope of their development, it’s difficult to grow at precisely the appropriate rate. Coinbase firmly believes that these new changes in the organization will help it achieve more efficiency.

AI tool allows clinicians to make personalized chemotherapy doses for cancer patients

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 15, 2022

AI to make personalized chemotherapy doses

A team of researchers has reported promising results from an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called CURATE.IA that allows clinicians to make optimal and personalized doses of chemotherapy for patients. The research was conducted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) in collaboration with clinicians from the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS).

Based on a pilot clinical trial called PRECISE.CURATE, clinicians accepted close to 97% of doses recommended by CURATE.AI, with some patients receiving optimal doses approximately 20% lower on average. The trial involved ten Singapore patients diagnosed with advanced solid tumors and predominantly metastatic colorectal cancers.

The outcomes are seen as a radical shift, personalizing oncology and allowing drug doses to be adjusted dynamically during treatment.

CURATE.AI is an optimization platform that utilizes a patient’s clinical data, including drug dose, drug type, and cancer biomarkers. Developed by a team led by Professor Dean Ho, this software generates an individual digital profile used to customize the optimal doses for the patient during chemotherapy treatment.

According to Professor Ho, Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering under the NUS, chemotherapy treatment is usually given at fixed doses based on specific patient parameters. However, such toxicity-guided amounts may not result in an optimal response to treatment.

He said that using CURATE.AI will help doctors quickly identify the optimal doses customized for each patient at different stages of the treatment cycle.

A Distinctive AI-Powered ‘Reading Marathon’ by the School Education Department in Association with a Google App, Concludes

By

Disha Chopra

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June 14, 2022

Google’s ‘Read Along app’ in association with the School Education Department, concluded a ‘reading marathon’. The campaign commenced on June 1 and aimed to ensure that children have a joyful experience while learning to read. It enabled students to read texts in Tamil and English. With the help of an in-app reading buddy, students could get assistance and a few words of encouragement.

The Illam Thedi Kalvi initiative is to promote reading habits among children. Children could read texts in Tamil and English during this large-scale AI-powered reading marathon. Many students visited the Illam Thedi centers throughout the summer holidays to continue reading.

Volunteers in the initiative had the app installed on their phones. They were responsible for creating children’s profiles. K. Elambahavath, Officer on Special Duty, Illam Thedi Kalvi, said, “The children either read from the phones of the volunteers or used the app on smartphones in their homes. Since students already enjoy using smart phones, they enjoyed reading through the app— it felt like an interactive game and the encouragement for getting words right also motivated them.”

The initiative appears to be a successor of a similar volunteer-led program initiated in October 2021 as the most extensive post-pandemic outreach program to address the learning gaps due to COVID-19. This year, the initiative aims to involve AI in teaching reading habits. With massive success, lakhs of students came to read at the centers.

Mr. Elambahavath concluded, “We initiated this digital intervention to promote reading habits among children. As of Saturday, nearly 17.4 lakh students had read over 226 crore words through the app.”

DeepBrain AI awarded third place at global technology pitching competition T-Challenge

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 14, 2022

DeepBrain AI, a high-end AI creator, has been awarded third place in the category of solution development at the T-Challenge award ceremony. The award ceremony was held in Bonn, Germany, on June 1st.

DeepBrain AI was awarded 50,000 euros and was presented with the opportunity to establish business partnerships with T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekomin.

T-Challenge is a global technology pitching competition that Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile co-host. Both are the leading telecommunications companies in Germany and the United States.

More than 300 startups from across the globe participated in the competition to present new ideas and solutions on various themes. Some of the topics included extended reality (XR) solutions consisting of virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR).

The competition initially started receiving applications for participation in October last year. Qualifiers were held for all participating companies in February of this year, out of which ten companies from each category of solution development and design development were selected.

Thus, 20 companies had gathered in Germany to compete in the final technology pitching competition, wherein Deep Brain AI was awarded third place in the solution development category, beating the other leading global companies.

At the competition, DeepBrain AI presented its AI Human solution that can create photorealistic virtual humans using deep learning and video synthesis. Along with introducing practical uses in various fields such as finance, education, broadcasting, technology development, and commerce, the company emphasized its marketability and technological innovation.

The CEO of DeepBrain AI expressed the significance of being recognized for the DeepBrain AI technological innovation and the global competitiveness of IT and AI startups by participating in the T-Challenge. He said that the company would continue to strive to achieve many such feats through active participation in global competitions and expanding business areas.

Microsoft uses AI to improve audio and video quality on Microsoft Teams

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 14, 2022

Microsoft uses AI to improve Microsoft Teams

Microsoft has announced the roll-out of the new AI enhancements for its video conferencing software Microsoft Teams, which will enhance audio and video quality on calls. The updates are expected to be available in the coming months.

Announced in a Microsoft blog post, the features include echo cancellation, real-time screen optimizations for video playback, de-reverberation, and brightness and soft-focus video enhancements.

Microsoft Teams uses AI technology to differentiate between a speaker’s sound and the user’s voice. This feature eliminates the echo without suppressing speech or multiple users’ ability to speak simultaneously.

De-reverberation can adjust poor room acoustics using machine learning to convert captured audio signals to sound as if users are speaking into a close-range mic. This can fix the specific sound issues where the room acoustics may cause sound to bounce or reverberate, forcing the user’s voice to sound shallow.

Another feature is Interruptibility, the ability to interrupt for clarification or validation, resulting in more natural conversations. The software will use full-duplex (two-way) transmission of audio that will allow users to speak and hear others simultaneously.

Microsoft Teams uses a trained model fed with 30,000 hours of speech samples to retain ideal voice quality while suppressing unwanted audio signals, thus resulting in more fluid dialogues. This will solve the issue of removing echo while maintaining full-duplex audio when using headphones.

The new Microsoft Teams software update has background noise suppression, with the company’s proprietary AI-based noise suppression a default feature for all users. Moreover, AI will help with better video and screen sharing quality.

Machine learning platform predicts surgical complications

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 14, 2022

Machine learning platform predicts surgical complications

Researchers from the University of Florida have developed a machine-learning platform called MySurgeryRisk, that can predict and address postoperative surgical complications as accurately as the clinicians.

MySurgeryRisk was created to help prevent some complications by predicting the risk rates for patients planning to undergo surgery. The platform was created using 74,000 procedures, including 58,000 adult patients at the University of Florida Health. Also, it was trained to predict post-surgery complications using 135 variables extracted from patient EMRs. These variables included laboratory, clinical, demographic, pharmacy, and other data.

The system algorithm was then tested to predict prolonged intensive care unit stays and mortality risk after the surgical procedures. The platform can predict the risk of 8 major surgical complications, including sepsis, cardiovascular issues, neurological issues, and acute kidney injury.

Read More: AI predicts race from X-Ray images

After the successful development and training, the researchers compared MySurgeryRisk’s accuracy in predicting surgical complications in 100 cases to the predictions of the surgeons for the same cases. The platform performed on par with the surgeons in predicting the probability of complications in most patients. However, it outperformed the surgeons at predicting blood clots in veins.

The platform is valuable for surgeons while preparing for a surgical procedure. With predictions of risks from MySurgeryRisk in mind, surgeons can be more strategic in the operating room, like choosing to implement additional techniques to improve patient outcomes.

The researchers aim to make MySurgeryRisk more precise in the future by including thousands of potentially relevant, uncollected data found in the operating room. For example, information from anesthesia devices and ventilator monitors. They also aim to expand validation testing of the tool at other healthcare institutions across Florida and make it more widely available.

Logy.ai Introduces India’s First AI-based Cataract Screening Solution with Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals

By

Disha Chopra

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June 14, 2022

logy.ai introduces cataract screening with sharp sight eye hospitals

Logy.ai, in collaboration with Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals, New Delhi, has introduced AI as a screening solution to identify cataracts with an accuracy of 92%. The innovation presents a simple chatbot on WhatsApp and would not require any additional application. The screening can be done in rural areas.

Logy.ai is an intelligent care service provider aiming to bring AI with a user-friendly interface. In recent developments, the company has helped Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals to solidify its position as a leading eye care provider that uses AI for health screening. The latter is an established eye care provider with over 10 lakh successful procedures and surgeries in its 14 facilities in North and East India centers.

Priyanjit Ghosh, Co-founder, and CEO, of Logy.ai, expressed that Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals is a proactive partner with the firm. Their partnership synergizes with Logy.ai’s vision of new-era technologies like AI to promote health screening. The collaboration aims to build top-of-the-line AI products in the healthcare domain and bridge the gap between technology and medicine.

She said, “We are grateful to the top leadership of Sharp Sight for providing us the opportunity to collaborate in this journey.”

Deepshikha Sharma, CEO of Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals, stated, “The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought breakthroughs in many areas of medicine. In ophthalmology, AI has delivered robust results in the screening and detection of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinopathy of prematurity. Cataract management is another field that can benefit from greater AI application.”

She added, “We are really glad to partner with Logy.AI envisions, which will open doors for healthcare professionals to undertake research and better utilize AI tools to understand their patient’s disease patterns and improve treatment outcomes significantly.”