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New sensor developed at Oregon State shows promise for fast, low-cost food-quality testing
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Science have developed a new electrochemical sensor for rapidly and accurately detecting a naturally occurring compound widely used in the food, beverage and fragrance industries.The compound is eugenol, which gives cloves their telltale flavor and smell, and measuring its presence in commercial products is important for manufacturers and regulators.
Spotlight AZ: Sundt
From transportation and water infrastructure to advanced manufacturing facilities, Sundt Construction has helped build Arizona’s economy since 1929. Headquartered in Tempe, the 100% employee-owned company is investing in new facilities, workforce training and technologies to support the state’s next chapter of growth. In this Chamber Business News Spotlight, Sundt’s Alex Charland discusses the company’s new […]
Particle Engineering Takes Center Stage as Pharma Formulation Science Pushes Toward the Clinic
A forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation will spotlight how particle engineering and formulation science are turning poorly soluble drug candidates into manufacturable medicines.
Nvidia reportedly ends GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card production
Nvidia has reportedly stopped manufacturing the GeForce RTX 5090, including the D variants made for the Chinese market.
Particle Engineering Takes Center Stage as Formulation Science Pushes Drugs Toward the Clinic
A January 2027 special issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation will spotlight how particle engineering and formulation science translate laboratory innovations into manufacturable drug dosage forms.
TexAmericas Center Signs Agreement to Support Japanese Business Growth and Technology Commercialization
Texarkana, USA (October 9, 2026) – TexAmericas Center, which owns and operates one of the largest advanced manufacturing, logistics and rail-served
Intel (INTC) Fixed Its Chip Business. Can the Foundry Earn the Premium?
For years, the easy line on Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was that it had become a fallen giant, losing ground on chip design and manufacturing at the same time. That line has aged badly. The stock now trades at a multiple usually reserved for high-flying growth names. Here’s the twist: the part of Intel that best explains […]
Converting Waste to Black Gold
CALS student Joy Camenisch, a double major in animal science and agroecology, spent the summer in Spain, where she researched how composted manure can replace synthetic fertilizer.
Arsenal is interested in teenage Italian right back
Emanuele Lulli has emerged as one of the promising young talents in Italian football this season, earning opportunities with AS Roma’s first team. The club are confident that the youngster can conti...
Book Review: ‘Luna, Phoenix, Queen,’ by Julie Orringer
In Julie Orringer’s novel “Luna, Phoenix, Queen,” a husband discovers his ailing wife’s secret, steamy manuscript — and co-opts it as his own.
Global business leaders share ideas on AI-driven growth in Shanghai
/PRNewswire/ -- A news report from english.shanghai.gov.cn Shanghai should better leverage artificial intelligence to integrate services with manufacturing and...
Rockwell warns life sciences manufacturers of cyber and data readiness gaps amid digital transformation
Rockwell warns life sciences manufacturers face cybersecurity and data readiness challenges as digital transformation accelerates.
Rethinking the Rules of Wellness
Ezekiel Emanuel opens up about his new book, Eat Your Ice Cream, and his fury at the wellness industrial complex.
Schneider Electric Acquires PTC in US$22.6bn AI Deal
Schneider Electric acquires PTC for $22.6bn in its biggest deal to date, accelerating its push into AI and industrial software for smarter manufacturing
Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs
President Donald Trump's tariffs are turning factory workers against his Republican Party over fears the import taxes could lead to fewer jobs instead of the manufacturing renaissance he promised
Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs
President Donald Trump's tariffs are turning factory workers against his Republican Party over fears the import taxes could lead to fewer jobs instead of the manufacturing renaissance he promised.
Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs
President Donald Trump's tariffs are turning factory workers against his Republican Party over fears the import taxes could lead to fewer jobs instead of the manufacturing renaissance he promised.
Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs
President Donald Trump's tariffs are turning factory workers against his Republican Party over fears the import taxes could lead to fewer jobs instead of the manufacturing renaissance he promised.
Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs
President Donald Trump's tariffs are turning factory workers against his Republican Party over fears the import taxes could lead to fewer jobs instead of the manufacturing renaissance he promised.
Bayern's goalkeeper dilemma after Neuer howler for the record books
Manuel Neuer could have done without this record in his storied career but he now owns the unwanted distinction of conceding the fastest goal in Bundesliga history. To make matters worse, it was a howler from the veteran Bayern Munich goalkeeper himself that allowed Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer to score the opening goal in their 2-2 draw after 8.
Wealth Science Advisors LLC Sells 2,311 Shares of Broadcom Inc. $AVGO
Wealth Science Advisors LLC cut its position in Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO - Free Report) by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,560 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after selling 2,311 shares during the period. Broadcom m
Particle Engineering and Formulation Science Drive the Next Wave of Drug Delivery
A forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation will gather research on how particle engineering and formulation science are transforming drug solubility, dosage form design, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Particle Engineering Takes Center Stage as Drug Formulation Science Enters Its Translational Era
The Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation has announced a January 2027 special issue on translational advances in pharmaceutical dosage form development, covering particle engineering, solid-state control, QbD, and emerging manufacturing technologies, with submissions due June
Vincent Kompany brushes off Manuel Neuer’s howler against FC Augsburg
Kompany remains fully confident in Neuer.
What Shapes Independent Political Identity?
The increase of independent political identities has significant implications for the basic functioning of American democracy.
Ari Emanuel: Elon Musk's AI prediction inspired live-events business
Hollywood powerbroker Ari Emanuel recently said on a podcast that Elon Musk once told him live events were essentially AI-proof.
Darline Graham opposes Chinese manufacturing. Her husband’s employers rely on it.
The senator and sister of the late Lindsey Graham has said the U.S. must “stop depending on Communist China for things America can make ourselves.”
Swann Arlaud did not want to talk politics
At 45, the actor has remained true to his deeply held left-wing convictions. In May, he signed the anti-Bolloré group letter, risking his career as a result. Meanwhile, Swann Arlaud plays a civil servant drawn into collaboration in Emmanuel Marre's new film.
Arjuna Natural to spotlight women’s health innovation and Ashwagandha Quality at SupplySide Global
Arjuna Natural, a leader, manufacturer, and innovator of standardised botanical extracts, will spotlight its award-winning women’s health portfolio and latest ingredient research at SupplySide Global in Las Vegas, NV, booth 6519, including new research on Rhuleave-K, a turmeric and boswellia combination developed to support fast-acting relief from PMS symptoms and lower back pain
Rahm Emanuel returns to Chicago, talks mentorship, Bears stadium and political future
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel returns to the city he led for eight years, touting his work to expand mentorship programs for local kids.
Rahm Emanuel returns to Chicago, talks mentorship, Bears stadium and political future
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel returns to the city he led for eight years, touting his work to expand mentorship programs for local kids.
Time capsule: Hardwood, softwood, fuelwood
Note: After finally cleaning my stovepipe last weekend, it feels like woodstove season at my cabin can officially (and safely) begin.
World Mental Health Day 2026: How losing my father and surviving illness led me to mental health advocacy
This World Mental Health Day (10 October), the theme is "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change." It recognizes that people who have lived through hard moments hold knowledge that no manual can replace.
The JAS-Pininfarina Honda NSX Restomod Is Finally Here
The long-awaited JAS Tensei packs a 425-hp naturally aspirated V6, a six-speed manual, and stunning Italian styling.
The Math Singularity Is Here, and Science May Be Next
OpenAI has released an extraordinary body of mathematical work produced by an unreleased frontier model: 722 manuscripts spanning 372 research families across fields including number theory, complexity theory, and mathematical physics. Each result required, on average, the equivalent of roughly three hours of ChatGPT Pro reasoning. A New Era of Discovery We may be witnessing the beginnings of a “math singularity”: a point at which machine-generated discovery accelerates beyond humanity’s ability to independently reproduce, verify, or fully absorb it. If frontier models can generate hundreds of meaningful results in the time it takes a human researcher to investigate one, the constraint will no longer be producing new mathematics. It will be our capacity to validate, interpret, and integrate it. This does not make mathematicians obsolete. It changes their role. They may increasingly serve as guides, critics, and meaning-makers. Increasingly, they will decide which questions matter, determining which results can be trusted, and explaining why they are important. Mathematical insight may become abundant, while human judgment becomes more valuable than ever. Mathematics May Be Only the Beginning Every scientific discipline could eventually experience a similar acceleration. AI systems could generate and test hypotheses, connect findings across specialized fields, and explore possibilities at a scale no human research community could match. In medicine, imagine models identifying overlooked disease mechanisms, designing drugs and clinical trials, personalizing treatments, or discovering cures in months rather than decades. In materials science, AI could help create better batteries and cleaner industrial processes. In climate science, it could accelerate advances in energy, forecasting, and carbon removal. In biology, it could uncover relationships hidden across enormous genomic and molecular datasets. The result would not simply be faster research. It could expand the frontier of what is scientifically possible. The New Bottleneck Scientific discovery, however, is not the same as scientific progress. A medical breakthrough must still survive laboratory testing, clinical trials, regulatory scrutiny, manufacturing constraints, and real-world deployment. As machine-generated ideas multiply, the bottleneck may shift from producing breakthroughs to validating them safely and translating them into practice. We may soon have more hypotheses than laboratories can test, more drugs than clinical trials can evaluate, and more mathematical results than experts can review. That imbalance will require better systems for automated verification, reproducible research, prioritization, peer review, and collaboration between AI and domain experts. The importance of OpenAI’s work is not merely the number of manuscripts produced. It offers a glimpse of a world in which intelligence can explore thousands of intellectual paths in parallel. If ideas cease to be scarce, humanity’s defining challenge will be deciding which are true, which matter, and how to turn them into progress. The math singularity is not the end of human inquiry. It is the beginning of a new kind—one in which machines expand the frontier of knowledge and humans decide where it should lead. Subscribe Share Leave a comment
Catching up with: Vestis Manufacturing Inc.
Thirteen years ago, Vestis Manufacturing Inc. was a five-person operation producing and installing fabric awnings for homes and businesses within 100 miles of Spokane. Today, Vestis focuses on manufacturing aluminum canopies, louvered sunshades, and bolt-on balconies for commercial clients…
Rahm Emanuel reveals his political plans
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tells Sean Hannity DSA candidates are in a ‘separate party’ on a new episode of ‘Hang Out with Sean Hannity.’
Audio Gear Lined Up for Mystery Immersive Venue
By Clive Young. Two European audio manufacturers will collaborate on a spatial audio system inside a new, unnamed immersive venue.
Bristol’s Federal Pacific names CEO, succeeding Broadfoot
Bristol-based Federal Pacific names Rohan Kelkar CEO as the manufacturer of switchgear and power distribution equipment begins its next phase
Lackawanna business to pay $1.5 million for improper COVID-19 loans
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A steel pipe and tube manufacturer based in Lackawanna will pay $1.5 million in order to resolve allegations that is improperly obtained relief funds during the COVID-19 pand…
M. A. Silva Expands Its Sales Team
North America's leading premium cork and packaging manufacturer, M. A. Silva USA, brings on two industry veterans to strengthen its growing sales operation.
CurTec Expands Operations in Oconee County
CurTec USA (CurTec), a high-performance packaging manufacturer, today announced it is expanding its operations in Oconee County. The company’s $10 million investment will create 10 jobs. Founded in 1991, CurTec produces plastic drums, pails and...
From 1800s to modern pharma: a Nobel-winning chemistry quest
Wednesday's Nobel chemistry prize crowned a series of advances that started in the 19th century and led to breakthroughs for modern pharmaceutical manufacturing.In 2001, US scientists William Knowles ...
Silicon Valley startup bets on North Bay to pioneer lab-grown diamond tech
Can Petaluma become the next high-tech manufacturing hub? Mountain View startup Diamond Quanta bets on lab-grown diamonds for cell phone screens and computer chips for a “Telecom Valley” revival.
Silicon Valley startup prospects for ‘Diamond Valley’ business cluster in new high-tech Petaluma facility
Can Petaluma become the next high-tech manufacturing hub? Silicon Valley startup Diamond Quanta bets on lab-grown diamonds for cell phone screens and computer chips for a “Telecom Valley” revival.
Business Council tours Southern Tier manufacturer during National Manufacturing Week
Universal Instruments in Conklin was the fourth stop on an 11-site statewide tour
The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t.
Corporate sustainability may have fallen out of favor in some executive and political circles, but the business case remains strong: Companies continue to invest because sustainability initiatives can deliver measurable gains in profitability, resilience, and growth. Drawing on research from NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business and other recent studies, the article shows how four areas in particular—circularity, decarbonization, sustainable sourcing, and employee well-being—can lower costs, reduce risk, strengthen supply chains, improve productivity, and create new revenue opportunities. Examples from industries including automotive, healthcare, apparel, energy, consumer goods, and manufacturing illustrate how companies are capturing value through resource reuse, energy efficiency, resilient sourcing strategies, and investments in frontline workers. While the language of ESG may be losing momentum, the underlying business fundamentals have not changed: organizations that systematically address material environmental and social challenges, quantify the financial impact of their efforts, and embed sustainability into core decision-making are better positioned to improve operational performance and create long-term enterprise value.
The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t.
Corporate sustainability may have fallen out of favor in some executive and political circles, but the business case remains strong: Companies continue to invest because sustainability initiatives can deliver measurable gains in profitability, resilience, and growth. Drawing on research from NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business and other recent studies, the article shows how four areas in particular—circularity, decarbonization, sustainable sourcing, and employee well-being—can lower costs, reduce risk, strengthen supply chains, improve productivity, and create new revenue opportunities. Examples from industries including automotive, healthcare, apparel, energy, consumer goods, and manufacturing illustrate how companies are capturing value through resource reuse, energy efficiency, resilient sourcing strategies, and investments in frontline workers. While the language of ESG may be losing momentum, the underlying business fundamentals have not changed: organizations that systematically address material environmental and social challenges, quantify the financial impact of their efforts, and embed sustainability into core decision-making are better positioned to improve operational performance and create long-term enterprise value.
Robotics Company Advanced Navigation Expands Navigation Technology Manufacturing To Huntsville
It also applies to navigation.
Micron's Taoyuan union in Taiwan secures authorisation to strike
A Taiwanese union representing workers at Micron Technology said on Wednesday it had secured authorisation from its members to strike work over a dispute concerning the company's bonus scheme, escalating a labour conflict at the chipmaker's largest manufacturing hub.
Kings Coach Christie Believes Sharp Will Become a Fan Favorite
Emanuel Sharp impressed Doug Christie with relentless hustle and grit, signaling a potential breakout as Sacramento’s next shutdown perimeter threat.
Emanuel Wilson, Kyle Monangai, And All Our Must-Start Fantasy Football Running Backs For Week 5
Our Week 5 must-start fantasy football running backs.
Anduril plans $3.7B submarine shipyard in Maryland, promising 3,100 jobs
Anduril Industries plans to invest $3.7 billion in a submarine manufacturing shipyard at Sparrows Point, promising more than 3,100 permanent jobs at full operation as Maryland and Baltimore County consider
Manuel Ugarte Reveals "Huge Help" During ACL Injury Comeback
Manuel Ugarte remains absent due to an ACL injury, which he sustained on World Cup duty with Uruguay.
Southern University launches rural business growth center
Southern University and A&M College has received a $1.275 million, three-year cooperative agreement from the Minority Business Development Agency to establish the Louisiana Innovation for Thriving Rural Business, or LIFT, Center aimed at strengthening rural businesses and expanding their access to financing, government contracts and advanced manufacturing opportunities. Housed in Southern’s College of Business, the […]
Ochsner uses AI to widen clinical trial screening
The health system reports 41% greater screening capacity, 3.6 times as many patients followed for future eligibility and approximately 75% less manual screening work. The vice chief scientific officer tells the tale.
Re:Build Expanding Operations in York County
Re:Build, an integrated engineering and manufacturing company, announced plans to expand its advanced composites manufacturing operations in York County. The company’s approximately $20 million investment will create 150 skilled manufacturing and...
Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire: 5 Best Pickups
Emanuel Wilson and Will Shipley are among the best options to consider on the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 5.
New Report: 400+ Global Life Science Leaders Bullish Despite Market Uncertainty
As AI usage takes shape and market pressures persist, CRB's Horizons: Life Sciences 2026 report explores how manufacturers are investing in facilities,...
As Taiwan expands Arizona chip plant, China warns against developing political ties
The world's biggest chipmaker now manufactures at scale in Phoenix, as well as Taiwan. China is warning political leaders in Arizona to not get too friendly.
Germany under pressure
From carmakers and manufacturers to farmers and logistics firms, businesses are grappling with weak demand, climate risks, and global uncertainty.
Newcastle goalkeeper emerges as option for Bayern Munich
With Manuel Neuer expected to retire from football next summer, Bayern Munich already have a successor in place for the veteran in the shape of Jonas Urbig.However, the Bavarians still want to bring i...
In Business: Bemidji Woolen Mills Keeping Local Production Alive
https://youtu.be/dwmn4Xteru4 As more clothing production moves overseas, one Bemidji manufacturer is still keeping much of its work local. Behind the racks and finished products at the Bemidji Woolen Mills, much of the work here still comes down to people cutting, stitching, and sewing. In an industry where production has often…
Champion Homes grows via another acquisition
Troy-based Champion Homes has acquired an Alabama-based manufactured housing company with nine retail locations around the south.
Trump won this district by 10 points. This Democrat thinks he can win it by winning back Latinos
Inaugural Delbert E. Day Lecture to be held Oct. 15
The first Delbert E. Day Lecture on Glass Science and Technology will be presented by Dr. Claudio Mazzali, vice president of global research at Corning, Inc. The title of his lecture will be “Precision at Scale: Navigating the Science-to-Factory Continuum that Reshapes Industries for Glass Manufacturing and Beyond.” The lecture will be held at 3:30...Continue Reading Inaugural Delbert E. Day Lecture to be held Oct. 15
NWA C-Suite: Daniel Harr
Harr joined packaging systems manufacturer Delta Systems & Automation in 2013 and advanced through leadership roles in supply chain, customer care, operations, and general management before becoming CEO in 2024....
Business in brief: Oct. 5, 2026
Weekly news and notes from the Henrico business community. Better Business Bureau serving Central Virginia, headquartered in Glen Allen, has begun continuously monitoring licenses and regulatory credentials of its accredited businesses through a partnership with Branvio Inc. BBB said the system replaces repeated manual database checks and has freed more
GE HealthCare to buy Sofie Biosciences for $945 million to strengthen radiopharma business
Medical device maker GE HealthCare said on Monday it would buy privately held Sofie Biosciences for $945 million in cash, in a move that strengthens its ability to manufacture and distribute PET imaging drugs.
TCL’s paperlike OLED phone made me more excited for the iPhone Duo
Can every manufacturer copy this next please?
Bora Biologics and Protect Animal Health Enter Strategic, Long-Term Multi-Project Collaboration to Advance Antibody-Based Animal Health Products
Partnership includes development and manufacturing support for multiple monoclonal and bispecific antibody programs targeting U.S. and global animal health markets
Accenture Completes Acquisition of Mjølner Informatics, Bringing Deep Software Engineering Expertise for Energy, Utilities and Manufacturing Clients in Denmark
Accenture has completed its acquisition of Mjølner Informatics from Norlys, strengthening Accenture’s software engineering, digital engineering and embedded software development capabilities in Denmark.
Bora Biologics and Protect Animal Health Enter Strategic, Long-Term Multi-Project Collaboration to Advance Antibody-Based Animal Health Products
Partnership includes development and manufacturing support for multiple monoclonal and bispecific antibody programs targeting U. and global animal health marketsSAN DIEGO, CA AND TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN / ACCESS Newswire / October 4, 2026 / , a U.
Bora Biologics and Protect Animal Health Enter Strategic, Long-Term Multi-Project Collaboration to Advance Antibody-Based Animal Health Products
Partnership includes development and manufacturing support for multiple monoclonal and bispecific antibody programs targeting U.S. and global animal health markets
Rahm Emmanuel says Democrats should focus on ethics reforms rather than impeaching Trump
Democrats have publicly weighed wether they should pursue impeaching Trump for a third time.
How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy
Hey all, Jason here. Money20/20 is still two weeks away, but I’ve already started packing (not procrastinating for once!). My calendar is already filling up with various sessions I want to catch, meetings, and of course happy hours, dinners, and other side events. If you’ll be in Vegas and want to catch up, let me know by replying to this email, and we can try to find a time amidst the chaos of the Venetian. A big if not totally unexpected piece of news dropped on Friday: the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group that represents smaller U.S. banks, filed a lawsuit against the OCC and Comptroller Jonathan Gould, arguing that the regulator’s move to grant trust bank charters to firms seeking to use them to conduct substantial non-fiduciary activities exceeds the authorities granted to the OCC by Congress. I haven’t had time to fully digest the legal filing or speak to folks in my network about it, but you can expect to see coverage and analysis on it in next week’s newsletter. Subscribe or Support by Upgrading The NerdCon agenda just dropped. It’s stacked. Partner content: Nubank built an AI-first bank. Chime built its own banking core. Figure and Valon are rebuilding the mortgage stack. At NerdCon, you’ll hear from the people behind those bets: what they chose, what they learned, and what they’re still figuring out. The agenda is live, with leaders from Nubank, Chime, OpenAI, Remitly, Mercury, Figure, Valon and more. Follow the mainstage conversations, bring the problem your team is wrestling with to a hands-on workshop, or pull up a chair at a roundtable. Pick your quests. Meet us in San Diego, November 18–20. Fintech Business Weekly readers save 20% with code FBW20. Explore the Agenda Things To Know & Other Good Reads Federal Reserve Board finalizes changes to enhance the transparency and public accountability of its stress test and reduce volatility in its stress test-related capital requirements (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) FDIC Announces Conclusion of Independent Monitorship (FDIC) Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR (Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman) The Data Version of Godzilla versus Kong: FRED Takes on AI (Fed Governor Christopher Waller) Financing the AI buildout (Brookings) Q3’26: Rules for Banks but Not for Crypto (Fintech Takes Banking) The Inevitability of Local Stablecoins (Lombard Notes) Delusions of AI Governance: The Human-in-the-Loop Comfort Blanket (Fintech Snark Tank) Stripe agrees to acquire Parafin to expand revenue opportunities for platforms and help small businesses grow (Stripe) Listen: Fighting Fraud in the Age of AI, with SEON’s Tamas Kadar (Fintech Business Weekly) How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy If there is one overarching theme across the economy and politics in the U.S. at the moment, it’s “affordability.” The term is vague enough to encompass a panoply of factors shaping Americans’ day-to-day lives: rising costs for the hallmarks of being “middle class,” including healthcare, housing, childcare, and education, inflation and rising interest rates, and a job market with the specter of AI hovering over it. At the same time, policy shifts under the Trump administration have resulted in reduced subsidies to those who get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and new restrictions on qualifying for Medicaid and SNAP, the impacts of which have yet to be fully felt. These factors are contributing to declining consumer confidence and general dissatisfaction with the economy, despite continuing GDP growth and stock market records. This divergence is encapsulated in the idea of the “K-shaped” economy, in which a small proportion of Americans have seen their wealth balloon, while the majority of American households struggle to preserve the lifestyle they have. Perhaps the greatest determinant of which branch of the “K” a household is on is whether their wealth and income are primarily derived from employment vs. from assets. Nearly two decades of low interest rates and, more recently, elevated rates of inflation have benefited asset owners, while those whose income is primarily or solely derived from labor have largely seen real purchasing power stagnate or decline. This is reflected in recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that labor share of U.S. GDP — the fraction of economic output that accrues to workers as compensation in exchange for their labor — dropped to just 52.8% in Q2 2026, the lowest since the BLS began keeping records. In 1947, approximately 2/3rds of economic output accrued to workers; even as recently as 2001, labor’s share of GDP was 64.1%. Against this backdrop, we’ve seen the rise of more credit and credit-like products: cash advance apps, “no-fee” overdraft, earned wage access, and buy now pay later, which are often used as small-dollar short-term borrowing mechanisms to meet immediate consumption needs or pay other bills (eg utilities, cell phone, other debt payments). With the markers of a middle class existence and, increasingly, basic financial stability seemingly out of reach for many, it should be no surprise there’s been an increase in “financial nihilism,” something industry peers like Alex Johnson and Frank Rotman have discussed and analyzed the roots of. The explosion of gambling and gambling-adjacent products and services — often marketed under the guise of being an “investment” — is inextricably intertwined with the rise of financial nihilism. Crypto, sports betting, and, more recently, prediction markets offer an escape or even hope of sorts, like a contemporary, digital version of a scratch-off lottery ticket, while leaving the overwhelming number of people who use such products worse off. Share of Households That Are Financially “Vulnerable” Ticks Up The Financial Health Network’s 2026 Financial Health Pulse® report adds context on how American households are faring. (I linked to this report in last week’s newsletter, but wanted to take time to further unpack the data in the report this week.) The Financial Health Network publishes the report annually, providing insight into how Americans’ financial circumstances are changing over time. The 2026 report is derived from a survey fielded in April and May 2026. The report leverages survey responses to assess indicators of financial health across spending, saving, borrowing, and planning/protecting and to determine a zero to 100 “FinHealth” score. Those with scores between 0 and 39 are considered “Financially Vulnerable,” consumers with scores ranging between 40 and 79 are defined as “Financially Coping,” and those with scores of 80 to 100 are “Financially Healthy.” The report found that moderate improvements in 2025 were reversed, with the share of respondents considered financially “vulnerable” rebounding to 17%. The longitudinal data reflect the impact of pandemic-era programs, like expanded unemployment, cash stimulus payments, and pauses of federal student loan payments. The positive impacts of those programs, as reflected in the Financial Health Pulse reports, had largely disappeared by 2023. While pandemic-era inflation — to be fair, in part caused by the various support and stimulus measures — had come down from as high as 9% in 2022, it has rebounded since the start of Trump’s second term, with tariffs and energy market disruptions owing to the war in Iran pushing prices back up. Specific indicators in the survey that deteriorated from 2025 to 2026 include the share of respondents spending less than their income over the past 12 months, the share paying all bills on time over the past 12 months, the share that have a manageable amount or no debt, the share that are “moderately” or “very” confident their insurance is adequate to cover them in an emergency, and the share that “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that their household plans ahead financially. Unsurprisingly, lower- and moderate-income households are more likely to struggle to pay their bills on time and have any funds leftover to save. The share of low-income households whose income exceeded their spending dropped from 35% in 2025 to 31% in 2026, while the share of upper-income households whose income exceeded expenses remained unchanged at 63%. Households with student loans or revolving credit card debt reported having “a bit more” or “far more” debt than was manageable at rates far higher than those not carrying these types of debts. The share of those with student loan debt indicating their debt load was too high to manage increased from 50% in 2025 to 55% in 2026, while the share of those with revolving credit card debt saying the same ticked up from 51% in 2025 to 54% in 2026. Households that had student loans were markedly more likely to be financially “coping” or “vulnerable” vs. those without student loans. In 2026, 27% of households with student loans were considered financially vulnerable, a jump of 6% points vs. 2025. Households without student loans saw just a 1% point increase (not statistically significant) in those considered financially vulnerable. Households’ perception of the affordability of categories of goods and services paints a stark picture, with less than one-fourth considering higher education affordable, about a third deeming childcare affordable, and less than half viewing healthcare as affordable. Fintech Business Weekly is made possible by the generous support of paying subscribers — bringing you independent analysis of banking, fintech, and crypto without fear or favor. You can support my work by becoming a paying subscriber if you aren’t already. Paying subscribers enjoy: access to the entire archive of nearly six years of newsletters extended versions of the weekly newsletter, with additional content and analysis and (for founding member tier) quarterly personal 1:1 fintech Q&A / strategy calls with me, tapping into my unparalleled knowledge of the intersection of banking and fintech and experience working in the sector, including helping to launch Goldman Sachs’ retail bank Marcus Support Fintech Business Weekly You can also support Fintech Business Weekly by sponsoring a newsletter or podcast, putting you in front of 93,000+ of the most influential decision makers in banking, fintech, and crypto. Learn more about sponsor opportunities or request a media kit by dropping me an email. Democratic Senate Report Highlights How Iran Uses Tether to Evade U.S. Sanctions Iran uses stablecoins, specifically Tether, to evade sanctions, fund regional proxies, and to purchase military drones, a report released last week by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says. The report was authored by committee ranking member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the minority staff. Crypto and stablecoin proponents will often push back on criticism that criminals make use of these assets by arguing that, on an absolute dollar basis, far more illicit funds flow through traditional banking systems and payment rails than via crypto and stablecoins. And while that is likely true, it elides the reality presented in news story after news story: whether state actors — Russia, Iran, North Korea — or criminal groups, those looking to engage in illicit transactions increasingly favor stablecoins and, specifically, Tether (USDT). The report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released last week adds context to how Iran uses Tether has a lynchpin in its shadow banking system. The report analyzed 846 wallets that have been sanctioned or targeted for seizure, finding that 84% of them transacted exclusively or primarily in Tether. The ability to create near limitless, anonymous wallets and to move funds effectively instantaneously and irreversibly have made crypto a favored financial mechanism for bad actors. Stablecoins solved key drawbacks of bitcoin, namely, the original cryptocurrency’s highly volatile value in dollars. And while Tether (the company) has the technical ability to “freeze” or destroy funds, the company is often limited and reactive in its approach to doing so, the Senate report argues. Tether, which is nominally based in crypto-friendly El Salvador, “has stated that its compliance with OFAC sanctions is ‘voluntary’ and that it follows ‘OFAC guidelines,’” the Senate report says. Owing to these favorable attributes, Tether “became a primary cryptocurrency for Iran, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis beginning in 2023 and has expanded in scale since,” according to the report. Tether’s role in Iran’s shadow banking system, the report says, is enhanced by crypto exchanges like Bybit, Kyrrex, OKX, Gate, and Binance, and through “over the counter” exchanges and hawala networks. The consequences of these financial flows aren’t hypothetical. The Senate report links Tether as a funds transfer mechanism to Iranian proxies in the region, including Hizballah, the Houthis, and Hamas. Tether has also been used to make payments to secure components necessary to manufacture drones, the report says. The report concludes by arguing that “[s]tablecoin issuers with a significant nexus to the United States, particularly those that offer dollar-denominated stablecoins, should be subject to American sanctions law rather than being allowed to hide behind foreign jurisdictions.” Stablecoin issuers like Tether must be held accountable for repeated failures to prevent illicit finance and sanctions violations by law enforcement, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and OFAC, the report argues. [Paying Subscriber Exclusive] OUSD Goes Live, Make Your Own Neobank, U.S. Sanctions Russia’s A7 Network As “Transnational Criminal Organization” OpenUSD, the stablecoin issued by the Open Standard consortium that includes Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, core providers, crypto firms, and numerous banks, went live last week. Social commerce platform Whop raised eyebrows in fintech by offering creators on its platform the ability to launch their own neobanks, which the company describes as “great businesses that are easy to run,” in just 15 minutes. And OFAC and FinCEN target Russia’s “shadow banking” A7 Network — more on these stories after the paywall.
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1,000-year-old manuscript found to have traces of ancient virus DNA preserved in its parchment pages.
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Bishop’s computer science chair says AI is eliminating ‘grunt work’ and reshaping digital jobs
Dr. Russell Butler, chair of Bishop’s University’s Department of Computer Science, says artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over routine digital “grunt work,” changing the skills students and workers may need in the years ahead. Photo courtesy of Bishop’s University. Click here to read our platform! Get local news like this every morning. Subscribe free below. Subscribe Pulse Newsroom Artificial intelligence is already taking over some of the routine digital work once performed by entry-level employees, according to Bishop’s University Computer Science chair Dr. Russell Butler — a shift he believes will make expertise, judgement and the ability to evaluate AI-generated work increasingly important. Butler described the change as automation reaching what he calls the “bottom of the cognitive pyramid” during an interview with The Pulse about AI, university education and the future of digital work. His argument is not that humans are disappearing from the workplace. Instead, he sees their role changing as AI becomes capable of handling more of the repetitive tasks involved in computer-based work. “Everything’s converging on just AI basically doing all the grunt work,” Butler said. The bottom of the cognitive pyramid Butler is from Lennoxville, completed his undergraduate studies at Bishop’s and later earned his PhD at the Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Bishop’s in 2019 and now chairs its Department of Computer Science. He uses AI in research, teaching and other creative work, and said the technology is increasingly capable of handling routine digital tasks that once required substantial human time. “You’ve got the grunt work, like moving things around in Excel, doing basic programming tasks,” Butler said. “That’s like the bottom grunt work that the entry-level worker would have done two or three years ago.” Butler went further, saying in his view that much of this type of work has already been absorbed by AI tools. He connected that change to a shift he sees taking place in computer science, where entry-level roles have declined while experienced workers can use AI to increase what they can produce. “A senior developer now has access to essentially an unlimited amount of junior developers on demand,” Butler said. He was describing AI systems metaphorically, not literal employees. His point was that one experienced developer can now ask AI tools to produce code or other technical work that might previously have been assigned to more junior workers. That raises a broader question for universities and employers. If some of the simpler work traditionally given to newcomers can now be done by machines, how do people gain the experience needed to become senior workers themselves? Students doing work that once required years of programming Butler said he is already seeing the change inside his classroom. He created a Bishop’s course called CS208, Coding in Plain English, to show students — including those without traditional programming backgrounds — what they can accomplish using AI. Some come from disciplines such as psychology or neuroscience with no previous programming experience. “What I’m finding is that students who have zero programming experience, they come in from another discipline like psychology or neuroscience or something, they are now able to get up and running with real data sets,” Butler said. Butler’s own doctoral work involved neuroimaging, and he said he has assigned students work he considers comparable to the kinds of analysis he performed during his PhD. He described giving students a real dataset, an expected result and instructions to use AI to complete the analysis. Butler said those students have been able to carry out work at a level he associates with tasks he once performed after years of programming experience. That does not mean a student using AI instantly acquires the same knowledge as an experienced computer scientist. But Butler sees it as evidence that AI can dramatically lower the technical barrier between having a problem to solve and producing a working result. The role of the person using the system then changes. They need to know what to ask for, understand enough about the subject to judge the answer and take responsibility for what is ultimately produced. What about AI hallucinations? One persistent concern surrounding generative AI is hallucination — when a system produces information that sounds convincing but is false or unsupported. Butler said that problem has improved substantially in newer systems and is not as severe as it was with earlier models. He pointed in particular to newer AI systems’ ability to search the web, consult scientific databases and return source links rather than simply generating a citation from their internal model. Butler nevertheless said users should verify what AI produces. “You should verify,” he said while discussing citations generated with AI. His position is that hallucinations have become less common in the systems he uses, not that incorrect AI output is impossible. Human checking remains part of the process. Hours of work compressed Butler offered another example from his administrative work at Bishop’s. The university has been comparing CEGEP courses with first-year Bishop’s courses to determine where students may qualify for advanced standing. Traditionally, Butler said, that means reviewing two sets of course descriptions and manually matching one institution’s courses with another’s. As department chair, that could require hours of reading and comparison. He said AI can now be given both sets of material and asked to generate an initial mapping automatically. “It saves me hours and hours of work,” Butler said. Butler said the AI-generated mapping can also produce a better result than he would produce himself. He sees similar opportunities in businesses. A company may receive specifications, drawings, emails or other digital material from customers and then have employees convert that information into an internal format before anything can be manufactured or delivered. AI can increasingly perform parts of that intermediate processing. In Butler’s view, the employee does not necessarily disappear. Instead, the job becomes more about checking the result. “The human is still there,” he said. Judgement could become more valuable That change is central to Butler’s view of where digital work may be headed. If AI can produce a first draft, write basic code, compare documents or process large amounts of information, he argues that knowledge and judgement become increasingly important. “The real scarce resource going forward is going to be domain knowledge, expertise, and… credentials, authority, the ability to work with other people,” Butler said. He is therefore encouraging students not only to learn AI tools but also to broaden their education. He mentioned acting, fine art and photography as examples of courses that can help develop what he described as taste and intuition — the ability to recognize what is good, what is not and what should be changed. “And that’s the skill that they need now because the grunt work has been automated and now it’s about evaluating what the AI produces and telling it how to improve or expand the output,” Butler said. That does not remove the need for technical knowledge. Butler’s argument is that the emphasis may shift away from manually completing every step of a task and toward directing, checking and improving work produced with AI assistance. He also stressed that humans remain responsible for final decisions. “At the end of the day, the human has to make the final call,” Butler said, pointing to the question of accountability. Physical work may be different Butler draws a distinction between digital work and jobs requiring people to manipulate the physical world. He expects AI to continue advancing quickly in tasks performed almost entirely on computers. He is more cautious about claims that humanoid robots will soon be able to replace workers such as plumbers or electricians. Butler said those trades would not be replaced “anytime soon” in his view and described some current robotics demonstrations as overhyped. He described the situation as counterintuitive. “It’s almost like we solved the highest level first,” he said, contrasting advances in digital AI with the harder problem of building robots capable of operating reliably in the physical world. Butler’s argument is that some digital occupations could face automation sooner than trades requiring complex physical work. The wider AI shift in the Townships Butler’s comments come as local institutions are increasingly grappling with how AI should be used. The federal government recently announced up to $162 million over five years for 10,000 AI-related placements through Mitacs. The Université de Sherbrooke told The Pulse that the number of its collaborative research and innovation projects supported through Mitacs has approximately doubled since 2018-19, while the number of placements has approximately tripled. UdeS also said it already has projects involving both AI adoption and the application of AI to other fields. At Bishop’s, Butler said part of his role involves building the Computer Science department’s local presence, connecting students with regional partners and strengthening relationships with the Sherbrooke technology ecosystem. Those developments put universities in a difficult position. They have to prepare students to use the tools employers increasingly have available while also making sure graduates understand enough to recognize when those tools are wrong, incomplete or being applied to the wrong problem. The risk of losing human skills Butler does not see AI as risk-free. Later in the interview, he raised a separate concern: as AI becomes better at reading, writing, programming and other cognitive tasks, people could lose some of the underlying skills that historically helped produce new ideas. “The other danger is that we’re going to lose the human skills,” Butler said. He specifically mentioned reading and writing and argued that people could lose some of the lower-level understanding that contributes to breakthroughs. Butler said AI systems are based on existing human knowledge and argued that they become much more powerful when paired with a capable person. That tension runs through his view of the technology. AI can remove hours of routine work. It can allow beginners to perform tasks that once required substantial technical training. It can give experienced workers significant leverage. But the more capable the technology becomes, the more important it may be for people to develop the judgement needed to decide what should be done in the first place. For Butler, that is where education may have to change. Students still need to understand their field. They still need to know when something is wrong. And they still need to be able to make the final decision. But if AI increasingly handles the bottom of the cognitive pyramid, the value of a worker may depend less on how quickly they can perform the grunt work and more on whether they understand what the work is supposed to accomplish. Don’t miss the next story that affects your community. Join thousands of readers getting The Pulse every morning—plus breaking news alerts when it matters most. If you value this kind of local journalism, consider supporting it. Subscribe, share and like! Subscribe Share
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Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
Coastal forces shape building sciences practice
When Built Environments relocated to Wilmington, the firm’s partners weren’t looking for the lazy tranquility one hopes for when on vacation. Instead, they sought sultry heat. They wanted to understand whipping coastal winds and punishing precipitation – the kind that tropical storms produce. That’s because how materials degrade can reveal a lot about how they can be improved. “We specifically chose the Wilmington market because it does fall within Climate Zone 3A, which is a coastal warm-humid climate,” said Jarrett Davis, who joined Built Environments in 2023 to lead the company’s building science practice. “There’s not a lot of product research in that climate zone, but there are a lot of structures here that get weatherized pretty severely.” Built Environments has provided building science, material testing and code compliance consulting for 25 years, ever since principal materials scientist Steve Doggett founded the company in Minnesota. “There are very few manufacturers that understand fully how their own materials and products work, whereas we know their shortfalls and their benefits out in the real world on jobsites,” Doggett said. “That’s why the original Built Environments was formed, to make buildings better.” He said the 15-employee company is just as comfortable on a jobsite, retrofitting a high-end beachside property, for example, as it is recreating some of the coast’s most intense weather conditions in the great indoors. The company operates an A2LA-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 mechanical testing laboratory on Wright Street. The year-old facility has expanded Built Environments’ in-house capabilities, Doggett said. “We’re able to simulate that hurricane wind (and) rain and perform structural and impact testing on wall assemblies, roof assemblies and glazing assemblies,” he said. “There are certain requirements that those windows and doors need to meet as far as wind ratings and pressure ratings and things of that nature.” Standard Glass Co.-Glass Depots, of Wilmington, is currently testing a new glazing system using Built Environments’ stress testing, the partners said. One method involves what’s called a “large missile cannon.” “We take 8-foot two-by-fours, and we shoot them at assemblies, so they have to withstand that impact,” Davis said. “It’s pretty cool to see, I’m not going to lie.” In many cases, the lab can run a full, wall-scale test of a product in a matter of weeks or months, whereas “it might take midrange manufacturers years,” Doggett said. “We’re nimble. We can cut that time in half.” The lab also develops intellectual property. Doggett, for example, shares a patent with Sustant LLC, of Minnesota, on a fastener patch to increase the air and water tightness within building envelopes. “We have too many ideas and not enough time,” he said. But the partners noted that they or their fellow principals – of which the company has four total, including a principal engineer and a principal codes and standards expert – could be anywhere on a given day, including in the courtroom providing expert testimony in contentious insurance cases. “Let’s say there is a fire on a structure,” Davis said. “We can analyze all the specific materials within that assembly – an exterior wall or something like that – because there are loads that require certain heat release. And so, we can measure each one of those materials, if need be, to say if this was likely or not a code-approved assembly.” Despite what can be inferred in a lab, the partners said nothing beats learning from how materials change over time under real-world strain. Take, for instance, the curious case of the creaking condo. “We recently had a customer that came to us trying to assess a sound issue of a roof. It was making noises that no one could explain or account for. How do you tackle something like that?” Doggett asked rhetorically. “There’s really no generally agreed-upon methodologies.” The problem turned out to be a faulty installation of a commercial roof system. “The building in this particular case was not local,” he said. “In the initial installation, the commercial roofing contractor installed the wrong fasteners in the wrong locations into the deck, and essentially the solar radiation was causing the building to move quite substantially early in the morning when the sun initially hit that assembly after a quite cool evening, causing the threads on the fasteners to kind of jump within the material, within the metal.” Built Environments designed an effective repair methodology that was within budget, the partners said. “We get the bizarre,” Doggett said. “I will say that’s something that has stayed the same over 25 years.” The partners said they are hiring, and that Cape Fear Community College is one of their main recruiting grounds. Davis and Doggett look for talented people who can understand traditional methodologies yet are open to on-the-job training and new understandings, they said. After all, it’s not just weather that can ruin a building. “My favorite saying is,” Davis said, “‘What are the eight most expensive words in construction? That’s how my daddy used to do it.’”
Made in Iowa recap: Sukup Manufacturing innovating for the next generation
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SpyGlass Pharma Acquires Advanced Vision Science, Securing Commercial IOL Supply, Accelerating Lens Portfolio Expansion
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