Check out more of the year's best tech in our PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024 coverage. It's been one more full revolution around the sun and—guess what—we're back here again. As we survey a year of ups and downs, it'd be impossible to recount every beat. Instead, we've let you call the shots. Below, we take a look back at the stories that piqued your interest, the headlines you just had to share, and wonder just where the time went over the last 12 months. While I try in vain to avoid confronting the merciless passage of time, take a peep below at the biggest hardware stories of 2024. News from January to March The top stories: Elon Musk claims Tesla could build a silicon foundry and make its own chips, but says 'I sure hope we don’t have to' Microsoft's current OS has been shrunk to a ridiculous 100MB in size, but only by getting rid of windows from Windows Researchers have developed a Very Big DiscTM that can store up to 200 terabytes of data and may represent a return to optical media for long term storage The Chinese government is phasing out Intel and AMD CPUs and Microsoft's Windows OS because they don't fit its new 'safe and reliable' guidelines Valve explains how it built an orb out of Steam Deck OLED prototypes rather than making Half-Life 3, vowing 'we will construct an orb at any opportunity' The president of Sony Honda is allowed to drive an electric car on-stage with a DualSense yet I'm not allowed to play games while I drive. Typical Intel CEO admits 'I've bet the whole company on 18A' Meta's experimental 'neural' wristband controller will be a real product that lets you type just by thinking because Zuck doesn't want 'a chip that you jack into your brain' Sony's reportedly stopped making any more PS VR2 headsets until it can figure out a way of shifting a pile of unsold VR goggles Pursuing self-improvement is such a January cliche; you don't need a new year to herald a whole new you. Still, that didn't stop NTDEV from shrinking down Windows 11 to the slimmer, trimmer tune of 100 MB . Granted, as Nick notes in his piece, such a light install package means it's basically Windows without the all important windows, making one wonder if this isn't a simple case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' Along similar lines, Sony capped off their CES 2024 presentation by steering a car on stage with a DualSense controller, or at least conjured the illusion . Talking about turning circles, February brought us big discs—specifically, the news that researchers at the University of Shanghai had crafted optical media that can store a whopping 200 TB . When it comes to the file storage wars, these surprisingly stable, long-lasting discs spin to win. Alright, to save us going around in circles, I'll dispense with the puns. February also saw a surprising amount of candor from big tech CEOs. First, Mark Zuckerberg threw Meta's wristband into the neural interface ring , alongside the two cents that the company is exploring this route because he "wouldn't want to use version one of [a chip you jack into your brain.]" On that point at least, we can agree. Then, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger came right out and said, "I’ve bet the whole company on 18A." It's arguably not been Intel's year , and though the company more recently stated, "18A is powered on, healthy and yielding well," a piece from South Korean outlet Chosun Daily suggests the bigger picture may not be so straightforward, claiming the yields are only 10% . Though Gelsinger has since departed the company , he took to X to argue this wasn't an appropriate way to frame the subject, writing, "Anyone using % yield as a metric for semiconductor health [...] doesn't understand semiconductor yield. " The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Putting a dampener on such fighting spirit, in March the Chinese government announced plans to ban the use of both Intel and AMD chips in computers used by "State-owned enterprises" amid safety and privacy concerns. Talk about never catching a break. Now, must we discuss Musk? As far as March is concerned, we must. After literally just covering how hard the chip game is, it's perhaps understandable why the Tesla CEO is reluctant to wade in—though he was quick to assure that Tesla could totally do it, guys . Tesla, the company promising big with self-driving cars that may never materialise , that Tesla? Uh-huh. The year's pendulum will swing back to Musk in due time, so let's get on with the rest of March. Valve's contemplation of the Steam Deck OLED orb was a brief bright spot (never believe me when I say I'm done with puns). But another story that turned heads in March was the broken promise of Sony's PS VR2 . An expensive niche on top of an already pricey console , it's perhaps no wonder Sony has struggled to shift their VR headsets. As you saw, they're not the only ones, ahem, taking stock either. News from April to June The top stories: An AI-controlled F16 has performed its first ever dogfight with a human pilot, coming within 2,000 feet of each other at 1,200 miles per hour Is Apple feeling OK? Reports indicate it's suspending work on the Vision Pro 2 to focus on making—wait for it—a cheaper version Having built 500+ PCs in my time I can say this with confidence: Building is fun and rewarding but ironing out those inevitable BIOS, CPU, memory kinks is unbearable Apple reportedly slashes Vision Pro headset production and cancels updated headset as sales tank in the US Self-taught hardware engineer discovers that GPUs really are ridiculously complex and hard to design after all US Commerce Secretary says if China seized TSMC it would be 'absolutely devastating' to the US economy, as it buys 92% of its cutting-edge chips from the Taiwanese manufacturer Intel claims its optical interconnect chiplet technology is 'like going from using horse-drawn carriages to using cars and trucks' Avengers, assemble—Google, Intel, Microsoft, AMD and more team up to develop an interconnect standard to rival Nvidia's NVLink A Windows XP machine's life expectancy in 2024 seems to be about 10 minutes before even just an idle net connection renders it a trojan-riddled zombie PC Case in point as we get to April, Apple pumped the brakes on all things Vision Pro in an alleged bid to course correct from overprojected demand. I can't imagine reports about the $3,500 headset's lacking build quality helped either. Pressing the pause button on production sounds almost sensible—psyche! In June, rumours began to surface that Apple were actually instead shifting gears to create a cheaper version of the mixed reality goggles . Doesn't that just make your head spin? Also making me queasy in April was the news of AI's potential military applications—not so much gently dizzying as violent whiplash, I know. In a 'test' dogfight, an AI-controlled F16 fighter jet went head to head with a human and, regardless of the actual victor in this demonstration, it doesn't feel like there are any winners here. Right, let me get off my soapbox, and instead dive into some PC guts. Building your own desktop tower offers many trials and tribulations, as Nick's in-depth feature goes to show . Picked up two fans because you thought they'd fit in your case, only to realise you forgot to factor in the radiator? Mate, we've all been there, and there's no shame in a bit of on-the-fly problem solving as even the most experienced PC tinkerer will tell you. You know what else is tricky? Building a GPU from scratch —the more you know. As interesting as self-taught hardware engineer Adam Majmudar's pursuit of hardware knowledge is, this is a back-to-basics approach that's definitely not for the faint of heart. Later that same month, there was also the pulse-dropping claim from US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo that it would be "absolutely devastating" if, hypothetically speaking, TSMC semiconductor foundry was to be seized by antagonistic forces. She elaborates, "Right now, the United States buys 92% of its leading edge chips from TSMC in Taiwan. " As if I didn't need another dreaded hypothetical to keep me up at night. From worst case scenarios to straight up facts, no hardware is safe from hackers—least of all a virtual machine instance of Windows XP in this here year of our gourd, 2024. Without even clicking on an ill-advised link, a YouTuber merely left the internet-connected virtual machine unattended for 10 minutes, only to find a suspicious process running in Task Manager. After catching a whiff of Windows XP's blood in the water, the virtual machine became a feeding frenzy for hackers. Anyway, speaking of mosh pits I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of, big tech is forming a megazord to beat Nvidia at its own AI game . AMD, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, and Broadcom are joining forces to forge a new interconnect standard that can compete with Nvidia's NVLink interconnect tech for AI accelerator chips. What I wouldn't give for some mighty morphin' folks with attitude right about now...however, we've got a fair few AI stories to get through still, so I'll check mine for the time being. To badly paraphrase a certain memeified boyband song, that was definitely May. The hits continued into June, with Intel coming in swinging with the claim that their optical interconnect chiplet technology is such a leap that it's like going from horse-drawn carriages to cars and trucks. It's not been the company's year, but you could say that Intel is very much still in the running. News from July to September The top stories: 8 years after declaring it took 'courage' to remove the iPhone's headphone jack, Apple has finally decided buttons and ports are cool again Internet speed record of 402,000,000 Mbps achieved using standard optic fibre cabling, fast enough to download Baldur's Gate 3 in less than four milliseconds 'I'm still amazed that it all came together and actually works': YouTuber spends 14 months building a glorious gaming laptop from desktop parts Las Vegas' dystopia-sphere, powered by 150 Nvidia GPUs and drawing up to 28,000,000 watts, is both a testament to the hubris of humanity and an admittedly impressive technical feat This 3D printed laser chip-hacking device uses a $20 laser pointer, costs $500 to build, and was developed so that 'people can do this in their homes' Logitech's 'forever mouse' could mean peripherals go the way of coffee beans, TVs, and printer ink by pushing a subscription 'We can't do computer graphics anymore without artificial intelligence. We compute one pixel, we infer the other 32': Jensen thinks AI is integral to next-gen graphics tech If you put hot dogs and pickles against an AM radio tower, they act as speakers. Also, don't do that Can my 14-year-old gaming PC, loaded with the one-time most powerful graphics card in the world, still deliver a good PC gaming experience in 2024? July began with a hopeful vision of the future for anyone who has ever had to contend with a miserable download speed. Engineers at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology achieved a data transmission speed of 402 TBps . That's like downloading Baldur's Gate 3 quicker than you can mentally conjure that pale elf's visage. Don't jump for joy just yet, Astarion fans though; while the test didn't use much specialised equipment—the researchers were able to achieve that impressive speed over 50 km of the same optical fibre you could pick up yourself—even a top of the line rig would still present a serious hardware bottleneck. Guess we'll just have to make do with pondering Las Vegas' massive Nvidia-powered orb instead. The orb alongside the ever encroaching threat of subscription-based hardware hardly leaves one glowingly optimistic about the future. But it wasn't all dystopic deployment of tech this year. For instance, our readers loved this story about an open source, 3D printable laser-hacking tool , with August offering plenty more weird and wonderful builds to boot. You know me, I love a questionable laptop build , and judging by the attention this YouTuber's attempt to forge one from desktop parts got, so do you. The 14-month endeavour proved a project absolutely not for less-than-confident tinkerers, requiring motherboard desoldering to save space. Still, one can't help but be a little inspired by such determination. Inspiration can take many forms, though I feel like the idea to use hot dogs and pickles as flaming speakers is a fairly singular vision, to say nothing of actually putting that incendiary idea to the test. From small creator creativity, to big tech backtracking, remember when Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7? Remember those ridiculous USB-C to aux adapters? Well, after eight years, the jack is back for the iPhone 16 —and our most widely read hardware story from September. Perhaps pointedly, I'm following up with another head-turning headline from when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed, "We can't do computer graphics anymore without artificial intelligence." Okay, in the context of graphical gains, perhaps I'm being needlessly grumpy about AI—computing one pixel and inferring the other 32 with AI upscaling is definitely a big win when it comes to limiting the load on your GPU. This wasn't the only September story that made us all think about how far PC gaming has come either. Case in point, the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5970 4GB dual-GPU graphics card was an impressive bit of kit once upon a time in the distant realm of 2009. It would appear yesteryear's hardware still has a surprising amount to offer now in 2024 if our reader's response to Rob's feature is anything to go by. News from October to December The top stories: Elon Musk shows off bartending robots at a recent Tesla event, but some attendees say the automatons were being controlled by people Google to sell Chrome AND be banned from re-entering the browser market for five years, recommends US Department of Justice 'I was hopeful': one lucky shopper ordered an RTX 4070 Super from Amazon for $40 and it wasn't just a rock in a box Couple spends almost $1,000,000 building a family home 'optimized for LAN parties,' and the result is definitely living that dream 'We had a very big debate, and I showed him. He was silent. He doesn't know how to make a battery': The founder of the world's biggest battery company apparently had a lesson or two to give Elon Musk The official Nintendo Museum appears to be emulating SNES games on a Windows PC, which is slightly embarrassing Windows 11 24H2 is finally here and Microsoft's calling it a 'full OS swap', it's just a shame the new Windows update still has Recall Break out the world's tiniest violin: PS5 Pro scalpers are having a tough time reselling units because it's in stock basically everywhere As Microsoft rolls out its Windows 11 24H2 update, owners of certain Western Digital SSDs have been greeted with constant Blue Screens of Death October offered plenty more servings of humble pie. First, eagle-eyed visitors to the official Nintendo museum noted that interactive SNES game exhibits may be being emulated on PC . Considering how hard Nintendo tends to go after developers that try to emulate their hardware , this was at best a hypocritical look. Then, it was Microsoft's turn. When the Windows 11 24H2 update rolled out earlier this year, Jacob was far from a fan of Recall's inclusion just for a start. Then, the blue screens began for those using certain Western Digital SSDs, and I also wrote about a startling audio bug resulting from the update . The issues continued past October, with Microsoft electing to halt the update's rollout on machines with certain Ubisoft titles installed . As of December, Ubisoft has since fixed some of the issues affecting players of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws—though problems may still persist if you have either Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Valhalla, or Origins installed. Our most read story in October by far was about Elon Musk and his really not that impressive robots . The hardware horde was unveiled at Tesla's We, Robot event, though even at the time these robos were widely suspected to in fact be controlled by boring old humans—how very Wizard of Oz. Speaking of men behind the curtain, November offered another exposing story when Elon Musk got into it with Robin Zeng, the founder of the biggest EV battery manufacturer in the world CATL. Reflecting on an earlier conversation about the Cybertruck's cylindrical battery, Zeng said, "We had a very big debate, and I showed him. He was silent. He doesn't know how to make a battery. " 'Humbling,' perhaps doesn't even begin to cover it. But the year wasn't yet done cutting giants of tech down to size, with the US Department of Justice filing a number of recommendations for remedying Google's monopoly over search. These included but were not limited to the proposed selling off of Chrome and a five year ban from re-entering the browser arena . These suggested remedies could have far-reaching repercussions, but until a judge rules on which courses of action to take some time next year, we can't yet say for certain how the chips will fall. But don't you worry—there was still plenty of room for a little schadenfreude in November, as it turns out PS5 Pro scalpers are struggling to shift their hastily bought hardware . Hear that? It's the tiniest violin you ever did hear. Alright, let's end this retrospective on the stories we can all agree are wins, like this amazing family home " optimized for LAN parties ." Costing in the region of a seven-figure sum, Kenton Varda and Jade Wang "built the house from scratch starting from an empty lot," and the project's final form really is a thing to behold (in fact, hundreds of thousands of readers did just that). With the pipedream of one's perfect PC gaming paradise in our rearview mirror, let's close out our look-back on something a little more achievable: a good deal on a graphics card. On very rare occasions, a cheap card on Amazon isn't too good to be true as this lucky Reddit user picked up a RTX 4070 Super for $40. Unlike the contents of that box, we can all agree this story rocks.

Pacemakers Market Set for Exceptional Growth in the Forecast 2024-2032 12-19-2024 07:54 PM CET | Health & Medicine Press release from: Cognate Insights Pacemakers Market Latest Market Overview The global oxygen cylinders and concentrators market is experiencing substantial growth, driven by increasing healthcare needs and the rising prevalence of respiratory diseases. In 2024, the market size is estimated to reach USD 5.3 billion, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2024 to 2032. This growth is fueled by the growing geriatric population, rising cases of chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma, and an expanding healthcare infrastructure that increasingly demands oxygen therapy solutions for both hospitals and homecare settings. The Pacemakers Market has experienced steady growth in recent years and is expected to continue expanding at a strong pace from 2024 to 2032. This analysis offers a comprehensive overview, providing valuable insights into key trends and developments within the Pacemakers industry. These findings equip business leaders with the necessary knowledge to devise more effective strategies and enhance profitability. Furthermore, the report serves as a useful resource for new and emerging businesses, helping them make informed decisions as they navigate the market and seek growth opportunities. Major Players of Pacemakers Market are: Medtronic, Inc. - Dublin, Ireland - Revenue: USD 30.12 billion (2023) Boston Scientific Corporation - Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA - Revenue: USD 14.92 billion (2023) Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park, Illinois, USA - Revenue: USD 43.11 billion (2023) Biotronik SE & Co. KG - Berlin, Germany - Revenue: USD 2.5 billion (2023) St. Jude Medical (now part of Abbott) - Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - Revenue: Part of Abbott's USD 43.11 billion Get Latest PDF Sample Report @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/request-sample/pacemakers-market-research Our Report covers global as well as regional markets and provides an in-depth analysis of the overall growth prospects of the market. Global market trend analysis including historical data, estimates to 2024, and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast to 2032 is given based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market segments involving economic and non-economic factors. Furthermore, it reveals the comprehensive competitive landscape of the global market, the current and future market prospects of the industry, and the growth opportunities and drivers as well as challenges and constraints in emerging and emerging markets. Global Pacemakers Market Landscape and Future Pathways: North America: United States Canada Europe: Germany France U.K. Italy Russia Asia-Pacific: China Japan South Korea India Australia China Taiwan Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Latin America: Mexico Brazil Argentina Korea Colombia Middle East & Africa: Turkey Saudi Arabia UAE Korea Speak to Our Analyst for A Discussion on The Above Findings, And Ask for A Discount on The Report @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/check-discount/pacemakers-market-research Key drivers and challenges influencing the Pacemakers market: Regional Analysis: The report involves examining the Pacemakers market at a regional or national level. Report analyses regional factors such as government incentives, infrastructure development, economic conditions, and consumer behaviour to identify variations and opportunities within different markets. Market Projections: Report covers the gathered data and analysis to make future projections and forecasts for the Pacemakers market. This may include estimating market growth rates, predicting market demand, and identifying emerging trends. Company Analysis: Report covers individual Pacemakers manufacturers, suppliers, and other relevant industry players. This analysis includes studying their financial performance, market positioning, product portfolios, partnerships, and strategies. Consumer Analysis: Report covers data on consumer behaviour, preferences, and attitudes towards Pacemakers This may involve surveys, interviews, and analysis of consumer reviews and feedback from different by Application. Technology Analysis: Report covers specific technologies relevant to Pacemakers. It assesses the current state, advancements, and potential future developments in Pacemakers areas. Reason to Buy this Report: -Analysis of the impact of technological advancements on the market and the emerging trends shaping the industry in the coming years. -Examination of the regulatory and policy changes affecting the market and the implications of these changes for market participants. -Overview of the competitive landscape in the Pacemakers market, including profiles of the key players, their market share, and strategies for growth. -Identification of the major challenges facing the market, such as supply chain disruptions, environmental concerns, and changing consumer preferences, and analysis of how these challenges will affect market growth. -Evaluation of the potential of new products and applications in the market, and analysis of the investment opportunities for market participants. For In-Depth Competitive Analysis - Purchase this Report now at @ https://www.cognateinsights.com/purchase-report/pacemakers-market-research Contact Us: Cognate Insights Web: www.cognateinsights.com Email: info@cognateinsights.com Phone: +91 8424946476 About Us: We are leaders in market analytics, business research, and consulting services for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, financial & government institutions. Since we understand the criticality of data and insights, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. To be at our client's disposal whenever they need help on market research and consulting services. We also aim to be their business partners when it comes to making critical business decisions around new market entry, M&A, competitive Intelligence and strategy. This release was published on openPR.

Production tax credits to 'level the playing field'

Higher intakes of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are positively associated with developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online Nov. 25 in Frontiers in Nutrition . Xiao-Yu Dai, from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Mianyang, and colleagues examined the associations of SSBs, ASBs, and natural juices with CKD risk. The analysis included 191,956 participants from the UK Biobank followed for a median 10.6 years. The researchers found that higher consumption of SSBs and ASBs (>1 unit/day versus none) was associated with an elevated risk for CKD (SSB: hazard ratio [HR], 1.45; ASB: HR, 1.52). There was a J-shaped association between natural juices and CKD, with the lowest risk at 0 to 1 unit/day (0 to 1 unit/day versus none: HR, 0.86). For higher intakes of SSBs and ASBs with CKD, the association was mediated by metabolic syndrome by 12.5 and 18.0 percent, respectively. "Although the causal relationship cannot be established, our results emphasize the critical importance of limiting the consumption of SSBs or ASBs for CKD prevention," the authors write. "Further research is needed to confirm our findings and explore the optimal intake level for the natural juices." More information: Xiao-Yu Dai et al, Sugary beverages intake and risk of chronic kidney disease: the mediating role of metabolic syndrome, Frontiers in Nutrition (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1401081 © 2024 HealthDay . All rights reserved.TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquil Barrett is rejoining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs signed the two-time Super Bowl champion on Saturday, while also announcing safety Jordan Whitehead was activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers. Barrett spent five seasons with Tampa Bay from 2019 to 2023. He led the NFL with a franchise-record 19 1-2 sacks in his first year with the Bucs, then helped the team win its second Super Bowl title the following season. In all, Barrett started 70 games with Tampa Bay, amassing 45 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He was released last winter in a salary cap move, signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media before the start of training camp in July. Barrett, who also won a Super Bowl during a four-season stint with the Denver Broncos, decided to unretire last month. He signed with the Bucs after clearing waivers earlier in the week. Whitehead has missed the past four games with a pectoral injury. His return comes of the heels of the Bucs placing safety Christian Izien on IR with a pectoral injury. On Saturday, the Bucs also activated rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson from IR and elevated punter Jack Browning to the active roster from the practice squad. NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

PC Gamer's biggest hardware stories of 2024: Elon Musk, the rise and rise of AI, brilliant builds, the humbling of big tech giants, orb pondering aplenty, and much more

The home healthcare market is in a state of flux. The need for home healthcare workers is soaring as the population in the U.S. ages. In about ten years, 78 million people in the U.S. will be 65 or over. By 2060, The Institute on Aging expects the demographic will increase to 98 million and account for a quarter of the U.S. population. At the same time, the nation is aging, there is a dearth of home healthcare workers, and it looks like it's only going to get worse. Over the next decade, the institute expects the number of home health aide jobs to grow by 425,000, creating a shortage that will need to be filled. As it stands, about 95% of home and community-based care providers say they face moderate to severe staffing shortages, with 77% turning away new clients because of the lack of workers. What's more, 72% of providers say staffing shortages make it hard to meet quality standards. If nothing is done, that problem will only get worse. It's why some home healthcare providers are turning to technology, namely NurseMagicTM, for an assist. The brainchild of Amesite AMST , NurseMagic is a proprietary AI-powered app designed for nurses and home health care workers. The company reports it has closed on contracts with franchise owners representing nationally recognized brands that operate hundreds of locations across the country – resulting in recurring revenue in a total addressable market it estimates at $330 billion. Streamlining Work, Improving Care The AI-powered app, which Amesite reports has seen explosive growth since its launch this past summer, provides nurses and home healthcare professionals with a handy tool that writes comprehensive documentation instantly, can quickly translate medical terms into easy-to-understand language, create work emails, assist nurses in talking to patients with compassion, coach nurses on taking effective breaks during the day, convert images to text, provide key information about medications and collect instant feedback. Amesite says its AI app integrates seamlessly into the operational frameworks of home care agencies, enhancing workflow efficiency and supporting employee retention by lightening administrative burdens and reducing worker burnout. As a result, AI technology can enable agencies to make the most of existing resources and extend care to more clients who would otherwise be turned away due to staffing constraints, reports Amesite. Take the Senior Helpers franchise in Northern Orange County for one example. Since adopting NurseMagic, owner Steven Nickens said NurseMagic has been empowering his staff to get answers to questions quickly through the app, saving time and ensuring accurate results. "NurseMagic’s technology is transforming my organization with its intuitive and easy-to-use platform," said Nickens. "NurseMagic is both powerful and incredibly easy to use, making it accessible to everyone on my team.” Nickens isn't alone in his assessment. Joshua Porter, owner of the Spokane North BrightStar Care franchise, said he uses NurseMagic to support the company's rapid growth. “As a new franchise owner with extensive business and engineering experience, I'm thrilled to share how quickly we're growing. When I discovered NurseMagic, I immediately recognized it as a must-have to stay competitive in today's market," said Porter, noting there are no hidden fees or messy contracts when bringing NurseMagic into the fray. Growth Driven By NurseMagic In addition to improving the quality of care for patients, NurseMagic is also aiming to help healthcare franchises grow their businesses. That's certainly the case at the Fargo Senior Helpers franchise, with owner Tanya Ferber saying the app is enabling her to go after more medically complex clients in the new year. Plus, incorporating NurseMagic into her business attracts more tech-savvy healthcare workers. "It's a value-added tool for my business and takes our quality to the next level," says Ferber. It's not just home healthcare franchises that benefit. Amesite says that by selling NurseMagic to franchise owners from well-known brands in the home health and home care industries, its revenue should grow and cement NurseMagic's status as a must-have tool. "We made two tactical decisions: first, to build a best-in-class infrastructure that delivers top-tier compliance, security and low operating costs; and second, to price NurseMagic accessibly, at a sustainable margin, focusing on scaling sales rather than maximizing margins with a few customers," said Dr. Ann Marie Sastry, CEO of Amesite. "These choices position us to meet the strong demand in our industry and drive widespread adoption." Since launching NurseMagic a mere five months ago, the company says it has met several milestones, including launching a paid individual subscription , meeting HIPAA compliance requirements for paid enterprise customers and generating revenue in the home care market . The U.S. population is getting older at the same time that there is a shortage of nurses and home healthcare workers available to tend to the aging population. Those who are working are stressed and doing more with less. NurseMagic can fill that gap, presenting nurses, home health care workers and franchises with an AI-driven tool to improve the quality of life for workers and the care for patients, the company argues. It’s a win-win, which is why Amesite has been hitting so many milestones in 2024, and expects revenue to ramp up in the new year. Featured photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash . This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Trident Reports First Half 2024 Unaudited Financial ResultsA decade-long failure to address urgent repairs in hospitals across England has led to a dramatic rise in issues posing a “high risk” to patients and staff, ministers are being warned. The cost of dealing with this backlog has almost tripled since 2015 in real terms, to £2.7bn this year. High-risk repairs have been the fastest growing part of the lengthy maintenance list over that time. It includes issues that could lead to serious injury to both staff and patients, or to major disruption of services or “catastrophic failure”. The NHS lost more than 600 days – or 14,500 hours – of clinical time because of infrastructure failures in the last year, according to a new analysis seen by the Observer . The total maintenance backlog has now ballooned to £13.8bn in 2023-24, an 18% increase from last year. The figure is more than the NHS’s entire capital budget for the year. There were 22 incidents of lost clinical time a day on average, according to the analysis of official data by the House of Commons library. Close to 80% of the time lost was due to incidents deemed to have the most clinical impact, including faulty roofs, water leaks, and broken lifts or heating systems. There were 1,584 “critical incidents” recorded, the most severe kind. Helen Morgan – the Liberal Democrats’ health and care spokesperson who commissioned the House of Commons library to review data on the hospital repair backlog – blamed the “shocking figures” on years of neglect. “Patients are no longer confident that desperately needed treatment will go ahead without being interrupted by hospitals crumbling around them,” she said. “How can the government expect to get the NHS waiting times down when the buildings are in such a state of disrepair? It is a situation that the new government must grip urgently and bring to an end. “That should start by ministers bringing forward a 10-year plan to eradicate the repair backlog and ensure that our NHS is fit for purpose so that patients can finally get the care they deserve.” Essex Partnership University NHS trust recorded 300 critical incidents in 2023-24, the most of any trust in England. It said it was having to manage more than 200 sites in partnership with other providers. It is now focusing on a programme of refurbishment of inpatient wards, investing £20m since 2020. Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS trust recorded 229 critical incidents. Tom Burton, its director of finance, said the trust continued to face challenges as a result of an “ageing estate”, including electrical issues and older systems. The trust is prioritising maintenance that ensures compliance with health and safety standards and improves resilience of its infrastructure. The rise in severe maintenance problems is worrying NHS experts. “We’re seeing faster growth in the higher risk categories, where the consequences of not doing that maintenance would be more substantial,” said Katie Fozzard, an economist at the Health Foundation. “The highest risk category has almost tripled since 2015.” Rory Deighton, acute network director at the NHS Confederation, said the increasing amount of clinical time lost to disrepair across the NHS was “very concerning” and warned it was the result of long-term underfunding. “Healthcare leaders know first-hand the impact that crumbling buildings and outdated equipment is having on the care they and their staff can provide to patients,” he said. “This is a direct result of the dearth of capital invested into the NHS over the last 10 years or more. “Greater investment in NHS estate, buildings and kit is desperately needed given the maintenance bill for these buildings, and this infrastructure is now higher than the allocated capital budget as a whole. We need to simultaneously fix the broken and run down, but also build and modernise for the future, including in the technology and digital equipment required.” Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion He also called for an overhaul of the bureaucracy that often held up the plans of hospital bosses to deal with the essential repair and modernisation work. “The process of getting the funding that does exist out to the frontline needs urgently simplifying,” he said. Charles Tallack, director of research and analysis at the Health Foundation, warned that the poor condition of the NHS estate was hampering efforts to make the service more efficient. “NHS productivity has declined,” he said. “There’s been at least a 20% increase in hospital staff since before the pandemic, but we’ve seen nowhere near that increase in hospital activity. “Part of the reason is that we’ve not invested sufficiently in maintaining buildings, so the extra staff aren’t being used as well as they could be. There are some really stark examples of this. If you have theatres with leaking roofs or under water, then staff can’t get on with caring for patients.” The government is now investing £1bn to tackle the existing backlog of critical maintenance. While the Tories had pledged to build 40 new hospitals under the new hospitals programme, the scheme was widely criticised for failing to provide the necessary funds to deliver it. The Labour government is now reviewing the programme and is prioritising hospitals built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), now deemed a serious risk. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Buildings and equipment across the NHS have been left to crumble following years of neglect, disrupting patient care and hindering staff. We are investing over £1bn to tackle the existing backlog of critical maintenance, repairs and upgrades. Repairing and rebuilding our NHS estate will be a vital part of our 10-year health plan.”

Pakistan's missile program is 'emerging threat', top US official saysNew York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers had a pretty damning assessment of his team’s play in recent weeks. Nabers defended the team’s quarterback play, saying Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito have not been the problem for the team. Instead, the rookie wide receiver labeled his team’s play as “soft” over the course of their six-game losing streak. “Soft as f–k,” Nabers said when asked to describe the loss. “It ain’t the quarterback. Same outcome when we had DJ at quarterback. I don’t know what it is. Everybody knows better than me. I know I’m tired of losing.” Malik Nabers is asked to describe the Giants' loss today: "Soft as f–k" pic.twitter.com/HnbrpoGYX0 — Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 24, 2024 Malik Nabers: “I know I’m tired of losing” Says it’s not the quarterback pic.twitter.com/CA6tH0r87x — Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) November 24, 2024 The Giants’ problems certainly run deeper than any one player. One former player suggested there was a culture problem in the building . Nabers might not mean the same thing, but there are certainly no positive connotations to labeling one’s own team “soft.” Nabers was one of the few Giants to put together an effective day in a 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay, catching six passes for 64 yards. He has made clear that he just wants the ball , so he probably isn’t going to throw DeVito under the bus for getting it to him. This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.The man who ended Nadal's career helps the Netherlands beat Germany to reach the Davis Cup final