The Korean shipbuilding industry is one of the top global players, leading by value and second only to China by volume. However, the global economic crisis has dented its finances and it now faces serious challenges to set itself back on a solid footing.

Data from the Japanese government suggest there are currently over 1 000 shipyards in Japan. Some of these yards are privately owned individual enterprises, while others form part of larger private or public companies that operate multiple yards. Japan’s shipbuilders exist within a wider maritime cluster that provides crucial upstream and downstream products and services.

This paper examines the relationship between environmental policy and "green" innovation in shipbuilding.

This paper presents new descriptive evidence on value added generation and sourcing patterns of intermediate inputs for ship construction of major shipbuilding economies. The findings reveal that shipbuilding relies heavily on intermediate inputs as around 70-80% of the final output value of ship production is generated through supplier sectors.

29 October 2015, Paris - Resilient cities and SMEs are critical to reducing the economic disruption from climate-related disaster events. In the run up to COP21, these remarks by Adrian Blundell-Wignall at the AXA-UNEP-PSI Conference on Climate Resilience address the importance of building resilience to climate change risks at the level of cities and SMEs.

This report summarizes major policy and practical issues discussed by international and Asian experts at the 4th Roundtable on Labour Migration (ADBI/OECD/ILO, Tokyo, 27-28 January 2014). The report outlines the trends in labor migration within Asia and between Asia and some OECD countries. It reviews the links between migration and human capital development and presents the impact of migration on family members "left behind".

We are losing diversity of life on Earth at an alarming rate – one tenth of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and one third of freshwater biodiversity has been wiped out since 1970. And we’re on course to lose another 10% of terrestrial species by 2050.

This Policy Paper comprises an Issue Brief and Background Report prepared by the OECD for the G7 Environment, Energy and Oceans Ministers (19-21 September 2018, Canada). It outlines the rising risks faced by coastal communities, which are being exacerbated by climate change; and shows how governments can harness innovation to help improve resilience and emphasises the need for close engagement with coastal communities.

Information on and background documents for the Green Growth African Regional Workshops, 15-18 January 2013. The workshops presented conceptual issues and policy tool kits on implementing green growth policy measures and strategic environmental assessments.

This international conference reviewed and drew lessons from successful past experiences and innovative solutions available today to identify how labour market policy, skills development and training policies can contribute to sustainable employment creation.

This seminar was part of a three-year programme of cooperation between the European Commission and the OECD LEED Programme to monitor and report on entrepreneurial activity in Europe and related public policies and actions.

OECD Employment and Labour Ministers meeting in Paris have underlined their commitment to boosting employment, particularly for young people and the long-term unemployed, tackling labour market inequalities and helping people with mental health issues find and stay in work.

This conference organised jointly by the OECD, Warwick University, the Work Foundation, and the Centre for Cities brought together stakeholders from national government departments, cities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as well as business, NGOs and research institutions to discuss the key challenges facing the United Kingdom in building more and better quality jobs

3-4 September 2014, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: This conference focused on the key levers for restoring trust in government and building trust by and in the private sector and civil society.

In Finland, the numeracy and literacy skills of adults are among the highest in the countries measured through the OECD’s 2012 Survey of Adult Skills. The Survey assessed the skills of adults in literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments in 24 countries and sub-national regions in the first round of the Survey.

There are an estimated 9 million working aged adults in England (more than a quarter of adults aged 16-65) with low literacy or numeracy skills or both. This reflects England’s overall performance in the Survey of Adult Skills - around average for literacy, but well below average for numeracy relative to other OECD countries in the Survey (OECD, 2013).

Skills are the foundation upon which Mexico must build future growth and prosperity. Mexico, being one of the youngest populations among OECD countries, has a strong demographic advantage and thus a unique window of opportunity. But it also faces common challenges to bring the skills of its population up to the requirements of the global digital economy.

Investing in skills is crucial for fostering inclusive economic growth and creating strong societies. In an increasingly connected world, skills are particularly important for citizens to get the most out of new forms of capital, such as big data and robotics.

This international conference reviewed and drew lessons from successful past experiences and innovative solutions available today to identify how labour market policy, skills development and training policies can contribute to sustainable employment creation.

This seminar was part of a three-year programme of cooperation between the European Commission and the OECD LEED Programme to monitor and report on entrepreneurial activity in Europe and related public policies and actions.

This publication is the follow-up to the forum held in March 2012. It offers proposals to counter the effects of the earthquake shock, to secure the sustainability of the local economy.

Improving Myanmar's agricultural sector by building up food processing activities and related services could help the transformation of the country's economy, to a more modern one able to produce higher-value goods for export, according to a new OECD report.

This conference organised jointly by the OECD, Warwick University, the Work Foundation, and the Centre for Cities brought together stakeholders from national government departments, cities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as well as business, NGOs and research institutions to discuss the key challenges facing the United Kingdom in building more and better quality jobs

Organised as part of the programme of activities of the OECD LEED Trento Centre and Venice office and LEED Forum, the capacity building seminar on Designing Strong Local Strategies for Better Jobs and Skills will offer an opportunity to learn from the latest OECD research on the key elements of successful local skills and employment strategies.

For the past 20 years, Brett Kaufman has developed over $1 billion in real estate projects focused on enhancing the human experience.

The Gujarat state government appears to have very little planned by way of support for the education of Muslim children. What's more the education department appears to be standing in the way of the embattled community's attempts to help itself. Deepa A has more.

Laken Tomlinson and Trent Williams can't spend time together at the 49ers facility, but they are still finding a way to bond.

The 2019 winners of the Art of Building competition, run by the Chartered Institute of Building, have been announced.Take a look at the winners from the competition.

The two-storey 6,900 square foot structure will be used as an office for general administrative functions by the Dubai Municipality.It was designed in collaboration with Apis Cor, a 3D printing and construction company in Boston.

Amended building construction bye-laws hailed

ED attaches part of AJL's Rs 160cr Mumbai building - Times of India

Further details are awaited.

This article presents an overview of the development of two basic software libraries for image manipulation and data visualization in cryo-EM: emcore and emvis.

The data quality requirements for charge density studies on actinide compounds are extreme. Important steps in data collection and reduction required to obtain such data are summarized and evaluated. The steps involved in building an augmented Hansen–Coppens multipole model for an actinide pseudo-atom are provided. The number and choice of radial functions, in particular the definition of the core, valence and pseudo-valence terms are discussed. The conclusions in this paper are based on a re-examination and improvement of a previously reported study on [PPh4][UF6]. Topological analysis of the total electron density shows remarkable agreement between experiment and theory; however, there are significant differences in the Laplacian distribution close to the uranium atoms which may be due to the effective core potential employed for the theoretical calculations.

The performance of automated protein model building usually decreases with resolution, mainly owing to the lower information content of the experimental data. This calls for a more elaborate use of the available structural information about macromolecules. Here, a new method is presented that uses structural homologues to improve the quality of protein models automatically constructed using ARP/wARP. The method uses local structural similarity between deposited models and the model being built, and results in longer main-chain fragments that in turn can be more reliably docked to the protein sequence. The application of the homology-based model extension method to the example of a CFA synthase at 2.7 Å resolution resulted in a more complete model with almost all of the residues correctly built and docked to the sequence. The method was also evaluated on 1493 molecular-replacement solutions at a resolution of 4.0 Å and better that were submitted to the ARP/wARP web service for model building. A significant improvement in the completeness and sequence coverage of the built models has been observed.

Image-processing software has always been an integral part of structure determination by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Recent advances in hardware and software are recognized as one of the key factors in the so-called cryo-EM resolution revolution. Increasing computational power has opened many possibilities to consider more demanding algorithms, which in turn allow more complex biological problems to be tackled. Moreover, data processing has become more accessible to many experimental groups, with computations that used to last for many days at supercomputing facilities now being performed in hours on personal workstations. All of these advances, together with the rapid expansion of the community, continue to pose challenges and new demands on the software-development side. In this article, the development of emcore and emvis, two basic software libraries for image manipulation and data visualization in cryo-EM, is presented. The main goal is to provide basic functionality organized in modular components that other developers can reuse to implement new algorithms or build graphical applications. An additional aim is to showcase the importance of following established practices in software engineering, with the hope that this could be a first step towards a more standardized way of developing and distributing software in the field.

A new ZnII metallocryptand is presented, with an unprecedented diflexure helix.

Every queen deserves a castle, and the ruler of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s naked mole-rat colony is no different. After 27 years in a maze […]

The post Building a naked mole-rat dream home at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When it comes time to eat, Abyssinian ground hornbills pick up prey with their beak, toss it into the air and swallow it whole. But […]

The post Building 3D prosthetic beak for Karl, a hornbill appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Source: Streetwise Reports   05/06/2020

Testing has been an Achilles heel of the coronavirus pandemic, but ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. (PMN:TSX; ARFXF:OTCQB) has partnered with Dr. Hans Frykman and the BC Neuroimmunology Lab to use its unique technology to create a more accurate antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Two main types of tests exist for Covid-19: one that detects the presence of the virus that causes Covid-19, which indicates a person has an active infection, and another that detects antibodies, showing that a person has been exposed to the virus.

The first test that was developed, a test for the presence of the virus, is used mainly to confirm diagnosis of Covid-19 in people who are showing symptoms such as a fever, a dry, persistent cough, difficulty breathing, a sense of restriction in the chest. "They are typical signs of Covid-19, but we would want to know if these are signs of the common flu or a bad cold or Covid-19. We know that Covid can progress really significantly very quickly, especially in individuals with underlying conditions," ProMIS CEO Dr. Elliot Goldstein told Streetwise Reports. "The number of tests is limited, but it's not actually the tests themselves but the reagents and systems you need to run the test that are in short supply."

"Anytime you conduct a test for the virus and get a negative response, the test indicates only that on that day at that time, the person does not have the virus. The person could have had Covid and recovered, or might have had an asymptomatic or very mild case. Or that person could get the virus tomorrow or in three days," Dr. Goldstein explained. "At any point in time the virus test helps indicate the prevalence of the virus—how many people are actually infected—if you test broadly, and at the time you do it, you can determine whether an individual is currently infected or not."

The second type of test, called serological tests or assays, is also known as an antibody test. "When a person is recovering from a viral infection, the immune system makes antibodies—also called immunoglobulins—that are specific to the virus. They neutralize the virus and help clear it out; that's part of the mechanism of why you get better," Dr. Goldstein explained.

One way to see if a person has had Covid is to test for antibodies. "A positive test means you've been exposed to the virus because, in the absence of a vaccine, that's the only way you would have the antibodies. While it's not 100% certain that antibodies neutralize the virus, based on experience with other coronaviruses, it is likely," Dr. Goldstein said. Having the virus neutralized should offer at least some protection against future re-infections.

People who have had positive virus tests know that they have Covid or had Covid and recovered, but many people are asymptomatic or may have had what felt like a light cold, and they want to know if they are at risk, or if they have some protection against the disease. "This is really important for frontline healthcare workers, people working 8-10 hours a day in intensive care or the emergency room with patients known to be very sick with Covid-19; even with protective equipment, they have significant exposure to the virus," Dr. Goldstein explained. "If someone has been through the disease and has natural antibodies, they can't infect someone else. What you want to know on an individual level is am I safe from infection and am I safe for other people."

Generally, antibody testing is a fairly common procedure, Dr. Goldstein explained. When you spin blood in a centrifuge, it separates into three parts: red blood cells, plasma and serum. Serum is where you find antibodies. "ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a standard test that looks for antibodies, but it is not specific enough for the Covid-19 virus."

The challenge is there are multiple coronaviruses. "Four different coronaviruses are responsible for the common cold, and then there are others like SARS and MERS. They all have the same sort of halo or corona of protein around the outside of it," Dr. Goldstein said. "They look like the old naval mines used in war. The whole family of coronaviruses look like that. The amino acid sequences of different coronaviruses are not identical but very similar; they share a lot of common structures. There are only really small differences and you can't really pick them up using the usual physical methods."

Studies have shown that up to 90% of individuals in Western countries have been exposed to one or more of the common cold coronaviruses and have antibodies against them. "They look very similar to the coronavirus causing Covid-19. So in Covid-19 antibody tests, the most important thing is it has to be highly specific for the Covid-19 antibodies and doesn't test positive when it identifies a common cold antibody. That is a false positive," said Dr. Goldstein. "It's actually much safer not to have a test that has a lot of false positives because you could base a behavioral decision on faulty information."

Dr. Goldstein cited an example. "If you are testing 1,000 people and there is a 90% prevalence for the cold virus, that means around 900 people have antibodies to the common cold. If the prevalence of the Covid-19 virus is 2%, roughly 20 of the 1,000 would have antibodies to the Covid-19 virus. Let's say the serology test has 95% specificity. That means five times out of 100, it will give a false positive, indicating the presence of Covid-19 antibodies when it is really picking up antibodies against the cold virus. What this means is 5% of 900, or 45 people, will test positive for Covid when they have not had it, and are making decisions based on incorrect information. The consequences of being wrong are dramatic and highlight the need for a very good, high-quality serological test."

How does this relate to Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases that are ProMIS' core competency? "In Alzheimer's, ALS, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disease, we've been able to use our proprietary, unique technology to identify sites on misfolded proteins that are driving these diseases. Our core technology is the capability to understand what's special about the bad proteins that are causing these diseases and then we can make antibodies highly selective against them. Our technology allows us to identify a region, an epitopes target, which is a series of four to six amino acids where the protein has misfolded. Not only do we know where this target site is located, importantly we also determine the shape (conformation) of this site. Proteins like amyloid and alpha synuclein and TDP 43 misfold and when these proteins misfold they become toxic, they kill neurons, resulting in disease," Dr. Goldstein explained.

ProMIS has transferred that thinking to the virus causing Covid-19. "The corona is composed of the spiky protein. Remember, we want to be able to distinguish between the coronavirus causing the common cold and the coronavirus causing Covid-19," Dr. Goldstein said. "If we can distinguish between the two, we can have an antibody test that's specific for Covid-19. We are looking at a region of the virus called the receptor binding domain, the RBD, that is part of the spike protein and how it attaches to cells. We have a core competency that allows us to identify sites, and not just the location of the sites, but the shape of the sites on complex protein molecules. That allows us then to use that knowledge to create either antibodies or to create serum tests, or even quite frankly, we can use those targets to create vaccines."

Using ProMIS' proprietary technology, the company has been able to "identify a site that we believe is only present on the Covid-19 virus and not on other coronaviruses. We are now initiating the synthesis of several different forms of that site; it's a small area," Dr. Goldstein stated. "That would then transfer to Dr. Hans Frykman's lab at University of British Columbia, a world-class serology lab. Then we will see if the targets we've identified are specific and selective antibodies against Covid-19."

When you test the serum of an individual, if they've been exposed to the virus and have the antibodies, "those antibodies should bind selectively and specifically to the target. So if the antibodies from the patient's serum are binding to the target site, we know it's a Covid-19 virus because that site is only visible in that shape on the Covid-19 virus and not the others. For the validation of our test, only in patients known to have had Covid-19 should we see binding of antibodies against Covid-19 to our target. The second validation is based on testing in serum from subjects known to have never been exposed to Covid-19 virus—such subjects have antibodies only from cold or other coronaviruses, and therefore the antibody test should be negative; there should be no binding. So we should only see binding in serum from a patient known to have recovered from COVID-19, and we should not see binding in serum from an individual known not to have been exposed to COVID-19," Dr. Goldstein explained.

"Our technology basically allows us to zero in with sniper-like precision on the structure of a protein and understand it, not only the structure overall but the shape of the regions on that protein and then that allows us to identify what is specific to that protein, in this case the spiky protein on the virus causing COVID-19," said Dr. Goldstein.

ProMIS expects to have initial results in June.

Disclosure:
1) Patrice Fusillo compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: ProMIS Neurosciences. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of ProMIS, a company mentioned in this article.
6) This article does not constitute medical advice. Officers, employees and contributors to Streetwise Reports are not licensed medical professionals. Readers should always contact their healthcare professionals for medical advice.

( Companies Mentioned: PMN:TSX; ARFXF:OTCQB, )

Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Source: Streetwise Reports   05/06/2020

Testing has been an Achilles heel of the coronavirus pandemic, but ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. (PMN:TSX; ARFXF:OTCQB) has partnered with Dr. Hans Frykman and the BC Neuroimmunology Lab to use its unique technology to create a more accurate antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Two main types of tests exist for Covid-19: one that detects the presence of the virus that causes Covid-19, which indicates a person has an active infection, and another that detects antibodies, showing that a person has been exposed to the virus.

The first test that was developed, a test for the presence of the virus, is used mainly to confirm diagnosis of Covid-19 in people who are showing symptoms such as a fever, a dry, persistent cough, difficulty breathing, a sense of restriction in the chest. "They are typical signs of Covid-19, but we would want to know if these are signs of the common flu or a bad cold or Covid-19. We know that Covid can progress really significantly very quickly, especially in individuals with underlying conditions," ProMIS CEO Dr. Elliot Goldstein told Streetwise Reports. "The number of tests is limited, but it's not actually the tests themselves but the reagents and systems you need to run the test that are in short supply."

"Anytime you conduct a test for the virus and get a negative response, the test indicates only that on that day at that time, the person does not have the virus. The person could have had Covid and recovered, or might have had an asymptomatic or very mild case. Or that person could get the virus tomorrow or in three days," Dr. Goldstein explained. "At any point in time the virus test helps indicate the prevalence of the virus—how many people are actually infected—if you test broadly, and at the time you do it, you can determine whether an individual is currently infected or not."

The second type of test, called serological tests or assays, is also known as an antibody test. "When a person is recovering from a viral infection, the immune system makes antibodies—also called immunoglobulins—that are specific to the virus. They neutralize the virus and help clear it out; that's part of the mechanism of why you get better," Dr. Goldstein explained.

One way to see if a person has had Covid is to test for antibodies. "A positive test means you've been exposed to the virus because, in the absence of a vaccine, that's the only way you would have the antibodies. While it's not 100% certain that antibodies neutralize the virus, based on experience with other coronaviruses, it is likely," Dr. Goldstein said. Having the virus neutralized should offer at least some protection against future re-infections.

People who have had positive virus tests know that they have Covid or had Covid and recovered, but many people are asymptomatic or may have had what felt like a light cold, and they want to know if they are at risk, or if they have some protection against the disease. "This is really important for frontline healthcare workers, people working 8-10 hours a day in intensive care or the emergency room with patients known to be very sick with Covid-19; even with protective equipment, they have significant exposure to the virus," Dr. Goldstein explained. "If someone has been through the disease and has natural antibodies, they can't infect someone else. What you want to know on an individual level is am I safe from infection and am I safe for other people."

Generally, antibody testing is a fairly common procedure, Dr. Goldstein explained. When you spin blood in a centrifuge, it separates into three parts: red blood cells, plasma and serum. Serum is where you find antibodies. "ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a standard test that looks for antibodies, but it is not specific enough for the Covid-19 virus."

The challenge is there are multiple coronaviruses. "Four different coronaviruses are responsible for the common cold, and then there are others like SARS and MERS. They all have the same sort of halo or corona of protein around the outside of it," Dr. Goldstein said. "They look like the old naval mines used in war. The whole family of coronaviruses look like that. The amino acid sequences of different coronaviruses are not identical but very similar; they share a lot of common structures. There are only really small differences and you can't really pick them up using the usual physical methods."

Studies have shown that up to 90% of individuals in Western countries have been exposed to one or more of the common cold coronaviruses and have antibodies against them. "They look very similar to the coronavirus causing Covid-19. So in Covid-19 antibody tests, the most important thing is it has to be highly specific for the Covid-19 antibodies and doesn't test positive when it identifies a common cold antibody. That is a false positive," said Dr. Goldstein. "It's actually much safer not to have a test that has a lot of false positives because you could base a behavioral decision on faulty information."

Dr. Goldstein cited an example. "If you are testing 1,000 people and there is a 90% prevalence for the cold virus, that means around 900 people have antibodies to the common cold. If the prevalence of the Covid-19 virus is 2%, roughly 20 of the 1,000 would have antibodies to the Covid-19 virus. Let's say the serology test has 95% specificity. That means five times out of 100, it will give a false positive, indicating the presence of Covid-19 antibodies when it is really picking up antibodies against the cold virus. What this means is 5% of 900, or 45 people, will test positive for Covid when they have not had it, and are making decisions based on incorrect information. The consequences of being wrong are dramatic and highlight the need for a very good, high-quality serological test."

How does this relate to Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases that are ProMIS' core competency? "In Alzheimer's, ALS, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disease, we've been able to use our proprietary, unique technology to identify sites on misfolded proteins that are driving these diseases. Our core technology is the capability to understand what's special about the bad proteins that are causing these diseases and then we can make antibodies highly selective against them. Our technology allows us to identify a region, an epitopes target, which is a series of four to six amino acids where the protein has misfolded. Not only do we know where this target site is located, importantly we also determine the shape (conformation) of this site. Proteins like amyloid and alpha synuclein and TDP 43 misfold and when these proteins misfold they become toxic, they kill neurons, resulting in disease," Dr. Goldstein explained.

ProMIS has transferred that thinking to the virus causing Covid-19. "The corona is composed of the spiky protein. Remember, we want to be able to distinguish between the coronavirus causing the common cold and the coronavirus causing Covid-19," Dr. Goldstein said. "If we can distinguish between the two, we can have an antibody test that's specific for Covid-19. We are looking at a region of the virus called the receptor binding domain, the RBD, that is part of the spike protein and how it attaches to cells. We have a core competency that allows us to identify sites, and not just the location of the sites, but the shape of the sites on complex protein molecules. That allows us then to use that knowledge to create either antibodies or to create serum tests, or even quite frankly, we can use those targets to create vaccines."

Using ProMIS' proprietary technology, the company has been able to "identify a site that we believe is only present on the Covid-19 virus and not on other coronaviruses. We are now initiating the synthesis of several different forms of that site; it's a small area," Dr. Goldstein stated. "That would then transfer to Dr. Hans Frykman's lab at University of British Columbia, a world-class serology lab. Then we will see if the targets we've identified are specific and selective antibodies against Covid-19."

When you test the serum of an individual, if they've been exposed to the virus and have the antibodies, "those antibodies should bind selectively and specifically to the target. So if the antibodies from the patient's serum are binding to the target site, we know it's a Covid-19 virus because that site is only visible in that shape on the Covid-19 virus and not the others. For the validation of our test, only in patients known to have had Covid-19 should we see binding of antibodies against Covid-19 to our target. The second validation is based on testing in serum from subjects known to have never been exposed to Covid-19 virus—such subjects have antibodies only from cold or other coronaviruses, and therefore the antibody test should be negative; there should be no binding. So we should only see binding in serum from a patient known to have recovered from COVID-19, and we should not see binding in serum from an individual known not to have been exposed to COVID-19," Dr. Goldstein explained.

"Our technology basically allows us to zero in with sniper-like precision on the structure of a protein and understand it, not only the structure overall but the shape of the regions on that protein and then that allows us to identify what is specific to that protein, in this case the spiky protein on the virus causing COVID-19," said Dr. Goldstein.

ProMIS expects to have initial results in June.

Disclosure:
1) Patrice Fusillo compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.
2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: ProMIS Neurosciences. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.
3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of ProMIS, a company mentioned in this article.
6) This article does not constitute medical advice. Officers, employees and contributors to Streetwise Reports are not licensed medical professionals. Readers should always contact their healthcare professionals for medical advice.

( Companies Mentioned: PMN:TSX; ARFXF:OTCQB, )

Covering walls with plants can significantly reduce the temperature of building walls during hot summer months. A recent study of three different types of these ???living walls??? in Italy suggests that they can be 20??C cooler than a bare wall on sunny days. An added advantage is that living walls can be retrofitted to existing buildings.

A recent study has compared the environmental impact of a range of building materials. Energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and water demand can all be reduced by switching to renewable sources of energy, improving technologies and promoting eco-friendly alternative materials.

A method has been developed to compare how EU Member States have implemented the Energy Performance Buildings Directive. It suggests that implementation varies widely across Europe but that the Czech Republic, Finland, Portugal and Slovakia have kept to the Directive’s aims and guidelines most closely, based on data available in 2009.

There is a wide range of systems for assessing and communicating the sustainability of buildings, but the variation can be confusing. Recent research has analysed the elements needed for effective assessment and examined the needs of stakeholders to inform the presentation and communication of assessment results.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) can enhance the design of a building, reduce costs and save energy. However, little research has been carried out on its impact on sustainable practices. A US survey illustrates that many practitioners do not see sustainability as a primary application, suggesting that more effort is needed to encourage the integration of ‘green’ design and construction into BIM.

Staff in buildings that have been certified as ‘green’ under the LEED scheme are just as satisfied with their indoor working environment as people working in non-LEED buildings, according to research on commercial buildings. The study suggests that investment in the thermal and acoustic aspects of buildings, however, would further improve occupant satisfaction.