littleBits, the award-winning company that empowers kids to be inventors, today announced the launch of its Droid Inventor Kit, which enables kids to create their own Droid. An integral part of the global launch of Disney and Lucasfilm's Force Friday II, the Droid Inventor Kit brings Droids to life, inspiring imagination and invention for kids around the world. Kids can easily create and power up their own mechanical companion using littleBits electronic Bits--along with the free Droid Inventor app--to send their creation on more than 17 special Star Wars missions, complete with authentic Droid sounds from the Star Wars films. As they unlock new capabilities and level up their Droid Inventor skills, kids can also learn how to create their own custom R2 Units and experiences, combining play with real hands-on learning.
“Today we are continuing a global inventor movement that empowers young people to participate in a story that inspires them to be creators, not just consumers of technology,” said Ayah Bdeir, founder & CEO of littleBits. “We’ve created a gender-inclusive product that celebrates kids’ own self-expression and ingenuity, while showcasing the same characteristics of imagination, grit and invention that are embodied in the Star Wars franchise.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8170651-littlebits-droid-inventor-kit-star-wars-kids-toys-stem/
In an effort to improve outcomes for patients with some of the deadliest childhood cancers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have created the world’s largest collection of pediatric solid tumor samples, drug-sensitivity data and related information and have made the resource available at no charge to the global scientific community.
St. Jude and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated to create the resource, known as the Childhood Solid Tumor Network. The work is reported today as an advance online publication in the scientific journal Nature.
“Survival rates for children with recurrent solid tumors have not improved significantly in more than 20 years and remain below 30 percent,” said corresponding author Michael Dyer, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “This research will change that by promoting scientific collaboration to leverage the efforts of researchers worldwide to advance understanding and ultimately treatment of pediatric solid tumors.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8121952-st-jude-childrens-childhood-solid-tumor-network/
Ranked a hot city for business, a top-20 college town and listed as one of the friendliest places in America by Travel & Leisure magazine, Knoxville, Tennessee, is the location of HGTV Urban Oasis® 2017. Fans can now take a virtual tour of the renovated 1925 bungalow and then enter for a chance to win the fully furnished home during the upcoming sweepstakes period.
Located in the historic Fourth and Gill neighborhood close to vibrant downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus, the charming home features an all-new interior and enhanced exterior with eye-catching design touches and aptly lends itself to sustainable urban living in one of Knoxville’s hottest neighborhoods. Fourth and Gill was chosen for HGTV Urban Oasis 2017 due to its unique vibe and proximity to the heart of downtown, which features a plethora of restaurants, bars, outdoor concerts, shopping and other year-round activities.
“With our corporate headquarters right here in Knoxville, we know what an up-and-coming metropolis our city truly is – it has it all, including an urban feel infused with Southern hospitality,” said Ron Feinbaum, General Manager of HGTV Home Promotions. “Our team is accustomed to traveling the country to produce the top-notch homes we give away to our viewers each year. With this project, it’s particularly gratifying to be able to showcase all that our ‘Scruffy City’ has to offer – from an exploding culinary scene to endless outdoor adventure.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8041053-hgtv-urban-oasis-2017-knoxville-tennessee/
Matt Cogar furthered his legacy at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® U.S. Championship, presented by RAM, besting seven of the top lumberjack athletes in the country to win his fifth straight title. The Championship took place at BMO Harris Pavilion at German Fest Milwaukee in front of a crowd of over 10,000, in a three-day Championship weekend that attracted more than 17,000 fans.
“It was so amazing. It was such a wonderful event with some tough competition,” said Cogar. “I’m thankful for my family, who mean everything to me, and who supported me in all that I do.” In addition to the glory of being named U.S. Champion, Cogar was awarded a brand new Ram 1500 for his victory.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8130351-stihl-timbersports-us-championship/
Linksys®, a leader in home and business networking solutions and Rivet Networks, makers of the award winning line of high-performance Killer™ Networking products for desktop and notebook PCs, today announced at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, the upcoming availability of the new Linksys WRT™ gaming edition router – the WRT32X. This first of its kind collaboration, Linksys and Rivet Networks teamed to incorporate the Killer Prioritization Engine (KPE) to provide serious online gamers the only router optimized for high-speed gaming for users with Killer-enabled gaming PCs. The KPE optimizes traffic for low latency and less lag and ensures that the Killer-enabled PC’s gaming, audio, and video is fast and smooth, while simultaneously managing other online traffic in the home to ensure other devices and activities are not compromised. The new firmware and graphical user interface (GUI) was also custom-built from the ground up with a focus on monitoring and controlling gaming network traffic. The Linksys WRT32X is available for pre-order starting today and plans to ship starting in September 2017.
The global gaming market of more than 2.2 billion gamers are expected to generate $109 billion dollars of revenue this year of which 27% is from PC Gamers and 31% from Console Gamers or combined 58% according to the latest Global Gaming Market Report from Newszoo. “Serious gamers are spending money on game play and expect to have technology that provides significant advantages to beat their opponents”, said Vince La Duca, global product manager at Linksys. “The Linksys WRT32X provides advantages that no other routers have – and that is the Killer Prioritization Engine. The router, when paired with a Killer-enabled PC –from makers such as Alienware®, Gigabyte®, MSI® or Razer®, and others provides a powerful end-to-end connection to prioritize gaming traffic to reduce peak ping times up to 77%*, providing a real advantage for faster kills over opponents that use regular “so-called” gaming routers.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7650553-linksys-wrt-32x-gaming-router/
Today LeapFrog® Enterprises, Inc., the leader in innovative learning toys for children, announced the availability of its successful infant and preschool toy collection. These new products join an extensive range of toys that actively teach important early learning skills, such as counting, shapes, colors and the alphabet, while introducing the problem-solving, creativity and social skills children will need to thrive as they grow.
“LeapFrog understands the importance of fostering fun learning experiences that empower and inspire children to leap ahead,” said William To, President, VTech Electronics North America. “We believe the new introductions reflect the high-quality learning products children love and parents have come to expect from LeapFrog.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8140754-leapfrog-infant-preschool-learning-toys/
Community Brands, a technology-driven company that delivers purpose-built solutions for the world’s leading associations and nonprofits, announced today findings from its Member Loyalty Study: A Deep Dive into Member Preferences and Retention. This study explores what is driving retention among members of professional membership organizations, and the best ways for organizations to communicate their value.
“Far too few associations are proactive about identifying and acting upon retention warning signs until it’s a major problem for the organization,” said Amanda Myers, director of product marketing, member solutions for Community Brands. “In our study, we were able to identify four key metrics – satisfaction, likelihood to renew, connection, and likelihood to recommend the organization (Net Promoter Score) – to measure and segment members into groups, based on shared attitudes and values. Our hope is that associations benchmark their membership against our findings and identify new ways to nurture their members up the loyalty spectrum.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8160951-community-brands-member-loyalty-study/
Coveted designer Sarah Jessica Parker has debuted her first West Coast standalone SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker boutique at Bellagio Resort & Casino, making it one of only two locations in the country to offer her chic label’s full collection of shoes, handbags and accessories. To mark the occasion, Parker has introduced a new color line – Bellagio Blue – exclusively available at the Las Vegas boutique.
“We’re thrilled to be in Las Vegas. I don’t think we ever imagined this early on in our relatively new business we would have, not only a first, but a second home with the MGM family,” said Parker. “And it’s particularly exciting to be at Bellagio. I don’t think we even realized how suitable a home it would be for us. This idea of a party for your foot really makes sense in Vegas.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8157951-bellagio-sarah-jessica-parker-boutique-sjp/
Each day in the U.S. 91 people die from an opioid-related overdose, and the numbers are increasing. In observance of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, American Addiction Centers (AAC) and Recovery Brands are launching a nationwide awareness campaign on how to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses. The campaign features shareable online resources, including an animation video about how an overdose impacts a body, an infographic about how to administer overdose medication, and powerful videos of survivors sharing the life-saving lessons they learned during their darkest hours.
“This is a meaningful endeavor as we partner with our parent company, AAC, in order to present several life-saving resources for people impacted by addiction,” said Ruchi Dhami, director of market insights and development at Recovery Brands, a provider of digital addiction treatment resources. “Since such a large amount of individuals look for information online about addiction and treatment, we wanted to ensure comprehensive education surrounding opioid overdoses existed and is easily accessible for individuals and families impacted by addiction.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8130951-american-addiction-centers-opioid-overdose/
“A broad river is in waves, the rice flowers are sweet smelling over the banks…” On August 1, Chinese Army Day, an eye-catching ‘Flash Mob’ took place at Ginza Square, Tokyo, three Chinese young men, with deep affection, performing a ‘Red Song’ My Motherland, one of the classic songs written in praise of the Communist Party of China.
As they said, to fulfill their shared promise made five years ago, these three youngsters travelled a long distance from Nanchang, ‘the City of Heroes’ of China, gathering in Japan to express their patriotism and affection for their home country in the form of singing red song chorus. Accompanying their singing was an official promo of Nanchang displayed on the huge screen at the back of them. As images of Nanchang’s unique landmarks like the Monument of Nanchang Uprising, Tengwang Pavilion and the Twin Tower flittered one by one, their melody brought passersby, especially overseas Chinese back to that heroic city which, 90 years ago, once gave birth to the first authentic people’ army led by the Communist Party of China.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8155151-nanchang-tourism-chinese-army-day/
23andMe, working in collaboration with the Milken Institute and Lundbeck, today announced that they have commenced enrollment for a first-of-its kind genetic study designed to gain understanding of the underlying biology of major depressive and bipolar disorders. This study will combine cognitive assessments with genetic data and survey responses to assess how genes influence brain processes – such as attention, decision-making and visual perception – in individuals who live with these serious mental health conditions.
“We know genetics play a role in the development of depression and bipolar, however there is a long pathway from our genes to the manifestation of complex diseases like these,” said Emily Drabant Conley, PhD., Vice President of Business Development at 23andMe. “We need to look at these conditions in a more comprehensive way to advance our understanding. By studying cognitive function alongside genetics and other environmental variables on a massive scale, we hope to take a significant step forward in the study of depression and bipolar.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8150951-23andme-genetic-study-depression-bipolar-disorders/
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that its first doses of the Fluzone® (Influenza Vaccine) portfolio for the 2017-2018 influenza (“flu”) season have been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sanofi Pasteur has begun distributing initial shipments, representing the first of nearly 70 million total doses of seasonal influenza vaccine manufactured by the company for this upcoming influenza season. Widespread shipment of Fluzone Quadrivalent, Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine to health care provider offices, pharmacies and other immunizers will begin in early August to support fall immunization campaigns.
“As we enter the Swiftwater site’s 120th year, it reminds us of our innovation and growth as we came to understand the science of influenza and its impact on human health,” said David P. Greenberg, M.D., Associate Vice President and Regional Medical Head North America, Sanofi Pasteur. “Influenza can be especially severe for the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, young children and those with compromised immune systems; however, it can also have a serious health impact on otherwise healthy individuals. Sanofi Pasteur is and always has been deeply committed to improving public health by continuously striving to develop new vaccines and on improving existing ones.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8081151-sanofi-pasteur-influenza-vaccine-first-shipment-2017/
