PreScouter

  Since the days of snake-oil peddlers, and even long before, the art of marketing has been to reach for that secret ‘buy button’ in the mind, to tickle the subconscious into purchasing whatever it is that needs to be sold. Along came the 21st century, and with it came neuromarketing. What is this new technology, and what can we expect from it? According to the Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA), “Neuromarketing is the use of modern brain science to measure the impact of marketing and advertising on consumers.” It includes techniques for measuring neural activation, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Neuromarketing also uses more indirect methods like galvanic skin response (essentially the degree of skin sweatiness), eye tracking or automated face reading. Its aim is typically to gauge the response of consumers to marketing materials such as (online) ads, television commercials, or even shelf-displays...

Natural Resources |   Compared to fossil fuel-based energy systems, nuclear, solar and wind provide much cleaner sources of energy. However, they all come with their own weakness. Both solar and wind energy need stable weather conditions for power generation. Conversely, nuclear power cannot be ramped up or down quickly to meet energy demands. It also generates radioactive waste. However, by coupling nuclear power with renewable energy, we can utilize the best from all three sources.  Components of a hybrid nuclear-renewable energy system: These proposed systems typically have a number of components in common:  Nuclear reactors: Preferably small, modular reactors (<300MWe). Larger, high-temperature reactor systems may be more suitable for hybrid systems. Studies at Idaho National Labs are testing the feasibility of light water reactor systems. Steam generator : To produce electricity from the nuclear reactor. Rene...

  Artіfісіаl intеllіgеnсе (AI) is currently taking the retail world by storm and will increasingly continue to do so. Thе mаrkеt ѕіzе оf AI ѕоftwаrе аnd ѕуѕtеmѕ is expected to reach $38 million by 2025, and the potential opportunities for interacting with customers in new and increasingly customized ways are causing retailers to invest in such technologies.  AI to Enhance the Overall Customer Experience: AI is in fact an umbrella term for 3 distinct capabilities: machine learning, natural language processing and optimization. These technologies are being applied across the entire рrоduсt аnd service cycle – from product assembly tо роѕt-ѕаlе customer service іntеrасtіоnѕ. The main goal is to develop leaner, more optimized operations and to enhance the overall customer experience. By 2020, 85% of customer interaction in retail will be managed by AI, according to Gartner . Consumer-goods companies have been at the forefront of the current rise in digital innovation in ...

A person becomes a doctor by graduating from medical school, but becomes a good doctor only after years of experience. What if we could give doctors the intuition that comes from years of experience on their first day? Several companies believe they can help every doctor achieve the same outcomes as top experts with tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a term used for computer programs that can do things that we think of as “human”. Scientists use AI to automate complex tasks like driving a car or stock trading. AI has also been used in the development of new drugs . More recently, scientists have begun to train computers to provide better healthcare. In this article, we highlight two leaders in this space, Babylon Health and IBM Watson. AI for the patient and provider: Babylon Health wants everyone with a smartphone to have access to affordable healthcare. They believe an app that offers instant diagnosis is the key. As their CEO, Ali Parsa, ex...

The following is a case study report of the work that was carried out by PreScouter for a client  in the infection control technology sector. About the client: The Client was working within the technology sector of infection control and wanted to develop a new product within two to three years. Unlike some larger clients, the Client was a medium-sized company that had to maintain a strong competitive advantage over similar product lines within their space. Inquiry: The Client approached PreScouter to understand the technology landscape of next generation infection control techniques. Tight constraints were placed in the statement of work, which required late-stage technologies that the Client could develop internally. PreScouter determined that the ideal solution would be technology that could be captured by intellectual property. Methodology: PreScouter segmented the workflow to identify two specific technology reports. The fi...

In addition to the traditional pillars of cancer treatment—surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy—a new approach has emerged. This approach is called immunotherapy. One type of immunotherapy that has recently garnered much attention following successful FDA approval is chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy , the first gene therapy in the United States. What is immunotherapy? Immunotherapy is a treatment for cancer that uses an individual’s own immune system to fight cancer. It is a type of biological therapy that uses substances from living organisms to treat cancer. Different kinds of immunotherapy include the use of monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, treatment vaccines, as well as adoptive cell transfer. This final category of cell-based immunotherapies , which includes CAR-T therapy, is emerging as a promising new treatment for cancers.  How does it work? CAR-T therapy uses apheresis, a method of removing whole blood from a patient. The collected blood is cent...

The cellulose polymer is a naturally occurring linear polymer made of repeating units of glucose. The single polymers are stacked together forming fibrils, with these fibrils stacking together again to form the cellulose fiber structure that is present in nature.  This makes for a very interesting supramolecular structure that consists of both crystalline and amorphous regions.  Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) is obtained through a fibrillation process of the cellulose fibers. Using mechanical shearing, the cellulose fibers are separated into a three dimensional network of microfibrils with a large surface area. The obtained fibrils are much smaller in diameter compared to the original fibers, and can form a network or a web-like structure as seen in the image below. Scanning Electrone Microscope image of WEIDMANN microfibrillated cellulose WMFC Q_standard. Image courtesy of  WEIDMANN Fiber Technology How is this material different ...