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“What’s the best backpack for elk hunting?” That’s one of the most frequently asked questions along with those about the best caliber—obviously the 7mm—or boots when it comes to Western hunting
as the right pack can be the difference between a successful mission and a shit show.
I used a backpack from my days in the sniper teams
The old adage of “two is one and one is none” might be good for combat
but it weighs you down with a lot of unnecessary shit on a hunt
That beatdown with 70 pounds of who knows what in my pack
coupled with 20 years of technology improvements in packs
results in a much better all-around hunting experience.
This simplified packing philosophy keeps my pack trim and free of crappy or complex equipment that can easily ruin a trip
All that gear gets packed neatly into Eberlestock’s EMOD pack system
One of the greatest appeals of the EMOD system is its versatility as it can be just as easily used for prolonged stays in the mountains as it can for day hunts
The foundation is the Mainframe, it’s essentially bombproof, and it’s just as comfortable with 20 pounds of gear as it is with 100 pounds of elk meat strapped on. Now here’s the cool part: the company has a variety of different bags in the EMOD line that attach to the frame in seconds via a rugged zipper system. The Vapor 2500 usually graces the frame
it’s a simple single-compartment design with 2800 cubic inches of capacity—which is plenty to accommodate a multi-day trip
What I really like about this setup is the meat-packing capability
Meat is loaded between the Vapor and the Mainframe—remove the bag
then reattach the bag on top via the compression straps
This keeps the weight close to my back and blood off my gear
Dry weight of this combo is about 5.5 pounds
which is fine for me as I’ll sacrifice carrying a little more weight for a system I can count on
I’ve been burned by a lightweight backpack that didn’t live up to its advertised ability
The modularity of Eberlestock’s system makes it easy to plan for contingencies, which I always make sure to do. With the 2500 doing most everything I need, the Vapor 5000 lends itself perfectly to longer expedition-style hunts
The loadout stays the same with some additional food and camp items.
The EMOD system is a do-all system with different bag options to be used in varied pursuits. I’ve used mine for years and have no intentions of retiring it anytime soon.
Cost: Mainframe $299; Vapor 2500 $199; Vapor 5000 $259; Batwings $60 (per bag)
Cons: Slightly heavier than a lot of other hunting packs
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An algorithm for real-time anomaly detection lead image
Real-world statistical systems are often complex
and efficiently detecting minor anomalies can be the key to avoiding catastrophe
small timescale changes in the current and voltage output of an inverter can indicate a short circuit
many methods for detecting anomalies are insufficient
relying too heavily on simple models and prior knowledge
adaptive algorithm for identifying such anomalies
called the exception maximization outlier detection (EMOD) algorithm
By treating all datasets as a blend of primarily normal data with a few abnormalities sprinkled in
EMOD can identify hidden outliers without needing to know specific details about the data’s behavior
EMOD updates this understanding in near-real time… It’s continuously refining its understanding of what’s ‘normal’ versus ‘abnormal,’” said author Mingyuan Zhang
the team found EMOD can quickly and accurately deliver alerts when a complex circuit system’s output indicates a short
it works continuously and does not erroneously report abnormalities after the circuit has returned to its working state
The researchers also effectively applied their algorithm to study insured unemployment data in the United States at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
Any time-series dataset that needs anomaly detection can utilize EMOD
“I’m most eager to see EMOD applied to monitoring complex real-world systems—especially those where anomalies can have critical consequences,” said Zhang
pointing to examples such as detecting chemical anomalies in rivers for early signs of pollution
or real-time analyses of medical device signals for quick diagnoses
Source: “Machine learning for complex systems with abnormal pattern by exception maximization outlier detection,” by Zhikun Zhang, Yiting Duan, Xiangjun Wang, and Mingyuan Zhang, Chaos (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0250852
This paper is part of the Advances in Mathematics and Physics: from Complexity to Machine Learning Collection, learn more here
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah-based Evolve has been named Medicaid Managed Care Company of the Year by Eldercare Review
shows the impact of Evolve's unique service model
Utah-based Evolve has been named Medicaid Managed Care Company of the Year by Eldercare Review
"It's wonderful to be recognized by our fellow peers in healthcare," Cheever said of the award
"This nomination came from subscribers of the publishing company
It's a comment on the effectiveness not just of our business
sustaining relationships with partners across the country."
Evolve's business model started with helping people use government benefits and other social programs to get the home modifications—shower grab bars
and the like—that allow them to continue living independently in the community
"aging in place." Study after study has shown that living at home as they age is the strong preference of the vast majority of people
but that isn't always possible without some changes to the home environment
as well as feedback from clients and partners across the country
has led Evolve to expand into different types of home enhancements
from power backup systems that keep life supporting medical devices functioning to air purifiers
and recommendations from an advisory board
Evolve navigates the complex intersection of health care and home modification services to ensure that each resident's unique needs are met," reads the magazine's announcement
"The company also simplifies the process of accessing medical benefits
making it easier for residents to obtain essential services and home modifications that improve their living conditions
By coordinating Medicaid coverage for health care services and home enhancements
Evolve helps ensure that residents receive the support they need without financial burden."
Evolve's unique service model has made the company an invaluable partner to managed-care companies navigating the intersection between client needs
Evolve operates across state lines with deep knowledge of how to best navigate publicly funded programs
as well as an extensive network of local contractors who can get jobs done quickly and in ways that best meet clients' needs
The company currently operates in nine states
The company handles more than 3,000 service requests each year and partners with nearly two dozen national and regional health plans and state programs
For more information about Evolve, visit www.evolve-emod.com
Click here to read the full article
Spike Cheever, Evolve, 844-438-7577, [email protected]
Do not sell or share my personal information:
The company has secured contract extensions to supply its advanced two-speed transfer cases for upcoming vehicle models that align with new platform specifications
BorgWarner has expanded its transfer case supply business with a significant North American Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
This extension will see BorgWarner providing two types of high-performance transfer cases: the Electro-Mechanical On-Demand (EMOD) and Electric Shift-on-the-Fly (ESOF)
reinforcing a supply partnership with the OEM that spans more than four decades
this marks its first application in a specific passenger truck category
highlighting its flexibility and robust architecture
The ESOF transfer case designed for heavy-duty part-time four-wheel drive trucks offers an efficient two-wheel drive mode alongside the capability to engage four-wheel drive while the vehicle is in motion
achieving enhanced performance suited to demanding driving conditions
Now in its third evolution on the OEM's passenger truck platforms
the ESOF’s smooth-shifting technology continues to demonstrate its reliability and effectiveness for rugged applications
Both transfer cases incorporate BorgWarner's HY-VO driveline chain optimised for high efficiency and improved durability and are manufactured with the company’s premium friction products
The production will be based at BorgWarner's Seneca
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Safety has always been paramount in construction. But with COVID reshaping how we work
construction professionals are rethinking safety programs and implementing new innovations to build a better industry
Here to talk more about the topic is Kaitlin Frank, Superintendent at Dome Construction and Co-Founder of the eMOD Safety App by BuildSafely
As someone who’s passionate about construction safety
Kaitlin has plenty of insights to share on the safety standards and processes the industry should adopt and what we can expect as we move towards a post-pandemic world
Dome Construction is a mid-sized general contractor primarily in the San Francisco Bay area and southern California
My main function at Dome has evolved recently from primarily focusing on the field to training our 65 superintendents
I'm working on building out a Field Bootcamp that would entail everything from onboarding our field staff to continuous training and improvement throughout our team's careers at the company
This initiative emerged when we realized that our training needed to be adjusted for our field teams
Our Department of Innovation and Learning has built out amazing training programs and our foundation series
My goal is to make sure our training is fit for the field and make sure our field staff has training that is specific to their day to day lives
I've dabbled on the innovation side of things at Dome
but I kept falling back into a content creation and training role
I've switched over to focus on creating a boot camp to improve our success in the field
and we built it because we realized that we had a gap
"Can you confirm compliance at all of our jobsites?" And the answer was not easily or quickly
There was no way to see what was being done in the field and relay it back into the office
A lot of safety documentation gets done on paper
and it was supposed to be scanned and uploaded into a platform or folder
But there's not a one-stop-shop to show things like whether every company has all their documents uploaded
You may be able to do it at a project level
but you definitely couldn't do it at a company level
There was no transparency from the field back into the office
I was spending so much of my morning chasing administrative paperwork
trying to make sure that everyone had signed in and had filled out these daily safety plans
Those admin tasks were preventing me from doing my job and focusing on planning to prevent safety issues
This was a big enough issue for Dome that we decided to build a solution
We built the app and started all of our trade partners on it
We quickly began seeing all this information that we've never had visibility to before
That's why we decided about two years ago that we were going to separate the companies completely
I was building a yoga studio downtown and was working with an electrician who was about to retire
I had worked with him for about six years at that point
and we were installing a step-down transformer on an electrical panel
And I came back to him because I've known him for a while
his daughters were a couple of years younger than my sister and me
And my father is a general contractor — he's a carpenter by trade
I never wanted that phone call saying he got hurt or wasn't going to come home
It moved me to watch this electrician who was about to retire and say
"I've been doing this for 30 years -- I know what I'm doing
But that’s the thing: it could happen to you
I think a lot of our industry thinks they're lucky and they're immune to something unfortunate happening
There are a lot of safety solutions out there that stop at the foreman level
we need to get the entire field crew involved in safety
eMOD was a way to get the entire field team involved in safety
This is the opportunity for people to get up and running with safety technology before they get left behind
It’s not going to be long before there's another reason to prioritize safety
so it’s important for people to take action sooner rather than later
"I don't care how much time and energy we put into eMOD
If one more person goes home safe who might not have without eMOD
I think COVID brought safety to the forefront
Safety was always in the background everyone knew safety was important
Everyone was so focused on time and budget and getting things done
But COVID raised a lot of awareness for people. And it’s important to keep safety at the forefront because we don't know what will happen next
Will there be another one in the next couple of years or 10-20 years
The pandemic showed people that we have to figure out another way to work
I also think this pushed companies to adopt technology
One of the biggest issues we’re facing is communication — whether it be working from home or a hybrid arrangement where half of your team is at home
There should be transparency about what the plan is and how we’re going to move forward
It’s tough in the field because things are constantly changing
I think being able to graphically explain what's going on would help
How do we have conversations with people to make sure that they feel comfortable bringing things up
but there's also the psychological side of things
A lot of people are going to realize the psychological impacts of COVID are going to be different
we've been talking internally about how we're going to roll this out and start those conversations
We’re going to break that barrier with our superintendents and then break them with our internal team — including our carpenters
We're at a point where everyone's trying to take safety from a paper process to a digital platform
but a lot of that isn’t going to work for us until the field is at a point where they're actually giving us good data
Once we get them to provide the data we need
we can be proactive and use information to create more analytics
One of the questions we’re looking to change and add to our platform when we fill out a daily safety form is focusing on urgency
How much urgency or pressure are you under to complete your tasks today
Are we going to see that there are more incidents when someone feels like they're under a lot of pressure to finish what they're doing to get to the next job
What type of pressure would that put on the field
I think that's the next step of where people are going
I can also see more emergency alert-type systems start to emerge
when disasters occur or something happens on the jobsite
there are text messages that go out to people letting them know to evacuate or let us know if there are people still in the building
I feel that as things progress and as we start to attract more of this data
we’re going to have a stronger ability to evaluate and manage risks
2018 – BorgWarner debuts its Electro-Mechanical On-Demand (EMOD) transfer case on the 2019 Ram 1500 4x4 pickup truck
Building on BorgWarner’s proven Torque-On-Demand® clutching system
the new EMOD technology delivers faster response and higher torque output for better on- and off-road performance
the scalable system offers easy traction calibration and integration for a variety of vehicles
from small SUVs to heavy-duty pickup trucks
“BorgWarner’s new EMOD transfer case features unmatched clutch control and actuation capabilities,” said Dr
“BorgWarner has supplied on-demand transfer cases to Ram since 2010
We are proud to introduce our latest advancements in the next-generation Ram 1500.”
The heart of BorgWarner’s new EMOD transfer case is a motor-driven rotational cam mechanism which provides both robust clutch control and range shift function
The active clutch actuation technology delivers higher torque output
linear clutch response and pre-emptive clutch locking torque with zero rear wheel spin
the system offers the capability to hold front/rear locking torque when the ignition is off
the EMOD transfer case is equipped with BorgWarner’s HY-VO® driveline chain
optimized for high efficiency and durable performance
BorgWarner’s latest all-wheel drive transfer case features new Electro-Mechanical On-Demand (EMOD) technology to deliver faster response and higher torque output
© BorgWarner Inc. | Legal Policies & Privacy | Your Privacy Choices | Site Information | Contact
a global product leader in delivering innovative and sustainable mobility solutions
is furthering its business with a major North American OEM by securing extensions on two transfer case contracts for upcoming vehicle launches with new platform requirements. BorgWarner will supply two types of transfer cases
including its active Electro-Mechanical On-Demand 2-Speed (EMOD) and a part-time Electric Shift-on-the-Fly 2-Speed (ESOF) transfer case
Two of the OEM’s combustion and hybrid passenger truck platforms will be equipped with the EMOD and ESOF
while an additional passenger truck will receive the ESOF
Start of production for two of the platforms are slated for 2027
with the third expected to begin in 2028.
“We have supplied this OEM with transfer cases for its combustion and hybrid passenger truck platforms for over 40 years
and we are honored to have the opportunity to once again provide our transfer cases for several of their upcoming models,” said Isabelle McKenzie
“These extensions solidify our team’s reputation and the proven architecture
reliability and quality of our transfer case products
We’re very much looking forward to providing our valued customer with exceptional service for its vehicle platforms.”
The EMOD is a high-performance active transfer case that offers faster response
and pre-emptive torque management that enhances the overall safety and stability of the vehicle
The heart of the EMOD is a motor driven clutch-apply system that allows for active modulation of torque distribution between the front and rear wheels based on a variety of continuously monitored vehicle parameters. While used in several other of the OEM’s platforms
this is the first time the EMOD transfer case has been adopted for this particular passenger truck platform
Specifically designed to handle the rugged requirements of a part-time four-wheel drive system in a heavy-duty truck
the ESOF transfer case offers a highly efficient two-wheel drive mode in conjunction with the ability to lock the vehicle into four-wheel drive while in motion
It performs these functions while delivering superior noise
vibration and harshness engineering and design to deliver superior performance
The quick and smooth-shifting ESOF technology has a proven track record
reaching its third vehicle evolution for the passenger truck platform
Both transfer cases are equipped with BorgWarner’s HY-VO® driveline chain
which is optimized for high efficiency and improved durability
The EMOD is equipped with BorgWarner’s premium friction products and the entire family of transfer cases will be manufactured at its Seneca
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Metrics details
Gene drives are a genetic engineering method where a suite of genes is inherited at higher than Mendelian rates and has been proposed as a promising new vector control strategy to reinvigorate the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa
Using an agent-based model of malaria transmission with vector genetics
the impacts of releasing population-replacement gene drive mosquitoes on malaria transmission are examined and the population replacement gene drive system parameters required to achieve local elimination within a spatially-resolved
The performance of two different gene drive systems—“classic” and “integral”—are evaluated
and high—corresponding to annual entomological inoculation rates of 10
and 80 infectious bites per person) and other simultaneous interventions
including deployment of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and passive healthcare-seeking
Local elimination probabilities decreased with pre-existing population target site resistance frequency
increased with transmission-blocking effectiveness of the introduced antiparasitic gene and drive efficiency
and were context dependent with respect to fitness costs associated with the introduced gene
transmission-blocking effectiveness may be the most important to focus on for improvements to future gene drive strains because a single release of classic gene drive mosquitoes is likely to locally eliminate malaria in low to moderate transmission settings only when transmission-blocking effectiveness is very high (above ~ 80–90%)
simultaneously deploying ITNs and releasing integral rather than classic gene drive mosquitoes significantly boosts elimination probabilities
such that elimination remains highly likely in low to moderate transmission regimes down to transmission-blocking effectiveness values as low as ~ 50% and in high transmission regimes with transmission-blocking effectiveness values above ~ 80–90%
A single release of currently achievable population replacement gene drive mosquitoes
in combination with traditional forms of vector control
can likely locally eliminate malaria in low to moderate transmission regimes within the Sahel
higher levels of transmission-blocking effectiveness than are currently available may be required
The genetic engineering of mosquito populations is a promising new vector control strategy to reinvigorate the fight against malaria and potentially lead to elimination
The extent to which the generation and pre-existing presence of these resistant alleles affects the ability of introduced gene drive mosquitoes to eliminate malaria must be better quantified
While adult female mosquitoes can complete their feeding cycle and lay eggs
the number of eggs that progress to the larval stage is determined by the amount of larval habitat available at a given time
which in turn governs the number of adult vectors that eventually emerge
Mosquitoes within EMOD contain simulated genomes represented by up to 10 different loci or genes
Various phenotypic traits can be assigned to different genotypes
Simulated spatial region and seasonality
A Spatial region and grid composed of 150 1 km-by-1 km nodes used for all simulations
Colors denote the human population within each node
100 male gene drive mosquitoes were released in each of the six most populous nodes (outlined in red)
which account for ~ 23% of the human population in the region
B Baseline seasonal cycle of adult vector populations within the simulated area before gene drive releases in the three low (annual EIR = 10 infectious bites per person)
moderate (annual EIR = 30 infectious bites per person)
and high (annual EIR = 80 infectious bites per person) Sahelian transmission regimes simulated here
Gene drive mosquitoes were released on July 1 of the first simulation year in all simulations
ITNS were also deployed on July 1 of the first
and seventh simulation years in simulations with ITNs
The same seasonal profile of larval habitat space was used in all grid cells and all scenarios
was varied to simulate different transmission intensities with annual entomological inoculation rates (EIR) varying between 10 infectious bites per person (reflecting a low transmission setting) to 80 infectious bites per person (reflecting a high transmission setting)
Neither humans nor vectors migrate into or out of the simulated region or grid squares where humans are absent at the start of the simulation
no importation of malaria from outside of the modelled area
All scenarios were simulated for 8 years and 20 stochastic realizations were run for each scenario
All simulations included treatment with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for symptomatic cases
Those with severe malaria cases sought treatment 80% of the time within 2 days of symptom onset
cases sought treatment 50% of the time within 3 days of symptom onset
Health-seeking rates are assumed to be the same for all ages
covering a random 70% of the population per distribution
To reflect the effects of insecticide resistance
each ITN is set to have a reduced initial vector blocking efficacy of only 60% and killing rate of only 70%
Both blocking and killing rates decay exponentially over time with a decay constant of 2 years and 4 years
Simulations with ITN deployment alone (that is
those without a gene drive mosquito release) result in elimination probabilities of zero for all transmission regimes (low
and high) tested here (results are available on the accompanying website for interactive visualization of simulation output)
While gene drives are most likely going to be deployed alongside other vector control interventions
a scenario with no ITN deployment is chosen as a baseline scenario to help compare outcomes of deploying each intervention individually as well as in synergistic configurations
The basic setup of a gene drive system for population replacement involves coupling a driver gene with an anti-malaria effector gene that prevents the mosquito from transmitting malaria
multiple ways in which this can be implemented
Classic and integral gene drive systems
A Classic gene drive system and possible alleles
where the driver can no longer recognize the target site and there is no functional drive construct
non-functional drive construct allele and the second type is a mutated target site allele without a drive construct
These two types of resistant alleles are considered as one group in our model
B Integral gene drive system and possible alleles
where the driver can no longer recognize the target site and there is no functional driver or effector gene
These two types of resistant alleles are again grouped together within our model
where a lethal mutation in an essential gene and target site leads to non viability
are also possible; the first type is a mutated essential gene allele containing an effector or driver construct and the second type is a mutated essential gene allele that does not contain an introduced effector or driver construct
As with the different types of resistant alleles
these two types of loss of function alleles are considered as one group within our model
the endonuclease produced from the driver mediates homing both its own gene and the effector gene
the driver can autonomously home itself to the target site similar to the classic drive
but the effector is separated and is driven only in the presence of the driver
there are only two possible outcomes after gametogenesis; if there is resistance at the target site
If there is no resistance at either the driver or effector site
If there is resistance at the effector site alone
if there is resistance at the driver site alone
only then will the entire drive system fail
as long as the effector’s target site has not developed resistance
the effector gene can still be driven and passed on at super-Mendelian rates even when the driver’s target site has developed resistance
if a mosquito with the effector mates with a mosquito that has the driver
Because of these unique consequences of separating the driver and effector genes
integral gene drive systems tend to be longer-lasting and more effective than classic systems
An additional characteristic that makes IGD systems longer-lasting and more effective is careful choice of target site
target sites associated with both the driver and the effector are purposely located within essential genes
where most mutations that arise prove lethal and cause loss of function
Mutations leading to resistance at IGD target sites are therefore relatively rare
since these mosquitoes cannot survive to pass on these resistant alleles
This is in contrast to classic gene drive systems
in which mutations at arbitrary target sites do not tend to affect mosquito fitness or viability
thus allowing resistance to develop more rapidly
Here EMOD is used to simulate the release and spread of both classic and integral gene drive mosquitoes
In simulations of both classic and integral gene drive releases
the effects of the following parameters on likelihood of local malaria elimination are examined (defined as malaria prevalence reaching and staying at zero by the end of simulation year 7 within all spatial nodes): the probability of copying over the driver and/or effector genes in the presence of the driver gene (also known as the efficiency of the drive
d); the ability of the effector gene to prevent onward malaria transmission in mosquitoes (also known as the transmission-blocking effectiveness of the effector
which is equivalent in either heterozygosity or homozygosity
rc); the pre-existing frequency of target site resistance alleles in the population (rr0 in the classic case; rr20 at the effector target site in the integral case); and the fitness cost associated with expressing the introduced driver and effector genes
represented by an increase in vector mortality (sne in the classic case; se2 associated with the effector in the integral case)
Because of the high dimensionality of the results, a website with interactive visualizations of simulation output has been created to accompany the figures in this text (Additional file 1: Fig. S2), located here: https://gene-drive.bmgf.io
Website users can interactively visualize the effects of all tested parameters on elimination probabilities along with elimination timing
and allele frequencies over all simulated combinations of gene drive release types
Though the focus of this work is primarily on understanding the effects of tested parameters on local elimination probabilities in this text
we highly encourage website users to explore the effects of tested parameters on additional malaria-related variables plotted on the website as well
particularly reductions in prevalence even if elimination is not achieved
Elimination probability decreases with pre-existing resistance
increases with transmission-blocking and drive efficiency
and is context dependent with respect to fitness costs
Representative time series illustrating how elimination probabilities decrease with increasing pre-existing population target site resistance
and adult vector effector frequency over increasing values of pre-existing population target site resistance frequency (rr0)
Traces show the mean of 20 random seeds with the shaded areas denoting standard error
Elimination probabilities (e.p.) and number of days to elimination (e.d.) are denoted in the subplot titles
In the simulations corresponding to these time series
classic gene drive mosquitoes were released in a moderate transmission setting (annual EIR = 30) with non-rr0 parameters set equal to the following values: drive efficiency (d) = 0.9
transmission-blocking effectiveness (rc) = 0.9
and the lower the chance of locally eliminating malaria
This is likely because adult vector numbers matter more and effector frequencies matter less at lower transmission-blocking effectiveness values
since the effector is already relatively pervious
at higher values of transmission-blocking effectiveness
decreases in effector frequency are more detrimental to malaria suppression
as elimination is more dependent on the effector working well
all simulations assume that the target species Anopheles gambiae is the sole malaria vector and no expansion of other malaria-transmitting species to fill the ecological niche left by a transient decrease in the original number of vectors
Elimination timing after a single release of classic gene drive mosquitoes only in a moderate transmission (annual EIR = 30) regime
Elimination timing (computed as the number of years taken to reach elimination starting from simulation day 0
averaged over all realizations that eliminate) over a range of transmission-blocking effectiveness (rc)
pre-existing population target site resistance frequency (rr0)
and mortality-enhancing effector expression fitness cost (sne) values
It is important to note that Fig. 7 shows time to elimination only when elimination actually occurs
appears to vary more widely at high values of phenotypic effectiveness
where a higher proportion of realisations eliminate and differences in average time to elimination between different parameter sets are thus more apparent compared to random variations in elimination timing within a single set of realizations
time to elimination likely varies just as widely at lower values of phenotypic effectiveness but there are just a lower proportion of simulations eliminating making it difficult to discern differences easily
the same physical and biological mechanisms affecting elimination timing are at play at all values of phenotypic effectiveness
even if variations in elimination timing appear larger at higher values
Elimination probabilities after a single release of classic gene drive mosquitoes and ITN deployment in a moderate transmission (annual EIR = 30) regime. Same as Fig. 3
Elimination probabilities after a single release of integral gene drive mosquitoes and ITN deployment in a moderate transmission (annual EIR = 30) regime. Same as Fig. 3
Each scenario was run with 20 random seeds. In the supplements (Additional file 1: Fig. S10), the simulations that resulted in Fig. 3 were rerun using 50 seeds and found minimal differences between the two
elimination probabilities here should be interpreted as trends in parameter space and not as accurate estimates for a specific set of parameter values
A single release of classic gene drive mosquitoes with high transmission-blocking effectiveness is likely to locally eliminate malaria in low to moderate transmission settings
When deploying ITNs together with a gene drive release
increased drive efficiencies did not always increase elimination probabilities due to mismatches in timing between maximum ITN efficacy and peak effector frequency
it is therefore important to accurately quantify the genetic parameters associated with a given gene drive mosquito strain of interest and time its release such that peak effector frequency coincides with both low mosquito season and maximum efficacy of other forms of traditional vector control
Extensive vector surveillance before gene drive mosquito release would also be needed to accurately quantify vector population seasonality
along with pre-existing target site resistance
Because fitness cost effects on elimination probabilities are not uniform or easily predicted
researchers and public health workers should develop a good understanding of both transmission-blocking effectiveness and fitness costs associated with their gene drive mosquito strains of interest before release
Semi-field experiments and non-driving effector releases could be instrumental in achieving this goal
as the translation of experimentally established fitness parameters into actual fitness burden incurred by transgenic mosquitoes in the environment is notoriously difficult
Extensive vector surveillance should also be conducted after all gene drive mosquito releases
to validate models and better understand complicated effects of gene drive system parameters such as fitness cost
Sufficient surveillance after release can also be used to track failure rates and inform necessary adjustments to future gene drive strains or release logistics
Though all four parameters tested here had some measurable effect on elimination probabilities
transmission-blocking effectiveness and fitness cost may be most important to focus on for future improvements to new strains of gene drive mosquitoes
due both to their outsized influence on elimination probability as well as their potentially limiting existing values
Existing population target site resistances are therefore likely to be low (less than or equal to 1%)
given the ability of researchers to choose a favourable site with little Cas9-impairing genetic variability
elimination probabilities are not substantially reduced when drive efficiency decreases within this range and transmission-blocking effectiveness is sufficiently high (e.g.
greater than or equal to ~ 90% when releasing classic gene drive mosquitoes without ITNs in a transmission regime where annual EIR = 30
and above ~ 60–70% in the same situation with ITNs)
This is true for releases of classic or integral gene drive mosquitoes
though the exact values of transmission-blocking effectiveness required differ depending on the gene drive system
and absence or presence of other forms of vector control
even at the lower end of realistic Anopheles drive efficiency values (~ 90%)
elimination probabilities are generally not limited by drive transmission rates
Though increasing drive efficiencies from 95 to 100% can boost elimination probabilities at lower transmission-blocking effectiveness values (along with high fitness costs and low but realistic pre-existing target site resistances)
drive efficiencies of ~ 95% may be extremely difficult to improve upon with conventional mosquito engineering efforts
drive transmission rate is not a high priority for further improvements due to its already high efficiency and promising ability to enable elimination
along with the likely difficulty associated with bringing efficiencies even higher
It would be theoretically favourable to create strains with effector expression fitness costs as low as possible
since lower fitness costs allow introduced anti-pathogenic GM strains to more readily spread and compete against wild type mosquitoes
fitness cost ranges required to achieve elimination are highly dependent on other parameters
Assuming the presence of one primary malaria vector species and limited niche expansion by another
a single release of gene drive mosquitoes with lower transmission-blocking effectiveness is more likely to eliminate malaria when associated fitness costs of effector expression are higher (up to a certain point)
a release of more effective transmission-blocking gene drive mosquitoes may be increasingly likely to eliminate malaria at lower fitness costs
rather than universally seeking to generate strains with reduced fitness costs
researchers may opt to generate strains with optimal combinations of drive efficiency
and transmission-blocking effectiveness to increase the chances of elimination in their particular setting of interest
Though transmission-blocking effectiveness must always be above some minimum threshold for any population replacement gene drive release to achieve elimination
there is no equivalent maximum threshold that fitness cost must be below
Here fitness cost are simulated as a uniform increase in vector mortality across all ages and sexes
but future work could examine the outcomes of age or sex-specific fitness effects
such as a reduction in the lifespan of females only
Existing population replacement gene drive mosquitoes
can likely eliminate malaria in low to moderate transmission settings
non-gene drive vector control strategies are essential tools in the path towards elimination because a single release of mosquitoes with currently achievable gene drive characteristics is not likely to achieve elimination on its own
In a high transmission setting (annual EIR = 80)
additional non-gene drive interventions become even more important
transmission-blocking effectiveness values of ~ 50% lead to high probabilities of elimination only when fitness costs are within a narrow range
elimination in a high transmission Sahelian setting will likely require a vast improvement to transmission-blocking effectiveness in future integral gene drive mosquito strains and/or additional layering of non-gene drive interventions beyond ITNs
These other interventions could include short term strategies such as indoor residual spraying (IRS)
as well as longer term approaches including housing improvement
Regardless of which other interventions are utilized
releasing population-replacing gene drive mosquitoes helps create a window of opportunity during which prevalence may be greatly suppressed and other tools can be ramped up to achieve elimination
even when a single gene drive mosquito release by itself cannot
Future work can seek to better understand how this type of evolution could affect both timing and probability of elimination probabilities
though parasite resistance can also be mitigated by releasing a second set of mosquitoes with a different type of effector that would be new to the parasite
only one species and pool of mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae) has been accounted for in the simulations presented here
and it was assumed that other species were either not present or did not play an appreciable role in malaria transmission
If another malaria-transmitting Anopheles species were present to fill the ecological niche of the single simulated species
elimination probabilities likely would not increase as substantially with higher fitness costs and reduced vector populations at low values of transmission-blocking effectiveness
Future work can examine elimination probabilities in the presence of multiple malaria-transmitting Anopheles species with releases of gene drive mosquitoes corresponding to each different species
Future work can also explore the effects of multiple gene drive mosquito releases over several years compared to a one-time release
though human and vector migration is simulated between 1 km-by-1 km nodes within the region
migration of humans or vectors into or out of the simulated region was not included
While the inner nodes from the simulations serve as a proxy to study the effects of migration from outside regions to the simulated area
it is likely that continued importation of malaria via humans or vectors from outside of the simulated region could have made elimination more difficult to achieve within the region across all scenarios
because the gene drive systems simulated here are self-propagating
genes introduced via these systems would gradually replace wild type mosquitoes in surrounding regions as well
spreading into all wild-type vector populations of the same species until a barrier to vector migration and therefore gene flow is reached
Most or all vector populations migrating back into the simulated region would therefore eventually have experienced their own introduction of gene drive mosquitoes as well
it is not inconceivable that importation of malaria via migrating vectors into this relatively small region would gradually decrease and potentially become negligible over time
In addition to the greatly reduced importation of malaria via gene drive mosquitoes from outside of the simulated region
human importation of malaria into the simulated region could be greatly reduced if
travelers are required to be tested before entering or returning home
If a surveillance system that would detect infected human travelers is infeasible
repeated releases of gene drive mosquitoes carrying alternate effectors that would result in a longer window of transmission suppression could also be used to mitigate the impact of imported malaria
Future larger spatial scale (and therefore lower resolution) simulations
along with incorporation of as yet unavailable additional data on both human and vector migration distances
and frequencies would allow us to better resolve these dynamics
This additional data on vector movements would be invaluable for better understanding the potential spatiotemporal evolution of gene drive mosquito frequencies and the resultant effects on malaria transmission in SSA
Immediate future research should therefore prioritize entomological surveillance efforts
The input files, model executable, and code for running simulations as well as analyzing and plotting model output can be found on Github (https://github.com/InstituteforDiseaseModeling/leung-gene-drive-2021)
and the malaria-toolbox packages are available upon request from support@idmod.org
World malaria report 2020—20 years of global progress & challenges
The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015
Malaria eradication within a generation: ambitious
Implications of insecticide resistance for malaria vector control with long-lasting insecticidal nets: trends in pyrethroid resistance during a WHO-coordinated multi-country prospective study
Mapping trends in insecticide resistance phenotypes in African malaria vectors
Averting a malaria disaster: will insecticide resistance derail malaria control
Challenges for malaria vector control in sub-Saharan Africa: resistance and behavioral adaptations in Anopheles populations
Suppression of a field population of Aedes aegypti in Brazil by sustained release of transgenic male mosquitoes
Successful suppression of a field mosquito population by sustained release of engineered male mosquitoes
Open field release of genetically engineered sterile male Aedes aegypti in Malaysia
Field performance of engineered male mosquitoes
Efficient population modification gene-drive rescue system in the malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi
Population modification of Anopheline species to control malaria transmission
Cheating evolution: engineering gene drives to manipulate the fate of wild populations
Site-specific selfish genes as tools for the control and genetic engineering of natural populations
Controlling malaria transmission with genetically-engineered
Plasmodium-resistant mosquitoes: milestones in a model system
Genetic approaches to interfere with malaria transmission by vector mosquitoes
Engineered resistance to Plasmodium falciparum development in transgenic Anopheles stephensi
Transgenic Anopheles stephensi coexpressing single-chain antibodies resist Plasmodium falciparum development
Transgenic anopheline mosquitoes impaired in transmission of a malaria parasite
Activation of Akt signaling reduces the prevalence and intensity of malaria parasite infection and lifespan in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes
Malaria-resistant mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae); the principle is proven
Novel CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive constructs reveal insights into mechanisms of resistance allele formation and drive efficiency in genetically diverse populations
The creation and selection of mutations resistant to a gene drive over multiple generations in the malaria mosquito
Reducing resistance allele formation in CRISPR gene drive
Anopheles gambiae genome conservation as a resource for rational gene drive target site selection
Pathway to deployment of gene drive mosquitoes as a potential biocontrol tool for elimination of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa: recommendations of a scientific working group
Promises and perils of gene drives: navigating the communication of complex
Systematic identification of plausible pathways to potential harm via problem formulation for investigational releases of a population suppression gene drive to control the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae in West Africa
Requirements for driving antipathogen effector genes into populations of disease vectors by homing
insecticide resistance and gene drives: an agent-based modeling approach to evaluate malaria transmission and elimination
Modelling the suppression of a malaria vector using a CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive to reduce female fertility
Modelling the spatial spread of a homing endonuclease gene in a mosquito population
MGDrivE: a modular simulation framework for the spread of gene drives through spatially explicit mosquito populations
Overcoming evolved resistance to population-suppressing homing-based gene drives
Nash A, Urdaneta GM, Beaghton AK, Hoermann A, Papathanos PA, Christophides GK, et al. Integral gene drives for population replacement. Biol Open. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.037762
Impact of mosquito gene drive on malaria elimination in a computational model with explicit spatial and temporal dynamics
Epidemiological Modeling Software. Institute for Disease Modeling. 2021. http://idmod.org
A malaria transmission-directed model of mosquito life cycle and ecology
Seasonality and heterogeneity of malaria transmission determine success of interventions in high-endemic settings: a modeling study
Center for International Earth Science Information Network. https://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/hrsl/
Research on the epidemiology and control of malaria in the Sudan savanna of West Africa
Windborne long-distance migration of malaria mosquitoes in the Sahel
Investigating the impact of enhanced community case management and monthly screening and treatment on the transmissibility of malaria infections in Burkina Faso: study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial
Reducing malaria burden and accelerating elimination with long-lasting systemic insecticides: a modelling study of three potential use cases
Short-term impact of mass drug administration with dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine on malaria in Southern Province Zambia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial
Landscape movements of Anopheles gambiae malaria vector mosquitoes in rural Gambia
Achieving and maintaining universal coverage with long-lasting insecticidal nets for malaria control
Abundance of conserved CRISPR-Cas9 target sites within the highly polymorphic genomes of Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes
Next-generation gene drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito
A CRISPR–Cas9 gene drive targeting doublesex causes complete population suppression in caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes
Highly efficient Cas9-mediated gene drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi
A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae
Experimental population modification of the malaria vector mosquito
Transgenic Anopheles gambiae expressing an antimalarial peptide suffer no significant fitness cost
Broad spectrum immunomodulatory effects of Anopheles gambiae microRNAs and their use for transgenic suppression of Plasmodium
Converting endogenous genes of the malaria mosquito into simple non-autonomous gene drives for population replacement
Engineered Anopheles immunity to Plasmodium infection
Site-specific integration and expression of an anti-malarial gene in transgenic Anopheles gambiae significantly reduces Plasmodium infections
Transgenic expression of the anti-parasitic factor TEP1 in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae
Toward the definition of efficacy and safety criteria for advancing gene drive-modified mosquitoes to field testing
Gerardin modeling impact and cost-effectiveness of driving-Y gene drives for malaria elimination in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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The authors would like to thank Svetlana Titova
and Clinton Collins for model and software support
and Clinton Collins for the tremendous amount of work they did to help us set up the interactive visualization website
This work was supported by the Gates Foundation
All authors read and approved the final manuscript
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist
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Tier 1 supplier BorgWarner will debut its Electro-Mechanical On-Demand (EMOD) transfer case on the 2019 Ram 1500 4×4 pickup truck
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The scalable system offers easy traction calibration and integration for a variety of vehicles
“BorgWarner’s new EMOD transfer case features unmatched clutch control and actuation capabilities,” said Dr Stefan Demmerle
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We are proud to introduce our latest advancements in the next-generation Ram 1500.”
The heart of BorgWarner’s new EMOD transfer case is a motor-driven rotational cam mechanism which provides both robust clutch control and range shift function
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Module is an innovative modular housing developer, with a product that is affordable, contemporary, and energy efficient. They have developed models for townhomes, duplexes, detached single-family homes, and six-unit multifamily buildings. Each home is designed with the goal of achieving the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home certification
In 2023, Module aimed to incorporate energy efficiency strategies identified in the Energy in Modular (EMOD) Buildings Method: A Guide to Energy-Efficient Design for Industrialized Construction of Modular Buildings
published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
into their existing modular assembly process
Integrating these strategies required workforce development to enable seamless transition to a highly efficient
low-carbon line without affecting the cost and throughput of the existing assembly line.
NREL mapped its EMOD method strategies and modular net-zero design production practices to Module’s training needs at their Last Mile Innovation Lab and provided recommendations for specific training demonstrations.
The NREL technical assistance team developed an outline for Module’s workforce training needs
particularly for air barrier and envelope insulation installation
This assistance included mapping out quality assurance steps needed to verify technical installation on the factory line
including recommending that each station verify their component installations independently
NREL then introduced ways to document the sequences of tasks and building science elements for each stage of the modular assembly.
The ABC Collaborative provided additional support to Module
Technology scaling support included strategic guidance and partnership building with relevant demand-side stakeholders and end users
including Habitat for Humanity and Quartz Properties; introduction to multiple venture capital firms
including VoLo Earth; and development of a value messaging framework and pitch deck
The ABC Collaborative also advised Module on specific space-conditioning strategies and materials to consider for their product lines
These developments helped Module prepare for their connection with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
which invested $1 million in Module to support affordable housing developments in Pittsburgh
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This would be the perfect opportunity for further work together.”
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As both mechanistic and geospatial malaria modeling methods become more integrated into malaria policy decisions
there is increasing demand for strategies that combine these two methods
This paper introduces a novel archetypes-based methodology for generating high-resolution intervention impact maps based on mechanistic model simulations
An example configuration of the framework is described and explored
dimensionality reduction and clustering techniques were applied to rasterized geospatial environmental and mosquito covariates to find archetypal malaria transmission patterns
mechanistic models were run on a representative site from each archetype to assess intervention impact
these mechanistic results were reprojected onto each pixel to generate full maps of intervention impact
The example configuration used ERA5 and Malaria Atlas Project covariates
and the Institute for Disease Modeling’s EMOD model to explore a range of three-year malaria interventions primarily focused on vector control and case management
and mosquito abundance layers were clustered into ten transmission archetypes with distinct properties
Example intervention impact curves and maps highlighted archetype-specific variation in efficacy of vector control interventions
A sensitivity analysis showed that the procedure for selecting representative sites to simulate worked well in all but one archetype
This paper introduces a novel methodology which combines the richness of spatiotemporal mapping with the rigor of mechanistic modeling to create a multi-purpose infrastructure for answering a broad range of important questions in the malaria policy space
It is flexible and adaptable to a range of input covariates
and mapping strategies and can be adapted to the modelers’ setting of choice
Malaria is one of humanity’s oldest and most insidious ailments, co-evolving with mosquitoes and humans over millions of years [1]
combined with its complex transmission pathways
makes malaria a uniquely heterogeneous and environmentally sensitive disease
Understanding malaria in a given location requires not just an understanding of human behavior
but also a detailed knowledge of resident mosquito species and their behavior
and the seasonal patterns of the landscape
Computational modeling and malaria policy have been linked since the 1950s
from seminal pen-and-paper equations by Ronald Ross and George Macdonald to today’s detailed computational models capable of simulating individual humans
The fundamental goal of these models is to help decision-makers craft a malaria strategy that aligns with the epidemiological
Mechanistic and spatiotemporal models serve complementary purposes in malaria
Spatiotemporal models elucidate the past and present of disease burden and related metrics
which mechanistic models can then use for insight into the future
while mechanistic models contribute causal structure and exploration of counterfactual or hypothetical scenarios
As both modeling methods have grown in popularity and demand
there is increased interest in products that combine the two approaches
allowing for a spatially and temporally detailed exploration of the consequences of different policy decisions
these statistical methods crucially lack the explicit causal relationships that allow mechanistic models to effectively test the consequences of different policies
and transmission intensity spatial covariates into three
and ran simulations on all possible combinations of these groups before re-projecting onto the pixel level
This exhaustive strategy does not take advantage of the spatial relationships between different covariates
which could reduce computational burden and generate more informative cluster properties
The methodology presented in this paper leverages the strength of both mechanistic and spatiotemporal methods to allow computationally-feasible generation of high-resolution maps that reflect mechanistically modeled scenarios
This process generates a range of archetypal seasonal and entomological profiles that can be useful for exploratory data analysis while also generating an explicit link between these profiles and any given location across Africa
This mapping capacity provides a computationally efficient pathway for presenting results geospatially and in terms of expected burden change
high-dimensional spatial covariates and machine learning methods are harnessed to generate a small number of spatially-explicit “archetypes” of malaria transmission
characterized by their covariate similarity
mechanistic models are run on a representative site from each archetype
spatial data and model results create a lookup table through which maps of intervention impact are generated
This approach is appealing for its flexibility
but requires a number of specific decisions that can materially impact results
Which algorithm should be used for dimensionality reduction
Which algorithm should be used for clustering
and how should the number of clusters be determined
When clustered results are being used as inputs for mechanistic models and subsequent generation of new maps
How should representative sites be selected from each cluster
Which mechanistic model should be used to assess intervention impact
How should results from representative sites be reprojected back onto other members of the group
and the version presented here represents a validation check to ensure that similar results arise from a more in-depth approach
A sensitivity analysis exploring the representativeness of a given “representative site” is also described
The primary goal of this document is to introduce a novel modeling paradigm in sufficient detail to be adapted for other use cases
the terms “archetypes strategy” and “archetypes framework” will be used to describe the general methodology of using dimensionality reduction and clustering to locate a subset of sites appropriate for mechanistic modeling
The term “example configuration” will be used to describe the specific set of choices within the broader strategy that are shown here for demonstration
The archetypes strategy is flexible and generalizable to any covariate set
The methods sections are subdivided into a general discussion and an explicit description of the example configuration parameters
The results section focuses on describing example configuration outcomes
the discussion section highlights lessons learned and other use cases of this archetypes framework
each of the six methodological questions described in the introduction is explored in detail
followed by a description of the specific choices made in the example configuration
The covariates used for clustering should be selected mindfully to capture the types of variation to which the transmission model is most sensitive
these should almost always include covariates that capture the different seasonality patterns of different malaria-endemic regions
as this directly impacts disease seasonality
For models that explicitly simulate different mosquito behaviors by species
covariates describing relative species abundance are also valuable
Baseline malaria transmission intensity is another useful source of input data
The example configuration described below intentionally excluded it from the clustering process
instead running simulations for each archetype over a range of transmission intensities
Other possible covariates of interest include intervention history
Covariate data must geographically cover the region of interest
and should be utilized on the same spatial resolution as the final results
Covariate data for malaria will often also include a temporal component showing either seasonality or secular time
Covariates are collected into a “stack” of spatial or spatiotemporal input files measuring different metrics on different scales
It is important to normalize or rescale these covariates prior to performing dimensionality reduction to avoid an artificial effect due to differently-scaled inputs
a decision must be made regarding the relative weight of different inputs
clustering covariates included 12 rainfall layers
and three mosquito species relative abundance layers
These covariates were not differentially weighted prior to dimensionality reduction
meaning that the rainfall and temperature layers had a stronger impact on results than the mosquito abundance layers
This choice was acceptable for the work at hand
but different circumstances might encourage different weighting
Environmental covariate data on rainfall and air temperature were sourced from the ERA5 project (https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era5)
a global reanalysis that generates internally-consistent estimates for a wide range of climate parameters across the globe
monthly mean total precipitation and 2-meter air temperature from 2000 to 2018 were downloaded
Monthly means were averaged across the time series to generate synoptic 12-month trends
Because ERA5 spatial resolution is 0.25\(^\circ\)-by-0.25\(^\circ\) (approximately 30km-by-30km at the equator)
covariates were resampled down to the 5km-by-5km level and realigned to match MAP’s standard spatial specifications
Distribution of covariates for Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) across all pixels before and after rescaling
Synoptic monthly mean temperature (degrees C) and rainfall (mm/month) are from the ERA5 project
tracks the proportion of Anopheles arabiensis
If the covariate selection process only locates a few variables of interest
a dimensionality reduction step may not be necessary
beyond the point that covariates can comfortably be plotted together (four or five layers at most)
dimensionality reduction can be a valuable tool both for data exploration and for more effective clustering
The goal of these techniques is to collapse high-dimensional data into a lower-dimensional space in a way that preserves as much of the original data variation as possible
creating a denser and richer database from a sparser one
A wide range of dimensionality reduction techniques are available in machine learning software packages
Proportion of variance explained by the first five singular vectors after singular value decomposition (SVD)
The first three vectors were retained for clustering analysis
including many excellent tutorials for beginners
clustering strategies are unsupervised learning methods that group data points together based on proximity in all provided dimensions
K-means elbow plot for k between 3 and 15. The x-axis shows cluster count, while the y-axis shows the proportion of total data variance that is captured by between-cluster variance in each setting. A cluster count of ten (vertical blue line) was chosen for further analysis
K-means results. Top and side view of pixel values reprojected onto the first three singular vectors, after k-means clustering with a k of ten. Colors refer to different clusters and match subsequent ten-cluster plots. Black dots indicate true cluster centroids, while dark grey dots show procedurally-selected representative sites
Cluster maps for k of 3 to 14. Black crosses indicate procedurally-generated representative sites (the pixels closest to cluster centroids)
Maps and time series for the ten-site setting
solid colored lines represent the median across the archetype
shaded areas indicate the interquartile range
and colored dotted lines indicate the 95% variance interval
Solid black lines represent the procedurally-selected climate values of the representative site for each archetype
also indicated as black crosses on the map
Doughnut plots show the relative vector abundance of the representative sites
K-means was applied using the kmeans command in the stats R package version 4.0.5
See the Results section for a more in-depth description of k-means outputs
as there is generally a trivial distance between the true cluster centroids and their nearest data point
A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the acceptability of this approach
The data point closest to each cluster centroid (determined using k-Nearest Neighbors
with k set to one) was selected as the site whose input data would be used for simulation
K-nearest neighbors was applied using the get.knn command in the FNN R package version 1.1.3
a single centrally-located point is used as a proxy for all other locations in that cluster
A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess how other locations in each cluster behaved under the same intervention scenarios
Ten pixels were randomly chosen from each cluster
and all intervention scenarios were re-run on these 100 points in the same way that they were on the original ten
Results were compared to those from the cluster centroid sites alone to assess within-cluster variance
Modelers should have a close familiarity with their model of choice prior to embarking on the exercises described in this document
it is necessary to understand the input parameters to which each model is most sensitive and how this sensitivity impacts covariate and archetype selection; how to appropriately parameterize each site’s demographics
and interventions; and how to run checks to diagnose unexpected model behavior before acting upon any conclusions from model results
modelers will utilize values from the clustering covariates for some model inputs
but must choose how to initialize all variables not included in the clustering covariates
the clustering analysis provided input rainfall
this analysis held most other variables static across all sites
and ran simulations at a range of initial transmission intensities
but different use cases might call for different input parameters in different representative sites
Simulations were initialized by running one 39-year intervention-free simulation for each of 25 initial transmission intensities and 10 random seeds
generating a collection of 250 baseline populations upon which to test intervention impact
Transmission intensities were varied by scaling mosquito larval habitat capacity
which linearly impacts the number of adult mosquitoes and the level of malaria transmission in the absence of interventions
The intervention-free immunity establishment period should approximate the length of a human life
A 39-year period was selected because this is the duration of time for which climate data was available from ERA5
Ten is a common choice for number of random seeds to test in EMOD
and has been shown to cover the variation in most parameters well
Twenty-five transmission intensities were chosen to thoroughly cover variability in this important parameter
One hundred fifty-two different intervention packages were tested
and vaccine-based malaria prevention strategies
These intervention parameters were originally part of a project to test eradication feasibility in best-case scenarios
and therefore often represent coverage levels or policies more rigorous than those commonly in use today (for example mass bednet campaigns every year instead of every three years)
and its efficacy assessed by mean Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate among 2–10 year-olds (\(PfPR_{2-10}\)) in the final year of the intervention compared to the final year of the intervention-free simulation
The intervention-free simulations to establish population immunity were run using climate data from 1980 to 2018
and the three-year intervention simulations were run using climate data from 2016 to 2018
Once model simulations have run for each archetype’s representative site
these individual-site results must be reprojected back onto pixel level results
The methodology described below constructs a lookup table to convert from baseline per-pixel transmission to intervention-impacted transmission in each archetype
If transmission intensity was included as a clustering covariate
the lookup table approach would differ in its details but be similar in essence
maps of intervention coverage were reconstructed as follows
a pixel-level map of Plasmodium falciparum prevalence among children aged 2–10 (\(PfPR_{2-10}\)) was selected from the Malaria Atlas Project
Because these EMOD simulations were initiated from intervention-free scenarios
the MAP estimate of \(PfPR_{2-10}\) in 2000 was selected as a proxy for malaria prevalence in the absence of any interventions
for each intervention scenario and each pixel p in the selected map
The archetype a to which the pixel p belongs was identified;
A spline was generated between data points of initial and final \(PfPR_{2-10}\) across all transmission intensities in archetype a;
This spline was used to map the initial \(PfPR_{2-10}\) corresponding to that of pixel p and archetype a to the final \(PfPR_{2-10}\) in that intervention scenario;
This final \(PfPR_{2-10}\) was logged as the “intervention impact” of pixel p
This allows for the reconstruction of maps hypothesizing the potential impact of different interventions across the continent
Presented here are the results of the example configuration
Both rainfall and mosquito vector abundance show peaks near zero and one
while temperature peaks most strongly in the center of the distribution
Black dots represent true cluster centroids
while gray dots indicate representative sites
The shape of this data is roughly circular or toroidal
with those sites that have appreciable numbers of mosquitoes and rainfall comprising the edges of the circle and only the low-rainfall
low-mosquito-count lime green vector clustering near the origin
Visual examination shows that the ten-cluster k-means differentiates several distinct groups
but may combine some groups that are visually fairly distinct
such as the two lobes of the turquoise cluster (Cluster 4)
ITN: Insecticide-treated net; IRS: Indoor residual spraying; AL CM: Artemether-Lumefantrine case management; ATSB: Attractive targeted sugar bait
Figure 7 shows example impact curves for each archetype under different intervention scenarios
as well as their translation into maps of predicted impact
The impact curves show pre-intervention malaria prevalence on the x-axis and malaria prevalence after three years of interventions on the y-axis
indicates no change between initial and final prevalence
while the colored curves show simulation results across the range of transmission intensities
More effective intervention packages have curves that swing farther toward the lower right corner of the plots
Sensitivity of sites to biting intensity for vector control vs non-vector-control interventions
each line represents an archetype’s representative site
colored according to its indoor biting percentage as determined by its mosquito species mix
The left panel shows an intervention setting with 80% coverage of insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying
is much more effective in areas with a higher percentage of bites occurring indoors
The right panel demonstrates the inverse property: under an intervention package that includes only anti-malarial drugs and therefore does not directly target mosquitoes at all
there is no differential impact across indoor biting intensities
Sensitivity analysis sites. Black crosses indicate the location of all 100 reqpresentative sites used for sensistivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis example intervention curves for an intervention package of 40% ITN coverage
and 20% coverage with artemether-lumefantrine case management
The impact curve of each archetype’s representative site is plotted in color and the curves of the ten randomly-selected sites are shown in black
Shaded areas represent variation across the ten random seeds run for each site
If the representative sites were effective proxies for their archetypes
the colored lines and shaded areas would cover all or most of the black lines and shaded areas
Mechanistic models are versatile tools for malaria intervention planning
but deploying them over large geographic areas at a useful spatial resolution poses both theoretical and computational challenges
This paper introduces a flexible and customizable archetypes-based framework that harnesses the richness of available spatial data and spatiotemporal modeling products to assess potential intervention impact across a range of settings
and discusses key decision points to consider when constructing such a framework
It includes a detailed example of how the framework might be configured
This example configuration demonstrates that dimensionality reduction and clustering can identify meaningfully different environmental archetypes
that the mechanistic model behaves as expected in relation to intervention effect and mosquito bionomics
that the creation of new maps showing intervention impact can highlight interventions and areas of interest
and that the representative sites selected can appropriately represent each archetype as a whole
The demonstrative analysis used the EMOD mechanistic model and malaria risk surfaces from the Malaria Atlas Project
but this methodology could just as easily be applied with different modeling software or malaria risk estimates
The choice of covariates upon which to cluster is likewise arbitrarily modifiable
noting that the mechanistic model used should have the capacity to accurately reflect any covariate variation that distinguishes archetypes from one another
The first approach is simple and straightforward
but suffers from arbitrary selection and the inability to claim that the sites shown are actually representative of other areas
requires an unnecessary computational burden
An archetypes-based strategy provides a useful middle ground
providing a relatively streamlined computational infrastructure for projects that require national or continental coverage
while also offering a useful suite of example settings that can easily be used for any type of exploratory simulation analysis
This observation lends confidence to the effectiveness of both the archetypes framework and other seasonality detection methods
An archetypes-based approach to intervention impact planning has several limitations
When utilized without fitting to field data
this method is useful as an intuition-building tool
but should not be used to inform specific decisions in particular geographic locations
While the ability to project results from the analysis to an arbitrarily fine spatial scale may be useful for highlighting heterogeneities
such results might convey an unintended sense of confidence in the sensitivity and specificity of results
It is best to consider this framework as a strategy for obtaining informative priors
rather than as a way of generating quantitiatively rigorous model results
these concerns fade when the strategy is utilized as a precursor to more formal model fitting
The example configuration specifically has additional limitations
While the selected covariates cover many environmental model sensitivities
no human-centered or malaria intervention history covariates were included
While some covariate standardization was performed
a limited number of rescaling or standardizing approaches were conducted
while common heuristics were utilized to select singular vector and cluster counts in SVD and k-means
a full and formal sensitivity analysis of these heuristics has yet to be conducted
These would include running k-means with more or fewer singular vectors
and repeating the clustering analysis with k-fold data holdouts
Both of these tests would check how cluster membership changes in response to these varied initial conditions
especially for pixels on the borders between archetypes
the robustness of cluster assignment between different k-values provides some confidence that such sensitivity checks would support the choices made in this analysis
While the EMOD modeling software has been extensively vetted and tested
it has not undergone a parameter-by-parameter sensitivity analysis to conclusively determine which variables are most robust to model changes
Because the example configuration focused on hypothetical scenarios rather than prediction or projection
A full uncertainty propagation strategy would begin with covariate uncertainty and reflect both mechanistic model parameter uncertainty and uncertainty in the prevalence maps used as baseline metrics
The example configuration additionally does not consider a number of important malaria-related factors
but could easily be extended to take them into account
Future work will also include model comparison exercises between the archetypes framework and models that have been finely calibrated to specific locations to assess what improvements can be made in archetype-level predictions (while continuing to acknowledge that superseding site-specific analysis is not and will not be the goal)
but this framework can also be extended to malaria-endemic regions of Asia and the Americas
This paper presents a novel archetypes-based strategy for high-resolution
large-area malaria intervention impact assessment
lends itself well to more detailed calibration-based approaches
and guides intuition in data-sparse settings
It has already proved a useful tool in the malaria modeling repertoire
and the authors look forward to further expanding its utility to new use cases and stakeholder needs
Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine case management
Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate among children aged 2–10
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Mapping the global endemicity and clinical burden of Plasmodium vivax
Developing global maps of the dominant anopheles vectors of human malaria
Sinka ME, Golding N, Massey NC, Wiebe A, Huang Z, Hay SI, et al. Modelling the relative abundance of the primary African vectors of malaria before and after the implementation of indoor, insecticide-based vector control. Malaria J. 2016;15:142. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-016-1187-8
Coverage and system efficiencies of insecticide-treated nets in Africa from 2000 to 2017
Maps and metrics of insecticide-treated net access
and nets-per-capita in Africa from 2000–2020
Global estimation of anti-malarial drug effectiveness for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria 1991–2019
Global maps of travel time to healthcare facilities
Walker PGT, Griffin JT, Ferguson NM, Ghani AC. Estimating the most efficient allocation of interventions to achieve reductions in P. falciparum malaria burden and transmission in Africa. Lancet Glob Health. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(16)30073-0
Modelling the cost-effectiveness of mass screening and treatment for reducing Plasmodium falciparum malaria burden
Stuckey EM, Smith TA, Chitnis N. Estimating malaria transmission through mathematical models. Trend Parasitol. 2013;29:477–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2013.08.001
Smith NR, Trauer JM, Gambhir M, Richards JS, Maude RJ, Keith JM, et al. Agent-based models of malaria transmission: a systematic review. Malaria J. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2442-y
Spatial mapping with Gaussian processes and nonstationary Fourier features
Spatial analysis made easy with linear regression and kernels
Griffin JT, Hollingsworth TD, Okell LC, Churcher TS, White M, Hinsley W, et al. Reducing Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission in Africa: a model-based evaluation of intervention strategies. PLOS Med. 2010;7: e1000324. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000324
Elucidating ecological complexity: unsupervised learning determines global marine eco-provinces
Exploiting sparsity and equation-free architectures in complex systems
Low-dimensional procedure for the characterization of human faces
Malaria eradication: benefits, future scenarios & feasibility. A report of the Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication. 2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003675
Eckart C, Young G. The approximation of one matrix by another of lower rank. Psychometrika. 1936;1:211–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02288367
Singular value decomposition for genome-wide expression data processing and modeling
Xu D, Tian Y. A comprehensive survey of clustering algorithms. Ann Data Sci. 2015;2:165–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40745-015-0040-1
Clustering algorithms: a comparative approach
Some: methods for classification and analysis of multivariate observations
Mathematical modeling of the impact of malaria vaccines on the clinical epidemiology and natural history of Plasmodium falciparum malaria: Overview
Kiware SS, Chitnis N, Tatarsky A, Wu S, Castellanos HMS, Gosling R, et al. Attacking the mosquito on multiple fronts: insights from the vector control optimization model (VCOM) for malaria elimination. PLoS ONE. 2017;12: e0187680. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187680
Public health impact and cost-effectiveness of the RTS
S/AS01 malaria vaccine: a systematic comparison of predictions from four mathematical models
Guelbéogo WM, Gonçalves BP, Grignard L, Bradley J, Serme SS, Hellewell J, et al. Variation in natural exposure to anopheles mosquitoes and its effects on malaria transmission. eLife. 2018. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2006.75.2_suppl.0750001
Vaisala. HUMIDITY CONVERSION FORMULAS Calculation formulas for humidity; 2013. www.vaisala.com
WHO—High burden to high impact: a targeted malaria response
Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution
McCarthy KA, Wenger EA, Huynh GH, Eckhoff PA. Calibration of an intrahost malaria model and parameter ensemble evaluation of a pre-erythrocytic vaccine. Malaria J. 2015;14:6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-14-6
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The authors would like to thank all members of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group for Malaria Elimination and the Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication for their support
This publication is based on research conducted by the Malaria Atlas Project and funded in whole or in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
including models and data analysis performed by the Institute for Disease Modeling at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1197730)
Under the grant conditions of the Foundation
a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Generic License has already been assigned to the Author Accepted Manuscript version that might arise from this submission
This work was also supported by the Telethon Trust
Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute for Global Health
MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
JLP contributed to the design of the machine learning infrastructure
MW and DH wrote a tool to convert ERA5 data into model input files
ABV wrote the first draft of the manuscript
and approved the final version for submission
All authors read and approved the final manuscritpt
The authors declare that they have no competing interests
The plots below show maps and covariate summaries for cluster counts of three to 14
solid colored lines represent the median across the archetype
and dotted lines indicate the 95% variance interval
Solid black lines represent the climate values of the representative site for each archetype
Doughnut plots show the relative vector abundance of the representative sites
Absent doughnuts indicate no mosquitoes in that site
EMOD (https://idmod.org/documentation) is an individual-based stochastic mechanistic modeling software developed by the Institute for Disease Modeling
While EMOD is capable of modeling a number of infectious diseases
only the malaria framework is described in detail here
EMOD simultaneously tracks multiple simulation layers
including but not limited to: mosquito habitat and life cycle
and malaria interventions that disrupt any of the aforementioned layers
humans are modeled as individuals while mosquitoes are modeled as cohorts
though there are options to model mosquitoes individually for extremely small-scale simulations
most input parameters are defined via probability distributions which are sampled at the appropriate points
Spatially distinct communities can be defined
While some heterogeneity in risk and behavior can be imposed within communities
under most circumstances a community behaves as a well-mixed population
While various types of human movement between communities can be specified in the model
this analysis did not allow for human movement to keep the effects of any one archetypal site clear
Due to the uncertain pathway from severe malaria to death
malaria-specific mortality was not enabled in this anlaysis
all individuals are immunologically naive to malaria (though a few individuals are initialized as having an active infection)
EMOD is typically run with no interventions for several decades
at which point the simulation state can be “frozen”
a range of different intervention scenarios can be initialized
Malaria interventions EMOD offers a wide range of malaria interventions
in which the user can specify intervention timing
Interventions function by altering default model probabilities– for example
giving an individual an insecticide-treated net would reduce their probability of being bitten by a mosquito indoors
while receiving antimalarial drugs after infection would alter intrahost immune parameters which
would lower the likelihood of a mosquito acquiring gametocytes and increase the rate of recovery from clinical disease
Table 3 presents brief descriptions of the malaria interventions used in this analysis
See Table 4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04535-0
Note: Drivers from Corpus Christi unless otherwise noted
South Texas Speedway: Gilbert Perez III, John Wayne Wilson sweep weekend events
South Texas Speedway: Maupin, Rye snag USRA Limited Modified victories
Ahmed Emod Elsaed Elmola (27), of Maymount Street in east Belfast, was handed an 18 month sentence suspended for three years after he pleaded guilty to possessing Class A and Class B drugs with intent to supply.
Co-accused Mohammed Osman (28), of Jocelyn Street in east Belfast, pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property and received an eight month sentence suspended for 18 months.
Belfast Crown Court heard how police observed Elmola’s car in Broughton Gardens off the Ravenhill Road at around 9 pm on August 13, 2021, where a cash transaction took place between driver Elmola and a male pedestrian.
It was the prosecution case that police searched the car and discovered under the driver’s seat bags of cannabis weighing in total 31.8 grams along with ‘deal bags’ of cocaine weighing 6.55 grams.
Osman, who was the front seat passenger in the car, was found to have cash totalling £1,421.23p.
Their mobile phones were seized and a forensic examination revealed 271 WhatsApp text messages between Elmola and his drug supply boss who called himself “Gatsby”.
These were described as “persistent messaging’' on August 12 and August 13, 2021, between courier Elmola and “Gatsby”who was directing the defendant to deliver drugs to certain addresses and collect money for the deals.
Defence lawyer Sean O’Hare said that at the time of his offending, Elmola was suffering from both addiction and mental health issues along with financial difficulties.
Jonathan Browne, defence barrister for Osman, said his client received a phone call from a third party that he was to be collected by Elmola and he had never met him before or had any contact with him previously.
“There is no evidence to suggest that Osman was involved in dealing drugs in any respect,’’ added Mr Browne.
Passing sentence, Judge Richard Greene KC told Elmola: “You were aiding and abetting a person who stood to gain financially from this illegal drug activity.
“If there are not people prepared to deliver drugs, collect cash and return the cash to those who stood gain financially, this activity would be much more difficult to carry out.
“You clearly knew what you were doing. You were a willing participant in the supply of Class A drugs.
“But you have learned you lesson it would seem and you have taken steps to distance yourself from your criminal peers and you have taken efforts to improve your prospects and general circumstances which favours rehabilitation as opposed to immediate custody.’’
The judge said Osman pleaded guilty to a “type of laundering offence’' in that he had on his person around £1,400 in cash which was the proceeds of crime.
“It is not entirely clear what those proceeds are. It seems to me a very significant inference that could be drawn that this money was the proceeds of drug dealing,’’ said Judge Greene.
“I strongly suspect that the money you had was the proceeds of drug dealing but I can’t draw that conclusion to the requisite standard.’’
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is furthering its business with a major North American OEM by securing extensions on two transfer case contracts for upcoming vehicle launches with new platform requirements
BorgWarner will supply two types of transfer cases
Two of the OEM's combustion and hybrid passenger truck platforms will be equipped with the EMOD and ESOF
"We have supplied this OEM with transfer cases for its combustion and hybrid passenger truck platforms for over 40 years
and we are honored to have the opportunity to once again provide our transfer cases for several of their upcoming models," said Isabelle McKenzie
"These extensions solidify our team's reputation and the proven architecture
We're very much looking forward to providing our valued customer with exceptional service for its vehicle platforms."
and pre-emptive torque management that enhances the overall safety and stability of the vehicle
The heart of the EMOD is a motor driven clutch-apply system that allows for active modulation of torque distribution between the front and rear wheels based on a variety of continuously monitored vehicle parameters
While used in several other of the OEM's platforms
Both transfer cases are equipped with BorgWarner's HY-VO® driveline chain
The EMOD is equipped with BorgWarner's premium friction products and the entire family of transfer cases will be manufactured at its Seneca
BorgWarner has been a transformative global product leader bringing successful mobility innovation to market
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements as contemplated by the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act that are based on management's current outlook
Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "continues," "could," "designed," "effect," "estimates," "evaluates," "expects," "forecasts," "goal," "guidance," "initiative," "intends," "may," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "project," "pursue," "seek," "should," "target," "when," "will," "would," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements
other than statements of historical fact contained or incorporated by reference in this press release that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future regarding our financial position
business strategy and measures to implement that strategy
expansion and growth of our business and operations
references to future success and other such matters
such as those described under the heading "Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates" in Item 7 of our most recently-filed Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K")
All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends
current conditions and expected future developments
as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance
and the Company's actual results may differ materially from those expressed
projected or implied in or by the forward-looking statements
You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements
which speak only as of the date of this press release
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed
and tax regimes; the supply disruptions impacting us or our customers
such as the current shortage of semiconductor chips that has impacted original equipment manufacturer ("OEM") customers and their suppliers
including us; commodities availability and pricing
and an inability to achieve expected levels of success in additional commercial negotiations with customers concerning recovery of these costs; competitive challenges from existing and new competitors including OEM customers; the challenges associated with rapidly changing technologies
particularly as relates to electric vehicles
and our ability to innovate in response; uncertainties regarding the extent and duration of impacts of matters associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
including additional production disruptions; the difficulty in forecasting demand for electric vehicles and our electric vehicles revenue growth; potential disruptions in the global economy caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine; the ability to identify targets and consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms; failure to realize the expected benefits of acquisitions on a timely basis including our recent acquisitions of AKASOL AG
the anticipated acquisition of Hubei Surpass Sun Electric's charging business
and our 2020 acquisition of Delphi Technologies PLC; the failure to promptly and effectively integrate acquired businesses; the potential for unknown or inestimable liabilities relating to the acquired businesses; our dependence on automotive and truck production
both of which are highly cyclical and subject to disruptions; our reliance on major OEM customers; fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates; our dependence on information systems; the uncertainty of the global economic environment and potential for recessionary conditions in regional economies; the outcome of existing or any future legal proceedings
including litigation with respect to various claims; future changes in laws and regulations
in the countries in which we operate; impacts from potential future acquisition or disposition transactions; and the other risks noted in reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
"Risk Factors" in our most recently-filed Form 10-K and/or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
We do not undertake any obligation to update or announce publicly any updates to or revisions to any of the forward-looking statements in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events
(NYSE: BWA) announces the following Webcast: What: BorgWarner 2025 First Quarter Results Conference Call When: May 7
BorgWarner is set to showcase its latest technology at the 46th Vienna Motor Symposium from May 14-16
Supply Chain/Logistics
Supply Chain/Logistics
General Manufacturing
General Manufacturing
a pioneer in Turnkey and Offsite Modular Manufacturing
a special purpose acquisition company focused on innovative technology firms
proudly announce the execution of a definitive business combination agreement (the "Transaction")
The transformative merger is poised to position Eco Modular as a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under the Ticker Symbol EMOD
The anticipated closing is set for the first quarter of 2024
subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions
Capitalizing on Sustainable Construction Practices in a Growing Market
With a surge in global population projected to double the number of buildings over the next 30 years
modular construction emerges as a sustainable solution to claim a significant share of the $373 billion US and European construction market by 2030
This approach not only promises substantial annual cost savings of up to $22 billion but also aligns with Environmental
making it a key driver of positive change in the industry
combining its established business with Ecohouse Developments
a pioneering force in the modular construction sector
has successfully delivered over 7,000 single Modular Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
The company operates two cutting-edge manufacturing facilities in Eastern Europe
employing Structured Insulated Panels technology to ensure efficient and high-standard construction
Eco Modular's comprehensive approach encompasses the production
with strategic showrooms in the UK and Europe
Eco Modular is achieving remarkable success
The company's short-term strategy involves doubling production capacity
and intensifying sales efforts to achieve a goal of over 500 units a month in the UK and Europe
Eco Modular's M&A strategy in the UK aims to enhance its market presence and customer base for Accessory Dwelling Units
Eco Modular is strategically focused on the expansion of its Ecohouse facility in Eastern Europe
aligning with the escalating demand for modular Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Eco Modular will execute a comprehensive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy in the UK
targeting enterprises possessing a strategic customer base in modular Accessory Dwelling Units and Temporary Accommodation for potential acquisition
Eco Modular is actively engaged in advanced negotiations for tenders with accredited housing entities
and prominent corporate entities that appreciate the inherent advantages from off-site volumetric modular construction
Long TermEco Modular's long-term strategy centers on the full construction and operation of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Eastern Europe
equipped with an AI-integrated super system
is designed to produce 160,000 sqm of volumetric modular systems globally by the end of 2025
The company plans to leverage existing contracts and forge new partnerships to reach full manufacturing capacity
Eco Modular aims to establish itself as a key player in the global modular construction market
executing contracts ranging from residential developments
Advantages of Sustainable Modular Construction:
Cost-Efficiency and Savings: Modular construction anticipates capturing $130 billion in the US and European construction market by 2030
with the potential for annual savings of up to $22 billion compared to traditional methods
Reduced Timelines and Costs: Sustainable modular construction can reduce end-to-end project timelines by 20% to 50% and cut construction costs by up to 20%
offering an economically and environmentally sound alternative
Labor Efficiency: Up to 80% of traditional labor activity can be shifted offsite to manufacturing facilities in modular builds
addressing the challenge of scarce construction labor and contributing to the reduction of labor-driven environmental impacts
Population Growth and Housing Demands: With the global population projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030
modular construction addresses the escalating demand for housing
making it a sustainable response to unmet housing needs
Sustainability in Materials: Modular buildings lead the market in utilizing eco-friendly materials
incorporating recycled elements to minimize waste and promote sustainable construction practices
Complementary Acquisitions for Sustainable Growth: The robust demand for sustainable modular construction creates a significant opportunity for Eco Modular to expand its production capacity and service offerings across new markets and geographies
Technological Leadership and AI Integration: With an industry-leading technology team and scalable AI systems
Eco Modular positions itself not just as an industry player but as a sustainability advocate
integrating advanced technologies to enhance efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.Nurturing a Greener Future: Pursuing complementary acquisitions isn't just about expanding market reach; it's about fostering a greener future
By consolidating efforts in this nascent and fast-growing environment
Eco Modular aims to play a pivotal role in the industry's sustainable transformation
Environmental Stewardship Through Eco-Friendly Practices: Eco Modular's commitment to sustainability extends beyond construction methods
By employing eco-friendly building materials and championing the use of recycled materials
the company actively contributes to reducing its ecological footprint and promoting responsible resource use
Empowering Communities Through Sustainable Practices: Eco Modular's sustainable practices go hand in hand with social responsibility
the company not only meets the demands of the present but also ensures a sustainable legacy for future generations
Eco Modular stands at the forefront of a paradigm shift in construction
leveraging sustainable modular practices to meet the demands of a growing population while actively contributing to a more environmentally conscious and socially responsible industry
Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Modular
said:"I'm filled with immense passion for the modular manufacturing industry and the transformative impact we've had since our inception
We've been on a mission to simplify processes and bring cutting-edge technology to the manufacturing landscape
The integration with Zalatoris II is not just a milestone; it's a testament to our unwavering dedication
I believe the potential of the modular market over the next 10-20 years has never been stronger
and the lasting mark we'll make in this dynamic industry."
Co Founder & Director EMEA of Eco Modular
said: "As we embark on this new chapter as a public company
I want to emphasise the strength of our corporate structure and management team at Eco Modular
Our solid foundation and strategic leadership position us for continued success in the modular manufacturing industry
This collaboration with Zalatoris II not only enhances our financial standing but also reinforces our commitment to delivering exceptional value to our stakeholders
We are well-equipped to navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with being a public company
and we are confident in our ability to drive sustained growth."
I am thrilled about the opportunities that lie ahead with our integration with Zalatoris II
We will strategically focus on initiating new projects in Europe and the Middle East
leveraging the strengths of both Eco Modular to deliver innovative solutions to our clients in these regions
The synergy between our teams positions us for success in undertaking transformative projects that will shape the future of modular manufacturing."
Chief Executive Officer of Zalatoris II Acquisition Corp
said:"The collaboration with Eco Modular is an exciting opportunity for Zalatoris II as we venture into the modular manufacturing space
Eco Modular's commitment to innovation aligns seamlessly with our mission at Zalatoris II
we will not only create value for our stakeholders but also contribute to the evolution of the manufacturing industry
I look forward to a successful partnership with the entire Eco Modular team."
Transaction OverviewThe business combination values Eco Modular at a $600 million enterprise value and at a pro forma market capitalization of approximately $666 million
assuming a $10.00 per share price and no redemptions by Zalatoris II stockholders
The transaction is expected to provide a minimum of $66 million in net proceeds to the company after transaction expenses
The Boards of Directors of both Eco Modular and Zalatoris II have unanimously approved the transaction
subject to customary closing conditions and stockholder approval
AdvisorsArthur Cox LLP and Calabrese Consulting LLC are serving
as legal counsel and as financial advisor to Eco Modular
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and Meteora Capital LLC are serving
as legal counsel and as M&A Advisor to Zalatoris II Acquisition Corp
About Zalatoris II Acquisition Corp.Zalatoris II Acquisition Corp
which was formed to acquire one or more businesses and assets
is a private and diverse US financial organization that is founded on tradition
holds the distinction of being one of the oldest firms on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”)
it has consistently provided exceptional service to its family of listed companies
Streicher’s Broker Dealer primarily focuses on NYSE activities
its international investment team specializes in identifying
guiding them through the complex process of transitioning into publicly traded entities
The ultimate goal is to position these companies for a successful listing
Streicher’s core strength lies in its ability to recognize strategic private target companies and assist them in becoming publicly traded entities on prestigious exchanges such as the NYSE or NASDAQ
Additional Information and Where to Find It
or by directing a request to Zalatoris II Acquisition Corp.
Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company’s common stock is set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31
as modified or supplemented by any of the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC since the date of such filing
including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q
and the other documents the Company has filed or will file with the SEC on Form 3 or Form 4
Other information regarding the interests of the participants in the proxy solicitation will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus pertaining to the Transaction when it becomes available
These documents can be obtained free of charge from the source indicated above
Eco Modular and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of the Company in connection with the Transaction
A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the Transaction will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Transaction
This press release shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy
or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the Transaction
This press release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities
nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer
or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction
No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933
This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” “project,” “anticipate,” “will likely result” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters
other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release
including those regarding the terms of the Company’s Business Combination Agreement with Eco Modular
the Company’s ability to consummate the Transaction on the stated timeline
Eco Modular’s use of proceeds from the Transaction
and the combined company’s future performance relative to other manufacturing companies
the growth of the modular construction sector
and the combined company’s future products and services are forward-looking statements
These statements are based on various assumptions
whether or not identified in this press release
and on the current expectations of the respective management of the Company and Eco Modular and are not predictions of actual performance
These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as
a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability
Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions
Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company or Eco Modular
Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include
political and legal conditions; the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the Transaction
including the risk that any regulatory approvals are not obtained
and behavior; disruption and volatility in the global currency
and credit markets; the ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s securities on the NASDAQ; Eco Modular’s ability to implement its business strategy; changes in governmental regulation
Eco Modular’s exposure to litigation claims and other loss contingencies; disruptions and other impacts to Eco Modular's business
and government actions and restrictive measures implemented in response; stability of Eco Modular's suppliers
as well as consumer demand for its products and services
in light of disease epidemics and health-related concerns; the impact that global climate change trends may have on Eco Modular and its suppliers and customers; Eco Modular’s ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel to deliver their services; any breaches of
Eco Modular’s information systems; fluctuations in foreign currency; changes in tax laws and liabilities
The foregoing list of potential risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive
More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s or Eco Modular’s financial results is included from time to time in the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC
and Current Reports on Form 8-K as well as the other documents the Company has filed
including a registration statement on Form F-4 that will include proxy statements/prospectus that the Company intends to file with the SEC in connection with the Company’s solicitation of proxies for the meeting of shareholders to be held to approve
If any of these risks materialize or the Company’s or Eco Modular’s assumptions prove incorrect
actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements
There may be additional risks that neither the Company nor Eco Modular presently know
or that the Company and Eco Modular currently believe are immaterial
that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements
forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s and Eco Modular’s expectations
plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release
Neither the Company nor Eco Modular gives assurance that either the Company or Eco Modular
The Company and Eco Modular anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause their assessments to change
while the Company and Eco Modular may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future
the Company and Eco Modular specifically disclaim any obligation to do so
These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s or Eco Modular’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release
undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements
Email: pr@zalatorisac.com
Emod is a game that allows players to construct different domes using various geometric patterns thought up by Leonardo Da Vinci around 500 years ago
In contrast to the products available on the market up to now
the development by researchers at the URV’s School of Architecture is easier to handle and can be used anywhere
The game contains 70 pieces of wood which can support each other without the need for any binding agent and which can be used to create a wide variety of domes and bridges up to a metre square that are freestanding thanks to their own weight
These structures are known in architecture as a reciprocal frames
and they first appeared in the Codex Atlanticus
twelve treatises by Leonardo Da Vinci on mathematics
The name Emod is taken from the word dome spelled backwards and the game allows one or more people to make constructions that occupy an area of 1 m2
although children will only be able to do so autonomously from about the age of 5 onwards
some of the skills that this pedagogical tool develops make it suitable for elderly people
the game does not just work on knowledge areas such as history
schools and even centres for elderly people” stated the creators of the game
they got the idea from participants in a workshop on constructing Da Vinci’s domes that was run by Samper at events such the Nit de la Recerca (Research Night) and schools and at talks given to older people about architecture
people always asked us if they could buy the pieces of wood anywhere”
They therefore decided to reduce the size of their existing pieces to make it accessible to anyone
the size of the pieces means that the game can be played on a table or on the floor at home
although bigger domes can be made using more than one box of Emod
the pieces are produced by the School of Architecture using compacted
which means that they are able to sell the game for less than 30 euros
Emod can be bought from the URV shop and collected from the following points of the University: the CRAIs on the Catalunya and Sescelades campuses
the International Center and the Office of the Rector in Tarragona; the Bellissens Campus in Reus; the Vila-seca campus
and the Terres de l’Ebre campus in Tortosa
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— ULMS Racing Series returns home this weekend as the series visits McKean County Family Raceway on Saturday
The MCFR event will see the Zimmer Service Center ULMS Late Model Series compete for $2,500 to win along with the Plyler Entry Systems UEMS Emod Series running for $1,000 to win
The weekend begins at McKean County Family Raceway as the ULMS Racing Series makes its first visit of the year to the track it has called home since 2006
Series owner and promoter Chris Zuver has been a part of the Smethport oval most of his life and was the general manager and former promoter and lease holder of the track up until this past winter
The series has hosted dirt late model events there every year since 2006
Mike Maresca of Potsdam has retaken the series point lead from Centerville
Maresca will be making his first ever visit to McKean while Blair has been one of the dominant super late model teams over the past few years at MCFR
The duo will be joined by other Close Racing Supply Elite drivers
Other notables expected on hand are hometown favorite
former track champion and legend Al Brewer
of Cranberry in the famous Cochran Pontiac #1c machine
The Plyler Entry Systems UEMS Emods will make their debut of the 2018 season and very good field of open wheel Emods are expected on hand led by three time and defending series champion Joel Watson
Joining Watson and his potent #92 machine will be Randy Hall in the Tim Engles #68 machine
Troy Johnson and Al Brewer is expected to have both his ULMS Late Model and his UEMS Emod entries on hand
The MCFR event will pay $2,500 to win while the Plyler Entry Systems United Emod Series will also be in action on Saturday at McKean for $1,000 to win
MCFR utilizes the Red AMB Transponder for both ULMS and UEMS classes
Entry Fee for ULMS will be $25 and $20 for UEMS entrants
The UEMS tire rule is NO SOFTS on the rear for the UEMS Emod teams
Reminder to the ULMS Late Model teams that the Hoosier 1300 or American Racer 44 tire rule will be in effect
and joining the ULMS Late Models and UEMS Emods will be the the RUSH Crate Late Models
Manufacturing Today India
Home > Automotive & Transportation > BorgWarner deepens major transfer cases deal with North American OEM
The transfer cases will equip OEM’s combustion and hybrid trucks
BorgWarner is expanding its collaboration with a major North American OEM by securing extensions on two transfer case contracts for upcoming vehicle launches
The company will supply two types of two-speed transfer cases: the Electro-Mechanical On-Demand (EMOD) and Electric Shift-on-the-Fly (ESOF)
These transfer cases will be integrated into the OEM’s combustion and hybrid passenger truck platforms
with production expected to start in 2027 for two platforms and in 2028 for the third
BorgWarner’s Vice President and President and General Manager of Drivetrain and Morse Systems expressed pride in continuing to supply transfer cases to the OEM after over 40 years of partnership
She emphasised that these extensions highlight the reliability and quality of BorgWarner’s products
The EMOD transfer case is designed for high performance
providing faster response and improved torque management for enhanced vehicle safety and stability
the ESOF transfer case is tailored for heavy-duty trucks
featuring a two-wheel drive mode and the capability to switch to four-wheel drive while in motion
Both transfer cases will be manufactured at BorgWarner’s facility in Seneca
utilising the company’s advanced driveline technology for optimal efficiency and durability
Recap: John Alexander led green to checkered to pick up his second straight win
Recap: Burton Graham led flag to flag for his first win of the season
Recap of Summer Shootout #1: A 24-car field
seven cautions and three different leaders
Jeffery McCaleb led laps 6-10 but would be Steven Holcomb 11-20 for his first Emod win this season
it would be Craig Pedrick green to checkered for his fifth feature win of the season
Recap: Bubba Green also went flag to flag to pick up win number six of the season
Recap: Steven Holcomb led green to checkered to take his third win of the season and his second win of the night
as he pulled double duty after winning the Emod feature
Modified Street “Summer Shoot-Out #1” results
Recap: Russell Boothe led green to checkered to take the win in the first Shootout event
June 21t: No auto racing as there will be a motorcross event
June 28: All Classes Racing … Double Points … Mini Stock Summer Shootout #1 … no super late models
In the firearm world modularity is the name of the game
from interchangeable backstraps for handguns to caliber conversions for rifles
Nowhere is firearm modularity more important than the military
One “weapons system” has to adapt to a wide range of physical sizes
It is in this arena that the M16 has excelled
As the ability to swap out parts quickly and easily has endeared the AR-15 to the civilian world
the flexibility of the M16 platform has led to its adoption around the world.VLTOR’s A5 stock conversion (shown bottom installed)
gives a length of pull longer than a standard A2 stock (top).In the first decade of the 2000s
Marine Corps was looking to hold on to its M16A4s
but was feeling the need for a little more flexibility in the platform
The rifle’s fixed stock had always been a little too long for smaller-statured troops
The trend for wearing body armor brought this problem to everyone
If you look at photos of soldiers and Marines firing the M16A4 when wearing body armor
you’ll notice they usually have the toe of the stock planted on the extreme edge of their shoulder or upper arm
with their body canted 45-degrees to their target to achieve a proper length-of-pull and eye relief
in 2009 the Marine Corps put out a Request For Information concerning the possibility of a collapsible stock system for the M16A4 that wouldn’t compromise the rifle’s reliability.The components of VLTOR’s A5 stock conversion (left) compared to the standard A2 stock components (right)
The VLTOR conversion uses an intermediate length receiver extension and buffer
paired with a standard rifle action spring
The VLTOR extension attaches to the lower receiver like a standard M4 extension with a receiver end plate and castle nut
which introduced its A5 Conversion system (it was assumed that the A4 rifle modified with a collapsible stock would become the M16A5)
Instead of using standard M4 carbine components
VLTOR designed a completely new receiver extension and buffer
is shorter than the part used on a fixed-stock rifle
which is likewise longer than an M4 buffer but shorter than a rifle buffer
is paired with a rifle-length action spring
The extension is attached in the lower receiver in the manner of a standard M4 stock setup with a receiver end plate and castle nut
The A5 buffers are available in five different weights
The kit is compatible with both direct-impingement and gas-piston AR systems
except those chambered in .308.The VLTOR A5 stock conversion (bottom) provides a longer length of pull when fully extended than a standard M4 stock setup (top)
The VLTOR extension has seven positions of adjustment and has marks that are visible through a witness hole on the supplied EMOD stock
VLTOR pairs the new extension and buffer with its Enhanced Modular (EMOD) stock
features a generous cheekpiece on each side
bilateral quick-detach sling swivel points
three battery compartments (two are waterproof) and a rubber recoil pad.VLTOR’s A5 stock conversion uses an intermediate length receiver extension (bottom) that is longer than a standard M4 extension (top).The A5 EMOD has seven positions of adjustability
the length of pull (LOP) is 15.25”—longer than an A2 stock for those who need it
Moving in to Position 5 (the receiver extension is marked with the number visible through a witness hole on the EMOD stock) yield about the same LOP of a standard A2 stock
Position 2 puts results in about the same length as an A1 fixed stock
All the way collapsed gives a LOP of 12.38” or about the same length as the third position out on a four-position M4 stock
The fully collapsed A5 stock setup takes the overall length of a rifle with a 20” barrel down to 37.25” or about 2.25” shorter than a fixed A2 stock rifle.VLTOR’s A5 stock conversion is supplied with the company’s Enhanced Modified
Among the stock’s features are a battery compartment
another problem the VLTOR A5 system fixes is eye relief when using optics
When placing an ACOG far enough forward on a flat top receiver to put a backup sight behind it
it’s often hard to get the proper eye relief with a fixed A2 stock
Bringing the VLTOR in a few clicks on our FN 15 test rifle
fitted with the 4x32 ACOG and the MaTech backup iron sight
fixed this.VLTOR’s A5 stock conversion is supplied with the company’s Enhanced Modified
which features two waterproof compartments for storing the CR123 batteries used in many electronic sights
All of the components for the A5 kit weigh just 3.4 ozs
The complete kit with stock retails for $215.In Marine Corps testing
VLTOR’s A5 stock provided as reliable as a fixed stock M16A4
While some VLTOR A5-equipped M16s were used in the field
The Marines decided to go with the M4 carbine to replace their M16
The VLTOR A5 stock kit fixes the same problem in the civilian world that it did in the military
It gives the owner of a 20” barreled rifle an adjustable length of pull without sacrificing reliability
It is also an upgrade for shorter barreled M4-style carbines
where VLTOR claims it will slow down the cyclic rate and improve reliability
And for those who have to have a clone of every rifle in the U.S
they can use the VLTOR kit to build the A5
Long respected for its world-leading military small arms
through its American factory and engineers
shooters—and the new Concealed Carry 9 mm Luger micro pistol is poised to quicken it
Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens
Despite a slight decline in demand for new firearms
the industry’s economic impact rose from $90.5 billion in 2023 to $91.7 billion in 2024
Kahr Arms has been most well-known for its single-stack line of concealed-carry pistols
the company is moving into the double-stack market with its new Premium X Series
Henry's Special Products Division has officially released its first line of unique offerings in its HUSH series of suppressor-ready lever-action rifles
Built primarily from thick 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum
is an incredibly robust and stable gun rest designed for use with pistols and long guns alike
Home > Sectors > Detroit Engineered Products (DEP) presents its electrification module
DEP would be exhibiting engineering and consulting services
Detroit Engineered Product would be a part of the Auto Expo
DEP is showcasing its innovative eMOD (Electrification Module) electric vehicle design and development services for two-wheelers
DEP is also exhibiting its extensive range of advanced engineering and consulting services
including reduced order model (ROM) and expertise in computer aided engineering (CAE) parametrization
as well as the most recent advancements in the field of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
On display is the most recent version of their integrated CAE platform MeshWorks
which is outfitted with capabilities for reducing CAE modelling time by 30% with process automation and optimization features
Vice President of Detroit Engineered Products
“We are happy to be part of this incredible exhibition as we plan to meet potential customers at the buyer seller forum to discuss futuristic automotive product development services
Events like these give us the opportunity to interact with people and understand the tones of the varied technologies available in the market
We look forward to meeting more like-minded individuals from the auto sector to push for conversations around research and development in auto design software.”
“There will be an exclusive demonstration of the most recent version of our integrated CAE platform
which includes a focused toolset for EV development
We can confidently promise faster turnaround times and optimised solutions during the design and development stage because of our efficient processes and highly skilled team,” added Basant
Electric vehicles and Heavy and light-commercial vehicle initiatives face multiple design challenges because of their increasing dependency on electrical components and overall complexity
DEP’s product development team is equipped with the capabilities to address these issues
and by using frugal engineering principles
it can ensure that innovative and exciting technology can be made available to users at affordable prices
Home > Products > DEP MeshWorks 2023 takes engineering simulation to new heights
Transforming product development with advanced features and next-generation CAE technology
has announced the release of DEP MeshWorks 2023
the most robust and advanced version of MeshWorks.
this integrated CAE platform revolutionises engineering simulation in design and analysis
Its powerful backend incorporates advanced algorithms
while the user-friendly front-end interface ensures ease of use
and CAE Parameterization expedite product development cycles
MeshWorks 2023 is particularly beneficial for automotive
The comprehensive toolkit enables rapid design
while new modules like Reduced Order Modeling and electrification (eMoD) drive innovation.
expressed enthusiasm about the launch of DEP MeshWorks 2023
considering it the most advanced version of MeshWorks to date
He conveyed confidence that the new features and improvements would revolutionise the product development cycles of their customers
Here at Gizmag we are always keeping an eye on innovative solutions for schooling and education. We've covered the solar powered mobile computer classroom project and the AIRchitecture flying classrooms of the future
but now we're excited about these proposals from architects all over the world
who recently submitted their ideas for what schools of the future could look like
The winners for the "Future Proofing Schools" design competition were recently announced
where designers where invited to submit their ideas for the next generation of relocatable classrooms
the Melbourne School of Design (MSD) and the Australian Institute of Architects
creativity and blue-sky thinking" and may just give us a peek into the future
The competition focuses on new ideas for relocatable classrooms
which in recent decades have commonly been used around the globe
These types of classroom facilities are generally a response to rapid growth in schools
remote community needs or a quick solution to cope with natural disasters
Although the classrooms are often described as cheap and miserable
the winners for this year's competition are anything but drab and dreary
The winning design idea from architecture firm Architectus took home AU$25,000 (US$26,831) for its futuristic vision of the classroom
Dubbed eMOD (Educational Modular Offsite Design)
the concept is a flexible modular design system that can be configured to create a building solution that adapts to specific requirements such as site
The winning entry included a clever proposition of an app to formulate the modular design
which proved to be a hit amongst the judges
"The concept represents the essence of an idea about the link between 21st century learning and space" said the jury
"[It] is both sophisticated and simple ..
and is suggestive of adaptable and transportable space."
The eMOD design encompasses a learning space in all elements of the building that goes beyond the limitations of the walls
Learning areas include the internal/external environments around the building and the internal spaces that also provide adaptability to accommodate group-based student work or individual time
You can try out the eMOD app for yourself online
architecture firm NBRS+PARTNERS impressed the judges with its futuristic MODUPOD concept
"It was the suggestive flexibility of the organic core to the building and its capacity to indicate closed
unwrapped or linear active space that proposed an aspiration for a learning community over and above a rational
workable arrangement of classrooms," said the jury
MODUPOD is a vision for 2025 and represents a dynamic 21st century learning environment with 3D text books promoting interaction and critical thinking for students. The concept features fast assembly
smart interiors and flexible PODS that place students and teachers at the heart of the learning experience. Dynamic multi-modal clusters are built around the central permeable student resource center
The active core can also function as a media platform featuring multimedia screens that encourage the presentation of school news
Individual modules include the teamwork focused Studio; the Project Pod which encourages students to take greater responsibility for their own learning; a transparent Breakout Pod to observe and be resourceful; and the Social Pod to gather
collaborate and securely showcase interactive learning
the Outdoor Spaces offer students the opportunity to learn from nature
All aspects of the MODUPOD concept meet the a spectrum of curriculum needs
The third place entry by Oliver Ebben from Studioquint in Amsterdam was praised for its architectural deliberation
"The rational classroom form is made both spatial and place specific by three dimensional origami-like scales that articulate the form both internally and externally," said the jury
while internally they become three dimensional
The rooftop contains a locally contextual landscape
This entry also included some great sustainability functions such as using components that are fabricated from recycled polystyrene
To avoid dissipation of energy during the transportation phase
the thermal building mass is added on site by making use of local soil and plants
the building components can function as reservoirs for rainwater
and the three-dimensional design of all building components at an angle of 20 degrees enables efficient use of photovoltaic panels and a high rate of sun shielding
Although LAVA architects didn't take home an award
we thought its submission was worth mentioning
LAVA's relocatable school is a learning space for the future with a sustainable design that incorporates prefabrication
and small lightweight easily transportable modular elements
The modular facade system is manually operable and features a flexible system to create more light or shade
The "three axis" geometry design allows for interlocking of various configurations to adapt to changing class sizes
learning clusters and future learning methods
"We wanted to turn this idea upside down and create spaces that are sustainable
cost-effective whilst fun and exciting to be in," said Chris Bosse
The concept received a commendation in the Australian Future Proofing School competition
Source: Future Proofing Schools, LAVA
Eberlestock has some new and re-designed gear for those who will be tracking elk or going downrange
Eberlestock is a company known for its load-carrying backpacks in both hunting and military circles
but has been expanding their offerings to clothing and other products in the past few years
I think its great to see such a large company taking feedback and improving their gear with redesigns
let’s dig into what’s new and what’s been tweaked
Eberlestock/Clothing Coverage on AllOutdoor
“The Team Elk Pack is unlike any other backpack on the market
It has unique features like the patented rifle-back scabbard
a comfortable aluminum frame meant to carry heavy loads and a meat carrying system that allows the pack to be separated from the frame for packing out game from the backcountry
and stretch-material pockets throughout the exterior of the pack
On the interior of the pack you will find stretch pockets and a hydration sleeve and hook.”
With so many changes coming to this fan favorite pack
Eberlestock has a video dedicated to explaining the differences
“The Vapor 2500™ is the smaller of our ultra-lightweight series of EMOD™ packs with a capacity of 2800 cubic inches
Designed specifically around the F1 Mainframe™ (F1 Mainframe not included)
the Vapor Series is our most versatile and lightweight pack system
The V25 has all of the same great features as our larger 5000 pack but in more compact
The external features of this pack include extended-depth stretch pockets designed to securely hold items like drink bottles
the center front panel is made from the same 140D two-way stretch material and features a zippered pocket for quick access to essential items
you can choose between camouflage options constructed with 450D Aramid reinforced ripstop material or solid colorways made from 500D Nylon ripstop fabric
One notable feature is the removable Duraflex HD 25mm buckles
which enable you to expand the pack away from the frame
This creates a channel that allows you to carry meat bags or heavy loads close to your body and at the center of gravity for improved balance and comfort
as well as incorporate a tactical weapon-sized scabbard
the X31 LoDrag II™ has been a staple in the precision rifle world
the LoDrag II features a fold-away shelf to segregate the top and bottom load space and a hydration sleeve for our WX2L and WXP3L hydration systems
Side compression straps now feature HD 25mm buckles for the quick release of items like tripods compressed to the side of the pack.”
the EMOD lid allows the user to add capacity to their pack when they need it and can easily remove it when not needed
“The EMOD Lid attaches to the Vapor (both 2500 and 5000c.i
old and new versions) and Mainframe system in 4 locations using quick-detach gatekeeper buckles
The EMOD Lid allows you to add additional capacity to the Vapor for smaller items and utilize the EMOD Lid to compress items between it and the top of the Vapor pack
The EMOD Lid features a top pocket made of durable stretch fabric
and a main compartment large enough to store accessories and small gear items.”
“The EMOD Game Bag is designed to protect meat from any element
and durable fabrics that trap odor and won’t fail
The EMOD Boned Out Game Bags are designed to protect meat from any element
and durable fabrics that trap odor and won’t fail.”
These are both products that just make a lot of sense
and I’m surprised to see that Eberlestock is just bringing them to market now
This definitely seams like a good product to have when packing out large amounts of meat in the backcountry or just for travel
Say hello to a lightweight packing cube solution for holding your clothing or other miscellaneous gear
these pouches will help you organize your smaller and larger items
“The Grid Pouch is lightweight and durable
designed to fit securely within our configurable panels found in the Bang-Bang
The Grid Pouch also functions well as an organizational pouch to be placed in any pack for convenient and secure storage of small items
nylon ripstop allows for a quick review of the contents at a moment’s glance
and it comes in 3 sizes for any kit or configuration.”
For more information and pricing be sure to check out Eberlestock’s website Here
Patrik Orcutt
Patrik is a freelance photographer who has been lucky enough to see a lot of the world and document his travels with his camera
government as a Public Affairs Officer documenting Multi-National Special Forces Training around the World
He is currently working on becoming a Blackhawk Pilot for the Army while being an avid gear junky and outdoor enthusiast
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