Alternative Fertility Monitoring in 2018: San Francisco-based Modern Fertility develops economical at-home hormone test

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Women are putting off having children to build up a career and economic status. Those in their 30s are having more children than women in their 20s. However, as women age, hormonal changes follow thus affecting the chances of conceiving.

Modern Fertility, a San Francisco-based startup, wants to help women ignite important fertility conversations with their doctors. To do so, Modern Fertility created an at-home hormone test. The test can be ordered online where a doctor will review the order and customize it based on the type of birth control a client is on. Once it arrives, one can choose to be tested at home or at a local Quest Diagnostics lab. The at-home test simply requires the client to prick her finger and collect a blood sample–the accumulated blood should then be placed onto the provided test strip. The strip is then sent to a CLIA Certified lab where it is tested for nine hormones. Once reviewed by a physician, a private profile is sent back that explains how hormone levels may affect the number of eggs a woman has left, if her process of ovulation is normal, and other red flags that could affect a fertility window. Other trackable signals include if the onset of menopause could happen at an earlier age, and if egg freezing or IVF is the right way to go.

Carley Leahy and Afton Vechery co-founded Modern Fertility. “We’re really speaking to women much earlier in life who know that a career may be important and they may want to have children down the road, but want to be able to check in proactively,” Leahy said. “Modern Fertility is the first step for women. We’re really working with women before they get to a doctor’s office and giving them this information so that they can have a more informed conversation with their doctor,” Vechery said. “We found that you can go to a fertility clinic and take simple blood tests to check in on where you stand. But no everyone can afford them and the results can be tricky to decipher. We use information to get smart about everything in our lives—relationships, money, school. Why is something as formative as fertility still a black box?,” a statement from Leahy and Vechery said.

The Modern Fertility hormone test costs $199 compared to a $600 clinical doctor consultation. The company still recommends consulting with your doctor about any test results. More information about Modern Fertility can be found by clicking here.

Are you making fertility monitoring more accessible or convenient? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of California. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in California, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Slurpee Inspires Improvements to Surgical Device: Engineering students at UT Austin develop ClearCam, solution for laparoscope obstruction

surgery

Inspiration for an invention can be found anywhere, and students at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin are proof of such statement. The keen graduate students noticed that a Slurpee straw, with it’s shovel-like end, is the perfect size and shape to act as a squeegee for a laparoscope. For the sake of context, a laparoscope is a fiberoptic camera tool used during minimally invasive surgery procedures so surgeons can see the interior of a body. During a procedure, the laparoscope can become foggy and covered with bodily fluids and solids—not exactly ideal when conducting a surgery from the outside.

Under the guidance of associate professor of mechanical engineering Chris Rylander, the students designed a scoop-like shaped device that keeps the view of the internal camera clear. “This is a problem faced by surgeons every day,” said Rylander. “When a laparoscope gets dirty in the body—due to condensation or contact with blood or fatty tissue, visibility is diminished. Surgeons must stop the procedure, pull the laparoscope out of the body, wipe it off and return to the task at hand, extending the time to complete the procedure and simultaneously generating potential safety concerns.” With the increase of antibiotic resistance and MRSA, less time out of the body reduces the risk of short and long-term complications.

Rylander was approached by Dr. John Uecker of UT’s Dell Medical School who was looking for a solution to the obstructed laparoscope problem. The invention is appropriately named the ClearCam. It works by using a geometrically altered polymer that can be controlled externally to remove obstructions from the laparoscope lens without scratching it. The design of the ClearCam is based off previous prototypes that were improved to meet the needs of surgeons across the U.S.

Are you improving surgical methods? How about creating new tools that could revolutionize the operating room? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Finding the Vulnerable with Biometrics, Artificial Intelligence: Atlanta’s Trust Stamp to aid in locating those lost to human trafficking

security

Artificial intelligence may put an end to a long-running industry: human trafficking.

The average age a minor enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14 years old–many of the victims being runaway girls who were sexually abused. According to dosomething.org, trafficking involves various forms of exploitation, such as forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography. Thankfully, Attorney Generals in the U.S. and Mexico are planning to implement a new system that will help to locate victims of human trafficking.

Trust Stamp, an Atlanta-based startup, will be providing the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the life-saving technology. According to the company website, “[Trust Stamp] creates proprietary artificial intelligence solutions; researching and leveraging facial biometric science and wide-scale data mining to deliver insightful identity & trust predictions while identifying and defending against fraudulent identity attacks.”

“We authenticate … by applying multiple proof-of-liveness/attack detection techniques to a still image of video (“secure selfie”),” the company website said. Artificial intelligence then compares the secure selfie to a photo ID and/or images that were taken from social media (“pattern matching”)—this is to verify an identity. “The secure selfie is then converted to a 3-D mask and a biometric hash that is stored on a server and/or Blockchain. The hash can be used for subsequent authentications or to attach and access relevant data.” Having been implemented within banking platforms to increase security, how does this technology apply to the sex trade?

To summarize, a similar system will use facial recognition data that is pulled from photos that families of missing individuals have submitted to build a shared database network. In return, a probable match will then alert lawmakers if said individual is caught on a security or other public camera. By separating biometric data into 128 individual measures, it can then be converted to a non-reversible identifying sequence, otherwise known as a ‘hash’. The hash is not considered to be personal identifier information and can be shared or stored across public or private databases.

To keep the AI solutions up to par, the company utilizes GPU processing and neural-networks to process data faster than has ever been previously possible. In return, this recognition technology will help to locate missing children and other people in the sex trade by relying on superiorly quick and accurate recognition techniques.

For more information on Trust Stamp, please visit the company website by clicking here. You may also view the video below.

Are you developing a way to save lives with AI? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Georgia. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Georgia, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

“Alexa, schedule a video call with Dr. Smith”: Austin-based startup Medici advances telehealth

telehealth

Doctor visits are a pain, and not because of that irritating chest infection or scorching fever. Wait times in the U.S. have increased 30 percent over the past four years, and that percentage is likely to rise over time, according to an article by Medscape. There is good news, though. Medici, a telehealth startup based in Austin, Texas, wants to make your doctor visits more efficient and less stressful by way of your mobile device.

Apart from doctors being overloaded, “they are buried with regulatory requirements, administrative hurdles and downward pressure on their own costs to run their practices. This burden is increasingly taking time away from doctors’ ability to focus on what really matters: providing great care for patients,” a statement from the Medici website said. “We are driven by a singular purpose. To change the doctor-patient relationship. The world is changing and healthcare must come along, too.”

The Medici application, referred to as the “WhatsApp of healthcare”, combines five principles: speed, harmony, ambition, resourcefulness and excellence. The app allows patients to contact doctors, be it physicians, dentists, therapists, even veterinarians, via text message or video call; all from a single platform. A diagnosis can be made over the app, which in return can reduce the number of patients in the waiting room. Patients can ask their doctors to join the app, or doctors can invite their patients to use it. For more context, check out the video below.

“Patients also face a growing burden, carrying more of their own healthcare costs and spending an average of 121 minutes on each medical visit they have,” the Medici website continued. “Our goal is to make global, innovative technology that will transform and truly inspire the world of healthcare.”

Are you developing new technologies to improve healthcare? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Preventing School Shootings in Texas: App encourages youth to collaborate with officials

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In a world dominated by smartphone usage, a developer has created a solution for bridging the gap between an unlikely duo: law enforcement officials and students. How so? By way of an app, of course.

Developed by Microassist, a primary training vendor for the State of Texas, the DPS (Department of Public Safety) application, iWatch Texas, will allow teachers, students and parents to report anything deemed suspicious, which in return could save numerous lives.

“It’s the first statewide mobile app of its kind in the U.S. that helps citizens track, identify and report on potential criminal activity. With the rise of the mobile generation, organizations with mission critical content – like DPS – greatly benefit from expanding their reach to a wider and technologically oriented audience,” said Microassist’s CEO, Sanjay Nasta in an official press release on the company’s website.

“Making sure the information is forwarded to the correct agency is a big part of this. Before, the information might now go to the right people, might not go in a timely manner, might not be there when the information is needed,” said Lieutenant Nick Bristow of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. “[The application] gives law enforcement and school administrators a chance to intervene before it’s too late.”

The app already encompasses useful features, such as information on most wanted fugitives, sex offenders and human trafficking. Reports are transmitted to the Austin Regional Intelligence Center (North Texas Fusion Center in McKinney for the Dallas/Fort Worth area) where the information is then vetted and passed along to analysts from local, state and federal agencies. The information is used to gather intelligence and vet security threats, and is then passed on to local law enforcement agencies and school districts, respectively.

The suspicious activity reporting feature mentioned in this article will have a separate application in the future, according to an article by NBCDFW. The iWatch Texas application, along with an official overview, can be found by clicking here.

Are you developing an application that can save lives? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Saving Lives—with Wallpaper?: Researchers design wallpaper that detects fire

fire kitchen safety

If you’re redecorating your home, consider wallpaper; it may save your life.

At the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Ying-Jie Zhu and a team of researchers have developed a wallpaper that is made from environmentally friendly, non-flammable materials. On top of this impressive feat, the wallpaper can also prevent the spread of a fire and set off an alarm when there is a fire present. This development is great news for those who wish to be a bit more conscious of their interior surroundings. Traditional wallpaper is highly flammable because it is made up of plant cellulose fibers–not exactly something you want to line your walls with should you wish to prevent a fire from spreading.

The flame retardant paper is thanks to the same component that is found in bones and teeth: hydroxyapatite. The nanowires that are within the paper are coated with the hydroxyapatite substance. In an interview with Phys.org, Zhu said “the fire-resistant wallpaper has a white color, mechanical robustness, and high flexibility, it can be processed into various shapes, dyed with different colors, and printed with a commercial printer. Therefore, the fire alarm fire-resistant wallpaper has promising applications in high-safety interior decoration to save human lives and reduce the loss of property in a fire disaster.”

The nanowires that connect to the alarm are dependent on the burn off of graphene oxide–the material that, when completely burned off, cannot complete the circuit and set off the alarm. The researchers found this substance burned off too quickly, thus only set the alarm off for three seconds–not long enough to awaken a sound sleeper. To overcome this problem, the researchers modified the graphene with polydopamine, a natural polymer, which reduces the thermal response of the compound, thus allowing the alarm to sound for over five minutes. Graphene oxide also acts as an insulating material for electricity at room temperature, and when exposed to heat, becomes highly conductive–perfect for a sensor to set off an alarm.

The researchers hope to expand and increase production of the wallpaper while remaining environmentally conscious.

For a more information on the wallpaper, please click here.

 

Are you developing a technology or material that can save lives? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Disease to Ease: Allen Institute develops 3D cell model to aid disease research

microscope

A Seattle-based research organization, the Allen Institute for Cell Science, has developed an Integrated Cell program that shows the various organelles within cells, specifically stem cells—even if they haven’t been mapped yet.

In a summary from the institutes’ Integrated Cell website, “the Allen Integrated Cell unites two technologies to improve our understanding of how human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) vary in both shape and organization. One is a deterministic model, which shows the organization of organelles in particular individual cells, and the other model is probabilistic – showing likely shapes and locations for organelles in any cell – even for cells we have not studied.” To put the probabilistic model into visual perspective, here’s a diagram that outlines the variation model:

”This is a new way to see inside living human cells. It’s like seeing the whole cell for the first time. In the future, this will impact drug discovery, disease research and how we frame basic studies involving human cells,” said Rick Horwitz, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Allen Institute.

The new modelling method will also help to reduce fluorescence toxicity in cells when they are being studied. “Fluorescence microscopy is expensive and toxic to cells; increasingly so when you tag multiple structures,” said Molly Maleckar, Ph.D., Director of Modeling. “Our approach allows scientists to view cells and conduct experiments at the reduced cost of brightfield microscopy, with the structure-identifying power of fluorescence microscopy – and without its toxic effects. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

The full press release can be found here.

Are you pushing the technological boundaries of disease research or cellular biology? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

“Be seen. Be safe.”: Smart helmet pairs with Apple Watch, signals via hand gestures

bike lock station

The days of pushing signal lights on a bike’s handle bars are over—say hello to the Lumos helmet. The helmet (compatible with iOS) allows riders to signal which way they will turn with nothing more than a hand gesture.

To do so, riders simply pair the helmet with their iPhone via Bluetooth, which is then calibrated with the appropriate hand signals via the Apple watch. When in use, the hand motions that were calibrated are then displayed via 11 LED lights, almost like the blinker on a vehicle.

This innovative Lumos helmet not only protects cyclists that choose to go on a midnight ride, but it also offers various impressive tracking qualities, such as distance traveled, speed, and time. The helmet can even sense when a rider is applying the brakes to slow down, which again, looks similar to when a vehicle puts on the brakes; except it’s on the back of the rider’s head.

The Lumos website describes its product as “the world’s first smart bike helmet that beautifully integrates lights, hard brake, turn signals, and helmet into a single cohesive whole.” The helmet is weatherproof and safety certified. It also boasts a rechargeable battery and integrated lights. Check it out for yourself by clicking here.

“Lumos started with a pair of engineers asking themselves how they could improve their own cycling experience and safety on the road. We loved commuting to work by bike, but all too often it’d feel so dangerous. So we decided to make a solution. A helmet that can make us and our intentions more visible. We announced the idea out to the public and fellow cyclists seemed to love it. The rest is history.”

Are you developing a technology that helps with the well-being and safety of cyclists? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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Swanson Reed is the largest specialist R&D tax credit consulting firm in the United states.  We solely provide services related to the R&D credit and are the only firm in the United States to offer free live webinars on a daily basis. Click here for more information.

Surviving Hurricanes and Hopelessness: App to ‘rescue’ those in need, post-natural disaster

phone

The frequency of natural disasters is on the rise in the United States. From Hurricane Katrina, to the more recent Hurricane Irma, the need for efficient, temporary resettlement for displaced persons will, arguably, also rise. The good news? There may be an app for that!

Adam Huminsky and Brian Hilinski, founders of the Charlotte-based startup, Harmany, were tired of watching evacuees struggle to find places for temporary shelter in the wake of catastrophic events, such as hurricanes. Huminsky said, “People have grown tired of watching disasters unfold, with no way to help until much later […] Harmany was created to give everyone the ability to make a difference in the moment.” The application connects the profile of an evacuee (person with needs) with a host (person with offerings). In an article featured on techstartups.com, “After completing a series of security measures, profiles are visible on an interactive map. Harmany believes secure matches can be made in as little as two hours.”

The app will offer other benefits, such as less crowding on roads, specifically evacuation routes, which translates to safer highway conditions. There is hope that the application will also reduce surge pricing for essential needs, such as hotel rooms.

Developing an app that will improve the lives of others? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative