December 16, 2021 – Page 3 – Indonesia News Gazette

December 16, 2021

Hyris Fully Embraces the Immunology Sector to Better Fight COVID-19 and Beyond, Presenting Its New, Disruptive T-Cell Test to the International Conference ‘A-Wish’

Hyris is going to present its new test to detect the body’s T Cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 on 17 December 2021, at “A-WISH”, Alicante-Winter Immunology Symposium in Health, which will address strategies for the COVID-19 response and the development of the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. This new solution leverages the Hyris System™, a proprietary platform that enables genetic testing in any setting, at any time, with results available in real-time through its AI-powered platform.

Hyris presents its disruptive T-Cells test to detect the body’s immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

LONDON, Dec. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps causing concerns, with new variants spreading worldwide, it is now widely recognized that we must move beyond a “test&trace” only approach. World leaders and health institutions today aim to achieve high immunity rates among the population, facing the unprecedented challenge of a worldwide vaccination campaign against an emerging virus, for which no vaccine existed until a year ago.

“Alongside with our genetic tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 anywhere, and at any time, we knew that we had to put our knowledge at the service of vaccination campaigns even further, leveraging the versatility of our AI platform to deliver a new kind of immunology test.” So says Stefano Lo Priore, Founder and CEO at Hyris, a global biotech company renowned for its innovative and inclusive approach to genetic analysis. Hyris offers a wide range of solutions to support the fight against COVID-19 worldwide. Several Medical professionals and decision-makers have already made use of the Hyris System^TM to reliably detect the presence of all the main Variants of Concern.

As a key part of a long-term strategy to fight COVID-19, Hyris keeps supporting Immunology Research, now presenting its new test to detect the body’s T Cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 on 17 December 2021, at “A-WISH”, Alicante-Winter Immunology Symposium in Health. Organized by the Spanish Society of Immunology (SEI) and the University of Alicante (UA), the “A-WISH” Symposium promotes the advancement of the study of immunology, infectious diseases and vaccinology as well as Life and Health Sciences. This first edition specifically aims to address strategies for the COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness, the development of the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and the immunological response to infection and different COVID-19 vaccines.

“Until now, antibody testing has been considered the only tool to measure immunity to SARS-CoV-2,” explains Isabella Della Noce, Chief Biologist at Hyris, “but individuals exposed to the virus or vaccinated do not necessarily develop or maintain antibody positivity. That is why we need to focus on T-Cells as they act together with antibodies to prevent pathogen spread and remove virus-infected cells. An individual negative to an antibody test could still be immune, thanks to responsive T-Cells. Therefore, measuring T-Cells response is a new disruptive approach to fight SARS-CoV-2.”

The new Hyris T-Cells clinical Test was developed through exclusive agreements between Hyris and some illustrious healthcare scientific organizations, such as with Singapore Duke-NUS Medical School and New York Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, both well renowned worldwide for their publications and studies within the immunology and virology fields.

“This new test enables quick evaluation of T-cell immune responses in COVID-19 convalescent patients as well as vaccinated people, also indicating where patients are responsive due to vaccination, virus exposure or both,” specifies Lorenzo Colombo, Global Chief Technical Officer at Hyris. “And that’s where PCR testing comes into the picture. Not only data show that PCR is fully comparable in accuracy and sensitivity with other assays traditionally used to measure the body’s immune response, but it is more convenient and faster as a widely used diagnostic technology. This is indeed a new dimension for vaccine strategies.”

This new test workflow has been already adopted by international research projects and committees, such as VACCELERATE, the European Program for the acceleration of phase 2 & 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials and the creation of a pan-European platform for clinical trial design and conduct, and the Spanish governmental Project Ene-Covid, the “Estudio Nacional de sero-Epidemiología de la Infección por SARS-CoV-2 en España“.

“To support and validate vaccination campaigns worldwide, we need much greater access to accurate tests, especially in the Immunology field,” concludes Lo Priore. “This disruptive approach can also be applied to other immunology areas, such as oncology or related to even more specific human pathogens. It can also focus strategically on specific patients’ categories, such as, for example, immune-compromised, transplanted or cancer patients. Our immune system really is the perfect “source-code” to our knowledge, about how to take care of life.”

The 2021 “A-WISH” Symposium will bring together a group of internationally recognized immunologists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, epidemiologists, virologists and professionals from a wide range of disciplines in the biomedical field to present and discuss the most recent results of top-tier immunology scientific research and innovations. Hyris will participate in the discussion, aiming to accelerate the development of new approaches to disease prevention.

Contact a Hyris expert to discover how to perform beyond your current diagnostic capability, at info@hyris.net.

A doctor holding a tablet showing the HYRIS bAPP™

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Hyris presents its disruptive T-Cells test to detect the body’s immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

December 16, 2021

TouchRetouch Gets Brand-New Features, Smarter Technologies, and Fresh Design

TouchRetouch 5.0 is bringing new powerful features covering such challenging object removal cases as editing out things that are close to other objects, eliminating meshes blocking nice views, and a few more great additions giving a smooth and pleasing retouching experience.

Object-Aware Touch-Ups

BERLIN, Dec. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ADVA Soft has announced the long-awaited 5.0 update of its TouchRetouch object remover beloved by many photography lovers. The update offers new helpful tools for dealing with such challenging cases as editing out objects that are close to other objects and eliminating meshes from photos. The app now also offers a smoother 360° photo editing experience, new options for more flexible line removal, more appealing interface, and many more enhancements.

The team has done a great deal of work on the way to making the app even more efficient in terms of saving users’ time and making the interaction with the app more harmonious and pleasant.

Object-Aware Retouching

The new algorithm allows solving complex content removal cases where two objects are adjacent and you want to remove one of them — it will erase an undesired item while leaving a clean finish near the edges. The smart blending technology implemented in the algorithm will mix the pixels properly so that no smears are produced.

Flexible Line Removal

With the new Auto & Manual modes as well as the selection control points in the Lines tool, it’s now possible to adjust the shape and thickness of linear objects with more precision.

Mesh Removal Like Magic

The app’s brand-new mesh detection and removal algorithm is capable of automatically finding, selecting, and eliminating meshes from images in almost no time. No need to routinely mark each line in a mesh. Pure magic!

Other Cool New Stuff

• Restore/Reapply brushes: With the newly added Restore and Reapply features, you can bring lost pixels back when needed and re-add the same changes to a photo.

• New source modes in Clone Stamp: The source pointer can be locked in one place so that it doesn’t move around, or it can be set to slide back to its initial position, thus making it easier to clone textures.

• Smoother 360° photo editing: Navigation around a spherical panorama is more enjoyable now; no need to leave the 360° View to move to another part of a photo or switch to another menu or tool.

• Resize option: Now it’s possible to downsize images to the desired dimensions.

• Interface improvements: It’s possible to choose among the Light, Dark, and System appearances as well as experiment with different app icon looks. Users can also feel more comfortable when selecting photos with a few new gallery views.

Pricing and Availability

TouchRetouch 5.0 will be available for $3.99 and will require Apple devices running iOS and iPadOS 13.0 or later.

About ADVA Soft: We are a team of like-minded professionals and enthusiastic innovators committed to designing smart yet simple apps aimed at creating magic in our users’ photos. At ADVA Soft, we are constantly experimenting with new ideas and developing new technologies to improve our products both functionally and visually. We pay much attention to UX and polish each and every UI element to make the interaction with it as comfortable as possible, because we believe that if a user has a great experience with the app, it brings positive emotions to him (her) and makes him (her) happy. And if a user is happy, we are happy too.

Press Contact

Kostyantyn Svarychevskyy

svk@adva-soft.com

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Image 1: Object-Aware Touch-Ups

Smart editing at edges.

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Object-Aware Touch-Ups

December 16, 2021

Traceability Essential To Ensuring Sustainable Palm Oil Production At Scale

Published by
The Street

By PR Newswire SINGAPORE, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — After four (4) years of investment, and despite the constraints imposed by the global pandemic, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has achieved 95 percent traceability to the plantation for its entire supply chain. The company’s commitment to a fully traceable supply chain is based on its belief that traceability – knowing its supply chain – creates the necessary foundation to support industry level adoption of sustainable production practices. “Traceability helps us to build stronger relationships and trust with suppliers. The information trace… Continue reading “Traceability Essential To Ensuring Sustainable Palm Oil Production At Scale”

December 16, 2021

Blacklist, ONIC sweep foes to stay in title hunt at M3 World Championship

Published by
Philippine Star

Michelle Lojo – Philstar.com December 16, 2021 | 9:38am MANILA, Philippines — Filipino teams Blacklist International and ONIC Philippines showed the world why the Philippines is one of the top countries in esports. Both teams swept opponents Keyd Stars from Brazil and top contender RRQ Hoshi of Indonesia Wednesday to stay alive in the M3 World Championship in Singapore, with the Philippines the only country remaining with two representatives still in the tournament. Blacklist International was the first to advance. The back-to-back MPL PH champions came from a much-needed win against Indonesia… Continue reading “Blacklist, ONIC sweep foes to stay in title hunt at M3 World Championship”

December 16, 2021

SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Reminds Shareholders Of Hoegh LNG Partners Lp Of A Class Action Lawsuit And A Lead Plaintiff Deadline Of December 27, 2021 – HMLP

Published by
The Street

By PR Newswire NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP: To:All persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired securities of Hoegh LNG Partners Lp (“the Partnership”) (HMLP) – Get Hoegh LNG Partners LP Report between August 22, 2019 and July 27, 2021. You are hereby notified that a securities class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. To get more information go to: https://www.zlk.com/pslra-1/hoegh-lng-partners-lp-loss-submission-form?wire=4 or contact Josep… Continue reading “SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Reminds Shareholders Of Hoegh LNG Partners Lp Of A Class Action Lawsuit And A Lead Plaintiff Deadline Of December 27, 2021 – HMLP”

December 16, 2021

To address sexual violence, ensuring victims’ rights crucial

Behind the high enclosure of a religious boarding school complex in Cibiru, West Java, Herry Wirawan, the school’s leader, allegedly raped 21 female students over a span of five years, without parents, neighbors, and law enforcers finding out.

Wirawan reportedly forced the students, some of whom even got pregnant and gave birth to babies, to perform menial jobs. He allegedly used the babies to invite unsuspecting benefactors to donate money to the school.

Wirawan’s actions may seem beyond comprehension, yet every act of rape is irrational and can never be justified.

Rapists are known to exploit unequal power relations and threaten their victims from reporting their ordeal to the authorities. Often, they compel victims to hide their suffering and not seek help from families, relatives, and neighbors.

According to experts, in most rape cases, the suspects are often the husband, teacher, manager, or people who are in some position of actual or presumed authority, or are physically more powerful.

Wirawan repeatedly told students to be obedient to teachers, no matter what the teacher does. The case only unraveled after a student’s parent found her with a pregnancy test and filed a police case, on behalf of the student, against Wirawan.

Unfortunately, in many rape cases, police complaints are made by proxy as the victims are too frightened by the threats of the suspects to file a report on their own.

Law is yet to favor victims

As per the current legal code, rape suspects are charged under Article 285 of the national criminal code and if the rape victim is underage, then the child protection law is also applied. Under both laws, convicted rapists face 15 until 20 years of imprisonment.

Despite the national criminal code setting a harsh prison sentence for convicted rapists, the victims’ interests, including convenience in reporting rape and assurance of recovery assistance, are yet to be addressed by Indonesian law.

Apart from the lack of legal protection, rape victims who confront their own fears to come forward and report the crime to the police also need to brave prejudice and stigma, sometimes even from law enforcers who ask insensitive questions, attempt to shift the blame to them, or place the burden of proof on the victims, experts said.

Cases of unpleasant police treatment of rape victims have repeatedly surfaced, with one notable case reported recently in Riau province.

Upon receiving a complaint from a victim, identified as Z, aged 19, who was gang-raped by four suspects and lost her baby in the ordeal, two police officers in North Tambusai, Riau, instead threatened Z after she objected to how they were handling the case.

“Well, this must conclude by tomorrow. I will wait for you at 8 a.m. in my office, and if you are not there after 10 p.m., I will make you the suspect instead,” a police officer, in a threatening tone, reportedly told Z, warning her to cooperate with the police even though the solution they offered did not favor her.

After a recording of the encounter went viral on social media, the police officers were transferred to another unit for violating the code of conduct and Z received psychological assistance from the authorities.

Reviewing several sexual violence cases that first came to light from social media posts instead of from police investigations, and other cases of improper and insensitive police handling, no wonder residents have begun to question the effectiveness of the police force in handling sexual violence cases.

Moreover, we must understand that besides convicting rape suspects for their crime, victims’ rights for assured recovery and compensation are equally essential. The victim should not be left to seek a remedy for their physical and psychological duress on their own.

Sexual violence prevention bill urgent need

The sexual violence prevention bill has become an urgent requirement that must be supported by all parties, including the government, parliament, law enforcers, and members of the public, who claim to side with sexual violence victims.

After an intensive public campaign and compromise among parliament members, the House of Representatives’ Legislative Body designated the sexual violence prevention bill as a legislature-initiated law on December 8, 2021, taking the one crucial step before the eventual ratification of the bill into law.

The bill, first proposed as the Sexual Violence Eradication Bill, has been repeatedly been included in the national legislation program, yet opposition from several members of the public and parliamentary parties who could not reach a compromise delayed the bill’s progress, forcing the deliberation process to be continued to the next parliamentary term.

Among all parliamentary fractions represented in the legislature, seven parties have expressed their support to the final draft, while the Golkar Party faction has said that the bill’s drafting process needs to be given more time, and the Prosperous Justice Party fraction has opposed the bill.

The National Commission of Violence Against Women has also expressed support for the bill since 2010. The organization had conceived the proposed bill draft in 2014, and submitted academic papers to support the bill to the parliament in 2016.

Members of the public have praised the provisions of the sexual violence prevention bill which, apart from enacting hefty sentences for rape suspects, also assure victims’ rights, including the convenience of reporting, assistance in physical and psychological recovery, and other enumerated rights.

President Joko Widodo has responded positively to the progress made on the bill and has instructed ministries and institutions to coordinate for the swift passage of the bill.

The President’s instruction culminated in the formation of the Sexual Violence Prevention Bill Advancement Task Force, led by Law and Human Rights Deputy Minister Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, who reiterated his determination to push the bill till its ratification as law.

While the government and the parliament have lent their support for the bill, they must prove their commitment by passing the bill soon, because as long as the bill does not become law, women in Indonesia will have one layer less to protect themselves from sexual predators.

Source: Antara News

December 16, 2021

BI holds benchmark interest rate at 3.5%

Bank Indonesia (BI) has decided to maintain the benchmark interest rate or the BI 7-Day Reverse Repo Rate (BI7DRR) at 3.5 percent following a meeting of its board of governors in Jakarta on Thursday.

The central bank has also kept the deposit facility and lending facility rates unchanged at 2.75 and 4.25 percent, respectively.

“This decision is in line with the need to maintain exchange rate stability and the financial system in the midst of low inflation forecasts and efforts to support economic growth,” BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said here on Thursday.

Going forward, BI will continue to optimize the entire policy mix to maintain the macroeconomic and financial system stability and support further economic improvement efforts through various measures, he added.

The first step will be to confirm the direction of the BI policy mix in 2022, as presented at the 2021 Bank Indonesia Annual Meeting on November 24, 2021, he said.

According to Warjiyo, BI’s monetary policy in 2022 will be directed more at maintaining stability in the financial markets.

Meanwhile, macroprudential policies, payment systems, deepening of money markets, and inclusive and green economic finance will seek to stoke economic growth, he said.

The second step will be to continue the rupiah exchange rate policy to maintain exchange rate stability in line with market fundamentals and mechanisms, and the third step will be to continue the monetary operations strategy to strengthen the effectiveness of the accommodative monetary policy, he added.

The fourth step will be to strengthen the transparency policy of the Basic Loan Interest Rate (SBDK) by deepening the development of the spread of credit interest rates to deposit rates per bank group, Warjiyo said.

The fifth step will be to continue the validity period of the tariff of Bank Indonesia National Clearing System (SKNBI) of Rp1 from the Central Bank to banks, and a maximum of Rp2,900 from banks to customers, he added.

The sixth step will be to add 15 million Quick Response Indonesia Standard (QRIS) users by 2022 to encourage an increase in QRIS transactions through coordination with payment service providers and relevant ministries/institutions, and the seventh step will be to facilitate trade and investment promotions to continue socializing the use of Local Currency Settlement (LCS), he informed.

“In December 2021 and January 2022, there will be investment promotions in China and Finland,” Warjiyo said.

Source: Antara News

December 16, 2021

BRIN creates tech to turn wood waste into chip block pallets

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has developed a technology to process wood waste into environmentally friendly composite products in the form of chip block pallets of export quality.

“The technology for utilizing wood waste for environmentally friendly composite products in the form of chip block pallets can be a national model of solution for the national issue of lignocellulosic biomass waste, which is very rampant in Indonesia,” the deputy for research and innovation utilization at BRIN, Mego Pinandito, said here on Thursday.

According to the technology’s inventor, Sukma Surya K, chip block pallets are environmentally-friendly composite products, given that they are free from harmful formaldehyde emissions, and their raw materials are wood industry waste.

It also has superior load-bearing strength, exceptional resistance, and a simple installation method, he added.

According to Pinandito, the increase in the sale value of chip block pallet products is estimated at US$150 to US$250 per cubic meter.

He said its commercialization could reduce dependence on chip block pallets products imported from China. It could also create new jobs and solve environmental problems, he added.

The agency’s researchers are trying to increase the added value of wood industrial waste because its current market price is capped at just Rp200 per sack, he informed. Wood industry waste is usually utilized as a fuel in tofu factories, he said.

Meanwhile, the head of BRIN’s Life Sciences Research Organization, Iman Hidayat, said that the CBP production technology is a form of quick response by BRIN for assisting the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

In 2020, representatives from CV Kibti Furniture apprised the agency of the wood industry biomass waste issue in Jepara area, and its potential use for international standard chip block pallets production, he informed.

The Center for Excellence in Lignocellulosic Science and Technology of the Center for Biomaterials Research at BRIN then developed a chip block pallet prototype that was tailored to the needs of the industry, in response to the query, he said.

In 2021, the agency allocated funds to expedite the commercialization of composite pallet foot cushion products, he added. The product has been tested and has been well-received by the export market, he informed.

Source: Antara News