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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jurors in New Mexico have awarded a man more than $412 million in a medical malpractice case that involved a men’s health clinic that operates in several states. The man’s attorneys celebrated Monday’s verdict, saying they are hopeful it will prevent other men from falling victim to a scheme that involved fraud and what they described as dangerous penile injections. They said the jury award for punitive and compensatory damages is likely the largest in history for a medical malpractice case. The award follows a trial held in Albuquerque earlier this month that centered on allegations outlined in a lawsuit filed by the man's attorneys in 2020. NuMale Medical Center and company officials were named as defendants. According to the complaint, the man was 66 when he visited the clinic in 2017 in search of treatment for fatigue and weight loss. The clinic is accused of misdiagnosing him and unnecessarily treating him with “invasive erectile dysfunction shots” that caused irreversible damage. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts “This out of state medical corporation set up a fraudulent scheme to make millions off of conning old men by scaring them with a fake test,” Nick Rowley, the man's attorney, wrote in a social media post that detailed the verdict. Rowley went on to say that the scheme involved clinic workers telling patients they would have irreversible damage if they didn't agree to injections three times a week. NuMale Medical Center President Brad Palubicki said in a statement issued Tuesday that the company is committed to high-quality and safe patient care. He said NuMale disagrees with the verdict and intend to pursue all available legal remedies, including an appeal. A message seeking additional comment was left Wednesday with the company and its attorney. NuMale also has clinics in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin. According to court records, jurors found that fraudulent and negligent conduct by the defendants resulted in damages to the plaintiff. They also found that unconscionable conduct by the defendants violated the Unfair Practices Act.CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Sam Hines Jr. scored 17 points as SE Louisiana beat North Dakota 76-60 on Wednesday. Hines also had five rebounds for the Lions (3-4). Brody Rowbury added 13 points while going 3 of 9 and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line while they also had eight rebounds. Jakevion Buckley shot 4 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points. The Fightin' Hawks (3-4) were led by Amar Kuljuhovic, who posted 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Treysen Eaglestaff added 13 points for North Dakota. Dariyus Woodson also recorded 11 points and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The increased use of artificial intelligence by companies to innovate and be efficient, scaling AI across an organization poses various challenges, especially regarding data. The article presents strategic tips for businesses seeking to overcome these data challenges and scale their AI initiatives successfully. The quality of data is the basis for a successful AI project . It needs to be accurate, consistent, and complete. Ensuring the integrity of the data will be the output of the data governance framework, ensuring compliance with each of the regulations in force. That includes clear rules on data ownership, setting standards for formats of data and validation processes. Data governance also includes the formulation of policies regarding access and usage of data so that it is used ethically and responsibly. Considering data quality and governance before investing in scalable AI makes businesses realize that there is a need for strong, reliable data infrastructure support for scalable AI . For AI, businesses need scalable data infrastructure: Data management requires the organization to invest in cloud-based storage solutions and data processing capabilities. Cloud platforms give companies flexibility and scalability to have their big data stored and processed precisely in many business applications. The data lakes may be utilized for handling sources of varying data, which means they provide integration and analysis easily. Data lakes are the singular location for both structured and also unstructured data; these allow advanced analytics with model training of AI. A combination of ML and DevOps with the term for a set of practices that automates deployment, monitoring, and management is referred to as MLOps. This ensures the scalability, reliability, and maintainability of business AI models. MLOps is a continuous integration and continuous delivery pipeline of ML models , with automatic testing and monitoring as part of the model performance. Detects issues early and finds ways to correct them so the AI models will stay perfect and effective in their ability as they scale. Data literacy needs to be nurtured in the culture of the organization. There is a need to have data literacy across the organization so that people are incentivized to make more use of data in decision-making. Enhancing the skill of data skills through training and resource development may empower employees to use AI tools effectively. Creating a data-driven culture calls for leadership. It is essential to have a leadership body that advocates for data initiatives and shows the benefits that come with insights derived from data. It is through this leadership that it can provide a culture of innovation geared towards continuous improvement. There should be more stress on the ethical side as AI reaches every corner of human existence. In that regard, businesses ought not only to ensure that the systems they apply are transparent and fair but also remove any biases within datasets and algorithms, preserve people's security and privacy, and then be open about decision-making on AI. This is the best practice of the deployment of ethical AI; it creates trust among the customers and stakeholders. The risk will also be reduced with the help of deploying AI. In your organization, having an ethics committee or advisory board can ensure that the initiatives of AI have passed through ethical standards while overseeing its implementation. The role of collaboration at all levels from IT, and data science, to operations and business units is very critical when scaling AI. Interfunctional teams ensure that there are diverse experiences, creativity, and even business insights towards innovation and AI aligned with business strategy. Effective collaboration also involves transparent communication, defined roles, and responsibilities, and a shared vision for AI efforts. Thus, it can enable the speedy application of AI in the organization and the ultimate yield is bound to be even higher. Partnering with outside expertise and vendors can afford opportunities in scaling AI, from which one may partner with other AI research institutions, firms, and providers of technology. It incorporates special knowledge, tools, and platforms that would deliver an increment in AI competencies to the organization. To stay up to date with the latest innovations and the best practices happening in business by joining forums and industry conferences on AI. All such interaction with peers or professional networking gives you new insights and how to deal with these data-related challenges while scaling work on AI that can be done. There must be key performance indicators monitored; periodically too, and there must be auditors reviewing if it is, indeed, optimal in its time for the models of interest or updated as per newer datasets, and insights received. There are real-time feedback loops and performance dashboards in AI operations that would be data-driven to adjust the business. The approach ensures AI models are kept effective and aligned to the business objective. Scaling in AI holds significant potential for businesses when it comes to efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. Challenges include, however: data management and infrastructure. This ensures that data quality is paramount, investment into scalable infrastructure happens, embracing MLOps, and a culture is formed as data-driven so that with the focus being ethics, it can sail through such challenges and be scaled by its business with the help of AI. Constant optimization to a level combined with collaboration opportunities to avail the outside experience make all these possible: on their path to effectively scaling up impactful AI.Cloudflare Announces Date of Investor Day 2025
PARIS, Dec 11 — The 2030 Fifa World Cup will send dozens of football teams and hordes of fans crisscrossing the globe for matches on three continents, sparking alarm over the environmental cost. An announcement on the 2030 and 2034 World Cups will be made on Wednesday, with expectations of a dramatic expansion of geographic footprint — and with that planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions. While Saudi Arabia is the lone candidate for 2034, Morocco, Spain and Portugal have formed a joint bid for the 2030 tournament, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay each also set to host a match. Guillaume Gouze, of the Centre of Sports Law and Economics at the University of Limoges, said Fifa has a “moral responsibility” to integrate climate concerns into its tournament plans. Instead, he said, it had proposed World Cups that are an “ecological aberration”. ‘Crazy idea’ Benja Faecks of the NGO Carbon Market Watch, which evaluates climate promises of major events, told AFP that in general attempts at greenwashing in sport — or “sportswashing” — are harder than they used to be, with academics and campaigners holding organisations to account. But she said that the 2030 tournament was “an unfortunate geographic choice”. When an event is spread over sites thousands of kilometres apart, teams and potentially hundreds of thousands of their loyal fans have to travel by plane. The three matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are to mark the 100th anniversary of the event, which was born in Montevideo. Fifa is keen to support access to football across different parts of the world, said David Gogishvili, a researcher at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. But “it is a crazy idea in terms of the impact this choice will have on the planet”, he added. Fifa has already expanded participation in the competition, which will see 48 teams take part in the 2026 edition — held in Mexico, the United States and Canada — compared to 32 in 2022. This “is almost worse than the Cup on three continents,” says Aurelien Francois, who teaches sports management at the University of Rouen in France. More teams means more fans wanting to visit the venues, more capacity needed in the hotel and catering sector, and more waste, among other issues. Fifa says that, with the exception of the games in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay “for 101 games, the tournament will be played in a footprint of neighbouring countries in close geographic proximity and with extensive and well developed transport links and infrastructure”. Meanwhile, oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco became a major sponsor earlier this year in a controversial deal that runs through to 2027. In October, an open letter from more than a hundred female professional footballers across 24 countries called for the deal to be cancelled on the grounds of human rights and environmental concerns, saying: “Fifa might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it alight”. Fan zones Just shrinking the geographic footprint is not enough, researchers said. While the 2022 World Cup was held in a “compact” site in Qatar, it was necessary to build new air-conditioned stadiums that were rarely reused. Potential improvements could include a policy of not awarding the World Cup to a city where everything has yet to be built, echoing a rule by the International Olympic Committee, said Gogishvili. Another idea to reduce air travel is to reserve a large proportion of stadium tickets for fans travelling from within a few hundred kilometres, and encourage transport by train. Gouze, like other experts interviewed by AFP, supports creating more fan zones in football-loving cities for “a collective experience” that recreates the stadium atmosphere in front of a big screen. But this would need Fifa to accept the impact on the economic profitability of the World Cup. Football fans are a reflection of the population as a whole, so a growing percentage are more environmentally conscious than even a few years ago, said Ronan Evain of Hamburg-based Football Supporters Europe. He said that while co-hosting is not a problem in and of itself, citing the example of the 2002 Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, the 2030 tournament poses “too many questions” for fans. These include the environmental costs, as well as financial considerations for fans trying to follow their teams across the planet. But die-hard supporters will not let the long-haul flight put them off, said Antoine Miche, director of Football Ecologie France. “Passion can make you do things that don’t make sense,” he added. — AFP
All the talk regarding the Detroit Pistons has been about their much-improved roster. That talent will be tested tonight, as their best player will be sidelined. Cade Cunningham will miss the game against the Orlando Magic due to a left sacroiliac joint sprain. He suffered the injury during the Pistons’ 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets when he drove to the rim, drew contact, and fell on his back. Grabbing his tailbone as he rolled onto his stomach, Cunningham eventually got up to knock down two clutch free throws, giving the Pistons a 109-107 lead late in the fourth quarter. This is a significant loss for a Pistons team currently on a two-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Magic have been playing well, winning seven of their last eight games, including a 119-118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite missing Paolo Banchero since October 30th with a right oblique injury, the Magic have shown resilience, with Franz Wagner leading the charge. This is their first matchup this season; the Magic dominated the Pistons in last year’s series 4-0 with a 17.5-point margin. As the Pistons prepare for the tough task ahead, which players need to step up, and what do they need to do to secure a victory against this tough Magic team? Let’s dive in. Can Pistons Bounce Back Against Magic Without Cunningham? Who Needs To Step Up For The Pistons To Defeat The Magic Jaden Ivey Without Cunningham in the lineup, Jaden Ivey will assume point guard duties. However, he enters this game amid his worst stretch of basketball this season, averaging just 11.5 points on 6/23 shooting over his last two games. Yet, in 20 games without Cunningham last season, Ivey rose to the occasion, averaging 18.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 42.5/38.2/66.7% shooting. With the confidence Ivey has displayed this season—and the freedom he typically enjoys when Cunningham is out—expect a big game from him. Jalen Duren Jalen Duren was expected to have a breakout season, but his performances have been inconsistent so far. His last two games highlight this variance: on his 21st birthday , he dominated with 15 points and 22 rebounds (12 offensive), yet in the following game, he posted just five points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. Duren is more than capable of being a consistent double-double threat; he just needs to believe in his ability. With Isaiah Stewart’s increased production as of late, this could be the fuel Duren needs to solidify his place in the starting lineup. Tobias Harris After a shaky start to the season, Tobias Harris seems to be finding his stride. He played his best game of the year Thursday night, scoring 26 points on 10/16 shooting, including 6/9 from three. Harris has a proven ability to elevate his aggressiveness when needed. For the Pistons to win tonight, Harris will have to bring that same level of intensity and efficiency. Keys To Victory Defend the Three-Point Line Despite having a much-improved defense overall, the Pistons struggle to defend the three-point line. Teams are shooting 37.5% against them from deep, ranking Detroit 26th in the league. Opponents make 13.8 threes per game against the Pistons, placing them 19th . While Detroit does a solid job of limiting attempts (ranking ninth with 36.7 per game), when opponents find their rhythm, it often spells trouble. The Magic, however, are one of the NBA’s worst three-point shooting teams. They average just 11.8 makes per game (fifth worst) on 38.2 attempts (11th most) and shoot a league-low 30.9% from deep. Offensively, the Magic are among the weakest teams in the league, scoring only 106.8 points per game. If the Pistons can keep Orlando’s offense in that range, they’ll have a strong chance to win. Attack the Defense What the Magic lack offensively, they make up for on defense. Opponents score just 103.2 points per game against Orlando, the fewest in the league. Their 105.9 defensive rating ranks third in the NBA. Across all positions, the Magic boast elite defenders who excel at disrupting opponents. The Pistons must attack Orlando’s defense early and often. This approach could help a Detroit team that ranks 26th in the league in free-throw attempts (20.5 per game) and 29th in free-throw makes (15.6 per game). Capitalizing on these opportunities will be essential to overcoming the Magic’s defensive prowess. Slow Down Franz With Banchero sidelined, Franz Wagner has stepped up to carry the Magic’s offensive load. He’s riding a wave of confidence after sinking the game-winning three against the Lakers on Thursday. While Wagner shot just 28.1% from three last season, he has improved to 35% this year. Wagner’s contributions extend beyond scoring. He averages 5.4 assists, second on the team, and 5.6 rebounds, ranking fourth. To slow him down, Detroit’s perimeter defenders must stay disciplined, contest shots, and limit his space to establish a rhythm. The Final Word The Pistons face a challenging task without Cade Cunningham, particularly against a Magic team thriving on defensive intensity and balanced contributions. For Detroit to end its losing streak, players like Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Tobias Harris must step up. Defensive discipline on the three-point line and an aggressive offensive approach will be key. Containing Franz Wagner and forcing the Magic into inefficient possessions could tip the scales in Detroit’s favor. A win tonight would boost confidence and showcase the Pistons’ resilience and depth without Cunningham. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.Almost a month into the strike by 55,000 workers at Canada Post there’s still no apparent end in sight. There are no scheduled talks, the federal government declined yet again to get involved, and the Crown corporation continued to trade barbs with the Canadian Union of Postal Employees (CUPW). Late Tuesday afternoon the company said the union’s latest proposal would add $2.9 billion to Canada Post’s costs over the next four years. “We’ve reviewed the union’s demands and they are unaffordable and unsustainable, adding billions of dollars in long-term fixed costs and further restricting out ability to compete in today’s parcel market,” Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said. The union proposal, delivered through a federally-appointed arbitrator Monday, lowered wage demands to a 19 per cent increase over four years from the previous 24. It also included a 20-hour per week guarantee for part-time workers. CUPW didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the company’s cost estimate Tuesday, but in a memo to members, it denied Canada Post’s assertion that its latest proposal had widened the gap between the two sides. “Far from trying to ‘widen the gap’ in negotiations, the union’s intention is to help the parties come to negotiated agreements. CUPW wants nothing more than for its members to have good collective agreements, with their rights protected,” the memo said. In an emailed statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon urged the two sides to get back to bargaining, reiterating the government’s stance that it wouldn’t use back to work legislation or refer the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for binding arbitration. “Canada Post and CUPW need to reach a deal to put an end to their dispute. In order to do that, parties must get back to the negotiating table and be ready to resume talks. Canadians are counting on them,” said MacKinnon spokesperson Matthieu Perrotin. “Negotiated agreements are always the best way forward.” A series of back-and-forth proposals began last Sunday, after the union and Canada Post received a stern, closed-door talking-to from MacKinnon . Still, no formal mediation had taken place since Nov. 28, when the mediator called off talks , saying the two sides were too far apart to reach a deal. The strike began Nov. 15. Canada Post has previously said it offered wage increases totalling 11.5 per cent over four years and additional paid leave, while protecting the defined benefit pension and job security provisions. The union had called for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years, as well as suggesting that Canada Post expand into banking. The company is seeking to provide weekend deliveries and have a greater share of its staff working part-time. The union wants full-time workers to do weekend delivery, while the company wants to hire part-time staff to do the job. Unlike other high-profile contract disputes this year, in which the government asked the CIRB to order binding arbitration under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, the government doesn’t appear eager to intervene this time around, labour relations experts say. And those earlier interventions — in a nationwide lockout of rail workers, and in port worker disputes — are likely part of the reason the Canada Post strike has gone on so long, said Stephanie Ross, a labour studies professor at McMaster University. “There’s this narcotic effect on the parties when governments intervene. It dulls the pointy end of the stick — they don’t have to find where the compromises are,” said Ross. If anything, said Ross, there’s even more ample reason for the federal government to intervene in this strike, because it’s an existential crisis for both sides; Canada Post insists it needs flexibility, while the union is trying to avoid what it believes would be a two-tier labour force, with vast numbers of low-paid part-timers. Unlike in the rail and dock workers disputes, however, neither side in this dispute supports binding arbitration, said Brock University labour studies professor Larry Savage. “Do they only intervene when management asks for it? That’s what it looks like,” said Savage. And, added McMaster’s Ross, it’s a political hot potato: The minority Liberal government is being propped up by the labour-friendly NDP and Bloc Québécois, so it is reluctant to intervene. And the poll-leading Conservatives are likely content to see the strike continue because it could damage Liberal poll numbers even more, Ross said. “There’s a political impasse as much as there’s a bargaining impasse,” Ross said.
Sight Sciences Announces the Results of a Budget Impact Analysis for its TearCare® System for the Treatment of Meibomian Gland Disease (“MGD”) Showing Cost Savings Over Existing Reimbursed Treatment Options
Karl Malone picked as Child Protective Services director? No, claim is satire | Fact check
Back in 2019, Shiza Shahid set out to transform the cookware market forever. According to the Pakistani entrepreneur and social activist, the $23 billion category was “tired” and urgently needed “design and innovation.” And so, she launched Our Place, a brand specializing in aesthetically pleasing, multifunctional, nontoxic cookware. Nearly six years later, the company is a certified hit: It’s a social media sensation (largely because of its sleek designs and multiple color ways) and just recently, the new titanium version of its now-iconic Always Pan was named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2024. @shiza | Instagram RELATED: Is Enamel Cookware Non-Toxic? Our Top Picks According to Shahid, the key to Our Place’s continued success is its commitment to forward-thinking innovative designs in a great-looking package. “It was very important for us to bring joy and inspiration to the kitchen,” she told Forbes recently. “That’s what beautiful design is—it inspires you. Before Our Place, everything in the kitchen looked the same—black and stainless steel—and was hidden in the back of our cluttered cabinets.” She added: “We say our Always Pan is 10-in-1, but it’s really 11-in-1—enchantment is the eleventh function!” If you want to add a little bit of that enchantment to your kitchen, we’ve picked some of our favorite products from the brand below—from Always Pans to tableware to ovens and more. What is the Our Place pan made of? Our Place offers a wide range of pans and other cookware and bakeware items in a variety of materials. Its classic Always Pan design, for example, features a proprietary long-lasting ceramic non-stick coating called Thermakind, which is entirely free of PFAS. The pan is also available in “heirloom-quality” enameled cast iron , and as of 2024, the ultra-durable Titanium Always Pan Pro is available, too. Our Place BECOME A VEGNEWS VIP : Get exclusive product deals, freebies, and perks galore! According to the brand, the new titanium pan features a patented NoCo (“no-coating”), non-stick technology and a surface that is 300-percent harder than stainless steel. “It’s the first nonstick with zero coating,” Shahid told Forbes. “You can throw it in the dishwasher, scrub it with metal, light it on fire—it’s so easy to use and made to last a lifetime.” 7 product picks from Our Place Our Place offers great-looking, long-lasting, durable pans, but you can also buy everything from knives to ovens from the brand, too. Our Place When it comes to multi-purpose cookware, the new, sleek, hydrophobic Titanium Always Pan Pro is hard to beat. You can use it to sear, fry, bake, roast—you name it, the pan can do it. “It’s not too heavy or lightweight - feels great in my hand and everything cooks evenly without sticking,” says one reviewer on the Our Place website. Another adds: “Size is perfect and finish is beautiful.” Find it here Our Place If you’re short on cabinet space and don’t need to cater family-sized meals, the Mini Always Pan 2.0 is a great alternative to the larger options. Despite its size, it can do everything the original design can do, including baking, sautéing, braising, and so much more. Of course, it comes in multiple colors, including Sage, Spice, and Blue Salt. “Perfect pan for cooking a small meal for one person. Easy clean and healthy,” says one reviewer on the Our Place website. Find it here Our Place Our Place also offers a handy range of kitchen tools, including kitchen shears, a knife block, and a serrated slicing knife, but for a premium tool you can rely on to chop and mince multiple ingredients, check out the Everyday Chef’s Knife. “The best knife there is,” reads one Our Place website review. “Love the selection of colors, how comfortable it is to hold, and the sharpness of it.” Find it here Our Place With 36 pieces, Our Place’s premium, restaurant-grade, chip-resistant Complete Stacking Set has everything you need to fully stock or refresh your tableware, including mugs, platters, serving bowls, and salad plates. The glossy satin exterior of each piece will bring a touch of sophistication to your kitchen. “They stack perfectly and take up so little space,” says one buyer on the Our Place website. Find it here Our Place The Wonder Oven may be small—but do not underestimate its capabilities. The super efficient, high-performance countertop appliance can perform multiple functions, including air-frying, roasting, and baking, and it has multiple levels, so you can fit plenty of food inside. Plus, it looks great, thanks to its colorful retro design. “I’m surprised so much functionality can fit into such a small machine,” says one Our Place customer. Another added: “I don’t think I’ve needed my full-sized oven once since it arrived.” Find it here Our Place A Dutch oven is a kitchen must-have, especially if you enjoy cooking stews, casseroles, curries, and roasts. This one from Our Place comes with enameled cast iron , which means it won’t require any work to season before you use it. The design ticks all of the boxes: It’s sleek, good-looking, durable, and multifunctional. “The color is perfect and is great to even leave out on the counter. Has been perfect for soups & baking sourdough,” said one Our Place reviewer. Find it here Our Place Can’t decide between the Always Pan, the Perfect Pot, and bakeware? The Ultimate Cookware Set gives you the chance to buy everything. It boasts eight of the brand’s most popular pieces, making it the perfect investment for a full kitchen restock. Find it here DON'T MISS OUT : Get breaking news, recipes, and our weekly vegan deal by signing up for our FREE VegNewsletter Love Good Strong Coffee? Check Out These Top Espresso Makers How Important Is a Good Quality Kitchen Knife? Plus, the Best Blades to Try Now Ditch Toxic Black Plastic and Use These Safer Kitchen Utensils Instead JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Subscribe Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast. Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include shopping links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.NoneA greener, cleaner way to extract cobalt from 'junk' materials December 10, 2024 University of Pennsylvania As the demand for lithium-ion batteries escalates with the proliferation of mobile phone, electric vehicles and even pacemakers, key components in these powerhouses, like cobalt, face significant ethical and environmental concerns related to their extraction. Now, scientists have pioneered a safer, more sustainable solution to separate cobalt from ores or recycled materials via precipitate. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email Penn researchers led a collaborative effort pioneering safer, more sustainable technique to extract elements critical to battery-powered technologies. Findings pave the way for getting value from materials that would otherwise be considered waste. Siddarth Kara's bestseller, "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of Congo Powers Our Lives," focuses on problems surrounding the sourcing of cobalt, a critical component of lithium-ion batteries that power many technologies central to modern life, from mobile phones and pacemakers to electric vehicles. "Perhaps many of us have read how lithium-ion batteries are vital for energy storage technologies," says Eric Schelter, the Hirschmann-Makineni Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. "But how material that make up such batteries are sourced can be concerning and problematic, both ethically and environmentally." Schelter says that cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which supplies about 70% of the world's cobalt, raises concerns due to environmental degradation and unsafe working conditions, and that large-scale mining disrupts ecosystems, can contaminate water supplies, leaving lasting environmental damage. In addition, he notes that a looming cobalt shortage threatens to strain global supply chains as demand for battery technologies continues to grow. To that end, an area of research his lab has been focusing on is the separation of battery-critical metals like nickel and cobalt. In a new paper, published in the journal Chem , Schelter's team and collaborators at Northwestern University presented an "easier, more sustainable, and cheaper way to separate both from materials that would otherwise be considered waste." "Our chemistry is attractive because it's simple, works well, and efficiently separates nickel and cobalt -- one of the more challenging separation problems in the field," Schelter says. "This approach offers two key benefits: increasing the capacity to produce purified cobalt from mining operations with potentially minimal environmental harm, addressing the harshness of traditional purification chemicals, and creating value for discarded batteries by providing an efficient way to separate nickel and cobalt." The right ingredients for selective separation Typically, the researchers say, cobalt is often produced as a byproduct of nickel mining by way of hydrometallurgical methods such as acid leaching and solvent extraction, which separates cobalt and nickel from ores. It's an energy-intensive method that generates significant hazardous waste. The process Schelter and the team developed to circumvent this is based on a chemical-separation technique that leverages the charge density and bonding differences between two molecular complexes: the cobalt (III) hexammine complex and the nickel (II) hexammine complex. "A lot of separations chemistry is about manifesting differences between the things you want to separate," Schelter says, "and in this case we found conditions where ammonia, which is relatively simple and inexpensive, binds differently to the nickel and cobalt hexammine complexes." By introducing a specific negatively charged molecule, or anion, like carbonate into the system, they created a molecular solid structure that causes the cobalt complex to precipitate out of the solution while leaving the nickel one dissolved. Their work showed that the carbonate anion selectively interacts with the cobalt complex by forming strong "hydrogen bonds" that create a stable precipitate. After precipitation, the cobalt-enriched solid is separated through filtration, washed with ammonia, and dried. The remaining solution contains nickel, which can then be processed separately. "This process not only achieves high purities for both metals -- 99.4% for cobalt and more than 99% for nickel -- but it also avoids the use of organic solvents and harsh acids commonly used in traditional separation methods," says first author Boyang (Bobby) Zhang, a graduate student in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences and a Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology Graduate Fellow. "It's an inherently simple and scalable approach that offers environmental and economic advantages." Techno-economic and life cycle analyses In evaluating the real-world applicability of their new method, the team, led by Marta Guron, conducted both techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment, with the former revealing an estimated production cost of $1.05 per gram of purified cobalt, substantially lower than the $2.73 per gram associated with a reported separations process. "We focused on minimizing chemical costs while also using readily available reagents, which makes our method potentially competitive with existing technologies," Schelter says. The life-cycle analysis found that eliminating volatile organic chemicals and hazardous solvents allows the process to significantly reduce environmental and health risks, which was supported by metrics like Smog Formation Potential and Human Toxicity by Inhalation Potential, where the process scored at least an order of magnitude better than traditional methods. "This means fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less hazardous waste, which is a seriously big win for both the environment and public health," says Zhang. Cleaner path forward Owing to how the team accomplished their separation, Schelter says, there's an exciting fundamental science aspect of this work that he thinks they can take in many different directions, even for other metal separation problems. "Based on the unique set of molecular recognition principles we identified through the course of this work, I think we can extend this work in many different directions," he says. "We could apply it to other metal separation problems, ultimately driving broader innovation in sustainable chemistry and materials recovery." Eric Schelter is the Hirschmann-Makineni Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Boyang (Bobby) Zhang is a Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology Graduate Fellow in the Schelter Group at Penn Arts & Sciences. Marta Guron is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and project manager in the Office of Environmental and Radiation Safety. Other authors are Andrew J. Ahn, Michael R. Gau, and Alexander B. Weberg from Penn and Leighton O. Jones and George C. Schatz of Northwestern University. This research was supported by the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology at Penn, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research at Penn, National Science Foundation Center (Award CHE-1925708), Center for Advanced Materials for Energy Water Systems of the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant 8J-30009-0007A), and Research Corporation for Science Advancement (Award #CS-SEED-2024-022). Story Source: Materials provided by University of Pennsylvania . Original written by Nathi Magubane. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Cite This Page :
Psst. Ubisoft just released a new game. (It has Rayman and NFTs)There are 4 types of emotionally immature parents, from reactive to critical. Here's how they impact you as an adult.None
Quest Partners LLC Raises Position in Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC)The admonition came after workers in the Utah park found someone's bird that had floated off, apparently while they were trying to tenderize it ahead of Thursday's festivities. "Just your annual reminder not to use Great Salt Lake to brine your turkey," Great Salt Lake state park wrote on its social media feed this week. "Not only is the salinity too high for a proper brine, the waves can be very strong and there's a good chance you could lose the entire turkey as this person did." The post was accompanied by a photo of a bird's carcass -- still bafflingly wrapped in its store-bought packaging -- and covered with bits of grass and muck. Great Salt Lake is one of the largest landlocked bodies of salt water in the world. Human activity is putting an enormous stress on the lake, which is a vital tourist draw for the region. In 2022, water levels in Great Salt Lake plummeted to their lowest on record due to a combination of overconsumption by the farming and mining sectors, and a two-decade drought. The water became so salty that brine shrimp, a major source of income for the local economy, began to die. hg/amz/stIs this the time Nebraska gets past Wisconsin? The teams have played three straight one-score games, each won by the Badgers. Amie Just, columnist: Ty Robinson. Luke Mullin, reporter: Robinson spends the whole game in the Wisconsin backfield, finishing with two sacks and even more quarterback pressures. Nate Head, editor: Let's say Isaac Gifford, the Lincoln native, comes down with his first interception of the season. Just: Emmett Johnson. Mullin: It's another week of Johnson leading the way, though Dante Dowdell takes over inside the red zone. Head: Johnson has had two games with at least 10 carries this season. He gets his third Saturday. Just: The final buzzer. Mullin: It'll be a one-score game to the end, but a stop from the Nebraska defense with two minutes left seals the win. Head: Late. Wisconsin scores a go-ahead touchdown with four minutes left in the game, and Nebraska's ensuing drive ends in a turnover. Just: Keelan Smith. Mullin: Freshman wide receiver Quinn Clark gets his shot and records a catch too. Head: Clark seems like the obvious choice so I'll mix it up: Carter Nelson. Just: Under. Mullin: Under. Head: Under. Just: Under. Mullin: Over. Head: Under. Just: Under. Mullin: Over. Head: Over. Just: Over. Mullin: Over. Head: Over. Just: Under. Mullin: Under. Head: Under.