Dec. 11, 2015

Four Israeli Medical Apps Win Top International Competition – Sagi Cohen (Ynet News)
Four Israeli applications are among the 10 winners of the international 2015 Medica App Competition held recently in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The Voiceitt company’s Talkitt app enables people who have speech disabilities communicate using their own voice.
Mobile ODT’s Enhanced Visual Assessment System assists healthcare professionals to conduct smarter visual cervical cancer screenings by managing patient information, consulting with peers for second opinions, and referring patients for proper care.
iFeel Labs Match3 developed a game which uses a biosensor to help asthma and COPD patients learn how to breathe effectively and improve pulmonary function.
Doctome developed a telemedicine platform that allows for video calls/chats anywhere around the globe with doctors speaking the patient’s language, 24/7, 365 days a year.

Israel Has Most Per-Capita Winners of European Young Research Grants – Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (Jerusalem Post)
Israel is in first place in Europe in the per capita number of research grants given to young people in 23 European countries this year, according to the Science, Technology and Space Ministry.
A total of 24 research grants were awarded to Israel out of 291 overall, said Minister Ophir Akunis.
On a per-capita basis, he said, this means Israel is No. 1 this year.

No-Hands-Needed Smartphone to Be Made Available for Free – David Shamah
Thanks to a joint effort with Google and Beit Issie Shapiro, an Israel-based global advocacy group for people with disabilities, Sesame Enable, the inventor of the first smartphone designed for people who are largely paralyzed, is offering a free device to anyone who needs it. “The Sesame Phone empowers people with limited or no use of their hands to gain independence and privacy and become digitally connected,” explains Sesame Enable CEO and co-founder Oded Ben Dov.
The device is designed for individuals with ALS and other debilitating diseases in which victims are unable to move their limbs. The device uses voice commands and slight gestures for apps that usually require touch. (Times of Israel)

Japan Turns to Israeli Tech to Treat Radiation Disease – David Shamah (Times of Israel)
Four years after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, radiation poisoning remains a continued risk.
That is why Fukushima Medical University’s Global Medical Science Center has signed a deal with Israel’s Pluristem Therapeutics to further develop the company’s PLX-R18 cells to treat acute radiation syndrome (ARS).
Tests have shown that the stem-cell technology developed by Pluristem can prevent damage to cells affected by ARS.

Soldiers with Autism Take on Key Roles in IDF – Ben Sales
Sitting in front of a computer at the center of Israel’s largest army base, a soldier stares at the screen, moving pixel by pixel over a satellite photograph, picking out details and finding patterns. More than a year into his army service, N.S. spends eight hours a day using his exceptional attention to detail and intense focus to analyze visual data ahead of missions. Soldiers with autism can excel at this work because they are often adept at detecting patterns and maintaining focus for long periods of time.
N.S. is among some 50 soldiers and trainees in the “Seeing Far” program for army-age Israelis diagnosed with autism. Others learn to be army electricians, who deal with devices like night vision goggles, or optics technicians, who work with binoculars. (JTA)

World’s Biggest Tech Firms Use Israeli Chip for High-End Video– David Shamah
The Israeli firm Valens will get the 2015 Technical/Engineering Achievement Award at this year’s Emmy awards on Jan. 8 for its HDbaseT connectivity technology. “The HDbaseT cable protocol we invented and popularized allows the transmission of high-quality uncompressed video, electricity, USB power, and just about everything else on a single cable of up to 100 meters, and that efficiency and neatness has made HDBaseT very popular in the TV business,” said Valens senior vice-president Micha Risling.
“Today, the standard for video production is 4K (4000 pixels horizontal resolution), which is high definition. Most of the cables that can transmit HD video are limited to just a few meters in length; longer ones are very expensive. So a studio ends up spending a great deal of money on cables.” Or, studios – as well as businesses, offices that do videoconferencing, and even high-end home theaters – can use equipment with chips made by Valens. (Times of Israel)

Israel to Train Doctors for China(Xinhua-China)
In 2016, doctors from the underdeveloped southwestern provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou will have opportunities to study medicine in Israel, Amir Lati, Israel’s consul general in Chengdu, said Friday.
China still needs state-of-the-art technology to better treat patients, said Dr. Moris Topaz, a plastic surgeon from the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera.
Topaz is widely respected by his Chinese colleagues for helping treat victims of an earthquake in Sichuan Province in 2008. He introduced technology that spared many patients from amputation and reduced antibiotic dosages and inflammation risks.