Latest news with #ISTA
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CS Analytical Laboratory Announces Expansion to their Package Distribution Testing Service Fully Operational
The ability for CS Analytical to simulate real-world environmental stressors such as temperature, pressure, and vibration, in tandem, is a gamechanger for science and risk-based product-package development of unique biological products currently on and coming to market. CLIFTON, N.J., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CS Analytical Laboratory, the world's only FDA regulated contract laboratory exclusively dedicated to providing regulatory solutions and testing services specifically for drug product and medical device package systems, is excited to announce that the major expansion program ASTM D4169-22 and ISTA Package Distribution Testing services is now fully operational. Based upon the installation and qualification of new equipment to include a custom-made, large-scale Lansmont Vibration test platform fitted with a uniquely designed Abbess Temperature, Relative Humidity and Altitude chamber that enables comprehensive, multimodal, and real-time simulated distribution testing for unique, high-risk, or high-value product types and package systems. In addition, CS Analytical will continue to offer its suite of services specific to routine ISTA Series 2/3/6 and ASTM D4169-22 distribution testing services to their pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device clients. As noted by Brandon Zuralow, CS Analytical COO, "To remain relevant for our client base, we must continue to offer services that enable clients to meet the ever-changing and often complicated regulatory requirements and best practices for their container and package systems. The CS Analytical Team is committed to this endeavor as evidenced by this expansion to our current service offering." Traditionally, these environmental factors would be independently evaluated through conditioning, vibration, and altitude testing. For certain products such as cell and gene therapies, with their small-batch / high-value nature and unique shipment requirements, or proteinaceous products susceptible to aggregation, testing to current standards may risk over- or under-testing relative to what is experienced in the real world. Evaluating these factors in tandem provides a more accurate picture of the performance of the product-package under realistic transport conditions. "Package distribution testing for these types of products can be challenging. Existing standards may result in over- or under-testing relative to real world distribution networks. For clients in this position, real-world, non-simulated testing is often performed, which is both time and cost intensive," commented Alex Goldberg, CS Analytical Laboratory Analyst and Project Lead. "The ability to simulate this in the laboratory is a gamechanger for efficiency, as well as science and risk-based product-package development." Currently, many companies that require this type of testing are performing it real-time by sending actual product through existing shipment channels. This quickly becomes time and cost prohibitive, especially when design changes are required. Having a service provider that can replicate this type of testing in a laboratory setting will offer huge time and cost savings. Additionally, since the equipment is fully programmable, clients who have mapped the actual temperature, pressure, and vibratory profiles of their distribution channels can recreate them in the lab, simulating the exact stressors experienced in the field. The CS Analytical Team currently offers complete ASTM D4169-22 and ISTA Certified testing for common or unique primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging components and systems. However, distribution testing is just one element of successful product-package development and validation. CS Analytical offers a host of support and complementary testing programs that ensure all aspects of the regulatory requirements are met for any type of container system in a comprehensive manner. Whether a traditional solid oral dose in an HDPE bottle, a unique drug delivery system, a challenging and oversized IV bag system, the CS Analytical Team has the knowledge and hands-on experience to develop a qualification test program that ensures all development goals and regulatory compliance factors are met. About CS Analytical Laboratory The only FDA regulated, cGMP laboratory dedicated exclusively to the complex world of drug and medical device container and package qualification testing, the CS Analytical Team includes the world's leading experts on all relevant USP and EP requirements and the thought leaders and pioneers on CCI (container closure integrity – CCI) testing. Offering a full suite of laboratory services to include all USP, EP and JP procedures specific to glass, plastic and elastomers as well as complete USP 1207 services that span basic feasibility studies, component qualification programs and advanced method development and validation for helium leak testing, vacuum decay, high voltage and headspace analysis leak testing. CS Analytical is the one source that can ensure your medical product container and package system meets the strict and complex regulatory requirements. Please contact us at engage@ if you have any questions. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CS Analytical
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Top seeds have it easy in men's and women's sections
Men's top seeds Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar beat Joel Dhinakaran and Lakshmana Hari 11-2, 11-1 in the first round while women's top seeds Joshna Chinappa and Anahat Singh defeated V. Deepika and Janet Vidhi 11-5, 11-5 in the third round of the HCL National doubles squash championship at the Indian Squash and Triathlon Academy (ISTA) here on Tuesday. Joshna and Anahat clinched five consecutive points in the first game to make it 8-2 from 3-2. Deepika and Janet saved two match points before going down. Other results (third round): Women: Pooja Arthi and S. Rathika bt Sahana and Sangamitra 11-2, 11-1. Mixed: Velavan Senthilkumar and Joshna Chinappa bt Guhan Senthilkumar and Aradhana Kasturiraj 11-8, 11-3; Rahul Baitha and Anjali Semwal bt Kalimuthu and Ananya Narayan 11-9, 9-11, 12-10; Suraj Chand and Pooja Arthi bt Pradeep Choudhary and Nina Bose 11-2, 11-4.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Europe's startup scene sees an opening against Silicon Valley
VIENNA — Alexander Schwartz wasn't expecting two veteran innovation investors to show up at his Klosterneuburg office this spring, asking how to plot their escape from the U.S. After two decades in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the pair had decided it was time to come home. 'They told me, 'It doesn't feel right over there anymore. Some of the opportunities are just gone,'' said Schwartz, who works at Xista, an innovation hub just outside Vienna. 'But they see a window of opportunity here,' Schwartz said of Europe. President Donald Trump's return to the White House is starting to redraw the global tech map. As the U.S. tightens immigration rules and slashes research funding, Europe's startup scene — long overshadowed by Silicon Valley — is trying to seize a rare opening. From Vienna to Brussels, investors and policymakers see a chance to catch the talent, capital, and startups that once might have defaulted to the U.S. tech hub. Schwartz isn't seeing a sudden flood of inquiries, and he doesn't expect U.S. researchers and founders to abandon ship overnight. But as someone connected to both the startup scene through Xista and the research community at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), which shares a campus and some resources with Xista, he's noticing the conversation shifting. (Some reporting for this article was conducted as part of a journalism residency funded by ISTA). 'People who would normally go to the U.S., some of those are either scared away or don't have the opportunity anymore,' Schwartz said. 'That's where we can step in and redirect that flow of talent and entrepreneurial people into Europe.' European governments aren't waiting for the talent to find them on its own. In Vienna, officials have fast-tracked efforts to turn Austria into a safe haven for U.S.-based researchers, offering accelerated hiring, research funding, and even proposing legal tweaks to make it easier for threatened scientists to land positions. Norway has launched a 100 million kroner (about $9.64 million) fund to actively poach top academics, while France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have opened new scientific asylum programs for scholars fleeing the Trump-era chill. For Brussels, the Trump shock has added urgency to long-simmering debates about Europe's economic independence. In March, the European Commission announced its long-awaited Savings and Investments Union strategy, a plan to deepen the bloc's capital markets and make it easier for companies — especially startups — to raise money at home rather than fleeing to U.S. exchanges. The push builds on recommendations from the Draghi report, commissioned by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which warned that Europe risks falling permanently behind unless it builds stronger homegrown tech and innovation ecosystems. Padraig Nolan, an advisory board member at the Europe Startup Nations Alliance, said Europe's deeper challenge is self-inflicted: a fragmented market and a chronic failure to help startups scale. 'The Trump curveball has really hit the reset button on the global economy, and for Europe in particular it's even more important now to stop relying on tech providers from other regions,' said Nolan, also a nonresident fellow at Strategic Analysis and Policy Advice, or SAPA, a think tank focused on European competitiveness and innovation policy. 'We have great startups here, but the problem is getting them to scale,' Nolan said. 'The successful ones often move to the U.S., where the bigger rounds of funding are, and the pathways to scale are clearer.' Europe's over-reliance on bank loans for startup financing has long been a drag, he said, with venture capital and private equity markets still shallow compared to what companies find across the Atlantic. Even European-born companies such as Spotify (SPOT) and Stripe had to look to the U.S. to scale, Nolan said, because that's where the bigger funding rounds are. 'If Europe's pension funds were investing in our own startups instead of sending 90% of that money abroad, that would be a game changer,' he said. 'But right now, we're still not there.' The E.U.'s new Savings and Investments Union is meant to change that by finally creating a true Capital Markets Union — something Brussels has been promising since 2014. But Nolan warned that the same old hurdles remain — political gridlock, protectionism, and national governments reluctant to see their pension funds used to back startups in other E.U. countries. For startups trying to grow beyond their home country, Europe's tangled bureaucracy remains a major headache. Nolan pointed to his own experience as an Irish founder based in Lisbon. Even to open an office in Germany, he said, entrepreneurs still have to show up in person, navigate local bureaucracy, set up a bank account, and sit through legal procedures. Germany still requires a notary to read all the company's legal documents aloud in German — even if the founders don't understand the language. 'It's not very logical,' Nolan said. The burden of regulation is also weighing on Europe's startup ambitions. Nowhere is that more apparent than in artificial intelligence, where Europe has moved aggressively to impose rules on companies. But critics warn the E.U.'s approach risks smothering the very innovation it aims to guide. Alexandra Ebert, who works with policymakers and OECD working groups on AI governance,, said the E.U.'s ambitious AI Act is already creating new friction for startups. 'It's not only the GDPR or the AI Act,' said Ebert, who is also chief AI and data democratization officer at the Vienna-based startup MOSTLY AI. 'There's the Data Act, the Data Governance Act, the Digital Market Act, the Digital Services Act, basically 80 of these massive regulations and directives already in effect or about to be. They regulate AI, data, and the digital economy, and it's just way too complex for an economic ecosystem to thrive in.' Europe's bet is that stricter rules will give its companies an edge in trustworthy AI. But Ebert warned that regulation alone won't close the innovation gap with the U.S. and China. 'Europe knows it can't rely on innovation from the U.S. and China alone,' she said. 'We need to build our own competency but there's still a lot of work to do to get there.' She sees one potential game changer on the horizon: military spending. Russia's war against Ukraine has triggered a surge in European defense budgets, and Ebert believes this could become an unexpected catalyst for innovation. In the U.S., decades of military spending helped drive breakthroughs like the internet and GPS. Ebert said the same could happen in Europe — if governments rethink how they award contracts and bring startups into the fold. 'If Europe can channel that spending into building a broader ecosystem, not just funding incumbents, it could help kickstart the kind of innovation loop we've long been missing,' she said. Despite Europe's push to stand on its own, the U.S. still casts a long shadow over the startup world. Ebert said most companies are in a wait-and-see position, reluctant to make new investments as U.S. instability ripples through global markets. 'There's a high degree of unpredictability,' she said, 'and this usually means that money is not as freely flowing as in a very stable economy.' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Chicago Tribune
06-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Merrillville building trades teacher honored with state award
Those who know Terrell Taylor, Merrillville High School building trades instructor, know he is seldom at a loss for words. That was nearly the case on Tuesday as a surprised and clearly emotional Taylor was presented the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) Minority Educator of the Year award. Taylor said the honor came as a completely unexpected but wonderful surprise, one kept from him by even his wife, Dr. Marnita Taylor, executive director of curriculum and instruction at Merrillville schools. 'My three words: God is good,' Taylor said after the announcement. Taking part in the award presentation to Taylor was Bob Phelps, the school's Career & Technical Education Director; Jennifer Smith-Margraf, vice president of ISTA; and high school principal Michael Krutz. 'Mr. Taylor is a role model and an advocate for diversity in the trades which has opened doors for the underrepresented students in the construction trades industry. Terrell brings his industry experience, commitment to education and gigantic heart to work with him everyday which makes him a great choice for this award. On behalf of the high school and central office, congratulations Mr. Taylor,' Phelps said. Taylor, upon accepting the award, gave credit to his students: 'these young individuals lift me up.' 'He (Phelps) said I'm a role model. I'm not a role model. Some days I'm a good example; some days I'm a bad example. I don't want these kids to be like me. I want them to be better than me. By exposing myself to them transparently, I give them that opportunity,' Taylor said. He added: 'My responsibility being here is to give them unconditional love and I do that everyday. I do that everyday.' Smith-Margraf spoke of Taylor's very successful career in the construction trades before deciding to give back to his community by becoming an educator and helping train students and build up their confidence in the field he chose as his passion. 'Since he has taken over the building trades, it's my understanding that it has become one of the most popular classes here at MHS because of the positive relationships he has built with your students, the dynamic atmosphere he has created in the classrooms and the partnerships he has built with community members to create internships and other opportunities for your students,' she said. Taylor, whose wife, Marnita, was among those fellow educators who were there for the presentation, made history in 2004 when he and Richard Hardaway became the first blacks to serve on the Merrillville Town Council. Taylor said he had served in the construction industry for 31 years before deciding he wanted to go into teaching. He has served as an instructor for the past six years. 'My passion was construction and I found my purpose in teaching. To have those align is more than a calling,' Taylor said. He is also the founder of the Merrillville Education Foundation. The Taylors have two adult children and three grandchildren.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers, Parents, Students Demand ‘Fully Funded Public Schools' at Indiana Statehouse Rally
This article was originally published in Indiana Capital Chronicle. A sea of red descended upon the Indiana Statehouse Monday as hundreds of teachers, parents and students from across the state rallied to demand increased funding for public schools — and to protest pending policy proposals that could shift millions of local dollars to charters. The rally — one of many hosted in recent years by the Indiana State Teachers Association, the state's largest teachers union — came just hours ahead of a possible final vote on a massive property tax plan. The latest provisions baked into the legislation could reduce public schools' tax dollars by as much as $744 million over the next three years. ISTA President Keith Gambill said that blow comes in addition to education funding gaps in the newest draft of the state budget. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'The overall funding increase of 2% per year — of $870 million — does not even meet inflation,' Gambill said. 'Our students deserve bold investment, not the bare minimum.' He said teachers will be pressing lawmakers in the coming days and weeks 'to ensure that public dollars are staying with public schools.' The legislative session must end by April 29 but could be finished as early as April 24. All bills — including the state budget — must be finalized by that time. 'Our schools deserve to be fully funded — and fully public — so all kids receive a quality education,' Gambill emphasized. Teacher attendance at the rally forced at least three Hoosier school districts to move to an e-learning day, including Indianapolis Public Schools and nearby Pike Township, as well as Monroe County Community Schools in Bloomington. The shift to e-learning appeared to prompt a legislative amendment published Monday morning by Indianapolis Republican Rep. Andrew Ireland. Proposed language filed to Senate Bill 373, an unrelated education bill, sought to jeopardize funding for public school districts that convert scheduled in-person instructional days to virtual because of 'planned or coordinated absence of teachers or other personnel for the purpose of participating in a protest, demonstration, or political advocacy event.' Districts would risk losing state tuition support for each day of a violation, according to Ireland's amendment. Gambill read the amendment aloud during the rally, drawing shouting and boos from the crowd. 'We have got to talk to our legislators today, tomorrow and every day between now and the end of the session. We must be vigilant,' he said. 'We have to speak from the heart, and remind them that behind every policy is a classroom with a teacher and students.' Ireland introduced the amendment Monday afternoon to make a statement, but withdrew it without discussion or a vote. Chants echoed throughout the Statehouse halls for more than two hours Monday morning. 'Schools need funding!' 'Pay our teachers!' 'Defend public education!' Rallygoers, many dressed in red t-shirts, had homemade signs in tow, too. Banners, poster boards, paper placards — and even painted messages on the backs of LaCroix boxes — were raised by attendees amid chanting, cheering and frustrated yells. Everyone's goal was the same: demand 'fair' and 'adequate' funding for public schools. Gambill said recent changes to both bills were improvements from their original versions. But he maintained that increases to base tuition support in the Senate GOP's state budget draft 'are not enough,' and held that amendments added to the property tax measure would divert 'critical' dollars from traditional publics to charters and could allow districts to 'side step' collective bargaining rights for teachers. Monica Shellhamer, a vice president with the Indianapolis Education Association, said during her rally remarks that teachers continue to be left out of conversations around school funding. 'Indianapolis public schools has been a target of the legislature for many years and this year is no different,' Shellhamer said. 'Bill after bill continued to be submitted to shut down or defund Indianapolis public schools.' Jenny Noble-Kuchera, president of the Monroe County Education Association, further pointed to pending education cuts at the federal level. 'The way it is currently, public education as we know it will begin to disappear, and our children are the victims,' she said Monday. 'We already have severe mismanagement at the federal level of Title I grants for our lower-income students, of critical programs supporting students with disabilities, and elimination of programs for our schools.' 'This is bad enough, and now Indiana politicians can't put their youngest constituents first, and support basics, like learning to read and write, and foundational math,' she continued. 'It's not OK.' Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@
