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Mathematical modeling of tumors – How mathematics can help us understand tumor growth?
In our daily life, we unfortunately have become used to seeing images of tumors and melanomas. You may have noticed that they’re are not entirely symmetric. This asymmetry is useful to doctors in their diagnoses, but why are they asymmetric?
mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19
As the weather cools, the number of infections of the COVID-19 pandemic are rising sharply. Hamstrung by pandemic fatigue, economic constraints and political discord, public health officials have struggled to control the surging pandemic. But now, a rush of interim analyses from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have spurred optimism that a novel type of vaccine made from messenger RNA, known as mRNA, can offer high levels of protection by preventing COVID-19 among people who are vaccinated.
Interview Paolo Lippi
Paolo Lippi is the founder of consulting firm, LongueVue Analytics.
Global Benefits Vision: Tell us about yourself – your career to date in a nutshell.
The European Pension System State of Play
The role of compensation and benefits manager in charge of a company’s pension plan has always required multiple skills. Not only must you know about the pension scheme itself, you also must be an honorary actuary and an expert in finance, accountancy, and tax.
Issue 054,
December 2020
The European Pension System: State of Play – Q&A with Paolo Lippi – mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 – Mathematical modeling of tumors – COVID-19, Coping with Uncertainty
GBV Issue 54 Table of Contents, December 2020
In the December 2020 issue The European Pension System: State of Play – Paolo Lippi Q&A with Paolo Lippi mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 – Sanjay Mishra Mathematical modeling of tumors – Nikita Simonov COVID-19, Coping with Uncertainty – Jayne Morriss
Self-Employed? How to Protect Your Wellbeing
Andreana Drencheva, Kristin Hildenbrand and Mike Duffy Jr. Through choice or by necessity, some of us are becoming self-employed for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from multiple countries suggests that self-employed workers are one of the groups hardest hit by the pandemic. Support offered by governments varies. Yet, for some, self-employment may represent the only way of earning a living and remaining active in the labour
Obesity Harms the Body in Real Time
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the obesity epidemic once again into the spotlight, revealing that obesity is no longer a disease that harms just in the long run but one that can have acutely devastating effects. New studies and information confirm doctors’ suspicion that this virus takes advantage of a disease that our current U.S. health care system is unable to get under control.
Social Recognition for Employee Engagement, Q&A with Achievers
Modern businesses understand that when they recognise their employees, business performance improves. Recognition is one of the most basic ways to strengthen the employer-employee relationship, but many companies only recognise employees in an ad hoc way. Recognising employees in a consistent, frequent and meaningful way ultimately boosts both productivity and the bottom line.
Issue 053,
November 2020
Social Recognition for Employee Engagement: Q&A with Achievers – Obesity Harms the Body in Real Time – Self-Employed? How to Protect Your Wellbeing
GBV Issue 53 Table of Contents, November 2020
In the November 2020 issue Social Recognition for Employee Engagement: Q&A with Achievers – Jon Maddison Obesity Harms the Body in Real Time – Cate Varney Self-Employed? How to Protect Your Wellbeing – Andreana Drencheva, Kristin Hildenbrand, Mike Duffy Jr.
GBV Issue 50 Table of Contents, July 2020
In the July 2020 issue The Best Compliant Model for Expatriates – Pasquale Gorrasi Interview with GEB’s Eric Butler on The Response To Covid-19 IBIS 2020 Conference Report Gig-Working to Dramatically Change Employment Landscape – Andrew Cunningham R&D: Weight Loss: The Tricky Last Few Pounds – Peter Rogers R&D: Coronavirus: Why Some People Lose Their Sense of Smell – Simon Gane, Jane Parker Employee Benefits 2045: Where Could We Be
Issue 050,
July 2020
The Best Compliant Model for Expatriates – Interview with GEB’s Eric Butler on The Response To Covid-19 – IBIS 2020 Conference Report – Gig-Working to Dramatically Change Employment Landscape – R&D: Weight Loss: The Tricky Last Few Pounds – R&D: Coronavirus: Why Some People Lose Their Sense of Smell – Employee Benefits 2045 – Where Could We Be 25 Years from Now?
Coronavirus: scientists uncover why some people lose their sense of smell
One of the most common causes of smell loss is a viral infection, such as the common cold, sinus or other upper respiratory tract infections. Those coronaviruses that don’t cause deadly diseases, such as COVID-19, Sars and Mers, are one of the causes of the common cold and have been known to cause smell loss. In most of these cases, sense of smell returns when symptoms clear, as smell loss is simply the result of a blocked nose, which prevents aroma molecules reaching olfactory receptors in the nose. In some cases, smell loss can persist for months and years.
Weight loss: Here’s why those last few pounds can be hardest to lose – according to science
So you’ve done everything you’re supposed to. You’re eating in a calorie deficit, are exercising a few times a week, and are getting close to your weight loss goal. And then you hit a plateau with only a few pounds to lose – and they just won’t seem to budge.
Gig-working is set to dramatically change the shape of employment – how should HR prepare?
New research shows the significant role gig workers will play in the economy as businesses reshape for the future.
A report called Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control shows that 18% of UK HRDs expect over 75% of their staff to be gig workers in just five years, while 26% of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75% of gig workers within the same period.
Employee Benefits 2045 – Where Could We Be 25 Years from Now?
In February this year, we launched our discussion paper “2045: the future of work – the changing face of employee benefits” looking at how employee benefits (EB) may change over the next 25 years, based on the trends we were seeing in the industry and the world of work. Just a few months on, the changes that we suggested might take decades are already happening because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of change happening in the global EB industry, such as the delivery of digital benefits solutions and virtual healthcare provision, has accelerated beyond anything that could have been predicted at the start of the year.
IBIS 2020: Intersections, Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the IBIS Academy
During the week of 11-15 May 2020, global benefits, HR, and mobility professionals took part in one of the most prestigious and longest-running – now virtual – international HR conferences in the world.
Interview with GEB’s Eric Butler on The Response To Covid-19
On GEB’s Response To Covid-19 And The Steps Being Undertaken To Ensure Cover For All
The Best Compliant Model for Expatriates
There is no doubt about it, Global mobility is complex, however with the right help and support, mobile benefit plans do not need to be. Pasquale Gorrasi, Director – International Lines, GEB, talks about why the GEB Network’s new and innovative ‘Best Compliant Model’ offers the benefits consistency that Mobility Managers need.
Issue 049,
June 2020
Advanced Tools for Financing Employee Benefits Globally – Digital Transformation: Four Critical Workplace Planning Areas Holding Organizations Back – R&D: Antigen Tests For COVID-19 – R&D: Chronic Lyme Disease – Does It Exist? – R&D: COVID-19, Smell and Taste – R&D: No Evidence That ECT Works For Depression – R&D: HPC and the Race To Understand COVID-19 – R&D: The Original SARS Virus Disappeared, Coronavirus Won’t Do the Same – R&D: Why Coronavirus Death Rates Don’t Fall as Quickly As They Rose
GBV Issue 49 Table of Contents, June 2020
In the June 2020 issue Advanced Tools for Financing Employee Benefits Globally – Moritz Löschner Digital Transformation: Four Critical Workplace Planning Areas Holding Organizations Back – John McLaughlin R&D: Antigen Tests For COVID-19 – Eugene Wu R&D: Chronic Lyme Disease – Does It Exist? – John Nathaniel Aucott R&D: COVID-19, Smell and Taste – John E. Hayes, Valentina Parma R&D: No Evidence That ECT Works For Depression – John Read
Advanced tools for financing Employee Benefits globally
There are excellent opportunities to improve the financing of insurable Employee Benefits (EB) globally and tangible initiatives to support local subsidiaries and their employees with the execution of a global EB strategy. In this article you will find an updated comparative analysis of the most common global EB solutions (traditional EB Pooling, alternative risk financing with EB Captive solutions and the innovative concept of Global Underwriting (GUW) for EB insurance), a more detailed view on GUW and EB Captive as well as two case studies to show how global EB solutions can support the execution of global EB strategies in practice. This article assumes some familiarity with financing EB globally and therefore does not focus on traditional EB Pooling but is concentrating on the more advanced solutions EB Captive and GUW instead.
Digital Transformation: Four Critical Workplace Planning Areas Holding Organizations Back
With vast technological advances over the last few years, and now the dramatic changes brought on by COVID-19, it has never been so clear that digital transformation is essential to organisational success.
Why Coronavirus Death Rates Don’t Fall as Quickly As They Rose
Coronavirus deaths shocked us with how rapidly they rose from a base of none at the start of the year, to many thousands within the space of mere weeks. At the peak for England and Wales on April 8, more than 1,300 people died in a single day (as revealed later when all death registrations were reported).
The Original SARS Virus Disappeared – Coronavirus Won’t Do the Same
British cancer doctor Prof Karol Sikora recently claimed that the current COVID-19 pandemic would “burn itself out”. His thinking is that if there are more infections than we realise, and that those milder, unrecorded infections result in robust immunity, then this would quickly lead to “herd immunity”, leaving the virus nowhere to go but extinct. Extend this to the world’s population and the virus eradicates itself.
HPC and the Race To Understand COVID-19
In “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, the haughty supercomputer Deep Thought is asked whether he can find the answer to the ultimate question concerning life, the universe and everything. He replies that, yes, he can do it, but it’s tricky and he’ll have to think about it. When asked how long it will take him he replies, “Seven-and-a-half million years. I told you I’d have to think about it.”