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  • Korea roll past Guam to book last eight date with China

    Korea roll past Guam to book last eight date with China

    JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – Korea shook off a sluggish opening and rode a dominant middle stretch to a 99-66 victory over Guam in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 at the King Abdullah Sports City on Tuesday night.

    The two-time champions overcame a 10-point deficit in the first quarter, then took full control with a commanding second quarter that left no doubt about their advancement to the last eight, where they will face China on Thursday.

    Moon JeongHyeon led the way with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals off the bench in a stat-stuffing performance that set the tone for Korea’s relentless play. Ha Yungi added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, punctuating his night with emphatic finishes at the rim. Yu Kisang and Lee HyungJung combined for key perimeter shots that broke Guam’s momentum, while the bench provided steady production to close the door.

    For Guam, Mark Johnson Jr. tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, showing fight even as the game slipped away. Takumi Simon contributed early with a barrage of threes, while Ben Borja and Jonathan Galloway worked hard inside, but coach EJ Calvo’s side could not sustain their first-quarter spark.

    Guam had Korea reeling early, drilling four triples in the first five minutes to surge ahead 16-6. Simon and Johnson Jr. orchestrated the early attack, while Korea misfired from deep, going 0-of-10 before Lee Woosuk’s buzzer-beater finally got them on the board from distance to end the quarter down just 18-17.

    “We didn’t start well, but the players took pride and power in their game,” Korea coach Joon HoAn said. “We were able to win a lot of possessions and win the game easily. However, it is worrisome that our perimeter shots weren’t falling.”

    That late shot proved a turning point, as Korea completely flipped the game in the second quarter. Yu Kisang and Lee HyungJung found their rhythm from beyond the arc, Ha powered his way to a series of dunks, and Moon’s work on the boards and in passing lanes fueled a blistering 33-10 run. Guam’s offense stalled under Korea’s pressure, and the halftime scoreline of 50-28 all but ended the suspense.

    Korea’s dominance carried into the third quarter as Moon continued to punish Guam with putbacks and steals, Ha scored inside with ease, and Lee HyungJung kept the defense stretched. Guam found only scattered scoring through free throws and the occasional triple, with the gap ballooning to 76-45 by the end of the frame.

    Moon JeongHyeon (KOR)

    By the fourth quarter, Korea’s bench took over without missing a beat. Yu hit from long range, Yeo Junseok contributed inside after returning from a game off, and Kim Jongkyu added steady post play. Guam’s Borja and Galloway found the mark in transition, but the outcome was never in doubt as Korea closed out the 33-point win.

    The result sends Korea into the Quarter-Finals for the first time since 2017, when they finished third, giving them a chance to push for a return to the podium. Guam exit the tournament with heads held high, having reached the Final Phase on their FIBA Asia Cup debut and despite seing action with just 10 players.

    Korea will now turn their focus to Thursday’s clash with China, a classic East Asian rivalry with a place in the Semi-Finals on the line.

    “China have great height and great players, but we are not afraid. We don’t think it’s a mismatch,” Moon said. “We will be hustling. and we will do our best to overcome them.”

    FIBA

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  • Tokyo 2020 triple jump champion confirms return to international competition ahead of World Athletics Championships

    Tokyo 2020 triple jump champion confirms return to international competition ahead of World Athletics Championships

    Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas is stepping up her preparations for next month’s World Athletics Championships title defence.

    The Venezuelan world record holder has confirmed she will feature at Meeting Internacional C.D Meliz Sport in Guadalajara, Spain on 14 August.

    The international track and field event takes place at the Pistas de Atletismo Fuente de la Niña track, with Rojas confirming her return when visiting the Venezuelan Consulate General in Madrid.

    The Tokyo 2020 champion last competed in March, which was her first appearance since an Achilles tendon injury ruled her out of defending her Olympic title at Paris 2024.

    The seven-time world champion (three indoors and four outdoors) registered four no-jumps in the long jump before withdrawing from that March indoor meeting in Salamanca, Spain.

    Known in her native Venezuela as “La Reina Del Triple Salto”, the queen of the triple jump, Rojas will target a fifth outdoor world title at next month’s championships in Tokyo, having already won gold London 2017, Doha 2019, Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023.

    Rojas told Olympics.com earlier this year that her sights are also on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

    “It’s the goal, it’s the objective,” she said.

    “What’s true is that you have to go through a process and go step by step. This year is important: we have the world championships in Tokyo and that’s our goal.

    “But our sights and focus will be on Los Angeles. I’m very happy to return and to be able to walk, and to be able to travel to Los Angeles in good condition.”

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  • A Case of Oral Lichen Planus Unresponsive to Dental Metals Removal Des

    A Case of Oral Lichen Planus Unresponsive to Dental Metals Removal Des

    Introduction

    Metal allergies can cause inflammatory conditions affecting the skin and mucous membranes, often complicating diagnoses when associated with dental prostheses. Differentiating between allergic reactions to dental metals and other inflammatory lesions, such as oral lichen planus, can be difficult in the oral cavity. Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory condition with multiple possible etiologies, including autoimmune responses, infections, medications, and, in some cases, metal allergies.

    Previous studies have reported an association between dental metal restorations and oral lichen planus, leading to the recommendation of metal removal as a treatment option.1 However, the persistence of symptoms following metal removal suggests that other pathologies, such as oral lichen planus, may play a more significant role.2 This case report presents a patient with persistent oral lesions initially attributed to metal allergies, where treatment targeting the suspected allergy was unsuccessful, ultimately revealing oral lichen planus as the primary diagnosis.

    Patients and Methods

    Patient Information

    A 55-year-old female patient presented with redness and pain in the buccal gingiva near the right mandibular first molar (#46). Her medical history included atrophic gastritis, and she had a known metal allergy. The patient had no previous history of oral lichen planus. The patient’s family history was unremarkable.

    Present Illness

    The patient was referred to our department from a dermatology clinic specializing in allergies and presented with symptoms suggestive of a metal allergy, including redness and lace-like white patches on the buccal gingiva adjacent to tooth #46. Redness and lace-like white patches were observed on the buccal gingiva near tooth #46, accompanied by pain and inflammation (Figure 1).

    Figure 1 Redness and lace-like white patches on the buccal gingiva near tooth #46, with associated pain and inflammation.

    Clinical Findings

    Upon intraoral examination, full-cast crowns were identified on teeth #16, #17, #26, #27, #36, #37, #46, and #47, whereas partial-cast crowns were found on teeth #24, #25, #34, and #35 using the FDI two-digit tooth numbering system.3 Tooth #45 was restored with a composite resin, and the remaining teeth were natural (Figure 2). No extra-oral abnormalities were observed.

    Figure 2 Full cast crowns on teeth #16, #17, #26, #27, #36, #37, #46, and #47, and partial cast crowns on teeth #24, #25, #34, and #35. Composite resin restoration on tooth #45.

    Intraoral Metal Element Analysis

    Samples were collected from all intraoral restorations using a silicone point (M3-28, Shofu, Kyoto) and analyzed using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (MESA-500W, HORIBA, Kyoto). The analysis detected the presence of Zn and Co in full-cast crowns on teeth #16, #17, #26, #27, #36, #37, #46, and #47, as well as in partially-cast crowns on teeth #24, #25, and #34 (Table 1).

    Table 1 Intraoral Metal Element Analysis of Dental Crowns

    Diagnosis and Treatment

    Based on the intraoral metal element analysis, a diagnosis of metal allergy was confirmed.4 In September 2021, the metal crowns were removed and replaced with provisional restorations made of autopolymerizing resin. During the crown removal, suction, gauze, and an extraoral vacuum were employed to prevent exposure to metal fragments. No acute symptoms were observed postoperatively. Full-zirconia ceramic crowns were placed in December 2021. However, redness and pain persisted even eight months after crown placement (Figure 3).

    Figure 3 Persistent redness and pain in the buccal mucosa eight months after zirconia crowns were placed on teeth #46.

    Subsequently, in August 2022, the metal crown of the right mandibular second molar (#47) was removed and replaced with a full zirconia ceramic crown, similar to the approach used for tooth #46 (Figure 4). Despite these interventions, the symptoms did not subside, prompting reconsideration of the initial diagnosis. The patient was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

    Figure 4 White patches remained on the oral mucosa after the healing of oral lichen planus.

    Further Diagnostic Evaluation and Outcome

    In November 2022, a punch biopsy was performed, which confirmed a diagnosis of oral lichen planus through histopathological analysis. Subsequently, the oral surgeon initiated steroid therapy, including dexamethasone 0.1% oral ointment and azunol 4% mouthwash. Regular follow-up (monthly) showed gradual resolution of the mucosal inflammation, and by March 2023, the oral lichen planus had fully healed (Figure 5). The patient was continuously monitored for recurrence.

    Figure 5 Oral cavity overview after the healing of oral lichen planus.

    Results

    This case represents an unusual presentation of oral lichen planus that was initially diagnosed as a metal allergy-induced lesion. The removal of dental metals and their replacement with zirconia crowns did not lead to symptom improvement, suggesting that metal allergy was not the sole cause of the patient’s symptoms. Successful resolution following steroid therapy supports the hypothesis that oral lichen planus rather than metal allergy is the primary pathology.

    Discussion

    Dental metal allergies can manifest in various ways, and management approaches should take into account factors such as mucocutaneous symptoms, the involvement of allergy-positive metals, and individual patient response to the removal of dental metals.5 In this case, despite the detection of allergy-positive metals (Zn and Co), mucosal inflammation persisted following metal removal. This finding underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to diagnosing oral lesions, particularly in patients with complex presentations.6 Differential diagnoses considered included lichenoid contact reaction, systemic lupus erythematosus, and mucous membrane pemphigoid. These were ruled out based on clinical presentation and histopathological features. Oral lichen planus has been linked to various etiologies beyond metal allergies, including bacterial and viral infections, medications, stress, and autoimmune diseases.7 In cases where metal allergy is suspected, but symptoms persist despite the allergen removal, other potential causes, such as oral lichen planus, must be carefully evaluated. In this case, the efficacy of steroid therapy highlights the importance of considering alternative treatments, including immunosuppressants, antiviral medications, and biologics, especially in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies.8

    Chronic oral lichen planus can severely impact a patient’s quality of life due to persistent pain and discomfort.9 Therefore, treatment goals should not only focus on symptom relief and recurrence prevention but also on improving the patient’s overall quality of life. Patient education and regular follow-ups are essential components of long-term management.10

    Conclusion

    This case highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to manage oral inflammatory conditions. Prosthodontists and dental practitioners should consider various perspectives and collaborate with other departments when facing persistent oral lesions, particularly when treatments targeting suspected metal allergies fail to yield positive results and desired outcomes. Alternative diagnoses, such as oral lichen planus, should be considered, and appropriate interventions should be implemented to achieve optimal patient care.

    Acknowledgments

    We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Kitagawa from the Center of Oral Clinical Examination and Dr. Taguchi from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for their dedicated efforts in managing this condition.

    Additionally, the patient provided written informed consent for the publication of this case report, including the use of clinical images. Ethical approval was not required for this case report, as no identifiable personal information is disclosed, and institutional guidelines at Hiroshima University Hospital do not require IRB review for single case reports.

    Author Contributions

    All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

    Disclosure

    The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

    References

    1. Sugiyama M, Kawashima A, Ishida K, et al. Clinical features of oral lichen planus related to dental metal restorations. Oral Sci Int. 2012;9(2):81–85.

    2. Kato T, Matsuda S, Ishikawa J, et al. Refractory oral lichen planus after dental metal replacement: a retrospective study. J Dermatol. 2020;47(5):506–512.

    3. FDI World Dental Federation. FDI two-digit tooth numbering system. Int Dent J. 1971;21(1):104–106.

    4. Sakanashi EN, Kikuchi K, Matsumura M, et al. Chapter 7-Allergic contact dermatitis to dental alloys: evaluation, diagnosis and treatment in Japan — reflectance confocal laser microscopy, an emerging method to evaluate allergic contact dermatitis. In: Confocal Laser Microscopy – Principles and Applications in Medicine, Biology, and the Food Sciences. 2013.

    5. Akiba Y, Watanabe M, Mine A, et al. With the aim of treatment guideline development for dental metal allergy and related diseases. Ann Jpn Prosthodont Soc. 2016;8(4):327–339. doi:10.2186/ajps.8.327

    6. Stone SJ, McCracken GI, Heasman PA, et al. Cost-effectiveness of personalized plaque control for managing the gingival manifestations of oral lichen planus: a randomized controlled study. J Clin Periodontol. 2013;40:859–867. doi:10.1111/jcpe.12126

    7. Louisy A, Humbert E, Samimi M. Oral lichen planus: an update on diagnosis and management. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2024;25:35–53. doi:10.1007/s40257-023-00814-3

    8. Rotaru D, Chisnoiu R, Picos AM, et al. Treatment trends in oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions (Review). Exp Ther Med. 2020;20:198. doi:10.3892/etm.2020.9328

    9. Salgado DS, Jeremias F, Capela MV, et al. Plaque control improves the painful symptoms of oral lichen planus gingival lesions. A short-term study. J Oral Pathol Med. 2013;42:728–732. doi:10.1111/jop.12093

    10. Hashemipour MA, Sheikhhoseini S, Afshari Z, et al. The relationship between clinical symptoms of oral lichen planus and quality of life related to oral health. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24:556. doi:10.1186/s12903-024-04326-2

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  • Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack

    Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack

    CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched attacks Monday in a famine-stricken displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, killing 40 people, local rights groups said.

    The Emergency Response Rooms group working at the Abu Shouk displacement camp said in a statement on Facebook that the RSF — which is at war with the Sudanese military — raided parts of the camp targeting citizens inside their homes. The community activist group, which provides assistance across Sudan, said at least 19 people were also injured.

    The Abu Shouk displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, which houses around 450,000 displaced people, has been repeatedly attacked over the course of the war. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher despite frequent strikes by the RSF.

    Meanwhile, the Resistance Committees in el-Fasher confirmed the attacks, saying on Facebook that the scene “reflected the extent of the horrific violations committed against innocent, defenseless people.” The Resistance Committees are a group of local citizens from the community that includes human rights activists.

    The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University posted satellite imagery showing 40 vehicles present at the Abu Shouk Camp on Monday. In an effort to corroborate reports of the RSF attack, the lab said the vehicles were in the northwest neighborhoods of the camp.

    In its report, Yale HRL said it gathered and analyzed photos and footage allegedly “showing RSF shooting at people crawling away from them and berating and using ethnic slurs.”

    Other satellite imagery gathered Saturday by the group apparently showed the RSF blocking routes that people use to escape el-Fasher by controlling points across the el-Fasher to Kutum road north of the city and an opening in the direction of Mellit, North Darfur.

    The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 in the capital Khartoum before spreading across the country following simmering tensions between the RSF and the army. The fighting has killed over 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million and pushed many to the brink of famine. The Abu Shouk camp is one of two camps with strong famine conditions, according to humanitarians.

    The Sudanese army said it clashed with RSF fighters on Monday in el-Fasher beginning at around 6 a.m. and ending in the afternoon. It claimed it defeated the paramilitary group, according to its posts on social media.

    “Our forces repelled a large-scale attack from several axes by the terrorist militia and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in lives and equipment, as more than 16 combat vehicles were destroyed and burned and 34 vehicles, including armored cars, were captured,” the army claimed in a statement.

    The RSF said on its Telegram channel late Monday that it made advances in el-Fasher and seized military equipment, without providing further details.

    Darfur Gov. Mini Arko Minawi said on Facebook that el-Fasher “triumphed over those who betrayed their land” in an apparent reference to the RSF in Monday’s fight.

    Meanwhile, in North Kordofan province the RSF has been accused of displacing over 3,000 families from 66 villages due to fighting since early August, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group also said the RSF looted the properties of those people and stole their money and livestock. Those displaced ended up arriving at Khartoum and White Nile provinces last week. The recent attacks on the villages in the province killed 18 civilians and injured dozens, according to the latest update by the United Nations.

    U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned Monday of the “extreme dire situation” in Sudan, while Edem Wosornum, the operations and advocacy director at the U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency, sounded the alarm over the situation in el-Fasher, saying over 60 people died from malnutrition in only one week, mostly women and children. 


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  • CPI Report Live Updates: Inflation Data Likely to Show Deepening Impact of Trump’s Tariffs – The New York Times

    1. CPI Report Live Updates: Inflation Data Likely to Show Deepening Impact of Trump’s Tariffs  The New York Times
    2. US consumer prices likely increased marginally in July; data quality concerns rising  Reuters
    3. CPI Preview: The Print That Could Rewire September’s ’Done Deal’  Investing.com
    4. The ‘transitory’ inflation narrative resurfaces! Wall Street is optimistic about further gains in U.S. stocks following the CPI release.  富途牛牛
    5. AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:16 a.m. EDT  Citizen Tribune

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  • CPI inflation report July 2025:

    CPI inflation report July 2025:

    Lisa Lungaro shops at the butcher’s counter in a grocery store on July 22, 2025 in Miami, Florida.

    Joe Raedle | Getty Images

    A widely followed measure of inflation accelerated slightly less than expected in July on an annual basis as President Donald Trump’s tariffs showed mostly modest impacts.

    The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month and 2.7% on a 12-month basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. That compared to the respective Dow Jones estimates for 0.2% and 2.8%.

    Excluding food and energy, core CPI increased 0.3% for the month and 3.1% from a year ago, compared to the forecasts for 0.3% and 3%. Federal Reserve officials generally consider core inflation to be a better reading for longer-term trends.

    A 0.2% increase in shelter costs drove much of the rise in the index, while food prices were flat and energy fell 1.1%, the BLS said. Tariff-sensitive New vehicle prices also were unchanged though used cars and trucks saw a 0.5% jump. Transportation and medical care services both posted 0.8% moves higher.

    Stock market futures posted gains after the report while Treasury yields were mostly lower.

    Tariffs did appear to show up in several categories.

    For instance, household furnishings and supplies showed a 0.7% increase after rising 1% in June. However, apparel prices were up just 0.1% and core commodity prices increased just 0.2%. Canned fruits and vegetables, which generally are imported and also sensitive to tariffs, were flat.

    “The tariffs are in the numbers, but they’re certainly not jumping out hair on fire at this point,” former White House economist Jared Bernstein said on CNBC. Bernstein served under former President Joe Biden.

    The report comes at both a critical time for the economy and the BLS itself, which has come under Trump’s criticism for what he has charged is political bias against him. Trump fired the prior BLS commissioner after a surprisingly weak July nonfarm payrolls report earlier this month, and on Monday said he would nominate E.J. Antoni, a critic of the bureau, as the new chief.

    While the political jockeying has occurred, Fed officials have been watching inflation measures closely as they weigh their next interest rate decision in September.

    At issue is whether the tariffs will cause a one-time price increase or will lead to a lasting upturn for inflation. Economists generally view tariff impacts as the former though the broad swath of items covered under Trump’s edicts have sparked worries that the effect could be longer lasting.

    Futures market pricing is pointing strongly to a Fed rate cut in September. However, a raft of data between now and then could influence both the decision for that meeting and the central bank’s future course. Fed officials of late have been expressing increasing levels of concern about the labor market, which would bode for rate reductions.

    Traders increased the implied odds for a September move following the release, and also put the chances of another reduction in October at about 67%, up from 55% the day before, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch.

    The CPI is not the Fed’s primary inflation forecast tool. The central bank uses the Commerce Department’s personal consumption expenditures price index, but the CPI, as well as the producer price index that will be released Thursday, feeds into that calculation.

    This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

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  • How a once-tiny research lab helped Nvidia become a $4 trillion-dollar company

    How a once-tiny research lab helped Nvidia become a $4 trillion-dollar company

    When Bill Dally joined Nvidia’s research lab in 2009, it employed only about a dozen people and was focused on ray tracing, a rendering technique used in computer graphics.

    That once-small research lab now employs more than 400 people, who have helped transform Nvidia from a video game GPU startup in the nineties to a $4 trillion-dollar company fueling the artificial intelligence boom.

    Now, the company’s research lab has its sights set on developing the tech needed to power robotics and AI. And some of that lab work is already showing up in products. The company unveiled Monday a new set of world AI models, libraries, and other infrastructure for robotics developers.

    Dally, now Nvidia’s chief scientist, started consulting for Nvidia in 2003 while he was working at Stanford. When he was ready to step down from being the department chair of Stanford’s computer science department a few years later, he planned to take a sabbatical. Nvidia had a different idea.

    Bill DallyImage Credits:Nvidia

    David Kirk, who was running the research lab at the time, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, thought a more permanent position at the research lab was a better idea. Dally told TechCrunch the pair put on a “full-court press” on why he should join Nvidia’s research lab and eventually convinced him.

    “It wound up being kind of a perfect fit for my interests and my talents,” Dally said. “I think everybody’s always searching for the place in life where they can make the biggest contribution to the world. And I think for me, it’s definitely Nvidia.”

    When Dally took over the lab in 2009, expansion was first and foremost. Researchers started working on areas outside of ray tracing right away, including circuit design and VLSI, or very large-scale integration, a process that combines millions of transistors on a single chip.

    The research lab hasn’t stopped expanding since.

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    “We try to figure out what will make the most positive difference for the company because we’re constantly seeing exciting new areas, but some of them, they do great work, but we have trouble saying if [we’ll be] wildly successful at this,” Dally said.

    For a while that was building better GPUs for artificial intelligence. Nvidia was early to the future AI boom and started tinkering with the idea of AI GPUs in 2010 — more than a decade before the current AI frenzy.

    “We said this is amazing, this is gonna completely change the world,” Dally said. “We have to start doubling down on this and Jensen believed that when I told him that. We started specializing our GPUs for it and developing lots of software to support it, engaging with the researchers all around the world who were doing it, long before it was clearly relevant.”

    Physical AI focus

    Now, as Nvidia holds a commanding lead in the AI GPU market, the tech company has started to seek out new areas of demand beyond AI data centers. That search has led Nvidia to physical AI and robotics.

    “I think eventually robots are going to be a huge player in the world and we want to basically be making the brains of all the robots,” Dally said. “To do that we need to start developing the key technologies.”

    That’s where Sanja Fidler, the vice president of AI research at Nvidia, comes in. Fidler joined Nvidia’s research lab in 2018. At the time, she was already working on simulation models for robots with a team of students at MIT. When she told Huang about what they were working on at a researchers’ reception, he was interested.

    “I could not resist joining,” Fidler told TechCrunch in an interview. “It’s just such a great topic fit and at the same time was also such a great culture fit. Jensen told me, come work with me, not with us, not for us.”

    She joined Nvidia and got to work creating a research lab in Toronto called Omniverse, an Nvidia platform, that was focused on building simulations for physical AI.

    Sanja FidlerImage Credits:Nvidia

    The first challenge to building these simulated worlds was finding the necessary 3D data, Fidler said. This included finding the proper volume of potential images to use and building the technology needed to turn these images into 3D renditions the simulators could use.

    “We invested in this technology called differentiable rendering, which essentially makes rendering amendable to AI,” Fidler said. “You go [from] rendering means from 3D to image or video. And we want it to go the other way.”

    World models

    Omniverse released the first version of its model that turns images into 3D models, GANverse3D, in 2021. Then it got to work on figuring out the same process for video. Fidler said they used videos from robots and self-driving cars to create these 3D models and simulations through its Neural Reconstruction Engine, which the company first announced in 2022.

    She added these technologies were the backbone of the company’s Cosmos family of world AI models that were announced at CES in January.

    Now, the lab is focused on making these models faster. When you play a video game or simulation you want the tech to be able to respond in real time, Fidler said, for robots they are working to make the reaction time even faster.

    “The robot doesn’t need to watch the world in the same time, in the same way as the world works,” Fidler said. “It can watch it like 100x faster. So if we can make this model significantly faster than they are today, they’re going to be tremendously useful for robotic or physical AI applications.”

    The company continues to make progress on this goal. Nvidia announced at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference on Monday a fleet of new world AI models designed for creating synthetic data that can be used to train robots. Nvidia also announced new libraries and infrastructure software aimed at robotics developers too.

    Despite the progress — and the current hype about robots, especially humanoids — the Nvidia research team remains realistic.

    Both Dally and Fidler said the industry is still at least a few years off from having a humanoid in your home, with Fidler comparing it to the hype and timeline regarding autonomous vehicles.

    “We’re making huge progress and I think AI has really been the enabler here,” Dally said. “Starting with visual AI for the robot perception, and then generative AI, that’s being hugely valuable for task and motion planning and manipulation. As we solve each of these individual little problems and as the amount of data we have to train our networks grows, these robots are going to grow.”

    We’re always looking to evolve, and by providing some insight into your perspective and feedback into TechCrunch and our coverage and events, you can help us! Fill out this survey to let us know how we’re doing and get the chance to win a prize in return!

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  • Foxit Redefines Web-Based Document Workflows with PDF SDK for Web v11

    Foxit Redefines Web-Based Document Workflows with PDF SDK for Web v11

    New Release Sets Industry Benchmark with Modular Architecture, AI-Ready Performance, and Browser-Native Approach — Signaling Major Shift Away from Legacy PDF Solutions

    FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Foxit, a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase productivity and do more with documents, today announced the general availability (GA) launch of Foxit PDF SDK for Web v11, an enhanced version of its developer toolkit, delivering significant performance, security, and user experience improvements for web-based PDF applications.

    Until now, developers building browser-based PDF applications have traditionally faced challenges related to performance bottlenecks, limited form handling, cumbersome signing workflows, and inconsistent cross-browser experiences. Foxit PDF SDK for Web v11 is the first to fully overcome these limitations. With its WebAssembly-powered rendering engine, modular architecture, and deeply refactored core components, it eliminates longstanding friction points, empowering developers to build more responsive, secure, and modern document experiences.

    “This release is more than just a feature update. It’s a signal that the future of document technology is modular, browser-native, and built for intelligent automation,” said Evan Reiss, VP, Head of Marketing, Foxit. “As organizations move away from legacy systems and toward AI-enabled, cloud-first architectures, developers need toolkits that are fast, flexible, and built for the way we work today. With PDF SDK for Web v11, Foxit is leading that shift — and raising the bar for what’s expected from online PDF experiences.”

    Foxit PDF SDK for Web v11 Features/Benefits:

    • Refactored Form Module and New Unified APIs – Developers will experience increased efficiency and flexibility, leading to faster development cycles and more robust, scalable applications. This translates to a more reliable and streamlined experience for all users interacting with forms.
    • Redesigned Signature Workflow and Modular Architecture – Users can expect a more secure, intuitive, and reliable signing experience, bolstering compliance and significantly reducing friction in critical document workflows.
    • PDF JavaScript Execution Migrated to Web Workers and Rebuilt in C++/WebAssembly – This foundational upgrade delivers significantly improved performance and responsiveness (up to 50%) when handling PDFs, ensuring a fluid and stable user interface even with complex documents.
    • Enhanced UI Components and Compatibility – The platform now offers a superior and more consistent user experience across all devices and browsers, driven by modern, accessible, and intuitive interface components.

    The launch of PDF SDK for Web v11 reflects a bigger shift happening across the industry — developers are looking for faster, smarter, and more flexible tools that are ready for AI and built for real-time web experiences. As companies move away from clunky legacy systems, Foxit is raising the bar for what web-based PDF technology can do. This release gives developers a way to build modern, cloud-first applications without being tied to desktop software. And as expectations grow, other providers still relying on outdated, heavyweight solutions will need to catch up — or risk falling behind.

    Foxit PDF SDK for Web v11 is available now. To learn more, request a 30-day trial, and/or watch a demo, please visit: https://developers.foxit.com. To speak with a specialist and request a quote, please visit: https://developers.foxit.com/contact/.

    About Foxit
    Foxit is a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents. Foxit delivers easy-to-use desktop software, mobile apps, and cloud services that allow users to create, edit, fill, and sign documents through its integrated PDF Editor and eSign offerings. Foxit enables software developers to incorporate innovative PDF technology into their applications via powerful, multi-platform Software Developer Kits (SDK).

    Foxit has sold to over 640,000 customers, ranging from SMBs to global enterprises, located in more than 200 countries. The company has offices worldwide, including locations in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. For more information, please visit https://foxit.com.

    SOURCE Foxit

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  • My research team used 18 years of sea wave records to learn how destructive ‘rogue waves’ form – here’s what we found

    My research team used 18 years of sea wave records to learn how destructive ‘rogue waves’ form – here’s what we found

    Rogue waves have captivated the attention of both seafarers and scientists for decades. These are giant, isolated waves that appear suddenly in the open ocean.

    These puzzling giants are brief, typically lasting less than a minute before disappearing. They can reach heights of 65 feet (20 meters) or greater and often more than twice the height of surrounding waves. Once a nautical myth, rogue waves have now been observed around the world. Because they’re so tall and powerful, they can pose a danger to ships and offshore structures.

    To rethink what rogue waves are and what causes them, I gathered an international team of researchers. Our study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, sheds light on these oceanic giants using the most comprehensive dataset of its kind.

    By analyzing 18 years of high-frequency laser measurements from the Ekofisk oil platform in the central North Sea, we reached the surprising conclusion that rogue waves aren’t just freak occurrences. They arise under the natural laws of the sea. They are not mysterious, but somewhat simple.

    27,500 sea states

    We analyzed nearly 27,500 half-hour wave records, or sea states, collected between 2003 and 2020 in the central North Sea. These records, taken every 30 minutes, describe how elevated the sea surface was compared to the average sea level. They include major storms, such as the Andrea wave event in 2007.

    A complex of platforms on the Ekofisk oil field in the North Sea.
    BoH/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Under normal conditions, waves arise from wind blowing over the sea surface. It’s like when you blow over your cup of coffee and form small ripples on the surface. At sea, with enough time and space, those ripples can turn into large waves.

    We focused on understanding what causes waves to suddenly go rogue and rise far above their neighboring waves. One proposed theory is based on modulational instability, a phenomenon described by complex mathematical models. I’ve revised these models in the past, as my work suggests that this theory doesn’t fully explain what causes rogue waves in the open ocean.

    A diagram showing the height of waves in different sea states, with the tallest reaching about half the height of a large commercial boat.
    Sea states record the height of waves and show when some waves rise high above sea level.
    U.S. Government Accountability Office

    When waves are trapped within a narrow channel, the modulational instability theory describes their rippling movement well. However, it starts to fall apart when you look at the real ocean. In open environments such as the North Sea, waves are free to propagate from multiple directions.

    To understand the difference, imagine a crowd of spectators leaving a stadium after a football game. If the exit is a long, narrow hallway with tall walls, people are forced to move in a single direction. Those at the back push forward, and some may even climb over others, piling up between the confining walls. This catastrophic pileup would resemble a rogue wave, caused by their confinement.

    In contrast, if the stadium’s exit opens onto a wide field, spectators can disperse freely in all directions. They don’t push on each other, and they avoid pileups.

    Similarly, researchers can generate rogue waves in a confined channel in the lab, where they obey modulational instability. But without the confinement of a channel, rogue waves usually won’t follow those physics or form the same way in the open sea.

    Our team knew we had to study the open sea directly to figure out what was really going on. The real-world data my team examined from the North Sea doesn’t line up with modulational instability – it tells a different story.

    A sailboat caught in the swell of a tall wave, under a cloudy sky
    Rogue waves are much taller than the others around them.
    John Lund/Stone via Getty Images

    It’s just a bad day at sea

    We analyzed the sea state records using statistical techniques to uncover patterns behind these rare events. Our findings show that instead of modulational instability, the extreme waves observed more likely formed through a process called constructive interference.

    Constructive interference happens when two or more waves line up and combine into one big wave. This effect is amplified by the natural asymmetry of sea waves – their crests are typically sharper and steeper than their flatter troughs.

    Rogue waves form when lots of smaller waves line up and their steeper crests begin to stack, building up into a single, massive wave that briefly rises far above its surroundings. All it takes for a peaceful boat ride to turn into a bad day at sea is a moment when many ordinary waves converge and stack.

    These rogue waves rise and fall in less than a minute, following what’s called a quasi-deterministic pattern in space and time. This type of pattern is recognizable and repeatable, but with touches of randomness. In an idealized ocean, that randomness would almost vanish, allowing rogue waves to grow to nearly infinite heights. But it would also take an eternity to witness one of these waves, since so many would have to line up perfectly. Like waiting for Fortuna, the goddess of chance, to roll a trillion dice and have nearly all of them land on the same number.

    In the real ocean, nature limits how large a rogue wave can grow thanks to wave breaking. As the wave rises in height and energy, it can’t hold itself beyond a certain point of no return. The tip of the wave spills over and breaks into foam, or whitecap, releasing the excess energy.

    The quasi-deterministic pattern behind rogue waves

    Rogue waves aren’t limited to the sea. Constructive interference can happen to many types of waves. A general theory called the quasi-determinism of waves, developed by oceanographer Paolo Boccotti, explains how rogue waves form, both in the ocean and in other wave systems.

    For example, for turbulent water flowing through a confined channel, a rogue wave manifests in the form of an intense, short-lived spike in vortices – patterns of spinning swirls in the water that momentarily grow larger as they move downstream.

    While ocean waves seem unpredictable, Boccotti’s theory shows that extreme waves are not completely random. When a really big wave forms, the waves in the sea around it follow a recognizable pattern formed through constructive interference.

    We applied Boccotti’s theory to identify and characterize these patterns in the measured North Sea wave records.

    The giant waves observed in these records carry a kind of signature or fingerprint, in the form of a wave group, which can reveal how the rogue wave came to life. Think of a wave group like a small package of waves moving together. They rise, peak and then fade away through constructive interference. Tracking these wave groups allows researchers to understand the bigger picture of a rogue event as it unfolds.

    As one example, a powerful storm hit the North Sea on Nov. 24, 2023. A camera at the Ekofisk platform captured a massive 55 foot (17 meter) rogue wave. I applied the theory of quasi-determinism and an AI model to investigate the origin of this extreme wave. My analysis revealed that the rogue event followed these theories – quasi-determinism and constructive interference – and came from multiple smaller waves repeatedly stacking together.

    Left: Stereo video footage of a powerful storm in the North Sea on Nov. 24, 2023, recorded at the Ekofisk platform.
    Right: The wave group signature of the recorded rogue wave.

    Recognizing how rogue waves form can help engineers and designers build safer ships and offshore platforms – and better predict risks.

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  • Advances in Data-Driven Early Warning Systems for Sepsis Recognition and Intervention in Emergency Care: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Performance and Clinical Outcomes

    Advances in Data-Driven Early Warning Systems for Sepsis Recognition and Intervention in Emergency Care: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Performance and Clinical Outcomes


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