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Verizon Frontline powers NORAD Tracks Santa initiative for 22nd yearScientists are using COVID-19 vaccine technologies to develop better vaccines against influenza viruses, including H5N1 bird flu. The research could make annual flu jabs much more effective. H5N1 bird flu cases have US authorities — and other nations monitoring its outbreak — on high alert. More than 60 human H5N1 infections have been confirmed in the US, mostly among agricultural workers close to infected cattle and birds. At time of writing, more than 123 million poultry have been infected across all US states, in addition to 865 dairy herds. On Wednesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first "severe" case of H5N1 had hospitalized a person in Louisiana. California governor Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency to address the spread of the virus. Almost all cases of H5N1 in people are due to exposure to live or dead animals and no human-to-human transmission has been recorded. To ensure readiness for potential transmission between people , scientists are testing new vaccine technologies to protect against emerging diseases. New research may have found a breakthrough new method for creating more effective vaccines against influenza viruses . The study, published December 19 in the journal Science, demonstrated a new way to improve the effectiveness of the annual flu shot. Our immune systems are "biased" towards certain flu viruses The new study aimed to understand why seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness is only between roughly 40-66% . There are many strains of influenza circulating at any time and health authorities constantly monitor their spread to create targeted seasonal vaccines. The final jab in the arm usually contains four selected flu strains, but the body rarely develops a good response to each. Part of the problem is that people’s immune systems often produce antibodies tailored to a specific influenza subtype — not necessarily the specific ones put into the vaccine . "For a long time, people thought that individual flu strain preference [subtype bias] was something you couldn’t do anything about," Mark Davis, an immunologist at Stanford University, US, who led the study. But Davis’ team found the real reason for these immune biases — we inherit them our parents via our genes. In an initial analysis of twins and newborns, around three-quarters of people with no previous exposure to influenza were found to have biased immune responses to specific flu strains. Boosting seasonal flu shot effectiveness Davis’ team then sought to "unbias" the immune system so it could respond better to different types of influenza strains. Their new vaccine technology combines key molecules from different flu strains into a single compound. The immune system recognizes its preferred molecule, then recruits other "helper" immune cells to build defenses to all strains in the combination. Although only tested in lab dishes so far, Davis said their vaccine platform could push the effectiveness of flu vaccines from its around 66% "into the nineties." The current flu vaccines don't give equal protection to all the influenza viruses it contains, so "you’ve got to make a vaccine that has all the major variables in it," Davis said. New methods could improve flu vaccines Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, director of the University of Marburg’s Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene in Germany, said the research sheds light on "something that, at least in vaccinology, has not been fully understood." “The real highlight of the paper is that it can describe the [immune] cell properties that are needed to produce specific types of immune responses," said Bekeredjian-Ding, who was not involved in the research. A drawback of Davis’ study was that it was lab-based, meaning the vaccine has not yet been trialed in humans. Davis said their next task is to convince manufacturers that adopting their method is the way for forward in vaccine development. After that, the new vaccines will need to go through rigorous testing in clinical trials to ensure they are safe and effective. Only then can they become available for widespread use. Is another pandemic brewing? The current bird flu situation To play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio Testing COVID technologies to target H5N1 Meanwhile the CDC has completed a study of an H5N1 vaccine using the mRNA technology used to create COVID-19 vaccines . The study, published in Science Translational Medicine , tested a prototype H5N1 mRNA vaccine in ferrets. Vaccinated ferrets, even those with severe symptoms, overcame H5N1 infection, but unvaccinated ferrets did not. The measure is a milestone in pre-pandemic preparation, said Bin Zhou at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, USA, who led the study. The vaccine is yet to be tested in humans, but Zhou thinks similar results could be expected in human trials. “We can say that the mRNA is a promising platform... If there is a pandemic then we’re prepared for that part, unlike COVID-19 at the beginning where we didn’t have anything prepared for the vaccine,” Zhou said. Edited by: Fred Schwaller Fight against avian flu involves vaccinating birds in zoos To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Sources Coupling antigens from multiple subtypes of influenza can broaden antibody and T cell responses. Published by Vamsee Mallajosyula, Saborni Chakraborty et al. in Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adi2396 An influenza mRNA vaccine protects ferrets from lethal infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. Published by Masato Hatta, Yasuko Hatta et al in Science Translational Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.ads1273Sanctuary Advisors LLC reduced its position in Global X U.S. Preferred ETF ( NYSEARCA:PFFD – Free Report ) by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,832 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,448 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Global X U.S. Preferred ETF were worth $322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intrepid Financial Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Global X U.S. Preferred ETF by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Intrepid Financial Planning Group LLC now owns 30,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Global X U.S. Preferred ETF by 0.7% in the second quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 121,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. Rockport Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Global X U.S. Preferred ETF by 1.6% in the second quarter. Rockport Wealth LLC now owns 53,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,059,000 after buying an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Global X U.S. Preferred ETF by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 23,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Global X U.S. Preferred ETF by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 39,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Global X U.S. Preferred ETF Stock Down 0.6 % PFFD opened at $19.49 on Friday. Global X U.S. Preferred ETF has a twelve month low of $19.06 and a twelve month high of $21.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.20. Global X U.S. Preferred ETF Profile The Global X U.S. Preferred ETF (PFFD) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in broad credit fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of US preferred stocks, selected and weighted by market value. PFFD was launched on Sep 11, 2017 and is managed by Global X. Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Global X U.S. Preferred ETF High Flyers: 3 Natural Gas Stocks for March 2022 S&P 500 ETFs: Expense Ratios That Can Boost Your Long-Term Gains What is Short Interest? How to Use It How AI Implementation Could Help MongoDB Roar Back in 2025 3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now Hedge Funds Boost Oil Positions: Is a Major Rally on the Horizon? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFFD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Global X U.S. Preferred ETF ( NYSEARCA:PFFD – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Global X U.S. Preferred ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Global X U.S. Preferred ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Nabity Jensen Investment Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN ) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 8,769 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,634,000. Amazon.com accounts for about 1.3% of Nabity Jensen Investment Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Semus Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Amazon.com by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,920 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $3,339,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 1.5% during the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 3,359 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $626,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 1.8% in the second quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 3,076 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. O Connor Financial Group LLC increased its position in Amazon.com by 2.2% during the third quarter. O Connor Financial Group LLC now owns 2,536 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Cherrydale Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Amazon.com by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cherrydale Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,492 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Amazon.com Stock Performance Amazon.com stock opened at $223.75 on Friday. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.05 and a 1 year high of $233.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $209.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $2.35 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.91, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.16. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have recently issued reports on AMZN. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Amazon.com from $221.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Amazon.com from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Amazon.com from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.00. Get Our Latest Analysis on Amazon.com Insider Transactions at Amazon.com In other Amazon.com news, Director Daniel P. Huttenlocher sold 1,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.06, for a total value of $246,237.22. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 24,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,958,982.72. This represents a 4.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, Director Jonathan Rubinstein sold 4,351 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.85, for a total transaction of $1,000,077.35. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 88,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,273,459.55. This represents a 4.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 6,032,344 shares of company stock worth $1,253,456,822 in the last three months. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock. About Amazon.com ( Free Report ) Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMZN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Amazon.com Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amazon.com and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .WEST FARGO — When Happy, a sweet but oblivious-to-danger 9-year-old mare scraped up her back leg once again, owner Alicia Severson was able to call on Casselton Veterinary Service to visit her Gandin, N.D., farm and patch up Happy. But when it comes to a recurring ligament injury Happy sustained while competing in a barrel competition, Severson and many other horse and farm animal owners are finding it more difficult every year to find big animal veterinarians, and especially ones that specialize in certain care. "There is absolutely a shortage," Severson said. For decades, ranchers have been sounding the alarm about a shortage of rural veterinarians and new big animal vets, and especially those who specialize in caring for horses, cows, pigs and sheep. The problem persists despite land grant universities such as North Dakota State University, who often send undergraduates interested in the profession to far-away schools for continuing education. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , 500 counties across 46 states reported critical shortages of big animal vets. And while large animal veterinarians have long been a challenge to find in rural areas, where they are most needed, veterinarians who specialize in horses are also waning. That's despite the increasing popularity and availability in North Dakota and Minnesota for younger generations to compete in equine activities. According to an online database, about 43,200 horses call North Dakota home, which is about one horse per 18 people in the state. Leon Glasser, president of the North Dakota Quarter Horse Racing Association, has been breeding, raising and racing horses for more than 40 years, working to improve the quality of racehorses born in North Dakota. Over the years, he's watched the number of veterinarians willing to work with horses dwindle quickly. "Are we short of equine vets in this area? Absolutely, we are," Glasser said. He said a veterinary clinic in New Salem, N.D., will now only provide simple paperwork needed for owners to transport horses across state lines for care and Missouri Valley Vet Clinic in Bismarck has also limited equine services in the same way. Most newer veterinarians prefer to work on dogs and cats exclusively, he said. Severson agreed, noting it is also difficult to find a veterinarian who has experience treating goats, as the Seversons have two goats at their farm along with the horses and a cat. For Happy's ligament issue, of which she's had recurring surgeries and needs sporadic treatment, Severson worked with an equine sports medicine specialist based in the Twin Cities but would travel into western Minnesota. However, that veterinarian recently retired, leaving Severson on the hunt to find another specialist within a few hundred miles of the Red River Valley. "Nothing takes the place of a seasoned veterinarian," Severson said. "Thankfully, Casselton [Veterinary Service] is fabulous when it comes to when my horse is injured. But when it comes to long-term stuff that she's dealing with, it's difficult." Dr. Alexa Weyer at Casselton Veterinary grew up in Snohomish, Wash., a farm town north of Seattle, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Dakota before finishing her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in Alabama. Following graduation, she began working at Casselton Veterinary in early 2021. "There is definitely a shortage of people interested in large animal practice, and we would love to see more interest," Weyer said. To be a veterinarian requires a doctorate degree from a veterinary school or program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and passing the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam, which is an extensive 360-question exam on all species (dogs, cats, horses, cows, goats, pigs, birds, reptiles, rabbits, fish and more) and all aspects of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians can choose to either go straight into general practice after graduation or they can seek further education to become a specialist. To be a veterinarian technician requires a two- or four-year veterinary technology degree, depending on the program. Derine Winning, a veterinarian at Valley Veterinary Hospital in Fargo and public policy adviser for the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, said the vast majority — about 70% — of new graduate veterinarians became companion animal practitioners in 2023. Almost 10% became mixed animal practitioners and only 6% became equine practitioners. The data comes from the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2024 Economic State of the Profession Report. "There are a lot of different areas in which veterinarians can become board certified through advanced education and training," Winning said. Animal specialists of any kind can be difficult to find locally, although Winning said the Red River Animal and Emergency Hospital and Referral Center in Fargo does have some specialists in oncology, surgery, internal medicine and emergency and critical care. Casselton Veterinary provides many large animal services from emergency on-call care to posting a doctor and technician for nights and weekends. In addition to their vets traveling to farms, the clinic has a large treatment area with two stocks and stalls for hospitalization and breeding care. The clinic also has several portable imaging tools. Weyer said the trend of vets moving away from rural areas can be seen in the growing need for referrals. "Unfortunately, most referral facilities across the country for large and small animals are in areas of high population density. For large animals, there are even fewer facilities and they tend to be at universities with veterinary schools or in areas of high equine concentration," she said. While the Casselton doctors work with a variety of places for specialty referrals, Sturgis Equine in western South Dakota and the University of Minnesota are probably most used by the clinic. Still, the closest drive is about four hours. Weyer said referrals are typically needed for colic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, advanced imaging or advanced hospitalizations. "In general practice like we are, there are always times to refer. For our clients, it would be nice to have a closer option, but a lot of areas in the country are even farther from referral than we are," Weyer said. Beth Carlson, deputy veterinarian with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, said rural areas most in need of large animal veterinarians may not attract college graduates with those abilities. "The ratio of large animal veterinarians has shifted quite a bit," Carlson said. "Certainly there are areas of the state where it is difficult to hire veterinarians for a variety of reasons. In some cases it's challenging to hire veterinarians even in urban areas as well." One challenge is the cost of becoming a veterinarian. The USDA offers a program that provides up to $75,000 in veterinary school loan repayment to graduates who agree to work in underserved rural communities a minimum of three years. While some in Congress have recently proposed increasing that amount, it can still be daunting as new veterinarians, on average, face about $190,000 in school debt over the eight years needed to become a veterinarian. According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the mean starting salary for a veterinarian working predominantly in the treatment of food animals is about $85,000, but it was more than $100,000 for those who specialize in pet care. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture does work with residents interested in attending veterinary school. Carlson said her office assists with applications for veterinary loan repayment programs. "There are a few different ways that the state and federal government has approached that issue," Carlson said. While NDSU has a veterinarian technician program, there are currently no veterinary schools in North Dakota. In fact, there are only about 30 veterinary schools nationwide. The closest to North Dakota and some of the most renowned veterinary medicine schools are the University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Kansas State. "NDSU is a great agricultural school and has a great veterinary technician program," Weyer said. "It might be nice to have a veterinary doctorate program at NDSU, but I am not sure that the population is there yet to support one."
Share Tweet Share Share Email The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday announced that it was finalising an award of up to $1.61 billion for Texas Instruments to boost chip production and up to $4.745 billion for Samsung Electronics of South Korea. TakeAway Points: The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday it was finalizing an award of up to $4.745 billion to South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and up to $1.61 billion for Texas Instruments to expand chip production. The department “modified this grant to line with market conditions and the scope of the investment the company is making,” according to a Commerce representative. Texas Instruments has pledged to invest more than $18 billion through 2029 in two new factories in Texas and one in Utah, which are expected to create 2,000 manufacturing jobs. Amkor’s Arizona plant, when fully operational, will package and test millions of chips for autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G, and data centers. US finalizes up to $6.75 billion in chips awards for Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Amkor The department also finalized an award of up to $407 million to help fund Amkor Technology’s planned $2 billion advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Arizona, which is set to be the largest of its kind in the U.S. The Samsung award is about $1.7 billion smaller than the preliminary award announced in April of up to $6.4 billion and reflects its revised smaller investment plans, the department said. A Commerce spokesperson said the department “changed this award to align with market conditions and the scope of the investment the company is making.” A Samsung spokesperson said its “mid-to-long-term investment plan has been partially revised to optimize overall investment efficiency” but declined to disclose details of its agreement with the Commerce Department. In April, administration officials said Samsung planned to invest roughly $45 billion to build two chip production facilities, a research center and a packaging facility by 2030. On Friday, Commerce said Samsung plans to invest $37 billion and complete the projects by the end of the decade. Texas Instruments has pledged to invest more than $18 billion through 2029 in two new factories in Texas and one in Utah, which are expected to create 2,000 manufacturing jobs. The company is getting $900 million for its Texas operations and $700 million. Amkor’s Arizona plant, when fully operational, will package and test millions of chips for autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G, and data centers. Apple will be its first and largest customer with the chips produced at a nearby Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC facility. Amkor CEO Giel Rutten said the facility “will serve as a critical cornerstone in establishing a robust semiconductor manufacturing supply chain within the United States.” Congress in August 2022 approved a $39 billion subsidy program for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and related components, along with $75 billion in government lending authority. Commerce invests in Intel Last month, Commerce finalized an award of up to $7.86 billion for Intel, down from $8.5 billion announced in March after the California-based chips maker won a separate $3 billion award from the Pentagon. Commerce has now finalized the largest awards it offered earlier this year, including this week, finalizing up to $458 million for SK Hynix in Indiana. In total, Commerce has finalized over $33 billion of the over $36 billion in proposed incentive funding. “With this investment in Samsung, the U.S. is now officially the only country on the planet that is home to all five leading-edge semiconductor manufacturers,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Related Items: Amkor , Samsung , Texas Instruments , US Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you PDD’s Temu App Tops U.S. iOS Downloads Bitcoin Rises To New Record Above $107,000 US Supreme Court Rejects Nvidia’s Bid To Avoid Securities Fraud Suit CommentsGeode Capital Management LLC Acquires 6,166 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)