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Monarch Tractor companions with Dairy Farmers of America for autonomous feed pushing

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Monarch Tractor companions with Dairy Farmers of America for autonomous feed pushing

With MK-V Dairy Autodrive Feed Pushing, farmers can push feed extra incessantly, resulting in wholesome, happier cows. | Credit score: Monarch Tractor

Monarch Tractor this introduced that it has partnered with Dairy Farmers of America, or DFA, to offer financial savings for DFA farmer-owners. Livermore, Calif.-based Monarch Tractor manufactures electrical, autonomous, and data-driven off-road autos for the specialty and compact tractor market. The corporate stated the settlement demonstrates its dedication “to working carefully with main trade voices.”

Kansas Metropolis, Kan.-based DFA is made up of almost 9,500 numerous household dairy farmers throughout the U.S. The addition of Monarch Tractor to DFA’s record of most popular distributors in its Members Financial savings Community will give farmers larger entry to dairy equipment at a diminished value, stated the companions. The machines will help them overcome labor challenges, drive down enter prices, and scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions, stated Monarch Tractor.

Dairy farmers have a historical past of embracing agricultural know-how and innovation, the firm said. Investing in energy-efficient equipment and robotics has led to much less labor and extra operational effectivity, it added.

Monarch Tractor gives electrical, self-driving tractor

As a result of the MK-V Dairy tractor is 100% electrical, it could save dairies 1000’s of {dollars} annually on diesel prices whereas eliminating greenhouse gasoline emissions throughout feed-pushing operations, stated Monarch Tractor. It may well additionally function a cell energy wall, enabling farmers to simply transport saved vitality to distant locations on their farm to behave as a clear, quiet generator for instruments and different equipment.

Because the producer of the MK-V Dairy tractor, a 100% electrical, good tractor with autonomous feed-pushing performance, Monarch claimed that it “is unlocking elevated milk manufacturing, labor effectivity, and data-driven decision-making for dairy farmers.”

‘We’re thrilled to convey Monarch’s modern know-how to DFA’s farmer-owners,” stated Praveen Penmetsa, co-founder and CEO of Monarch Tractor. “Trade partnerships are a core tenet of Monarch’s farmer-first philosophy, and our MK-V Dairy tractor aligns completely with DFA’s dedication to serving to farmers function extra effectively and profitably.”

Monarch Tractor raised $133 million in Sequence C funding in June 2024 to assist increase its gross sales and assist crew and to proceed to  innovate following its product roadmap.

DFA commits to accessibility, sustainability

By means of its commitments to sustainable and accountable farming, DFA stated its partnership with Monarch Tractor will assist dairy farms and their communities thrive. The group stated it’ll join farms to helpful energy-efficiency initiatives and assets by way of its Farm Companies division.

“We’re happy to companion with Monarch Tractor to convey their cutting-edge MK-V Dairy tractor to our farmer-owners,” stated Kaitlyn Cherny, vitality program supervisor at DFA.

“This collaboration not solely gives important financial savings, but additionally enhances our farmers’ potential to optimize labor assets and enhance productiveness,” she added. “At Dairy Farmers of America, we’re dedicated to supporting our members with modern options that drive effectivity and sustainability on their farms.”

Monarch Tractor asserted that its system’s connectivity can enhance data-driven decision-making and make it simple for farmers to generate experiences on the tractor’s operations and financial savings. As a digital platform, the MK-V Dairy tractor continues to enhance even after the purpose of buy by way of software program and firmware updates, it stated.

DFA members can entry the unique reductions by logging into their myDFA accounts.


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c# – E-mail Embedded file (by way of “cid:” hyperlink) engaged on android telephones however not on iPhone / iPad?


I am attempting to make a backend-service that sends out e-mail with an “Add to Apple Pockets” Button. This works, the e-mail is there with textual content and a “Add to Apple Pockets” button rendered. There’s additionally an attachment within the e-mail “pass_mitterlehner.pkpass” that I can click on and it’ll present the dialog so as to add an move.

Now right here is my drawback whats NOT engaged on an iPhone or iPad however works on an Android Telephone:
Android Telephone (gmail): Once I click on the “Add to Apple Pockets” button it appropriately downloads the hooked up “move.pkass”.
iPhone or iPad (default “mail” app): Once I click on the “Add to Apple Pockets” button it solely opens the picture of the button however not the cid hyperlink to the attachment. If I provide the cid hyperlink with out the button it simply does nothing clicking it.

The code seems like this for including the 2 attachments (button picture and .pkass file)(C# and fluentmail):

        .Connect(new FluentEmail.Core.Fashions.Attachment
        {
            Information = System.IO.File.OpenRead(aWalletImgPath + aWalletImgName),
            ContentType = "picture/png",
            Filename = aWalletImgName,
            IsInline = true,
            ContentId = "addToAppleWallet"
        })
         .Connect(new FluentEmail.Core.Fashions.Attachment
         {
             Information = File.OpenRead(appleWalletLink),
             ContentType = "utility/vnd.apple.pkpass",
             Filename = "pass_mitterlehner.pkpass",
             IsInline = true,
             ContentId = "pass_mitterlehner.pkpass",
         })

Then after I make the e-mail with the button + hyperlink and hyperlink solely:

            
                Add to Apple Wallet 
           
            
                    Obtain Apple Pockets Go
            

I don’t perceive why the linking to the attachment (by way of “https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79579059/cid:pass_mitterlehner.pkpass”) works on Android Telephones however not on iPhone / iPad.

EDIT1: I’ve made one other remark. Its appears to work solely with gmail. Within the code I take advantage of “href=”https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79579059/cid:pass_mitterlehner.pkpass”” as proven, nevertheless after I click on the hyperlink within the e-mail I get redirected to “https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=3ba88a04b5&attid=0.3&th=196436bbbbc7fe4f&view=att&disp=emb&zw”. Might or not it’s that Gmail sees the wished linking by way of “cid” and robotically generates a short lived obtain hyperlink for the hooked up file?

Q&A: The talents builders want in an period of AI growth


The mixing of AI into the software program growth life cycle has introduced many advantages, nevertheless it’s additionally introduced change to the software program growth function. 

Within the newest episode of our podcast, What the Dev, we interviewed Antje Barth, principal developer advocate for generative AI at AWS, about these adjustments and the brand new abilities builders want. 

Right here is an edited and abridged model of that dialog.

I’m curious what you’ve seen in these previous few years, and the way you view the function altering.

We began years in the past with having AI that’s serving to me with code completion duties, proper? After which with the rise of agentic AI, we actually see the way it impacts each single step of the software program growth life cycle proper now. For instance, with Amazon Q, you’ve gotten help from the planning, code creation, doc writing to writing unit checks to your code, serving to you to co-develop code. So it’s actually been type of an evolution from the early days of AI to the place AI is admittedly changing into virtually type of a peer in your coding expertise. 

Provided that it appears AI is right here to remain, what abilities ought to builders be specializing in constructing now, in order that they’re nicely positioned to work alongside it?

What we see is that this affect from AI on the everyday software program developer function. Some name it the AI engineering function that’s type of rising, and the talents have modified somewhat bit. For instance, in case you take the present pattern of vibe coding that’s being mentioned all over the place within the trade, it’s the best way to use pure language in a conversational method to construct software program and prototype concepts. You don’t must turn into a knowledge scientist, which is nice, proper? Software program builders can embrace AI and type of co-develop. There’s a ability set, although, of the best way to perceive what’s taking place, proper? So how AI, how language fashions function, and the way can I outline and phrase my inputs in pure language in order that I get the code and the outcomes that I’m on the lookout for? So beforehand, we known as it immediate engineering. Nowadays, it’s actually about studying the best way to successfully talk with the AI. 

Do you’ve gotten any recommendation for builders seeking to make a shift into AI engineering?

AI actually helps me, for instance, in two totally different areas. So some would possibly name it type of a boosting space, the place I take advantage of AI to assist me simply automate duties, which I may do myself, however I simply need to automate some tedious duties with the assistance of AI, like writing documentation, writing boilerplate code, and so forth. So this actually helps me to be simpler. 

After which on the opposite aspect, it’s additionally about studying new issues. So it’s type of a studying zone the place you should use AI. I develop a ton in Python, however I don’t have a lot understanding of Rust. So I may use AI to assist me write code in a distinct programming language, which I may not have that a lot expertise in. 

So I believe these are the 2 areas, I believe, the place AI is admittedly, actually useful. One’s boosting your abilities and serving to to make you extra environment friendly as a software program developer, and then again, additionally that will help you study new abilities and study new issues.

With all this stress to study AI abilities, is there nonetheless room for builders preferring extra conventional coding roles, who don’t actually need to get on board with utilizing AI in the course of the course of?

Taking a look at how AI is altering software program growth, I believe there’s a variety of change in how we develop, which is what we mentioned, proper, the vibe coding and utilizing AI help. However there’s additionally the opposite aspect of AI altering what we construct, proper? 

And I believe one other thrilling space is how AI is mainly altering consumer experiences. And within the completeness of time, I can see this altering just about all consumer experiences on the market. Actually, Gartner, for instance, predicts that by 2028 over a 3rd of the enterprise functions will probably be AI powered. So this opens up a very new set of functions, which I believe can also be very thrilling to faucet into. 

That is an thrilling space, I believe, for software program builders, whether or not they’re utilizing AI for a way they develop or altering what they may construct for his or her corporations.

I do know you type of talked about this a pair instances — I’m curious your ideas on this concept of vibe coding?

In order I stated, vibe coding for me is type of the evolution, from early on AI assistant growth in a conversational method to now the place AI brokers can perceive objectives, plan the execution steps, and produce full options. It’s actually thrilling that vibe coding permits builders increasingly more to precise the intent of what they need to construct by way of only a informal dialog, fairly than, sitting down and having an in depth programming and coding train.

Parkinson’s Sufferers Say Their Signs Eased After Receiving Hundreds of thousands of New Mind Cells

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Grabbing a espresso cup appears straightforward. However you want to have the ability to transfer your hand, stretch it out, and hold it regular.

These actions are tough for individuals with Parkinson’s illness. The dysfunction eats away at mind cells—known as dopamine neurons—that management motion and emotion. Signs start with tremors. Then muscle tissues lock up. Ultimately, the illness makes strolling and sleeping tough. Pondering will get tougher, and as neurons die, individuals lose their focus and reminiscence.

Drugs can hold some signs at bay, however ultimately, their results put on off. For almost half a century, scientists have been exploring another resolution: Changing dying dopamine neurons with new ones.

This month, two research of almost two dozen individuals with Parkinson’s confirmed the technique is protected. A single transplant boosted dopamine ranges for 18 months with out notable uncomfortable side effects. Sufferers had fewer motor signs even after they stopped taking their common drugs.

The work stands out as a result of as an alternative of being tailor-made to every affected person, the cells had been ready-made. The groups grew new dopamine neurons from donors within the lab. These cells can multiply simply in petri dishes, forming a big provide of substitute cells for sufferers.

Malin Parmar at Lund College, who was not concerned within the research, informed Nature the outcomes are “a giant leap within the area.”

A Deteriorating Mind

Parkinson’s is the world’s second most typical neurodegenerative illness, with as much as 90,000 new instances a yr within the US. Michael J. Fox, who performed Marty McFly in Again to the Future and launched a basis to discover a Parkinson’s remedy, is maybe probably the most well-known particular person dwelling with the illness.

In Parkinson’s, neurons in the course of the mind progressively die. Known as the substantia nigra, the area is intricately related with surrounding areas and is essential for motion and feelings. Though the whole space ultimately deteriorates, neurons that pump out dopamine—a chemical that fine-tunes neural networks and features—are first to go. This implies the mind progressively loses dopamine because the illness progresses.

There are therapies however no cures.

One frequent medicine, Levodopa, tackles signs. Neurons slurp up the drug and remodel it into dopamine. However as mind cells progressively die, the medicine turns into much less efficient. Levodopa additionally has uncomfortable side effects. As a result of midbrain wiring influences each addictive behaviors and motor management, flooding it with dopamine can change how individuals act, like rising the danger of playing dependancy and different obsessive behaviors. Lengthy-term use also can set off random actions of the face, arms, and legs—a symptom known as dyskinesia.

Mind implants that bridge damaged connections within the midbrain are one other remedy. Deep mind stimulation, for instance, mimics pure mind indicators to ease motor signs. Some implants are already authorised to be used, however they require surgical procedure and monitoring and aren’t broadly accessible.

Relatively than patching a damaged circuit with a brief repair, what if we may change damaged dopamine neurons with recent ones?

Stem-Cell Marathon

Stem cells supply an answer. These particular cells can develop into some other sort of cell beneath the best circumstances, making them the right substitute for dying neurons.

Again within the Eighties, one workforce transplanted mind tissue wealthy in dopamine neurons into individuals with Parkinson’s. These sufferers skilled a lift of dopamine and improved motor management for years after the surgical procedure. However the supply was extremely controversial: fetal mind tissue.

Though a “first proof-of-concept for cell transplantation remedy,” the trial raised “moral issues,” in accordance with Hideyuki Okano on the Keio College Regenerative Medication Analysis Heart in Japan, who was not concerned within the new research.

Instead, scientists have discovered to create stem cells within the lab. One methodology produces stem cell traces that may develop nearly eternally beneath the best circumstances. In one other, scientists chemically remodel grownup cells, usually taken from the pores and skin, right into a stem-cell-like state. These are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). 5 years in the past, a workforce transformed iPSCs into dopamine neurons and transplanted them right into a affected person, enhancing signs for as much as two years.

Getting sufficient of the cells is tough. Fetal brains are arduous to return by and ethically problematic. And making iPSCs for every affected person is time-consuming, doubtlessly limiting widespread adoption.

Off-the-Shelf Therapy

The brand new research took a distinct strategy: They gathered two forms of broadly out there stem cells, turned them into younger dopamine neurons, and implanted them into the mind.

In a single trial, researchers injected cells from a human embryonic-stem-cell line into the midbrains of 12 middle-aged individuals with Parkinson’s. As soon as a line is established, these lab-grown cells can reproduce indefinitely, primarily making them an infinite useful resource.

Individuals acquired almost three million cells unfold throughout 18 areas within the midbrain. Some 300,000 of those—roughly the variety of dopamine cells that naturally inhabit the area—survived transplantation. The sufferers took immunosuppressant medicine for a yr to forestall rejection.

Observe-up mind scans discovered increased ranges of dopamine, even after sufferers stopped medicine 18 months later. Nobody confirmed indicators of most cancers—a severe danger related to stem-cell remedy—wrote Okano. Signs improved 50 %. Ache went down. And sufferers reported improved sleep, urge for food, and day by day motion.

In a second research, scientists created an iPSC cell line from a donor’s pores and skin cells and coaxed them into recent dopamine neurons. Transplanted into seven Parkinson’s sufferers, the cells had been proven to be protected and in working order. They pumped out dopamine and eased motor signs for over two years.

These research stand out as a result of they used donor cells, versus cells tailor-made to every affected person. “The outcomes are encouraging as a result of they present that using allogeneic (non-self) transplants for the remedy of Parkinson’s illness is prone to be protected,” wrote Okano.

Lengthy Highway Forward

Although promising, each research have limitations, particularly the big variety of cells concerned. It’s attainable to develop the cells in a standard lab setting, however high quality management and different particular measures are essential. Scientists are nonetheless debating if off-the-shelf cell therapies—which require immunosuppressants—are higher than customized therapies.

The brand new strategy additionally must bear bigger trials. Each research had been open label, that means members knew they had been being handled, doubtlessly triggering placebo results. Nonetheless, the therapies are transferring ahead. Each groups are working with biotechnology corporations to check them in bigger teams.

“Transplanting dopamine-releasing neurons into the mind is a promising regenerative remedy for Parkinson’s illness,” wrote Okano. However “extra proof is required to show its effectiveness.”

‘Radical collaboration’ on emissions information coming to U.S.


Key takeaways

  • A number of automotive firms have piloted the Catena-X data-sharing ecosystem
  • The system is designed to speed up data circulation by way of worth chains
  • Catena-X may function the blueprint for comparable options in different industries

A software that enables for “radical collaboration” round sustainability information will develop from Europe to the U.S. within the subsequent few months.

Catena-X is a data-sharing ecosystem that automotive {industry} firms use to alternate product carbon footprints and different sustainability data. The system, developed by BMW and different European firms, was piloted final yr. Now, the Automotive Trade Motion Group, a non-profit that promotes collaboration between {industry} companions within the U.S., is gearing as much as supply Catena-X to its nearly 5,000 member firms.

The system is designed to clean the numerous factors of friction that automotive firms encounter when sharing sustainability information — for instance, using completely different software program techniques. Equally, smaller firms that sometimes sit deeper in provide chain discover it more durable to effectively measure and share information with bigger producers.

Widespread language

Catena-X creates a typical language for value-chain companions to make use of. Oliver Ganser, the BMW vp who chairs the Catena-X board, likened the system to e mail protocols that permit customers of any related software program — Gmail or Outlook, for instance — to alternate messages seamlessly. “Now SAP can discuss to IBM,” he stated, referring to 2 of the tech firms that present sustainability software program to the automotive {industry}.

Along with BMW, the Catena-X board consists of representatives from Renault, Siemens, Mercedes and others.

The system additionally consists of “kits” that suppliers can use to calculate data they wish to share, such because the carbon footprint related to particular merchandise, in addition to guidelines that permit firms to manage which companions have entry to commercially delicate information. 

Catena-X was piloted final yr after round three years of growth. In a single take a look at, a workforce at BMW’s plant in Landshut, Germany used it to obtain information from Covestra, a companion that provides the kidney-shaped grilles that adorn the entrance of the corporate’s automobiles. The data included all emissions concerned in manufacturing of the grille, from the extraction of uncooked supplies by way of the manufacturing course of. After being transferred to BMW, the info was built-in with the Siemens software program the corporate makes use of to trace its personal emissions numbers.

In one other pilot, Witte Automotive, a provider of door handles and locks to BMW and others, used Catena-X to extra effectively calculate the carbon footprint of one among its merchandise. A 3rd take a look at concerned information alternate between three firms — Ford, semiconductor producer Micron and Flex, which designs and produces electronics. Not like BMW, the trio was not concerned within the growth of Catena-X.

Increasing stateside

Greater than 140 firms started to make use of the system after these pilots have been accomplished and registration opened final October, stated Ganser. U.S. firms will quickly be invited to hitch them. Kevin Piotrowski, chief transformation officer on the Automotive Trade Motion Group, stated that within the subsequent month or two he’ll announce a proper collaboration with Catena-X and invite his members to make use of it. “They wish to collaborate and share information, however they don’t wish to do it 5 other ways or 10 other ways,” he stated. “We’ve acquired to give you an ordinary means.”

Though designed for automotive firms, the emergence of Catena-X raises the chance that a number of industries may in the future plug into a typical structure for sharing sustainability information. For instance, Catena-X incorporates core rules developed by the Partnership for Carbon Transparency, an industry-agnostic initiative from the World Enterprise Council for Sustainable Growth that has created an ordinary for sharing Scope 3 information.

“Catena-X is deliberately designed for the automotive sector, addressing its particular complexity, multi-tier provide chains and regulatory calls for,” stated Ganser. “Nevertheless, from the start it was developed as a blueprint for different industries dealing with comparable challenges.”