Tunnel

Exodigo Closes $105 Million Series A to Lead Underground Mapping Revolution

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

TEL AVIV, Israel and PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Exodigo, the artificial intelligence (AI) innovator modernizing underground mapping, today announced the close of a $105 million Series A round, converting $30 million previously secured in SAFEs, for a total of $118 million in funding since its launch in 2022. Greenfield Partners and existing investor Zeev Ventures co-led the Series A with participation from existing investors SquarePeg, 10D VC, JIBE and National Grid Partners. Exodigo continues to lead a complete reinvention of underground mapping and plans to use the new capital to further build out its global team, accelerate the development of a self-service product line, and support its expansion into new markets.

Key Points: 
  • Greenfield Partners and existing investor Zeev Ventures co-led the Series A with participation from existing investors SquarePeg, 10D VC, JIBE and National Grid Partners.
  • Exodigo continues to lead a complete reinvention of underground mapping and plans to use the new capital to further build out its global team, accelerate the development of a self-service product line, and support its expansion into new markets.
  • Meanwhile, the built environment constitutes almost half of annual global CO2 emissions, making solving the underground both an economic and environmental priority.
  • "Exodigo has taken the underground mapping market by storm and established its platform as the gold standard in comprehensive underground intelligence in just two short years.

Phylos® and People Science® Announce Results of IRB-Backed Controlled Research Study on the Energizing Effects of THCV

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannabis genetics company Phylos®, along with People Science, a direct-to-consumer scientific research and technology company, has conducted an IRB-approved, double-blind clinical research study on the effects of rare cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). Results of the study found that Natural Natural™ THCV by Phylos significantly increased energy, activity, motivation, and well-being compared to placebo, without the fatigue and munchies associated with THC consumption.

Key Points: 
  • Results of the study found that Natural Natural ™ THCV by Phylos significantly increased energy, activity, motivation, and well-being compared to placebo, without the fatigue and munchies associated with THC consumption.
  • "This study signifies a pivotal moment for the cannabis industry in understanding the effect of THCV in combination with THC," according to Alisha Holloway, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Phylos.
  • "The Natural Natural THCV study allows us to leverage our exceptional plants in the advancement of targeted cannabis products, and to chart new territories in understanding the efficacy of natural cannabinoids."
  • Research participants ingested unmedicated placebo gummies, THC-only gummies, and gummies infused with extract from Get Sh!t Done™ (GSD), a THCV-dominant plant bred by Phylos.

NJFX Completes Acquisition of Critical Transatlantic Connectivity Assets from SubCom

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. , Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NJFX Utility Service LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NJFX, announced the successful acquisition of key infrastructure assets from SubCom LLC, originally developed in 2001.

Key Points: 
  • WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. , Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NJFX Utility Service LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NJFX, announced the successful acquisition of key infrastructure assets from SubCom LLC, originally developed in 2001.
  • These critical infrastructure assets required maintenance, which involves use of complicated and scarce marine expertise.
  • The number one priority is always life safety which makes this an expensive maintenance exercise in preserving US Critical Infrastructure.
  • Gil Santaliz, the CEO of NJFX, further emphasized the investment's significance, "We have invested close to $2 million to ensure these critical assets are ready for the next 30 years of use.

Metronet Expands Public Safety Investment in Michigan

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Metronet has furthered its industry-leading commitment to public safety by announcing Chuck Muller, Metronet Director of Safety & Damage Prevention, has been named to serve on the board of MISS DIG 811— Michigan’s Call Before You Dig safety initiative.

Key Points: 
  • Metronet has furthered its industry-leading commitment to public safety by announcing Chuck Muller, Metronet Director of Safety & Damage Prevention, has been named to serve on the board of MISS DIG 811— Michigan’s Call Before You Dig safety initiative.
  • Michigan is the fourth state in which a Metronet executive serves on the board for 811 safe digging initiatives.
  • The expansion of Metronet leadership in Michigan’s statewide safety emphasizes Metronet’s continued commitment to working alongside industry leaders in order to promote safe digging practices.
  • MISS DIG 811 provides free service to homeowners, excavators, municipalities and utility companies in the interest of public safety and utility damage protection.

Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

The numbers involved are just as despairing.

Key Points: 
  • The numbers involved are just as despairing.
  • The world’s major authority on food insecurity, the IPC Famine Review Committee, estimates that 90% of Gazans – some 2.08 million people – are facing acute food insecurity.
  • Indeed, of the people facing imminent starvation in the world today, an estimated 95% are in Gaza.
  • As an expert in Palestinian public health, I fear the situation may not have hit its nadir.

Putting Palestinians ‘on a diet’

  • But food insecurity in Gaza and the mechanisms that enable it did not start with Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack.
  • Multiple factors contributed to this food insecurity, not least the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel and enabled by Egypt since 2007.
  • Basic foodstuff was allowed, but because of delays at the border, it can spoil before it enters Gaza.
  • By placing restrictions on food imports, Israel seems to be trying to put pressure on Hamas by making life difficult for the people in Gaza.
  • In the words of one Israeli government adviser in 2006, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” To enable this, the Israeli government commissioned a 2008 study to work out exactly how many calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition.
  • The blockade also increased food insecurity by preventing meaningful development of an economy in Gaza.

Hampering self-sufficency

  • Gaza’s fishermen are regularly shot at by Israeli gunboats if they venture farther in the Mediterranean Sea than Israel permits.
  • Because the fish closer to the shore are smaller and less plentiful, the average income of a fisherman in Gaza has more than halved since 2017.
  • By early December 2023, an estimated 22% of agricultural land had been destroyed, along with factories, farms, and water and sanitation facilities.

Starvation as weapon of war

  • The use of starvation is strictly forbidden under the Geneva Conventions, a set of statutes that govern the laws of warfare.
  • Human Rights Watch has already accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, and as such it accuses the Israeli government of a war crime.
  • Yet untangling what Israel’s intentions may be – whether it is using starvation as a weapon of war, to force mass displacement, or if, as it claims, it is simply a byproduct of war – does little for the people on the ground in Gaza.


Yara M. Asi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Veteran Housing Projects with Wrap-Around Care Services Underway Through Partnership That Brings Dignity-Driven Design to Homeless Veterans

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

These projects are part of a broader initiative to provide veterans with dignified, permanent housing solutions coupled with comprehensive supportive services.

Key Points: 
  • These projects are part of a broader initiative to provide veterans with dignified, permanent housing solutions coupled with comprehensive supportive services.
  • Our goal is to empower veterans through architecture that reflects respect, dignity, and care.
  • In Florida, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has secured an 8.7-acre land donation from Manatee County in Bradenton.
  • The partnership with LEO A DALY extends beyond these projects, with the firm providing expertise in site evaluation, zoning reviews, capacity studies, and design services.

Northwest Pipe Company Hires New General Manager for Geneva Pipe and Precast

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Pipe Company (Nasdaq: NWPX), a leading manufacturer of water-related infrastructure, has announced the addition of Jesus Tanguis as the new Vice President / General Manager of Geneva Pipe and Precast, a Northwest Pipe Company. Tanguis will be responsible for general oversite of the three Geneva Pipe and Precast plants in Utah, including manufacturing, safety, engineering, logistics, sales, team growth, and plant productivity.

Key Points: 
  • VANCOUVER, Wash., Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Pipe Company (Nasdaq: NWPX), a leading manufacturer of water-related infrastructure, has announced the addition of Jesus Tanguis as the new Vice President / General Manager of Geneva Pipe and Precast, a Northwest Pipe Company.
  • Tanguis will be responsible for general oversite of the three Geneva Pipe and Precast plants in Utah, including manufacturing, safety, engineering, logistics, sales, team growth, and plant productivity.
  • With a strong background in civil construction and infrastructure, Tanguis focuses on optimizing multicultural teams and organizational processes for sustainable business growth.
  • His background leading cultural change and increasing profitability supports our efforts to keep Geneva the regional leader in precast concrete," states Scott Montross, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Pipe Company.

Temporary Wall Systems announces the opening of three new Detroit area locations at regional construction convention

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

DETROIT, Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Temporary Wall Systems (TWS), the first and leading full-service, temporary containment wall provider in the United States, will celebrate the opening of three new greater Detroit area locations with a booth at the Great Lakes Design & Construction Expo on Feb. 14 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan.

Key Points: 
  • Temporary Wall Systems Ann Arbor and Sterling Heights, owned by the husband-and-wife team, Scott and Nadine Harrison, and Temporary Wall Systems Farmington Hills, owned by Lee Ritter, are joining forces to showcase their temporary containment walls to Southeast Michigan construction contractors, builders and remodelers at Booth No.
  • Now, we want to extend our partnership to include the ownership of Temporary Wall Systems Ann Arbor and Sterling Heights.
  • For more information about Temporary Wall Systems Ann Arbor, visit https://tempwallsystems.com/locations/ann-arbor/ .
  • To learn more about Temporary Wall Systems Farmington Hills, visit https://tempwallsystems.com/locations/farmington-hills/ and to learn more about Temporary Wall Systems Sterling Heights, visit https://tempwallsystems.com/locations/sterling-heights/ .

Virginia Beach Selects Woolpert for Annual Contract for Stormwater Engineering Services

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Virginia Beach Public Works Operations Group has selected Woolpert for its annual stormwater engineering services contract. Woolpert is providing consulting, engineering, surveying, architecture, GIS, and related services for the city's wide range of stormwater infrastructure needs and initiatives. The contract must not exceed $10 million and is renewable annually for a total term of four years.

Key Points: 
  • The four-year contract supports a wide range of stormwater, flooding, and water quality needs.
  • VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Virginia Beach Public Works Operations Group has selected Woolpert for its annual stormwater engineering services contract.
  • Woolpert is providing consulting, engineering, surveying, architecture, GIS, and related services for the city's wide range of stormwater infrastructure needs and initiatives.
  • The contract must not exceed $10 million and is renewable annually for a total term of four years.

Turkey earthquakes one year on: the devastation has exposed deep societal scars and women are bearing the brunt

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

In the early hours of February 6 2023, the south-eastern region of Turkey was rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes.

Key Points: 
  • In the early hours of February 6 2023, the south-eastern region of Turkey was rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes.
  • One year on, large parts of Hatay, the worst-affected province, remain in ruins.
  • A total of 9 million people have been affected, including 1.7 million refugees who had fled the civil war in Syria.
  • The devastation has exposed deep societal scars, and the task of rebuilding is still immense.

Economic ramifications

  • The quakes rendered around 220,000 workplaces unusable, leading to a 16% reduction in working hours.
  • Particularly hard-hit provinces such as Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya lost more than 10% of their combined industrial capacity.
  • The Turkish government has recently launched a programme to help people return to employment in the region.

Fractured society

  • The earthquakes shattered not only the region’s economy but the very fabric of society.
  • More than 850,000 buildings collapsed in the initial quakes and the thousands of aftershocks that followed.
  • This exposed inadequacies in construction practices and a widespread lack of compliance with building regulations.

Roadmap for recovery

  • Its stated aim is to construct cities and communities that are more resilient to any such shocks in the future.
  • This is commendable (provided it does in fact happen), but it’s crucial that efforts to recover go beyond mere reconstruction.
  • The government’s response to the disaster has, for example, largely failed women and girls.
  • However, the nature of this alignment – whether the president meant cooperation or political ideology – remains unclear.


Ufuk Gunes Bebek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.