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New Initiative Launched to Accelerate the Use of AI in the Fight Against Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Leading nonprofits come together to define how AI can help researchers to grapple with the daunting complexities of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related disorders

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 10,000 Brains Project, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been launched to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The organization’s mission is to provide the leadership, expertise, and financial support needed to ensure that researchers can rapidly adopt this powerful new technology in the search for better diagnostics and treatments for patients in need.

Neurodegeneration is perhaps the most complex challenge in healthcare and the development of treatments has proven resistant to traditional research methods. The rapid advancement of AI offers an opportunity to fundamentally transform research just as the development of the microscope in the 17th century led to an explosion of scientific discovery. Neurodegeneration affects more than 50 million people worldwide, costs families and taxpayers billions of dollars in caregiving expenses, and is increasing in prevalence as populations age.

Patrick Brannelly, a seasoned executive in nonprofit and entrepreneurial ventures, has been named the founding CEO of The 10,000 Brains Project. Mr. Brannelly has nearly 20 years of experience building groundbreaking neuroscience initiatives. Most recently, he was a member of the Health & Life Sciences team at Gates Ventures, where he served as the Director of Partnerships & Business Development for the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MSc in Applied Neuroscience from King’s College London.

Mr. Brannelly said, “We hope to serve as a resource to others in the field as we jointly explore and embrace the unique capabilities of AI. We welcome inquiries from philanthropists, researchers, and other stakeholders who share our vision of AI-enabled precision medicine for all types of neurodegenerative disease.”

As a first step toward its mission, The 10,000 Brains Project has commissioned the development of a roadmap to guide the rapid adoption of AI within neurodegeneration research. The resulting insights, including recommended approaches for addressing the key gaps and opportunities, will be shared with researchers worldwide beginning this year. The roadmap will also inform the creation of the collaborative research networks needed to rapidly move the field forward.

The 10,000 Brains roadmapping effort is being led by the Milken Institute’s Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research Collaboration (SPARC). Additional financial support for the effort has been provided by the Robertson Foundation and Rainwater Charitable Foundation, who both serve on the project’s steering committee.

Dr. Cara Altimus, Managing Director of Milken Institute Philanthropy, said, “AI offers the computational power needed to look across neurodegenerative diseases and find common threads that can lead to better diagnostics and treatments. We are excited to build a research roadmap that will show how private funding can accelerate this important area of medical research.” Dr. Amy Rommel, Scientific Program Director at the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, added, “The roadmap is an important first step in building the multiyear AI collaborations needed to address all forms of neurodegeneration, including the rarer forms that are too often overlooked.”

The “10,000 Brains” name is a reflection of two important principles. First, solving neurodegenerative diseases will require researchers to recognize the full diversity of human brains; every person’s brain is different, and their disorders can take a variety of different paths. Second, no single expert will be able to untangle the mysteries of neurodegeneration alone; it will require large teams of talented researchers to work together.

About The 10,000 Brains Project

The 10,000 Brains Project is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic initiative that seeks to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases. We provide the leadership, expertise, and financial support needed to ensure that the medical research community can rapidly adopt this exciting new technology for maximum impact. To learn more about our priorities, programs, and partnerships, visit: https://10kbrains.org.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. With a focus on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health, we bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next.
For more information, visit: https://milkeninstitute.org.

About the Rainwater Charitable Foundation’s Medical Research

The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) was created in the early 1990s by renowned private equity investor and philanthropist Richard E. Rainwater. RCF supports a range of programs in family economic security funding, medical research, and other worthy causes. In 2009, the RCF added the Tau Consortium after Rainwater was diagnosed with PSP, which affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, vision, speech, and swallowing. In order to deliver on its mission to accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments for primary tauopathies, like PSP, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation’s Medical Research team now manages several programs including the Tau Consortium, Tauopathy Challenge Workshop, and the Rainwater Prize. For more information, visit: https://rainwatercharitablefoundation.org.

About the Robertson Foundation

The Robertson Foundation is a private Foundation established in 1996 by Tiger Management founder Julian H. Robertson, Jr., his wife Josie, and their family. The Foundation takes a targeted, results-oriented approach to philanthropy, and it has historically targeted high-impact grants in three principal areas: Education, Environment, and Medical Research. Past investments in medical research include supporting basic research in neuroscience, cancer, stem cell biology, and data science as well as translational research for a wide variety of diseases. For more information, visit: https://www.robertsonfoundation.org/.

Contact:      Patrick Brannelly
                     The 10,000 Brains Project
                    +1-650-743-7141
                     patrick.brannelly@10kbrains.org

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SOURCE 10,000 Brains Neuro AI, Inc.

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Sapient Insights Group Reveals the HR Technology Solutions Ranking Highest in Vendor Satisfaction and User Experience for 2026

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Voice of the Customer badges awarded across 23 HR technology categories, based on 10,000 responses to Sapient’s 2026-2027 Annual HR Systems Survey

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Sapient Insights Group today revealed the HR technology solutions ranking highest in vendor satisfaction and user experience in its 2026-2027 HR Systems Survey, now in its 29th year. This year Sapient awarded 630 Voice of the Customer badges across 23 technology categories and three company sizes. The rankings are based on responses from HR professionals representing 6,038 organizations.

Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer and Managing Partner at Sapient Insights Group, presents the HR technology solutions ranking highest in vendor satisfaction and user experience for 2026.

To help buyers find the providers that fit their organization, the rankings are split into three company sizes: small, mid-sized, and enterprise. Respondents rate their satisfaction with their current solution in each technology category on a scale of 1 to 5, with attention to support and service. Sapient also ranks solutions on user experience. The top five solutions in each category and size earn a badge for vendor satisfaction and a badge for user experience. Three categories with smaller sample sizes (Time Labor Budgeting, Contingent Workforce Management, and Skills Management) are ranked in aggregate across all company sizes.

The survey continues to grow with the HR technology market. New this year, the survey adds Compliance Management to the HR Blueprint, application-level outcome questions, payment models for applications and AI, and finance applications covering Core, Expense, and Planning. It also asks more “why” questions throughout, so the results show not just what organizations are doing but the reasons behind their choices.

“Our Voice of the Customer rankings come straight from HR practitioners, with no sponsorship involved, which is why buyers and vendors both pay attention to them,” said Stacey Harris, chief research officer and managing partner at Sapient Insights Group. “This year we expanded the rankings to cover more of the HR technology landscape, which gives buyers a clearer view of how solutions perform for the specific work they need done, not just at the suite level. It also gives vendors honest feedback from the people who use their products every day.”

The highest-ranking solutions for vendor satisfaction are listed below. Rankings include point solutions, modules within technology suites, and in some cases service providers.

Payroll
Dayforce – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

HR Management
Dayforce – Enterprise
HiBob – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Benefits
Businessolver – Enterprise
Fidelity NetBenefits/PSW – Mid-sized
HiBob – Small

HR Service Delivery: Portal
Dovetail – Enterprise
Workday Help – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Content Management
Dovetail – Enterprise
DocuSign – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Employee Help Desk
Dovetail – Enterprise
ServiceNow – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

HR Service Delivery: Engagement Survey
Dovetail – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Time and Attendance
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Absence Management
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Leave Management
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Workforce Scheduling
Darwinbox – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Labor Budgeting
isolved – All sizes

Learning
Cornerstone – Enterprise
OpenSesame – Mid-sized
isolved – Small

Recruiting
Indeed – Enterprise
Greenhouse – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Onboarding
Dayforce – Enterprise
isolved (ApplicantPro) – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Performance
Dayforce – Enterprise
HiBob – Mid-sized
BambooHR – Small

Compensation
Dayforce – Enterprise
Payscale Payfactors – Mid-sized
Insperity – Small

Succession
Dayforce – Enterprise
Microsoft Glint – Mid-sized
Paylocity – Small

Rewards and Recognition
Awardco – Enterprise
isolved – Mid-sized
Gifted – Small

Analytics
Visier – Enterprise
Visier – Mid-sized
UKG People Analytics – Small

AI/ML
Visier Vee – Enterprise
Grammarly – Mid-sized
Anthropic Claude – Small

Contingent Workforce Management
ServiceNow – All sizes

Skills Management HiBob – All sizes

The complete Voice of the Customer results, including the top five solutions for vendor satisfaction and user experience in every category and company size, are available here (https://sapientinsights.com/top-vendors/).

Sapient Insights Group will publish detailed survey findings and analysis in its annual HR Systems Research Report on November 6, 2026. The report will be available to purchase here (https://sapientinsights.com/shop/).

About the 2026-2027 HR Systems Survey

Now in its 29th year, Sapient’s HR Systems Survey is the longest-running, most comprehensive survey of the HR technology landscape, and the only fully objective, non-sponsored study of its kind. This year, HR professionals representing 6,038 organizations around the globe took part. The survey now covers 23 technology categories. The annual report includes an in-depth look at each category, along with current and future adoption rates, customer retention, replacement plans, and projected vendor growth.

For more information about the survey and report, schedule a call (https://calendly.com/summerorellano/schedule-a-call-with-sapient-insights-group).

About Sapient Insights Group Sapient Insights Group is a certified women-owned, privately-owned consulting, research, and advisory firm. The company works with organizations in the areas of HR and finance technology; HR strategy and transformation; leadership and culture; change management; talent management; mergers and acquisitions; and project management. The company’s HR Systems Survey is the HR profession’s most trusted source for objective data on the HR technology market and insights to guide buyer investments and vendor product development and marketing. For more information, visit www.sapientinsights.com.

Media Contact

Allison Williams, Sapient Insights Group, 1 4043044748, Info@sapientinsights.com, https://sapientinsights.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/sapient-insights-group-reveals-the-hr-technology-solutions-ranking-highest-in-vendor-satisfaction-and-user-experience-for-2026-302915884.html

SOURCE Sapient Insights Group

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SAJ Debuts First CEC-Approved Systems under Australia’s New Battery Standard at All Energy 2026

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EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5 on show at Stand M143, with Australia’s Strongest Man at Stand E01 and the SAJ range across three distributor stands

MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SAJ will exhibit at All Energy Australia 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28–29 October. At Stand M143, installers can get their first hands-on look at the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5, the first products approved under Australia’s new SA TS 5398 standard.

At 2pm on Wednesday 28 October, DEKRA and CCS will present SAJ with the CEC certificates for the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5 on the stand, making SAJ the first brand listed under SA TS 5398. SAJ and DEKRA will also sign a strategic cooperation agreement covering safety, quality and compliance.

On the stand

EK70 HS5 – the all-in-one home energy system, combining hybrid inverter, LFP battery and whole-home backup in one unit. Modular 6, 7 and 9 kWh battery blocks stack to suit the household.EK90 HS5 – the premium tier, with 12,000-cycle cells, nine-layer safety protection, edge AI and a 15-year warranty.B2S and H2 – modular storage and the latest from SAJ’s residential range.elekeeper 5.0 – SAJ’s energy management app, with AI-assisted design, five-minute app commissioning and remote diagnosis.C&I – SAJ’s latest commercial and industrial solutions.

Live demonstrations of the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5, elekeeper 5.0 and the C&I range run at 10am on both days and again at 3pm on Wednesday.

Visitors can also play the claw machine on the stand throughout both days to win tennis balls signed by SAJ brand ambassador Alex de Minaur.

Beat Australia’s Strongest Man of 2026 at Stand E01

At Stand E01, near the hall entrance, visitors can take on Bradman Houston, Australia’s Strongest Man 2026, on the high striker. Bradman will be there each day. Anyone who beats his score wins!

Bradman recently partnered with SAJ and Sydney Solar & Electrical on a video series about lifting technique and fitness for solar installers, now on SAJ’s Instagram.

SAJ across the floor

The SAJ range is also on show with the company’s three national distribution partners, for stock, pricing and account conversations:

One Stop Warehouse – Stand EE113, with the EK90 HS5 on displaySupply Partners – Stand L135Tradezone – Stand S113

“All Energy is where the industry sees what’s next, and for SAJ that’s the EK70 HS5 and EK90 HS5,” said Alan Li, the Sales Director of SAJ Electric Australia. “Installers told us they want one integrated system that’s faster to install and that they can stand behind. Being the first brand listed under SA TS 5398 is the proof. We’d love installers to see both systems up close at Stand M143, and to try their luck against Bradman at E01 while they’re there.”

Visit SAJ

Where: Stand M143 (Beat the Strongest Man at Stand E01), Melbourne Convention and Exhibition CentreWhen: Wednesday 28 – Thursday 29 October 2026More information: au.saj-electric.com

About SAJ

Founded in Guangzhou in 2005, SAJ (Guangzhou Sanjing Electric Co., Ltd.) is a specialist in smart energy storage, delivering integrated solutions across solar generation, battery storage, energy management and EV charging for residential and commercial customers. SAJ has operated in Australia since 2013 and works with three national distribution partners – One Stop Warehouse, Supply Partners and Tradezone – backed by local technical support and warranty infrastructure.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/saj-debuts-first-cec-approved-systems-under-australias-new-battery-standard-at-all-energy-2026-302915502.html

SOURCE SAJ

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Starvia Automotive Expands Used-Car Exports to Afghanistan and Iran

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Starvia Automotive has added Afghanistan and Iran to the destinations covered by its used-car export business, the company said on Oct. 21, as it focuses on used vehicles built to Chinese-market specifications. Buyers in both markets can now request an assessment of a specific vehicle before an order is confirmed.

What the review covers

For a used vehicle, the model name alone does not determine whether an export order can proceed. Year of manufacture, vehicle identity, condition, ownership documents and destination import rules are reviewed for each request, together with carrier acceptance, transit requirements and payment restrictions, according to the company.

Starvia cited two listings in its online used-car catalog as examples of the process: a 2023 Volkswagen Polo and a 2021 Volkswagen Tharu. The company said the listings show published stock and do not confirm that either unit is available or eligible for import into both markets. Stock, vehicle records and destination suitability are confirmed before a model is presented as an order option.

How an inquiry is handled

Inquiries are submitted through the company’s online form, which asks for destination city, importer details, preferred vehicle, quantity and purchasing timeframe. Starvia said the information is used to identify suitable vehicles, check documentation and seek a transport option, and that alternatives can be discussed if the first model does not meet the requirements.

An Arabic-language version of the site is available at https://www.starviaauto.com/ar?utm_source=prnews for buyers who prefer Arabic.

Any vehicle offer, freight estimate or shipment timing remains subject to commercial, regulatory and logistics checks, the company said. Buyers should obtain destination-side import approval before committing to a purchase.

About Starvia Automotive

Starvia Automotive is a Guangzhou-based exporter of new and used vehicles. Its online catalog lists used cars with vehicle history and inspection information for buyers in multiple regions.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/starvia-automotive-expands-used-car-exports-to-afghanistan-and-iran-302915298.html

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