Robots As Kindergarten Teachers Cartoon
Day: October 5, 2017
Amazon Acquisition of Whole Foods: Slashed prices led to increased traffic
Amazon made deep price cuts on Whole Foods items the moment it fulfilled the acquisition of the organic food chain. The price cuts were as much as 43 percent on premium items. Since the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods, there has been a disruption in the market—with food chain rivals experiencing price drops on their stocks.
Whole Foods was initially trying hard to compete with stores like Kroger and Wal-Mart. These bigger chains started to sell organic produce at a lower price. Additionally, these chains continued to give price cuts, thus leaving Whole Foods with overpriced products. The phenomenon that was the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods gave new life to Whole Foods. Since the price cuts, there has been an increase of up to 25 percent on customer traffic according to Foursquare Labs.
Details Related to the Amazon Acquisition of Whole Foods
Foursquare Labs used data from shoppers’ mobile devices to compare the week-on-week volume of human traffic to Whole Foods. There was agreement that some of the customers went to Amazon for the hype. Some of the shoppers still made purchases even if the items in the store were comparatively more expensive than those same items found in larger chain retailers.
In point of fact, Amazon is an online marketing company and has not had much success in brick-and-mortar operations. The $13.7 billion Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods represents a small toehold on the retail food market. Whole Foods represents only 2 percent of the $800 billion- market, which is currently dominated by Wal-Mart, Kroger and Albertsons. Notably, the prices at large chain retailers are still lower than at Whole Foods. Some Whole Foods items can be more expensive by 50 percent compared to large chain stores.
Can Amazon Save Whole Foods?
Amazon’s strategy with the whole Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods seems to be more of an extension or an arm of the company while maintaining its organic foods identity. Along with the cut in prices of some Premium items, Amazon is offering discounts at Whole Foods stores to Prime program members. Private label Whole Foods items will soon be available online through Amazon. It has also started selling Amazon Echo and Echo Dot at a discounted promo offer at Whole Foods.
Even before the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods, the Amazon Go store was introduced to the public. (Amazon Go is a new concept in retail which features a new customer experience: you do not need to pay at the check counter—you can just leave the store when you are through with your purchases. Whenever you pick up an item and place it into your cart or basket, sensors and cameras will detect this and add it to your purchases. When you leave the store, the total purchases will be billed to the credit card on your Amazon account.) There have been comments that Amazon Go could be the blueprint or the direction for Whole Foods.
On the Future of Whole Foods with Amazon
Certainly, Whole Foods has loyal fans who regularly go to the store to have breakfast or buy food items. These are premium clients who buy a small number of items and remain happy with their purchases. Because of the Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods deal, the availability of an Amazon Go payment method in a Whole Foods store would add to that innovative user experience and leave a bold impact on consumers.
Amazon’s innovations with Whole Foods could completely upend the retail foods industry. Clearly, Amazon is correcting some of Whole Foods’ missteps—such as their failure to recognize that as organic became ubiquitous, pricing competition had to be taken into account. If Amazon can deliver lower prices for premium quality through Whole Foods, both companies stand to make a bold impact.
Why Are Food Allergies Increasing? Here’s the Case of its 400% Increase
In the U.S., food allergies send someone to the emergency room once every three seconds. An allergic reaction is a significant shock to a person’s immune system. Food allergies are the most common form of allergy. From allergic rhinitis to skin allergies, this response from the body causes pain, extreme discomfort, difficulty in breathing, or even death. Many Americans have their fair share of food allergic reaction stories. And such a fact has a bold impact on the world of medicine. So it’s valid when someone asks: “Why are food allergies increasing?”
On the Question, “Why Are Food Allergies Increasing?”
FAIR Health Inc.—an independent nonprofit company that gathers data and supervises the biggest database of privately billed health insurance claims in America—has recently conducted an analysis. In the study, they discovered that cases of food allergy reactions have skyrocketed by nearly 400 percent. That is a growth of five times over the past decade. From 2007 to 2016, the number of people diagnosed with anaphylactic shock—a condition that causes trouble in breathing—grew by 377 percent.
According to Robin Gelburd, the president of FAIR Health, “Allergies are a growing national public health concern.” He added, “We intend to continue to study food allergies and to release findings that can inform research and policy.” Interestingly, people are not born with allergies. Instead, they acquire allergies at a specific time or circumstance in their lives. Allergic reactions are deemed to be incurable. However, there are ways that people can reduce their allergic response—such as by avoiding allergens and taking prescribed medicines.
In Detail: Food Allergic Reactions
Hugh Sampson, the director of Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, has potentially shed more light on the path to answering the question, “Why are food allergies increasing?” He mentioned that the sudden spike in cases of food allergic reactions could be associated with the following:
- Continuous use of antibiotics
- Growing rates of C-sections, which affects the microbiomes of babies
- Progressively sterile surrounding
The analysis discovered that 8 percent of children have developed food allergies and that almost 40 percent have a history of critical reactions.
Foods That Cause Allergies
Even amid the rising question of “Why are food allergies increasing?”, medical experts around the world are trying to look for more effective ways to prevent food allergic reactions. Giving advice to parents and children has always been their weapon, but it, unfortunately, does not work as well as intended.
Food Allergy Research & Education® (FARE) stated that there are over 170 foods that have been reported to cause allergic reactions. Out of these substances, only eight are considered to be the major allergens, namely:
- Crustacean shellfish
- Egg
- Milk
- Fish
- Tree nuts
- Soy
- Wheat
- Peanut
Interestingly, peanuts are the leading cause of food allergies in the nation at 26 percent. Tree nuts came in second at 18 percent, followed by eggs in the third spot at 7 percent. Other unspecified food in the report gathered over 33 percent. These nutritious substances are ironically wreaking havoc to the industry of health and wellness in the United States.
In a notable effort, medical organizations and experts decided to turn the tables on allergy growth and change their approach earlier this year. They recommended a bold action wherein babies as early as 6 months old who have a high or moderate risk of having food allergies be introduced to allergy-causing food.
The Reality of Food Allergic Reactions
There are three categories of allergies: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and skin. These allergies can cause various physical symptoms, such as swelling of the lips, throat and tongue. People could also experience trouble in swallowing, difficulty in breathing, and even a major drop in blood pressure. Dr. Jennifer Ashton, the Chief Medical Contributor of ABC News, says that is it important to always bring an Epinephrine injection—most often called an EpiPen. An EpiPen auto-injector is a lifesaving tool for people who may experience a sudden anaphylactic reaction.
Markedly, in trying to determine the answer to “Why are food allergies increasing?”, FAIR Health found out that cases of food allergic reactions ballooned more in rural areas than in cities. They also discovered that about 34 percent of claims were seen in people over 18 years old. Ashton added that food allergies could be developed later in life and not just during the childhood stage. The information has prompted the independent nonprofit company to dig deeper into the data. They will present another study to be released in October—discussing gender variations, cost of services, and geographical factors.
Knowing What to Do Helps!
People can pinpoint the causes of food allergies, but having this condition is still a mystery. Food allergies have a bold impact not just on the world of medicine but also across all industries in all nations. Until we can pinpoint the causes of these allergies, information about what to do when an allergy attack happens is still our greatest weapon.
Zika Virus Kills Brain Cancer Cells According to New Research!
Startling new research has found Zika may be able to fight brain cancer cells in adults. The bold idea that the Zika virus kills brain cancer cells was discovered by Jeremy Rich and his team from the University of California. They found that the Zika virus attacks glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer. The team found that when glioblastoma tumors were exposed to Zika virus, the latter destroyed the cancer stem cells. These stem cells are the deadly kind that usually kills a person, which can occur when they become resistant to all possible treatments.
Zika virus is potentially life-threatening and extremely damaging to mothers expecting a baby. The disease is known to cause abnormally small heads in newborns, cause brain cancer in the child, or even force the mother to miscarry. “The virus does this because, unlike most microbes, Zika can pass from blood into the brain, where it infects and kills stem cells, having severe effects on developing brains,” New Scientist states. “But this ability to infect brain stem cells may prove useful for fighting deadly brain cancers, many of which are caused by mutated stem cells,” the website adds.
In Detail: Zika Virus Kills Brain Cancer Cells
The research also yielded further positive results. When the team tested the virus on ordinary adult brain cells unaffected with brain cancer, they did not become infected. The research also proved that the virus was not damaging to adults.
The next stage of the research is for the team to test their laboratory findings on live subjects: mice infected with glioblastomas. Notably, early results showed that mice who would normally die within a month have their life expectancies more than doubled once they became infected with the Zika virus. Scientists have yet to prove how their research can translate to humans. However, they plan on modifying the structure of the virus to ensure that it can be used in a safe manner to avoid any potential negative outbreaks or problems.
Interestingly, Harry Bulstrode from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom revealed that his team will test the unaltered Zika virus in the U.K. He states that past results prove that the disease is quite harmless to adults and that as long as it is not administered to pregnant women then there is really no cause for alarm. “This is an area of utmost need—we are talking about a uniformly fatal disease,” he said in an interview with New Scientist. “If it improves survival at all that would be an enormous result.”
Bold Moves for a Better Future
This ‘Zika virus kills brain cancer cells’ discovery can surely prove to be life-changing at the very least. Although scientists do not expect this method to develop into a cure for cancer, they do believe it can at least prolong life expectancy and improve the quality of life of those suffering from brain cancer. These medical advances show that bold actions taken by scientists like those from Cambridge and the University of California will continue to push the medical field forward to find cures for life-threatening diseases.
