Pittsburgh - Combat medics are on the frontline caring for wounded soldiers. In the field, they need to have everything close at hand in order to deliver treatment as efficiently as possible. An inventor from Richmond, Va., developed the Tactical Litter and Aid Station Table (TLAST) to give medics the items they need to give the best possible care.

The invention is usable as a litter or trauma table. The device provides a steady platform for the provider. It holds IV bags and is compliant with military vehicles. The unit ensures patient health. The design eliminates the need to find other equipment. The accessory promotes better living and is designed to save lives. Additionally, it preserves the fighting force of tomorrow.

The inventor's professional experience inspired his idea. "I am an airborne ranger and combat medic," he said. "These items are all separate and never come together. After taking care of so many casualties, I developed this so that I could care for patients better."

The original design was submitted to the Virginia Beach office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 12-VBL-196, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call 412.288.1300 ext. 1368.

Source: InventHelp

Sunnyvale, Calif. - eNeura Inc. filed a 510(k) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the SpringTMS transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device. SpringTMS is a second-generation medical device based on eNeura's ground-breaking CerenaTMS, which recently received FDA clearance for the treatment of pain caused by migraine headaches preceded by an aura: a visual, sensory or motor disturbance immediately preceding the onset of a migraine attack. SpringTMS is more patient-friendly and portable compared to the previous generation device, and is already CE Marked in Europe and available by prescription in the UK.

CerenaTMS was the first medical device to be cleared by the FDA to treat migraine and SpringTMS operates along the same principles. The user applies TMS to the back of the head using both hands and presses a button to generate a focused, single pulse of magnetic energy that treats the migraine headache non-invasively and without discomfort.

David K. Rosen, President and CEO of eNeura, commented, "As a company, our focus is to provide patients with innovative and effective TMS medical technologies. By filing a 510(k) with the FDA for SpringTMS we have completed the next step on the path to bringing our most advanced TMS device to patients in the US. SpringTMS provides more user-friendly features compared to CerenaTMS, including a more compact size and shape, better portability and greater ease of use for the patient. We are optimistic that the SpringTMS will launch in 2014, having the advantage of improving upon our FDA-cleared predicate device."

Migraine headaches are characterized by intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is three times more common in women than in men and affects more than 10% of people worldwide. About one third of migraine sufferers experience an aura at the onset of pain.

Source: eNeura

WASHINGTON - The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $827 billion equipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume for December was $10.7 billion, down 7% from new business volume in December 2012. In a typical end-of-year spike, their new business volume was up 62% from the previous month’s volume of $6.6 billion. Cumulative new business volume for 2013 rose 3% over 2012.

Receivables over 30 days were at 1.9% in December, up slightly from 1.8% in November. Delinquencies increased from 1.6% in the same period in 2012. Charge-offs were unchanged from the previous month at the all-time low of 0.3%.

Credit approvals totaled 78.3% in December, an increase from 76.5% the previous month. Fifty-seven percent of participating organizations reported submitting more transactions for approval during December, an increase from 47% November. 

Finally, total headcount for equipment finance companies was up 2% year over year.

Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation's Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) for January is 64.9, the highest confidence level in two years, and an increase from the December index of 55.8. An improved general outlook for economic activity among industry leadership contributed to the increase. 

ELFA President and CEO William G. Sutton, CAE, said: “December’s strong volume number is consistent with the typical growth pattern of a very busy end of year for many equipment finance organizations. Overall, 2013 was a very good year for many ELFA members: the cumulative growth data for the year bear this out. Offsetting this strong performance in new business activity, however, were reports of margin compression in virtually all sectors. Aggressive competition, low interest rates, and declining yields put pressure on overall profitability. Credit quality continues to be very manageable, despite the slight uptick in delinquencies.”   

Miles Herman, president and COO, LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc., said, “I remain relatively optimistic about 2014, and believe that we are heading in the right direction. My optimism is tempered by the nominal shortfall indicated by the MLFI-25 between December of 2012 and December of 2013. Nevertheless, the report also shows that business volume is up overall, and that December was in fact 62% above November. Based on the most recent Monthly Confidence Index, it appears that my colleagues concur, at least to varying degrees. It is of course worth noting that this MCI is the strongest it has been for the prior 24 months. That kind of consistent optimism is, in and of itself, a good sign.

About the ELFA’s MLFI-25
The MLFI-25 is the only index that reflects capex, or the volume of commercial equipment financed in the U.S. The MLFI-25 is released globally at 8 a.m. Eastern time from Washington, D.C., each month on the day before the U.S. Department of Commerce releases the durable goods report. The MLFI-25 is a financial indicator that complements the durable goods report and other economic indexes, including the Institute for Supply Management Index, which reports economic activity in the manufacturing sector. Together with the MLFI-25 these reports provide a complete view of the status of productive assets in the U.S. economy: equipment produced, acquired and financed.

The MLFI-25 is a time series that reflects two years of business activity for the 25 companies currently participating in the survey. The latest MLFI-25, including methodology and participants is available below and also at http://www.elfaonline.org/Research/MLFI/ 

MLFI-25 methodology
The ELFA produces the MLFI-25 survey to help member organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing them with leading-edge research and benchmarking information to support strategic business decision making. 

The MLFI-25 is a barometer of the trends in U.S. capital equipment investment. Five components are included in the survey: new business volume (originations), aging of receivables, charge-offs, credit approval ratios, (approved vs. submitted) and headcount for the equipment finance business.

The MLFI-25 measures monthly commercial equipment lease and loan activity as reported by participating ELFA member equipment finance companies representing a cross section of the equipment finance sector, including small ticket, middle-market, large ticket, bank, captive and independent leasing and finance companies. Based on hard survey data, the responses mirror the economic activity of the broader equipment finance sector and current business conditions nationally. 

Source: Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

During a panel discussion at The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) headquarters, officials unveiled a study - "Economic Impact of Global Software Theft on U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness and Innovation" that is among the first to prove how stolen software use damages sectors of the U.S. economy beyond the software sector.

The study, by Bill Kerr, associate professor at Harvard Business School, and Chad Moutray, chief economist for the NAM, finds that unfair competition fueled by stolen software is a significant drain on manufacturing in the United States. The authors estimate losses between 2002 and 2012 totaled nearly $240 billion in manufacturing revenue, $70 billion in GDP and 42,220 U.S. manufacturing jobs. 

Coauthor Kerr notes that, “The use of pirated software by foreign manufacturers hurts manufacturers in the U.S. that pay the full cost of their inputs, costing the U.S. economy jobs, revenues, and GDP. This represents an unfair practice that deserves attention.” 

Also presented at the panel discussion were results from a recent survey of NAM members regarding this issue, showing:

• 1/3 of NAM members report theft of IP, trade secrets, or proprietary knowledge being stolen by competitors in emerging markets.
  
• 3 out of 5 NAM members say that IP and trade secret theft impacts their overall global competitiveness, including 1/3 who say it has a strong impact.
  
• Manufacturers are reluctant to do business with firms in emerging markets out of concern for theft or use of IP, trade secrets, and proprietary information in direct competition with their interests.
  
• The Kerr-Moutray study is available here.

The National Alliance for Jobs and Innovation (NAJI), a nonpartisan organization of nearly 400 U.S. member companies and associations, commissioned the study with the NAM.