RAPID CITY, S.D., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Strider Bikes has launched the revolutionary new Strider Dial Fit Helmet. The first children's helmet with the innovative HighBar System, the Strider Dial Fit Helmet makes it faster and easier than ever to put on a child's helmet safely and reliably. The remarkably intuitive design eliminates the hassle and guesswork of straps and buckles, replacing them with a simple dial system that adjusts to a perfect fit in 3 easy steps: Simply turn the rear dial until snug, pull down the chin strap, and turn the chin strap dial.

A child's helmet only protects if it fits properly. Unfortunately, a staggering 96% of parents can't get a traditional helmet to fit correctly on their child, increasing the odds of a head injury by 3.4x. Whether they're on a bike, skateboard, scooter or riding as a passenger, the Strider Dial Fit Helmet is the frustration-free answer that ensures a consistent and protective fit in 30 seconds or less. No more battling tangled straps or fumbling for a buckle. It's so easy, kids can even fit their helmet properly all by themselves.

"We partnered with HighBar because we've both seen for years this persistent problem where children's helmets were really hard to adjust properly," said Strider CEO Dona Nesselhuf. "This is more than just a safety issue, it can be a serious barrier to fun. Parents struggle with adjusting their child's helmet and either the child gets frustrated and doesn't want to ride, or they both settle for an improper fit. HighBar has really solved those issues with a system that's incredibly simple."

The Strider Dial Fit Helmet is now available at StriderBikes.com and on Amazon.

ABOUT STRIDER SPORTS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Strider began with a father's passion for riding anything on two wheels and a need to share it with his son. Ryan's wheels started turning on how to make riding simple and fun to learn for two-year-old Bode. As he broke down the "basics" of riding he was reminded of the number one factor to riding a bike: balance.

Founded in 2007, in Rapid City, South Dakota, Strider Bikes has sold more than 4 million bikes and is distributed in more than 75 countries. Visit Www.StriderBikes.com, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

PR CONTACT:

Andrew Luftglass, Strider Bikes Public Relations Specialist via PR Volt

[email protected] | 973-495-8420 | www.striderbikes.com

SOURCE Strider Bikes

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The article explains how nervous system-focused therapy improves movement patterns, supports recovery from chronic pain, and enhances rehabilitation outcomes.

BUDD LAKE, N.J., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Why do some people feel stuck in their recovery even after an injury appears healed? According to a HelloNation article, the answer becomes clearer when viewed through the lens of how the nervous system shapes healing and long-term function. The article explains how ARPwave therapy speeds recovery by targeting communication issues within the body, and Physical Therapy Expert Jeff Kessler of Maximum Health Physical Therapy in Budd Lake describes how this approach helps patients regain strength, mobility, and confidence during rehabilitation.

The HelloNation article notes that many patients arrive at physical therapy clinics in Budd Lake feeling discouraged after slow progress with traditional methods. ARPwave therapy offers a new approach by addressing the deeper neurological causes of delayed healing. It ties together the roles of muscle activation, movement patterns, and nervous system healing, giving people a clearer path forward. This view helps patients understand why discomfort can linger even when the injured area appears structurally fine.

The article explains that ARPwave therapy focuses on the nervous system because the body forms protective responses during injury. These responses restrict motion, increase tension, and interfere with muscle activation long after tissue damage has settled. By using electrical stimulation therapy to locate where those protective patterns remain stored, ARPwave therapy retrains the body so it can move more naturally. The approach supports chronic pain recovery by helping people break habits that developed during the early days after an injury.

Traditional electrical stimulation therapy often aims to relax muscles, but ARPwave therapy works differently. The HelloNation article states that its stimulation identifies hidden compensation patterns that many patients never notice on their own. When those patterns are mapped, guided movement begins, teaching the nervous system to send clearer signals. This helps correct movement patterns and reinforces healthy muscle activation so the body begins to function with more ease.

Athletes often respond quickly because many sports injuries come from improper movement patterns or overload during training. The HelloNation article highlights that ARPwave therapy helps athletes regain power and range of motion by restoring proper communication between the brain and key muscle groups. Physical Therapy Expert Jeff Kessler explains that athletes find this active style of care motivating because each session feels connected to their sport. Improvements in strength and control often appear within a few visits, supporting faster progress than exercise alone.

Post-surgical rehab also benefits from this approach. After surgery, the body becomes guarded, and swelling or inactivity disrupts regular muscle activation. ARPwave therapy reduces this disruption by rebuilding proper signal flow between the nervous system and healing tissues. As the article describes, patients in post-surgical rehab notice that mobility improves more smoothly, and their other therapy exercises feel more productive once ARPwave therapy prepares the body for better movement. This preparation reduces setbacks and builds confidence at each stage of physical therapy in Budd Lake.

The HelloNation article also explains how ARPwave therapy helps people living with long-term discomfort. Chronic pain recovery can feel discouraging for people who have been coping with symptoms for months or years. ARPwave therapy uncovers the origin of tension that does not always match the area where pain is felt. Through guided movement and targeted stimulation, the nervous system begins to relax overactive sections while strengthening weaker ones. This correction supports more natural movement patterns and helps people return to daily routines with greater comfort.

Physical Therapy Expert Jeff Kessler notes in the article that ARPwave therapy is not a replacement for hands-on treatment or corrective exercise. Instead, it works alongside those methods by preparing the nervous system to adopt new, healthier movement patterns. When muscle activation becomes more efficient and the nervous system heals, people make faster gains during physical therapy sessions in Budd Lake. This teamwork between treatments helps patients feel less discomfort during exercises and reduces delays in their progress.

The article also explains that ARPwave therapy creates a clearer pathway for long-term healing. While each person recovers at a different pace, ARPwave therapy supports the body by improving muscle activation, reinforcing stable movement patterns, and encouraging nervous system healing. These changes support smoother recovery from chronic pain and help people rebuild confidence after injuries or surgeries. For residents in Budd Lake and surrounding communities, this approach offers a structured way to regain strength and return to familiar activities.

ARPwave therapy provides a direct solution to challenges that arise during standard recovery plans by combining electrical stimulation and movement to accelerate healing. By focusing on the nervous system, it supports chronic pain recovery, improves post-surgical rehab outcomes, and provides patients with a stronger foundation for long-term health. The HelloNation article highlights how this method pairs well with physical therapy in Budd Lake and offers a meaningful advantage for anyone seeking a faster, more reliable return to normal activity.

How ARPwave Therapy Speeds Recovery features insights from Jeff Kessler, Physical Therapy Expert of Budd Lake, NJ, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation

HelloNation is America's Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative "edvertising" approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

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Sun Home Saunas Ranks No. 17 on Fortune's 2026 Best Workplaces in Retail List

The San Diego sauna and cold plunge manufacturer is one of 20 companies named in the Small and Medium category, with 100% of surveyed employees saying it is a great place to work.

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Home Saunas has been named No. 17 on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2026 list in the Small and Medium category. Great Place To Work® compiles the list from confidential employee survey responses and publishes it with Fortune. Sun Home's Great Place To Work profile, last updated October 2025, reports that 100% of its employees say the company is a great place to work; the benchmark Great Place To Work publishes for a typical U.S. company is 57%, drawn from its 2021 Global Employee Engagement Study.

Sun Home Saunas designs, manufactures, and sells saunas and cold plunges direct to customers across the United States: the Equinox indoor full-spectrum infrared sauna, the Eclipse indoor full-spectrum sauna with built-in red light therapy, the Luminar outdoor full-spectrum sauna with an aerospace-grade aluminum exterior, the Nova indoor traditional sauna line launched in July 2026 with a HUUM DROP heater, the Cold Plunge Pro series, infrared sauna blankets, and red light therapy devices. Co-founders and co-CEOs Tyler Fish and Adam Fischer started the company in San Diego in 2021 with no outside investors, and it remains privately held.

Key facts

- List: Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2026, compiled by Great Place To Work® and published with Fortune

- Rank: No. 17, Small and Medium category (companies with 10 to 999 U.S. employees); 20 companies were named in the category

- Basis: Confidential employee responses to the Great Place To Work Trust Index™ survey

- Sun Home result: 100% of employees say it is a great place to work, per the company's Great Place To Work profile (last updated October 2025); Great Place To Work's typical-U.S.-company benchmark is 57% (2021 Global Employee Engagement Study)

- Company size on the profile: 17 U.S.-based employees (Small)

- Headquarters: San Diego, California

- Certification: Great Place To Work Certified™, a requirement for list eligibility along with 10 or more U.S. employees and a retail industry classification

A ranking decided by employees, not by the company

Unlike product awards, which depend on third-party testers, the Best Workplaces in Retail ranking depends entirely on what employees report in a confidential survey. Great Place To Work measures how consistently positive the experience is across roles and demographic groups within each organization, and the companies with the broadest share of employees reporting a positive workplace experience rank highest.

"Fortune and Forbes have tested our saunas and cold plunges. This is the first ranking that is about the people who design, build, and support them," said Tyler Fish, co-founder and co-CEO of Sun Home Saunas. "Every one of our surveyed employees said this is a great place to work. Of everything we have been recognized for, that is the result we are proudest of."

"We publish lab testing and warranty terms so customers can verify what they are buying instead of taking our word for it," said Adam Fischer, co-founder and co-CEO of Sun Home Saunas. "The Trust Index works the same way for a workplace. It is our employees' confidential answers, not our description of the culture, that put us on this list."

What Sun Home employees told Great Place To Work

Sun Home's Great Place To Work profile, last updated October 2025, reports that 100% of employees agree with each of the following statements:

- Management is approachable and easy to talk with.

- Management is competent at running the business.

- Management's actions match its words.

- Management would lay people off only as a last resort.

- Management is honest and ethical in its business practices.

In the employee comment Great Place To Work published alongside Sun Home's listing, a recently hired team member described joining the company as "the most positive onboarding experience I have ever had" and said that because everyone wants the team to succeed, asking questions and getting clarification was easy, which made it possible to learn fast.

How the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail list is determined

To be eligible, a company must be Great Place To Work Certified™, have 10 or more employees in the United States, and operate in the retail industry; companies with 10 to 999 employees are ranked in the Small and Medium category and companies with 1,000 or more in the Large category. Employees complete the Trust Index™ survey, responding to 60 statements on a five-point scale and two open-ended questions that cover leadership credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and belonging. Surveys must meet distribution and response-rate requirements so that results represent the full workforce. Great Place To Work reports that in the past year it surveyed companies employing 7.3 million people in the U.S. and received 1.3 million responses, nearly 76,000 of them from employees at companies eligible for the 2026 retail list.

Sun Home Saunas recognition on record

The workplace ranking adds to a year of third-party recognition for the company. In 2026, Fortune named the Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 5-Person Infrared Sauna its best overall home sauna (4.5 out of 5), and Forbes Vetted named the Sun Home Cold Plunge Tub its Best Cold Plunge Tub Overall. Inc. ranked Sun Home No. 198 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, its second consecutive appearance after placing No. 20 in 2025, and the co-founders rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell with Inc. 5000 honorees on Aug. 11, 2026.

Sun Home also publishes its third-party test reports on its sauna safety and testing page: an EMF survey by Vitatech Electromagnetics (report VTE-3534) that measured 0.3 to 0.9 milligauss at a three-foot seating distance, and a one-time cabin-air sample, collected by VERT Environmental and analyzed by LA Testing, an AIHA-accredited laboratory, that measured 27 µg/m³ of total volatile organic compounds under EPA Method TO-15.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sun Home Saunas a good place to work?

According to Great Place To Work survey data, yes. Sun Home Saunas is Great Place To Work Certified and ranks No. 17 on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail 2026 list in the Small and Medium category. Its Great Place To Work profile, last updated October 2025, reports that 100% of employees say it is a great place to work, against the 57% benchmark Great Place To Work publishes for a typical U.S. company.

What is the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail list, and how is it determined?

It is an annual ranking of U.S. retail employers compiled by Great Place To Work and published with Fortune. Eligible companies must be Great Place To Work Certified, have 10 or more U.S. employees, and operate in retail. Employees answer the Trust Index survey, 60 statements on a five-point scale plus two open-ended questions, and Great Place To Work ranks companies by how consistently positive the experience is across roles and demographic groups.

What does the Small and Medium category mean?

Great Place To Work splits the retail list into two categories by headcount. Companies with 10 to 999 U.S. employees are ranked in the Small and Medium category; companies with 1,000 or more employees are ranked in the Large category. Sun Home Saunas is No. 17 of the 20 companies named in the Small and Medium category for 2026.

Where is Sun Home Saunas based, and what does it make?

Sun Home Saunas is headquartered in San Diego, California. It designs, manufactures, and sells the Equinox and Eclipse indoor infrared saunas, the Luminar outdoor infrared sauna, the Nova indoor traditional sauna, cold plunges including the Cold Plunge Pro series, infrared sauna blankets, and red light therapy devices direct to customers across the United States.

About Sun Home Saunas

Sun Home Saunas is a San Diego-based, privately held sauna and cold plunge company co-founded in 2021 by Tyler Fish and Adam Fischer. It is a two-time Inc. 5000 honoree (No. 20 in 2025; No. 198 in 2026), Great Place To Work Certified™, and No. 17 on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2026 list in the Small and Medium category. Sun Home designs, manufactures, and sells infrared saunas, traditional saunas, cold plunges, infrared sauna blankets, and red light therapy devices direct to customers across the United States. For more information, visit sunhomesaunas.com.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work® has surveyed employees about their workplace experiences for 30 years. Its Trust Index™ survey and Certification™ program measure trust, pride, and consistency of experience inside organizations, and that employee feedback is the basis for the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® and the Fortune Best Workplaces™ lists, including Best Workplaces in Retail™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com.

Sources

- Great Place To Work, Fortune Best Workplaces in Retail™ 2026 (Small and Medium category): https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/retail/2026?category=small-and-medium

- Great Place To Work, Working at Sun Home Saunas (certification profile, updated October 2025): https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7090652

- Inc., Sun Home Saunas company profile: https://www.inc.com/profile/sun-home-saunas

- Fortune, Sun Home Saunas Luminar Review (2026): https://fortune.com/article/sunhome-saunas-luminar-review/

- Forbes Vetted, Best Cold Plunge Tubs 2026: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-cold-plunge-tub/

- Sun Home Saunas, Sauna Safety and Testing (Vitatech EMF and VERT cabin-air reports): https://sunhomesaunas.com/pages/sauna-safety-testing

- Sun Home Saunas, Nasdaq Opening Bell release, Sept. 8, 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sun-home-saunas-rings-nasdaq-opening-bell-after-1-715-revenue-growth-302872709.

EcoShield Pest Solutions recognizes the everyday dedication of its customer Experience Team with a week of connection, celebration, and heartfelt appreciation.

PHOENIX, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoShield Pest Solutions celebrated its first Customer Service Appreciation Week with a week of recognition, connection, and activities honoring the people who help customers feel heard, supported and cared for every day.

For EcoShield's customer service teams, a phone call can mean helping someone resolve a frustrating pest issue, answering a billing question or coordinating with a local branch to find a solution. Each conversation requires patience, problem-solving and the ability to connect with someone whose day may already be difficult.

Customer Service Appreciation Week gave those teams an opportunity to receive the care they regularly extend to others.

"We appreciate everything that you're doing. We see you. We know your job is not easy, so this is our way of just saying thank you," said Lizzy Bradley, Manager of Customer Care Center, describing the message behind the celebration.

The effort began with Kristen Elmore, Training Manager of Customer Experience. As she started planning, she recognized that the celebration needed to reflect the people it was meant to honor. She brought together a committee representing different areas of customer experience, inviting team members to contribute ideas and help shape the week.

"It needs to have a voice from everyone," Kristen said. "The team needs to do this, because it's for them."

That collaboration became a week of shared music, interactive chats, quizzes, themed activities, recognition messages and appreciation gifts. Activities were designed to include both in-office and remote agents, including overseas colleagues, helping teammates connect across locations.

The celebration also created opportunities for people from local offices and other departments to share their appreciation. Conversations that typically centered on scheduling or customer needs made room for encouragement, laughter and getting to know one another.

For Heathyre Watts, a supervisor of customer care, those personal connections are central to supporting a team. Understanding how someone is doing, recognizing their efforts and helping them through a challenging day all influence the care they can provide to customers.

"I have to obviously look at the data and the numbers, but you impact those through connection with your team," Heathyre said.

The week offered another opportunity to recognize quieter team members whose contributions can be easy to overlook. Shared activities gave more people a way to participate, connect and feel included.

Jim Long, EcoShield's Manager of the Customer Care Center, praised the sustained engagement throughout the week and the effort to include overseas teammates. His message to the people taking calls and supporting customers was simple: "You guys all deserve it."

For Lizzy, the purpose of that work comes back to the person on the other end of the phone.

"We're just humans talking to humans," she said.

EcoShield's first Customer Service Appreciation Week celebrated that human connection—and the people who build it every day. Through the committee's efforts and participation across teams, the week put the company's purpose of spreading happiness into practice for those who spend their days helping others.

ABOUT ECOSHIELD PEST SOLUTIONS:

EcoShield Pest Solutions is a national leader in residential pest control, dedicated to protecting families and homes with comprehensive and effective solutions. Founded in 2008, EcoShield's mission has always been to deliver peace of mind through science-driven treatments that eliminate pests while minimizing environmental impact. With local service teams across the country, their team of experts provides personalized protection against ants, spiders, rodents, termites, and more—always backed by their commitment to reliability, sustainability, and exceptional customer care. For more information, visit www.ecoshieldpest.com.

SOURCE EcoShield Pest Solutions

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Florida Poly makes history with first flying police vehicle

LAKELAND, Fla., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Polytechnic University Police Department has become the first law enforcement agency in the nation to integrate an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle into its operations.

The manned aircraft, dubbed Astro in a double nod to science and the dog from the classic Jetsons cartoon, marks Florida Poly's entry into the rapidly developing field of advanced air mobility (AAM), creating new opportunities to explore how the emerging technology can support public safety.

"Advanced air mobility is a technology on the rise, and we can either choose to be proactive or reactive as it develops," said Aaron Murray, the University's police chief. "We want to stay at the forefront of this technology and understand how it can be used to advance public safety and airspace safety altogether."

Florida Poly is in the final stages of seeking approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use the aerial patrol vehicle in its operations. Murray said Astro can enhance the department's ability to monitor campus and surrounding acres, reach areas difficult to access by traditional vehicles, assist with post-storm recovery efforts and deliver emergency supplies quickly when needed.

The University Police plans to collaborate with law enforcement agencies throughout the region to deploy Astro in support of emergency response and other public safety operations.

First in the U.S.

Stéphan D'haene, CEO of Jetson, said the California-based company fast-tracked Florida Poly's order of the Jetson ONE vehicle despite a three-year waiting list because of the University's STEM focus and the police department's public safety purpose, both of which reflect Jetson's goals for the future of safe flight.

"In our business plan and in alignment with our mission, we have always been looking for the use case beyond the recreational intent," D'haene said. "We believe that this project is so important and aligns so much with what we want to do that we made it a priority."

A new educational horizon

Beyond its public safety applications, Astro will become a hands-on learning and research tool for Florida Poly students and faculty. The University launched its new aerospace engineering degree this fall, providing students an immediate opportunity to study emerging flight technology in a real-world setting.

"At Florida Poly, we want our students working with emerging technologies before they become commonplace," said Dr. Brad Thiessen, Florida Poly's provost. "Astro gives our students and faculty a living laboratory where they can analyze real-world data, tackle new engineering challenges and help shape the future of advanced air mobility."

Faculty and students are already coordinating efforts to use real-time operational data from Astro for academic research and senior capstone design projects.

"Connecting an educational component to this technology is a big deal," Murray said. "We are a technology university, and this aerial vehicle delivers more opportunities to learn, build partnerships and explore ways to keep our airspace safe, while connecting the work of our police department directly with our students."

Technology takes flight

The introduction of the Astro flying police vehicle is the latest example of Florida Poly putting emerging technology into practice across campus. The University recently added a drone unit for its police department and a student-powered Security Operations Center for cybersecurity.

"There are a lot of things that people once looked at as recreational vehicles that are incredible tools in our profession now," Murray said. "People used to think that bicycles, motorcycles and drones were all just toys or hobbies, but look at the huge impact they have made on our law enforcement profession."

Astro's arrival also comes as AAM gains momentum across the state, particularly in Central Florida.

Florida was recently selected to participate in the Federal Aviation Administration's eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program, designed to safely integrate next-generation aircraft into the national airspace. The SunTrax facility in Auburndale, Florida, located only four miles away from Florida Poly, is home to the nation's first dedicated AAM aerial test track, with eVTOL testing expected to begin by the end of 2026.

SOURCE Florida Polytechnic University

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sophont, a frontier medical AI startup, announces Holon-S1, a pan-cancer AI model that predicts spatial gene and biological pathway activity from routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) pathology slides. By using widely available pathology slides, Holon-S1 aims to broaden access to insights that typically require costly and time-consuming molecular testing, supporting biomarker discovery and personalized treatment research.

"Most AI pathology solutions infer patient risk profiles without showing clinicians and researchers what biology resulted in the prediction," said Tanishq Mathew Abraham, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder of Sophont. "Holon-S1 was designed to uncover the biology behind the answer, showing which genes are active, where in the tumor they are active, and how that is related to whether a patient is likely to respond to treatment. Pathology has historically told us what a tumor looks like. Holon-S1 goes beyond this and tells us what the tumor is doing and where it may be vulnerable."

In a retrospective osteosarcoma patient case study using publicly shared slides, Holon-S1 recovered several insights originally obtained through months of extensive molecular testing.

Holon-S1 identified a fibroblast-associated program including FAP, the gene targeted by a therapy that the patient responded to. Comparing pretreatment and post-treatment slides, quantified increased immune infiltration and decreased cancer proliferation. The model had not been trained on osteosarcoma, suggesting potential generalization to unseen cancer types and analysis of archived slides without new tissue.

In triple-negative breast cancer, a novel biomarker defined by the spatial organization of predicted EREG activity was associated with response to chemotherapy before surgery in discovery and separate held-out cohorts. EREG has been implicated in chemotherapy sensitivity in other cancers; for the first time, this analysis suggested potential relevance in breast cancer. Details appear in Holon-S1's technical report.

Sophont evaluated Holon-S1 across 16 organ types, more than 15 scanners, and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and fresh-frozen tissue. In a controlled comparison, it outperformed two other state-of-the-art models released this year in spatial gene activity prediction and robustness.

Holon-S1 is currently available for research use only. Sophont is designing further retrospective and prospective studies to evaluate potential diagnostic use.

"Biomedical foundation models are advancing at an extraordinary pace, and we are entering an era in which feature extraction and prediction alone may no longer suffice," said Jorge Reis-Filho, Chief Strategy Officer and Operating Partner at Foresite Labs and Venture Partner at Foresite Capital. "Models that combine high predictive accuracy with biological interpretability could enable new approaches to translational research and help us reimagine disease taxonomy and segmentation, as well as play pivotal roles in patient stratification," he added. "I look forward to seeing rigorous, independent evaluations of Holon-S1 against other leading foundation models on biologically and clinically relevant benchmarks."

The company is inviting biopharma and life sciences companies as well as research institutions to collaborate on biomarker discovery, therapeutic target research, and analysis of existing and archived patient cohorts.

Explore Holon-S1: https://sophont.med/holon

About Sophont

Sophont is a frontier medical AI lab building open, multimodal medical foundation models. Founded in February 2025 by Tanishq Mathew Abraham, Ph.D., and Paul Scotti, Ph.D., Sophont has raised $9.22M to date from Kindred Ventures, Upfront Ventures, Jeff Dean (Discovery Loop), Logan Kilpatrick (Google DeepMind), Clem Delangue (Hugging Face), and others. Sophont's mission is to build open medical superintelligence: AI that sees the whole patient, and that every clinician and researcher can use, inspect and build on. Its open releases include OpenMidnight, CortexMAE and Medmarks. Learn more: https://sophont.med.

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SOURCE Sophont

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First of its kind dataset includes more than 300 hours of muscle-signal and first-person video recordings that let robots learn from what hands do beyond what a camera sees

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Encord, the data infrastructure company for Physical AI, today released EMG-1, the largest open-source dataset pairing muscle signals to first-person video. Developed in collaboration with Wearable Devices, the release ties biological signals to AI development, using wristbands that read the forearm muscle signals behind every finger movement (a technique called electromyography, or EMG), capturing what the hand is doing even when it is hidden from view. EMG-1 contains more than 300 hours of synchronized recordings during real world tasks alongside optical motion capture; it is over 30 times larger than the next-largest public dataset of its kind.

Autonomous robots learn how to manipulate objects in deployment by training on real-world video of people completing tasks, but cameras lose track of hands when they are occluded, most often by the object being handled. EMG is used to produce accurate hand-pose labels on training data where the camera fails, continually recording the electrical activity that drives each finger. Paired with first-person video, the two streams provide a complete record of a movement that is inaccessible through a camera alone, in addition to signals like force and contact that a camera cannot capture.

Experiments showed that combining EMG with video reduced fingertip tracking error by 25% compared with video alone, and resulted in 35% lower error during short gaps in visual tracking. EMG alone also recognized pinch-like finger movements. Encord is excited to see what the community can do with EMG-1 beyond our initial testing. Researchers can download the dataset and learn more about other initiatives at encord.com/data-labs.

EMG is the first of several biological signals Encord Data Labs is bringing into robot training data. The lab is also conducting research into how brain signals (EEG) can be used to label an operator's mental state, such as satisfaction or error response, and steer robot policies.

"We work with hundreds of companies at the frontier of Physical AI like Toyota, Boston Dynamics and Zipline, and it's clear that real-world model performance comes down to the data going in. With EMG-1 and our new state-of-the-art hand-tracking model, Encord is offering a solution to one of the biggest problems facing robotics teams today," said Eric Landau, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Encord.

Introducing Encord Data Labs

EMG-1 releases in conjunction with the launch of Encord Data Labs, a research division working at the frontier of Physical AI data development. Encord works with hundreds of leading AI teams, giving the company visibility into their biggest challenges. Data Labs exists to solve them: with innovations in Applied Research & Automation, Advanced Data Capture, and Partnerships, the division makes Physical AI work more reliably in the real world. Alongside EMG-1, Data Labs is also releasing:

Encord-REACH, a new state-of-the-art hand-tracking model built for real-world conditions where existing models break. Tailored for industrial conditions, the model improves tracking with industrial gloves, obscured fingers, fast motion and multiple hands entering the frame. In Encord's evaluations, it reduced tracking errors in wrists by 80%, joints by 65%, and lowered industrial glove errors by up to 70%. It also eliminated mistaken bystander-hand swaps observed in competing models, 27% on average.

Synthetic data generation findings in collaboration with NVIDIA and ANYbotics. The companies generated synthetic examples of rare industrial anomalies, including liquid spills, with NVIDIA Cosmos 3 models to improve anomaly detection in robotic inspection. Using Encord's platform to curate real-world source data and validate synthetic outputs, the collaboration produced training examples for scenarios that are difficult to capture in real-world footage. Synthetic data improved recall on real-world anomalies by up to 24% and increased the examples available for model calibration by 2.2x.

In the coming months, Encord Data Labs will release more findings, including:

- Automated action segmentation for first-person video, which labels task steps from a handful of examples and significantly reduces time spent doing manual labeling.

- A benchmark of frontier vision-language models showing where AI-generated video captions can't yet be trusted for Physical AI.

- Expert-labeled sensor data for Archetype AI's physical world models.

The division's research is fully integrated with Encord's Physical AI data infrastructure, syncing human data with video in Encord so that it's ready to curate, improve and train on. Customers can bring their own teams to generate and enrich training data or work with Encord's experts.

The announcement was made at Encord's inaugural Long Horizon Summit in San Francisco, where Data Labs demonstrated EMG-1 and its hand tracking model live.

"This week, the people building the most ambitious robots in the world saw EMG-1 and our hand tracking running in real time," said Ulrik Stig Hansen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Encord. "Data Labs is the home of Encord's research at the frontier of Physical AI. We're just getting started."

About Encord

The company supports over 300 AI teams globally – including Woven by Toyota, Boston Dynamics and Zipline and numerous Physical AI and frontier labs – and has seen significant growth in both revenue and data volume on its platform as a result of the surge in Physical AI.

Media Contact:

Chris Clemens

Nexios Communications Strategies

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SOURCE Encord

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Experienced operations leader joins Ansira to turn strategy into measurable growth

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ansira Partners, Inc. ("Ansira"), the platform of record for brand-to-local ecosystems, today announced that Oded Benyo has joined the executive leadership team in the role of chief operating officer. He reports to Ansira's CEO Paul Tibbitt and will oversee delivery operations and processes and the service teams supporting the company's proprietary technology platform.

"Oded brings a strong mix of operational experience, growth leadership, and a real ability to align teams around shared goals," said Tibbitt. "As we continue helping brands and their partners grow, Oded's experience connecting people, processes, and technology through data-driven decision systems will be a great addition to our executive leadership team. We're excited to have him with us and look forward to the perspective and energy he'll bring to Ansira."

Benyo has over 28 years of experience across technology, marketing, advertising, and operations. He most recently served as COO of the Automotive CRM business at Epsilon, where he led operations and delivery, driving growth, AI-enabled operational scale, and profitability. He previously served as CEO of Returnalyze, following more than 15 years at Epsilon, formerly Conversant, where he held numerous senior leadership roles. Benyo's prior experience also includes leadership roles at Sphera Corp. and Elron Telesoft.

Benyo earned an MBA in general management from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor's degree in management information systems from Northeastern University.

"I'm excited to join Ansira at a pivotal time for the marketing services and technology industry," said Benyo. "Ansira's combination of deep client expertise, innovative technology, and scalable solutions creates a strong foundation for continued growth. I look forward to working with the team to strengthen operations and deliver even greater value for clients and their partners."

Ansira is backed by Truelink Capital, a middle-market private equity firm based in Los Angeles.

ABOUT ANSIRA

Ansira is the platform of record for brand-to-local ecosystems, purpose-built to solve the challenges of fragmented and complex sales and marketing networks. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, the company combines AI-infused technology, closed-loop analytics, and the expertise of 1,300+ team members to connect 500+ brands and over a million partners. Ansira provides end-to-end solutions, from dynamic content and localized experiences to funds and incentive management, empowering brands to build trust, drive measurable growth, and simplify operations across their ecosystem. For more information on Ansira visit Ansira.com or LinkedIn.

ABOUT TRUELINK CAPITAL

Truelink Capital is a private equity firm based in Los Angeles with over $4 billion of assets under management. Truelink pairs deep industry experience in the industrials and business services sectors with a commitment to building partnerships that drive long-term value through an operationally focused strategy. Truelink partners with management, corporate sellers, and founders to accelerate growth through the execution of strategic initiatives and transformative add-on acquisitions. Learn more at: www.truelinkcap.com.

Media Contact: Megan Duran

[email protected]

972.663.1380

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Calls for Increased Investment in Critical Water and Wastewater Systems

LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Burton, president of Kentucky American Water, issued the following statement in response to the grade of C+ for drinking water and D+ for wastewater in the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) 2026 Report Card for Kentucky's Infrastructure:

"The ASCE 2026 Report Card for Kentucky's Infrastructure reinforces the urgent need for investment in critical water and wastewater systems, assigning the state a C+ for drinking water and a D+ for wastewater, showing no progress in the water grade and a decline in the wastewater grade from a C- in ASCE's 2019 report.

The report card underscores the growing infrastructure challenges facing the Commonwealth, including aging assets, recruiting and retaining licensed operators, and the need for greater climate resilience. These pressures reinforce the importance of continued, long-term investment in critical water and wastewater infrastructure.

At Kentucky American Water, our responsibility is clear: provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater service while investing in the systems that support and sustain the communities we serve. Our experience demonstrates how sustained, professionally managed investment can strengthen water and wastewater systems. Over the past five years, we have invested nearly $330 million in infrastructure, and we plan to invest more than $570 million over the next five years, while continuing to balance reliability, resilience and affordability for customers."

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886 and celebrating 140 years in 2026, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 19 military installations. American Water's approximately 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Kentucky American Water

Kentucky American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, with approximately 150 dedicated employees, provides safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to approximately 550,000 people.

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Complaint alleges Hims & Hers Health, Inc. misled investors between August 4, 2025 and July 29, 2026; investors may seek lead plaintiff role by November 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP ("Glancy") announced today that the class action lawsuit covers investors who bought Hims & Hers Health, Inc. ("Hims & Hers" or the "Company") (NYSE: HIMS) securities between August 4, 2025 and July 29, 2026. The Hims & Hers Health, Inc. case, Velanki v. Hims & Hers Health, Inc., et al., was filed on September 1, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 3:26-cv-09313).

Investors who suffered losses on Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investments can submit their Hims & Hers Health, Inc. loss information here before the November 2, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

Key dates in the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. case

- Class period: August 4, 2025 to July 29, 2026

- Complaint filed: September 1, 2026

- Lead plaintiff deadline: November 2, 2026

What happened?

On July 29, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission, joined by the State of Utah and Los Angeles County (representing California), filed a federal complaint against Hims & Hers Health in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging deceptive and unlawful privacy practices — including sharing sensitive user health data with third-party advertisers Meta Platforms (Facebook) and Snap via embedded tracking pixels and customer list matching despite marketing emphasizing strict privacy — as well as deceptive billing and subscription-cancellation practices.

On this news, shares of Hims & Hers fell $4.32, or 14.73%, to close at $25.00 per share on July 29, 2026, thereby injuring investors.

What is the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. lawsuit about?

The Hims & Hers Health, Inc. securities lawsuit alleges that, between August 4, 2025 and July 29, 2026, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about Hims & Hers Health, Inc.'s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, the complaint alleges defendants failed to disclose that: (1) the Company shared consumers' health information with third-party advertising platforms; (2) the Company charges consumers for prescriptions almost immediately after they submit an intake form, despite telling consumers that they will be able to consult with a medical provider to find a treatment that is "right for them"; (3) the foregoing conduct subjected the Company to regulatory scrutiny; (4) as a result of the foregoing, the Company was reasonably likely to incur fees and penalties; and (5) as a result, defendants' positive statements about Hims & Hers Health, Inc.'s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

"The complaint filed against Hims & Hers Health, Inc. alleges that, among other things, the Company failed to disclose that the Company shared consumers' health information with third-party advertising platforms. For investors who bought during the class period, the November 2, 2026 deadline is the first major step in this case," said Charles H. Linehan, Partner at Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP.

What's the next step?

Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP is a leading national shareholder rights law firm, ready to assist Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investors in potentially pursuing claims to recover their losses.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff in the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. class action, you must move the Court no later than November 2, 2026. To learn more about your rights, visit the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. case page, email [email protected], or call 310-201-9150 (toll-free: 888-773-9224).

You may retain counsel of your choice. If you bought Hims & Hers Health, Inc. securities during the class period, you may take no action and remain an absent class member. No class has been certified yet in the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible? Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Hims & Hers Health, Inc. securities between August 4, 2025 and July 29, 2026 and suffered losses may be members of the proposed class in the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. shareholder lawsuit. Any class member may ask the court to appoint them lead plaintiff by November 2, 2026.

What is a lead plaintiff? In the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. class action, the lead plaintiff is the investor, or group of investors, that the court appoints to represent all class members and oversee the case. Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, courts generally presume the movant with the largest financial interest is the most adequate lead plaintiff.

Do I have to be lead plaintiff to recover? No. A Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investor's ability to share in any future recovery does not depend on serving as lead plaintiff. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investors may take no action and remain absent class members.

What is the deadline? Motions to serve as lead plaintiff in the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. class action must be filed by November 2, 2026.

Does it cost anything to contact Glancy or participate in this action? Glancy represents Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investors on a contingency fee basis, which means investors pay no attorneys' fees unless there is a recovery. Any fees are subject to court approval and are paid from the recovery.

Can I choose my own lawyer? Yes. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. investors may retain counsel of their choice.

Why work with Glancy on the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. lawsuit? Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP is a premier law firm with decades of experience representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. Contact Glancy about the Hims & Hers Health, Inc. lawsuit. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

About Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP

Glancy was named one of Law360's Securities Groups of the Year and ranked second in total investor recoveries by ISS Securities Class Action Services in 2025.

Glancy's successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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Contact

Charles H. Linehan

Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP

1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100

Los Angeles, CA 90067

Email: [email protected] 

Telephone: 310-201-9150 | Toll-free: 888-773-9224

www.glancylaw.com

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SOURCE Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP

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