Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Apr 4, 2016 (I)

choi

(1) Bruce Einhorn and Hui Li, China Comes to Grips With Opioids.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ar ... -grips-with-opioids

Quote:

"In the early 1900s more than 25 percent of Chinese men used opium regularly.

"the world's use of opioids is seriously lopsided, as the UN-linked International Narcotics Control Board reported in February. Almost all of the world's opioids are consumed in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The US, facing an epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse, consumed 43,879 defined daily doses (a standard unit for measuring drug consumption) of opiates per million people in 2011-13, while China consumed just 91.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: The painkillers work, but the Chinese worry about addiction
(b) It is not what you think. At first blush, the title hints China is awash with opioid epidemics like US. Far from it, China uses too LITTLE in pain management.
(c) defined daily dose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defined_daily_dose
(DDD)
(d) "Dr Ni Jiaxiang, director of the pain center at Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital"

首都医科大学宣武医院 疼痛科 倪家骧

choi

(2) Jason Kelly, Testing Makes Perfect.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ar ... -their-performances
("The modern amateur athlete loves data")

two consecutive paragraphs:

"Take the Ironman, the popular triathlon, which asks participants to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a marathon (26.2 miles). A 2015 survey for Ironman operator World Triathlon found the average annual household income of its participants was $247,000; the median for the U.S. in 2013 was $51,939. More than half a million people in the US run marathons each year.

"Training for and participating in an Ironman isn't for the frugal, [Richard] Schwabacher[, who runs Quest Diagnostics' Sports and Human Performance unit,] says, noting that it can run up to $15,000 a year if you buy a bike and wet suit and figure in the cost of pool time, travel and lodging, assorted gear, and massages. 'If you’re going to spend that much money on your sport, isn’t it worth spending a couple hundred dollars to make sure the food you’re eating is right?' he asks.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Looking for a lucrative market, Quest has created a blood test for well-to-do endurance athletes
(b) Quest Diagnostics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quest_Diagnostics
(founded in 1967; changed name to Quest on Dec 31, 1996; Headquarters Madison [25 miles west of Manhattan], New Jersey)
(c) There is no need to read the rest.

choi

(3) Bruce Einhorn and Heejin Kim, Samsung and LG Have a Battery Problem.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... e-a-battery-problem

Quote:

"The days of Korean tech companies lagging behind their rivals in Japan are long over. From smartphones to advanced screens, subsidiaries of Samsung and LG have market share that Japanese brands such as Panasonic should envy. One notable exception is the batteries used to power electric vehicles. Panasonic makes 36 percent of them (it’s partnered with Tesla), compared with less than 8 percent for LG Chem and 5 percent for Samsung SDI. That's becoming a bigger deal: Worldwide demand for electric vehicles swelled 87 percent last year, to 672,000, according to SNE Research.

"the [Chinese] government has suspended its once-generous consumer subsidies for EV buses using batteries like the ones Samsung and LG make [including their factories in China]—a combination of nickel, cobalt, and manganese (NCM). Subsidies will continue for less-advanced lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries

"Hundreds of Chinese manufacturers are now making EV batteries, with mixed results. Last year there were at least six cases of electric vehicles catching fire on Chinese roads. The government can't afford to ignore the safety issues, says Paul Gao, a McKinsey senior partner in Hong Kong. 'Most of the Chinese battery players still have difficulty mastering NCM,' he says. 'Chinese players are not able to provide consistent quality and reliability.' By contrast, Gao says, they've enjoyed success with LFP batteries, which are heavier and less powerful.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: China has cut subsidies for the Korean companies' models
(b) There is no need to read the rest.