Property from The Collection of Kirk and Anne Douglas Achieves 343000 USD at Andrew Jones Auctions

Los Angeles, CA, USA, May 20, 2022 -- The varied and wonderful pieces collected by the late Kirk and Anne Douglas brought out thousands of bidders to achieve ‘white glove’ results in the online auction to benefit The Douglas Foundation. The sale was held on May 18th by Andrew Jones Auctions and achieved a total of $343,000. Over 200 lots of modern art, antiques, tribal works, fine and costume jewelry, personalized accessories, memorabilia, books and ephemera were offered.

“This was our sixth ‘white glove’ sale since October,” said Andrew Jones, president and CEO of Andrew Jones Auctions. “The bidding was buoyant throughout, with multiple bidders for every lot. People appreciated the Douglas’s exquisite taste. The sale attracted a host of new clients who undoubtedly sought a memento from this legendary Hollywood couple. In the end, a great deal of money was raised for The Douglas Foundation and all of the very worthy causes it supports.”

All prices quoted in this report include the buyer’s premium. Internet bidding was facilitated by AndrewJonesAuctions.com and the popular platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.

Top lots included Antoni Clavé’s oil on canvas L’enfant à l'oiseaux and Gorge d'Incre, 1993, a lithograph and screenprint in colors by pop art influencer David Hockney. Both works achieved $37,500. Also sold was Absolut Vodka, 1985, an offset lithograph in colors by Andy Warhol, as well as a monumental 1963 abstract sculpture in aluminum by William (Bill) Tarr, which graced the foot of the couple’s own Walk of Fame in the backyard of their Beverly Hills home ($8,750).

Most of the Douglas’s marvelous selection of fine Chinese works and Asian works of art outperformed their pre-sale estimates, including a Chinese Export porcelain jardiniere on stand which made $11,250, a twelve-piece group of Chinese Export porcelain tobacco leaf pattern serving ware that realized $8,125, and a Mughal style gem set gold box that achieved $6,250.

Other stars of the day included a striking Oushak carpet from West Anatolia from the early 20th century that changed hands for $10,625, an Italian Baroque painted relief plaque of a palm tree that went to a determined bidder for $8,750, an 18K gold and mixed gemstone pendant necklace that gaveled for $5,750 and a group of six Stanley Kubrick signed books that finished at $4,000.

Longtime philanthropists Kirk and Anne started The Douglas Foundation in 1964, which has since supported many institutions focused on the arts, healthcare, education and women and children’s wellbeing. The Douglas Foundation has donated over $120 million to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), and The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund, as well as other worthy organizations.

Kirk met Anne Buydens, a film publicist, on the set of Act of Love in 1953 and they married a year later. Before joining the film industry, Anne worked in a Paris gallery where she developed a keen eye for modern art. Kirk and Anne Douglas spent six decades building a collection of fine art, antiques and memorabilia that capture the time they shared, their friends, work and history.

Next up for Andrew Jones Auctions is Part V of The John Nelson Collection on Sunday, June 5th, followed by property from the collection of Dino and Martha De Laurentis and the private collection of Mitzi Gaynor, both to be held on June 29th.

To learn more about Andrew Jones Auctions and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auction events, please visit www.andrewjonesauctions.com. Updates are posted frequently. They can be reached by telephone at (213) 748-8008, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Artificial Intelligence Equipped Digital Pathology Scanner

SAN JOSE, Calif.May 24, 2022 -- OptraSCAN®, the leading end-to-end digital pathology solution provider, announced its digital pathology scanner OS-SiA has been granted US patent - No 2020/0334814 A1 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. OS-SiA has inbuilt intelligence to scan, index and analyze pathological samples simultaneously. This will benefit the end-user to view the whole slide scanned image along with analyzed output as an overlay during their review process.

The patent describes a technique invented by OptraSCAN, the AI-enabled digital pathology scanner OS-SiA automatically identifies specimens to scan and simultaneously analyzes the tissue or cell area being scanned. OS-SiA is the industry's first AI-enabled digital scanner that will provide real-time predictive analysis and actionable insights.

"Currently, the digital pathology slide scanners are restricted to partial or whole slide image acquisition and digitization into an image. Our next-generation scanner OS-SiA scans and analyzes simultaneously eliminating the need for additional processing applications," said Abhi Gholap, Founder & CEO, OptraSCAN. "This patent highlights our constant efforts to improve the adoption of digital pathology solutions and support the pathology community."

OS-SiA can be embedded in the existing series of its cloud-enabled brightfield scanners namely OS-Lite & OS-Ultra. The custom algorithms provide real-time ROI detection while scanning, cell quantification for IHC/HNE markers, and morphological measurements built using the core library. The whole slide image can be viewed in a local / web-based / cloud-based image viewer. The deep learning computational module is provided for self-learning in the scanning device.

"This is the kind of breakthrough we need to accelerate the adoption of digital pathology, simultaneous scanning and analysis will help pathologists make faster decisions and improve patient outcomes." Dr. Zu-Hua Gao MD, Medical Advisor at OptraSCAN and Chair - Pathology, University of British Columbia.

About OptraSCAN, Inc:

OptraSCAN® are pioneers in the On-Demand Digital Pathology® System, focused on delivering fully integrated, affordable solutions that will maximize your return on investment and improve the performance of your pathology services. An ISO 13485 certified company and CE marked whole slide scanners for IVD use, OptraSCAN is working to eliminate the barriers to 'Go Digital' no matter the size of the pathology lab, the lab's throughput, or global location.

OptraSCAN's end-to-end digital pathology solution provides effective acquisition of whole slide images, viewing, storing, real-time sharing, reporting and AI & ML based Image analysis solutions via On-Demand or outright purchase model. Follow Us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Maxim Krivoshey headed the management of the combined IT infrastructure of Avtodom Group of Companies and AutoSpecCenter Group of Companies

Avtodom Group of Companies and AutoSpecCenter Group of Companies launched merging process concerning administrative divisions forming a single management company in the summer of 2021. Maxim Krivoshey became the head of the unified IT service in April 2022.

Maxim graduated from Penza State University in 2001. He has been working in IT since 1998. Since 2008, he has been working on leadership positions. Maxim joined the automotive sphere in 2010. He headed the IT department in one of the largest Russian automobile holdings represented by 100 car dealerships in 10 Russian cities from 2015 to 2021. Maxim joined the management team of Avtodom Group of Companies and AutoSpecCenter Group of Companies as IT Director in April 2022.

Nowadays, large automotive holdings as well as companies from various segments, that possess a modern efficient IT infrastructure, have a serious competitive advantage on the market. The main trends of the strategy of Avtodom Group of Companies and AutoSpecCenter Group of Companies have not changed, despite the ambiguous situation in the country. Companies are focused on the development of new lines of business and e-commerce, and in general are actively engaged in digitalization. All this entails a continuous complication of the IT landscape and requires modern approaches to IT management. Restructuring of a unified IT service, introduction of a service approach into the work of the IT department, transition to a unified DMS system, normalization and control of reference data, etc. are among the tasks of developing the IT direction.

“First we need to eliminate waste and identify the main value for the end user. Then we need to minimize the actions that do not produce it. We will create knowledge not in the form of disparate documents, but with the help of effective communications between team members and a single center of up-to-date data. Of course, we will have to optimize the whole. At the same time, we will take into account the overall improvement of activities, and not just local optimization, - Maxim Krivoshey, IT Director of Avtodom Group of Companies and AutoSpecCenter Group of Companies, shared his ambitious plans.

AVTODOM was founded in 1992. The company specializes in sales and service of premium and luxury cars. The company's portfolio includes 11 car brands: BMW, MINI, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, smart, Porsche, Aurus, Audi, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and 3 motorcycle brands: BMW Motorrad, Ducati and KTM. Dealer centers are located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. AVTODOM actively develops used car sales and offers a full range of financial services.

AutoSpecCenter has been operating on the market since 1998. The AutoSpecCenter portfolio includes brands: Porsche, INFINITI, Volkswagen, ŠKODA, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, HAVAL, GEELY, CHERY, EXEED. Dealer centers are located in Moscow and the nearest Moscow region. It offers a full range of services for the sale, warranty and service of cars, the sale of original spare parts and accessories, commission trade, as well as additional services, car loans and insurance.

Spain Publishes New Law to Promote a Circular Economy

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is reminding stakeholders that Spain has published a new law on waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy.

 

Published on April 9, 2022, Law 7/2022 of April 8 contains several important provisions, including:

 

  • Directive (EU) 2019/904 – Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive – transposed into national law. Aims to reduce the impact of certain plastics on the environment
  • Directive (EU) 2018/851, amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste (Waste Framework Directive), transposed into national law
  • Requires competent authorities to adopt measures to prevent the generation of waste. Provisions include:
  1. Promote and support sustainable and circular production and consumption models
  2. Promote the reduction of hazardous substances in materials and products in accordance with established harmonized EU legislation, especially substances under Annex XIV of REACH, ‘Authorization List,’ restricted substances under Annex XVII of REACH and endocrine disruptors, as well as the prohibition of bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in packaging (Article 18(i))
  • Introduces a special tax on non-reusable plastic containers (including non-reusable containers that contain plastic) with certain derogations

 

All provisions in law 7/2022 of April 8 came into effect on April 10, 2022, except for Title VII – ‘Tax Measures to Encourage the Circular Economy’ – which will come into effect on January 1, 2023.

 

The new law repeals Law 22/2011 of July 28 on waste and contaminated soil.

 

SGS Consumer Product Services

SGS is committed to providing information about development in regulations for consumer products as complimentary services. Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provides a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Consumer Product Services.

 

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Spain Issues a Law on Waste and Contaminated Soil for a Circular Economy SafeGuardS.

 

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For further information contact:

 

Dr. HingWo Tsang

Global Information and Innovation Manager

Tel: (+852) 2774 7420

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.sgs.com/cgnr

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

 

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

EU Issues Proposal to Restrict Formaldehyde in Articles

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is advising stakeholders that the European Union (EU) has issued draft legislation to restrict formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing substances in articles.

 

If accepted, the draft legislation would add a new entry to Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 ‘Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals’ (Annex XVII of REACH).

 

It contains several important points and provisions:

  • Intentionally added formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing substances regulated in:
  1. Wood-based articles and furniture: 0.062 mg/m³
  2. Articles other than wood-based articles and furniture: 0.08 mg/m³
  3. Vehicle interiors: 0.062 mg/m³
  • Provides a descriptive chamber method in the Appendix for wood-based articles and furniture, as well as other articles
  • ISO 12219-1 and ISO 12219-10, or an equivalent method, stipulated for the vehicle interior, including trucks and buses
  • Exemptions include articles for:
  1. Outdoor use only under reasonably foreseeable conditions
  2. Industrial and professional use exclusively unless there is exposure to the general public under foreseeable use
  3. Under the scope of entry 72 to Annex XVII of REACH
  4. Biocidal products (Regulation (EU) 528/2012)
  5. Medical devices (Regulation (EU) 2017/745)
  6. Personal protective equipment (PPE, Regulation (EU) 2016/425)
  7. Food contact materials and articles (Regulation (EU) 1935/2004)
  8. Second-hand articles  
  • Clarifies that toys for children of all ages are within the scope of restrictions (preamble, point 35)

 

Formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of formaldehyde-based resins, thermoplastics and other chemicals, which are further used in a wide variety of applications. Formaldehyde-based resins are primarily used in the production of wood-based panels, wood-based products such as furniture and flooring, wallpaper, foam, parts for vehicles and airplanes, as well as textile and leather products.

 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) circulated the notification on May 2, 2022, attached to WTO document number 22-3408. It suggests adoption will take place in Q4 of 2022, with an enforcement date 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Implementation will then be undertaken in two phases, possibly in:

  • 2026 – wood-based articles and furniture, as well as other articles
  • 2027 – vehicle interiors  

 

SGS REACH Services

SGS keeps interested parties informed about developments and changes to REACH regulations. Their expertise, combined with consultancy services and experience in consumer product supply chains, provides a central point of contact for global solutions. Learn more about SGS’s REACH Services.

 

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full EU Proposes to Regulate Formaldehyde in Articles SafeGuardS.

 

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

 

For further information contact:

 

Dr. HingWo Tsang

Global Information and Innovation Manager

Tel: (+852) 2774 7420

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.sgs.com/cgnr

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

 

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.