Recent Articles
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Study: Controlling blood pressure with blue light shows promising results
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareAbout 75 million American adults (32 percent) have high blood pressure — that’s 1 in every 3 adults — and 1 in 3 adults has prehypertension. High blood pressure costs the nation $48.6 billion each year, a cost that includes healthcare services, medications, and missed days of work. A new study suggests that blue light can reduce blood pressure. Blue light increases levels of nitric oxide, an important signaling molecular that protects the cardiovascular system.
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FDA to strengthen compliance for electronic nicotine products
Tammy Hinojos Civil & GovernmentTeens are more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes, according to a recent report put out by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This probably does not come as a surprise to anyone with decent youth culture awareness. Perhaps the more telling statistic — and certainly more alarming one — states that teen e-cigarette users are much more likely to start smoking. In fact, 30.7 percent of e-cigarette users will start smoking within six months versus only 8.1 percent of non-users. The Food and Drug Administration is responding to this alarming trend.
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Travel2020: New app finds the money when air woes arrive
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementMy story is not unusual. I was heading home from the island of Mallorca last October. There was nothing brewing in the weather and, indeed, the waves of tourists that summer brings were long gone. I headed to the low-cost carrier I was taking back to Los Angeles, checked in, snaked through security, made it to the gate in plenty of time … and waited. And waited. Some 10 minutes before the flight was supposed to depart, the crowd stirred. No announcement, just clumps of individuals leaving their seats and heading elsewhere.
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Handling inappropriate questions
Candice Gottlieb-Clark Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementShock. Horror. Disbelief. These are the reactions we have when asked an inappropriate or uncomfortable question. These include questions like, "How much did you spend on your last vacation?", "What brought on your sudden weight change?" or "Are you dating?" Questions like these are not just inappropriate, they are intrusive. Most often our goal is simply to bring the conversation back onto neutral ground gracefully and tactfully. Below are some guidelines and some suggestions for doing just that.
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Better meetings through technology: Will AI deliver us magical meetings?
J. Elise Keith Business Management, Services & Risk Management"My goal is to make sure no one ever has to write meeting notes again." I’m talking with a product manager working to perfect automated call transcription. I find the idea both exciting and problematic. Fully automated transcription is just the first step towards a grander vision. As an AI enthusiast told me, "Notes are just the start. Consider — what if AI could make sure the meeting goes well in the first place? What if an AI agent kept the discussion on track? What if it knew how to help a group resolve a conflict? That day may not be too far off."
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Better broadband needed for telehealth access in rural areas
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareRural Americans are going online for a variety of health-related services, but better availability of broadband internet is necessary to meet future telehealth demand, a new U.S. Department of Agriculture report suggests. Telehealth is rising in popularity for rural areas because of doctor shortages, hospital closings and lack of reliable transportation options. "It allows people to be more engaged in their own health while facilitating care of minor ailments and monitoring of chronic conditions," researchers said.
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A pharmacist’s thoughts on Florida suing CVS, Walgreens
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalWe are struggling as a nation to manage the devastating impact of drug diversion, abuse, addiction, and overdose deaths. Florida has taken a unique approach to deal with the crisis: sue the pharmacy. As a pharmacist I want nothing more than to see us reduce the nonmedical use of opioids and to get help to those patients who find themselves locked into a pattern of addiction and abuse. That being said, I respectfully believe that suing pharmacies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, is an inappropriate and unhelpful response.
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How can micro-credentials be used to support teacher training?
Brian Stack EducationEarlier this year, the organization iNACOL released its latest map, charting the rise of policies that support K-12 competency-based education systems in states from coast to coast. By last count, 17 states have earned the status of "advanced," another 13 have reached the "developing" status. Another 18 have entered the "emerging" status. This leaves just two states (Wyoming and California) that have not yet begun their journeys. Competency education operates under the notion that curriculum, instruction, assessment, grading, and reporting are focused on the transfer of skills in and across content areas.
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Confronting religious bias with education
Sheilamary Koch EducationHate-spurred tragedies like the recent Pittsburgh synagogue massacre make religion-related aggression in the U.S. difficult to deny. However, the increase in the subtler harassment children face at school based on the religion their families practice can more easily slip below the radar. Anti-Semitic incidents in schools jumped a staggering 94 percent in 2017 — with 457 incidents reported by the Anti-Defamation League — making K-12 schools the place where the most such incidents occurred last year.
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Why you should make more Instagram stories — and how to improve them
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingLast September, Facebook accounted for 16.5 percent of all digital content consumption. This September, it was only 14.3 percent. While a 2.2 percent drop doesn’t sound dire, or even all that bad, its implications are enormous. That equates to each Facebook user reading, on average, 20 percent less content, estimates Pivotal’s Brian Wieser in a Fast Company article. Right now, Facebook is a tough place for brands. Instead, go where the getting is good — Instagram Stories! Because the people are aplenty, it's cheaper to reach your audience.