MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

Human ‘Organs-on-Chips’ as replacements for animal testing

Jessica Taylor Science & Technology

Wyss Institutes Founding Director Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., kicked off SLAS2015 by focusing on the engineering of human "Organs-on-Chips" to a filled room of SLAS attendees Feb. 9. Researchers, along with Ingber, have created this innovative technology. Organs-on-a-Chip is a cell culture device — crystal clear with flexible polymers and the size of a computer memory stick — that contains hollow channels lined by living cells and tissues that imitate human cellular response far more effectively and realistically than Petri dish cultures.

CMS plans to shorten meaningful use Stage 2 to 90 days

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services buckled, or so it seems. After much conjecture, gesturing and soapbox shouting from healthcare leaders, it looks like the reporting period for sending data collected in the electronic health record as part of meaningful use Stage 2 will be shortened from 365 days to 90. According to SearchHealthIT, "The time and money required to attest for a 365-day reporting period gave heartburn to many hospitals and physicians."

Security, technology and safety: Take the protections you need

Thomas Parker Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

With all the negative media attention today, we need to truly look at what's really going on in the world. The economic fallout of 2001, 2004, and 2008 took its toll on all of us, leaving a majority of people frustrated and powerless. Pensions have been attacked, stocks dropped and companies have gone out of business, taking away jobs and retirements upon which many had planned.

Music streaming services continue to emerge as album sales slump

Suzanne Mason Communications

Streaming music was a huge component of the music industry in 2014. While album sales saw an 11.2 percent decline, streaming music saw a 32 percent increase from the previous year. The ongoing dominance is now getting the attention of musicians who are seeing another way of getting their songs to play.

Can school districts regulate what educators say on social media?

Bambi Majumdar Education

The raging social media debate across the country — about inappropriate conduct between teachers and students — is driving school districts to set stringent rules for educators. Along with protecting students from irreparable emotional or other damages, there is also an increasing concern about the damage these actions could do the positive and needful online communication between the two groups.

Google Fiber challenging rival ISPs prior to FCC showdown

Ross Lancaster Science & Technology

The reach of Google's ultrafast Internet service, Google Fiber, has been something like a critically acclaimed independent movie with a limited geographic release: highly praised, yet highly limited to the general public to experience.

When it comes to creating connected devices, keep it simple

Ryan Clark Science & Technology

Companies marketing connected devices to consumers should remember one point: the less complicated the better. Consumers gravitate toward the simple and convenient, as well as products that ensure privacy and security. Connected devices that can provide these attributes, while also presenting the connectivity promised by the Internet of Things will prove invaluable to consumers and profitable to tech companies.

Digital distractions: Will last year’s deadly trend follow into 2015?

Christina Nava Science & Technology

With technology constantly evolving around us, it's easy to see how our world has become overrun with distractions. These days when you read the news, it's common to come across stories about people who have died either texting while driving or taking a selfie moments before some kind of accident occurs.

Fitness wearables: To track or not to track

Natalie Thomas Sports & Fitness

The fitness wearables market has taken off in the past few years, and fitness tech products were all the rage at this month's CES 2015. The wearable technology market will continue to grow, but are consumers jumping on the bandwagon?

Millennials are reshaping healthcare

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Global consumer collaboration consultancy Communispace recently released a report called, "Healthcare without Borders: How Millennials are Reshaping Health and Wellness," which examines millennial healthcare values and how they will impact businesses across the industry. The report focuses on several areas of millennials' lives, including technology. Millennials are far more likely than other generations to rely on mobile and online tools to monitor and maintain their health, the report states.

Industries