MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

After months of controversy and consequences, Boeing may end 737 Max production

Michelle R. Matisons Manufacturing

When news of the Boeing 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia spread, repercussions were immense. So far, Boeing reports an $8 billion loss. After the second crash, the company rolled production back from 52 to 42 planes per month. Recently, Boeing suggested it may even end 737 Max production, which could cause "the financial equivalent of a prolonged government shutdown or a significant natural disaster." Already, Southwest Airlines has cancelled Newark service because it cannot fly the 737 Max, for example.

Device could extend organ viability to 24 hours or more

Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied Healthcare

Keeping donated organs viable poses a significant challenge for physicians. While a pancreas or liver may last 12 hours, a heart or lungs must be transplanted within six hours. Otherwise, the organ dies. Researchers have studied this problem for years but have not created a more effective way to preserve and transport organs than a basic insulated cooler. However, a team of researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio have created a device that could potentially extend organs' shelf life between 24 hours and a full week.

Dental students in Costa Rica design metal saliva ejector to reduce waste

Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental Healthcare

A group of dental students has engineered a solution to the wastefulness of one-time use plastic saliva ejectors that most U.S. dentists use daily. Dentists must dispose of plastic saliva ejectors after each patient in accordance with infection control protocols. But thanks to the ingenuity of these conservation-minded dental students, this could become a thing of the past. The four students at the University of Costa Rica have developed a metallic saliva ejector that can be cleaned in the autoclave and reused again and again.

A climate of change: What should your organization do?

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The data show the earth is getting hotter — hotter now than it’s been since records were first kept in 1880. The rise in temperature affects animal and marine life and causes potentially devastating dangers for people. What should we do about it? How involved should businesses and associations be on this issue? Will support one way or the other help or hurt your business? Here are a few points to consider.

Health data breaches continue despite firms’ confidence in their…

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Healthcare data is collected continuously, and new uses are found for this data nearly every day. In fact, almost all U.S. healthcare organizations collect, store or share data and sensitive information within technologies and cloud platforms, but less than 40% of these organizations actually encrypt data in such environments. This is according to a new report by French security company Thales and research and analysis firm IDC.

AI, IoT converge to create a new technology superpower: AIoT

Joseph Zulick Science & Technology

When people hear the terms artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), most think of modern advances in a futuristic world like those that have been depicted in science-fiction franchises. Many of those predictions are now coming to fruition in this Fourth Industrial Revolution that is currently transforming the way the world works. Even though the full capabilities of AI and IoT are still in their relative infancies, these two technology superpowers are now being combined across every industry to provide scenarios where information and problem-solving can improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

The future is when? The state of emerging technologies

Tory Barringer Science & Technology

On July 16, Elon Musk — billionaire, physicist, founder of multiple envelope-pushing tech startups and the real-life answer to Marvel’s Tony Stark — unveiled his latest project: Neuralink, an implantable "neural interface" designed to merge human and machine minds. It's a technology that, until recently, existed only in the realm of science fiction. But as we prepare for the grand future we've seen in movies and books, a dose of perspective might be in order. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when people envisioned cars zipping across city skylines in the year 2000. With that in mind, here's a quick rundown of some other major technological advancements and how they’re coming along.

Amazon prepares to disrupt the travel industry

Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

The partnership between Amazon and Indian travel firm ClearTrip, announced earlier this year, revealed some of Jeff Bezos' vision for disrupting the travel industry. While this is not the first time that Amazon has made a foray into travel, the approach is radically different. The company's travel experiment in 2015 did not work, but that did not stop Amazon from thinking about travel. Its reentry into the online travel business could have far-reaching consequences for all.

Seeking silence: Ultimately, it’s an inside job

Lisa Cole Mental Healthcare

Noise — it's everywhere! Noisemakers abound: fans, compressors, leaf blowers. Even libraries, once a respite enshrouded in a tomblike hush, have now become community headquarters. Am I the only one left seeking silence in what seems like a deafening world? From the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: "Sound is what we hear. Noise is unwanted sound. The difference between sound and noise depends upon the listener and the circumstances."

Researchers develop turmeric drug delivery system to inhibit cancer cell…

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

The American Cancer Society estimates 3,500 new cases of bone and joint cancer in 2019 and expects 1,660 deaths. Clinical trials for bone cancers are ongoing, with some looking into ways to combine surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, and drugs known as targeted therapy to treat these cancers. A Washington State University research team has recently developed a drug delivery system using curcumin, the main ingredient in the spice turmeric that inhibits bone cancer cells and promotes growth of healthy bone cells.

Industries