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The baffling nature of auditory processing disorders

Sheilamary Koch Communications

Unlike many deficits that fall under the umbrella of audiology, auditory processing disorders are not diagnosed during infancy, toddlerhood or even the early school years. In fact, most audiologists wait until age 7 to make a definitive diagnosis. This is due to the child's neural pathways not being sufficiently mature to make a full evaluation prior to this age, explains Tracy Hagan Winn, audiologist at the Northwestern University Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning in Evanston, Illinois.

Study: Clinicians using workarounds when operating EHRs

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

The majority of U.S. hospitals have implemented electronic health records (EHRs). While the benefits of EHRs have been widely touted, little is known about their effects on inpatient care, including how well they meet workflow needs and support care. Despite the proliferation of the technology, there appears to be a high degree of variance in the ways care teams use EHRs during morning rounds. There are a high number of workarounds clinicians employ at critical points of care. Additionally, the EHRs are not used for information sharing and frequently impede intra-care team communication. These points are the results from a new study published by PLOS.org.

Decoupling and the customer experience

Catherine Iste Retail

It is a great time to be a consumer. On one hand, we can walk into a big-box store, find exactly the product we want, then find the least expensive option on our phone and have it delivered to our door. On the other hand, we do not have to leave the house to grocery shop, get a massage or visit the doctor. Technology has had an undeniable and, in many cases, unexpected impact on consumerism. This disruption of the traditional customer experience provides myriad threats and opportunities for all retail businesses.

Data visualization: 3 steps towards success

Josh Jones Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Data visualization means giving numbers a visual context and extends existing concepts, such as business intelligence and analytics. Someone (wisely) decided that the interesting bits (outliers, trends, etc.) are better seen not as black and white numbers on a spreadsheet but as graphics made of colors, lines, and shapes. Have you ever heard the adage, "You first eat with your eyes?" Beautiful food is more appetizing, which is why fancy restaurants spend so much time making their meals more visually appealing. Data is no different. Displaying it visually can do wonders for getting your point across. That’s what data visualization is all about.

Study on marijuana, male reproductive health spawns misleading conclusion

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied Healthcare

Ever hopeful to report positive aspects related to marijuana use, writers often leave out key points. As an example, a report from a Boston-based publication had the following headline, "Harvard researchers link smoking marijuana with higher sperm concentration.” It further concluded, "Experts say men who smoked marijuana have significantly higher concentrations of sperm than those who have never lit up." The report describes the work with research participants, "…scientists collected 1,143 semen samples from 662 mostly college educated white men." What the media report left out was the description that appeared in the published research, "…This longitudinal study included 662 subfertile men."

Space Force plans hit funding, leadership problems

Miranda Y. Brumbaugh Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

In August 2018, President Trump announced that the United States armed forces would gain a new branch — the United States Space Force. The use of the Space Force is intended for space warfare. While this concept sounds like an episode of "Doctor Who," the U.S. would not be the first country to pioneer a space force. Yet, proceeding with the United States Space Force may not be as turnkey as the presidential administration would make it seem, due to hiccups with financing and leadership.

10 US dark-sky parks worth a visit

Dave G. Houser Recreation & Leisure

Since the dawn of time, the mysteries and splendors of a starry night sky have been filling us with wonder. As Vincent van Gogh once said, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." Today, however, when we look up into our galaxy from most areas of the country, we are lucky to see but a handful of stars. Fortunately, there’s a group of dedicated conservationists who are trying to preserve our view of the heavens and protect this natural resource for present and future generations. To mark International Dark Sky Week — March 31-April 7 — here are 10 of the nation's finest stargazing spots.

Strategies to engage girls in STEM

Brian Stack Education

For at least the last decade, there has been a push in our profession nationally to find ways to engage more girls in STEM-related courses and careers. This push has not gone unnoticed to me in my own New Hampshire high school, where currently more than 50 percent of students enrolled in AP Calculus and 80 percent of students enrolled in AP Biology are girls. The statistics are similar for other high-level STEM courses. What's more, girls are performing as well, if not better, academically in these courses as boys.

EV sales reach record numbers, electricity providers move to meet demand

Scott E. Rupp Transportation Technology & Automotive

U.S.-based sales of electric vehicles increased more than 72 percent in 2018 from the previous year, with the class of autos moving more than 354,000 such vehicles. Tesla was the strongest performer. Sales of the manufacturer's three battery-powered models were reported Jan. 3, totaling more than 191,000 vehicles in 2018. In other encouraging news for the EV market, the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute for Electric Innovation said that the transition to electric vehicles is well underway. Electricity companies are working to move the EV infrastructure system forward to meet demand.

Drone usage becomes more prevalent in police work

Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

In 2018, technology futurist Gray Scott predicted that, within in the next five years, drones are going to be very common everywhere in the U.S. Police surveillance via drones will be the norm, despite detractors who call it an intrusion of privacy. Gartner has predicted that drone sales will generate $11.2 billion in revenue by 2020. Before we explore why drones are the future, it is important to understand how drones can affect and aid police work.

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