Monthly Archives: January 2021

Technologies like artificial intelligence and human genome editing reveal and reflect even more about the complex and sometimes dangerous social architecture that lies beneath the scientific progress that we pursue, Dr. Alondra Nelson said today at a televised ceremony introducing President-elect Joe Bidens science team. On Friday, the Biden transition team appointed Nelson to the position of OSTP deputy director for science and society. Biden will be sworn in Wednesday to officially become the 46th president of the United States.

Nelson said in the ceremony that science is a social phenomenon and a reflection of people, their relationships, and their institutions. This means it really matters whos in the room when new technology like AI is developed, she said. This is also why for much of her career she has sought to understand the perspectives of people who are not typically included in the development of emerging technology. Connections between our scientific and social worlds have never been as urgent as they are today, she said, and theres never been a more important moment to situate scientific development in ethical values like equality, accountability, justice, and trustworthiness.

When we provide inputs to the algorithm; when we program the device; when we design, test, and research; we are making human choices, choices that bring our social world to bear in a new and powerful way, she said. As a Black woman researcher, I am keenly aware of those who are missing from these rooms. I believe we have a responsibility to work together to make sure that our science and technology reflects us, and when it does it reflects all of us, that it reflects who we truly are together. This too is a breakthrough. This too is an innovation that advances our lives.

Nelsons comments allude to trends of pervasive algorithmic bias and a well-documented lack of diversity among teams deploying artificial intelligence. Those trends appear to have converged when Google fired AI ethics co-lead Timnit Gebru last month. Algorithmic bias has been shown to disproportionately and negatively impact the lives of Black people in a number of ways, including use of facial recognition leading to false arrests, adverse health outcomes for millions, and unfair lending practices. A study published last month found that diversity on teams developing and deploying artificial intelligence is a key to reducing algorithmic bias.

Dr. Eric Lander will be nominated to serve as director of the OSTP and presidential science advisor. In remarks today, he called Americas greatest asset its unrivaled diversity and spoke of science and tech policy that creates new industries and jobs but also ensures benefits of progress are shared broadly among all Americans.

Scientific progress is about someone seeing something that no ones ever seen before because they bring a different lens, different experiences, different questions, different passions. No one can top America in that regard, but we have to ensure that everyone not only has a seat at the table, but a place at the lab bench, he said.

Biden also spoke at the ceremony, referring to the team he has assembled as one that will help restore Americas hope in the frontier of science while tackling advances in health care and challenges like climate change.

We have the most diverse population in the world thats in a democracy, and theres so much we can do. I cant tell you how excited weve been about doing this. We saved it for last. I know its not naming Department of Defense or attorney general, but I tell you what: You have more impact on what our children are going to face and our grandchildren are going to have opportunities to do than anyone, he said.

As part of todays announcement, Biden said the presidential science advisor will be a cabinet-level position for the first time in U.S. history. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, whose mother worked as a scientist at UC Berkeley, also spoke. She concluded her remarks with an endorsement of funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and an acknowledgment of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black female scientist whose contributions helped create the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The Biden-Harris campaign platform has also pledged to address some forms of algorithmic bias. While the Trump administration signed a few international agreements supporting trustworthy AI, the current presidents harsh immigration policy and bigoted rhetoric undercut any chance of leadership when it comes to addressing the ways algorithmic bias leads to discrimination or civil rights violations.

Earlier this week, members of the Trump administration introduced the AI Initiatives Office to guide a national AI strategy following the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The AI Initiatives Office might be one of the only federal offices to depict a neural network and eagle in its seal.

Read more here:

Incoming White House science and technology leader on AI, diversity, and society - VentureBeat

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Across America, 2020 was a year of disruption. In a matter of days, how we live and work completely changed.

This pandemic also started what is perhaps the greatest relocation of talent since World War II, with Americans leaving large coastal hubs in search of a better work-life balance.

According to one survey of Silicon Valley workers by the workplace app Blind, 15% of Bay Area tech pros have left the region since COVID-19.

So where are they going? Many are choosing Ohio.

Recent data from LinkedIn, originally reported last month by Alex Kantrowitz for the newsletter Big Technology, show Cleveland was the nations second biggest net gainer of tech workers from April to October last year, compared with the prior year.

And just two weeks ago, U-Haul released its 2020 rankings of all 50 states based on migration growth. Ohio was ranked fourth. California was dead last at No. 50.

Why does attracting technology companies and tech professionals matter? High pay is one reason. In Texas, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Austin Chamber analyzed salary data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics over the past decade. The average annual salary in 2019 for a high-tech job in their region was about $125,000. For all industries, it was about $65,000.

While numbers and data are great, the real story is told by the people.

Chris Berry is president of OhioX, a nonprofit technology and innovation partnership dedicated to helping make Ohio a leading tech hub.

In 2020, Ohio welcomed Oskar Bruening as one of our newest residents. Bruening is the co-founder and chief technology officer of California-headquartered Peek, a travel technology company that helps people discover their next adventure. Bruening moved from the Bay area to Cleveland, where he now leads his global team. Peek has the backing of investors like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Square.

The story is also told by the co-founders of Clevelands MedPilot, a medical technology company which moved here from New York City in 2018. Two of the companys founders, Matt Buder Shapiro and Nathan Spoden, grew up in Northeast Ohio.

If youre building a health tech company, what better place to do it than in Cleveland? Their move has created a playbook for executives considering their own move.

Another boomerang is Carrie Murphy. For her first job after college, Murphy moved to New York City, where she spent years working at startups, recruiting for startups, and even spent some time at Goldman Sachs. About five years ago, Murphy moved back to Northeast Ohio so she could be closer to family. Murphy is now the vice president of community partnerships at Venture For America, a fellowship program for recent college graduates who want to become startup leaders and entrepreneurs. The organization places top graduates from universities across the country into startups in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

These three stories are not unique. Over the past year, Ive met and spoken with dozens of Ohioans who at one point lived and worked in places like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco. Many are originally from Ohio, but not all. Some now work remotely for out-of-state companies and some moved here to join a local business. The one thing nearly all have in common is they work in technology or technology-focused careers.

As we move forward in a post-pandemic world, the cities and states that can keep, develop, and attract top talent will find themselves positioned for success. And while technology is great, its the people who make it all happen. Luckily for Ohio, we have the success stories that show the way.

Chris Berry is the president of OhioX, a statewide nonprofit technology and innovation partnership dedicated to helping make Ohio a leading tech hub. Its membership includes Fortune 500 companies, leading research institutions, technology-focused businesses, startups, and more. For more information, visit ohiox.org.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

View post:

Cleveland and Ohio suddenly contending in the race for technology talent: Chris Berry - cleveland.com

With the passing of the year 2020, the government has missed the deadline for announcing its Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 2020, which will be the fifth such policy since independence. It has, however, finalised a draft and put it up on the Department of Science and Technology website for public comments. The policy is broadly directional, lacks in specifics but still has several interesting ideas. Here are some:

A Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Development Bank will be created to direct long-term investments in select strategic areas. For large-scale mission-mode programmes, rules of lending will be modified for an easier flow of finance.

A Strategic Technology Development Fund is to be set up to home-grow strategic technologies in areas such as nuclear science, space, cyber technology and biotechnology. The fund, managed by a Strategic Technology Development Board, will also provide finance to the private sector and higher education institutions for research with specific goals. The idea is to go beyond government departments to enhance innovation. A strategic export policy to enable private players to thrive in the international markets is on the cards.

Appropriate institutional mechanisms are to be created to dip into the untapped potential of the highly-skilled Indian scientific diaspora. There will be opportunities for them to return, or to contribute from wherever they are based. An engagement portal exclusively to bring together Indian scientists and technocrats worldwide and to engage with Indian researchers is being planned. The diaspora will participate in high-level consultations for key sectors.

The role of S&T in defining foreign policy priorities will be vitalized. Apart from S&T for diplomatic benefits, diplomacy for S&T development is to be promoted. Multilateral dialogues will be initiated with key partner countries on matters related to all aspects of technology and innovation, including issues around technology governance. The number of Indian S&T counsellors in various countries will be increased and will be empowered to create opportunities for greater participation of the Indian scientific community, both in India and abroad.

Read the rest here:

In brief: Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 - BusinessLine

In the fight against COVID-19, alcohol is perhaps the most commonly utilized disinfectant and sterilization solution. But what if there was a way to achieve effective disinfection with something even more common? Perhaps something that comes from the turn of a faucet? Since 2016, Taiwanese startup ELECLEAN has produced disinfectant using water as its only reagent. By Using nano-catalysis electrochemical technology, water is directly transformed into "reactive oxygen species" (ROS) such as hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide radicals. ROS effectively destroy viruses and bacteria by oxidation. Delivered in the form of a portable and rechargeable device, ELECLEAN produces disinfectant from regular tap water in just 15 minutes at the touch of a button.

Moreover, ELECLEAN is safe and eco-friendly. Upon destroying the targeted pathogens, ROS simply transforms back into water. Throughout the process, no chemical additives or preservatives are utilized, which makes this disinfectant product non-toxic - unlike many traditional disinfectants. ELECLEAN has been certified by professional laboratories around the world, including Chang Gung University, SGS, SNQ, and more. In particular, ELECLEAN has been verified as effective against pseudomonas aeruginosa, pneumococcus, H1N1, candida albicans, E. coli, staphylococcus aureus, salmonella, black mold, and more.

A New Innovation for the Pandemic Era

In August of this year, the startup launched a new product called ELECLEAN 360 in response to the pandemic. ELECLEAN 360 is an intelligent disinfectant station that may be installed at entrances to buildings and other venues to provide full-body disinfection. The system effectively removes viruses, bacteria, and odors from those who walk through, significantly improving public health and safety in public spaces. ELECLEAN 360 has already been used for sanitation control of various venues and events, including the CHIMEI Museum, the National Library of Public Information's Read Exposition, National Geographic's 50th Anniversary of Earth Day Run, and more.

Inspired by the Need for Clean Water

After participating in various disaster relief programs in India and Southeast Asia, Dr. Chien-Hung Chen, Founder and CEO of ELECLEAN, found that clean water and disinfection were critical problems in need of solutions. Chen drew on his 13 years of water treatment research experience at the Material and Chemical Research Laboratory at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to invent a series of water purification modules to provide refugees with clean, potable water. After returning to Taiwan, Chen founded ELECLEAN with the mission to become the world's top-ranked professional disinfection appliance brand.

In addition to ELECLEAN's flagship disinfectant solution, our current line of products also includes ELECLEAN plus+, ELECLEAN share, and ELECLEAN 360. It is expected that other products will be released, including ELECLEAN tissue and E-cube, in the near future.

CES 2021 TTA-VR Pavilion: https://pse.is/393s2h

SOURCE ELECLEAN

View post:

CES 2021 ELECLEAN Disinfectant Recognized by WHO Regional Office as an Innovative Technology in the Fight against COVID-19 - PRNewswire

PHOTO:NASA on Unsplash.

Digital workplace technology has transformed organizational systems into a connected ecosystem where people function in unison with technology. While some security challenges remain, tasks are now shared between the human workforce and computers, with positive results for productivity and business efficiency.

Here's how digital workplace technology evolved in the locked-down workplace and how experts expect it to continue as things open up again in 2021.

In a post-vaccine workplace, many of the safety protocols and technologies adopted in 2020 will likely phase out but the collaboration tools that made remote and hybrid workplace models viable during the pandemic are here to stay.

Many businesses aren't going to wholly adopt the work-from-anywhere approach long term, but all will need to be technologically compatible with it if only because every other business will be, said Andrew Gross, director of enterprise unified communications at Rockleigh, N.J.-based Crestron,a developer of audiovisual automation and integration equipment.

In 2021, he said, the unified communications industry will redouble its focus on digital collaboration technologies by merging its functionality into every other area of work. Even in a post-vaccine world where people can gather without worry, the most economical way to rapidly transform a room into a dynamic collaboration space is to bring audiovisual technology into it.

Think of videoconferencing platforms and enablement products as the modern equivalent of the AV cart except every room and every employee will have their own tools for the job, he said. There is also no reason to expect the move to digital collaboration tools to slow down and it no longer makes sense to build any room that is not considered accessible for remote participants.

Last year, companies were faced with many unforeseen challenges when the pandemic first prompted stay-at-home orders. From technical and security issues, to ensuring teams had the appropriate software and hardware technologies, to simply trying to manage team communication and efficiencies within a distributed workforce, they were forced to figure out a new way to work, and with little time to plan for it.

Related Article: 2021 Business Lesson: Don't Slack on Your Outage Backup Plan

With this increase in remote work and a hybrid workforce, organizations started looking for ways to invest in the most practical tools that enable team-wide communication and collaboration from anywhere, said Dana Corey, general manager at Wilsonville, Ore.-basedAvocor. This transition is forcing AV/IT managers to rely on data to support their plans for business continuity and return to the office.

She pointed out that workspace intelligence analytic solutions are a critical component to this movement as they allow these decision-makers to take immediate action to re-evaluate the meeting room, communications hardware and software ROI. This will also guide future planning, which is especially helpful for the return to office and hybrid work strategy planning happening right now.

The technology landscape across digital enterprises will change over 2021 in places that may not have needed changing until now, said Brandon Brown, CEO of Sacramento, Calif.-basedGrin.co, which develops marketing software for e-commerce brands. One place, in particular, that he sees this happening is through an increase in the use of blockchain technology for everyday transactions, through online currencies like a central bank digital currency.

This type of transaction would allow the user to see exactly where their transaction is going and ensure what theyre buying is legitimate, such as concert tickets from a third party. It also could help the ticket seller provide better security at their events because they can track where their tickets are going and ensure no unintended party is receiving one.

Related Article: Collaboration and Communication Platforms to Improve Employee Experience

What about the ongoing development and use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and related technologies?

Pablo Listingart, founder of Winnipeg, Canada-based ComIT, an IT training provider, said that it quickly became apparent that connected devices played a large role in COVID-19 strategies. Using the IoT, organizations were able to adapt across multiple sectors, from health care apps and wearable devices that facilitated better telemedicine capacities to the adoption of automated tools to fuel a more productive remote work experience.

While IoT devices and the connected approach were not new innovations of the COVID-era, the accelerated increase in connectivity is changing the future. He points to four ways this is going to impact the digital workplace:

Connected intelligence is helping many consumer-facing businesses make the seamless switch to virtual customer service. The IoT provides live access to any performance data. Connected devices can detect customer issues and clarify support operations by transmitting user data directly to the team that needs it, whether its a support team or a manufacturers customer service. In the future, these developments can help service providers and product retailers fix problems before they become problems.

When IoT devices partner with artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, huge amounts of data are able to be both gathered and processed quickly. As a result, a companys consumer-facing performance can reach new heights and they can make real-time, relevant recommendations based on what its found.

As remote teams continue to navigate their workday from home, day-to-day operations have never been so spread out. The reliable performance of remote-work equipment has become paramount. Productivity completely relies on cloud sharing platforms, video conferencing technologies and file sharing software. With IoT integration, company technicians can remotely monitor and troubleshoot performance of devices. The technology can report on its condition, usage and offer real-time data to a company associate. Even a faulty video-chat could be managed in real time.

IoT in the workforce can be used to facilitate safer food delivery, more efficient retail strategies and more distance-friendly access to essentials. While it works to keep us safe, there remains a lack of consumer confidence in IoT device security. IoT devices have undergone extensive trouble shooting but a connected world is more vulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches. As IoT technologies continue to see widespread use across new industries, the conversation around security, comfort and privacy will carry on through 2021.

There are two other IoT advantages for the digital workplace that will carry over into the future, according to Texas-based Austin Data Labs' Sachin Raja. They are:

This has been one of the strongest use cases for IoT in most industries. With the pandemic, there is no dispute over this being the top trend of the industry. Simple things, such as ensuring a strong facility access control system with real-time reporting on count and identity of personnel goes a long way. Additionally, thermal and visual screen tools are making it more efficient to follow local regulations while keeping the economy moving and individuals safe.

Maintenance downtime and cost create massive overhead for companies. Increasingly, large manufacturers are layering agile solutions over their ERPs to mine years of insight plus combining spatial data like sound, vision and air quality to proactively identify risk and convert unscheduled downtime to scheduled maintenance based on smart suggestions.

Go here to read the rest:

How Digital Workplace Technology Will Continue to Expand After COVID-19 - CMSWire

Online banking services have greatly facilitated people in their personal and business transactions. However, every year cases of criminals misusing the technology are being reported. However, they are unable to avoid the long arms of law for long and their game is soon over. Following complaints by thousands of people from across the country that fraudsters had deprived them of large sums of money using stolen fingerprints, the FIA has arrested 30 such alleged criminals. Agency officials have said they have recovered more than Rs25 million from the arrested accused. The fraudsters stole the victims fingerprints from voter lists, national identity cards, B-forms and documents from union councils allegedly with the help of officials. The fingerprints are then replicated on silicone. They are then copied on X-ray films. Later, a fake fingerprints membrane is made with silicone and it is pasted on the fingers and thumbs of the cheats who withdraw the money from the accounts of those whose fingerprints have been stolen.

For obtaining mobile phone SIMs, fingerprints and thumbprints are used. Mobile SIMs obtained on the basis of stolen fingerprints are used for illegal activities. Fraudsters download online banking apps on such mobile phones. After downloading the apps, cheats get relevant information of users and withdraw money from their bank accounts. Upon questioning by FIA officials, the arrested accused revealed their modus operandi. The agency officials say that dishonest employees of banks and mobile phone companies were also involved in the scam as they provided the cheats personal information of bank customers. Through a downloaded app and with the help of stolen fingerprints, one can easily open bank accounts in the name of other citizens and can withdraw money from their accounts.

The FIA say they have informed the PTA and the SBP about the matter so that the trend of fake bank accounts could be stopped. Account holders should take utmost care to protect their personal data.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2021.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

See original here:

Misuse of technology - The Express Tribune

Science is coming back to White House.

Over the last four years, particularly during the pandemic, both science and scientists have been under increasing attack. Disease experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci have found themselves dressed down by village idiots like election truther Peter Navarro, and competing for Trumps attention with such COVID-19 authorities as demon-sperm champion Dr. Stella Immanuel.

All this is about to change, a point Biden clearly emphasized on Friday with the announcement that his chief science advisor would be Eric Lander, the visionary geneticist who founded and leads the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and that the position will be elevated for the first time to the cabinet level. This will afford greater prominence and power to the White House-based Office of Science and Technology Policy, which Lander will lead.

One of Landers first tasks, Biden outlined in a letter, will be refreshing national science and technology policy, with a particular focus on the promise of digitization (particularly in public health), the need for sustainability, and the imperative for equity. Biden also emphasized the economic consequences of not maintaining global technological preeminence, highlighting competition from China.

Bidens ask of Landerto develop national science and technology strategy to set us on a strong course for the next 75 yearsis not lacking in ambition. It is especially telling that, in selecting Lander, Biden chose a technology-embracing biologist, domains whose effective integration represents the next scientific frontier.

Americas long national nightmare may soon be overwell, yes that one, but the pandemic as wellthanks to a powerful new technology, mRNA vaccines, that was regarded skeptically by experts a scant two months ago. The dramatic transition from promise to substance captures the transformative potential of emerging technologies, offers encouragement to those who pursue these risky endeavors, and highlights the unreasonable effectiveness of data in validating the arrival of a worthy new approach.

The approach that may serve as deliverance from the coronavirus.

Historically, vaccines against viruses required some physical version of the virus as a starting point. In the case of polio, for instance, the virus was either inactivated (the Salk vaccine) or a weakened (attenuated) strain (the Sabin vaccine). The idea for both is the same: By administering a benign version of the virus, the vaccinated person develops the ability to rapidly mount an immune response against the more dangerous actual virus.

Using traditional methods, the procedure of starting with a disease-causing virus and developing a testable vaccine has historically required years. In contrast, mRNA vaccines use an approach that profoundly accelerates the process of developing immunity by focusing immediately on the specific feature of the virus that the body must learn to respond to: a protein component of the virus surface called a spike. An mRNA vaccine does the equivalent of FedEx-ing this specific information to the body and telling cells to produce just this spike protein so the body can quickly learn to recognize it and respond.

In practice, this allows for an astonishingly fast process. A mere 48 hours after the viruss genetic information was posted by researchers in China in January 2020, mRNA vaccine scientists at Moderna and their collaborators at the National Institutes of Health had figured out the part corresponding to the surface spike they knew (based on previous work) would likely make the best vaccine, and Moderna had started the process of manufacturing it for initial testing. (BioNTech, who developed a similar vaccine with Pfizer, initially selected 20 potential molecules to test, before ultimately landing on the same one Moderna had selected.)

Just two months after the virus was originally identified, Modernas candidate vaccine was ready for human clinical trials. By years end, the FDA had authorized the use of both the Moderna and the BioNTech mRNA vaccines, based on the stunning efficacy each demonstrated in large, well-controlled clinical trials. Many health experts would have accepted a vaccine that protected half of recipients, and been delighted with one protecting two-thirds. Yet these mRNA vaccines, the data suggested, seemed to protect just about everybody.

Three prominent lessons emerge from this experience.

First, were reminded of the radically and rapidly transformative power of emerging technologies. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, Arthur C. Clarke famously observed. The ability to start synthesizing a vaccine against a novel pathogen two days after genetically identifying it, to start clinical studies in two months, and to start inoculating patients in less than a year feels about as magical as it gets.

Second, while the success of transformative technology can feel abrupt and singular, its development tends to be anything but, requiringas in the case of mRNA medicinesyears of incremental development, lots of capital, and champions with the resilience to persist through, and learn from, failure after failure after failure. The success of both Moderna and BioNTech can be attributed in large measure to their ability to integrate new thinking with deep experience and domain expertise. Modernas CEO, for example, is a seasoned pharma manager with deep roots in manufacturing and regulation, for example, while BioNTech was able to leverage Pfizers deep operational capabilities and established ability to execute at global scale.

Finally, and perhaps of particular importance in an era where facts have struggled to retain their salience, the mRNA vaccine success demonstrates the democratizing power of science at its best. When executed responsibly, science offers an objective forum, an established methodology where even the most audacious and visionary ideas can be considered and evaluated, and where compelling results, like the vaccine data, can persuade dubious skeptics.

As Lander takes up Bidens technology policy refresh challenge, he will certainly examine the devastation wrought by the pandemic and ask what we might have done differently. There will be many examples of things that didnt work. But the striking and unanticipated success of mRNA vaccines reminds us to also recognize the innovative triumphsthe audacious dreams that were, against all odds, fulfilled. An idea scrawled on a napkin ten years ago becomes a life-saving medicine, injected into millions of arms100 million in the next 3 months, Biden hopes.

In learning from what went right, Lander and his colleagues will need to consider not only how best to cultivate visionary science, but alsocriticallyhow to accelerate the efficient translation of science into what matters most: practice, and the real-world care of patients.

Go here to read the rest:

Technology That Delivered - The Bulwark

During the 13th Five-Year Plan, for the purpose of accurately representing the formation rules of global innovation centers in science and technology and accelerating the construction of important carrier and innovation clusters, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park focused on the basic framework of an innovation ecosystem and built a science and technology innovation index system with "six forces" at its core. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted in areas of innovative economy growth, innovative resource aggregation, innovation outputs, innovative service improvement, innovative industry development and innovative environment construction. These studies objectively reflected the park's performance in building the science and technology innovation center, providing typical insight and experience.

The park's science and technology innovation index is calculated using 2011 as the base period (reference value of 60). According to the report, the index moved up to 186.8 as of the end of 2018 with 15.93% year-on-year growth. The compound annual growth rate during the 13th Five-Year Plan period was 13.55%. Across the measured indicators, six first-level indicators all saw rapid and steady growth. These indicators were: supporting force for science and technology innovation, demonstrating force of science and technology service, aggregating force of innovation platforms, pioneering force of innovation commercialization, leading force of emerging industries and benchmarking force of urban renewal.

Science and Technology Innovation Index PLUS

In 2020, the park adopted the concept of an "innovation map" in its science and technology innovation index. Indicator data and regional space resource distribution are combined to form the science and technology innovation enterprise map, innovative industry map, science and technology service technology, innovations map and fintech map, serving as the "instrument panel" and "navigator" for its innovation-driven development.

The index map focuses on science and technology innovation and future industry development, visually reflects the aggregation and interaction degree of various innovators and elements in the park and shows the independent innovation degree of enterprises and levels of high-tech products. In addition to this, it also represents the development of the park's economy featuring new technologies, industries, business types and development patterns. At the same time, the index map is committed to strengthening the park's brand by building an innovation information service center to guide the launch of innovation projects, distribution of innovation resources and participation of social capital.

SOURCE Caohejing Hi-Tech Park

See the article here:

Caohejing Hi-Tech Park Releases Science and Technology Innovation Index Map for 2020 - PRNewswire

The crashes of online vaccine scheduling systems have become a sad symbol of how technology has hampered the nations COVID-19 vaccination campaign, leaving people unable to sign up or find out when and where they can get their shots.

But it doesnt have to be that way. The technology and expertise to schedule people and line them up according to priority levels is widely available, health data experts said. It just needs to be implemented based on a set of best practices, so that people can be moved through the system efficiently.

We have to rethink some of the existing strategies, David Rhew, a physician and chief medical officer at Microsoft, said during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week. We need to make sure were not setting it up so that all these people come, all at once. We have to understand how to be able to organize this.

But what does that system look like and whos responsible for getting it off the ground? During interviews with STAT, and in discussions at CES, where the vaccine distribution failures frequently came up, industry experts said an overhaul of the existing systems must be guided by the federal government, which they say should develop standards for scheduling vaccinations and tracking doses digitally as supplies increase in the months ahead.

On Thursday, President-elect Biden is scheduled to release new details on his plan for ramping up the vaccination campaign once he takes office next week. The transition to his administration offers an opportunity to hit the reset button on the lackluster efforts to date, and to incorporate better technologies, and the funding and command structure to support them in communities nationwide.

Several health information specialists said the federal government should make technology a core component of the vaccination campaign and take the lead on convening experts as soon as possible to devise quick solutions.

READ MORE: Bidens COVID-19 team reconsiders pandemic plan in light of more infectious coronavirus variants

What you need is national policy and guidelines that are setting the framework and template for how things get rolled out, said Ashwini Zenooz, a physician and chief medical officer at Salesforce, a provider of cloud computing services.

Many of the largest technology companies from Salesforce, to Apple, to Amazon are already employing physicians and health technology experts to build these types of products. Inviting them to devise fixes to the existing underperforming systems is a simple and obvious step. But its one that has not been done during the vaccine rollout.

There is no time to waste, said Zenooz. Big technology companies that have experience doing this need to sit at the table with federal health policy folks to say, This is what we can offer.

That type of effort could help establish criteria for how scheduling sites should be set up, how to make them accessible and easy to use, and how to ensure they reach and remove barriers for marginalized populations.

Many of the online portals created to schedule vaccinations in health systems and cities are running into problems because theyre not backed up with enough computing power. Thousands of people are converging on these sites at once, causing servers to crash under the weight of the stampede.

The solution, health data experts said, is to tap into widely available cloud computing infrastructure that is lacking in hospitals and local health departments that dont typically deal with such high traffic volumes. The same problem occurred earlier in the pandemic, when a sudden crush of telemedicine visits overwhelmed hospitals data systems.

Your best bet would be to have an experienced tech company thats using appropriate cloud-hosted technologies run a robust scheduling system, said Ken Mandl, director of the computational health informatics program at Boston Childrens Hospital. This would be a good opportunity to bring in some fully professionalized solutions.

Those arrangements typically bring with them options to introduce more modern tools, such as chatbots that rely on artificial intelligence to answer questions about the vaccines, their availability, and local prioritization rules.

Rhew said Microsoft is developing a system with a chatbot to help address vaccine hesitancy. Once the questions are addressed, he said, users could be directed into a pre-registration process whereby theyre put into a database and receive emails to help them schedule appointments based on their place in line.

That allows us to improve the workflow and throughput so we dont overwhelm the clinics and hospitals, he said.

Scheduling people to receive their first doses is only one part of the technology problem. States and local communities also must be able to track the available supply of multiple vaccines and match them with unvaccinated community members and those who are waiting for a second dose. They also need to be able to track crucial outcomes, such as whether vaccinated people, even if they dont fall ill with COVID-19, can still transmit the virus.

It is an extremely complex undertaking that has already exposed several shortcomings in public health technology.

Every state in the nation has a vaccine registry to help track immunizations. But those systems lack the bandwidth to be able to support the unprecedented demand posed by a pandemic. They also lack the ability to communicate easily with other software systems, making it in some cases impossible to share data about vaccinated individuals and their health outcomes across different platforms.

READ MORE: A side-by-side comparison of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines

Mandl said this problem is the consequence of a national health records infrastructure that is built around large hospitals, health systems, and registries that keep the data in their own silos, rather than giving control to individual patients whose data travels with them.

There is no easy way to fix that amid COVID-19, he said, but the solution might be to build a kind of digital wallet, or vaccination passport, that could be tied to individuals so their data can be kept secure and portable.

Wouldnt it be nice if there was a routine workflow that didnt rely on some very specific, vendor-managed state-run registry to help make this happen, he said. Couldnt this be a very lightweight set of transactions where were able to get a verified result and create an immunization report.

On Thursday, a coalition of health and technology players including Cerner, Epic, Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce announced a new effort called the Vaccination Credential initiative with those needs in mind. The group is working to give the public digital access to their own vaccination records in a secure, interoperable format.

Apple has also built technology to allow individuals aggregate and store health records from multiple institutions to their smartphones, so these capabilities do exist. Its just a matter of scaling them with federal leadership and investment that has been lacking for so long.

COVID uncovers the weaknesses in our system, Mandl said. I think we do have the opportunity to both work on the rapidly stood-up systems now to address the need, but also to plan much more durable systems as we go forward.

This story was published by STAT on January 14, 2021. You can find the original article here.

Go here to read the rest:

Vaccine registration technology is failing. Heres how the Biden administration could fix it - PBS NewsHour

Welcome back to our short series on forming new habits in 2021. I hope you all were able to take the time to digest and truly think about implementing our first three habits at your law firms this year. If you missed out, go take a look at thefirst part of our new habits seriesand then come right back.

Today were going to talk a bit more about expanding the technical aspects of your firm in 2021, and how you can enhance what youve already learned throughout the trial and error of 2020.

Youre likely using several platforms or tools to run your practice and paying monthly SaaS fees for all of them. At some point in 2020 you likely looked at these expenses for opportunities to reduce your internal costs. This kind of regular belt tightening audit is important, but its even more important to make sure that youre using the right tech that will get you the most bang for your buck.

Conduct an analysis of all of the tools you are using and paying an associated monthly fee. Eliminate tools you havent used in the past 6 months. If youre using an all-in-one system, make sure youre using all the included functionality instead of 3rd party providers. Are you paying a separate monthly fee for a CRM or payments tool? Taking advantage of all of the features offered by your all-in-one practice management system can help you cut the fat and reduce overall expenses while increasing efficiency.

Next, start to think about your firms future over the next year, including your pipeline of new business and growth plans for your internal team. Do you know which 2020 referral sources were the most fruitful? Make sure to nurture those existing referral relationships heading into the new year. A small gift, handwritten note, or phone call to wish the contact a happy new year is a great way to thank them while staying on their radar for future referrals.

As for new business, now is the perfect time to brainstorm new marketing channels to test in 2021. If there is a specific practice area that was especially profitable in 2020 perhaps you can get more involved with that practice group within your local or state bar association. Or maybe there is an upcoming (virtual) conference where you can showcase an area of expertise as a conference speaker. Many firms have found great success by experimenting with a small online marketing budget to make their firms name appear higher in search results or serve ads for their firm to a targeted audience. If you need a refresher, heres our guide onSEO for lawyers.

With a plan to fill your referral and marketing pipeline in place, you should start preparing for growth. Construct a hiring roadmap and budget to create a clear plan to execute against your goals. Do you want to bring on a new partner with an existing book of business to help fill your client pipeline, or would it be best to hire and train an associate first? Do you need to hire new support staff like a receptionist or would it be more cost effective and efficient to use a virtual receptionist service? Being strategic in how youre thinking about what you want to accomplish a year from now, and setting a systematic plan to get there, can help you stay on track as the year continues and distractions inevitably arise.

Whether you like it or not, the way we practice law has changed due to COVID-19 restrictions and it will never be exactly the same as it once was prior to 2020.Just as medical professionals have adapted to the rise in telehealth, more lawyers than ever before have moved to practicing law virtually.While some billable tasks will return to normal in a post-COVID world, the industry as a whole is realizing that we can do many things virtually for increased productivity and profitability as part of the new normal.

Many clients will likely prefer to meet virtually moving forward because of the convenience, while others will still need to do so depending on geographic location and local restrictions for at least part of 2021. Its safe to assume that online video conference tools like Zoom arent going anywhere. If you didnt use it before COVID restrictions began, youve likely used it since, and if you already used it, you probably are using it much more frequently than you did before.

Youve also probably heard stories about some very embarrassing Zoom gafs over the past 10 months and wed like to do our part to make sure you dont become a cautionary tale. Remember, even though you are meeting with a client, colleague or co-defendant virtually, you still need to make a good impression and present as professionally as possible.

Make sure to dress as you would for an in-person meeting and make sure your visible work area is organized. Double check what your Zoom partner will see during the meeting when you turn on your video do you like the background the client will see behind you on the call or do you need to adjust? Do your best to limit interruptions like loud pets or children (no judgement, I have both). Check the lighting to make sure the video quality is good and ensure your internet connection is working properly (pro tip: if you share your network with others in the household ask them to log off the WiFi to improve the signal strength for your video call). If not, you might consider purchasing an inexpensive desktop Zoom light, increasing your internet speed, or adding WiFi boosters to help improve signal strength for areas furthest from your router.

Dont forget, most video conferencing tools have helpful built-in features that you may not be utilizing. If youre using Zoom, try the Touch Up My Appearance option in your Zoom Settings its like airbrushing for video calls and makes you look like you got 10 hours of sleep after a relaxing day at the spa. Lastly, if you are using Zoom for court appearances, mediations, or arbitrations, make sure youve got security settings like a virtual waiting room in place and learn how to properly use the break out room feature. Doing so will help you ensure client confidentiality is protected, even in a virtual setting.

While these habits arent revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, they are tried and true tactics which only require some extra time and effort to implement. By reducing your technology costs, creating your marketing and hiring roadmaps, and investing in your virtual presence, youll be well on your way to a successful and productive year and will thrive in the new normal of 2021.

See the original post here:

How to Level Up your Law Firm Technology and Marketing in 2021 - The National Law Review