5 Innovative Medical Technologies for 2018, Part 2

5 Innovative Medical Technologies for 2018, Part 2 5 Innovative Medical Technologies for 2018, Part 2 5 Innovative Medical Technologies for 2018, Part 2Part 1 of 5 Innovative Medical Technologies showcased the latest technologies for personal fitness, wellness, and health monitoring on display at the 2018 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, held January 9-12 in Las Vegas, NV. Among other innovations, devices for diabetes monitoring and bug repellents were highlighted. Here, we look at devices for stroke rehabilitation, proper hydration, and more, all of which won recognition in the CES Innovation Awards showcase.Different Stroke in NeurorehabilitationIn the United States, stroke is the third-leading cause of death and the number 1 cause of serious long-term disability, striking 795,000 people every year. The tragedy of strokes high death rate is compounded by the hundreds of thousands of people every year who survive their stroke but are left with life-altering physical or cogn itive disabilities requiring extensive rehabilitation. Thanks to advances in the study of neuroplasticity the brains ability to rewire itself to restore lost function researchers are making strides in technologies that help patients regain capabilities faster. Neofect, a company with several such innovations in its portfolio, has developed the RAPAEL Smart Pegboard, a gamified training tool designed to help stroke patients redevelop grasp and dexterity. The digital rehabilitation device uses high-intensity LEDs and audio cues to help users perform game-like exercises requiring the placement of pegs into specific holes on the board. Games that require memorization, pattern recognition, fast reflexes and hand-eye coordination are included.Extreme PreventionThe Neurostylus helps people with diabetes detect loss of sensation in their extremities.Another product designed to help diabetes patients keep on top of their peripheral nerve and blood vessel health was featured in the CES Inno vation Award showcase. The Neurostylus is a device-app combination people with diabetes can use to detect loss of sensation in their extremities. Frequent monitoring of sensation could help detect the early signs of neuropathy a common diabetes complication causing severe nerve damage and poor circulation. The device connects to a smart phone, on which the user selects from a menu of test modes. To operate the device, the user places the Neurostylus in contact with the targeted site on the body and begins the test, which directs pre-selected vibration frequencies to the targeted site. When the user stops feeling the vibrations, he or she stops the test and the results are stored on the smart phone app for physician review.Also for You Find out how researchers are eliminating insulin injectionsDrinking SolutionTaking the idea of proper hydration to a new level, LifeFuels has developed a personalized beverage technology that enables active types to concoct personalized all-natural he alth drinks on the go. The system comprises a reusable bottle equipped with a near-medical-grade dispensing system, an assortment of FuelPods containing flavored drink concentrates, and a smart phone app that helps users track hydration and nutrient levels as well as other data from wearable devices. To replenish the bottle, the user fills it with water and then uses the app or a built-in button to dispense the desired flavorings and adjust the strength or taste of the mixture.Missed Part 1 of 5 Innovative Medical Technologies for 2018? Read it here.Michael MacRae is an independent writer. For Further Discussion .number list-style decimal outside none padding-left 16pxmargin-removed 1em 0

ETraining vs InPerson Training

ETraining vs InPerson Training ETraining vs InPerson Training Though statistics on penetration and effectiveness are scarce, electronic learning/training (e-learning), and remote learning are entering mainstream engineering instruction and are competing with in-person training. Which is more appropriate for which students and for what subject matter?R. D. Garrick, Ph.D., P.E., associate professor of manufacturing and mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, believes that desired learning outcomes, and elend subject matter (for example, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics) determines the suitability of e-learning and in-person instruction.Garrick, whose institution provides both traditional classroom and remote instruction, sees the benefit in reversing the traditional classroom lecture/offsite homework model to a model in which students experience lectures or other instructional material remotely or electronically, but solve problems in a classroom setting. This paradigm allows students to consume educational materials as quickly or slowly as they wish, while working through problems in large but well-monitored groups.If the instructional objective is to build intellectual bridges between instructors and students through analogies, metaphors, images, or simulations, this can be accommodated through e-learning, Garrick says. But learning outcomes that involve problem-solving or understanding points of view are best conveyed in person, where the instruction can be personalized.Online training is cost-effective for students in remote locations or who are employed at traditional jobs. The downside is a lack of interaction. For example, there is a lack of focus on student body language or facial reactions to instructional elements. And some students or trainees feel more comfortable asking questions in a live environment than online.Attempts to classify knowledge and delivery methods systematically produces interesting ideas. Byron Newberry, Ph.D., P.E., associate professor of mechanical engineering at Baylor University, Waco, TX, refers to Blooms Taxonomy, a model for learning objectives that suggests a hierarchy of learning levels. These are, from lowest to highest knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. At the lower levels, people simply know facts and comprehend ideas, Newberry says. Facts and ideas combine and rearrange uniquely at the higher levels, which is where complex decisions are synthesized.Impersonal, electronic education works better at the lower levels, where electronic media easily communicate basic information. Engineers already familiar with design codes readily learn code amendments through an electronic medium because they are already familiar with the concepts. A design code novice likely will need in-person training because application of design is far from straightforward. Engineers must judge when a code applies and when it doesnt, how to resolve co de conflicts, and how to select one design over another when both meet code requirements.These judgments, Newberry observes, depend not only on the codes but on the unique context of the problem. Experiential knowledge at the higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy, he argues, is not condensed easily into generic principles that fit onto a DVD. Having interaction with an experienced person is crucial to the learning process.Yet significant exceptions exist. Raman Unnikrishnan, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA, notes that top hardware and software companies already provide online troubleshooting, for example, which involves judgment and evaluation that fall under higher-level activities.Fullerton soon will introduce an online M.S. program in environmental engineering that follows the success of an online software engineering course. Yet he disagrees with the application of taxonomic rules to decide on the mode of instruction .Unnikrishnan points out that remote learning and collaboration have become crucial elements some would say competencies for software developers. Software developed in Los Angeles gets handed over to programmers in Ireland for the next shift, and on to Bangalore before returning to California the next day.E-training for hands-on coursework would not be as successful, he says. We have a large machine shop here. You can teach the basics through electronic media, but learning to operate the equipment, rendering complex shapes, and understanding safety and compliance has to be done on site.E-learning works best, Unnikrishnan says, with self-motivated individuals and materials that build on the students previous knowledge. Thus, classroom interaction may be critical for 101-level courses, but not for graduate work where students are already familiar with the basics. Although, he admits, There isnt a very strong research cousine for what Im claiming.Angelo DePalma is an independent writ er.Online training is cost-effective for students in remote locations or who are employed at traditional jobs. The downside is a lack of interaction.

The secret to hiring (and keeping) top tier tech candidates

The secret to hiring (and keeping) top tier tech candidatesThe secret to hiring (and keeping) top tier tech candidatesThe secret to hiring (and keeping) top tier tech candidatesMore and more, tech professionals cant be categorized as either passive or active candidates. Theyre just always on. They always have an ear to the rail theyre aware of their own value and are ready to take the next opportunity at a moments notice.There is so much opportunity, its hard for tech talent to turn it off, says Rod Adams, talent acquisition leader at audit and consulting firm PwC. For recruiters, theres good and schwimmbad news in this trend. The good news is that literally millions of coders, software architects and CIOs are out there right now with a never say never attitude to new career opportunities.The bad news? Yur next placement isnt closed until its closedand it could still unravel on the candidates second day on the job if something shinier and newer comes along.Heres how extreme tech turn over has become Googles median employee tenure is 1.1 years, while Amazons is just one year, placing both tech giants near the bottom for employee retention among Fortune 500 companies, according to a study by Payscale.Many of these tech pros are satisfied with their jobs, but feel little or no motivation to stick with them. Theyre always on simply because they can never escape the glare of recruiters attention.They make a hard decision to stay or to take a new opportunity, says Adams, and then theres an element of debating internally, Did I make the right choice?So how can you succeed in the era of the always-on candidate? We asked expert recruiters for advice on how to woo those candidates and continue to win new clients.Develop a sourcing strategy that engages candidates effectivelyIn 2019, a successful tech recruiting strategy must engage these cherished candidates. Theyre solid gold prospects, but many are jaded by a job market that makes them feel like nothing more than a pric ey commodity. The trick to differentiating yourself as a recruiter is to meet candidates on their own territory.We go where the talent is, says Karen Gardner, chief learning officer at ManTech, a government contractor that hires out its own tech employees to various federal agencies.One way that ManTech engages contract talent is by creating and maintaining communities of practiceforums for interaction with experts and resources in hot specialties like wolke technologies and offensive and defensive cybersecurity practices.Two of ManTechs communities of practice are called Network-Centric Solutions and Insider Threat Program, a cybersecurity forum.Our professionals really like getting together to hear about different contracts, says Gardner. Our communities of practice serve all of ManTech, providing the forums in which our professionals discuss best practices and common implementation patterns to deliver solutions that solve our customers most challenging needs.Recruiters must get m ore technical than everThe latest tools for recruiting can help you identify always-on candidates before you make contact.For example, there are AI apps that can predict whos more likely to leave a job based on their update activity on their social media profiles, says Sean Dowling, partner and manager of recruiting strategy at search firm WinterWyman Now theres software that can aggregate all these little clues. Entelo is one such application.Recruiters also need to be active in the verbunden forums where tech professionals live, by posting articles and updates on industry news, for example, Dowling says.I have shared commentary about new technologycomparisons between Angular 1 versus Angular 2, or software or new product releases, he adds. (Angular is a Java-based platform for building web applications.)Granted, you probably wont master the technologies that candidates live for, but you can at least demonstrate technical literacy.Some of our recruiters are as technical as the tech nical guys, and they get smart on emerging technologies just as quickly, says Gardner. Dowling adds Lots of recruiters dont know how to look at code samples. If you dont know how, you should learnperhaps from a candidate youve worked with for years.Recruiters may need to invest time to identify the forums where candidates in a given specialty hang out. You might recruit for a full day and find this one site thats really niche to your client, says Dowling. When searching the other day for React.js developers, I found a forum called Hackr.io, a group of React developers that pose questions to each other. In addition to user forums, Hackr.io features programming courses, meetup listings and tech industry news.Get personalfastto build alliancesTo succeed in the long term, tech recruiters need to dig in to build strong alliances with candidates. How? By showing candidates that youre invested in their future, not just the gig at hand.ManTech does this with a big education and training per k. Were the only employer in the region that offers free tuition to our employees, says Gardner.ManTech partnered with Purdue University Global to close talent gaps in cybersecurity. Fringe benefit For ManTech employees who are hired out on contract, turnover is 45 percent lower among those who take advantage of the tuition offer.In the long game of tech recruiting, it pays to keep in touch with candidates whether or not youve hooked them up for their current gig. We do have a focused alumni strategy, a team that drives engaging with alumni, says Adams of PwC. We provide continuing learning opportunities, so that we may be able to hire them back.