Category «Health»

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

The cold and flu season of 2023 has begun with a vengeance. Viruses that have been unusually scarce over the past three years are reappearing at remarkably high levels, sparking a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. This November’s national hospitalization levels for influenza were the highest in 10 years. Emily Toth Martin and Marisa Eisenberg are infectious disease epidemiologists and researchers, and have spent our careers focused on understanding how viruses spread and how best to stop them. To respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health colleagues have had to quickly revive and apply decades of evidence on respiratory virus transmission to chart a path forward. Over the course of the pandemic, epidemiologists have established with new certainty the fact that one of our oldest methods for controlling respiratory viruses, the face mask, remains one of the most effective tools in a pandemic.

Subjects: Health, Healthcare, Medical Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 6, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Report – Hidden Harms: The Misleading Promise of Monitoring Students Online; Meta, US hospitals sued for using healthcare data to target ads; All software is guilty until proven innocent; and Twitter Faces A Surge In Account Data Requests By Governments.

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Health, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, Technology Trends

Policing Reimagined

The thesis of Albert Chang’s paper is the metaverse presents a unique opportunity for effective police reforms. Developers, data scientists, and legal sector experts working within the metaverse may be able to implement changes more efficiently than Congress as they are not subject to constitutional constraints. Chang advocates a position that the federal government should strongly consider the adoption of immersive technology to demonstrate that a more effective method of policing is possible. This paper is especially significant in light of the fact that last week Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act which will bolster research with $290 billion in new funding.

Subjects: Blockchain, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Cryptocurrencies, Education, Health, Human Rights, Legal Research, Social Media, Technology Trends, United States Law

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 9, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Why more regulation of connected car technology is probably just up the road; Police sweep Google searches to find suspects. The tactic is facing its first legal challenge; Attackers are using deepfakes to snag remote IT jobs; and Free smartphone stalkerware detection tool gets dedicated hub.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Gadgets/Gizmos, Health, Human Rights, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Technology Trends

2022 Link Guide to Healthcare Resources

The pandemic and long COVID health issues have created heightened awareness and a growing need for factual online health information. This guide by Marcus P. Zillman identifies sources providing access to vetted health related research, tools for tracking and monitoring emerging issues and treatments, expert analysis, search engines and bots, and alternative and complementary therapies.

Subjects: Health, Healthcare, Internet Resources, Legal Research, Search Engines

Roe overturned: What you need to know about the Supreme Court abortion decision

The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – handed down on June 24, 2022 – has far-reaching consequences. Nicole Huberfeld and Linda C. McClain, health law and constitutional law experts at Boston University, explain what just happened, and what happens next.

Subjects: Health, Healthcare, Human Rights, Legal Research, Privacy, United States Law

13 Ways Overturning Roe v. Wade Affects You (even if you think it doesn’t)

Kathy Biehl is a lawyer licensed in two states, as well as a prolific multidisciplinary author and writer. Roe v. Wade has been settled law during her entire career. In this article Biehl succinctly and expertly identifies how the upcoming Supreme Court decision in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a draft of which was “leaked” on May 2, 2022, will impact many facets of our society as well as our democracy.

Subjects: Congress, Constitutional Law, Ethics, Health, Human Rights, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Privacy

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 12, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: 2022 Guide to Internet Privacy Resources and Tools; Russia creates its own TLS certificate authority to bypass sanctions; Twitter quietly launches Tor service in the face of Russian censorship; Decentralized identity using blockchain.

Subjects: Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Health, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Employing My Law Librarian Skills on an Uncertain Road

As we all navigate through the era of Covid, it is critical to learn from the myriad other medical challenges that many Americans, as well as our professional colleagues, are facing separate from the pandemic. Taryn L. Rucinski, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Court of International Trade, shares her ongoing experience with the diagnosis of acoustic neuroma. Rucinski believes in the value of showing that its okay to take a step back, to step down, to lateral, to just take a breath in the face of challenges and adversity. She continues, saying experience has also shown her that our skills as law librarians are far more valuable than we may give them credit for. She highlights four significant factors that have kept her on the road to recovery: the unflagging support of the LLAGNY community, the flexibility and skills she has honed in her profession, and the importance of self care.

Subjects: Health, Healthcare, Law Librarians, Libraries & Librarians