The onset of widespread social media adoption has democratized and enhanced the functions of human resource management. Today, many factors lead to changes in compensations, employee reward systems, and employee recognition strategies. 

Reward and recognition strategies are often subject to internal and external work environments. Factors that drive change in rewards systems and employee recognition can be separated into internal and external contexts. 

Internal Factors 

To understand the internal factors, you have to know about the organizational culture. This culture consists of shared values and assumptions. These influence the way you interact with each other in the workplace. In reward systems, it is very important to take note of the organizational values when you are developing reward systems and considering employee recognition software. 

These values revolve around the desired behaviors of organizational culture and goals. In an organization, there are typically two types of cultures. The first type of culture is entitlement-oriented, while the second is contribution-oriented. 

Entitlement culture focuses more on employees as a part of their family members. It gives way to more personal rewards and heartfelt recognition. The contribution culture shifts focus on the individual and their contribution towards the business’s growth. Both of these are factors that shape the reward system and set it out to particular directions. 

Organization Type – Bureaucratic and non-Bureaucratic  

An organization will likely follow a bureaucratic system or a post-bureaucratic system. In the bureaucratic system, organizations and employees have to adhere to stringent policies and rules. Not to mention, they are also subject to vertical hierarchies. This means that their path to rewards and recognition is standard, and requires overcoming milestones. 

In this type of business, workers have to face rational decisions where rules are followed. On the other hand, organizations that adhere to a post-bureaucratic system have much different company dynamics. In this system, there are fewer hierarchies within employees, and this leads to more transparency between managers are workers. 

In a bureaucratic organization, managers have to set up recognition strategies that are based on compliance and control. This means that the reward system will be focused on adherence to company rules, procedures, and policies. Alternatively, a post-bureaucratic culture endorses reward systems that recognize the individual capabilities of workers, and recognition is much more fluid. 

In the bureaucratic organization, multi-grading structures and pay spans take place. This means that employee salaries may increase due to the longevity of their service. In post-bureaucratic organization, there is a much broader graded structure; employees earn rewards according to particular achievements.  

In addition to that, the post-bureaucratic system also applies compensational benefits that reflect the needs of the individual employee. Hence, in this organizational culture, the types of rewards can also vary accordingly. Overall, the bureaucratic system is much more standardized, while the non-bureaucratic system is more open-ended and involves the aspect of networking. 

Business Sector 

The industry sector in which a business operates is also a key driving factor that shapes employee recognition and reward system. Each different business sector has its own set of values and ethos which reflect deeply in the employee recognition program. Furthermore, each sector also has its own rules and based on those rules, HR representatives and managers have to implement reward strategy practices. 

Work Environment 

Work environment is a factor that plays an over-arching role to enhance the performance of an organization. Some areas of a business require good cooperation and teamwork, while other areas may require individual achievements. You have to focus on piece-rate systems, along with multi-skilling strategies when implementing a reward system in that company. 

When implementing a new employee recognition system, you are more focused on attracting high-quality workforce. These are usually workers that have the knowledge of technologies which impact grades and pay structures. 

Occupations 

People’s occupation is another important factor that can determine grades, pay structures, incentives and rewards. There are different types of employees in a business. Some work in sales, while others may work in support or production. For instance, a sales representative focuses more on commissions and incentives, while others are more focused on getting salaries and climbing up the hierarchal corporate ladder. 

Business strategy 

This factor refers to a business’s intention, and goals. It keeps a tab on what the organization plans to do in order to fulfill their core value. If the organization is focused on attracting high-quality people, then they may use a competitive reward system that leads the market. Similarly, other values will lead to different strategies that positively reinforce workers to work towards that value. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, these are core factors upon which employee recognition and reward systems experience change. As the workplace is moving towards digital applications, factors such as business types and strategies have also changed, which manifests a completely different reward and recognition system. 

Written by Lara Harper

Source: TG Daily – Factors Driving Change in Employee Recognition and Reward System

Philadelphia is a huge, densely populated city with a large population of people who commute over vast distances. In Philadelphia, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury-related death. In 2015, 936 people died in motor vehicle accidents in Philadelphia. These accidents happen due to many factors, such as speeding, failure to yield, or drunk driving. Some of the most common types of accidents that happen in Philadelphia are single-car crashes and head-on collisions.

Motor vehicles can be devastating. It brings severe injuries and can become a life-changing event. In addition, the financial and emotional burden of a motor vehicle accident can also drastically affect an individual. Therefore, if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, especially when due to another person’s negligence, then it is essential to hire Philadelphia, PA personal injury attorneys to protect your rights and get the deserving compensation.

Let us now see the most common types of motor vehicle accidents reported in Philadelphia.

1. Motorcycle accidents

Motorcycle accidents in Philadelphia increased by 16% in 2021, making it the fourth-largest increase in the country. With over 700 motorcycle accidents, Philadelphia is ranked second in the nation for the number of crashes with fatalities. The increase is due to a combination of factors, including more motorcycles on the roads, higher rates of alcohol use, and a lack of understanding among drivers about how to handle sudden situations involving motorcycles.

2. Car Accidents

In 2021, the number of car accidents in Philadelphia was projected to reach a record high. More than 1 million people are expected to be injured. With such a staggering amount of people at risk, the Department of Health and Human Services suggests that all drivers should take extra precautions to avoid such fatal accidents.

3. Bus accidents

Many bus accidents in Philadelphia are caused by drivers who lack experience. This is because many of the buses in Philadelphia are operated by independent contractors who only work part-time. These drivers aren’t required to undergo any special training or licensing, and they often drive the same route daily.

4. Commercial vehicle accidents

In the year 2021, the number of commercial vehicle accidents in Philadelphia was on the rise. This is a national trend and not just confined to Philadelphia. Many factors can be attributed to these increased numbers, such as driving under the influence, distracted driving, and the increasing popularity of autonomous vehicles.

Written by Barbara McGee

Source: TG Daily – What are the Most Common Types of Motor Vehicle Accidents Reported in Philadelphia?

Certain cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) can prevent infection from the virus that causes COVID-19 by obstructing its entry into cells.

By binding to the spike protein, these acids can block the virus from reaching into cells and causing infection.

The study was published in the Journal of Natural Products. The research was led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and the Linus Pauling Institute.

“They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans,” van Breeman said, as quoted by local media. “Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,’ the researchers noted in the abstract of the study. 

Some marijuana compounds can block coronavirus from entering cells: study

The researchers found that a pair of hemp compounds bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a vital step in the deadly bug?s path to infect people.

Continue reading on New York Post

Local hemp stores stock up after new discovery

Now local shops like TJ’s Provisions in Eugene are preparing for the potential for more sales.

Continue reading on KEZI News

Jimmy Kimmel Is High Off Covid?s Cannabis Breakthrough

All this time we have been listening to the C.D.C., we should have been eating CBD, Kimmel said of research showing that cannabis compounds can prevent Covid-19.

Continue reading on

Source: TG Daily – New Study Shows Hemp Compound May Prevent Covid-19 From Entering Human Cells

A high-quality handoff of the patient can deliver a great outcome in health care services. It can reduce medical errors and prevent disputes from happening between the two parties. However, practicing the handoff requires time, effort, and a set of skills all of its own.

If you are looking for the best way to improve your handoff communication, you will need to learn from an expert. CareAlign, the best provider of nursing handover tools and other relevant solutions, emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-for-all. Individuals must understand how to provide the best handoff communication and service possible given the available resources and conditions.

There is no one centralized solution because we have to deal with the complex health systems in the healthcare industry. However, there are some guidelines or good practices for physicians in training that can improve communication in the health facility setting. Of course, it is for the sake of the patient’s wellness and safety.

The key to a successful handoff result is the high quality of handoff communication. Here are the ways you can consider improving your handoff communication quality.

Don’t interject communication.

There have been many reports where the back-channeling could be a strong cause of the poor quality of handoff. In such a hectic place, we could see that some physicians conduct quick runs through the notes about the patients. During the conversation, they seemed to be affirmative of the information given by the sender of the patient. However, it does not guarantee that they are 100% focused and listening to each other. When back channeling happens, there’s a risk of missing information in the conversation. As the healthcare provider, it is important to make sure that the specialists really comprehend the information transfer. If you are the receiver, you also need to be more proactive and double-check with the sender if they are not giving you the complete information.

Conduct the interviews.

To review the current quality of your healthcare handoff, you could conduct an intern interview with your internal team members. Together with your colleagues, you will be able to identify the root causes of the problem. Therefore, you will understand what went wrong and why the handoff was poor.

The interview’s main objective is to understand the areas for improvement and pitfalls to avoid. Since the topic is handoff communication, your internal interviews should revolve around the mentioned topic. It is the right opportunity to ask questions about the communication errors that happen between your healthcare providers. These miscommunications or misunderstandings can be harmful to patients. Through the open discussion with your internal team members, you are able to find the feedback process to determine the key issues. Therefore, you can steer clear of the problems and improve the handoff communication for good.

Check if the sign-out processes are clear.

The sign-out process can be different from one program to another. Each healthcare provider might have their own unique sign-out process. However, the overall objective of the sign-out is to update the information. Therefore, the most effective sign-out processes are those that are accurate and updated. It is highly crucial to keep the patients’ information updated.

Adding video cues to handoff solutions

In many cases, the visual cues are important for clarifying many things in the handoff process. You will want to confirm that the handoff process is done without flaws.

Offering face-to-face interaction, you will be able to conduct verbal exchanges with your partners although you are away from the hospital. While physicians might have different means of communication, the most preferred Patient Handoff Tool nowadays is still face-to-face. When it is not possible because of different locations or other situations, you could use a video conference tool to procure the same communication procedure.

Provide the necessary patient information.

When it comes to the handoff, you must think about the kind of information you need to care for the particular patient right now. Here, there is no need to offer long details of the personal life of the patient. Some doctors run through every review system to find out what they think. Well, that’s wasting your time and energy. For the sender, it is important to isolate the most relevant information, which you can use right now to treat your patients well. For the receiver, it is okay to be proactive and ask as many questions as you need, as long as they are all relevant to your handoff patients.

It does not hurt to exercise a bit of if-then and to-do. When the team has such a formula, it will be much easier to handoff.

Understand the limits of caregivers

In the field of work, clinical tasks are popularly known as the causes of fatigue. There are some familiar tasks that can be done quickly. But when it comes to the handoff, one could hit a certain point in the difficult weighing. The decision-making can be a bit tricky there. The challenges will be multiplied when the caregivers in the hospital are already tired. Fatigue can affect how you care. Therefore, it is important to make sure that everyone on board is fit and healthy.

Pay attention to the handoff level of threats.

Some handoffs are simple since the patent conditions are not life-threatening. But there are also some high-risk handoff agendas that you need to pay attention to. When the patient is moving, they are critical or unstable. These patients usually have worse conditions, where a slight mistake could end their lives. The high-risk handoff usually comes with a lot of pressure. To improve the communication in handoff, one could make use of the template so that they can focus on treating their patients. Understand the levels of treats in every handoff. Each handoff is important.

Therefore, it is also a great idea to access a wide array of resources to improve the model procedures and skills. Consider taking a look at the tips above when you want to improve the handoff communication quality. You could also use the tools to help you improve the handoff quality.

Get more information at CareAlign.

Source: TG Daily – Effective handoff communication

Magawa, who retired in June last year, died over the weekend, the international non-profit organisation APOPO announced on Tuesday. 

Magawa was in good health and spent most of last week playing with his usual enthusiasm, but towards the weekend he started to slow down, napping more and showing less interest in food in his last days, APOPO said in a statement.

“All of us at APOPO are feeling the loss of Magawa and we are grateful for the incredible work he’s done,” the organisation said in a heartfelt tribute.

In 2020, Magawa was honoured with a gold medal from the UK-based People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals for lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty – the first rat to receive the award.

Magawa was bred in Tanzania and was brought to Siem Reap in Cambodia in 2016 to begin clearing mines.

Magawa, the landmine-sniffing hero rat, dies aged eight

Magawa was awarded a gold medal for heroism for clearing landmines in Cambodia.

Continue reading on BBC News

‘Hero rat’ wins gold medal from UK charity for hunting landmines

A rat in Cambodia has been heralded a hero and awarded for saving lives.

Continue reading on CNN

Hero rats sniff out landmines and TB – CNN

Can a rat be a hero? It can if it saves lives. Meet the giant rats that sniff out landmines and TB

Continue reading on CNN

Source: TG Daily – Landmine Sniffing Rat Dies At The Age Of 8

South Korea said it detected the launch at 07:27 local time on Tuesday (22:27 GMT on Monday).

Japan’s coast guard also reported the launch, saying it was a ‘ballistic missile-like object’. It comes less than a week after North Korea launched what it claimed was a hypersonic missile.

The latest launch underscores North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s pledge to bolster the country’s defences as part of its policy priorities for 2022, which were outlined during a key meeting in December.

Six countries issued a statement urging the North to cease its destabilising actions and engage in meaningful dialogue towards the shared goal of complete denuclearisation.

Suspected North Korea missile test hit speed of Mach 10, more advanced than previous test, Seoul says

A suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Tuesday was more advanced than the missile Pyongyang tested last week, reaching a velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Continue reading on CNN

North Korea’s hypersonic missile claim is seen as an attempt to boost its ‘bargaining position’

On Thursday, state media claimed the country had test-fired a “hypersonic missile” the previous day.  

Continue reading on CNBC

South Korea disputes North’s claim of hypersonic missile test

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it believes North Korea hasn’t acquired the technologies needed to launch a hypersonic weapon.

Continue reading on Military Times

Source: TG Daily – North Korea Launches More Advanced Second Missile Test In A Week

Tooth loss is a common dental problem in the United States, with approximately 40 million individuals missing all teeth. The issue worsens as you advance in age due to the deterioration of the jaw bone. Missing several teeth in your formula can alter your appearance, including the shape of your face. It makes you appear older than your actual age and affects your speech. You may also find it challenging to eat hard foods such as steak or cane. Tooth loss can be a result of an accident or advanced gum disease. Fortunately, your reliable specialist Marvin Taylor DDS can help you optimize your oral health and regain your beautiful smile using dentures. Below is a simple explanation of what dentures are.

What are dentures?

Dentures are synthetic removable replacements used for missing teeth and sometimes surrounding tissues such as gums. They can be designed to replace a few missing teeth or all your teeth. Dentures prevent facial muscles from sagging and make it less challenging to eat, chew, and speak. Dentures may be an option depending on how many teeth you have lost. The following are different primary causes for tooth loss.

• Tooth extraction
• Natural aging
• Periodontal disease
• Jaw injury
• Severe tooth decay
• Poor dental hygiene

Types of dentures

Dentures are available in different types, and the one suitable for you depends on your oral health condition and other factors including lifestyle. Here are the most common types of dentures that your doctor may recommend.

Complete dentures

Complete dentures are removable replacements used for patients missing their entire set of teeth. They are tailored to match the shape, size, and color of natural teeth. They improve mastication, meaning a patient can crush and chew foods as usual. However, complete dentures lack anchorage, and for this reason, you may not produce extreme force while chewing. These dentures also have a thick material that covers the palate. Speech impediments such as a lisp are common for patients with complete dentures due to the thickness of the material covering the palate, which unfortunately cannot be thinned. However, some people get the hang of it while others do not. While they play the role of natural teeth, complete dentures do not prevent bone shrinkage. You may need a dental implant to prevent structural deformities in your bone.

Fixed partial dentures

These are irremovable dentures that use existing teeth as abutments. They are an option for patients with one or more missing teeth in a row. However, it would be best to have strong, healthy teeth on both sides of the missing ones. Some of the advantages of fixed partial dentures include:

• They are more grounded or stronger than false teeth.
• Offer a better bite.
• Enhance your appearance.
• Consistent tooth positioning.

While they have multiple benefits, implant-supported dentures have their downsides that include:

• The abutments cannot be replaced.
• Risk of injuries to the dental pulp.
• Patients have a higher risk of decay due to abutments.
• Replacement is more costly than removable dentures.

Other dentures such as removable partial dentures and implant-retained dentures are also used in place of missing teeth. If one or several of your teeth are missing, reserve a session with your dentist today at Dr. Taylors Family Dental Center to obtain a functional, new smile.

Source: TG Daily – How Dentures Can Improve Your Facial Outlook

Motherhood is a blissful experience every woman desires. However, during pregnancy, your hormones are all over the place, and it is taxing. Most of your friends have different views on how to prepare to give birth to an intelligent baby. But do they work? Is your baby going to be intelligent? Worry no more as obstetrics & gynecology in Woodside will help you understand the intricate details of what makes your baby intelligent.

1. Schedule antenatal appointments

Antenatal visits are the bedrock to any successful pregnancy.  During antenatal appointments, you and your obstetrician plan a care routine that helps you develop your child’s brain. In addition, you get early advice which is crucial to give your unborn baby the early boost. Antenatal care involves dietary plans, planning ultrasound dates, and tracking your baby’s brain development. Visit Raveco Medical as soon as you find out you’re pregnant.

2. Take vitamins daily

The importance of vitamins in accelerating the growth of brain cells cannot be overstated. Fruits are significant sources of vitamins that bolster your baby’s brain tissue development. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, folic acid, and ions such as calcium and potassium set up the groundwork for a witty kid. You can always take vitamin supplements when you don’t have access to raw vitamin sources.

3. Stay fit

Did you know that regular exercise increases neurons in the memory part of the baby’s brain by 40%? Exercises bathe your baby in endorphins that boost the development of your baby. Aerobic exercises improve blood circulation and provide essential nutrients pivotal to the baby’s brain development. However, stick to less strenuous exercise. Always consult an obstetrician before incorporating new exercises into your routine. For safe exercise tips, contact Raveco Medical healthcare providers.

4. Evaluate your diet plan

You are what you eat, and so is your baby. SE foods have direct links with an unborn baby’s intelligence. Foods that boost your unborn child’s brain development include:

• Egg yolks
• Salmon
• Pumpkin seeds
• Legumes such as beans and peas
• Yogurt
• Parmesan cheese

In your diet plan, always remember to include regular hydrating periods. Cut out alcohol and any smoking

5. Get your daily Vitamin D dose

Bask in the sun for at least half an hour a day. Vitamin D boosts the baby’s overall development, including the brain.

6. Read and play music to your bump

Remember young Mozart or Beethoven? Yes, music stimulates brain waves. Language learning begins in the womb. Music and reading are significant ways to ensure your baby develops witty tendencies. Occasionally, put headphones on your baby bump and play chilled-out music or read one of the classics.

7. Get adequate rest

During pregnancy, the high levels of hormones cause fatigue, detrimental to you and your unborn child’s health. Get plenty of rest and go to massage spas to relieve the tension in your muscles. During your antenatal visit, ask for the recommended sleeping positions and patterns for pregnant women.

Takeaway

Diet and lifestyle adjustments set up your baby for intelligence prowess in the world. Raveco Medical is your partner in all matters regarding pregnancy and general gynecology. Reach out today and give your unborn baby an edge above the rest.

Source: TG Daily – 7 Simple Things to Do While Pregnant to Have An Intelligent Baby

The shutdown of Kazakhstan’s internet during a deadly uprising hit the country’s fast-growing cryptocurrency mining industry. The internet was shut down on Wednesday across the country in what monitoring site Netblocks called a “nation-scale internet blackout”.

A drop in hashrate isn’t necessarily supportive for the price of bitcoin, which fell below $43,000 on Thursday, testing multi-month lows after investor appetite for riskier assets fell as the U.S. Federal Reserve leant toward more aggressive policy action.

The Kazakh government said last year it planned to crack down first on unregistered miners who it estimates might be consuming twice as much power as the officially registered ones. Its energy ministry said in August last year was consuming up to 1.2 GWt of power, which together with coal mines and whole towns built around them are a headache for authorities as they seek to decarbonise the economy. 

Kazakhstan internet shutdown deals blow to global bitcoin mining operation

Unrest in the central Asian country, the second-largest center for mining of the cryptocurrency, led to an internet blackout

Continue reading on the Guardian

Why is Canaan Expanding BTC Mining in Energy-Troubled Kazakhstan? – The Tokenist

Chinese Bitcoin ASIC manufacturer Canaan looks to further expand its mining operations in Kazakhstan, despite the energy-distressed region.

Continue reading on The Tokenist

The 8 Countries That Mined The Most Bitcoins in 2021 By DailyCoin

The 8 Countries That Mined The Most Bitcoins in 2021

Continue reading on Investing.com

Source: TG Daily – Kazakhstan crackdown disrupts Bitcoin mining

Major U.S. processor companies were all active at and around CES this week, but each had their own view of the world. Typically, competitors are all on the same page, and we focus on each company’s offering, but these firms were all over the map this year, which is indicative of a massive coming change.  Let us do a quick summary of each and then conclude with the view of the future that benefits each firm.

The following list is alphabetical and not intended to be a ranking.

AMD

AMD stands out as the most focused of these four vendors. Staying solidly connected to the desktop and mostly focused on PCs, AMD showcased its latest CPU and GPU solutions. Much of the company’s breadth (game consoles, autonomous cars) is created by custom work, which is marketed by its customers, but this approach makes AMD look far narrower than its peers. Yet, this custom work which covers a variety of industries, would, had they spoken of it, have showcased an alternative strategy of deep partnering that is only truly matched by Qualcomm. 

AMD announced USB 4.0 (an alternative to Intel’s Thunderbolt), two hundred premium designs (including the Alienware M17 RS which may have been the strongest gaming notebook at the event), a new AM5 socket (AMD rarely changes sockets), and what may have been the best deal in a graphics card, AMD’s $200 6nm RX6500XT card with an undiscounted retail price of under $200. They also teased a coming wave of 8K monitors that their aggressively priced (free) FreeSync technology will enable for a better experience.

AMD proved once again that its AMD CPUs and GPUs are better together as they continue to execute on a strategy of creating strong synergy across product types. While the company touched on the Lenovo ThinkPad Z, it mostly focused on consumer products and used the significant performance increases in its latest lines to create interest. 

Intel

Intel also spent a lot of time talking about gaming PCs and had a female pro gamer on stage advocating for its solution (advocates, if done well, can be far more credible than company execs). Intel also argued that its current lines are far more powerful than older products, but also called out AMD by name which is unusual for a market leader to do because it uplifts the competitor’s brand as threat. Intel had the coolest product code name of the event with Raptor Lake, and highlighted Dell’s Evo Workstation ground-up redesign as market-leading. Typically, Lenovo has dominated as a brand at these CES events, but this year Dell has stepped up and had more presence. 

Intel’s top processor focus was its 12^th generation P Series which replaces the old U series with higher performance while holding battery life. This is a push-back against Qualcomm’s incursions into the PC market. 

Intel’s breakout PC offering was a far higher potential level of interoperation with smartphones. This desktop Unified Communication concept goes back to the 1980s and execution to date has been disappointing. But Intel promised to work with Dell, Microsoft, and others to create a truly seamless integration across the two platforms and even showcased how you could turn an Android tablet into a second screen (something I still think would be handy.)

Intel spent a lot of time on its Drive platform, pointing out its first Level 3 production system in operation in Japan with Honda, and had both Ford and VW on stage praising that solution. Intel promised to be Level 5 capable for autonomous driving by 2025 which is five years before I expect Level 5 capability to be broadly available. But that forecast is based on the liability issues surrounding Level 5 which have yet to be fully addressed. 

Intel ended its presentations by announcing that its next IntelON event (Intel Vision) will be on May 10^th and 11^th (IntelON is what replaced IDF, and it was IDF that helped make it the dominant vendor in the PC space in the past). 

NVIDIA

NVIDIA remains the only vendor in this group that uses its own technology heavily during the presentation. It significantly exceeded everyone else’s presentations with compelling videos and video demonstrations. I am a big believer in using your technology while talking about it because the event itself then becomes a stronger showcase for your offerings. Unlike the other processor companies, NVIDIA still lacks a CPU (its attempt to buy ARM is currently on hold waiting for regulatory approvals which have been problematic). 

To address this, NVIDIA presented tuning technology for third-party CPUs and claims it is working with the CPU vendors. I am not aware that NVIDIA works closely with Qualcomm, and its relationship with Intel has, at best, been strained, but the company has successfully partnered with AMD in the past. 

NVIDIA ran lots of head-to-head graphics comparisons. It not only talked about a next generation of gaming monitors (at 1440P) but about TVs from both Samsung and LG that would connect directly to its cloud gaming service, GeForce Now. Its potential best value offering was the RTX 3070 laptop solution priced around $1,500 that provided what, on paper, looked to be the best balance between cost and performance. Another interesting class of product is its Studio Laptop effort that it represented would outperform Apple’s best by seven times, which would be huge for creators using Macs. 

One of the products I am personally looking forward to using is NVIDIA’s Canvas AI which uses a variety of technologies to turn people like me who cannot draw to save our lives into photorealistic artists. The firm promised a four times improvement in resolution with its latest offering. Another unique product is NVIDIA’s Omniverse Machinima which provides for the use of game objects for creating metaverse experiences. 

As for NVIDIA’s autonomous driving solution, it remains the most complete provider with significant resources focused on using the emerging metaverse for simulation, synthetic data development and use, and focused efforts to address autonomous driving in bad weather. They expect to have Level 3 solutions in the market this year, but it is the Drive Concierge that I find to be the most compelling. This is an advanced digital assistant that becomes your interface to your autonomous car. I am hoping you will get your choice of 3D avatar as I would prefer something more like Cortana to the alien baby in an egg that was demonstrated. 

NVIDIA again stood out with the most interesting presentation in the class because it gets that remote viewers need a lot of visual content to keep them engaged. 

Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the leader in mobile technology, so it is not surprising it led with that. With the move to the cloud, the need for enabling end-point processing to keep network loading down has never been more critical. It was here that Qualcomm had its greatest near-term growth opportunity. Sadly, CES is not a show where many launch new smartphones, so there was little in the way of interesting products showcased at that presentation. 

While its use of advocates was light when compared to Intel for autonomous cars, GM uses NVIDIA, and GM currently has the highest-rated production self-driving system. GM spoke to what may be the foundation for obsolescing smartphones as they currently exist by highlighting an emerging category of lightweight, attractive AR glasses. Moving the display from the phone to the face, once the result is adequate, will dramatically change the design of future smartphones, and Qualcomm clearly plans to ride that wave rather than be drowned by it. Microsoft Mesh is an up-and-coming metaverse platform, and Qualcomm announced it is working closely with Microsoft to design the ideal user interface hardware for it. 

NVIDIA is positioned strongly against the Apple model of vertical integration which tends to result in higher prices and fewer choices. You could almost hear the cry of “freedom” during the show as it argued why its horizontal model of enabling common standards and lots of phone companies results in far higher customer choice. Finally, NVIDIA hinted at the next generation of Snapdragon-based PCs, and given my current favorite PC is the HP Elite Folio based on Snapdragon, I can hardly wait. 

Wrapping up:  

Looking across these vendors, AMD came across as both the most focused and most understated, Intel had the best use of advocates which tend to be the most effective at driving interest to new offerings, NVIDIA had the most interesting content and by far the strongest metaverse and autonomous driving content, and Qualcomm was the most focused on mobile and was potentially the most disruptive both on PCs and smartphones. 

With logistics problems defining the market, product availability will define market share gains from any of these vendors in the short term. I do think that there was one recurring discordant note which was that the Autonomous Drive segments all spoke to the most advanced but least popular use of this technology, self-driving. Most drivers do not want to give up control, but another aspect of this, called Guardian Angel by Toyota at an NVIDIA event, is to provide comprehensive driver oversite to prevent accidents but still allow drivers to drive their cars. All these systems potentially enable this assisted driving, but no one seems to want to talk about it. 

Overall, CES is again a showcase of not only what will come later in the year but later in the decade, and I must admit I am looking forward to playing in the future metaverse and eventually getting a set of awesome AR glasses.  

Source: TG Daily – AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm at CES: Very Different Strategies for the Future

Xi’an has “basically” achieved “social clearance,” the end of community transmission of the coronavirus.

Approximately 13 million people remain in lockdown, tens of thousands are spread across hundreds of quarantine centers, and thousands more have reportedly been deported to quarantine locations outside the city’s borders.

The lockdown and its attendant effects have caused considerable hardship for many, especially the vulnerable and the elderly.

The quarantine centers are reportedly sparsely provisioned, and some residents have no control over whether they go to quarantine centers.

“We were woken up in the middle of the night by a knock on the door and told to pack up and leave, without further explanation.” Xi’an residents have dubbed the process “getting hauled off”.

A video emerged of a young woman pleading tearfully with a quarantine center employee for menstrual products. She begged, “If you can’t rustle up menstrual products, just let me go home.”

Xi’an lockdown brings heartbreak as pressure to contain outbreak grows

As the locked down Chinese city of Xi’an claimed victory this week in its fight to contain the community spread of Covid-19, harrowing tales of loss and despair have emerged on social media — highlighting the immense human cost of China’s zero-Covid policy.

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China imposes new restrictions amid spike in COVID cases

Governments across the world tightening restrictions as the Omicron variant continues to drive up COVID-19 cases.

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Chinese residents reportedly trading goods for food as world’s toughest lockdown continues

Authorities have banned 13 million people in the city of Xi’an from going outside even for essential reasons.

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Source: TG Daily – Anger Spreads in China Due to Xi’an Lockdown

The $10 billion observatory, launched from a European spaceport in French Guiana on Christmas Day, is the most powerful telescope ever sent into space. It boasts a 21-foot mirror with roughly six times the light-gathering area of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The sunshield plays a vital role for the telescope. It blocks solar radiation and helps keep the telescope ultra-cold — cold enough to pick up infrared light coming from the earliest galaxies to form after the Big Bang, too faint even for Hubble to see.

The telescope is en route to its job site, a spot roughly a million miles from Earth, where it will sit in a solar orbit held stable by the gravitational tug of both the Earth and the Sun. Once it’s fully up and running, it will observe early stars and galaxies and search for biosignatures in the atmospheres of distant planets that could be friendly to life.

Webb telescope successfully unfurls its tennis court-size sunshield in space

The James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfurled its 70-foot sunshield on Tuesday. This critical milestone is one of several that must occur for Webb to function properly in space, and it’s one of the most challenging spacecraft deployments NASA has ever attempted.

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James Webb: Hubble telescope successor faces ‘two weeks of terror’

Nasa’s huge new space observatory must survive a daunting series of deployments if it’s to work.

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Nasa’s Webb telescope is a joy. But it’s the private ventures that push at limits | Martin Rees

Spacefaring adventurers, living and experimenting with new technology, could potentially spawn a post-human era

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Source: TG Daily – NASA Successfully Deploys Its Sunshield on Webb Space Telescope

More than 100 Muslim women were put up for fake auctions as “Bulli Bai” of the day on an open source app hosted on web platform GitHub.

The app, which has since been taken down, was the second attempt in less than a year to harass Muslim women in this manner.

Several victims have filed complaints with the police, though some noted that no arrests have been made after the “Sulli Deals” case last July, which saw nearly 80 Muslim women displayed for auction.

Many of India’s 170 million Muslims have said they feel like second-class citizens since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Since his rise, the minority Muslim community has suffered numerous high-profile targeted hate crimes against Muslim women. 

Suspects held after fake online sale of Indian Muslim women | AP News

NEW DELHI (AP) Police in India have detained a man and a woman alleged to be involved in the offering for sale of prominent Muslim women on a fake online auction website, according to government officials, in a case that has sparked outrage across the country.

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Sulli Deals: The Indian Muslim women ‘up for sale’ on an app

Dozens of Muslim women in India found their identities being used in a degrading app.

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What Is GitHub, The Website Used To Create Sulli Deals And Bulli Bai? | BOOM

After the Sulli Deals app went live in July 2020, GitHub took down the app as was the case with Bulli Bai

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Source: TG Daily – Online Platform GitHub Shuts Down Fake Auction App Targeting Muslim Women in India

Two explosive-laden drones were shot down on Tuesday by Iraq’s air defenses as they approached the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts U.S. forces.

A similar attack was foiled on Monday, when Iraqi air defenses downed two drones.

The attacks came as Iran and its allies in Iraq marked the second anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, killed on Jan. 3 2021, in a drone strike near Baghdad airport.

Iran’s president said on Monday that Donald Trump must face trial for the killing or Tehran would take revenge.

The United States is leading the international military coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and in Syria. 

Drone attack on US base near Baghdad airport foiled

The incident comes two years after a US drone strike killed Iran’s revered General Soleimani.

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Iran President Ebrahim Raisi demands Trump be “prosecuted, killed” over 2020 drone strike

“If not, I’m telling all American leaders, don’t doubt that the hand of revenge will come out of the sleeves of ummah,” said Iran President Ebrahim Raisi.

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U.S.-led coalition shoots down drone in southern Syria

A British warplane that is part of a U.S.-led coalition shot down a drone this week near a base where U.S. troops are stationed in southern Syria, officials said on Thursday.

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Source: TG Daily – Drone Strike on US Forces Near Baghdad Airport Foiled

LED strip lights, ribbons, or tapes have become one of the most popular LED products available on the market. They not only replace incandescent ribbons, but some of the fluorescent tubes as well, and definitely gave endless options for advertisements and decoration of bars, hotels, and other public places. With the fast development of LED technology, they are now available in very bright versions too, allowing users to apply it as a task, or in rare cases, even as a main source of lighting.

Focused on the main things to look out for when buying LED Strip Lights for the first time. Now we are going to take you through the next phase; installation. Installing your LED Strips can be anything from very simple to quite difficult, but ultimately it all depends on what end result you are trying to achieve with your lighting system. For example, introducing a 1-meter strip of LED lighting into your kitchen cabinet may be a lot more straightforward than using 20 meters of RGB LED Strip Lights to outfit a club and run this on DMX Control. Regardless of what you do, there are a few universal things to look out for and this article will take you through some of them.

Strips of little light-emitting diodes (LED) will go anywhere offering good illumination. These strips are especially useful in kitchens and adjacent eating areas. The low voltage LED strips are energy-efficient, lightweight and each tiny bulb works independently. They can be super bright or very subtle. LED strips also work with dimmers.

LED strips are available in bright white and softer yellow tones. A remote color change controller is available with thousands of different color tones that can be set and easily changed with the white lights.

LED Strip Lights offer a number of advantages over more traditional luminaries, such as incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent. Some of these are intrinsic to LED technology in general, such as a longer life expectancy, while others are unique to LED Strips, such as flexibility.

Written by Barbara McGee

Source: TG Daily – Best Features of LED Strip Lights

After surgery, you need to take good care of yourself and ensure that the incision does not get infected when you are back home. Your doctor might have used staples, stitches, or tape strips to cover the incision. Dallas Wound Evolution – Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine can help you treat an infected wound. 

However, certain habits can ruin the healing process and lead to infection. This infection can cause additional issues. In this blog, we have listed all the essential tips to take care of your wound to eliminate the risk of infections and complications.

Tips for Reducing the Risk of Infection:

• Do not scrub or apply lotion or powder to the incision. 
• Avoid taking a shower unless your doctor recommends it.
• Keep your incision away from sunlight. 
• Do not remove the tape strips from the incision until your doctor instructs you to remove them.

A patient may experience tenderness, soreness, tingling, and itching at the incision site. These symptoms are normal and do not pose a risk.

Incision Care Tips:

1. Changing the Dressing

Changing the dressing is essential to avoid infection. Usually, your caretaker can change the dressing without the need to visit a doctor. However, you must check with your doctor about the dressing changes for reliable advice. Before you begin, you must have medical gloves, surgical tape, gauze pads, scissors, and a plastic bag. 

• Wash your hands and wear medical gloves.
• Detach the old dressing.
• Clean the incision if your doctor recommends.
• Place the gauze pads around your incision.
• Tape the sides of the gauze pads.
• Put all the waste and gloves in a plastic bag.

2. Cleaning the Incision 

• To remove any crust, wash it with water and soap.
• Do not scrub the wound.
• Do not use hydrogen peroxide or iodine. It may harm your tissue and can slow down your healing.
• Before applying the dressing, air-dry the incision or pat dry with a clean towel.

3. Caring for Stitches, Staples, and Tissue Glue

Usually, stitches or staples cause redness and swelling, along with itching and irritation. It is normal to see drainage from the incision for the first few days. However, if it increases after a few days and becomes bright red with blood and includes pus in it, it could be a sign of infection, and you must consult your doctor. 

When to See a Doctor?

Consult your doctor immediately if you notice any of these symptoms:

• Redness or swelling
• A bad smell
• Bleeding or pus
• Pain that gets worse
• Increase in drainage from the wound.
• Temperature goes above 100 F for more than 4 hours

Source: TG Daily – Tips To Take Care of Your Surgical Wound

As you embark on a new web app development project, you may be faced with a dilemma. Most people get confused trying to figure out the ideal JavaScript framework for their app project. While you may not get a clear answer, we’d like to suggest an option for your consideration. 

Let’s dive right in.

What is React.js?

React.js is used in creating mobile apps, SPAs, and web development for interactive elements on UIs and websites. 

It gives you the flexibility to create custom reusable components that help you with a fast app creation process. Besides, its ability to render a web page fast makes it optimized for search engine requirements. In summary, React.js is a reliable framework that helps create complex and lightweight web applications.

The most popular apps built with React.js include PayPal, Facebook, BBC, Netflix, BBC, and Twitter.

What is Vue.js 

The JavaScript is lightweight and offers efficient tools for developing top-notch single-page applications and front-end apps. Vue is a progressive and flexible framework as it allows you to make changes to an application code without affecting any core function. 

The feature enables the creation of a progressive user interface and the ability to extend the web application’s functionality with visual components and custom modules. Some of the most popular apps built with Vue include Grammarly, Behance, Adobe Portfolio, Gitlab, Trivago, Statista, and Laravel Spark.

Let’s see some highlights from the comparison between  React vs Vue.

Vue vs React: Pros and Cons

The pros of React.js

• React.js offers a better user experience.
• It organizes the code for future optimization and increases the code readability. That helps with better loading speeds and user experience.
• React.js apps save you time. It increases your web pages’ efficiency and refreshes the user interface to update data. That helps to eliminate the need to reload web pages.
• The JavaScript eliminates the need to update the real structure. And use a virtual one to update the data. Since the mechanism offers high-performing React apps, there’s no need to take the extra load while loading the web pages. You also get to enjoy a smooth client-side experience and faster response times.
• Many people enjoy building apps with the maximum reusability of components that React.js offers. Besides, the app is faster and easier to use. It also uses more comfortable components to create complex functionalities.

The cons of React

• React.js is associated with the latest updates on all versions. That means its library is more evolving and less conventional in coding practices.
• Building an application with react.js only focuses on the view layer from the view, model, and controller architecture. Besides, it’s a little traditional and complicated to learn compared to plain JavaScript.

The pros of Vue.js

• Vue.js is progressive. You can effortlessly manage it by gradually introducing the framework into code while creating components without wasting development time. This JavaScript is also conventional.
• Every new version of Vue.js comes faster and lighter. That allows you to focus more on addition than code tweaking or debugging.
• Vue.js comes with additive API features that are function-based. And that allows for the composition of logic in an app to be extensive and flexible. It also means that the app component is more readable as required.
• With Vue.js, there’s no need to do regular updates for improvements or bugs fixed. That makes the framework update process effortless by default.

The cons of Vue

• Vue.js has a community that lacks understandability and language. With it being more popular around China and its regions, most of its discussion is in Chinese. That makes it challenging to share resources and learn for English-speaking developers.
• Vue.js has a two-way binding nature Vue. And that syncs and creates components across an app. That results in the rendering of data in parts and chunks triggered by the DOM.
• Vue.js is still considered a young framework. And that means that inexperienced developers cannot effortlessly handle issues that arise for large-scale projects.
• Vue.js offers too much flexibility. It comes with too many options that over complicate your project. And that results in code and error irregularities. 

That said, you may be wondering whether Vue.js or React.js is the ideal option. The truth is, both JavaScript options come with their pros and cons. Therefore, it’d be better if you think about the plan you want to develop. Test out the two options first, then pick the one that suits you best.

Written by Adam Eaton

Source: TG Daily – React vs Vue: Choosing the Best JavaScript Framework for Your App Project

Privacy screen protectors work by narrowing the viewing angle so that only the person sitting right in front of the screen can view what is on the screen. Other people won’t see what’s on it since the protector blacks out the content at a 30° angle on both sides. When you don’t want others to see what you are doing on your device, you can use it when other people aren’t around or get a privacy screen protector to keep your information safe from prying eyes.

Security features such as 2-step authentication, end-to-end encryption, and an excellent VPN are all important factors to consider when keeping your information secure. However, do keep in mind the safety, privacy, and security issues that can result when another person glances at your screen. A privacy screen protector will keep your information safe since others won’t see anything on your screen when they are viewing it from an angle. All they can see is a black screen.

What Is Visual Hacking?

This is quite a new term but is gaining popularity as this sort of hacking becomes more common. It refers to somebody standing or sitting close to you and viewing what’s on your screen. Most times, this can be harmless, but sometimes it can be quite dangerous.

When you log onto your accounts or check other types of sensitive information, you may not want others to see what you’re reading. This is especially true when surrounded by strangers. For example, you certainly won’t want somebody sitting beside you on a bus or a subway to glance over and see how much money you have in the bank.

There may be other times when you are worried about malicious intent but just don’t want others to know what you’re doing on your device. For example, you may be checking out your social media, dating apps, or simply shopping for a birthday present and don’t want someone to see. Your phone, laptop, monitor, or tablet should provide you with the privacy you need to get things done without having to look over your shoulder to see who’s watching.

How Do Privacy Screen Protectors Work?

A privacy screen protector works a lot like window blinds but on a microscopic scale. This is micro louver technology that allows the display light to disperse at specific angles. A filter layer is preset to a front-only angle, and anyone looking outside of this angle can’t see anything. In most cases, the viewing angle is set at either 90° or 60°.

You’ll need to decide which angle is best for you. If the viewing angle has been set too wide, then other people see it, and if it is too narrow, it will impact your own viewing experience. The 60° and the 90° angles work best.

Look for a protector that will fit your device perfectly. When it’s time to protect your data, it’s time to invest in a privacy screen protector.

Source: TG Daily – How Do Privacy Screen Protectors Work?

UX design is a specific approach to creating a product that takes into account client’s satisfaction. Though aesthetics is important in User Experience, it includes not only UI design – the visual ingredient of the app, but a great bunch of significant things. UX design answers the questions:

• Is the product easy to use at the intuitive level?
• Does it contain enough functions to be a good troubleshooting tool in the user’s hands?
• What emotions does the user experience dealing with the app?

The magician who has multidisciplinary knowledge and can juggle all the aspects that advanced UX design requires is a UX design consultant.

Leaning on the studies and practice in interaction design and psychology, visual design and programming UX designer outlines the entire path that the user takes. Everything makes a difference as far as we are talking about feelings the product invokes in the user: graphical attractiveness, functionality, usability, adaptability, helpfulness.

What a UX design consultant does

UX design starts with exploring the target audience, learning its needs, interests, and values. This information is necessary in order to create a product that responds to its expectations and facilitates life quality.

The diversity of design ideas should be sifted like sand in order to find the gold one. Real clients’ reviews will confirm if it’s really convenient and adorable for them. But preliminary testing can show how viable the UX design is. 

Pleasure and efficiency determine whether the user will use an app on his own and recommend it to his communication circle.

That’s why it’s so important to build an entire architecture of the product in harmony with its main idea and at the same time to transfer this idea leaning on people’s values.

Understanding users serves like basements on which all components of the project can be combined in a purposeful manner. Delight and excitement in dealing with an app of the user is a key to success. Though the UX design consultant can’t architect people’s emotions, he can make enough to provide the most favorable conditions for the acquisition of positive experience when using the product.

As long as you’ve decided to create a prototype of your product or MVP you’ll encounter the task of finding a highly-skilled UX design consultant. There are an array of resources where you can get acquainted with diverse cases of UX design completed by specialists. This article encompasses plenty of professional tips on how to choose a relevant UX design consultant.

Outsourcing UX design consultant

As you could understand from the previous text, the main role of a UX design consultant is to help businesses to define the most important things concerning a project. UX design consultant helps startup owners to clear up the questions: why create a product, for whom, and how.

Outsourcing a UX design consultant is a great idea to begin: available at the price and unsurpassed in its efficiency, the help of professionals can shed new light on the process of development and predetermine the project’s success.

Facing the task of hiring a UX design consultant, many startup founders split between two ideas: cooperate with a UX design freelancer or start a collaboration with a UX design consultant team. At the first look, a UX design consultant freelancer is preferable. The main argument for this choice is it seems more affordable at the price. But don’t make decisions in a haste. In practice it can turn out to be an illusion and illustration to the Russian proverb: miser pays twice. What’s the reason? As the saying goes: two heads are better than one.

One of the pitfalls you can discover is the necessity to hire freelancers with different specializations as there are a huge bunch of problems concerning UX designs. They can have different backgrounds, contradictory ideas, and inconvenient time zones. So communication tends to lose its ease and efficiency. In practice cooperation with skilled 

UX design consultant team can be more productive due to its complementary skills and well-established business processes. 

Since UX design assumes a wide range of multidisciplinary skills and knowledge it’s obvious that the team of professionals can manage it more thoroughly and at a profound level than Jacks of all trades.

What features distinguish a professional UX design consultant team

When we are talking about simple things a UX design freelancer can be helpful. But…

There’s a high possibility that you will burn with an idea to transform your prototype into a smoothly working app. In this case, it would be beneficial to work with the team that is dedicated to your project from the very beginning and in detail. The better developers are acquainted with the task, the more qualified work they can accomplish.

But what are the features of an experienced UX design consultant team? 

• Portfolio that attracts your attention;
• Relevant experience;
• Positive reviews;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Competitive costs reflecting scope and quality of work.

All these signs you can discover at Purrweb studio. Founded by freelancers, it’s one of the highly motivated UX design consultant companies nowadays. The UX design consultant team traditionally consists of three specialists: UX designer, developer, and QA-engineer. Thanks to all-around consideration of the task they provide a qualitative result. As far as depending on the complexity of the task they can cooperate with other specialists, efficiency is doubled by synergistic interactions in the team.

A highly skilled UX design consultant knows how to create something outstanding that can inspire users as well as startup owners. Positive reviews, participation in diverse professional contests, and presence on the world professional resources are a sign of recognition by colleagues and clients. 

The user-centered approach helps developers to consider the product as a multifaceted task where it’s important to take into account an array of things starting from psychological and behavioral aspects of user communication with products to technical issues and clients preferences.

And one more thing. Interest in a job, desire to create something worth existing is one of the dominant incentives in engaged teams. That leads to inventive, insightful collaboration that helps startup founders to get exactly what they want and even exceeds sometimes any expectations handling all the tasks in the best way. 

Written by Barbara McGee

Source: TG Daily – What UX design is and how it differs from UI design

Dr. Leen Kawas, an inventor, leader, and entrepreneur, shared her insights in improving clinical trial and clinical study result applications. She is a pharmacist who has clinical experience, as well as managerial experience. This unique position provides her with insight into just how disconnected the scientific, patient-related, operation, and medical elements of a study really are. She believes that it’s critical to identify and understand all stakeholders in the industry at all stages. In doing so, it may improve the efficacy of any trial. 

The goal is to find a way to ensure data quality and patients are the main focus of a clinical study. Kawas says it’s critical to work collaboratively and innovatively to achieve this and makes several recommendations on how to do so.

Get Patient Input Earlier

One of Dr. Kawas’ core recommendations is to get input from patients early and often during the study protocol development. It’s beneficial to rely on feedback from stakeholders throughout the process, especially at this stage. 

That feedback can become useful in various ways and may help with the study’s design and its decisions. This leads to several benefits. First, it allows for the highest possible quality clinical data and study conduct. This data lays the foundation for the best possible outcome. It also helps to improve patients’ experiences, which helps to ensure that the patients’ needs are being met.

Using this input creates an opportunity for the study to provide clear and concise questions that are relevant to both the disease outcome and the patients themselves. It also helps to provide feedback on the core operational components of the study.

At the core of the process is the patient. To create the study goals and what information the study provides, it is critical to start the process with the patient. That may include not just the individual but also the health care providers and the caregivers. It also means taking into consideration the product and the clinical team. That team includes most of those involved in the process, including clinical operations, clinical sciences, medical and safety, data management, regulatory, and statistics team members.

Fine Tune the Study to Address Needs

The next area of focus, according to Dr. Kawas, is to create unity between all team members. Each of the team members needs a specific emphasis or focus as well. She breaks this down by each person. 

For example, the clinical scientist has a specific goal of creating the hypothesis, then designing a trial that supports the drug’s mechanism or action. This person also is responsible for the pathology of the disease. 

The clinical operations team is responsible for concentrating on the study administration. This helps to ensure there is cohesive focus and a smooth process in place. This team works specifically in accordance with the protocol for the study that has already been created. 

The medical teams have a different but specific focus. Their focus is on the clinical presentation of the disease. They also help to focus on the safety of all of those participating in the study. 

In addition to these positions, the statistician and data scientist work to guide assumptions. They help to oversee the quality of the data and report on any trends that occur during the study’s design, operational conduct, and reporting. 

Each group or person has their own specific tasks but contributes to the shared goal of all parties involved. When there is early and continued communication among these stakeholders, the result is a more favorable study with better information and better results. It can also help create more efficient timelines and eliminate certain study-related expenses. 

Additionally, gathering patient feedback early may improve patient recruitment and retention, which ultimately reduces the need for amendments to the study protocol. 

Focus on Improving Recruitment for Patients in the Study

The use of patient interviews can significantly improve the outcome when it comes to recruitment for a study. Interviews can help to provide better information and a more current understanding of who the ideal patient is. It can also help to complete more thorough interviews with caregivers and healthcare professionals. 

By putting more focus on these interviews and insights, it may be possible to better understand the patient population and implement patient-tailored strategies. This can be helpful in addressing operational challenges early on, which ultimately leads to more effective recruitment outcomes.

A good starting point is to “develop inclusion criteria,” according to Dr. Kawas. This is critical to ensure that the study is realistic. In doing so, she says that everyone participating in and managing a study needs to be open about the challenges they may face and that when those challenges do arise, they must adapt. 

Participants need to appreciate that the environment the study is running in will also impact the characteristics of the population. That includes the approval of new drugs. 

Clinical teams need to anticipate who they need within their study, making a better effort to ensure those in the study are the best possible fit for the outcomes and goals of the study. At the same time, they also have to recognize that there will be mistakes in the process. That is normal and should be expected. As such, they need to be willing to amend the inclusion criteria when needed. When teams take the necessary steps to recognize challenges and then resolve them, it is possible to mitigate the impact these mistakes have on the quality of the study. 

Another component of this need is to encourage drug developers to create study budgets that meet initial needs and are also tailored to recruitment strategies. To do this, they should use all of their tools to formulate inclusion criteria. This budget may include everything from recruitment platforms and applications to television, radio, and social media.

Each of these components contributes to the end result. Patient retention within the study is likely to improve when all participants consider the patient experience early on, Dr. Kawas states. Many times, patients and their families will commit to research if it is going to support finding new therapies and cures for what they are facing. However, dropout rates will increase when the trial itself is simply too demanding and exhausting, or it does not have strategies in place to support caregivers and patients. The importance of mitigating issues that lead to increased dropout rates is obvious, as these rates directly affect the study, the data, and the quality of the results.

The Study Focus Needs to Continue Over Time

Strong study initiation is key to any study’s success. However, it does not mean the hard work on the project is over, and that updates and changes can be pushed to the side. Rather, Dr. Kawas says, the work has just begun at this point.

All stakeholders must work together throughout every stage of the study, including overseeing the project’s operations. They also need to consider how the study impacts the patients and the data quality. 

There are many tools available to support this process, including numerous technologies, allowing stakeholders to build a more seamless, collaborative platform and process. Dr. Kawas claims that the best protocols and studies focus on “addressing clear and concise hypotheses, are operationally feasible and keep patients at the center of the decision-making.”

The end goal is clear – to create effective drugs that help patients live better, healthier, longer lives. To achieve that, groups need to see how important it is to work within a “united and collaborative framework,” says Dr. Kawas. 

About Leen Kawas

Dr. Kawas is the co-founder of M3 Biotechnology, now known as Athira Pharma, where she previously served as CEO and President, and a member of the Board of Directors. She invented ATH-1017, a therapeutic candidate for treating various neurodegenerative diseases, and has developed other drug candidates within the company’s pipeline. 

Dr. Kawas was the first woman to take a technology and biotech company public in Washington State. As of February 2021, she was also one of only 22 female founders and CEOs to lead their company to an initial public offering. In addition, she has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career.

Source: TG Daily – Dr. Leen Kawas on Clinical Trial Success