VTT Develops a Simple but Extremely Sensitive Magnetometer
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed an innovative magnetometer that can replace conventional technology in applications such as neuroimaging, mineral exploration and molecular diagnostics. Its manufacturing costs are between 70 and 80 per cent lower than those of traditional technology, and the device is not as sensitive to external magnetic fields as its predecessors.
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eHealth Lessons for High School Students in the Veneto Region, Italy
There are 99 classes in 14 High Schools in all the 7 provinces of the Veneto Region that are involved in @Two!Salute!, educational experience promoted by Arsenà l.IT in collaboration with the Veneto Region (Italy) and all the regional public local health authorities. The project aims at involving students in innovation applied to healthcare, making them conscious users and active promoters of eHealth services. The first lesson is going taking place into the ITC Calvi High School in Belluno on the 24th November.
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Improved Risk Communication During Infectious Disease Crises
As cases of the Ebola disease emerge in Europe, the crisis is gaining increasing levels of media coverage. Certain types of coverage can foster fear and stigmatisation which leads to harmful consequences for the individuals, communities and countries involved. Therefore communication strategies that maximise opportunities and minimise risks are vital.
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Researchers Prove Accuracy of Mobile Phone Population Mapping
A study by an international team, including the University of Southampton, has shown population maps based on anonymous mobile phone call record data can be as accurate as those based on censuses. Their findings show maps made using mobile records are detailed, reliable and flexible enough to help inform infrastructure and emergency planners; particularly in low income countries, where recent population density information is often scarce.
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Text Messages Could be Useful Tool in Fight Against Malaria
Each year, malaria kills over 600,000 people, more than half of them children. In a study published today in PLOS ONE , researchers with the non-profit Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and Harvard University found that simple text message reminders to take malaria medication can help in the fight against the disease by boosting the rates at which patients complete their medication regimen.
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New Technique Enables Increasingly Accurate PET Scan
A novel technique which reduces image degradation caused by respiratory motion during a PET scan was developed in a recent study at the University of Eastern Finland. PET scanning is routinely used to detect cancer and heart conditions. The new technique presented in the PhD thesis of Tuomas Koivumäki, MSc (Tech.), is based on bioimpedance measurement and it allows for image reconstruction at a specific phase of the patient's breathing pattern.
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Isn't it Time that UK Family Doctors Embraced Email Services for their Patients?
The UK government sees the use of email contact and e-consultations as a means of boosting patient access to primary care and is piloting these services in 20 general practices in England. It has mandated email communication for repeat prescriptions and appointment booking in the latest general practice contract and stipulated that patients should be able to communicate electronically with their health and social care team by 2015.
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