1 in 2 Users Accepts a Lack of Privacy on the Internet
More and more people in Switzerland are using the internet. "Switzerland ranks amongst the top countries in terms of internet penetration", says Prof. Michael Latzer from the Media Change & Innovation Division in the IPMZ at the University of Zurich. Together with his team, he has carried out the "World Internet Project - Switzerland" for the second time since 2011.
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Do Patient Decision Support Interventions Lead to Savings?
Publicity surrounding the implementation of patient decision support interventions (DESIs) traditionally focuses on two areas of improvement: helping patients make better decisions AND lowering health care spending. The use of patient decision support interventions as a means to generate health care savings has been widely advocated, but the extent and quality of evidence is unclear.
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New Imaging Technique Signals a Breakthrough in the Treatment of IBS
The research has been led by academics at The University of Nottingham’s Digestive Diseases Centre (NDDC) and scientists from the Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre at the University. The work is funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome, the National Institute for Health Research, the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council, as well as industry.
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The Cyborgs Era Has Started
Medical implants, complex interfaces between brain and machine or remotely controlled insects: Recent developments combining machines and organisms have great potentials, but also give rise to major ethical concerns. In their review entitled "Chemie der Cyborgs - zur Verknüpfung technischer Systeme mit Lebewesen" (The Chemistry of Cyborgs - Interfacing Technical Devices with Organisms), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) scientists discuss the state of the art of research, opportunities, and risks.
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Survey Shows Interest in Health Avatar
According to a survey of the MyHealthAvatar project, a majority of respondents would be interested in a personal 'Health Avatar' to have access to their health data and share information with their doctor. The EU-funded MyHealthAvatar project is trying out a digital representation of your health status, designed as a lifetime companion (Avatar). Your Health Avatar will facilitate the collection of, and access to, long-term health-status information.
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Mobile Phone Camera Turned into a Mini-Microscope
Microscopy, being relatively easy to perform at low cost, is the universal diagnostic method for detection of most globally important parasitic infections. Methods developed in well-equipped laboratories are, however, difficult to maintain at the basic levels of the health care system due to lack of adequately trained personnel and resources.
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Computer Models of Neuronal Sound Processing in the Brain Lead to Cochlear Implant Improvements
Children learning to speak depend on functional hearing. So-called cochlear implants allow deaf people to hear again by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are working to overcome current limits of the technology. They are investigating the implementation of signals in the auditory nerve and the subsequent neuronal processing in the brain. Using the computer models developed at the TUM manufacturers of cochlear implants improve their devices.
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