Medicine Meets Virtual Reality: Now Is The Time

“Now is the time. We’ve proven that it works in the clinic…multiple times and multiple ways. Now is the time that virtual reality (VR) needs to move out of the lab and into every clinic and hospital to deliver the clear benefits.” So began a pointed rallying call from Dr. Walter Greenleaf, who along with Jaron Lanier, pioneered the use of VR in clinical settings.

Known mainly for failing to live up to its potential, a recent conference “Medicine Meets Virtual Reality” (MMVR) highlighted how this label is fading…fast. Read more »

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Cognitive Robotics: Implications for Healthcare and Beyond

A recent discussion at Swissnex San Francisco provided insights into the challenge of making robots more human. This goal holds profound implications for healthcare and the treatment of injuries to the body and brain. Read more »

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The State of Biotech 2012: Building Companies for the Future

G. Steven Burrill is biotech’s unofficial spokesperson. Involved in creating industry stalwarts such as Genentech, Amgen and Chiron, he’s expanded his influence through a $1B+ venture capital fund and a successful merchant bank.

His annual State of Biotech report is eagerly anticipated by the entire industry.

This year’s address underscored the value of “Understanding how the world is, how it’s going to change and how to build companies for the future. There’s no magic formula…just perspective.” Read more »

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“天下第一灯”点亮“绿色环保”路
Global Winter Wonderland – Celebrating the Season with Art, Culture, and Green Ingenuity

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Open mHealth: “Let’s share and move ahead together”

Dr. Ida Sim detailed a buzz-making project at the Silicon Valley Health Tech’s “mega-meetup”.

Sim is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where she directs the Center for Clinical and Translational Informatics and is Co-Director of Biomedical Informatics for UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. She’s also the co-founder of Open mHealth.

Open mHealth was founded on the principle that there are “certain things we shouldn’t have to build over and over ” for mobile health applications.

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A Boom in Shale Gas? Credit the Feds.

“Whatever one thinks about shale gas today — we worry about its environmental consequences — there’s no denying the extraordinary economic return on taxpayer investments. Shale gas is likely to allow the United States to go from net gas importer to a net gas exporter over the next decade.

While details vary, the story is basically the same for nuclear power, natural gas turbines, solar panels, and wind turbines — pretty much every significant energy technology since World War II. That’s because the private sector alone cannot sustain the kind of long-term investments necessary for big technological breakthroughs in the midst of volatile energy markets and short-term pressure to produce profits.”

By Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, Published in Washington Post, December 16

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Speed to Market for Medical Devices: Four Leadership Perspectives

The official topic at the BIOMEDevice conference was “speed to market”.

However, four leaders from diverse parts of the medical device industry offered solid and practical advice for all aspects of device design and development.

When asked to name the greatest challenge for device manufacturers in getting products to market, the leaders offered answers similar to those heard elsewhere in life sciences and healthcare. Read more »

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Two Neuroscientists & A Question: Will We Ever Understand The Brain?

With more than ten billion neurons, each connected thousands of times, the brain has been described as the ultimate social networking tool.

Two of the world’s top neuroscientists took center stage at the Bay Area Science Festival to discuss this complex topic, co-sponsored by Swissnex SF.

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and director of the Laboratory for Perception and Action at Baylor College of Medicine. He’s also a popular author whose most recent book is Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain.

Henry Markram is director of the Blue Brain Project at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) as well as a coordinator of the Human Brain Project. Read more »

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Understanding California’s Demographic Shifts

From The Stanford Center on Longevity
Age Structure by Race and Ethnicity
Age Structure by Race and Ethnicity

Under the direction of Senior Research Scholar Adele Hayutin, the Stanford Center on Longevity has produced a study of California’s changing demographics. The report includes demographic profiles of more than 200 communities in California, illustrating shifts in age structure and changes in ethnic and racial composition. The project was developed for the California State Library to facilitate greater understanding of how demographic characteristics differ across the state and to help inform decisions regarding changing needs of local communities.

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A Casual Survey on LEED

Click to watch video

A few days ago I interviewed David Rockefeller, Jr., Founder and Chairman of Sailors for the Sea, a non-profit organization which educates and engages the boating community in the worldwide protection of the oceans. Sailors for the Sea is the official sustainability partner to the 34th America’s Cup, which makes sustainability and ocean conservation an important component of its sailing events.

Sailors for the Sea monitors the Clean Regatta status of various boating events to reduce their impact on oceans and coastal waters; and educates young sailors around the country on marine ecology via Rainy Day Kits, environmental lesson plans taught in yacht clubs and sailing schools.

A new initiative the organization is developing is Certified Sea Friendly, which will create a voluntary certification program to transform the marine manufacturing industry and make the construction, maintenance and operation of vessels more environmentally friendly.

The idea is inspired by LEED. That made me curious as to how LEED is now faring. Has it been effective? Is it serving its intended purpose? What makes it successful? What weaknesses does it have, if any, especially those that are common to standards or certification of this kind?

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