US associations oppose provision expanding NIH public access policy to other agencies - December 17, 2010
Representatives of the American Physiological Society and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) have written a letter opposing legislation to expand a policy of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The legislation seeks to expand the NIH policy requiring that private-sector scientific… Read More
US Commerce Dept. releases policy framework for protecting consumer privacy online - December 17, 2010
The US' Department of Commerce has issued a report detailing initial policy recommendations aimed at promoting consumer privacy online while ensuring the Internet remains a platform that spurs innovation, job creation and economic growth. The report outlines a framework to increase protection of consumers' commercial data… Read More
Panel to study safety of electronic patient data formed - December 15, 2010
US President Barack Obama, almost two years ago, initiated $19 billion in stimulus incentives to convert the nation's hospitals and doctors to using a paperless system of electronic health records. The initiative was aimed at improving quality of care and reducing costs. However, the adaptation is still a slow work… Read More
W3C issues best practices to create smarter mobile web applications - December 15, 2010
The World Wide Web Consortium has announced a new standard that will make it easier for developers and content providers to create mobile Web applications. The Mobile Web Application Best Practices, published as a W3C Recommendation, offers practical advice from many mobile Web stakeholders for the… Read More
OCLC files motion to dismiss case alleging anticompetitive practices - December 15, 2010
OCLC has filed a motion in the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to dismiss a lawsuit filed by SkyRiver Technology Solutions and Innovative Interfaces, Inc. against OCLC. On July 28, 2010, SkyRiver Technology Solutions and Innovative Interfaces, Inc. filed a suit… Read More
BioMed Central to continue accepting supplementary files with manuscripts - December 13, 2010
Publishing online supplementary material has been the subject of continuing debate in scholarly circles since the Journal of Neuroscience, published by the Society for Neuroscience, decided to no longer accept supplementary files with manuscripts. Open access publisher BioMed Central (BMC) has announced that it takes the… Read More
WHO to develop information standards for traditional medicine - December 8, 2010
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it will develop, for the first time, a classification of traditional medicine, paving the way for the objective evaluation of its benefits. The classification will initially focus on traditional medicine practices from China, Japan and the Republic of… Read More
US Court of Appeal overturns lower court decision on Vermont law - November 25, 2010
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled that a Vermont law restricting the commercial use of information relating to physician prescribing patterns is unconstitutional. Judge John G. Koeltl wrote the majority opinion overturning an April 2009 US District Court decision, concluding the… Read More
Medical journals call for linking of climate and health policies - November 19, 2010
Several medical journals have reportedly come together to urge health professionals the world over to put health at the heart of climate change negotiations. A recent editorial published simultaneously in the BMJ, the Lancet and the Finnish Medical Journal has warned that… Read More
IEEE launches IEEE P2030.2 Working Group - October 27, 2010
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), US, has announced the launch of the IEEE P2030.2 Working Group (WG). Tasked with facilitating wide-scale, consistent implementation of energy storage systems, the P2030.2 WG will deliver guidelines for discrete and hybrid energy storage systems that are integrated… Read More
