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Daily Archives: January 5, 2016

WONDER online databases utilize a rich ad-hoc query system for the analysis of public health data

CDC WONDER: Information and Communication – “Welcome to CDC WONDER — Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research — an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information. CDC WONDER furthers CDC’s mission of health promotion and disease prevention by speeding and simplifying access to public health information for state and local health departments, the Public Health Service, and the academic public health community. CDC WONDER is valuable in public health research, decision making, priority setting, program evaluation, and resource allocation. CDC WONDER, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is an integrated information and communication system for public health. Its purposes are:

  1. To promote information-driven decision making by placing timely, useful facts in the hands of public health practitioners and researchers, and
  2. To provide the general public with access to specific and detailed information from CDC.

With CDC WONDER you can:

  • Access statistical research data published by CDC, as well as reference materials, reports and guidelines on health-related topics;
  • Query numeric data sets on CDC’s computers, via “fill-in-the blank” web pages. Public-use data sets about mortality (deaths), cancer incidence, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, vaccinations, natality (births), census data and many other topics are available for query, and the requested data are readily summarized and analyzed, with dynamically calculated statistics, charts and maps.

The data is ready for use in desktop applications such as word processors, spreadsheet programs, or statistical and geographic analysis packages. File formats available include plain text (ASCII), web pages (HTML), and spreadsheet files (Tab Separated Values). All of these facilities are menu-driven, and require no special computer expertise.”

Politico Investigation – Why are so many crucial Obama administration jobs empty

Politico: “As Obama now takes his final lap in the White House, a POLITICO analysis of Cabinet-level agencies found that dozens of crucial jobs in his administration are either totally empty or run by an acting deputy. As senior aides have bolted for higher paying gigs, their jobs have remained empty — in some cases… Continue Reading

Paper – Staying Smart: How Today’s Graduates Continue to Learn Once They Complete College

Project Information Literacy Research Report: “Staying Smart” | January 5, 2016 | Alison J. Head Staying Smart: How Today’s Graduates Continue to Learn Once They Complete College – “This report presents findings about the information-seeking behavior of relatively recent college graduates used for lifelong learning in personal life, the workplace, and the local communities where… Continue Reading

FDA is banning unsafe chemicals used in pizza boxes

“The agency says new data show that perfluoroalkyl ethyls, used to keep paper packaging dry (think microwave popcorn bags and sandwich wrappers), may not be safe for food contact. In response to a petition from several advocacy groups (including NRDC), the FDA will ban three specific types of the chemicals.” Food Safety News Continue Reading

White House Memorandum – Promoting Smart Gun Technology

Memorandum — Promoting Smart Gun Technology MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, January 4, 2016 “For more than 20 years, the Federal Government has worked to keep guns out of the wrong hands through background checks.  This critical effort in addressing gun violence has prevented more than… Continue Reading

2015 Non Practicing Entity Activity Highlights

“Every year, RPX produces a series of detailed reports on NPE (non-practicing entity) activity, covering patent infringement litigation, the transaction of patent assets in the marketplace, and a breakdown of the billions of dollars that companies have spent on related legal fees, settlements, and judgments. As we complete the collection and in-depth analysis of tens… Continue Reading