#electronic data management system

[stockholdingsposts]

Revolutionize Your Workflow: Maximizing Productivity with the Right Electronic Data Management System 

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, organisations are constantly seeking ways to optimize their operations and maximize productivity. A well-designed Electronic Data Management System (EDMS) is a crucial tool in achieving this goal. By implementing an EDMS with the right features, businesses can streamline their workflows, enhance collaboration, and make informed decisions. 

When selecting an Electronic Data Management System, look for key features such as centralised data storage, advanced search functionality, automated workflows, and robust security controls. A user-friendly interface, mobile accessibility, and seamless integration with existing systems are also essential. Additionally, consider an Electronic Data Management System with analytics and reporting capabilities to provide valuable insights into your operations. By choosing an Electronic Data Management System with these features, organisations can unlock their full potential, boost productivity, and stay ahead of the competition.  Visit Us- https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/maximizing-productivity-key-features-to-look-for-in-an-electronic-data-management-system-pptx/277202803 

[hhmglobal]

Hospital & Healthcare Journals highlight how EMR solutions drive value through change management, real-time insights, and staff adoption for better care.

[littlebellesmama]

Why Germany Is Still Struggling with Digitalization – A Real-Life Look from Finance

Working in Germany, especially in a field like Finance, often feels like stepping into a strange paradox. On one hand, you’re in one of the most advanced economies in the world—known for its precision, engineering, and efficiency. On the other hand, daily tasks can feel like they belong in the 1990s. If you’ve ever had to send invoices to customers who insist they be mailed physically—yes, by…

[netincomesource]

Tyler Technologies: Payment Service, Credit Card Charge Inquiry

Have you Inquire about a payment service charge from your credit or debit card statement. Manage payments and accept various card types using our technology. Noticed a mysterious charge from Tyler Technologies on your credit card statement? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. Many people spot this name and wonder what it’s for. This guide breaks down what Tyler Technologies is, why they might appear on…

[alwajeeztech]

Business Zakat Calculation in ALZERP Cloud ERP Software

Benefits of Using ALZERP for Zakat Calculation

ZATCA Compliant Software: ALZERP is designed to meet all ZATCA requirements, ensuring that Zakat calculations are accurate and compliant with Saudi tax regulations.

Efficient VAT Management: In addition to Zakat, ALZERP manages VAT reporting and compliance, providing an all-in-one solution for tax management.

Zakat Calculation Software: The built-in Zakat calculator simplifies the complex process of determining Zakat obligations, reducing errors and ensuring timely submissions.

Automated Tax Compliance: The software automates the tax compliance process, from calculation to submission, minimizing manual intervention and the risk of errors.

Zakat and Tax Automation: ALZERP integrates Zakat and tax processes, automating calculations, reporting, and compliance tasks.

Real-Time VAT Reporting KSA: The system offers real-time reporting, allowing businesses to stay up-to-date with their tax liabilities.

Saudi Tax Compliance Software: Tailored specifically for the Saudi market, ALZERP ensures businesses meet all local tax and Zakat obligations.

Tax Optimization Tool: By providing insights into Zakat and tax liabilities, ALZERP helps businesses optimize their financial strategies.

VAT Fraud Detection: The system includes features to detect and prevent VAT fraud, ensuring the integrity of financial transactions.

[prostarchina]

5 Essential Benefits of Uninterruptible Power Supply UPS

In today’s highly digital and interconnected world, maintaining a consistent and reliable power supply is crucial for both businesses and individuals. An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system offers an invaluable solution by providing backup power in the event of a power outage or fluctuations. Here are 5 essential benefits of uninterruptible power supply ups. The Best Uninterruptible Power…

[octalsoft]

Octalsoft Unveils Fresh Brand Identity and Website, Elevating the eClinical Software Experience

In an ever-evolving landscape of healthcare and clinical research, innovation is the key to staying ahead. Octalsoft, a renowned name in the world of eClinical software solutions, has embraced this concept and embarked on a journey to redefine its presence in the industry. The unveiling of Octalsoft's new brand identity and website signifies a bold leap forward, reimagining our commitment to delivering top-notch software solutions for clinical research.

Octalsoft's New Look

The rebranding of Octalsoft is more than just a cosmetic change; it represents a deeper commitment to its core values of innovation, excellence, and customer-centricity. The new logo features a modern, dynamic design that symbolizes Octalsoft's forward-looking approach. With its sleek lines and vibrant orange color palette, the logo is a visual representation of the company's dedication to creating innovative eClinical solutions. 

The color orange in the new logo signifies innovative energy, passion, and determination. It represents Octalsoft’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional solutions and services to its clients while keeping in lockstep with the pace of technological evolution.

The website, too, has undergone a significant transformation. It is now more user-friendly, and intuitive while continuing to be a comprehensive platform that offers a wealth of information about Octalsoft's products and services. Navigating through the website is an effortless experience, allowing visitors to explore Octalsoft's suite of eClinical solutions and gain valuable insights into our capabilities.

Octalsoft's new website showcases a sleek and modern design that prioritizes user experience, making it effortless for clients, partners, and visitors to explore its comprehensive suite of eClinical solutions and resources. Users can now navigate with ease, accessing valuable insights, case studies, and thought leadership articles that provide a deep understanding of the latest eClinical trends and innovations. The website serves as a hub for staying updated with the evolving eClinical landscape and is also one of the primary touchpoints to engage with Octalsoft’s experts.

The Journey of Transformation

Octalsoft's decision to revamp its brand identity and website was rooted in a desire to enhance the overall user experience for its clients, and to position the company as a market leader with a global footprint. This transformation reflects Octalsoft's unwavering commitment to staying at the forefront of the eClinical software industry.

But, why is Octalsoft considered a market leader in eClinical software solutions?

Innovative Solutions: Octalsoft has always been at the forefront of innovation in the eClinical software space. Our solutions are designed to streamline clinical trial processes, making them more efficient and cost-effective.

Comprehensive Suite: Octalsoft offers a comprehensive suite of eClinical software solutions, including Electronic Data Capture (EDC), Randomization and Trial Supply Management (RTSM), Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS), ePRO, eDOCs, RSDV and LMS among others. This comprehensive approach simplifies trial management for researchers and clinicians.

Customer-Centric Approach: Octalsoft prides itself on its customer-centric approach. We understand that every clinical trial is unique, and work closely with our clients to tailor solutions that meet their specific needs.

Global Presence: Octalsoft's footprint extends across the globe, serving clients in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Our diverse client base reflects the versatility of our eClinical software solutions.

LeaderSpeak

"The launch of our new website and brand identity is a pivotal moment in Octalsoft's journey," said Mr. Hiren Thakkar, MD at Octalsoft. "We have always aimed to be at the forefront of eClinical innovation, and these changes reflect our commitment to being the trusted partner for our clients and partners as they navigate the ever-evolving eClinical landscape."

“Octalsoft invites clients, partners, and eClinical enthusiasts to explore the new website, engage with fresh content, and embark on this exciting journey toward a brighter and more innovative eClinical future.”

The Future of eClinical Software

Octalsoft's revamped brand identity and website serve as a testament to the company's commitment to advancing the field of eClinical software. The healthcare and clinical research industry is constantly evolving, and the demand for robust, user-friendly solutions is on the rise.

Octalsoft is not merely keeping pace with these changes; we are setting the bar higher. With our new look, we are ready to embark on an exciting journey that will redefine the eClinical software landscape.

In Conclusion

Octalsoft's rebranding and website transformation are more than just cosmetic changes; they represent a renewed commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction. 

As a market leader in eClinical software solutions, Octalsoft is well-positioned to continue shaping the future of clinical research and healthcare with its cutting-edge solutions and customer-centric approach. If you haven't visited our new website yet, click here to do so NOW!

[nordenvation]

One such solution is the implementation of an Electronic Invoice Management System

In the digital age, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. One such solution is the implementation of an Electronic Invoice Management System. This system allows businesses to manage their invoicing process online, reducing the need for physical paperwork and improving accuracy.

An Online Invoice Management System is a tool that automates the invoicing process, from order capture to payment receipt. It eliminates manual errors, speeds up the billing cycle, and improves customer satisfaction.

Order Capture Management is another crucial aspect of business operations. It involves recording customer orders accurately and efficiently, ensuring that the right products or services are delivered on time.

For businesses using SAP software, integrating these systems can be a complex task. This is where SAP Data Integration Services come into play. These services help businesses integrate their various systems and processes, allowing for seamless data flow and improved operational efficiency.

There are several SAP Data Integration Solutions available in the market today. These solutions provide a range of tools for integrating data from different sources, including databases, applications, and services.

One such tool is the SAP Data Integration Tool, which provides a comprehensive platform for data integration tasks. It supports a wide range of data sources and targets, allowing businesses to integrate their data seamlessly.

For businesses that rely heavily on order management, SAP for Order Management is an ideal solution. This system provides a comprehensive set of tools for managing orders, from capture to fulfillment.

SAP Integration Services are essential for businesses that want to integrate their SAP systems with other software or services. These services provide the necessary tools and expertise to ensure seamless integration.

Many businesses prefer to work with an SAP Integration Services Company Online. These companies offer a range of SAP integration services, including software development, consulting, and support.

SAP Integration Software is a key component of any SAP integration project. This software provides the necessary tools for integrating SAP systems with other software or services.

Similarly, SAP Integration Solutions provide a comprehensive set of tools and services for integrating SAP systems. These solutions include software, consulting services, and support.

The SAP Interface Tool is another important tool for SAP integration projects. This tool allows businesses to create custom interfaces for their SAP systems, enabling them to integrate with other software or services more easily.

For businesses that need to manage large volumes of orders, the SAP Order Management System is an ideal solution. This system provides a comprehensive set of tools for managing orders, from capture to fulfillment.

If you’re looking for an SAP Services Solutions Company Online, there are many options available. These companies offer a range of SAP services, including software development, consulting, and support.

The SAP BTP Cloud, or Business Technology Platform Cloud, is a comprehensive platform for building and running business applications. It provides a range of services and capabilities, including data management, analytics, application development, and integration.

The SAP BTP Cockpit is a web-based interface that provides a centralized location for managing all aspects of your SAP BTP environment.

For businesses using SAP S/4HANA, the SAP S4 interface provides a user-friendly way to access and manage your SAP systems.

E-Invoicing in SAP is a feature that allows businesses to send electronic invoices directly from their SAP system. This feature simplifies the invoicing process and improves accuracy.

Finally, Pre Sales Activities in SAP involve using SAP tools to manage and track pre-sales activities such as lead generation and customer engagement.

In conclusion, whether you’re looking for an online invoice management system or an SAP integration tool, there are many solutions available to help streamline your business operations.

For More Info: -

SAP btp cloud

SAP btp cockpit

SAP s4

[stockholdingsposts]

Transform Business Efficiency with Comprehensive Content Management Services 

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, managing a growing volume of content efficiently is paramount for companies to stay competitive. Whether it’s for internal processes, customer interactions, or compliance, content management is critical. Comprehensive content management services (CMS) helps streamline operations, improve collaboration, and ensure the security of data across all business functions. This article explores the importance of adopting an enterprise-level CMS and how it can transform business efficiency. 

Understanding Content Management Services 

Content management services (CMS) are essential for organizing, storing, and tracking business documents, multimedia content, and other digital assets. These systems not only allow businesses to store content but also manage workflows, monitor versioning, and enable easier access to key resources. 

Effective CMS solutions offer businesses the ability to centralize all content in a single, easy-to-access location. The value lies not just in storing information but also in the automation, collaboration, and governance features that come with the system. 

Key Benefits of Content Management Services 

1. Streamlined Workflow Management 

One of the most significant advantages of a comprehensive CMS is the improvement in workflow management. With an organized structure, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, such as document approvals, data entry, and content publication. This frees up employees to focus on more strategic tasks and reduces the chances of human error. 

Moreover, automated workflows help ensure that the correct version of a document or content is always available, reducing delays caused by version control issues. Additionally, the ability to route documents through approval chains quickly enhances productivity and decision-making. 

2. Improved Collaboration Across Teams 

For businesses that rely on team collaboration, CMS tools provide a centralized platform where employees can work together more effectively. Teams can access, edit, and comment on documents in real time, no matter where they are located. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and helps ensure everyone is working with the most up-to-date information. 

In addition, content management services support role-based access control, allowing businesses to define who can access, edit, and distribute specific content. This provides an added layer of security, ensuring that sensitive information is only available to authorized personnel. 

3. Enhanced Data Security and Compliance 

As businesses handle sensitive and confidential data, security is a primary concern. A well-implemented CMS provides robust security features that help protect your content from unauthorized access, theft, and data breaches. CMS solutions often offer encrypted storage, user authentication, and audit trails, ensuring that every action taken within the system is logged and tracked. 

For industries with strict compliance requirements, content management services make it easier to adhere to regulations by offering features like document retention policies, compliance tracking, and data integrity checks. These ensure that businesses can meet legal requirements and pass audits without disruption. 

4. Increased Efficiency and Cost Savings 

The ability to access and manage content easily reduces the time spent searching for files or manually sorting through documents. This improved efficiency can translate into direct cost savings as resources are optimized, and business processes are streamlined. By reducing the reliance on physical documents and implementing digital workflows, businesses can also cut costs related to printing, shipping, and storing paper records. 

Furthermore, the automation of repetitive tasks reduces the need for manual input, saving both time and money. Employees can spend more time on high-impact activities, such as creative development or strategic decision-making, rather than administrative tasks. 

5. Better Content Quality and Consistency 

A CMS ensures that content is standardized across an organization. Whether it's marketing materials, internal documents, or customer-facing content, consistency is key to maintaining a professional image. By centralizing all content, businesses can create templates, apply uniform formatting, and ensure that branding is adhered to at every touchpoint. 

Furthermore, version control ensures that content is always up to date, minimizing the risk of outdated or conflicting information being used. This helps build trust with customers and clients, who rely on accurate and consistent communication. 

Types of Content Management Services 

When selecting a content management service, businesses have several options based on their specific needs. Below are the primary types of CMS solutions: 

1. Document Management Systems (DMS) 

DMS are designed to store and track business documents. These systems typically include features such as document storage, version control, document search capabilities, and access controls. DMS solutions are ideal for businesses that focus on managing a high volume of written documents, such as contracts, legal papers, and financial reports. 

2. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Systems 

ECM systems are more comprehensive and are used to manage the entire lifecycle of business content, from creation to archiving. ECM systems are typically integrated with other enterprise applications like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. They provide businesses with a robust solution for managing documents, records, multimedia content, and workflows across the organization. 

3. Web Content Management (WCM) 

WCM solutions are specifically focused on managing digital content on websites. These tools allow businesses to create, manage, and optimize content for the web, including images, videos, articles, and blogs. WCM systems are crucial for businesses that prioritize content marketing, customer engagement, and SEO optimization. 

4. Cloud-Based CMS 

Cloud-based CMS solutions offer the flexibility of storing content remotely on secure cloud servers. These systems are ideal for businesses that need to provide remote access to content for teams across multiple locations. With cloud CMS, businesses can scale storage and functionality as needed, without the need for on-site infrastructure. 

How to Implement Content Management Services 

Implementing content management services within a business requires careful planning and execution. Below are the key steps to ensure successful CMS integration: 

1. Assess Business Needs 

Before selecting a CMS, businesses should evaluate their content management needs. This includes understanding the type and volume of content they manage, the required workflows, and security needs. By assessing these factors, businesses can select a CMS that best aligns with their operational goals. 

2. Select the Right CMS 

There are numerous CMS platforms available, each offering different features and capabilities. It’s crucial to choose a system that can meet both the current and future needs of the organization. Consider factors such as scalability, ease of use, and integration capabilities when selecting a CMS. 

3. Train Employees 

Proper training is essential for ensuring that employees can effectively use the new system. Providing training on how to navigate the CMS, manage content, and leverage key features will help businesses realize the full benefits of the system. 

4. Monitor and Optimize 

After implementing a CMS, businesses should regularly monitor its performance and make adjustments as needed. This includes evaluating system efficiency, gathering feedback from employees, and optimizing workflows to improve productivity. 

Conclusion 

Comprehensive content management services are not just a luxury but a necessity for businesses looking to streamline their operations, enhance collaboration, and maintain data security. By investing in an effective CMS, businesses can transform their content management process, improve workflow efficiency, and reduce operational costs. The ability to automate processes, maintain consistency, and ensure regulatory compliance positions businesses for long-term success in today’s competitive environment. 

Adopting the right CMS solution will allow companies to stay agile, adapt to changing business needs, and ultimately, drive growth and profitability. A well-managed content strategy is a powerful tool in enhancing overall business efficiency and delivering value to both internal teams and customers. 

[hhmglobal]

Driving EMR solutions value with adoption and change

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems can enhance the efficiency and performance of healthcare services by streamlining care workflows, promoting interdisciplinary working, and providing on-demand access to comprehensive patient information across healthcare teams.

EMR systems also provide a platform for more connected and patient-centric models of care across large geographies or populations, even though their impact in supporting this sort of care delivery reform has been limited to date.

Reported benefits of EMR solutions include improved patient safety, clinical outcomes, service efficiency, financial performance, and patient experience. These typically derive from improvements in care documentation, medication management, service insights and compliance, capacity and demand management, and patient communication, as well as reduced incidence of delayed or inappropriate care decisions.

However, achieving these benefits requires high levels of adoption by frontline staff and an ongoing program of value measurement and solution optimisation. Further, to realise value from technological advances like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and new service delivery models, EMR solutions must be architected with evolution and change in mind.

Realising value from EMR systems While much evidence supports the value of EMR systems, their implementation can be challenging, requiring well-executed change management involving meaningful and continued engagement with time-poor staff.

EMR deployments often focus on organisational value, typically detailed by a business case. Frontline staff often have to extrapolate meaning for their day-to-day working practices, which may or may not happen. Staff can be challenged by change without understanding its value to them as individuals, resulting in poor motivation and change management difficulties.

Articulating value in terms that resonate with frontline staff can help maintain momentum and enthusiasm for change. Established techniques from other industries, such as persona analysis, provide a helpful tool to express role-specific value definitions.

Collecting qualitative and quantitative data is also fundamental in evidencing and communicating the value of a EMR solution. It is good practice to plan and action this activity before going live. This establishes credible baseline data to compare against post go-live data to determine the value delivered and any unanticipated negative value for prioritisation in continuous improvement programs.

An ongoing journey, not an event The delivery and articulation of value is not an event but an ongoing journey. Post go-live analysis may focus upon a defined set of benefit and outcome measures, possibly described by the original business case. But an ongoing program of solution optimisation and value measurement helps to ensure the solution evolves with service needs, whilst identifying underperforming aspects that require corrective intervention.

An important post go-live dataset, commonly overlooked, relates to solution adoption and activity. This highlights areas of functionality and configuration that perform well or those requiring further interventions like user training or solution configuration changes. Automated adoption dashboards (see Figure 1) also provide dynamic insights.

EMRs must evolve to support new value All EMR solutions will continue to be shaped by technological innovation and changing healthcare demands. A solution’s long-term success will depend on quickly and cost-effectively supporting new value opportunities presented by advances in technology, science, and service delivery models.

AI and Machine Learning (ML), for example, present realistic and affordable options to enhance the quality and outcomes of care interventions. In fact, it is hard to imagine an enterprise-scale EMR solution without AI capabilities in two years’ time.

Generative AI solutions already help care professionals consolidate, synthesise, and summarise patient record data to improve the efficiency and precision of care planning and interventions. ML examples include predictive analysis, such as identifying patients at a higher risk of readmission, developing conditions, or unexpected deterioration.

Integrating interoperability standards, such as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), will also become crucial. These facilitate the sharing of structured, coded, and actionable patient information across health and social care services. This is particularly important in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of care transitions and collaborative decision-making across large geographies or populations.

Enterprise EMR solutions will also evolve to provide genomic capabilities relating to test orders and results and, importantly, pharmacogenomic decision support to guide and inform the correct and appropriate use of medications for each individual. This understanding, combined with EMR technology, has the potential to transform care outcomes on a scale similar to the introduction of antibiotics.

Transformation and new models of care The term ‘digital transformation’ is hard to escape. But what does this mean for healthcare services adopting an EMR solution?

Digital transformation represents an organisational re-wiring to create value for the organisation and its consumers via innovative business models. However, while many initiatives deliver modernised healthcare interventions – such as video consultations, virtual wards, healthcare apps, and AI technologies – these have been primarily used to enhance existing models of care.

Recognition of the need for new models of care that reflect the demands of modern societies is rapidly gaining pace. Current integrated care models rely on the ability of EMR platform technologies to support the seamless flow of information across healthcare services for the planning, management, allocation, and delivery of healthcare interventions

The transformation of healthcare to deliver genuinely patient-centric and joined-up care workflows will require significant service reforms and a paradigm shift. In particular, it will require moving away from the dominance of acute care. Working in interdisciplinary teams spanning care sectors will also be a significant change and challenge for healthcare professionals.

EMR solutions must provide a critical enabling and supportive role for the unimpeded flow of information across a healthcare region to inform the joined-up planning, management, allocation, and delivery of timely and appropriate care interventions.

Whilst the value currently delivered by EMR solutions is significant and important, the overwhelming value for a modern-day EMR system is in supporting the new and emerging models of care we so desperately need.

About the author Darren Jones is Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand at InterSystems, a creative data technology provider which delivers a unified foundation for next-generation applications for healthcare, finance, manufacturing and supply chain customers in more than 80 countries, and electronic medical record systems which support advanced data management in hospitals. Based in Melbourne, Jones leads the company’s operations in Australia and New Zealand and supports the success of InterSystems customers.

[nasa]

LaRue Burbank, mathematician and computer, is just one of the many women who were instrumental to NASA missions.

4 Little Known Women Who Made Huge Contributions to NASA

Women have always played a significant role at NASA and its predecessor NACA, although for much of the agency’s history, they received neither the praise nor recognition that their contributions deserved. To celebrate Women’s History Month – and properly highlight some of the little-known women-led accomplishments of NASA’s early history – our archivists gathered the stories of four women whose work was critical to NASA’s success and paved the way for future generations.

LaRue Burbank: One of the Women Who Helped Land a Man on the Moon

LaRue Burbank was a trailblazing mathematician at NASA. Hired in 1954 at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now NASA’s Langley Research Center), she, like many other young women at NACA, the predecessor to NASA, had a bachelor's degree in mathematics. But unlike most, she also had a physics degree. For the next four years, she worked as a "human computer," conducting complex data analyses for engineers using calculators, slide rules, and other instruments. After NASA's founding, she continued this vital work for Project Mercury.

In 1962, she transferred to the newly established Manned Spacecraft Center (now NASA’s Johnson Space Center) in Houston, becoming one of the few female professionals and managers there.  Her expertise in electronics engineering led her to develop critical display systems used by flight controllers in Mission Control to monitor spacecraft during missions. Her work on the Apollo missions was vital to achieving President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon.

Eilene Galloway: How NASA became… NASA

Eilene Galloway wasn't a NASA employee, but she played a huge role in its very creation. In 1957, after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Senator Richard Russell Jr. called on Galloway, an expert on the Atomic Energy Act, to write a report on the U.S. response to the space race. Initially, legislators aimed to essentially re-write the Atomic Energy Act to handle the U.S. space goals. However, Galloway argued that the existing military framework wouldn't suffice – a new agency was needed to oversee both military and civilian aspects of space exploration. This included not just defense, but also meteorology, communications, and international cooperation.

Her work on the National Aeronautics and Space Act ensured NASA had the power to accomplish all these goals, without limitations from the Department of Defense or restrictions on international agreements. Galloway is even to thank for the name "National Aeronautics and Space Administration", as initially NASA was to be called “National Aeronautics and Space Agency” which was deemed to not carry enough weight and status for the wide-ranging role that NASA was to fill.

Barbara Scott: The “Star Trek Nerd” Who Led Our Understanding of the Stars

A self-described "Star Trek nerd," Barbara Scott's passion for space wasn't steered toward engineering by her guidance counselor. But that didn't stop her!  Fueled by her love of math and computer science, she landed at Goddard Spaceflight Center in 1977.  One of the first women working on flight software, Barbara's coding skills became instrumental on missions like the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and the Thermal Canister Experiment on the Space Shuttle's STS-3.  For the final decade of her impressive career, Scott managed the flight software for the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, a testament to her dedication to space exploration.

Dr. Claire Parkinson: An Early Pioneer in Climate Science Whose Work is Still Saving Lives

Dr. Claire Parkinson's love of math blossomed into a passion for climate science. Inspired by the Moon landing, and the fight for civil rights, she pursued a graduate degree in climatology.  In 1978, her talents landed her at Goddard, where she continued her research on sea ice modeling. But Parkinson's impact goes beyond theory.  She began analyzing satellite data, leading to a groundbreaking discovery: a decline in Arctic sea ice coverage between 1973 and 1987. This critical finding caught the attention of Senator Al Gore, highlighting the urgency of climate change.

Parkinson's leadership extended beyond research.  As Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite, she championed making its data freely available. This real-time information has benefitted countless projects, from wildfire management to weather forecasting, even aiding in monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Parkinson's dedication to understanding sea ice patterns and the impact of climate change continues to be a valuable resource for our planet.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space! 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Fintech bullies stole your kid’s lunch money

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Three companies control the market for school lunch payments. They take as much as 60 cents out of every dollar poor kids' parents put into the system to the tune of $100m/year. They're literally stealing poor kids' lunch money.

In its latest report, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau describes this scam in eye-watering, blood-boiling detail:

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_costs-of-electronic-payment-in-k-12-schools-issue-spotlight_2024-07.pdf

The report samples 16.7m K-12 students in 25k schools. It finds that schools are racing to go cashless, with 87% contracting with payment processors to handle cafeteria transactions. Three processors dominate the sector: Myschoolbucks, Schoolcafé, and Linq Connect.

These aren't credit card processors (most students don't have credit cards). Instead, they let kids set up an account, like a prison commissary account, that their families load up with cash. And, as with prison commissary accounts, every time a loved one adds cash to the account, the processor takes a giant whack out of them with junk fees:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/14/minnesota-nice/#shitty-technology-adoption-curve

If you're the parent of a kid who is eligible for a reduced-price lunch (that is, if you are poor), then about 60% of the money you put into your kid's account is gobbled up by these payment processors in service charges.

It's expensive to be poor, and this is no exception. If your kid doesn't qualify for the lunch subsidy, you're only paying about 8% in service charges (which is still triple the rate charged by credit card companies for payment processing).

The disparity is down to how these charges are calculated. The payment processors charge a flat fee for every top-up, and poor families can't afford to minimize these fees by making a single payment at the start of the year or semester. Instead, they pay small sums every payday, meaning they pay the fee twice per month (or even more frequently).

Not only is the sector concentrated into three companies, neither school districts nor parents have any meaningful way to shop around. For school districts, payment processing is usually bundled in with other school services, like student data management and HR data handling. For parents, there's no way to choose a different payment processor – you have to go with the one the school district has chosen.

This is all illegal. The USDA – which provides and regulates – the reduced cost lunch program, bans schools from charging fees to receive its meals. Under USDA regs, schools must allow kids to pay cash, or to top up their accounts with cash at the school, without any fees. The USDA has repeatedly (2014, 2017) published these rules.

Despite this, many schools refuse to handle cash, citing safety and security, and even when schools do accept cash or checks, they often fail to advertise this fact.

The USDA also requires schools to publish the fees charged by processors, but most of the districts in the study violate this requirement. Where schools do publish fees, we see a per-transaction charge of up to $3.25 for an ACH transfer that costs $0.26-0.50, or 4.58% for a debit/credit-card transaction that costs 1.5%. On top of this, many payment processors charge a one-time fee to enroll a student in the program and "convenience fees" to transfer funds between siblings' accounts. They also set maximum fees that make it hard to avoid paying multiple charges through the year.

These are classic junk fees. As Matt Stoller puts it: "'Convenience fees' that aren't convenient and 'service fees' without any service." Another way in which these fit the definition of junk fees: they are calculated at the end of the transaction, and not advertised up front.

Like all junk fee companies, school payment processors make it extremely hard to cancel an automatic recurring payment, and have innumerable hurdles to getting a refund, which takes an age to arrive.

Now, there are many agencies that could have compiled this report (the USDA, for one), and it could just as easily have come from an academic or a journalist. But it didn't – it came from the CFPB, and that matters, because the CFPB has the means, motive and opportunity to do something about this.

The CFPB has emerged as a powerhouse of a regulator, doing things that materially and profoundly benefit average Americans. During the lockdowns, they were the ones who took on scumbag landlords who violated the ban on evictions:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cfpb

They went after "Earned Wage Access" programs where your boss colludes with payday lenders to trap you in debt at 300% APR:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

They are forcing the banks to let you move your account (along with all your payment history, stored payees, automatic payments, etc) with one click – and they're standing up a site that will analyze your account data and tell you which bank will give you the best deal:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

They're going after "buy now, pay later" companies that flout borrower protection rules, making a rogues' gallery of repeat corporate criminals, banning fine-print gotcha clauses, and they're doing it all in the wake of a 7-2 Supreme Court decision that affirmed their power to do so:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

The CFPB can – and will – do something to protect America's poorest parents from having $100m of their kids' lunch money stolen by three giant fintech companies. But whether they'll continue to do so under a Kamala Harris administration is an open question. While Harris has repeatedly talked up the ways that Biden's CFPB, the DOJ Antitrust Division, and FTC have gone after corporate abuses, some of her largest donors are demanding that her administration fire the heads of these agencies and crush their agenda:

https://prospect.org/power/2024-07-26-corporate-wishcasting-attack-lina-khan/

Tens of millions of dollars have been donated to Harris' campaign and PACs that support her by billionaires like Reid Hoffman, who says that FTC Chair Lina Khan is "waging war on American business":

https://prospect.org/power/2024-07-26-corporate-wishcasting-attack-lina-khan/

Some of the richest Democrat donors told the Financial Times that their donations were contingent on Harris firing Khan and that they'd been assured this would happen:

https://archive.is/k7tUY

This would be a disaster – for America, and for Harris's election prospects – and one hopes that Harris and her advisors know it. Writing in his "How Things Work" newsletter today, Hamilton Nolan makes the case that labor unions should publicly declare that they support the FTC, the CFPB and the DOJ's antitrust efforts:

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/unions-and-antitrust-are-peanut-butter

Don’t want huge companies and their idiot billionaire bosses to run the world? Break them up, and unionize them. It’s the best program we have.

Perhaps you've heard that antitrust is anti-worker. It's true that antitrust law has been used to attack labor organizing, but that has always been in spite of the letter of the law. Indeed, the legislative history of US antitrust law is Congress repeatedly passing law after law explaining that antitrust "aims at dollars, not men":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

The Democrats need to be more than The Party of Not Trump. To succeed – as a party and as a force for a future for Americans – they have to be the party that defends us – workers, parents, kids and retirees alike – from corporate predation.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/26/taanstafl/#stay-hungry

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[cobaltsage]

I know my friends often think I’m paranoid for omitting pretty much every smart device outside of your standard phone and laptop from my life but honestly after playing Megaman Battle Network as a child, I know it’s only going to take a few very inspired people tired of corporate BS and experiencing a mental break to create a real world variation of World III.

Like. We’ve already heard of stories of people whose chastity cages got electronically hacked and force locked, and while that’s certainly creative, MMBN absolutely had way more simpler, and entirely possible crimes to commit.

Our fridges are online? Who controls that temperature. Maybe entire grocery stores will find their food either freezer burnt or spoiling.

Our thermostats? Well, it’d be a shame if somebody globally altered the temperature floor of the device to be boiling point.

Our cars are smart now? The literal first game had a chapter that merely took over traffic lights, it would only be easier to make the cars simply lock their users in and drive into each other.

Most data centers I’ve been to, even in multimillion dollar orgs, have dozens and dozens of servers protecting websites and the backup management processes are all handled by a single laptop that has a sticky note that says “do not close laptop” in a room that is virtually untouched for weeks at a time, except to check the temperatures of the cooling systems in the same room. As security, I can say I would have no idea if someone who came in for server maintenance was doing something suspicious or not, and even third party maintenance staff are often left to their own devices to work on perceived problems. Sure, they’re on camera, but so what if the next three people who work in the room are all going to be more third party maintenance staff?

Knowing that full well, I’m never going to buy a smart bidet for fear that it will end up with its water pressure settings altered, turning it into a power washer that ass blasts me to death.

[alwajeeztech]

VAT Data Processing in ALZERP Cloud ERP Software

Key Features of ALZERP’s VAT Data Processing:

ZATCA Server Integration: ALZERP seamlessly connects with the ZATCA server using the business identification number, enabling real-time data exchange and synchronization.

Data Synchronization: The software automatically synchronizes various data points, including opening balances, purchase and LC details, VAT sales, item returns, expenses, voucher data, and data corrections.

VAT Return and Zakat Return Calculation: ALZERP accurately calculates VAT and Zakat return amounts based on the synchronized data, ensuring compliance with tax regulations.

Separate Invoice Management: Invoices from sales are created in a separate table, allowing for efficient tracking and management.

Non-VAT Invoice Processing: ALZERP automatically processes non-VAT invoices with the applicable 15% VAT amount.

Invoice Item Synchronization: Any changes made to items in VAT invoices are reflected in the corresponding non-VAT invoices, maintaining consistency.

Opening Balance Synchronization: ALZERP synchronizes opening balances for products, stock, parties, and accounts heads as of December 31, 2022.

Purchase and LC Synchronization: The software synchronizes purchase and LC data within specified date ranges, capturing all relevant transactions.

VAT Sales Synchronization: VAT sales data is synchronized, including the option to enable automatic ZATCA submission.

Sold Item Returns Synchronization: Returned items are recorded in a separate table, and existing data within the same date range is replaced.

Voucher Data Processing: ALZERP processes expenses and bookkeeping vouchers, excluding non-VATable items and focusing on relevant payment, receipt, and journal vouchers.

Data Correction and Reprocessing: The software allows for rechecking and correcting synced data, processing bank statements, and reprocessing sales as needed.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Samantha Fields

When Charlie McCone got COVID in March 2020 in San Francisco, he was 30, otherwise healthy and fit, not considered high-risk. His doctors told him he’d get better in a couple of weeks. He didn’t.

Eventually, weeks into being sick and with no real answers from his doctors, he turned to that place many of us turn to for medical information: the internet.

“I found a Facebook group with thousands of other people asking what’s going on, and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” he said, “‘This is happening to so many other people.’”

It was already becoming clear then, in spring of 2020, that COVID could cause serious, lasting issues, including debilitating fatigue and brain fog, among many other symptoms. Because there was so much attention on COVID at the time, McCone said, “there was a lot of hope about the response to long COVID, I think, the first two years.”

Then in late 2020, Congress allocated over $1 billion to the National Institutes of Health for long COVID research. “There was this feeling that we’re going to have answers here in a few years,” he said.

But now it is a few years later, and that feeling has changed.

McCone is still sick. He’s not working anymore and can’t walk much more than a block. Roughly 20 million people in the U.S. are now estimated to have long COVID, maybe more. And that initial $1.15 billion NIH got for the RECOVER program — which stands for Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery — has yielded few answers and zero approved treatments so far.

“There’s been a lot of disappointment in terms of the program moving slowly and also focusing a lot on the kind of observational side of things,” said Betsy Ladyzhets, co-founder and managing editor of the Sick Times, a nonprofit news site focused on long COVID.

Most of the research money has gone into trying to learn more about what long COVID is — into clinical research, data collection and analysis and studies of electronic health records.

“Rather than what many people in the patient community and also the research community really want, which is focus on treatments, clinical trials,” Ladyzhets said.

There’s good reason for the focus on observational research, according to Dr. Serena Spudich, a neurologist and researcher at Yale who’s working with the RECOVER program.

“There has to be a very, very strong urgency for finding treatments,” she said. “And at the same time, we will only find treatments if we understand the condition properly.”

And understand what’s causing the many different kinds of symptoms people are having.

“Because long COVID is not one condition, it’s a very heterogeneous condition,” Spudich said. “And it’s very, very possible, I would even say likely, that different forms of long COVID — for example, the more neurologic forms versus something like severe shortness of breath or problems with the heart rate — those may actually be due to different types of biologic mechanisms that need different treatments.”

Outside researchers agree that these kinds of observational studies and data collection are critical, but some feel the NIH didn’t need to spend nearly $1 billion on them.

Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center and chief of the Research and Education Service at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, said his team and others did similar research earlier in the pandemic, “for peanuts, a few hundred thousand dollars that generated evidence much more robustly, faster, years ahead of RECOVER, for a small, small, small, small fraction of the funds.”

At this point, more than four years in, “NIH should be laser-focused, laser-focused on finding treatment for long COVID,” he said.

That will be a bigger focus going forward. NIH got another $515 million this year for RECOVER and plans to put much of it toward clinical trials.

This fall, it held a kickoff meeting for the next phase of the RECOVER program, called RECOVER-TLC, which stands for Treating Long COVID. Now, Joseph Breen at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH said it’s in the process of soliciting ideas for drugs and other treatments to trial.

“We have every intention of getting started as soon as possible,” he said. “In reality, we’re probably into next year.”

David Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, has been doing long COVID research since 2020. He said how the clinical trials are designed will be critical.

“What we need to be doing is rapidly testing as many drug targets as possible, rather than taking big swings,” he said. Meaning that instead of putting all the funding into a few big, expensive trials of a couple of drugs, RECOVER could do a bunch of smaller trials.

“For a couple million dollars apiece, they could be testing 100 drugs. And they could be logging the responses of those 100 drugs, and they could be moving into more sophisticated clinical trial strategies,” Putrino said. “That is where I think we should be applying the money.”

Many long COVID patients and advocates are cautiously optimistic about this next phase of research. Charlie McCone, who has become something of an expert in his own illness and now volunteers with the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, was at the kickoff meeting and left feeling a little more hopeful.

“The NIH can do this right, they have to do this right,” he said. “And they need to do it fast, which we know is possible.”

But no matter what comes of this current slate of funding, he said more is going to be needed. “No disease is solved with a one-time investment. And so, just because this first billion dollars didn’t produce much does not mean the next billion and the next billion won’t.”

Some legislators are already pushing for additional funding. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, along with several Democratic senators, introduced the Long COVID Research Moonshot Act in the Senate, and a companion bill has been introduced in the House. The Moonshot Act would provide $1 billion a year for 10 years for long COVID research. It has yet to be brought to the floor for a vote.