Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.

Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.

There is little surprise that Gartner’s latest research on emerging technology shows that generative AI is reaching a peak in hype.

“The popularity of many new AI techniques will have a profound impact on business and society,” said Arun Chandrasekaran, distinguished vice-president analyst at Gartner. “The massive pretraining and scale of AI foundation models, viral adoption of conversational agents and the proliferation of generative AI applications are heralding a new wave of workforce productivity and machine creativity.”

Beyond generative AI, Gartner identified a number of emerging AI techniques, which offer businesses the potential to boost digital customer experiences, make better business decisions and build sustainable competitive differentiation. These include AI simulation, causal AI, federated machine learning, graph data science, neuro-symbolic AI and reinforcement learning.

Along with AI, Gartner analysts identified three further areas of emerging technology CIOs should start looking at.

The first of these is human-centric security and privacy. As Gartner points out, human error is the chief cause of security incidents and data breaches. Gartner defines a human-centric security and privacy programme as one that weaves a security and privacy fabric into the organisation’s digital design.

“Numerous emerging technologies are enabling businesses to create a culture of mutual trust and awareness of shared risks in decision making between many teams,” Gartner said.

The list of emerging tech identified by Gartner that help to achieve human-centric security and privacy technologies include AI trust, risk and security management; cyber security mesh architecture; generative cyber security AI; homomorphic encryption; and post-quantum cryptography.

Developer experience (DevX) is the second area CIOs should be building up, according to Gartner. The analyst firm said DevX is critical for most enterprises’ digital initiative success. Key technologies that are enhancing DevX include AI-augmented software engineering, API-centric SaaS, GitOps, internal developer portals, open source programme office and value stream management platforms.

Gartner pointed out that DevX is also vital for attracting and retaining top engineering talent, keeping team morale high and ensuring that work is motivating and rewarding.

Pervasive cloud is the third emerging area of IT identified in Gartner Hype cycle for emerging technologies 2023 report. Gartner believes that over the next 10 year, cloud computing will evolve into a pervasive and an essential driver of business innovation. To enable this pervasive adoption, cloud computing is becoming more distributed and, if Gartner’s assumptions are correct, will be focused on vertical industries.

The analyst firm recommended that CIOs implement automated operational scaling, offer their team access to cloud-native platform tools, and provide adequate governance to maximise value from cloud investments.

Melissa Davis, vice-president analyst at Gartner, said: “As the technologies in this hype cycle are still at an early stage, there is significant uncertainty about how they will evolve. Such embryonic technologies present greater risks for deployment, but potentially greater benefits for early adopters.”

• Certification programs help system administrators stand out from their peers while expanding and validating their skills. 
• Certification training and testing help IT professionals earn professional credibility and more power to direct and control their career paths. 
• Numerous certifications are available, but several are exceptionally valued and respected. 
• This article is for system administrators and IT professionals who want to expand their knowledge and professional credibility through certification programs.

System administrators are the glue holding together business operations, ensuring smooth-running IT infrastructures. The role requires in-demand career skills that range from server and client configuration and maintenance to access controls, network services and application resource requirements. SysAdmins may even work with more user-facing products, like directory and name services, network addressing, database services, web and desktop applications, and email. They’re often the company “tech expert” – sometimes at several organizations simultaneously. 

System administrator certifications help IT professionals navigate their career paths, expand their knowledge and demonstrate their expertise to managers and employers. SysAdmin certs may even help you secure managerial and executive level jobs and higher pay.

Abstract and Introduction

Abstract

Purpose: An overview of enteral feeding tubes, drug administration techniques, considerations for dosage form selection, common drug interactions with enteral formulas, and methods to minimize tube occlusion is given.
Summary: Enteral nutrition through a feeding tube is the preferred method of nutrition support in patients who have a functioning gastrointestinal tract but who are unable to be fed orally. This method of delivering nutrition is also commonly used for administering medications when patients cannot swallow safely. However, several issues must be considered with concurrent administration of oral medications and enteral formulas. Incorrect administration methods may result in clogged feeding tubes, decreased drug efficacy, increased adverse effects, or drug–formula incompatibilities. Various enteral feeding tubes are available and are typically classified by site of insertion and location of the distal tip of the feeding tube. Liquid medications, particularly elixirs and suspensions, are preferred for enteral administration; however, these formulations may be hypertonic or contain large amounts of sorbitol, and these properties increase the potential for adverse effects. Before solid dosage forms are administered through the feeding tube, it should be determined if the medications are suitable for manipulation, such as crushing a tablet or opening a capsule. Medications should not be added directly to the enteral formula, and feeding tubes should be properly flushed with water before and after each medication is administered. To minimize drug–nutrient interactions, special considerations should be taken when administering phenytoin, carbamazepine, warfarin, fluoroquinolones, and proton pump inhibitors via feeding tubes. Precautions should be implemented to prevent tube occlusions, and immediate intervention is required when blockages occur.
Conclusion: Successful drug delivery through enteral feeding tubes requires consideration of the tube size and placement as well as careful selection and appropriate administration of drug dosage forms.

Introduction

When oral intake is inadequate or not recommended for a prolonged period of time, patients may require an alternative method of feeding, either enterally or parenterally. Enteral nutrition (EN) through a feeding tube is the preferred method of nutrition support for patients with a functioning gastrointestinal (GI) tract. EN offers several theoretical advantages over parenteral nutrition, including lower cost, greater convenience, decreased infectious complications, and enhanced host immune function. Another beneficial effect includes improved maintenance of GI mucosal structure and function, which could possibly prevent gut atrophy and bacterial translocation.^[1,2,3,4]

Another advantage of enteral feeding tubes is that they provide convenient access to the GI tract; therefore, these devices are frequently used for medication administration in patients who cannot swallow safely. Several issues must be considered with concurrent administration of oral medications and enteral formulas, particularly continuous tube feeding, because incorrect administration methods may result in clogged feeding tubes, decreased drug effectiveness, increased adverse effects, or drug–formula incompatibilities.^[5] This article provides a general overview of enteral feeding tubes, drug administration techniques, considerations for dosage form selection, common drug interactions with enteral formulas, and methods to minimize tube occlusions.

An analysis of oil and gas pipeline safety in the United States reveals a troubling history of spills, contamination, injuries and deaths.

This time-lapse video shows pipeline incidents from 1986 to 2013, relying on publicly available data from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Only incidents classified as “significant” by the agency are shown in the video. “Significant” incidents include those in which someone was hospitalized or killed, damages amounted to more than $50,000, more than 5 barrels of highly volatile substances or 50 barrels of other liquid were released, or where the liquid exploded or burned.

Upworthy calls this video "one time-lapse Big Oil doesn't want you to see."

According to the data, since 1986 there have been nearly 8,000 incidents (nearly 300 per year on average), resulting in more than 500 deaths (red dots on the video), more than 2,300 injuries (yellow dots on the video), and nearly $7 billion in damage. 

Since 1986 pipeline accidents have spilled an average of 76,000 barrels per year or more than 3 million gallons. This is equivalent to 200 barrels every day.   

Oil is by far the most commonly spilled substance, followed by natural gas and gasoline. The data does not separate oil by whether it is light crude or heavy crude typical of tar sands oil, which has proven exceedingly difficult to clean up and is the variety that would flow in the Keystone XL pipeline. 

There are a number of reasons for pipeline spills, including damage during excavation operations, metal failure, improper operation and corrosion.

Pipeline failures are concentrated in states with a long history of oil and gas development like Texas and California, but have caused damage to people, property and the environment in all 48 contiguous states. 

In most cases, cleanup of pipeline spills is only partially successful, leaving tens of thousands of barrels of oil on our land or in our water.  On average, the government's data shows that more than 31,000 barrels of oil or other substances are not cleaned up following pipeline incidents, and in some years many more barrels are left, polluting our environment for years to come.