To understand the natural world, scientists must measure it--but how do we define our units? Over the decades, scientists have gradually redefined classic units in terms of universal constants, such as using the speed of light to help define the length of a meter. But the scientific unit of mass, the kilogram, remained pegged to "Le Grand K," a metallic cylinder stored at a facility in France. If that ingot's mass varied for whatever reason, scientists would have to recalibrate their instruments. No more: In 2019, scientists agreed to adopt a new kilogram definition based on a fundamental factor in physics called Planck's constant and the improved definitions for the units of electrical current, temperature, and the number of particles in a given substance.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has launched the National Artificial Intelligence Institute, with the aim of boosting the health and wellness of veterans through advanced AI and machine learning technologies. WHY IT MATTERS The institute will incorporate feedback from veterans and other partners across federal agencies, industry, nonprofits and academia, said VA officials. The goal is to "prioritize and realize" AI research and development that can help veterans and others. NAII is a joint initiative between VA's Office of Research and Development and Secretary's Center for Strategic Partnerships. Professionals there will design, execute and collaborate on strategies that build on the American AI Initiative and the National AI R&D Strategic Plan.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has opened a new artificial intelligence institute to pursue research and inform national strategy. The National Artificial Intelligence Institute, a joint initiative of the VA's office of research and development and the VA secretary's center for strategic partnerships, will work with public and private partners to carry out AI research and development projects, including efforts to apply AI to identify veterans at high risk for suicide or to help reduce patient wait times. The institute will also collaborate with federal agencies on national AI strategy. That includes building upon the American AI Initiative, the national AI strategy President Donald Trump established through an executive order in February. The American AI Initiative's goal is to promote AI innovation in numerous sectors, including healthcare.

Are you a vegan who likes kombucha? Are you real, lit, or looking for a real lit match? Do you even know what these words mean? If not, you probably need to lower your expectations on Tinder. Yesterday, the dating platform – which has an estimated 50 million users worldwide – released its Year in Swipe roundup: an analysis of user data and activity in the last year, that tells us how the world dated on the app in 2019.

This year, SFTE's Annual Symposium featured two other papers on very closely related topics. At press time, these authors were not available to share these papers herein.

Responsible for more than 270,000 annual deaths in the U.S., sepsis claims a life in this country every two minutes. The condition, which arises from the body's inflammatory response to infection, costs over $27 billion in hospitalizations each year. Despite advancements in understanding and managing sepsis, the fight is far from over. This is why an evolved strategy using predictive technology is critical. By leveraging patient data, artificial intelligence is helping healthcare organizations identify patients in the early stages of sepsis.

Federal artificial intelligence (AI) technology leaders agreed today that a human-centered approach to data management and automation generates stakeholder buy-in and improves agencywide perceptions of AI projects. At CXO Tech Forum: AI and Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in Government on Dec. 5, government officials speaking on several panels emphasized the importance of human-centered design in the development of AI capabilities. Anil Tilbe, Director of Enterprise Measurement and Design at the Veterans Experience Office (VEO), said that human-centered design is "extremely important" in AI development. "Using human-centered design, you're prioritizing human intelligence," he said. At VEO, Tilbe and his team are using information gathered from veterans and Veterans Affairs employees to build the AI environment.

A small number of companies have begun developing new tools to measure employee engagement without requiring workers to fill out surveys or sit through focus groups. HR professionals and engagement experts are watching to see if these tools gain traction and lead to more effective cultural and retention strategies. Two of these companies--Netherlands-based KeenCorp and San Francisco's Cultivate--glean data from day-to-day internal communications. KeenCorp analyzes patterns in an organization's (anonymized) email traffic to gauge changes in the level of tension experienced by a team, department or entire organization. Meanwhile, Cultivate analyzes manager email (and other digital communications) to provide leadership coaching.

Editor's Note: This edition of Morning eHealth is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro eHealth subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. Manage the high volume of regulatory information and track new changes and comments all in one, easy-to-use platform. I'm not able to schedule diagnostic tests online via my EHR platform. It's FRIDAY at Morning eHealth, where your author has yet to see a Baby Yoda/health IT crossover meme, which is perhaps for the best.

When the X-ray was discovered at the end of the 19th century, a new medical discipline was born. Radiology became a way to study, diagnose and treat disease. Today, expertise among radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, medical physicists and technicians includes many forms of medical imaging--from diagnostic and cancer imaging to mammography, radiation therapy, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As we move into the third decade of the 21st century, radiology--perhaps more than any other medical specialty--is poised for transformation. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), radiologists foresee a future in which machines enhance patient outcomes and avoid misdiagnosis.