Tag: Solutions

  • Structuring Information for Mobile Users

    One of the main problems faced by mobile device users is the fact that navigation can feel cumbersome. Having to constantly go back to a table of contents, for example, can be especially frustrating. The right solution to this varies based on the nature of the content on the website, but listed below are a few common solutions…

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    http://www.associationofmarketing.org/articles/view.php?article_id=12224

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  • We’re getting better at wildlife conservation, AI study of scientific abstracts suggests

    We’re getting better at wildlife conservation, AI study of scientific abstracts suggests

    Researchers are using a kind of machine learning known as sentiment analysis to assess the successes and failures of wildlife conservation over time. In their study, appearing March 19 in Patterns—a new open access data science journal from Cell Press—the researchers assessed the abstracts of more than 4,000 studies of species reintroduction across four decades and found that, generally speaking, we’re getting better and better at reintroducing species to the wild. They say that machine learning could be used in this field and others to identify the best techniques and solutions from among the ever-growing volume of scientific research.

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    https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-wildlife-ai-scientific-abstracts.html

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  • Water and Climate Change

    World Water Day 2020 is about water and climate change – and how the two are inextricably linked. This year’s campaign shows how our use of water will help reduce floods, droughts, scarcity and pollution, and will help fight climate change itself. By adapting to the water effects of climate change, we will protect health and save lives. And, by using water more efficiently, we will reduce greenhouse gases. Our key messages are clear:

    • We cannot afford to wait. Climate policy makers must put water at the heart of action plans.
    • Climate change effects water supplies and human health.
    • Health systems need to prepare for more water-related disease associated with climate change.
    • Water can help fight climate change and protect health. There are sustainable, affordable and scalable water and sanitation solutions.
    • Everyone has a role to play. In our daily lives, there are surprisingly easy steps we can all take to address climate change, and protect health.

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    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/17-03-2020-water-and-climate-change

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  • Premier League ‘may not finish’, says FA chief

    Premier League ‘may not finish’, says FA chief

    Premier League ‘may not finish’, says FA chief 1

    LONDON: Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has reportedly told the Premier League he does not believe the domestic football season will be completed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Premier League suspended all fixtures at an emergency meeting on Friday. Matches in the English Football League, FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship are also on hold.

    “It was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on April 4, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time,“ the Premier League said in a statement.

    Clarke said at the meeting that he did not think it was feasible for the season to be completed, according to a report in the Times.

    The virus is not expected to peak in Britain for many weeks, raising doubts over an early April re-start for the Premier League.

    The Times said it is understood that Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber also questioned the brevity of the suspension.

    Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, is reported to have said it would at least allow time to consider the potential consequences and debate the possible solutions.

    The decision was taken after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for Covid-19.

    Arteta welcomed the move to put the season on hold.

    “Feeling better already,“ he tweeted. “We’re all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge. Everyone’s health is all that matters right now.”

    Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League with nine games remaining, chasing their first English top-flight title for 30 years.

    If results had gone their way this weekend they could have wrapped up the title at Everton on Monday but manager Jurgen Klopp said he supported the move to suspend football.

    He said in a club statement: “If it’s a choice between football and the good of the wider society, it’s no contest. Really, it isn’t.”

    Financial hit

    Football clubs at all levels face enormous losses if the season is not completed.

    One senior figure in broadcasting told the Times: “The commercial reality for the Premier League and (European governing body) UEFA is that if they don’t complete their seasons then they are in breach of their broadcasting contracts.

    “You would have broadcasters from all around the world saying, ‘In that case we are not paying for the season.’ For the Premier League you are talking around £3 billion (RM15.75 billion) income a year from overseas and domestic TV rights. There would also be financial implications if the competitions were squeezed so fewer matches were played.”

    Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the BBC that clubs, especially in the lower divisions, would be hit hard by the disruption.

    “I think many clubs are going to struggle significantly,“ he said. “Many clubs are surviving on a match-to-match basis and are reliant on the loyal few thousand turning up.

    “We have to consider the staff at clubs, they are reliant on the income they get from football clubs to pay their own bills as well.”

    The Premier League clubs are reportedly due to meet again next Thursday.

    There are matches taking place on Saturday in the National League – the fifth tier of English football – but a number of games have been postponed, including the Yeovil v Barnet fixture.

    “We currently have four staff that are showing symptoms of Covid-19 who are following government advice and self-isolating,“ Barnet said in a statement.

    “As a consequence, we have taken measures to put all first-team staff into self-isolation.” — AFP

    Premier League ‘may not finish’, says FA chief
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    https://www.thesundaily.my/sport/premier-league-may-not-finish-says-fa-chief-DC2127566

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  • WHO, UN Foundation and partners launch first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund

    WHO, UN Foundation and partners launch first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund

    GENEVA and Washington, D.C. – A new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Solidarity Response Fund will raise money from a wide range of donors to support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to help countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund, the first-of-its-kind, enables private individuals, corporations and institutions anywhere in the world to come together to directly contribute to global response efforts, and has been created by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, together with WHO. 

    “We are at a critical point in the global response to COVID-19 – we need everyone to get involved in this massive effort to keep the world safe,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We are immensely grateful to the UN Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation for coming forward to help us set up this fund. A lot of people and institutions have been saying they want to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus. Now they can.”

    The fund launches with major support already lined up, including from Facebook and Google who have instituted a matching scheme for funds raised through their platforms, while individual donors are also supporting the fund through www.COVID19ResponseFund.org.

    “We can’t ignore the fact that this is a truly global problem – one that requires truly global solutions,” said Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation President and CEO. “The case for global cooperation could not be clearer – communities everywhere are affected, and people want to contribute. This new fund will create space for people everywhere, together, to fight this virus.”

    Funds will go towards actions outlined in the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to enable all countries – particularly those most vulnerable and at-risk, and with the weakest health systems – to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 crisis including rapidly detecting cases, stopping transmission of the virus, and caring for those affected.

    WHO and its partners are seeking financing for protective equipment for frontline health workers; to equip diagnostic laboratories; improve surveillance and data collection; establish and maintain intensive care units; strengthen supply chains; accelerate research and development of vaccines and therapeutics;  and take other critical steps to scale up the public health response to the pandemic.

    The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund is hosted by two foundations, the UN Foundation (registered in the United States) and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation (registered in Switzerland). Both foundations have established relationships with the World Health Organization, allowing for efficient transfer of financial resources to enable COVID-19 response efforts.

    Apart from giving online at www.COVID19ResponseFund.org, the UN Foundation can also receive donations via check or wire from around the world by contacting COVID19Fund@unfoundation.org.  

    All donations made to the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law, where applicable (U.S. and Switzerland). Additionally, Swiss Philanthropy Foundation has partnered with Transnational Giving Europe to extend tax benefit to certain additional European countries where applicable.

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    More:

    COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan

    Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak information

    About the United Nations Foundation

    The UN Foundation brings together the ideas, people, and resources the United Nations needs to drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. Our hallmark is to collaborate for lasting change and innovate to address humanity’s greatest challenges. With an insider’s knowledge and outsider’s flexibility, we stay agile to get things done. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.

     

    WHO, UN Foundation and partners launch first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
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    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/13-03-2020-who-un-foundation-and-partners-launch-first-of-its-kind-covid-19-solidarity-response-fund

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  • Simulating the stars at exascale requires HIP solutions

    Simulating the stars at exascale requires HIP solutions

    As GPU architectures have become the standard for scientific computing, application teams have had to retrofit their scientific codes to run on new systems. Even teams with codes that have been re-engineered for GPUs must continually adapt them for new architectures.

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    https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-simulating-stars-exascale-requires-hip.html

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  • The unmet need for social context in family planning

    The unmet need for social context in family planning

    New evidence on the relationship between sexual health and social context finds a strong association between gender equality, education and family planning

    Twenty-five years ago, two global events – the International Conference on Population and Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing – formally recognized that women’s health and reproductive choices cannot be separated from the social context of their lives.

    Now, researchers have created a dataset which brings together national surveys from 74 countries, representing 3 million women. For the first time, it allows them to describe trends in demand/use of modern contraceptives alongside social and economic indicators.

    The data is published in The Lancet Global Health and is authored by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization.

    It shows that, over time, women are more likely to have their demand for modern contraception met in countries where gender equality and their educational opportunities improve.

    Gender equality and education increases access to modern contraception

    Trends in sexual activity and demand for use and use of modern contraceptive methods in 74 countries: a retrospective analysis of nationally representative surveys finds that met need for modern contraception is strongly correlated with positive shifts in social structures.
    For every 0.1-point increase in a country’s gender development index, it found a 6.7% rise in women who were sexually active and did not want to conceive. Of those women, an additional 13.5% used modern methods to prevent a pregnancy.

    Expectations of every girl’s right to education also made a difference. Each extra year in schooling is linked to an increase of 2.3% in demand, and a 4.7% increase in use of modern contraceptive methods.

    “This study shows how every woman must negotiate her reproductive autonomy within the social framework in which she lives, responding to barriers and opportunities as they emerge,” says Dr Lale Say, one of the authors of the study and Unit Head at WHO and HRP.

    “Gender equality is both a precondition and a driving force for securing women’s reproductive health and rights – as well as the sustainable development targets, which are our best chance for delivering health and well-being for all.”

    Global trends reveal new challenges in family planning

    Overall, the data reinforce global trends: more time spent sexually-active and single, postponement of parenthood, and the near-universal desire for smaller families.

    The study also highlights where action is needed at country-level to avoid family planning services falling behind demand.

    Out of the 74 countries analyzed, 42 showed an increase in demand for contraception. Only 37 countries show an increase in use of a modern method to prevent pregnancy.

    Although unmet need for contraception declined in 34 countries, it increased in 14 countries. Significantly more progress is needed, and faster, to ensure each girl and woman is able to access the sexual and reproductive health services she needs.

    Barriers and solutions to reproductive health and rights

    Gender equality can affect contraceptive use in many ways. From the personal and political degree to which women are free to choose their sexual activity, to accessing family planning services it can also shape any power imbalances within personal relationships. This study supports recent efforts by WHO to adopt a broader, integrated concept of sexual and reproductive health – and to translate it into a framework for policy and practice.

    The authors argue that family planning targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be met without a profound shift: from focus on ‘access to contraception’, to broader aspects of sexual health and social context.

    Since reproductive health and women’s empowerment are intertwined, trends in contraceptive use can also reveal progress towards another global target: progress towards gender equality.

     

    The unmet need for social context in family planning
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    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/10-03-2020-the-unmet-need-for-social-context-in-family-planning

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  • Innovative method improves safety in lithium-sulfur batteries

    Innovative method improves safety in lithium-sulfur batteries

    Researchers from A*STAR’s NanoBio Lab (NBL) have designed a semi-solid electrolyte for lithium-sulfur batteries that improves their safety without compromising their performance. This promising breakthrough paves the way for lithium-sulfur batteries to be used as efficient power solutions across diverse electronic and energy storage applications.

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  • User-customizable computing engine for artificial intelligence tasks

    User-customizable computing engine for artificial intelligence tasks

    Scientists at Osaka University have built a new computing device from field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) that can be customized by the user for maximum efficiency in artificial intelligence applications. Compared with currently used rewireable hardware, the system increases circuit density by a factor of 12. Also, it is expected to reduce energy usage by 80%. This advance may lead to flexible artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that provide enhanced performance while consuming much less electricity.

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  • Data-driven machine learning is the best approach for advanced battery modelling

    Data-driven machine learning is the best approach for advanced battery modelling

    Demand for electrification of transport has emerged in recent years due to increasing concerns about global warming. The widespread adoption of electric vehicles will result in reduced harmful emissions and cleaner air, among other social and economic benefits. The battery industry is in need of software solutions for battery manufacturers to reduce fabrication and development costs while improving key batteries metrics.

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