Monthly Archives: May 2020

Quantum AI in the 2020s and Beyond: What IBM Is Doing – RTInsights

Posted: May 11, 2020 at 11:24 am

The most important investments that IBM is making in quantum AI is to build out its developer and partner ecosystem and to provide them with sophisticated tools, libraries, and cloud services.

Quantum computing promises to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) faster than the speed of light. But first, this futuristic technology must prove its worth as an alternative to more mature, traditional approaches to process data-driven statistical algorithms.

IBM continues to take a leadership position in quantum computing. Among other efforts, it is evangelizing quantum computing to developers of AI, deep learning, and machine learning applications.

Quantum computing might be capable, in its current form, of performing feats that are practically impossible for computers built on traditional von Neumann architectures. However, that has not been proven, and IBM isnt making this claim, often known as quantum supremacy, pertaining to its own quantum R&D efforts.

See also: Corner the Market: How AI and Quantum Computing will Revolutionize the Speed and Scale of Trading

In fact, IBM has taken a practical approach that keeps expectations for the technologys prowess in check. It has also been in the vanguard of debunking claims of this nature by other tech vendors. A recent case in point was Googles claim in fall 2019 that Sycamore, its 53-qubit quantum hardware platform, had completed a calculation in a few minutes that would have taken 10,000 for the worlds most powerful existing supercomputer, IBM Summit.

Googles benchmark didnt fall into any of thecore use casesincluding AI, optimization, simulation, or even cryptographyforwhich quantum computing might some day hold an advantage over classicalarchitectures. The proof of the pudding for AI is whether a computerbuilt on quantum principles can do data-driven algorithmic inferencing fasterthan a classical computer, or optimistically, faster than the fastestsupercomputers currently in existence.

For its own R&D efforts in this field, IBM is merely aiming at the more realistic goal of quantum advantage. This refers to any demonstration that a quantum device can solve a problem faster than a classical computer. Considering the range of commercial activity in this field, the likelihood that quantum architecture will soon show a clear performance advantage for core use casesespecially AIgrows by the day.

In that regard, we should the range of recent quantum productannouncements by IBM and other leading tech vendors all focus on AI use cases:

All of these vendors are building developer ecosystemsaround their various quantum computing platforms.

In January, IBM announced the expansion of Q Network, its 3-year-old quantum developer ecosystem. To encourage the development of practical quantum AI applications, IBM provides Q Network participants with Qiskit; IBM Quantum platform, which provides cloud-based software for developers to access IBM quantum computers anytime; and IBM Quantum Experience, a free, publicly available, and cloud-based environment for team exploration of quantum applications. Many of the workloads being run include AI, as well as real-time simulations of quantum computing architectures.

Another key industry milestone came in March when Google launched TensorFlow Quantum. This new software-only framework extends TensorFlow so that it can work with a wide range of quantum computing platforms, not limited to its own hardware, software, and cloud computing services.

As quantum techniques start to prove their practicality on core AI use cases, they will almost certainly be applied to AIs grand challenges.

At the level of pure computer/data science, AIs grandchallenges include neuromorphic cognitive models, adaptive machine learning,reasoning under uncertainty, representation of complex systems, andcollaborative problem solving.

We expect that quantum AI developers in the ecosystems ofIBM and its rivals will tackle all of these grand challenges using theirrespective quantum AI tools, libraries, and platforms.

The most important grand challenges for quantum AI will have compelling practical applications. Chief among these is trying to mitigate a key risk that quantum technology has itself unleashed on the world: the prospect that it might break public-key cryptography as we know it. Fortunately, IBM and others are making progress on developing quantum-resistant cryptographic schemes.

Though its not clear how much IBM is investing in the R&D needed to combat the technologys more malignant misuses, you best believe that they are deeply enmeshed in some fairly secretive projects in these domains.

Developers are everything to the future of quantum AI. Themost important investments that IBM is making in quantum AI is to build out itsdeveloper and partner ecosystem and to provide them with sophisticated butconsumable tools, libraries, and cloud services.

Among commercial solution providers, IBMs quantum developer ecosystem, Q Network, is the most mature and extensive. Lets hope that sometime this year IBM begins to support TensorFlow Quantum within Q Network and integrates it seamlessly into IBM Quantum Experience.

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Kerry Emanuel, David Sabatini, and Peter Shor receive BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge awards – MIT News

Posted: at 11:24 am

The BBVA Foundation awarded three MIT professors Frontiers of Knowledge Awards for their work in climate change, biology and biomedicine, and quantum computation. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Professor Kerry A. Emanuel, Department of Biology Professor David Sabatini, and Department of Mathematics Professor Peter Shor were recognized in the 12th edition of this annual award.

Kerry Emanuel

Emanuel, the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Atmospheric Science, earned the BBVAs Climate Change award for his fundamental contributions to the understanding of tropical cyclones and how they are affected by climate change, according to the committees citation. By understanding the essential physics of atmospheric convection he has unraveled the behavior of tropical cyclones hurricanes and typhoons as our climate changes. He was also lauded for extraordinary effectiveness in communicating the science of climate change to the public and policymakers.

Emanuel is the co-founder (with Daniel H. Rothman) and co-director of the MIT Lorenz Center, a climate think tank that fosters creative approaches to learning how climate works. He was the first to link greater hurricane intensity to climate change-induced warming of sea surface waters.

It is hard to imagine an area of climate science where one persons leadership is so incontestable, says Bjorn Stevens, BBVA Foundation committee chairman and director of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology.

Hurricanes have long been known as destructive natural events, but the underlying physics of them was still largely unknown. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, after completing degrees at MIT and later joining the EAPS faculty, Emanuel pinned down the mechanisms behind hurricanes. In his research detailing how warming surface oceans fuel storms and increase the intensity, he called them massive, natural machines that convert the heat they extract from the ocean into wind energy.

A changing climate will see more powerful hurricanes. Emanuel warns that this will complicate the already-tough task of making accurate forecasts, and predicts that hurricanes will spread into more regions of the planet.

His models currently predict a 5 percent increase in hurricane intensity (i.e., wind speed) for each 1-degree rise in ocean temperatures. Three degrees of warming would makehurricanes 15 percent more intense, but their destructive potential would actually triple; in other words, with this15percent increasein wind speed, thedamage would increase by around 45 percent, says Emanuel, the author of "Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes" (Oxford Unviersity Press, 2005) and "What We Know about Climate Change" (MIT Press, 2018).

Todays most intense hurricanes may have a wind speed at the surface of 85 meters per second, but by the end of this century, unless we curb greenhouse gas emissions, we could start to see speeds of up to 90-92 meters per second. A hurricanes destructive potential is determined by its wind speed, so in fact, the destructiveness of these storms for human populations would be considerably greater.

Emanuel says that the international community is not doing nearly enough to combat climate change. We need to stop listening to the voices of denial, and instead listen to our own children, who are crying out for us to act.

David Sabatini

Sabatini, an MIT professor of biology and member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, shares his Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine with Michael Hall of the University of Basel, for the discovery of a protein kinase that regulates cellular metabolism and growth.

Their discovery of mTOR is used in the study of a wide array of health conditions, including obesity, aging, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, Alzheimers, and Parkinsons. Research has suggested that 60 percent of cancers have some mechanism for turning on the mTOR pathway, Sabatini says. I could never have imagined the implications of that first discovery.

Sabatini began his PhD thesis on understanding the mechanism of action of rapamycin, a natural anti-fungal agent proved to have immunosuppressive and anti-cancer properties. It is used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.

The two scientists arrived at their findings independently. Hall discovered the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein in yeast cells in 1993 during his time as a senior investigator; Sabatini isolated it in mammals while still a doctoral student, in 1994, and gave it the name mTOR.

In mammalian cells, mTOR which stands for mechanistic target of rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug that inhibits cell growth is the keystone molecule in a pathway that regulates cellular metabolic processes in response to nutrients.

Sabatini explains that mTOR is a switch that turns on in the presence of nutrients, so the body can build material, and when there are no nutrients available it breaks the material down. The on/off switch of the mTOR switch controls a cascade of hundreds of molecular signals, many of which are still unknown to science.

The molecular mechanisms that regulate the growth of organisms and coordinate it with the availability of nutrients were unknown until two decades ago, said the committee.

After the molecule was isolated in yeast and mammals, both researchers began the task of unraveling its multiple organismal functions. Sabatinis lab has since identified most of the components of the mTOR pathway and shown how they contribute to the function of cells and organisms. His discoveries have opened avenues for identifying disease vulnerabilities and treatment targets for diverse conditions notably including key metabolic vulnerabilities in pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells and neurodevelopmental defects. He is currently working to exploit those vulnerabilities as targets for new therapies.

Rapamycin is used as an immunosuppressant to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and as an anti-cancer agent. In the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, it is used as a coating for coronary stents to stop new blockages forming in the bloodstream.

Because mTOR is a nutrient sensor, additional research points to caloric restriction for increasing longevity. TOR was the first known protein that influences longevity in all of the four species that scientists commonly use to study aging: yeast, worms, flies, and mice. We are just scratching the surface of possible mTOR applications, he says. I dont know if it will help us live to be 120, but I think it will have beneficial effects on different physiological systems, and I am practically sure that it will ameliorate aspects of aging-related diseases.

Peter Shor

Shor, the Morss Professor of Applied Mathematics, was recognized in the Basic Sciences category for his role in the development of quantum computation and cryptology. He shares this award with IBM Researchs chemical physicist Charles H. Bennett and University of Montreal computer scientist Gilles Brassard.

The award committeeremarked on the leap forward in quantum technologies, an advance that draws heavily on the new laureates pioneering contributions. The committee stated that their work spans multiple disciplines and brings together concepts from mathematics, physics, and computer science. Their ideas are playing a key role in the development of quantum technologies for communication and computation.

Bennett and Brassard invented quantum cryptography in the 1980s to ensure the physical inviolability of data communications. The importance of this work became apparent 10 years later when Shor discovered that a hypothetical quantum computer would render effectively useless the conventional cryptography systems underpinning the privacy and security of todays internet communications.

Bennett and Brassards BB84 protocol generally acknowledged as the first practical application of the science of quantum information underpins the security of all our internet communications and transactions, and is based on the existence of mathematical problems that computers cannot solve. Until, as the citation states, Shor discovered that quantum computers could factorize integers much faster than any supercomputer, therefore compromising the security of conventional cryptographic schemes.

Says Brassard, The importance of our work became much more evident after Shor destroyed everything else. Shors Algorithm is now one of the quantum algorithms that comprise the fast-developing language to be spoken by tomorrows quantum computers.

Another of Shors contributions is an algorithm used to correct quantum computer errors, an essential requirement for enabling and scaling quantum computations, the committee wrote.

Quantum computers are exposed to a large volume of noise, causing numerous errors. Everyone thought that you couldnt correct errors on quantum computers, recalls Shor, because as soon as you try to measure a quantum system you disturb it. In other words, if you try to measure the error so as to correct it, you disturb it and computation is interrupted. My algorithm showed that you can isolate and fix the error and still preserve the computation.

Quantum cryptography is one of the most advanced branches of quantum technology, which the laureates view as a long-term prospect. It will be five or 10 years before a quantum computer can do anything approaching useful, says Shor. With time, however, he is convinced that these machines will deliver revolutionary applications. For example, in biomedicine, it takes enormous amounts of computer time to simulate the behavior of molecules, he says. But quantum computers could achieve that, and help design new drugs.

The BBVA Foundation promotes knowledge based on research and artistic and cultural creation, and supports activity on the analysis of emerging issues in five strategic areas: environment, biomedicine and health, economy and society, basic sciences and technology, and culture. The Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, spanning eight prize categories, recognize research and creative work of excellence as embedded in theoretical advances, technological developments, or innovative artistic works and styles, as well as fundamental contributions in addressing key challenges of the 21st century.

Since its launch in 2009, the BBVA also has given awards to MITs Susan Solomon for climate change; Marvin Minsky, Adi Shamir,Silvio Micali,Shafi Goldwasser, and Ronald Rivest for information and computer technologies; Stephen Buchwald for basic sciences; Edward Boyden for biology and biomedicine; and Daron Acemoglu for economics.

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Seychelles: paradise in the Outer Islands – BirdGuides

Posted: at 11:22 am

With 13 endemics and a number of iconic tropical species, Seychelles has long been a popular destination for keen birders as well as holidaymakers.

The archipelago itself stretches across more than 1,000 km of the Indian Ocean, with the furthest outpost the Aldabra Group of atolls closer to Madagascar and mainland Africa than they are to Mah, the largest island of the Seychelles and the jumping-off point for almost all its resorts.

The Outer Islands are seldom visited by birders. One such atoll or rather, collection of atolls is the Cosmoledo Group. Cosmoledo was inhabited as a fishing and turtling station until 1992 when it was abandoned, leaving behind the inevitable rats and cats. In recent years, successful efforts to remove the introduced fauna have returned these otherwise-unspoilt atolls to their natural state and the birdlife is thriving as a result. Until recently the only visitors here were the occasional cruise ship or group of researchers, but a newBlue Safari group eco-lodge has provided an opportunity to experience this pristine ecosystem. From Mah it is the small matter of a two-leg, two-and-a-half-hour flight and a 90-minute boat journey to reach Cosmoledo.There's no land transport here or any real tracks to get around the island, which is just 3 km in length, adding to the feeling of being somewhere truly wild and remote.

Cosmoledo is both remote and bustling with spectacular tropical wildlife. What's more, the light conditions "were like nothing I've seen before", according to Kit.

Cosmoledo is home to just a handful of landbirds; the most conspicuous of which are Madagascan Cisticola, Malagasy Turtle Dove and Souimanga Sunbird, the last of which is also found in Madagascar. The sunbirds on Cosmoledo Atoll and nearby Astove Island are quite distinct in appearance from those on mainland Madagascar, and are sometimes considered to be a separate species (Abbott's Sunbird). These species are remarkably numerous across the Cosmoledo Group, but it is unusual to encounter any other landbirds. A Broad-billed Roller I stumbled across one afternoon was a real surprise!

The local abbotti subspecies ofSouimanga Sunbirdis a good candidate for being elevated to full species status (Kit Day).

Seabirds are a different matter, with upwards of 1 million pairs of Sooty Terns carpeting the sparsely vegetated surface of Grand le during the south-east monsoon season from May to September. On my visit in late November only a few Sooties were seen on the boat crossing, along with both Brown and Lesser Noddies and streams of boobies commuting between feeding areas and their breeding colonies on Cosmoledo. Red-footed is the most numerous, with an estimated 15,000 pairs favouring le du Sud-Ouest.

There is accommodation here for a maximum of 16 guests in eight remarkably well-equipped and comfortable converted shipping containers, each placed a matter of metres from the beach on Grand le. The bushes around the lodge buildings hold the ubiquitous Madagascar Cisticolas and Souimanga Sunbirds, with both species also paying regular visits to the interior of the large tent which serves as a reception, lounge and restaurant area, where superb meals are served.A few pairs of the iconic White Tern, referred to locally by the evocative name of Fairy Tern, could also be found canoodling just outside the rooms. This species was previously considered to be an annual visitor to Cosmoledo, but now appears to be breeding in small numbers.

White Ternis one of tropics' truly iconic birds (Kit Day).

An exploration of the island revealed scattered colonies of handsome Masked Boobies, many with large chicks. The ominous shapes of Great Frigatebirds constantly swirl overhead, waiting for a booby to return from a feeding trip. Any such birds are immediately targeted by teams of frigatebirds, chasing them down, harrying and snapping at them until they're forced to cough up some fish in exchange for a bit of peace and quiet.

Masked Boobieswere constantly given a hard time by the local Great Frigatebirds, creating an entertaining all-day spectacle(Kit Day).

Red-tailed Tropicbirds drifted past serenely, keeping well clear of the booby vs frigatebird melee. The majority of the local tropicbirds breed on le du Sud-Ouest, but a squawk from beneath a bush on Grand le alerted me to a bird on a nest there, too.

The beaches host numerous visiting waders and terns, the undisputed highlight of which is a large flock of the bizarre Crab-plover. I spent a whole evening secluded in the vegetation at the top of the beach as a group of roosting Crab-plovers was gradually brought closer by the rising tide, providing stunning views.

One of the highlights of the trip was the chance for excellent views of the outstandingCrab-plover(Kit Day).

The lodge is open to tourists from November to April to avoid disturbance to the nesting Sooty Terns; during the rest of the year accommodation is offered to the Islands Conservation Society (ICS) to monitor and carry out research on bird and marine life.

The partnership between Blue Safari, ICS and the Island Development Company (IDC) is strongly in evidence on the island of Alphonse, some 600 km to the north-east of Cosmoledo. This is the headquarters of Blue Safari operations, with accommodation for around 100 guests, but it's still perfectly possible to find a bird-filled patch of beach all to yourself on a stroll around the island's 6-km coastline. The IDC and ICS have resident staff on Alphonse to conduct research and conservation programmes, lead diving and snorkelling activities and guide nature walks. In the evenings there are frequent presentations about aspects of local wildlife and conservation work. These organisations and other partners have formed the Alphonse Foundation, working together to preserve the environment alongside ecotourism.

A lot of thought has gone into ensuring the impact on wildlife is minimised as far as possible, a good example being the use of turtle-friendly light bulbs around the cabins in conjunction with the intentional placement of thick vegetation to block out the light and avoid attracting young turtles away from the sea. Fishing is one of the most popular pursuits among guests to both Cosmoledo and Alphonse, but all fish that are caught are returned. An allotment on the island contributes fresh fruit and vegetables to the excellent meals served up to guests.

Where there are Crab-plovers, there are crabs ... the spectacular and photogenic Horned Ghost Crabs proved a constant source of amusement on the beaches of Cosmoledo (Kit Day).

The Alphonse group includes the nearby islands of Bijoutier and St Franois. The latter is the destination for frequent excursions from Alphonse and hosts breeding Black-naped and White Terns, a large flock of Crab-plover and vast numbers of roosting Red-footed Boobies, with plenty of frigatebirds loafing around as a result. All these species can also be seen around Alphonse itself, as can Saunders's and Greater Crested Terns.

Black-naped Ternis a beautiful and common bird throughout the Seychelles(Kit Day).

The sky above Alphonse is full of frigatebirds and both Brown and Lesser Noddies, while a touch of extra class is supplied by a few pairs of White-tailed Tropicbirds. Alphonse is also home to an introduced population of Aldabra Giant Tortoises, which can often be seen crawling around on the grass by the tracks that criss-cross the island. The young tortoises require protection from the remarkably large resident population of Grey Herons, as well as a small number of feral cats, so they are housed in secure accommodation until they are too large to be threatened by predators.

Alphonse hosts a population of introduced Aldabra Giant Tortoises, which make for a quirky sight when seen alongside familiar wintering waders, such as Ruddy Turnstone (Kit Day).

There are signs that the battle against the cats and non-native rats is being won, as a small colony of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters has recently been discovered on Alphonse. A nocturnal visit to experience the eerie calls of these birds was one of the highlights of my Seychelles trip. The ultimate goal of the Alphonse Foundation is to rid the island of these non-native pests, but the dense forest carpeting much of the island makes this a difficult and costly exercise.

Being an island, there's always the chance of something unusual turning up. Sightings on my visit included the first Grey-tailed Tattler and White-winged Tern for Alphonse, with a supporting cast of Yellow Wagtail (ninth record), Common Swift (seventh) and a brief glimpse of a cuckoo species (either the fifth Common or the third Lesser recorded on the island).

Other familiar species in this unfamiliar setting include Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel and Curlew Sandpiper, all feeding happily in the gardens and on the forest tracks. A turnstone eating away busily alongside a hulking Giant Tortoise is one of the more bizarre sights that can be frequently encountered on Alphonse!

Many visitors to the tropics come for the wildlife underneath the waves and the Outer Islands of the Seychelles excel in this department. Green and Hawksbill Turtles are easily seen paddling in the shallows off the numerous pristine white sandy beaches of Cosmoledo in particular, while on my visit to St Franois we also saw Lemon Shark and the confusingly named Spotted Eagle Ray. The coral reef ecosystems here appear to be in remarkably good health, and when combined with the abundant birdlife overhead and Giant Tortoises on the land, the title of the 'Galpagos of the Indian Ocean' seems entirely fitting!

There is a real sereneness to Alphonse, and intensive conservation work isrestoring the island's wildlife to its full glory (Kit Day).

Kit visited Cosmoledo and Alphonse in the Seychelles courtesy of Blue Safari:www.bluesafari.com/en

For more information regarding the Seychelles, please visitwww.seychelles.travelor emailseychelles@uksto.co.uk.

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Conservation in crisis: ecotourism collapse threatens communities and wildlife – The Guardian

Posted: at 11:22 am

From the vast plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya to the delicate corals of the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelles, conservation work to protect some of the worlds most important ecosystems is facing crisis following a collapse in ecotourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisations that depend on visitors to fund projects for critically endangered species and rare habitats could be forced to close, according to wildlife NGOs, after border closures and worldwide travel restrictions abruptly halted millions of pounds of income from tourism.

Throughout the pandemic, scientists have repeatedly urged humanity to reset its relationship with nature or suffer worse outbreaks. But the economic consequences of the Covid-19 lockdown have raised fears of a surge in poaching, illegal fishing and deforestation in life-sustaining ecosystems, with tens of thousands of jobs in the ecotourism sector at risk around the world.

Its right that the global focus now is on protecting human lives in this devastating pandemic. However, in the places we work, we are already witnessing its economic impact, particularly in areas where communities rely heavily on ecotourism for their livelihoods, said Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at WWF UK.

In Cambodia, three critically endangered giant ibis were killed for meat in early April following the collapse of the local tourism industry, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. In central Africa, measures to shield mountain gorillas from the virus have resulted in a slump in vital visitor revenue. Twelve rangers who guarded Virunga national park, where the gorillas live, were killed in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last month.

It could be years before these places can fully recover, increasing the risk that people come to rely on other activities to make a living, putting unsustainable pressure on natural resources, Bartlett said. Additionally it is currently much harder to monitor land grabbing and illegal poaching.

While the poaching of rhinos, big cats and critically endangered species has continued during lockdown, a recent Wildlife Justice Commission report found the illegal wildlife trade had been severely disrupted by movement and travel restrictions.

But conservationists fear an explosion of illegal hunting if organisations are forced to lay off wildlife rangers and suspend surveillance programmes. Black rhinos in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, have been evacuated after at least six were killed by poachers in March.

Dickson Kaelo, chief executive officer at Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, said all bookings for this years key activities such as the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara had been cancelled, prompting difficult choices about staff in Kenyas conservancies.

While elephant poaching may not escalate owing to the current suppression of international travel and negative sentiments against animal products in south-east Asia, demand for bushmeat will go up if there is nobody to monitor activities within the conservancies, he said.

Poaching for bushmeat already existed on a small scale even before the coronavirus outbreak. With more Kenyans out of work, bushmeat will be more appealing than meat sold by the licensed butcher. If the rangers have no salaries, how will they effectively monitor human activities in and out of the conservancies?

Wildlife conservation in Kenya had already suffered a series of setbacks following a devastating locust invasion and a viral outbreak among livestock in the the Greater Mara conservation area. Kaelo said coronavirus will compound the effects on community-led wildlife conservation.

Members of these communities may lose faith in wildlife conservation if there is no money forthcoming. In addition, people who live around these wildlife havens and looked forward to selling artefacts to tourists may resort to other income-generating activities such as farming, fuelling the never-ending human-wildlife conflicts as animals invade and destroy their new farms, he said.

In Colombia, the big cat conservation organisation Panthera has recorded a spike in big cat poaching, with two jaguars, an ocelot and a puma killed in recent weeks. The organisation has experienced delays in funding during the pandemic.

While rangers are forced to stay at home, Dr Esteban Payn, director of the jaguar programme in the region, said he was concerned about illegal land grabbing and intentional wildfires.

My worst fear post-pandemic is that once we go out, were going to find hectares and hectares of fenced-out new farmland where you dont know who they are or what is happening. Theres rampant deforestation in Colombia right now in the Amazon.

That worries me more than increased poaching. Why? Because of the scale, size and speed of deforestation and fires. That just destroys the habitat. And with the habitat, there go the jaguars. You might not see a bloody animal on the ground with a bullet in it but its worse because theyre either homeless and burned, burned alive or they dont have any prey.

Global Fishing Watch has recorded a substantial drop in fishing around the world, with fishing hours down nearly 10% from 11 March to the end of April compared with the past two years. But the drop in ecotourism has affected conservation of the worlds most precious marine ecosystems.

Dr Fanny Douvere, Unescos marine programme coordinator for 50 world heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Galpagos Islands and the West Norwegian Fjords, warned of the consequences of the downturn.

We need to be particularly worried about those sites that are heavily dependent on tourism revenues to finance some of their operations. In the Seychelles, for example, Aldabra atoll is not sure how its going to continue with its monitoring because its entirely financed by revenues from tourism, she said.

As soon as tourism revenues fall apart, a lot of sites cannot continue their conservation, or at least part of it.

Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features

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Cabinet Business – Wednesday 06th May 2020 – News – Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Posted: at 11:22 am

06 May 2020 | Cabinet Business

President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 6thMay at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.

Cabinet was updated on the development and implementation of the Sectoral Guidelines for Workplaces to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19.

Cabinet was briefed on the plan for resumption of SPTC bus services in line with the new normal. Cabinet was also briefed on the preparation for the re-opening of schools.

Cabinet was informed of STCs strategy to mitigate the impact of the rising foreign exchange costs on its operations.

Cabinet approved amendments to the part rental assistance policy in order to address the impact of COVID - 19 on citizens. Cabinet also approved an increase in the one-off assistance paid under social welfare assistance.

Cabinet approved amendments to the Customs Management (Tariff and Classification of Goods) Regulations, 2018 for the creation of a new National Split to cater for the disposable face masks used for medical purposes.

Cabinet approved for the publication of the expiration of the Specified Period under the Employment (Special Leave) (Corona virus Temporary Measures) Regulations, 2020.

Cabinet was also apprised of the status of non-Seychellois employment in Seychelles.

Cabinet approved the Seychelles Spatial Data Sharing Policy.

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How to overcome AI and machine learning adoption barriers – Gigabit Magazine – Technology News, Magazine and Website

Posted: at 11:22 am

Matt Newton, Senior Portfolio Marketing Manager at AVEVA, on how to overcome adoption barriers for AI and machine learning in the manufacturing industry

There has been a considerable amount of hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies in the last five or so years.

So much so that AI has become somewhat of a buzzword full of ideas and promise, but something that is quite tricky to execute in practice.

At present, this means that the challenge we run into with AI and ML is a healthy dose of scepticism.

For example, weve seen several large companies adopt these capabilities, often announcing they intend to revolutionize operations and output with such technologies but then failing to deliver.

In turn, the ongoing evolution and adoption of these technologies is consequently knocked back. With so many potential applications for AI and ML it can be daunting to identify opportunities for technology adoption that can demonstrate real and quantifiable return on investment.

Many industries have effectively reached a sticking point in their adoption of AI and ML technologies.

Typically, this has been driven by unproven start-up companies delivering some type of open source technology and placing a flashy exterior around it, and then relying on a customer to act as a development partner for it.

However, this is the primary problem customers are not looking for prototype and unproven software to run their industrial operations.

Instead of offering a revolutionary digital experience, many companies are continuing to fuel their initial scepticism of AI and ML by providing poorly planned pilot projects that often land the company in a stalled position of pilot purgatory, continuous feature creep and a regular rollout of new beta versions of software.

This practice of the never ending pilot project is driving a reluctance for customers to then engage further with innovative companies who are truly driving digital transformation in their sector with proven AI and ML technology.

A way to overcome these challenges is to demonstrate proof points to the customer. This means showing how AI and ML technologies are real and are exactly like wed imagine them to be.

Naturally, some companies have better adopted AI and ML than others, but since much of this technology is so new, many are still struggling to identify when and where to apply it.

For example, many are keen to use AI to track customer interests and needs.

In fact, even greater value can be discovered when applying AI in the form of predictive asset analytics on pieces of industrial process control and manufacturing equipment.

AI and ML can provide detailed, real-time insights on machinery operations, exposing new insights that humans cannot necessarily spot. Insights that can drive huge impact on businesses bottom line.

AI and ML is becoming incredibly popular in manufacturing industries, with advanced operations analysis often being driven by AI. Many are taking these technologies and applying it to their operating experiences to see where economic savings can be made.

All organisations want to save money where they can and with AI making this possible.

These same organisations are usually keen to invest in further digital technologies. Successfully implementing an AI or ML technology can significantly reduce OPEX and further fuel the digital transformation of an overall enterprise.

Understandably, we are seeing the value of AI and ML best demonstrated in the manufacturing sector in both process and batch automation.

For example, using AI to figure out how to optimize the process to achieve higher production yields and improve production quality. In the food and beverage sectors, AI is being used to monitor production line oven temperatures, flagging anomalies - including moisture, stack height and color - in a continually optimised process to reach the coveted golden batch.

The other side of this is to use predictive maintenance to monitor the behaviour of equipment and improve operational safety and asset reliability.

A combination of both AI and ML is fused together to create predictive and prescriptive maintenance. Where AI is used to spot anomalies in the behavior of assets and recommended solution is prescribed to remediate potential equipment failure.

Predictive and Prescriptive maintenance assist with reducing pressure on O&M costs, improving safety, and reducing unplanned shutdowns.

Both AI, machine learning and predictive maintenance technologies are enabling new connections to be made within the production line, offering new insights and suggestions for future operations.

Now is the time for organisations to realise that this adoption and innovation is offering new clarity on the relationship between different elements of the production cycle - paving the way for new methods to create better products at both faster speeds and lower costs.

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Genomics and Machine Learning for In Vitro Sensitization Testing of Challenging Chemicals, Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Xtalks – PR Web

Posted: at 11:22 am

Xtalks Life Science Webinars

TORONTO (PRWEB) May 11, 2020

Predictive toxicology is a discipline that aims to proactively identify adverse human health and environmental effects in response to chemical exposure. GARD Genomic Allergen Rapid Detection is a next-generation, animal-free testing strategy framework for assessment and characterization of chemical sensitizers. The GARD platform integrates state-of-the-art technological components, including utilization of cell cultures of human immunological cells, omics-based evaluation of transcriptional patterns of endpoint-specific genomic biomarker signatures and machine learning-assisted classification-models.

To this end, the GARD platform provides accurate, cost effective and efficient assessment of skin and respiratory sensitizing capabilities of neat chemicals, complex formulations, mixtures and solid materials. GARD assays are successfully applied throughout the value chain of chemical and life science industries, including safety-based screening of candidates during preclinical research and development, monitoring of protocol changes and batch variations, monitoring of occupational health and for registration and regulatory approval.

This webinar will introduce the developmental phases of the GARD assays and discuss the technological origins of the observed high predictive performance, how the assays help industries overcome their specific challenges in safety testing in a broad applicability domain, and illustrate how GARD assays facilitate efficient decision-making in compliance with the principles of the 3Rs.

Join Andy Forreryd, PhD, SenzaGen AB and Henrik Johansson, PhD, Chief Scientist, SenzaGen AB in a live webinar on Wednesday, May 26, 2020 at 10am EDT (3pm BST/UK).

For more information or to register for this event, visit Genomics and Machine Learning for In Vitro Sensitization Testing of Challenging Chemicals.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.comFor information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/

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Another deep learning processor appears in the ring: Grayskull from Tenstorrent – Electronics Weekly

Posted: at 11:22 am

It describes the technology behind the processor as: The first conditional execution architecture for artificial intelligence facilitating scalable deep learning. Tenstorrent has taken an approach that dynamically eliminates unnecessary computation, thus breaking the direct link between model size growth and compute/memory bandwidth requirements.

Conditional computation?

Conditional computation enables adaptation to both inference and training of a model to the exact input that was presented, like adjusting NLP model computations to the exact length of the text presented, and dynamically pruning portions of the model based on input characteristics, is how the company describes it.

Grayskull integrates 120 Tensix proprietary cores with 120Mbyte of local SRAM. It has eight channels of LPDDR4 for supporting up to 16Gbyte of external DRAM and 16 lanes of PCI-E Gen 4.

The Tensix cores have a packet processor, a programmable SIMD and maths computation block, five single-issue RISC cores and 1Mbyte of ram.

Associated software model

The array of Tensix cores is stitched together with a double 2D torus network-on-chip, which facilitates multi-cast flexibility, along with minimal software burden for scheduling coarse-grain data transfers, according to the company.At the chip thermal design power required for a 75W bus-powered PCIE card, Grayskull achieves 368Tops and up to 23,345 sentence/second using BERT-Base for the SQuAD 1.1 data set.

According to the Tenstorrent:

For artificial intelligence to reach the next level, machines need to go beyond pattern recognition and into cause-and-effect learning. Such machine learning models require computing infrastructure that allows them to continue growing by orders of magnitude for years to come. Machine learning computers can achieve this goal in two ways: by weakening the dependence between model size and raw compute power, through features like conditional execution and dynamic sparsity handling, and by facilitating compute scalability at hitherto unrivalled levels. Rapid changes in Machine learning models further require flexibility and programmability.

Claimed Grayskull benchmarks

Grayskull is aimed at inferencing in data centres, public cloud servers, private cloud servers, on-premises servers, edge servers and automotive.

Samples are said to be with partners, with the processor ready for production this autumn.

The Tenstorrent website is here

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2020 Trending Report on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Market | Global Industry Size, In-Depth Qualitative Insights, Explosive Growth…

Posted: at 11:22 am

2020 Trending Report on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Market | Global Industry Size, In-Depth Qualitative Insights, Explosive Growth Opportunity, Regional Analysis

The key manufacturers covered in this report are: Microsoft Corporation,SAP SE,Sas Institute Inc.,Amazon Web Services, Inc.,Bigml, Inc.,Google Inc.,Fair Isaac Corporation,Baidu, Inc.,Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development Lp,Inte

This report studies the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market by product type and applications/end industries.

Reasons for Buying this Report

This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics

It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow

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It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments

Get a sample copy of the report at https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/sample-request/machine-learning-and-location-data-applications-market?utm_source=3w&utm_medium=6

The report can answer the following questions:

What is the global (North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, China, Japan) production, production value, consumption, consumption value, import and export of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications?

Who are the global key manufacturers of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications industry? How are their operating situation (capacity, production, price, cost, gross and revenue)?

What are the types and applications of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications? What is the market share of each type and application?

What are the upstream raw materials and manufacturing equipment of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications? What is the manufacturing process of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications?

Economic impact on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications industry and development trend of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications industry.

What will the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market size and the growth rate be in 2024?

What are the key factors driving the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications industry?

What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market?

What are the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market challenges to market growth?

What are the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market?

It takes into account the CAGR, value, volume, revenue, production, consumption, sales, manufacturing cost, prices, and other key factors related to the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market. All findings and data on the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market provided in the report are calculated, gathered, and verified using advanced and reliable primary and secondary research sources. The regional analysis offered in the report will help you to identify key opportunities of the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market available in different regions and countries.

The Global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications 2020 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.

Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.

In addition to this, regional analysis is conducted to identify the leading region and calculate its share in the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications. Various factors positively impacting the growth of the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications in the leading region are also discussed in the report. The global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications is also segmented on the basis of types, end users, geography and other segments.

Our new sample is updated which correspond in new report showing impact of COVID-19 on Industry

Objective of Studies:

To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market.

To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porte five force analysis etc.

To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Rest of the World.

To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective.

To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by application, product type and sub-segments.

To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.

To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications market.

Get Complete Report @ https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/sample-request/machine-learning-and-location-data-applications-market?utm_source=3w&utm_medium=6

Table of Content:

1 Industry Overview of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications

2 Global Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Quarterly Market Size Analysis

3 Quarterly Competitive Assessment, 2020

4 Impact of Covid-19 on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Segments, By Type

5 Impact of Covid-19 on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Segments, By Application

6 Geographic Analysis

7 Company Profiles

8 Supply Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

9 Development Trend of Analysis of Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Market

9 Key Findings

10 Appendix

About us

Market research is the new buzzword in the market, which helps in understanding the market potential of any product in the market. This helps in understanding the market players and the growth forecast of the products and so the company. This is where market research companies come into the picture. Reports And Markets is not just another company in this domain but is a part of a veteran group called Algoro Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. It offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for a wide range of sectors both for the government and private agencies all across the world.

Sanjay Jain

Manager Partner Relations & International Marketing

http://www.reportsandmarkets.com

Ph: +1-352-353-0818 (US)

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2020 Trending Report on Machine Learning and Location Data Applications Market | Global Industry Size, In-Depth Qualitative Insights, Explosive Growth...

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Karl-Anthony Towns shares message from mom on Mother’s Day after losing her to coronavirus – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 11:20 am

Going through his first Mothers Day since losing his mother to the coronavirus, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns used the occasion to provide a glimpse into their relationship.

[ Coronavirus: How the sports world is responding to the pandemic ]

Towns shared a heartfelt message he received from his mother, Jacqueline Towns, last Christmas on Instagram.

It seemed like I closed my eyes for just a moment and suddenly a man stood where a boy used to be, Jacqueline Towns wrote. I [may] not carry you in my arms anymore but I always carry you in my heart. You are the sweetest present life has ever given me.

Jacqueline Towns died last month after an extended battle with COVID-19 that landed her in a coma. Towns has been open with his familys experience with the virus in order to raise awareness of the threat it poses to the public.

This disease is real. This disease needs not to be taken lightly. Please protect your families, your loved ones, your friends, yourself, Towns said in the Instagram post disclosing his mothers diagnosis.

Jacqueline Towns with Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016. Jacqueline died due to complications from COVID-19 in April. (Photo by Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

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