Tile Redinow offers Redi Trench, an incredibly exciting marriage of design and function for the commercial construction sector, in particular for the hospitality industry.

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI – November 6, 2013 – International Dehydrated Foods, Inc. (IDF™),

a global leader in IDF® poultry ingredients, is continuing to bring chicken to the forefront of the

industry through innovative health and wellness applications that the company will feature at

SupplySide West.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00pm
Location: Industrial and Operations Engineering Building
Organized By: Industrial & Operations Engineering

About the speaker: Courtney Paquette is an assistant professor at McGill University and a CIFAR Canada AI chair, MILA. She was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship in Computer Science in 2024. Paquette’s research broadly focuses on designing and analyzing algorithms for large-scale optimization problems, motivated by applications in data science. She is also interested in scaling limits of stochastic learning algorithms. She received her PhD from the mathematics department at the University of Washington (2017), held postdoctoral positions at Lehigh University (2017-2018) and the University of Waterloo (NSF postdoctoral fellowship, 2018-2019), and works 20% as a research scientist at Google DeepMind, Montreal.


Abstract: Given the massive scale of modern ML models, we now only get a single shot to train them effectively. This restricts our ability to test multiple architectures and hyper-parameter configurations. Instead, we need to understand how these models scale, allowing us to experiment with smaller problems and then apply those insights to larger-scale models. In this talk, I will present a framework for analyzing scaling laws in stochastic learning algorithms using a power-law random features model, leveraging high-dimensional probability and random matrix theory. I will then use this scaling law to address the compute-optimal question: How should we choose model size and hyper-parameters to achieve the best possible performance in the most compute-efficient manner?

Please remember to put your subjects name with the last name first and provide a link in your application to their profile at imdb.com. Upcoming Actors No applications have been received since the last update.

My high-achieving high school senior was too overwhelmed to work on her college applications. I developed a plan to get her college-ready.

Arun Gopalakrishna emphasizes that effective SEO demands a holistic, adaptive approach. As search engines and user behaviors change, staying proactive is essential.

Two-and-a-half months ago Einar Vollset and I announced TinySeed, the first startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers. The response was overwhelming. Hundreds and hundreds of tweets, re-tweets, likes, Hacker News upvotes, email responses…it was immediately obvious that there is pent up demand for this kind of alternative early-stage startup funding. Previously On..TinySeed To catch you up, here’s a briefRead More →

The post TinySeed Applications Open January 18th first appeared on Rob Walling - Serial Entrepreneur.

DHL Supply Chain has launched a significant project in the field of generative AI with the support of Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

After the sudden demonetization move from the government, a nearby working ATM is probably a top concern in minds of most people right now.

The Gaffney House, a historic property on River Road at 4515 Upper River Road that features the designs of famous Louisville architect James J. Gaffney, has been renovated and restored as of 2023. The house is now listed for short-term rentals, hourly rentals, weddings, corporate retreats, and boat or boat slip rentals.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 05, 2024 ) An Aerostat Systems Market is an aircraft lighter than air that achieves lift with the help of a buoyant gas. Aerostat systems consist of unpowered balloons as well as powered airships. A balloon can fly freely or be anchored. Request For Free Sample Report...

Published at LXer: AAEON SRG-CM4 is an IoT gateway based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) with 1GB to 8GB of RAM and 8GB to 32GB of eMMC storage, all powered by the Broadcom BCM2711...

For the past several months I’ve been co-writing a book that was recently published by O’Reilly. Called Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence: A Practical Guide to Building Enterprise Applications, the book is currently offered by IBM as a free download. Written with Josh Zheng to introduce developers and technical managers to using artificial intelligence when […]

The post Getting Started with Artificial Intelligence: A Practical Guide to Building Applications in the Enterprise first appeared on Tom Markiewicz.

Fully updated to reflect modern developments in the field, the Fifth Edition of An Introduction to Optimization fills the need for an accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to optimization theory and methods, featuring innovative coverage and a straightforward approach. The book begins with a review of basic definitions and notations while also providing the related fundamental background of linear algebra, geometry, and calculus. With this foundation, the authors explore the essential topics of unconstrained optimization problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear constrained optimization. In addition, the book includes an introduction to artificial neural networks, convex optimization, multi-objective optimization, and applications of optimization in… [Continue Reading]

This research explores vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) and their extensive applications, such as enhancing traffic efficiency, infotainment, and passenger safety. Despite significant study, widespread deployment of VANETs has been hindered by security and privacy concerns. Challenges in implementation, including scalability, flexibility, poor connection, and insufficient intelligence, have further complicated VANETs. This study proposes leveraging cloud computing to address these challenges, marking a paradigm shift. Cloud computing, recognised for its cost-efficiency and virtualisation, is integrated with VANETs. The paper details the nomenclature, architecture, models, services, applications, and challenges of VANET-based cloud computing. Three architectures for VANET clouds - vehicular clouds (VCs), vehicles utilising clouds (VuCs), and hybrid vehicular clouds (HVCs) - are discussed in detail. The research provides an overview, delves into related work, and explores VANET cloud computing's architectural frameworks, models, and cloud services. It concludes with insights into future work and a comprehensive conclusion.

Aim/Purpose: This study explores the subject structure, social networks, research trends, and issues in the domain that have the potential to derive an overview of the development of virtual reality-based learning media in vocational education. Background: Notwithstanding the increasingly growing interest in the application of virtual reality in vocational learning, the existing research literature may still leave out some issues necessary for a comprehensive understanding. This study will point out such areas that need more exploration and a more comprehensive synthesis of the literature by conducting a bibliometric analysis. It will be interesting to keep track of the changing concepts and methodologies applied in the development of VR-based learning media in vocational education research. Methodology: This review was carried out using bibliometric methodology, which can highlight patterns of publication and research activity in this hitherto little studied area. The results of the study have the potential to lead to evidence-based priority in VR development, which will tailor work for vocational contexts and set the compass against the growing worldwide interest in this area. The study provides a descriptive analysis of publications, citations, and keyword data for 100 documents published between the years 2013 and 2022 from the Scopus database, which is conducted to illustrate the trends in the field. Contribution: This study also counts as a contribution to understanding the research hotspots of VR-based learning media in vocational education. Through bibliometric analysis, this study thoroughly summarized the relevant research and literature laying a knowledge foundation for researchers and policy makers. Additionally, this analysis identified knowledge gaps, recent trends, and directions for future research. Findings: The bibliometric analysis revealed the following key findings: 1. A growing publication trajectory, with output increasing from 7 articles in 2013 to 25 articles in 2022. 2. The United States led the contributions, followed by China, and Germany. 3. The most prominent authors are affiliated with American medical institutions. 4. Lecture proceedings include familiar sources that reflect this nascent domain. 5. Citation analysis identified highly influential work and researchers. 6. Keyword analysis exposed technology-oriented topics rather than learning-oriented terms. These findings present an emerging landscape with opportunities to address geographic and pedagogical research gaps. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study will be beneficial for designers and developers of VR-based learning programs because it aligns with the most discussed and influential VR technologies within the literature. Such an alignment of an approach with relevant research trends and focus can indeed be very useful for the effective application and use of VR-based learning media for quality improvements in vocational students' learning. Recommendation for Researchers: In fact, in this bibliometric review of VR integration within vocational classrooms, a future call for focused research is presented, especially on teaching methods, course design, and learning impact. This is a framework that seeks to establish its full potential with effective and integrated use of VR in the various vocational curricula and settings of learners. Impact on Society: From the findings of the bibliometric analysis, it is evident that virtual reality technologies (VR) have significantly led to transformation within educational media. There is no denying that the growing interest and investment in the integration of virtual reality into vocational education has been well manifested in the substantive increase in publications in the last decade. This shows what the innovation driving factor is in the United States. At the same time the rapid contributions from China signal worldwide recognition of the potential of VR to improve technical skills training. This study points the way for more research to bridge critical gaps, specifically how VR tools can be used in vocational high school classrooms. Furthermore, research should be aligned to meet specific needs of vocational learners and even promote international cross-border partnerships, pointing out the potential of virtual reality to be a universally beneficial tool in vocational education. The examination of highly cited articles provides evidence of the potential of VR to be an impactful pedagogical tool in vocational education. The findings suggest that researchers need to move forward looking at the trajectory of VR in vocational education and how promising it is in defining the future for innovative and effective learning methodologies. Future Research: This study is an exceptionally valuable contribution, a true landmark in the field of dynamic development, and one that denotes very meaningful implications for the future course of research in the dynamically developing field of bibliometric analysis of VR-based learning media for vocational education. The increase in the number of publications emanates from growing interests in the application of virtual reality (VR) technologies in vocational education. The high concentration of authorship from the USA, along with the ever increasing contributions from China, spotlights the increasing worldwide recognition of the impact of immersive technologies in the enhancement of training in technical skills. These are emerging trends that call for research to exemplify the diverse views and global teamwork opportunities presented by VR technologies. The study also highlights critical areas that need focused attention in future research endeavors. The fact that the embedding of VR tools into classrooms in vocational high schools has been poorly researched points to the major gap in pedagogical research within authentic educational settings. Therefore, further investigations should evaluate teaching methods in VR, lesson designs, and the impacts of VR in specific vocational trades. This supports the need for learner-centered frameworks that are tailor-made to the needs of vocational learners. This calls for more direct and focused investigations into identified research gaps noting a growing dominance in the field of health-related research with the most cited articles in this field, to integrate virtual reality into additional vocational education contexts. In this way, the gaps present an opportunity for researchers to make significant contributions to the development of interventions responsive to the unique needs of vocational learners; this will contribute to strengthening the evidence base for the worldwide implementation of VR within vocational education systems. This was recommended as the intention of such a bibliometric analysis: supporting the potential of VR as a pedagogical tool in vocational contexts and providing grounding for a strong and focused future research agenda within this burgeoning area of educational technology.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to explore the use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) by lay users in Kuwait. Specifically, it seeks to: (i) identify and highlight the impact of factors that contribute to their use of mHealth apps and (ii) validate a model of these users’ usage of mHealth apps. Background: The advancement of information technologies has paved the way for efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare sectors in developed countries. Kuwait has attempted to revolutionise healthcare systems through mobile applications of information technology solutions to educate users on better methods of receiving customised health services. However, end-user usage of mHealth apps remains in the infancy in developing countries, including Kuwait. Lay users are often vulnerable and frequently overlooked by researchers and health technology providers. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 225 lay users of mHealth apps in Kuwait using an online questionnaire to achieve the study objectives. A purposive sampling method utilising convenience and snowballing sampling techniques was used in which all the respondents were lay users. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses were employed to analyse the collected data. Contribution: The study contributes to the extant literature on health informatics and mHealth by providing a comprehensive understanding of how technological, social, and functional factors are related to mHealth apps in the context of developing countries. It identifies key drivers of mHealth app use, suggests expanding the TAM model, and facilitates comparisons with developed countries, addressing gaps in mHealth research. Findings: Four factors (i.e., perceived trust (PT), perceived ease of use (PEU) and behaviour control (PBC), perceived usefulness (PU), and subjective norms (SN)) were identified that influence the use of mHealth apps. These four identified factors also contributed to lay users’ use of these mHealth apps. Among these four factors, perceived trust (PT) was the main contributor to lay users’ use of these mHealth apps. Recommendations for Practitioners: Based on the empirical results, this study provides feasible recommendations for the government, healthcare providers, and developers of mHealth apps. The findings urge developers to enhance app functionality by prioritising privacy and security to build user trust while outlining guidelines for future development focused on user-centric design and compliance with data privacy regulations. Additionally, the government should establish supportive policies and funding, ensure regulatory oversight, and promote public awareness to foster trust. Healthcare providers should integrate mHealth apps into their services, train staff for practical use, gather users’ feedback, and collaborate with developers to create tailored healthcare solutions. Future Research: Additional research is required to apply probability sampling techniques and increase the sample size to generate more reliable and generalisable findings. Additionally, the young age segment must be considered here, and research must be extended to consider the moderating role of demographic factors like age, gender, and educational levels to better understand the adoption of mHealth apps.

Aim/Purpose: The research aims to investigate the factors that influence the continuous use of mobile banking applications to complete banking monetary transactions. Background: Despite a significant increase in the use of mobile banking applications, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, new evidence indicates that the use rate of mobile banking applications for operating banking monetary transactions has declined. Methodology: The study proposed an integrated model based mainly on the process virtualization theory (PVT) with other novel factors such as mobile banking application anthropomorphism and virtual process failure risk. The study model was empirically validated using structural equation modeling analysis on quantitative data from 484 mobile banking application users from Jordan. Contribution: The study focuses on continuing use or post-adoption behavior rather than pre-adoption behavior. This is important since the maximum and long-term viability, as well as the financial investment in mobile banking applications, depend on regular usage rather than first-time use or initial experience. Findings: The results indicate that process virtualizable and anthropomorphism have a strong positive impact on bank customers’ decisions to continue using mobile banking applications to complete banking monetary transactions. Meanwhile, the negative impact of virtualization process failure risk on continuous use has been discovered. The found factors explain 67.5% of the variance in continuous use. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study identified novel, significant factors that affect bank customers’ decisions to use mobile banking applications frequently, and these factors should be examined, matched, satisfied, or addressed when redesigning or upgrading mobile applications. Banks should provide users with clear directions, processes, or tutorials on how to complete monetary transactions effectively. They should also embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to improve their applications and products with anthropomorphic features like speech synthesizers, Chatbots, and AI-powered virtual bank assistants. This is expected to help bank customers conduct various banking services conveniently and securely, just as if interacting with real people. The study further recommends that banks create and publish clear norms and procedures, as well as promote tolerance and protect consumers’ rights when the process fails or mistakes occur. Recommendation for Researchers: The study provides measurement items that were specifically built for the context of mobile banking applications based on PVT notions. Researchers are invited to reuse, test, and modify existing measurement items, as well as submit new ones if necessary. The study model does not consider psychological aspects like trust and satisfaction, which would provide additional insight into factors affecting continuing use. Researchers could potentially take a different approach by focusing on user resistance and non-adoption. Impact on Society: Financial inclusion is problematic, particularly in underdeveloped nations. According to financial inclusion research, Jordanians rarely utilize mobile banking apps. Continuous usage of mobile banking applications will be extremely beneficial in closing the financial inclusion gap, particularly among women. Furthermore, it could help the country’s efforts to transition to a digital society. Future Research: The majority of study participants are from urban areas. Future studies should focus on consumers who live in rural areas. It was also suggested that the elderly be targeted because they may have different views/perspectives on the continued use of mobile banking applications.

Aim/Purpose: This study examined the use of Social Media Applications (SMAs) for accessing health-related information within a heterogeneous population in Jordan. The objective of this study was therefore threefold: (i) to investigate the usage of SMAs, including WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, for accessing health-related information; (ii) to examine potential variations in the use of SMAs based on demographic and behavioral characteristics; and (iii) to identify the factors that can predict the use of SMAs. Background: There has been limited focus on investigating the behavior of laypeople in Jordan when it comes to seeking health information from SMAs. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population in Jordan using an online questionnaire administered to 207 users. A purposive sampling technique was employed, wherein all the participants actively sought online health information. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analyses were utilized to analyze the collected data. Contribution: This study adds to the existing body of research on health information seeking from SMAs in developing countries, with a specific focus on Jordan. Moreover, laypeople, often disregarded by researchers and health information providers, are the most vulnerable individuals who warrant greater attention. Findings: The findings indicated that individuals often utilized YouTube as a platform to acquire health-related information, whereas their usage of Facebook for this purpose was less frequent. Participants rarely utilized Instagram and WhatsApp to obtain health information, while Twitter and Snapchat were very seldom used for this purpose. The variable of sex demonstrated a notable positive correlation with the utilization of YouTube and Twitter for the purpose of finding health-related information. Conversely, the variable of nationality exhibited a substantial positive correlation with the utilization of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Consulting medical professionals regarding information obtained from the Internet was a strong indicator of using Instagram to search for health-related information. Recommendations for Practitioners: Based on the empirical results, this study provides feasible recommendations for the government, healthcare providers, and developers of SMAs. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should conduct separate investigations for each application specifically pertaining to the acquisition of health-related information. Additionally, it is advisable to investigate additional variables that may serve as predictors for the utilization of SMAs. Impact on Society: The objective of this study is to enhance the inclination of the general public in Jordan to utilize SMAs for health-related information while also maximizing the societal benefits of these applications. Future Research: Additional research is required to examine social media’s usability (regarding ease of use) and utility (comparing advantages to risks) in facilitating effective positive change and impact in healthcare.

Aim/Purpose: This study was undertaken to shed light on how the use of a heteronormative mobile dating application creates an environment to promote psychological empowerment among female users within the online dating scene. The study focused on a mobile dating application which specifically challenges traditional gender roles, namely Bumble. Background: Mobile dating applications have become an increasingly popular medium for people to meet potential partners. However, users’ pre-existing social norms and biases inform how they communicate on these platforms, and stereotyped judgment about women perpetuates ideologies which continue to oppress them within the cyber world. Despite this, very little research has investigated the experiences of female users of mobile dating applications. Methodology: The study was qualitative in nature, and 10 semi-structured interviews of female Bumble users were conducted. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Contribution: The study contributes to knowledge by highlighting how key features of mobile dating applications influence various aspects of psychological empowerment as articulated in the findings. Findings: The findings show that the Bumble application supports Intrapersonal variables of Psychological Empowerment of female users relative to Domain Specific Perceived Control and Self-Efficacy, Motivation to Control and Perceived Competence. However, Domain Specific Perceived Control can also be negatively impacted due to self-doubt when female users receive little to no matches. Interactional variables of psychological empowerment are also supported, as Bumble allows female users to be critically aware of the need to screen potential partners, understand relevant causal agents, develop skills relative to initiating conversations and mobilize resources. However, Bumble is not effective in supporting behavioral variables of psychological empowerment because of limitations in the tool’s functionality and the behavior of the people interacting on the platform. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings are important as they suggest the need to enhance the features available to female users in order to better suit their needs and desire to take control of their lives in the context of dating and/or friendship. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings reveal the need for a change of perceptions and attitudes on the part of some users to create a safer and more considerate virtual dating space, to truly achieve psychological empowerment. Future Research: More research is required on how male and female users domesticate mobile dating applications and how the use of these applications influence their daily lives from a socio-cultural point of view.

The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) in Tervuren (Belgium) is part of the FishBase Consortium and responsible for the information on the fresh- and brackish water fishes of Africa in the FishBase database. Through an agreement with the Belgian Development Cooperation and as part of the FishBase program, the RMCA has five (5) grants available for a 3-month training program in the use of FishBase and the taxonomy of African fishes.

The training will have three subsets:

1. A detailed explanation of FishBase in all its aspects;
2. A training in the taxonomy of African fishes;
3. A case study based on data from FishBase or on taxa for which taxonomic problems have been encountered.

This course has been offered annually since 2005 and is held at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium). For more information and to apply for this three-month training grant, see: http://fishbase.africamuseum.be or www.fishbaseforafrica.org. Please note that for 2016, this course will be given in French only.

Questions? Contact Dimitri Geelhand de Merxem (dimitri.geelhand@africamuseum.be).

From 9 to 11 November in Vienna, Austria the EU H2020 project Detecting changes in essential ecosystem and biodiversity properties – towards a Biosphere Atmosphere Change Index: BACI has organised a special workshop titled "Remote sensing applications related to land use/change" with the aim to facilitate co-design and co-production of knowledge with regard to innovative applications of remote sensing products.

EU BON project partner Duccio Rocchini was among the invited lecturers at the event. His talk titled "Like in a Rubik’s cube: Recomposing Biodiversity Information by Remote Sensing Data" introduced some experience from EU BON.

The overarching objective of BACI is to tap into the unrealized potential of existing and scheduled space-borne Earth observation data streams to detect changes in ecosystem functioning and services that have repercussions for essential biodiversity variables, land use potentials, and land-atmosphere interactions.

Wall and ceiling spray texture application has traditionally been a frustrating, inefficient and messy experience for professionals and DIYers alike. This year, DAP is reinventing wall and ceiling spray texture in formula, function and finish with the launch of a consistent and reliable product line that delivers a fast-drying, excellent texture match for maximum coverage and professional results.

Improvements are constantly made to gypsum board and innovation still is at the forefront of the industry’s mind.

The ACI Foundation is now accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate students for the 2025-2026 academic year.

CertainTeed, a leading North American manufacturer of building materials, today announced the launch of Terminus Transitions and Terminus Glazing Channels as new product extensions to the company’s Terminus Perimeter Trim line. The Terminus Perimeter Trim line is a premier suspension system accessory that allows for easy installation of suspended ceilings with exposed edges, including clouds, peninsulas and islands.