Donations fill up the entryway to a Goodwill Southern California Donation Center in Pasadena during the first week of 2020.; Credit: Carla Javier/KPCC

Now that the holiday season is winding down, thrift shops run by Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and other organizations are tallying up the annual flood of December donations. 

"It's always been a tradition that our donors donate between Christmas and New Year's ... and the last couple days of the year, they donate even more," Goodwill Southern California director of logistics Tinna Bauer explained. "Some do it for tax purposes, and some ... when they if they receive new items for Christmas, they clean out the old."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Recent investments in contact center AI are reshaping the industry with better response times, issue resolution and enhanced customer service experiences.

By Kyle Julian, Regional Director, Commercial & Industrial Sales, U.S. West Without data centers, life as we know it would collapse. That may sound like hyperbole, but our entire digital economy relies on data centers. But it turns out that data centers use a lot of electricity. In fact, the ... [continued]

The post Behind the Curtain: Power Grid Resilience for Data Centers appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Aim/Purpose: In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks the disease activity using data collected from medical practice's on a weekly basis. Collection of data by CDC from medical practices on a weekly basis leads to a lag time of approximately 2 weeks before any viable action can be planned. The 2-week delay problem was addressed in the study by creating machine learning models to predict flu outbreak. Background: The 2-week delay problem was addressed in the study by correlation of the flu trends identified from Twitter data and official flu data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in combination with creating a machine learning model using both data sources to predict flu outbreak. Methodology: A quantitative correlational study was performed using a quasi-experimental design. Flu trends from the CDC portal and tweets with mention of flu and influenza from the state of Georgia were used over a period of 22 weeks from December 29, 2019 to May 30, 2020 for this study. Contribution: This research contributed to the body of knowledge by using a simple bag-of-word method for sentiment analysis followed by the combination of CDC and Twitter data to generate a flu prediction model with higher accuracy than using CDC data only. Findings: The study found that (a) there is no correlation between official flu data from CDC and tweets with mention of flu and (b) there is an improvement in the performance of a flu forecasting model based on a machine learning algorithm using both official flu data from CDC and tweets with mention of flu. Recommendations for Practitioners: In this study, it was found that there was no correlation between the official flu data from the CDC and the count of tweets with mention of flu, which is why tweets alone should be used with caution to predict a flu out-break. Based on the findings of this study, social media data can be used as an additional variable to improve the accuracy of flu prediction models. It is also found that fourth order polynomial and support vector regression models offered the best accuracy of flu prediction models. Recommendations for Researchers: Open-source data, such as Twitter feed, can be mined for useful intelligence benefiting society. Machine learning-based prediction models can be improved by adding open-source data to the primary data set. Impact on Society: Key implication of this study for practitioners in the field were to use social media postings to identify neighborhoods and geographic locations affected by seasonal outbreak, such as influenza, which would help reduce the spread of the disease and ultimately lead to containment. Based on the findings of this study, social media data will help health authorities in detecting seasonal outbreaks earlier than just using official CDC channels of disease and illness reporting from physicians and labs thus, empowering health officials to plan their responses swiftly and allocate their resources optimally for the most affected areas. Future Research: A future researcher could use more complex deep learning algorithms, such as Artificial Neural Networks and Recurrent Neural Networks, to evaluate the accuracy of flu outbreak prediction models as compared to the regression models used in this study. A future researcher could apply other sentiment analysis techniques, such as natural language processing and deep learning techniques, to identify context-sensitive emotion, concept extraction, and sarcasm detection for the identification of self-reporting flu tweets. A future researcher could expand the scope by continuously collecting tweets on a public cloud and applying big data applications, such as Hadoop and MapReduce, to perform predictions using several months of historical data or even years for a larger geographical area.

CP Kelco, a leader of nature-based ingredient solutions, launched a new global innovation center, adding to the company’s growing network of innovation and technical support facilities around the world. The Atlanta-based innovation center is designed as an open, collaborative space for scientists and customers alike to engage in ingredient research, problem-solving, development and pilot plant scale-up of food, beverage, home care, personal care and other consumer and industrial products.

Children's Geographies; 08/01/2023
(AN 167303410); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

[Culture] :
The 31 Korean Cultural Centers in 28 countries around the world will hold various events promoting the value and beauty of Hangeul as South Korea will mark the 578th Hangeul Day on Wednesday.  The center in France will provide the first performance of a song created by South Korean composer Kim Dae-seong ...

[more...]

Preparation of biomacromolecules for structural biology studies is a complex and time-consuming process. The goal is to produce a highly concentrated, highly pure product that is often shipped to large facilities with tools to prepare the samples for crystallization trials or for measurements at synchrotrons and cryoEM centers. The aim of this article is to provide guidance and to discuss general considerations for shipping biomacromolecular samples. Details are also provided about shipping samples for specific experiment types, including solution- and cryogenic-based techniques. These guidelines are provided with the hope that the time and energy invested in sample preparation is not lost due to shipping logistics.

According to Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO), data centers consumed 21 percent of all metered electricity consumption in 2023, up from five percent in 2015 and 18 percent in 2022.

The company recorded a pre-tax non-cash charge of $60 million in the second quarter due to the settlement agreement.

Ameren signed a supply deal with a data center with a power capacity of 250 megawatt (MW). It has also received expansion commitments and executed new contracts for more 85 MW of additional load for smaller data centers and other industries across Missouri and Illinois.

Geothermal power is a renewable energy source that uses the Earth's internal heat to produce electricity and heat water. One-hundred and fifty megawatts is roughly enough electricity to power 38,000 homes.

Sify is one among the leading data center operators with existing installed capacity of 190 MW in 12 centers across 6 cities Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and two upcoming facilities in Noida and Chennai.

The investment banking company expects the data center market to undergo significant structural changes, through the introduction of new business models and new investment profiles. Cloud computing is likely to remain the main driver of expansion for the data center industry.

Constellation said it is seeking guidance from regulators after FERC's decision about co-location, which had become a promising prospect for Big Tech's plans to quickly access large amounts of power for its AI expansion instead of waiting for years to connect to the grid.

The state is set to become a hub for startups and manufacturing in the coming days. Construction of the Amaravati capital city will soon commence using advanced technology, says minister.

CtrlS will offer connectivity through two dedicated 100G Partner ports.

In Good Hands' new Protein Puffs are exclusively available nationwide in Sprouts New-For-You Innovation Centers, where the newest, most innovative, and on-trend better-for-you products can be found.

OTI Education Centers are non-profit organizations that offer training courses on OSHA standards and occupational safety and health topics to workers and employers across the country.

Gain coverage with no capital investment - something as simple as call forwarding from your local allows you to use call center services

New SSD product offers innovative solution to transform cloud and data center workloads

"Aligning Ourselves with a Partner Such as Hyro Brings Us One Step Closer in Our Journey to Offer a Radically Convenient Patient Experience for All," Says Disruptive Innovations' Founder & CEO David Wright

Jeremy Gilden is dedicated to advancing international healthcare policies and clinical pathways for patient care

Leading behavioral health experts unveil TreatmentRehabCenters.org, offering unprecedented access to vetted treatment facilities nationwide

Neighborhood health centers of 16,342 SF at Lee + White and 9,258 SF at Cascade Road to open in 2023 in metro Atlanta.

Key Housing announces a new focus on technology centers by identifying a Southern California pick as featured listing.

While exploring the availability and legality of Ibogaine treatment in Massachusetts can be a complex and nuanced topic, we hope that this information has provided some clarity on the current landscape.

A passion for Psychiatry and continuous learning introducing a Veteran in Psychiatry

Allied Enrollment Centers Ethical Standards Shine with Second BBB Torch Award Nomination

Sports Event for Kids in Gangnam with Boxing and MMA Training

Burlywood achieves industry sought after breakthrough in endurance with a 3x advantage over leading data center competitors.

Ellacor, a cutting-edge, minimally invasive treatment designed to remove sagging skin without surgery in the mid to lower face.

eGain, the AI knowledge platform for service, is unveiling the eGain AI Agent, the latest product from eGain announced at its Solve 24 conference. Designed with engagement and clarity at its core, eGain AI Agent brings true knowledge system integration to the burgeoning world of agentic AI.

Data centers produce enormous amounts of heat and require intricate cooling systems to keep servers from overheating and running in good condition. For data centers located in regions such as South Florida that consistently experience high temperatures, efficient and well-functioning cooling systems are crucial.

The York^® Mission Critical Direct Evaporative Cooling (DEC) Air Handling Units (AHUs) from Johnson Controls Inc. are designed to meet data centers’ specific needs.

The rapid expansion of data centers has raised concerns about their massive energy use and carbon footprint. However, adopting sustainable HVAC solutions can reduce a data center’s environmental impact and energy consumption.

Sarah Bowen of the Promise of Life Network crisis pregnancy center near Pittsburgh talked with me about the motivation behind the campaign by abortion advocates against the work these centers do, which is to provide women with support during an unplanned pregnancy. https://x.com/PAcatholic/status/1703790777099235616?s=20   https://fb.watch/nccvJtmh6p/?mibextid=cr9u03  

PolyAI continues to redefine what's possible with voice-first, artificial intelligence-powered automation in contact centers.

A key part of the Department of Commerce’s federal hiring strategy is communicating with job candidates to form personalized, “high-touch” connections.

The post For federal hiring, Commerce centers on creativity, personal connections first appeared on Federal News Network.

Experts warn that a frenzy of data center construction could delay California's transition away from fossil fuels, raise electric bills and increase risk of blackouts

E-commerce giant Amazon joins Google and other tech companies in investing in nuclear power they plan to use in the race to build new AI-powered products.

Presidential elections often get the highest voter turnout, which is already proving true in Spokane County. With five days left to vote, nearly 48% of the county's roughly 375,000 registered voters have already returned their ballots, according to unofficial statistics provided by the Spokane County Elections Office…

When it's too hot — or cold — to enjoy the great outdoors, family fun centers are a great option to keep the whole family entertained while getting some physical movement in…

Bridge House's "work-first" approach is similar to Aurora's philosophy of how best to lift people out of homelessness.

Anyone seeking to become part of Colorado’s psychedelics industry by growing mushrooms, operating a healing center, or manufacturing psilocybin edibles now has guidance on how to do so legally.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 8, 2024 — IonQ, a leader in the quantum computing industry, has announced a partnership with NKT Photonics, a subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics, to procure next-generation laser […]

The post IonQ and NKT Photonics Collaborate on Next-Gen Laser Tech for Quantum Data Centers appeared first on HPCwire.

Is it possible to meet the world's seemingly infinite demand for data storage while also caring for the natural environment? Biomedical researcher Keolu Fox and professional surfer and scientist Cliff Kapono believe that Indigenous knowledge combined with the science of genetics may offer such a solution: using the DNA of plant cells (like those found in sugar cane) as mini data warehouses. Learn more about the incredible potential of this technology — and how it could help foster ecosystem resilience in a high-tech world.

When COVID-19 hit, two early-childhood centers put their competition aside to work together to support families during the pandemic. Here's how they did it.