As part of the EU’s Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Waters1, a new study from the Joint Research Centre has mapped the water requirements of livestock across Europe for 2005. The maps and data can help quantify total European water use but also inform sustainable management by making use of ecosystem services (ESSs).

By identifying leaks using ‘smart’ water meters, and then encouraging householders to fix the problem, water companies can reduce the volumes of wasted water dramatically, new research suggests. In a case study in Australia, households reduced water loss by up to 91% after being informed of leaks in their homes and offered a rebate on repairs.

Sustainable river management is increasingly informed by hydromorphological stream assessments — evaluations and classifications of stream conditions which account for both hydrological (the movement, distribution and quantity of water) and geomorphological (the processes and forms deriving from the interactions of water and sediment movement) features. In order to provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of river character and dynamics, scientists have developed three novel methods. Together, these tools represent a promising technique for conducting collaborative assessment and monitoring of river conditions in Europe.

The Internet consumers are becoming more aware of their personal data and 82 per cent users have tried to remove private information from websites or social media channels, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

‘Safe harbour protection’ only if intermediaries facilitate and not modify such content, including ads

The alliance aims to help clients provide enterprise end users with exceptional data control across multiple data sources.

Various industry associations flagged concerns related to salaries, labour and liquidity, and sought structural reforms to be instituted at the earliest

NPCI consecutively reported dismal figures for April 2020 for its UPI, IMPS, NETC and Bharat BillPay platforms – as AePS emerges as an outlier.

The platform enables enterprises to reduce Video KYC completion drop-offs by 20% and reduce the cost of operations by up to 90%

With the release of the IoT analytics platform - Ginjer 2.0, SenRa is now able to provide customers with end-to-end IoT solutions while facilitating them with immediate insights on their business operations, cost savings, and overall ROI.

We have already crossed the AI Rubicon, and the future lies in the symbiosis of machine and human intelligence.

With the latest deal, Jio Platforms is set to net a combined Rs 60,596 crore for the unit of Reliance Industries which comprises mainly its telecom business under Reliance Jio Infocomm

Digital marketing is a particularly strong capability for Indian companies, according to the new global study by Infosys Knowledge Institute.

India has tried its hands out in 4.0 technologies to pace up with the rapidly changing retail landscape. The use of AI, ML and data analytics has increased which are being used in functions like BOPIS, Click & Collect and Self-Kiosk.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance’s Chief Information & Digital Officer, Goutam Datta leveraged technology for enabling all business functions and meeting the digital demands of its employees, partners and customers amid lockdown and enabled new services to prevent any impact on business.

Reforms to reduce discards of over-quota fish catches are generally predicted to have positive effects on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Although concerns have been raised over the impacts of the changes on scavenging seabirds who feed upon discarded fish, new research on gannets indicates that, while they often forage near fishing vessels, more than half their time is spent foraging 'naturally' in the open sea.

Seagrass restoration projects could effectively mitigate climate change, capturing up to 1337 tons of CO₂ per hectare after 50 years, new research suggests. If a carbon tax system was in place, the researchers add, these schemes would likely provide returns at least equal to the initial investment needed, assuming the tax was set at an appropriate level.

Geodiversity describes the diversity of the non-biological parts of the natural world such as rocks, soils, landforms and the processes which shape them over time. New research on how geodiversity information has been used to examine or inform conservation policy has been explored through eight different case studies. The research shows the variety and utility of geodiversity information to support biodiversity protection, both now and in the future.

The effects of climate change on the distribution of species can be predicted more accurately by considering the genetic differences between different groups of the same species, a new study suggests. The researchers found that a computer model which incorporated genetic information on different groups of a US tree species was up to 12 times more accurate in predicting tree locations than a non-genetically informed model.

Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) support a complex, dynamic and diverse range of global ecosystems, and provide important economic and societal services. However, infrastructure built to use these services — most notably 2.8 million dams worldwide — has caused many rivers to become fragmented and disconnected, affecting river biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study constructed a global information system with which to map the fine-scale dynamics and fragmentation of FFRs and to determine how human pressures affect the world’s river systems.

A recent report calls for an urgent, worldwide ban on the mining and use of asbestos. It argues that there is no safe use of asbestos that can prevent occupational and environmental exposure and urges all countries to use safer alternatives to asbestos in order to protect the health of their citizens.

The public places a high value on the use of scientific information, especially regarding climate change, in the management of groundwater resources, a case study in Finland indicates. This suggests that incorporating scientific research into management policies is likely to have the support of stakeholders in the region.

Silver nanoparticles present in the effluent from waste-water treatment plants could have toxic effects on aquatic organisms, new research suggests. The lab-based study tested the effects of nanoparticle-containing effluent on several crustacean and algae species. The researchers observed that epibenthic crustaceans (those living in or on sediments at the bottom of water bodies) were the most sensitive; notably, a 20–45% higher death rate was observed compared with those exposed to nanoparticle-free effluent.

Microplastics, polymer-based particles of less than five millimetres in size, have become an archetypal sign of anthropogenic waste and environmental pollution. This German study explores how microplastics in soil affect plants, screening the potential effects of six different microplastics on the soil environment, plant traits and function using a terrestrial plant-soil model based on the spring onion (Allium fistulosum). The researchers find that plants react strongly to microplastic exposure, with significant changes observed in the physical parameters of soil, plant root and leaf traits and plant biomass.

I like to think of geometric transformations of images (stretching, shrinking, rotating, etc.) by starting with the geometric transformations of points. You could think of a geometric point transformation as just moving a point from one location to another, like this:... read more >>

Today I decided to revisit a topic I covered a few years ago: loading discrete signals in a simulation.... read more >>

Increased insulation in homes could reduce ventilation and lead to greater exposure to indoor air pollution, a new study suggests. This, in turn, could affect health. The researchers modelled exposure to fine particles, which indicated that insulating half the homes in Greece by 2020 could lead to a 6% increase in adverse health effects. Sources of indoor air pollution should be reduced as far as possible and, failing that, sufficient airing is key, they recommend.

Underground trains are among the most widely used public transport systems in cities worldwide. A study investigating the chemical composition and source of particles in Barcelona subway stations found that a new station design, with sliding doors that separate the platform from the tunnel and good ventilation, reduced the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by over 50% compared with older station designs.

Myke fixes problems, Grey automates his to-do list, and they both discuss hiring people.

SUFFOLK – VDOT Hampton Roads employees celebrated a major address change today with a ribbon-cutting at their new north Suffolk headquarters. The...

Russia comes to Radlett for Radlett Musical Theatre Company’s production of Fiddler on the Roof.

The Kings Langley Players continues its 95th anniversary celebrations with a popular black comedy.

CULPEPER — The Virginia Department of Transportation invites the public to attend a citizen information meeting to learn about the upcoming project...

Artists are being encouraged to put their finishing touches to their work, as the second Whitefriars Art Competition is closing next weekend.

The post Aussie learning platform trains Indonesian miners appeared first on The Lead SA.

Join Copper House on Saturday, November 2, for a colourful celebration at their Day of the Dead Party.

Two schools will celebrate the 50th anniversary of an annual concert with the first performance of opera in St Albans Cathedral.

A Watford orchestra will be joined by the leader of the BBC Concert Orchestra for a concert later this month.

Former Watford player and manager Sean Dyche is in favour of completing the 2019-20 Premier League campaign, but the now Burnley boss stressed that safety must come above everything else.

Former Watford head coach Javi Gracia has signed up to support Woking with a fundraising initiative by paying to put his name on the non-league club's shirt next season.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a Citizen Information Meeting concerning improvements to the intersection of Route 262 (Woodrow Wilson Parkway) and Route 613 (Spring Hill Road) in Augusta County. The meeting will take place from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, November 8 in the South Board Room of the Augusta County Government Center, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA 24482. VDOT will make a brief presentation at 4:15 p.m.

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​Scientists from NTU have transformed pollen, known as the diamond of the plant kingdom for its toughness, into a soft, flexible material that could serve as a 'building block' for a new category of eco-friendly materials....

How to save your digital memories.

California's congested freeways could be a boon for large-scale piezoelectric power generation.

Artist Hunter Franks' idea to transform a defunct Akron highway into a leafy urban retreat is a winner in the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge.

BP is coming under criticism for buying 'gulf oil spill' search advertising on Google. Will the company's attempt to redirect online traffic backfire?

Oilman-turned-solar entrepreneur Jeremy Leggett says there's only one shot to plug the well, and getting it wrong comes with a heavy price.

A newly published study finds that there may be dangerous levels of arsenic in some baby formulas.