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Inspiring STEM speaker to address digital divide at public forum

A former computer engineer turned motivational speaker will share his dynamic insights on “Bridging the Digital Divide: Unlocking Access and Opportunity in Education” during a Nov. 6 presentation of the Technology & Society Colloquia Series at Pennsylvania College of Technology.




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Office of Digital Learning creates platform to simplify website content creation

Developed by a team in the College of Arts and Architecture's Office of Digital Learning, HAX, or Headless Authoring eXperience, is a content management system that structures content in a ubiquitous format for simple web publishing.




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In Pandemic, Digital Access and Parents' Education Made the Biggest Difference in Schools' Response

A comprehensive look at how U.S. schools served students in the aftermath of the coronavirus closures finds that schools responded more fully in communities where parents' education levels were higher.




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What is the Digital Assets Platform Being Discussed by the BRICS Group?

The BRICS group is considering the creation of a digital assets platform to reduce reliance on US dollars for international transactions. President Putin has expressed his support for this initiative, emphasising that digital currencies could benefit not only BRICS nations but also other developing economies.




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Decoding The Importance & Usage of Digital PR Link Building By BrandingExperts.com

Enhance your website's visibility in search engine results and attract more organic visitors by integrating digital public relations into your overall marketing strategy.




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Advantages Of B2B Digital Marketing Over Traditional Marketing With BrandingExperts.com

This article will discuss why B2B digital marketing is advantageous over traditional marketing and why it is becoming rapidly crucial for businesses to make the switch




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Every Public School Student Now Has Digital Access To Books

With schools facing the challenge of unfinished learning due to the pandemic, the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) is providing access to online books to every K-12 student in the state. Students can use their school credentials to read required and recreational digital books in the OverDrive Education Sora student reading app. Students also now have seamless access to age-appropriate popular ebooks and audiobooks from the Delaware Libraries’ OverDrive digital collection.




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Delaware Libraries Announces Northstar Digital Literacy Tool

Thursday August 26, 2021 Dover, DE – Delaware Libraries are pleased to announce the launch of Northstar Digital Literacy, an online training tool for basic computer skills. Northstar Digital Literacy provides digital literacy assessments and tutorials in basic computer skills and tips for how to use technology in daily life. Delaware Libraries and Literacy Delaware […]




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The Delaware Public Archives is Pleased to Announce the Digital Release of The Abram H. Draper Collection

The Delaware Public Archives is pleased to announce the digital release of “The Abram H. Draper Collection.” This unique collection consists of 34 pieces of correspondence including letters and poetry from Sergeant Abram H. Draper to his wife Anna M. Wiley Draper during the American Civil War. The content ranges from detailed descriptions of Draper’s […]




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Delaware’s Dr. JoAnn Balingit receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for 2023-2024

Wilmington, Del. (June 6, 2023) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is pleased to announce that Dr. JoAnn Balingit has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Literature: Creative Writing to the Philippines for the 2023-2024 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Dr. JoAnn Balingit […]



  • Commission for Women
  • Delaware Division of the Arts
  • Department of State
  • Education
  • Governor John Carney
  • Office of the Governor
  • "Delaware Division of the Arts"
  • Delaware Poet Laureate
  • Dr. JoAnn Balingit
  • Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
  • literature
  • Poet laureate
  • Representative Lisa Blunt-Rochester
  • Senator Chris Coons
  • Senator Tom Carper
  • U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

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Middle and High School Students Honored in Digital Mapping Technology Contest

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick is pleased to recognize the following students for their submissions in this year’s Esri’s 2024 ArcGIS webapp competition. Students were challenged to create and share interactive mapping projects using ESRI ArcGIS software. Delaware entrants to this national competition must create a digital Storymap that explores some aspect of life in Delaware.




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Six takeaways from working on Madrid’s digital transformation efforts

During lockdowns across Europe and beyond, we all moved our lives online. We worked remotely and had meetings via Teams or Zoom. We also socialised and shopped online. For many people, this was familiar territory. For others, it opened up a whole new world—and highlighted significant problems with the ‘old [...]

The post Six takeaways from working on Madrid’s digital transformation efforts appeared first on Government Data Connection.




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Smart City Heidelberg: SAS Hackathon complements city's digital transformation journey

The city of Heidelberg, Germany is known for its romantic cityscape, which attracts tourists from all over the world. It also has the youngest population in Germany, thanks largely to the many students at one of Europe's oldest and largest universities. Perhaps less well known is that Heidelberg is twinned [...]

The post Smart City Heidelberg: SAS Hackathon complements city's digital transformation journey appeared first on Government Data Connection.




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Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Read the in depth Review of Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset Gaming. Know detailed info about Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset configuration, design and performance quality along with pros & cons, Digit rating, verdict based on user opinions/feedback.




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Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT Review

Read the in depth Review of Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT Gaming. Know detailed info about Logitech G Pro X SUPERLIGHT configuration, design and performance quality along with pros & cons, Digit rating, verdict based on user opinions/feedback.




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Logitech G502 X Plus Review

Read the in depth Review of Logitech G502 X Plus Gaming. Know detailed info about Logitech G502 X Plus configuration, design and performance quality along with pros & cons, Digit rating, verdict based on user opinions/feedback.




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The BEST Gadgets of 2022 - Digit Zero1 Awards 2022





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digital implementation on android and ios

With digital implementation rapidly advancing, how do you think iOS and Android platforms will continue to evolve in industries like healthcare or education? The integration of mobile technology is already revolutionizing these fields, and it would be interesting to discuss where this could lead and what new opportunities might emerge.




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which tools support Linting for early stages of Digital Design flow?

I am trying to understand the Linting process. I know that mainly JasperGold is the tool for this purpose. Though I think JasperGold is more suited for later stages of the design. As a RTL Design Engineer, I want to make sure that if another tool has the capability of doing Linting earlier in the flow. for example, does Xcelium, Genus or Confomal support linting. I have seen some contradicting information online regarding this topic, though I can't find anything related to Linting on any of these tools.

Thanks




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Overcoming Mixed-Signal Design Challenges with Virtuoso Digital Implementation

The world of electronics design thrives on efficient tools that bridge the gap between concept and silicon. Virtuoso Digital Implementation is a powerful ally for mixed-signal designs, which integrate both analog and digital components. This blog post will examine Virtuoso Digital Implementation's capabilities and explore how it can streamline your mixed-signal design workflow.

Virtuoso Digital Implementation in a Nutshell

Virtuoso Digital Implementation is a license package within the Cadence Virtuoso Design Platform. It offers a streamlined RTL-to-GDSII flow to implement smaller digital blocks within a mixed-signal design environment. Here's what makes Virtuoso Digital Implementation stand out:

  • Focus on Small Digital Blocks: Optimized for digital blocks with an instance count of up to 50,000 (expandable to 150,000 with specific configurations), Virtuoso Digital Implementation is ideal for integrating digital logic into your analog-centric design.
  • Leveraging Industry Leaders: Virtuoso Digital Implementation utilizes cut-down versions of the renowned Cadence Genus Synthesis Solution and Innovus Implementation System under the hood. This ensures you get access to proven technologies for logic optimization and place-and-route.
  • Seamless Integration with the Virtuoso Environment: Virtuoso Digital Implementation's key advantage is its tight integration with the Virtuoso Layout Suite. You can launch the synthesis and place-and-route tools directly from the Virtuoso environment, eliminating the need to switch between platforms.

Benefits of Using Virtuoso Digital Implementation

 By incorporating Virtuoso Digital Implementation into your mixed-signal design flow, you can get several benefits:

  • Simplified Workflow: Virtuoso Digital Implementation offers a centralized environment for both digital block implementation and layout editing within the Virtuoso environment. This reduces context switching and streamlines the design process.
  • Faster Time-to-Market: Virtuoso Digital Implementation's streamlined workflow can significantly reduce design turnaround times, allowing you to get your product to market quicker.
  • Improved Design Quality: Leveraging industry-leading synthesis and place-and-route engines from Cadence ensures high-quality digital block implementation within your mixed-signal design.

Who Should Consider Virtuoso Digital Implementation?

 Virtuoso Digital Implementation is a valuable tool for anyone working on mixed-signal designs with smaller digital blocks. It's particularly well-suited for:

  • Analog IC designers who need to integrate digital logic into their designs.
  • Circuit design teams working on mixed-signal applications like data converters, power management ICs, and RF transceivers.

Virtuoso Digital Implementation provides a compelling solution for designers working on mixed-signal projects. Its streamlined workflow, tight integration with the Virtuoso design platform, and access to proven digital design tools can significantly improve design efficiency and time-to-market. Virtuoso Digital Implementation is worth considering if you're looking to optimize your mixed-signal design flow.

I am here to help and guide you on how to learn more about Virtuoso Digital Implementation flow.

Welcome to Virtuoso Digital Implementation, an online course recently released. This course teaches implementing digital blocks using Cadence tools based on the Virtuoso Digital Implementation flow. Also, you can download a lab database after the lecture and get hands-on experience in each stage.

Want to Enroll in this Course?

We organize this Virtuoso Digital Implementation training for you as a "Blended" or "Live" training. Please reach out to Cadence Training for further information.

Register for the Online Training with the following steps:

  • Log on to cadence.com with your registered Cadence ID and password.
  • Select Learning from the menu > Online Courses.
  • Search for Virtuoso Digital Implementation using the search bar.
  • Select the course and click Enroll.

And don't forget to obtain your Digital Badge after completing the training!

                                   

Related Resources

Online Courses

Training Byte Videos

Happy Learning!




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Artificial Intelligence: Accelerating Knowledge in the Digital Age!

In an era of abundant and constantly evolving information, the challenge is not just accessing knowledge but understanding and applying it effectively. AI is a transformative technology that is reshaping how we learn, work, and grow. In this blog, we’ll explore how AI accelerates our knowledge acquisition and understand how it can relate to the process of learning, which connects with our daily lives.

The role of AI is to accelerate knowledge by personalizing learning experiences, providing instant access to information, and offering data-driven insights. AI empowers us to learn more efficiently and effectively in many ways. I won't go into much detail, as we are already busy searching for the meaning of AI and what it can do; however, I want to share one inspiring fact about AI. It can analyze vast amounts of data in seconds, making sense of complex information and providing instantaneous actionable insights or concise answers. I understand that humans are looking to speed up things, which can help us understand technology better and perform our tasks faster.

The main reason AI is in focus is because of its ability to perform tasks faster than ever. We aim to enhance the performance of all our products, including the everyday household electronic items we use. Similarly, are we striving to accelerate the learning process? I am committed to assisting you, and one such method is concise, short (minute-long) videos.

In today's fast-paced world, where attention spans are shorter than ever, the rise of social media platforms has made it easier for anyone to create and share short videos. This is where minute videos come in. These bite-sized clips offer a quick and engaging way to deliver information to the audience with a significant impact. Understanding the definitions of technical terms in VLSI Design can often be accomplished in just a minute.

Below are the definitions of the essential stages in the RTL2GDSII Flow. For further reference, these definitions are also accessible on YouTube.

What is RTL Coding in VLSI Design?

     

What is Digital Verification?

     

What Is Synthesis in VLSI Design?

     

What Is Logic Equivalence Checking in VLSI Design?

     

What Is DFT in VLSI Design?

     

What is Digital Implementation?

     

What is Power Planning?

     

What are DRC and LVS in Physical Verification?

     

What are On-Chip Variations?  

     

Want to Learn More?

The Cadence RTL-to-GDSII Flow training is available as both "Blended" and "Live" Please reach out to Cadence Training for further information.

And don't forget to obtain your Digital Badge after completing the training!

Related Blogs

Training Insights – Why Is RTL Translated into Gate-Level Netlist?

Did You Miss the RTL-to-GDSII Webinar? No Worries, the Recording Is Available!

It’s the Digital Era; Why Not Showcase Your Brand Through a Digital Badge!

Binge on Chip Design Concepts this Weekend!




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ECCB governor hopes for digital currency boost

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is to launch a digital currency for the benefit of its dispersed island economies – essential to a region that has been disproportionately affected by climate change-induced disasters, governor Timothy Antoine tells fDi.




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Kazakhstan takes digital route to prove innovation credentials

As the Digital Kazakhstan programme creates an environment conducive to innovation, start-up hubs are springing up across the country. Their task? To move the economy beyond commodities and make the country a regional centre of innovation. 




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Thirst for innovation drives Antwerp's digital development

With a multilingual population, Antwerp enjoys a diverse talent pool that has made it a popular testbed for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.




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Github Free Angular React Application Hosting

Developing and hosting your own Angular, React applications has never been easier, but now there are many options like Google Firebase, Heroku and etc. Github Pages is offering some great features with free of cost no credit card required and no bandwidth limitations. Just create a public repository and commit all of your product ready files. It has a custom domain support with HTTPs enforcement.





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Automated Deployment of PHP Application using Github Push.

Nowadays most of my side projects are managed with Github. It has more advantages and flexibility to manage file versions. I am following a different webhook system to automatically deploy my old PHP projects. Not sure about the standards, but the following solution is an alternative approach that may solve your deployment problem for every Github push.





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Stock your digital library ahead of Black Friday with these Kindle book deals

Black Friday is still weeks away but early deals are rolling in. Kindle Book Deals are especially hot with e-books as low as $1.99.




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Data centre operator NEXTDC announces major investment in Malaysian digital economy

Australian data centre operator NEXTDC Limited is building its first overseas facility in Malaysia.



  • Latest from Austrade

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Japan Develops Next-Generation Drug Design, Healthcare Robotics and Digital Health Platforms

To provide high-quality medical care to its population — around 30% of whom are 65 or older — Japan is pursuing sovereign AI initiatives supporting nearly every aspect of healthcare. AI tools trained on country-specific data and local compute infrastructure are supercharging the abilities of Japan’s clinicians and researchers so they can care for patients, Read Article




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Lassa fever, meningitis deaths hit 535

Nigeria has recorded 1,035 confirmed cases of Lassa fever out of 8,569 suspected cases, and 174 deaths in 28 states across 129 local government areas as of October 13, 2024. The country also recorded 380 confirmed cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis out of 4,915 suspected cases and 361 deaths in 24 states across 174 LGAs in


Read More




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Bridging the Digital Divide

Bridging the Digital Divide Bridging the Digital Divide
venkatp Wed, 11/10/2021 - 10:35

East-West Wire

Tagline
News, Commentary, and Analysis
East-West Wire

The East-West Wire is a news, commentary, and analysis service provided by the East-West Center in Honolulu. Any part or all of the Wire content may be used by media with attribution to the East-West Center or the person quoted. To receive East-West Center Wire media releases via email, subscribe here.

For links to all East-West Center media programs, fellowships and services, see www.eastwestcenter.org/journalists.

Explore

East-West Wire

Tagline
News, Commentary, and Analysis
East-West Wire

The East-West Wire is a news, commentary, and analysis service provided by the East-West Center in Honolulu. Any part or all of the Wire content may be used by media with attribution to the East-West Center or the person quoted. To receive East-West Center Wire media releases via email, subscribe here.

For links to all East-West Center media programs, fellowships and services, see www.eastwestcenter.org/journalists.

Explore




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Digital pickpockets target Bitcoin virtual currency




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The Worrisome Trend of Sensational Social Media “Journalism” and the Impact On Legitimate Business Concerns: Recent Travails of FCMB, GTBank and First Bank

On June 25, 2018 I woke up to yet another social media trend – a news story with the bold and quite salacious headline “How Safe Are Customer Deposits At FCMB?” had taken over the digital airwaves. Between the shares and likes and comments, a storm in a cup had brewed to great proportions in […]

The Worrisome Trend of Sensational Social Media “Journalism” and the Impact On Legitimate Business Concerns: Recent Travails of FCMB, GTBank and First Bank



  • Opinion - Analysis

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Capacity Building Is Key to Africa’s Digital Sequencing Success Story

Christian Tiambo has always wished to uplift local farmers’ communities through cutting-edge science. As climate change wreaked havoc on local agriculture, Tiambo, a livestock scientist at the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) and at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), focused on conserving and developing livestock that could withstand environmental stress. Genomics, […]




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Facelift for mansion owned by ‘Wonga coup’ plotter Thatcher and Gupta state capture fugitives

A British business person is keeping the skeleton of the dilapidated R20 million Upper Constantia house, but has to replace the roof and the interior




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Mariska Hargitay on 'dealing' with mother Jayne Mansfield's death at age of 3

Mariska Hargitay on mother Jayne Mansfield's deathMariska Hargitay got candid on “dealing” with the death of her mother, Hollywood diva, Jayne Mansfield at the age of 3.“I lost my mother when I was 3 years old, and I grew up in a house of people dealing with the tragedy in...




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COP16 Delivers on Indigenous Peoples, Digital Sequencing, But Fails on Finance

The curtains fell on the 16th Conference of the Parties of UN Biodiversity (COP16) on Sunday without any formal closing. In a voice message, David Ainsworth, the Communications Director of the UNCBD, confirmed that the COP was suspended due to a lack of quorum in the plenary and would be resumed sometime later. However, before […]




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IMF seeks update on revenue system’s digital overhaul

• Holds introductory meeting with finance minister
• Govt pledges to end gas supply to captive power plants by Jan
• Lender’s team to hold joint session with power and petroleum divisions today

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sought a detailed, output-based update on Pakistan’s digitalisation plans for its revenue system, including the use of artificial intelligence to expand the tax base and increase collections.

On the energy side, the country has pledged to halt gas supply to captive power plants (CPPs) by January 2025, redirecting them to the national grid despite a strong pushback from influential rent-seeking industrialists. The IMF has firmly rejected any amendments to this programme benchmark.

The visiting IMF team, led by Pakistan’s mission chief Nathan Porter, held an introductory meeting on Tuesday with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. Minister of State for Revenue Ali Pervez Malik, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mehmood Langrial were also present.

The mission is also holding separate technical sessions with all the stakeholders, including the FBR, power and petroleum divisions and the energy sector regulatory authorities. In all these engagements, the mission appeared to have not expressed its mind so far, except from raising exploratory questions, participants told Dawn.

It is not yet clear if the dialogue would lead to policy-level discussions that had been a critical part of IMF programmes’ quarterly reviews.

The current $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), however, has been designed in a manner that the IMF and Pakistan authorities should hold biannual review meetings for the disbursement of about $1bn instalments during each cycle.

The first formal review has to take place based on the end-December performance for Pakistan to qualify for disbursement for a second instalment of over $1bn by March 15, 2025.

Officials said the IMF mission has called for detailed explanations on the digitalisation of FBR’s processes for revenue collection, application of artificial intelligence for identifying and tracing tax evaders and their taxable incomes and businesses and involvement of specialised expert firms. They have also sought a complete update on the track-and-trace system.

In initial meetings, the FBR attributed recent revenue shortfalls — particularly in the first month of the second quarter — to the declining inflation.

The power sector’s performance appears to be within agreed limits concerning circular debt and current revenues.

Circular debt rose by about Rs70bn, below earlier estimates of Rs240-250bn. A circular debt management plan was approved only last week by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), led by the finance minister.

Sources said the government had been going back and forth over the disconnection of gas supply to inefficient captive power plants, belonging mostly to the textile sector, to utilise surplus capacity in the national power grid.

The industrialists have, however, now mustered support from gas companies. Some stakeholders are now pushing for the supply of imported LNG to CPPs at a weighted average cost of local and imported molecules on the premise that electricity connections were not available or were insufficient in certain areas.

The IMF mission is scheduled to have a joint session with the power and petroleum divisions on Wednesday (today) to discuss their interrelated issues, including circular debt, planned tariff adjustments, loss reduction programmes and recoveries.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024




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c500 digital cameras owners manual

c500 digital cameras owners manual




git

Supporting the Adoption of Digital Technologies and Fostering Innovation in Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The technical assistance (TA) will support the Kingdom of Cambodia in building resilience within, and improving the competitiveness of the country's private sector by enhancing the capacity of state institutions to support adoption of digital technologies and to foster innovation and diversification in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), where women entrepreneurs and workers are traditionally prevalent.




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Leveraging Lessons Learned from India’s Unified Payments Interface for Digital Transformation in Asia and the Pacific

This brief shows how India sparked a digital payments boom and boosted financial inclusion through the introduction of its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and outlines ways countries in the region can ramp up their own digital transformation.




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Digital Agriculture Management for Improved Food Security Project




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The hacker turned politician using digital tech to reimagine democracy

Taiwan’s first ever minister of digital affairs has transformed politics, using online platforms and AI to give power to the country’s citizens – with lessons for us all




git

Is digital technology really swaying voters and undermining democracy?

Many fear that voters are being manipulated by political campaigns that use Facebook ads, TikTok and YouTube videos, but research reveals a more surprising story




git

Is Laryngitis Contagious?

Title: Is Laryngitis Contagious?
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 9/10/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 7/22/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Longitudinal validation of King's Sarcoidosis Questionnaire in a prospective cohort with mild sarcoidosis

Background

Quality of life is impaired in patients with sarcoidosis. The King's Sarcoidosis Questionnaire (KSQ) is a brief questionnaire assessing health-related quality of life in patients with sarcoidosis, comprising subdomains of General Health Status (GHS), Lung, Medication, Skin and Eyes. The aim of this study was to enhance the validation of the KSQ, incorporating longitudinal validation and known-groups validity in a cohort with mild sarcoidosis.

Methods

The KSQ was linguistically validated according to guidelines. Patients with sarcoidosis completed KSQ and other questionnaires at baseline, after 2 weeks and at 12 months. Forced vital capacity (FVC) was measured. Concurrent validity, reliability and responsiveness were assessed.

Results

In patients (n=150), the KSQ had moderate to strong correlations with the Short Form-12 (Mental Component Summary), the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease questionnaire and the Fatigue Assessment Scale (r=0.30–0.70) and weak correlations with the Short Form-12 (Physical Component Summary) and FVC (r=0.01–0.29). The KSQ GHS and Lung domains were able to discriminate between groups of patients stratified according to fatigue, treatment and FVC. The KSQ had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.73–0.90) and repeatability (interclass correlation coefficients 0.72–0.81). Correlations to comparable questionnaires at baseline were moderate or strong for the GHS, Lung and GHS–Lung subdomains and weak or moderate for FVC. The KSQ was responsive to changes over time.

Conclusion

This study strengthened the validation of the KSQ by introducing known-groups validity and assessments of responsiveness over 12 months in patients with mild sarcoidosis.




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Capacity-Building Through Digital Approaches: Evaluating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of eLearning to Introduce Subcutaneous DMPA Self-Injection in Senegal and Uganda

ABSTRACTTraining health workers is one of the biggest challenges and cost drivers when introducing a new contraceptive method or service delivery innovation. PATH developed a digital training curriculum for family planning providers who are learning to offer subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC), including through self-injection, as an option among a range of contraceptive methods. The DMPA-SC eLearning course for health workers includes 10 lessons with an emphasis on informed choice counseling and training clients to self-inject. In partnership with Ministries of Health in Senegal and Uganda, the course was rolled out in select areas in 2019–2020, including during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical distancing requirements restricted in-person training. We conducted evaluations in both countries to assess the practical application of this digital training approach for contraceptive introduction. The evaluation consisted of a post-training survey, an observational assessment conducted during post-training supportive supervision, and an estimation of training costs.In both countries, a majority (88.6% in Uganda and 64.3% in Senegal) scored above 80% on a DMPA-SC knowledge test following the training. In Senegal, where there was a comparison group of providers trained in person, those providers scored similar on the post-test to eLearners. Providers in both groups and in both countries felt more prepared to administer DMPA-SC or offer self-injection to clients after receiving a supervision visit (93%–98% of eLearners felt very prepared after supervision as compared to 45%–72% prior). The evaluation results suggest that digital approaches offer a number of benefits, can be cost-effective, and are most optimal when blended with in-person training and/or supportive supervision.




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Healthcare avoidance during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and all-cause mortality: a longitudinal community-based study

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, global trends of reduced healthcare-seeking behaviour were observed. This raises concerns about the consequences of healthcare avoidance for population health.AimTo determine the association between healthcare avoidance during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and all-cause mortality.Design and settingThis was a 32-month follow-up within the population-based Rotterdam Study, after sending a COVID-19 questionnaire at the onset of the pandemic in April 2020 to all communty dwelling participants (n = 6241/8732, response rate 71.5%).MethodCox proportional hazards models assessed the risk of all-cause mortality among respondents who avoided health care because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mortality status was collected through municipality registries and medical records.ResultsOf 5656 respondents, one-fifth avoided health care because of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 1143). Compared with non-avoiders, those who avoided health care more often reported symptoms of depression (n = 357, 31.2% versus n = 554, 12.3%) and anxiety (n = 340, 29.7% versus n = 549, 12.2%), and more often rated their health as poor to fair (n = 336, 29.4% versus n = 457, 10.1%) . Those who avoided health care had an increased adjusted risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01 to 1.67), which remained nearly identical after adjustment for history of any non-communicable disease (HR 1.20, 95% CI = 0.93 to 1.54). However, this association attenuated after additional adjustment for mental and physical self-perceived health factors (HR 0.93, 95% CI = 0.71 to 1.20).ConclusionThis study found an increased risk of all-cause mortality among individuals who avoided health care during COVID-19. These individuals were characterised by poor mental and physical self-perceived health. Therefore, interventions should be targeted to these vulnerable individuals to safeguard their access to primary and specialist care to limit health disparities, inside and beyond healthcare crises.




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Face-to-Face Relationships Still Matter in a Digital Age: A Call for a 5th C in the Core Tenets of Primary Care [Reflections]

We primary care clinicians, scholars, and leaders ascribe value to Barbara Starfield’s core tenets of primary care—the 4 Cs: first contact, comprehensiveness, coordination, and continuity. In today’s era of rapid technological advancements and dwindling resources, what are the implications for face-to-face interactions of patient-clinician relationships? We propose adding a 5th C: "Contiguity." Contiguity—or physical proximity and presence—is a key dimension that not only enables the necessary technical aspects of a physical exam but also authenticates the most human aspects of a relationship and occurs specifically when we are physically vulnerable and responsible for the other before us. This, in turn, may best enable us to bridge difference and nurture trust with our patients. We measure what we value and, thus, naming Contiguity as a core tenet assures that we will not lose sight of this keystone in a patient’s relationship with their personal physician.