Ehud Karavani, Tal El-Hay, Yishai Shimoni, Chen Yanover.

Source: Statistical Science, Volume 34, Number 1, 86--89.

Abstract:
Data competitions proved to be highly beneficial to the field of machine learning, and thus expected to provide similar advantages in the field of causal inference. As participants in the 2016 and 2017 Atlantic Causal Inference Conference (ACIC) data competitions and co-organizers of the 2018 competition, we discuss the strengths of simulation-based competitions and suggest potential extensions to address their limitations. These suggested augmentations aim at making the data generating processes more realistic and gradually increase in complexity, allowing thorough investigations of algorithms’ performance. We further outline a community-wide competition framework to evaluate an end-to-end causal inference pipeline, beginning with a causal question and a database, and ending with causal estimates.

And they're on sale for Black Friday. 

This retro style is making a comeback for a reason.

Some of the troubling reports of corporate responses to COVID-19 include forced work in unsafe areas, not enough -- or any -- protection gear, massive layoffs and furloughs, and the sense that a critical mass of well-paid CEOs and politicians don't get that many people live paycheck to paycheck. There are exceptions though, and HP stands out, thanks to HR VP Tracy Keogh and CEO Enrique Lores.

As FAO launches dedicated webpages on post-2015, here are seven things to know about the process and how FAO is playing its part. 7 - Post-2015 development agenda - The name refers to the process through which Member States agree on a new global development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals that followed the UN Millennium Declaration [...]

Biodiversity for food and agriculture is among the earth’s most important resources. Biodiversity is indispensable: be it the insects that pollinate plants, the microscopic bacteria used for making cheese, the diverse livestock breeds used to make a living in harsh environments, the thousands species of fish, and other aquatic species in our lakes, rivers and oceans, or the thousands of [...]

Feeding the world’s growing population, which is expected to go beyond 9 billion by 2050, is one of the world’s biggest challenges. Some of the highest rates of population growth are predicted to occur in areas that are highly dependent on the agriculture sector (i.e. crops, livestock, forests and fisheries). Sustainable agricultural growth is one of the most effective means [...]

We see them each and every day: at the grocery store, the farmer’s market and as side orders served with your favourite dish. In many countries, they are part of the cultural heritage and are consumed on a regular basis. In other parts of the world, they hardly garner a mention except when served as soup on a cold winter’s [...]

Banana split, banana muffins, banana bread, banana pudding, banana pancakes – whether plain, cooked, baked or fried, bananas are among the most widely consumed fruits on the planet. However, how much do we really know about this most produced and exported fruit? Here are 11 interesting facts you should know about bananas: Based on written references discovered in Sanskrit around the year [...]

FAO plays an important and unique role as a neutral forum, offering unbiased, high-quality information across all areas related to food, agriculture and sustainable natural resources management. With over 500 new publications a year, FAO provides robust technical knowledge and global statistics. By broadly disseminating timely, accurate and compelling information, FAO informs the work of practitioners, researchers and policy-makers, while raising [...]

New Brunswickers needn't worry about all the buzz around 'murder hornets' because they wouldn't survive the cold winters, says biologist.

A doctor on Manitoulin Island is encouraging seasonal residents to stay home and not to come visit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The upcoming debate about whether to expand the urban boundary is one of the city's big issues this term. But instead of delaying it, the city's testing out a never-before-attempted democratic process. Should they?

CBC Kitchener-Waterloo speaks to a motherhood expert about managing work and child care during the pandemic.

A sports writer covering the strange return of South Korea's baseball season says fans should brace for similarly odd experience in Toronto, if and when the 2020 season begins.

He’s a nominee in perpetual waiting.

The province says no one has to tell others if they get COVID-19. The same goes for businesses or landlords, should employees or tenants get sick. But should you tell?

The post Top 5 Reasons Why Students Should Come to 3DEXPERIENCE World appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Education Blog.

A Fin24 user wants to know whether paying off a car loan or credit card will make her credit score 'look better.'

THE people of Scotland have been offered a “light at the end of the tunnel” in the form of various potential relaxations to lockdown - but warned they will only get there if they double down on their compliance.

Scotland needs to plant up to one billion trees to achieve the country’s ambitious climate change goals and help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis, a group of environmental consultants have said.

Speak to anyone involved in Scottish football and they'll tell you that the current crop of Under-16 players coming through the academy systems are among the best they've seen.

IT’S strange the different things people took away from Theresa May’s teary goodbye in Downing Street yesterday.

THE Through the Keyhole Pandemic Special has certainly given rise to some entertaining sights.

My job as a teacher is to help students learn, not to use extrinsic motivation to get them to work, writes Miriam Plotinsky.

The business of buying things for schools is a key part of making sure that hard-fought K-12 funding actually turns into a quality education at the school and classroom level.

Force or farce?

The new question of the week is: How can teachers and administrators best address bullying in school?

Lively debate persists around this playground game, which opponents say is ripe territory for bullies and which supporters argue builds skills like teamwork and resilience.

Homeschooling isn't a decision to be taken on lightly, but COVID-19 just changed the calculus, writes Michael Q. McShane.

Don't focus on how much work kids are getting done. Instead, set specific learning goals and help students reach them.

School-based health clinics for teachers and their families can significantly lower a district's health care costs and slightly reduce teacher absenteeism, a new study finds.

A five-part series on mistakes made by school administrators is wrapped-up today with commentaries from Dr. Lynell Powell, Stuart Ablon, Alisha Pollastri, Diane Mora and many comments from readers

Research shows demands put on school principals are increasing when it comes to instructional leadership. Greater demands bring out increasing gaps, and a need for better leadership development.

While foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation--second language classes at an earlier age would improve overall fluency for most students.

Shoulder injuries are common among high school athletes. These injuries, both traumatic and overuse, contribute to significant time loss from athletic activity. Understanding sport-specific injury patterns is critical for development of targeted injury prevention programs.

This study is the most comprehensive analysis of high school shoulder injuries to date, providing national injury estimates while examining injury rates, diagnoses, severity, and mechanisms of injury in 9 interscholastic sports. (Read the full article)

A Fin24 reader nearing retirement wants to know if he can access his retirement annuity now while still employed or only after officially retiring.

Schools should take the lead in removing the stigma around menstruation, writes 16-year-old Maggie Di Sanza, founder of Bleed Shamelessly.

Integrating technology requires a significant investment of time and money, but the resources are well-spent if the focus is improving instruction, writes educational consultant Matthew Lynch.

A panel of experts—including a national teacher's union president and an official from the Department of Education—discussed how to make teaching a more attractive profession.

Nationally, at least five million children have at least one parent who is undocumented. Supporting those children should be a priority if the threat of a raid is not imminent, advocates said.

For more than a year and a half, UN peacekeepers have continuously supported military operations conducted by the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) against the Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in North and South Kivu.

The UN's release of a long awaited report on crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993-2003 is not only an opportunity to re-examine the historical record of mass violence in DRC -- the scale and nature of which was often overlooked in the wake of the genocide in neighboring Rwanda -- but is also a chance to correct the terms of the deceptive and fragile peace some leaders wish to proclaim in the resource-rich Great Lakes region of Africa.

South Africa’s efforts to foster peace and security have placed it centre stage in some of the continent’s most intractable conflicts. This is an inevitable result of the quest to promote “African solutions for African problems”.

It's vital that school boards make it clear that leaving students without access to meaningful instruction for 4-6 months is unacceptable, says national school board guru AJ Crabill.

4K is the resolution standard for televisions now, but we're starting to see 8K TVs trickle out. How much better is 8K, and is it worth waiting for?

A PCMag reader hopes to use a VPN to stream their favorite sporting events to a smart TV. Senior security analyst Max Eddy explains that while this can work, it's a complicated and morally fraught process.

Configuring your router to run a VPN lets it protect all the devices on your network, but senior security analyst Max Eddy explains why it might not be practical for the average user.

"When the day came to administer the first test I had designed," writes Brandon Lewis, "my heart sank."