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Custom Genitals In The New Keanu Reeves Video Game Is Improving Gaming For The Better

By Isaac Cabe  Published: May 07th, 2020 




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Top tips to lose weight by improving your digestive system



WEIGHT LOSS can be a very hard journey for many people, especially in the current climate where Brits are mid-way through their sixth week in lockdown. However it is possible to lose weight in a healthy way, by not restricting your diet and at the same time, also looking after your digestive system, one of the most important parts of the body. An expert has revealed how to lose weight whilst looking after your body.




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Why You Need to Consider IoT in Improving Customer Experience

Assuredly, IoT (Internet of Things) has the potential to improve customer experience. The rapid expansion of technology has impacted businesses in many ways. Besides, IoT enables data sharing, inventory management, security, and increased efficiency and productivity. But, what is IoT? Well, in simple words, IoT is the network of interconnected devices that embedded with sensors, software, […]

The post Why You Need to Consider IoT in Improving Customer Experience appeared first on ReadWrite.




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Supporting the US Economy by Improving the Mobility of High-skilled Labour Across the Atlantic

27 September 2017

US policymakers should give special consideration to a more open immigration policy for highly skilled professionals from the EU. This would ultimately benefit the US economy.

Marianne Schneider-Petsinger

Senior Research Fellow, US and the Americas Programme

2017-09-25-labour-mobility-us-economy.jpg

Businessman on bicycle passing skyline of La Defense business district in Paris, France. Photo: Getty Images.

Summary

  • The United States and the European Union are deeply integrated economically in terms of movement of goods, services and capital across the Atlantic, but this is not matched by the mobility of labour. Freer movement of high-skilled workers across the Atlantic has a potentially critical role to play in maintaining and strengthening the bilateral economic relationship.
  • Both the US and EU seek to attract high-skilled labour through the use of temporary visa programmes. Various routes are available for highly skilled workers from the EU to temporarily work in the US (for instance, through the H-1B visa for foreign nationals in ‘specialty occupations’, as well as other visa categories for treaty traders and investors, intra-company transferees, and international students seeking work authorization in the US before or after graduation). The main ways for highly skilled workers from the US to temporarily work in EU member states are through EU-wide schemes that apply in 25 out of the 28 member states (for holders of EU Blue Cards or intra-company transferees); or via member states’ parallel national schemes.
  • The experiences of US and EU employers and workers under the US H-1B programme and the EU’s Blue Card scheme differ greatly. The EU Blue Card scheme avoids many of the drawbacks of the H-1B visa. It does not have an annual cap on the number of visas issued. It also grants greater autonomy to the worker by not requiring the employer to sponsor long-term residence, by providing greater flexibility to switch employment, and by having a longer grace period for visa-holders to find new employment after dismissal.
  • The US visa system hampers America’s economic growth. Restrictive policies such as an annual limit on the number of H-1B visas issued, and the associated uncertainty for employees and employers, hinder the ability of US companies to expand and innovate. The complex and costly visa application process is a particular burden for small and medium-sized enterprises. Problems around the timely availability of visas frustrate investors both from the US and from abroad (including from the EU). European firms face difficulties in acquiring visas for intra-company transferees, and not all EU member states have access to the treaty trader and treaty investor visa categories. At times, this impedes foreign direct investment and restricts US job creation. In addition, current policies hinder the economy’s retention of EU and other graduates of US universities. This is of particular concern given that skilled graduates have a critical role to play in addressing the US’s growing shortage of workers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
  • Given the comparability of US and EU wages and labour markets, US concerns about foreign workers ‘stealing’ their jobs or depressing wages generally do not apply to EU citizens. On the contrary, a more open immigration policy for high-skilled workers – in particular for EU citizens – would benefit the US economy.
  • Efforts to reform visa systems for high-skilled labour are under way in both the US and EU. In order to facilitate the movement of highly skilled workers across the Atlantic, this research paper recommends (1) creating a special visa for highly skilled EU citizens to work temporarily in the US; (2) extending the availability of treaty trader and investor visas to all EU member states; and (3) increasing efforts to eliminate fraud and abuse in the H-1B system. These measures could potentially help to create more investment, jobs and economic growth in the US.




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Women in the Armed Forces: Improving Integration




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Improving Stents - Part 2

Stents are expandable tubes that are inserted into blocked or damaged blood vessels. They offer a practical way to treat coronary artery disease, repairing vessels and keeping them open so that blood can flow freely. When stents work, they are a great alternative to radical surgery, but they can deteriorate or become dislodged. Mathematical models of blood vessels and stents are helping to determine better shapes and materials for the tubes. These models are so accurate that the FDA is considering requiring mathematical modeling in the design of stents before any further testing is done, to reduce the need for expensive experimentation. Precise modeling of the entire human vascular system is far beyond the reach of current computational power, so researchers focus their detailed models on small subsections, which are coupled with simpler models of the rest of the system. The Navier-Stokes equations are used to represent the flow of blood and its interaction with vessel walls. A mathematical proof was the central part of recent research that led to the abandonment of one type of stent and the design of better ones. The goal now is to create better computational fluid-vessel models and stent models to improve the treatment and prediction of coronary artery disease the major cause of heart attacks. For More Information: Design of Optimal Endoprostheses Using Mathematical Modeling, Canic, Krajcer, and Lapin, Endovascular Today, May 2006.




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Improving Stents - Part 1

Stents are expandable tubes that are inserted into blocked or damaged blood vessels. They offer a practical way to treat coronary artery disease, repairing vessels and keeping them open so that blood can flow freely. When stents work, they are a great alternative to radical surgery, but they can deteriorate or become dislodged. Mathematical models of blood vessels and stents are helping to determine better shapes and materials for the tubes. These models are so accurate that the FDA is considering requiring mathematical modeling in the design of stents before any further testing is done, to reduce the need for expensive experimentation. Precise modeling of the entire human vascular system is far beyond the reach of current computational power, so researchers focus their detailed models on small subsections, which are coupled with simpler models of the rest of the system. The Navier-Stokes equations are used to represent the flow of blood and its interaction with vessel walls. A mathematical proof was the central part of recent research that led to the abandonment of one type of stent and the design of better ones. The goal now is to create better computational fluid-vessel models and stent models to improve the treatment and prediction of coronary artery disease the major cause of heart attacks. For More Information: Design of Optimal Endoprostheses Using Mathematical Modeling, Canic, Krajcer, and Lapin, Endovascular Today, May 2006.




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Improving Workplace Safety: What Works

The surprise player in affecting workplace safety overseas? Multinational buyers.




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CBD News: Statement by the CBD Executive Secretary on the occasion of the Expert Meeting on Improving Progress Reporting and Working towards Implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Target 6, 9 to 11 February 2016, FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy




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CBD News: The focus of work this week "towards an enhanced regional cooperation to restore Mediterranean landscapes: improving ecosystem resilience for the benefit of people and the environment.", directly supports the Strategic Plan for Biodive




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Improving Diabetes Care in the Hospital Using Guideline-Directed Orders

Stephen F. Quevedo
Oct 1, 2001; 14:
Feature Articles




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The Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes, and Needs (DAWN) Program: A New Approach to Improving Outcomes of Diabetes Care

Soren E. Skovlund
Jul 1, 2005; 18:136-142
Lifestyle and Behavior




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Improving Identification of In-organello Protein-Protein Interactions Using an Affinity-enrichable, Isotopically Coded, and Mass Spectrometry-cleavable Chemical Crosslinker

Karl A. T. Makepeace
Apr 1, 2020; 19:624-639
Research




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Improving Identification of In-organello Protein-Protein Interactions Using an Affinity-enrichable, Isotopically Coded, and Mass Spectrometry-cleavable Chemical Crosslinker [Research]

An experimental and computational approach for identification of protein-protein interactions by ex vivo chemical crosslinking and mass spectrometry (CLMS) has been developed that takes advantage of the specific characteristics of cyanurbiotindipropionylsuccinimide (CBDPS), an affinity-tagged isotopically coded mass spectrometry (MS)-cleavable crosslinking reagent. Utilizing this reagent in combination with a crosslinker-specific data-dependent acquisition strategy based on MS2 scans, and a software pipeline designed for integrating crosslinker-specific mass spectral information led to demonstrated improvements in the application of the CLMS technique, in terms of the detection, acquisition, and identification of crosslinker-modified peptides. This approach was evaluated on intact yeast mitochondria, and the results showed that hundreds of unique protein-protein interactions could be identified on an organelle proteome-wide scale. Both known and previously unknown protein-protein interactions were identified. These interactions were assessed based on their known sub-compartmental localizations. Additionally, the identified crosslinking distance constraints are in good agreement with existing structural models of protein complexes involved in the mitochondrial electron transport chain.




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Australia's Cyber Security Strategy: weaknesses, yes, but we're improving

The online world changes so fast it was always going to be tough to design a four-year strategy.




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Improving the Governance of International Migration

This volume from MPI's Transatlantic Council on Migration aims to fill the analytical gap regarding the question of what greater global cooperation on governing the flow of international migrants could achieve. The book focuses on a set of fundamental questions: What are the key steps to building a better, more cooperative system of governance? What are the goals that can be achieved through greater international cooperation? And, most fundamentally, who (or what) is to be governed?




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Diabetes INSIDE: Improving Population HbA1c Testing and Targets in Primary Care With a Quality Initiative

OBJECTIVE

To improve outcomes of patients with adult type 2 diabetes by decreasing HbA1c undertesting, reducing the proportion of patients with poor glycemic control, and lowering mean HbA1c levels using a quality improvement (QI) program.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Six years of outpatient electronic health record (EHR) data were analyzed for care gaps before and 2 years after implementing a QI initiative in an urban academic medical center. QI strategies included 1) individual provider and departmental outcome reports, 2) patient outreach programs to address timely follow-up care, 3) a patient awareness campaign to improve understanding of achieving clinical goals, 4) improving EHR data capture to improve population monitoring, and 5) professional education.

RESULTS

Analysis (January 2010 to May 2018) of 7,798 patients from Tulane Medical Center (mean age 61 years, 57% female, 62% black, 97% insured) with 136,004 visits showed target improvements. A Cox proportional hazards model controlling for age, sex, race, and HbA1c level showed a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c undertesting >6 months (hazard ratio 1.20 ± 0.07). Statistical process control charts showed 15.5% relative improvement in the patient proportion with HbA1c >9% (75 mmol/mol) from 13% to 11% (P < 10–6) following QI interventions and a 2.1% improvement of population mean HbA1c from 7.4% (57 mmol/mol) to 7.2% (55 mmol/mol) (P < 10–6).

CONCLUSIONS

Multidisciplinary QI teams using EHR data to design interventions for providers and patients produced statistically significant improvements in both care process and clinical outcome goals.




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Improving Patient Adherence

Alan M. Delamater
Apr 1, 2006; 24:71-77
Feature Articles





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Money Wise: Improving How EU Funds Support Migration and Integration Policy Objectives

European policymakers are negotiating the blueprint for the next EU funding cycle—a plan that will determine how much money is available for migration and integration aims, what it can be used for, and who can access it. This policy brief explores some of the limitations of EU funds, as well as strategies that could help them more effectively serve migration and integration policy goals.




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Diabetes Self-Management in a Community Health Center: Improving Health Behaviors and Clinical Outcomes for Underserved Patients

Daren Anderson
Jan 1, 2008; 26:22-27
Bridges to Excellence




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Improving Patient Adherence

Alan M. Delamater
Apr 1, 2006; 24:71-77
Feature Articles




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How Technology Is Improving Safety On the Roads and Reducing Driving Anxiety

Technology has changed a number of aspects of our everyday lives and has led to increased efficiency. But when it comes to driving, has it helped or hindered the process? In this article, we will be looking into some of the ways that technology has improved safety on our roads in the last 10 years. […]




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Deep transfer learning for improving single-EEG arousal detection. (arXiv:2004.05111v2 [cs.CV] UPDATED)

Datasets in sleep science present challenges for machine learning algorithms due to differences in recording setups across clinics. We investigate two deep transfer learning strategies for overcoming the channel mismatch problem for cases where two datasets do not contain exactly the same setup leading to degraded performance in single-EEG models. Specifically, we train a baseline model on multivariate polysomnography data and subsequently replace the first two layers to prepare the architecture for single-channel electroencephalography data. Using a fine-tuning strategy, our model yields similar performance to the baseline model (F1=0.682 and F1=0.694, respectively), and was significantly better than a comparable single-channel model. Our results are promising for researchers working with small databases who wish to use deep learning models pre-trained on larger databases.




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Hierarchical infinite factor models for improving the prediction of surgical complications for geriatric patients

Elizabeth Lorenzi, Ricardo Henao, Katherine Heller.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 4, 2637--2661.

Abstract:
Nearly a third of all surgeries performed in the United States occur for patients over the age of 65; these older adults experience a higher rate of postoperative morbidity and mortality. To improve the care for these patients, we aim to identify and characterize high risk geriatric patients to send to a specialized perioperative clinic while leveraging the overall surgical population to improve learning. To this end, we develop a hierarchical infinite latent factor model (HIFM) to appropriately account for the covariance structure across subpopulations in data. We propose a novel Hierarchical Dirichlet Process shrinkage prior on the loadings matrix that flexibly captures the underlying structure of our data while sharing information across subpopulations to improve inference and prediction. The stick-breaking construction of the prior assumes an infinite number of factors and allows for each subpopulation to utilize different subsets of the factor space and select the number of factors needed to best explain the variation. We develop the model into a latent factor regression method that excels at prediction and inference of regression coefficients. Simulations validate this strong performance compared to baseline methods. We apply this work to the problem of predicting surgical complications using electronic health record data for geriatric patients and all surgical patients at Duke University Health System (DUHS). The motivating application demonstrates the improved predictive performance when using HIFM in both area under the ROC curve and area under the PR Curve while providing interpretable coefficients that may lead to actionable interventions.




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Seven examples of nuclear technology improving food and agriculture

Some of the most innovative ways being used to improve agricultural practices involve nuclear technology. Nuclear applications in agriculture rely on the use of isotopes and radiation techniques to combat pests and diseases, increase crop production, protect land and water resources, ensure food safety and authenticity, and increase livestock production. FAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been expanding [...]




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Childhood Well-Being In Flint Improving After Water Crisis

The Flint Water Crisis captured national attention about the dangers of lead contamination in public water supplies. Now, nearly six years after the problem was first detected, health officials are reporting on the well-being of children in Flint.




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Improving Behavior Challenges and Quality of Life in the Autism Learning Health Network

OBJECTIVES:

To summarize baseline data and lessons learned from the Autism Learning Health Network, designed to improve care and outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We describe challenging behaviors, co-occurring medical conditions, quality of life (QoL), receipt of recommended health services, and next steps.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study of children 3 to 12 years old with ASD receiving care at 13 sites. Parent-reported characteristics of children with ASD were collected as outcome measures aligned with our network’s aims of reducing rates of challenging behaviors, improving QoL, and ensuring receipt of recommended health services. Parents completed a survey about behavioral challenges, co-occurring conditions, health services, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health Measure and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist to assess QoL and behavior symptoms, respectively.

RESULTS:

Analysis included 530 children. Challenging behaviors were reported by the majority of parents (93%), frequently noting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, irritability, and anxiety. Mean (SD) scores on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist hyperactivity and irritability subscales were 17.9 (10.5) and 13.5 (9.2), respectively. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health Measure total score of 23.6 (3.7) was lower than scores reported in a general pediatric population. Most children had received recommended well-child (94%) and dental (85%) care in the past 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS:

This baseline data (1) affirmed the focus on addressing challenging behaviors; (2) prioritized 3 behavior domains, that of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, irritability, and anxiety; and (3) identified targets for reducing severity of behaviors and strategies to improve data collection.




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Improving Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections in Outpatient Settings

OBJECTIVES:

To determine if a multicomponent intervention was associated with increased use of first-line antibiotics (cephalexin or sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) among children with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in outpatient settings.

METHODS:

The study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, a large health care organization with ~127 000 members <18 years of age. After conducting a gap analysis, an intervention was developed to target key drivers of antibiotic prescribing for pediatric UTIs. Intervention activities included development of new local clinical guidelines, a live case-based educational session, pre- and postsession e-mailed knowledge assessments, and a new UTI-specific order set within the electronic health record. Most activities were implemented on April 26, 2017. The study design was an interrupted time series comparing antibiotic prescribing for UTIs before versus after the implementation date. Infants <60 days old and children with complex urologic or neurologic conditions were excluded.

RESULTS:

During January 2014 to September 2018, 2142 incident outpatient UTIs were identified (1636 preintervention and 506 postintervention). Pyelonephritis was diagnosed for 7.6% of cases. Adjusted for clustering of UTIs within clinicians, the proportion of UTIs treated with first-line antibiotics increased from 43.4% preintervention to 62.4% postintervention (P < .0001). The use of cephalexin (first-line, narrow spectrum) increased from 28.9% preintervention to 53.0% postintervention (P < .0001). The use of cefixime (second-line, broad spectrum) decreased from 17.3% preintervention to 2.6% postintervention (P < .0001). Changes in prescribing practices persisted through the end of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS:

A multicomponent intervention with educational and process-improvement elements was associated with a sustained change in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated pediatric UTIs.




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Improving Adherence to Otitis Media Guidelines With Clinical Decision Support and Physician Feedback

Expectations are high that electronic health record–based clinical decision support and performance feedback will improve adherence to guidelines by delivering relevant and actionable information to clinicians. Few studies have evaluated these assertions or examined the combined effects of decision support and feedback.

Clinical decision support customized to a patient’s history and presentation and performance feedback are both effective for improving adherence to guidelines for otitis media. However, the combination of the 2 interventions is no better than either delivered alone. (Read the full article)




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Improving Research on Charters




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Improving the Wuhan Coronavirus dashboard

The COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak has been in the news a lot lately, and everyone is probably looking for a quick/easy way to see the data. The best visualization I've seen so far is this dashboard by Johns Hopkins. Here's a screen-capture: But before we dive into the data analysis, let's [...]

The post Improving the Wuhan Coronavirus dashboard appeared first on Graphically Speaking.




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Pathways for Improving Inpatient Pediatric Asthma Care (PIPA): A Multicenter, National Study

This multicenter study analyzes the effects of pediatric inpatient asthma pathways on quality of care across varied hospital settings.




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Marking Delaware’s Progress Improving Reentry Services

Governor John Carney on Monday joined state leaders at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington to review progress on improving reentry services for offenders and to announce more than $1 million in grants to support Delaware’s reentry initiatives.




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RBI Committee for improving efficiency of bank employees

RBI Committee recommendations for improving efficiency of bank employees




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Improving Data Governance During the COVID-19 Crisis

To ensure data is protected, business units must work closely with IT and security specialists to resolve data governance issues, says Sydney-based Prashant Haldankar, CISO at Privasec.




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Improving Data Governance During the COVID-19 Crisis

To ensure data is protected, business units must work closely with IT and security specialists to resolve data governance issues, says Sydney-based Prashant Haldankar, CISO at Privasec.




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Policy to Become Law - The Government’s Response to Consultation on Improving the Use of Planning Conditions

The Government chose the last month of 2016 to announce some legislative proposals that will have a significant impact on the ability of local planning authorities (LPAs) to impose planning conditions. Consultation seeking views on proposals for imp...




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Improving communications with DC members

The Government issued a consultation paper last week exploring how to improve the annual statement that all occupational and personal pension schemes are required to provide to DC members in order to increase member engagement and understanding. The...




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Tourism and Duty-free Industries Hopeful about Improving Korea-China Relations

As Korea and China are set to improve their relationship that was rocked by the controversy over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system, Korea's tourism and duty-free shopping industries are raising their hopes of better days.The tourism industry believes that the Chinese government's group tour ban to Korea would be relaxed soon. A travel agency in Hebei posted an Internet ad recently for a group tour program to Korea in November at the price of 1,4...




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Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools: A Guide for Practitioners and Policy Makers in Mongolia

This publication provides essential information on the planning, implementation, and management of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools, particularly for small and isolated rural settlements in Mongolia.




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Health Sector Development In Bhutan: Improving Disease Detection

The Health Sector Development Program, supported by the ADF facility and additional ADF grant funding for a total of $20 million, is improving primary health care delivery and information systems in Bhutan.




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Preparing the Improving Financial Access and Entrepreneurship Development Project

Approved project 53097-002 in Papua New Guinea.




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Role of Regional Cooperation and Integration in Improving Energy Insecurity in South Asia

Energy security is a nation’s ability to meet the energy needs of its inhabitants uninterruptedly at an affordable price.




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Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools: A Guide for Practitioners and Policy Makers in Mongolia

This publication provides essential information on the planning, implementation, and management of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools, particularly for small and isolated rural settlements in Mongolia.




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Role of Regional Cooperation and Integration in Improving Energy Insecurity in South Asia

Energy security is a nation’s ability to meet the energy needs of its inhabitants uninterruptedly at an affordable price.




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Paving the Way for Autonomous Vehicles – Improving National Readiness through Smart (and Timely) Public Policy

In a new report, KPMG ranks countries' autonomous vehicle (AV) readiness by analyzing how policymakers perform on four pillars: policy and legislation, technology and innovation, infrastructure, and consumer acceptance. The top rankings? The...




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A Call to Action for North Carolina Legislators on Improving Access to Health

To better the health of all North Carolinians, policymakers must come together to improve access to care, expand broadband, and close the coverage gap.




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Improving Crop Water-Use Efficiency Requires Optimizing the Circadian Clock




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About Kamlesh Khunti, MD, PHD, FRCP, FRCGP, FMEDSCI: Guest Editor, Improving Outcomes of People With Diabetes Through Overcoming Therapeutic InertiaPreface