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How CIOs can be battle-ready during the Covid-19 crisis

CIOs should focus their energy on the resolution of issues that arise as almost 100% of their workforce work remotely and building resistance towards the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.




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Future of cyber security: From SMAC to BRISC

The future of cybersecurity will revolve around Business Continuity (Backup), Remote Collaboration, Internet, Security & Cloud.




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What does hidden behind walls of encryption and special security software mean?




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Tourist cruise ships increase atmospheric pollution in the Arctic

Levels of air pollution significantly increase on the island of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic when tourist cruise ships are present, according to a recent study. With shipping levels rising in the region, the researchers recommend that stricter emissions regulations are introduced in order to limit the impact of pollution on the Arctic environment.




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Destination Anthropocene : science and tourism in the Bahamas / Amelia Moore

Moore, Amelia, 1981- author




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Sustainable tourism in Spanish coastal resorts

The Spanish coast is a popular destination for tourists. A recent study has assessed the sustainability of tourism in these areas and the results can be used to guide future planning decisions.




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Clarifying and measuring energy security

A new study has clarified the concept of the popular phrase 'energy security'. It suggests that measurements of energy security for a country or area should be multi-dimensional and include figures that represent fuel prices, the diversity of the energy market and political stability.




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Lessons for integrating tourism into sustainable rural development

Rural areas are changing, with tourism playing an ever greater part in a multifunctional countryside. A recent study has looked at the role that sustainable rural tourism can play in rural development in Europe and some of the challenges to be overcome if a truly integrated approach to rural development is to be realised.




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A human-focused approach to measuring ocean health

A new index for measuring the health of oceans considers the benefits of the sea to humans, as well as the status of natural components, such as biodiversity. According to the researchers who developed the index, it provides a powerful tool for allocating resources and improving policy in the management of marine ecosystems.




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Broader impacts are important when measuring the utility of science

Governments and funding bodies are increasingly evaluating the ‘impact’ of academic research. There are growing discussions about impact – what it means, and how it can be demonstrated – and it is a challenge to evaluate impact on society. This study investigated the broader benefits of scientific research, beyond technology development, to support more comprehensive evaluations of science.




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Renewable energy’s role in national energy security rated by new index

Researchers have developed a new indicator for policymakers, which shows the strength of renewable-energy technologies for electricity production in a country’s energy security. They compare their Renewable Energy Security Index (RESI) to the carbon footprint, in that it is easy to report and practical to use in energy policy.




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Solar-powered irrigation improves food security in West Africa

Solar-powered irrigation that delivers water directly to plant roots could help ensure food security in Africa, say researchers. Their study in the Sudano-Sahel region of West Africa indicated that this irrigation method could increase both household income and nutritional intake, particularly during the dry season.




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Land use and water consumption patterns in urban and tourist areas

A new Spanish study has highlighted current developments in the tourism sector that have significant implications for water supply and demand, but are barely addressed in recent land use policies. The findings indicate that any tourist destination that is to follow the ‘quality tourist’ model will have an increased water demand in domestic residential areas, which is one of the biggest threats to sustainable water management.




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Food security depends on sustainable nutrient management of soils

Food security is being threatened by loss of soil nutrients that are essential for the high yield of crops. A recent study outlines strategies to ensure the sustainable production of food through a holistic approach to soil nutrient management.




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Hydraulic fracturing consumes the largest share of water in shale gas production

An average shale gas well in the Marcellus formation will use around 20 000 m3 of freshwater over its life cycle, new research suggests. In total, 65% of this is directly consumed at the well site and 35% is consumed further along the supply chain




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Low energy water purification enabled by nanomaterial-coated sponges

A low cost, low energy method to disinfect water using electricity has been developed by researchers by combining carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silver nano-wires with existing materials. The technology has the potential to be used in portable disinfection devices in developing countries.




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Microbes that purify groundwater show resilience to drought

Microbes found in groundwater may be resilient to periods of drought. A new study measured the enzyme activity of microbes, which shows whether they are alive and active, in a groundwater well. No significant difference in enzyme activity was found between those microbes that had experienced drought for four months and those that had not.




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Complying with emissions regulations: calculating the acid plume from ships’ desulphurisation equipment

Marine diesel contains sulphur compounds, which generate sulphur oxide (SOx) pollution and acid rain. Ships can use mitigating technologies to reduce their SOx emissions, but these can also have a negative environmental impact. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced stringent legislation to control these, aspects of which are incorporated into EU policy. This study examined the implications of the IMO’s policy and recommends a number of design solutions to help ships comply.




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Secure your money, cybercrime cases double during lockdown

The criminal minds too have evolved during this pandemic. While there has been a significant drop in number of heinous crimes in city, cybercrime cases have spiked since lockdown.




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'Significant' increase in cybercrime against women during lockdown: Experts

There has been a significant increase in cybercrime against women, especially sextortion, during the COVID-19-induced lockdown with "caged criminals" targeting them online, say experts.




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Zoom now adds security feature to avoid Zoombombing

The new features will allow admins to disable the use of a Personal Meeting ID (PMI) for scheduling or starting an instant meeting. As per the company, disabling the use of PMIs reduces that risk altogether and doesn’t leave PMI security up to individual users.




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66% manufacturing firms pick big data as top investment priority: Study

Sixty-six per cent of manufacturing companies voted for big data, predictive analytics as their top investment priority in the next two years, followed by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and sensors, cloud/integrated platforms and robotic process automation, a new study revealed on Friday.




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A new approach to securing data in-use

Runtime data security assumes greater significance in the post Covid-19 world where ‘work from home’ has become the new normal and businesses rely on cloud computing more than ever.




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BSE puts in place penalty structure for non-submission of cyber security report

Brokers need to submit a quarterly report on incidence of cyber-attacks and threats.




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Haryana to permit industry on weekly basis during lockdown

Sharing more details of the same, an official Spokesman said that as per the latest MHA Guidelines, activities in a region shall be allowed based on the risk profiling of the region/districts into Red (Hotspots), Orange, and Green zones. ​​In the Orange zone IT/ITES would be allowed to carry out their activities with staff strength of 50 percent.




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Technology services and its changing role during the Covid-19 era

Since ‘virtual’ is the new normal, get imaginative on how you work, how you stay in touch and use technology to make this unique experience also a memorable on.




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IoT may expose connected cars, smart healthcare systems to security risks: Analyst

Internet of Things (IoT) technology can expose connected cars and smart healthcare systems to a lot of security threats, research analyst Satyajit Sinha said on Tuesday while presenting a webinar for ETTelecom.




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Designing for the edge – The ‘smart’ in smart video security systems

AI-based recognition systems, and smart security video networks have led to a paradigm shift in the architecture of security video systems.




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Post lockdown prep: A manufacturing CIO’s message to vendors on IoT solutions

Maitrey Modha of CNH Industrial says IoT companies would need to come up with customized solutions based on each type of manufacturing process.




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Technologies that can enable a smooth remote working environment during Covid19

Thanks to the intervention of Cloud-based tech tools, professionals no longer need to visit their offices to engage in business transactions.




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Misconfiguration top cyber security risk on Cloud: Report

Misconfigurations are the primary cause of cyber security issues in the Cloud, according to a new report.




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A Census of Marine Life: measuring and understanding biodiversity

A global team of marine biologists have recently completed a Census of Marine Life, which contributes to our basic understanding of marine ecosystems. Among its findings - marine biodiversity in the Baltic and Mediterranean are among the most threatened globally.




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Pressures on rivers threaten human water security and biodiversity

Human pressures on freshwater resources have seriously reduced the security of water for people and river biodiversity across the world, according to a recent study. Almost 80 per cent of the world's population is at high risk from threats to water security and 65 per cent of river habitats are under threat.




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Greater recognition of ecosystem services needed for food security

Global food security under a changing climate is possible if the vital role of healthy ecosystems is recognised, according to a recent study. The researchers suggest that an ecosystem-based approach must be integrated with other measures to tackle food security under climate change, to protect ecosystems and supply the essential services on which humanity depends.




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The scope of ecotourism to finance national park conservation

How can ecotourism be managed so that tourists' visits are compatible with the protection of species and their habitats? In a new study, researchers developed a tool to calculate the trade-off between tourism and the protection of an endangered bird in an Austrian national park, in order to optimise conservation and visitor management.




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'Alternative agriculture': key to preserving food security and biodiversity?

The goals of providing sufficient quantities of food to support the world's growing population, whilst simultaneously protecting its biodiversity, may seem incompatible. However, a recent review of the literature has highlighted how 'alternative' agricultural practices can offer a realistic solution to the problems of achieving both food security and biodiversity conservation.




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Ecosystem-based adaptation can support food security

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change could help avoid future food crises in Africa, a new review suggests. By examining United Nations EbA projects implemented across Africa, the authors demonstrate that such approaches help improve the climate change resilience of production systems and the communities dependent upon them.




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Small mammals flourish under UK agri-environment scheme

Small mammals clearly benefit from a UK agri-environment scheme (AES), a recent study concludes. Numbers and diversity of voles, shrews and mice were found to increase on and around farmland with 6 m wide field margins and patches of semi-natural habitat - features encouraged under the government-led AES.




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Is Britain’s biosecurity being threatened by the risk of an ‘invasional meltdown’?

Britain’s freshwater ecosystems are on the brink of an invasional meltdown, a new study concludes. Examining 23 freshwater species from south-east Europe, researchers investigated whether individual species in the group would ‘pave the way’ for others, resulting in a rapid increase in establishment of invasive species. The results showed that 76% of the interactions between the species were positive or neutral, highlighting the possibility of severe consequences for Britain’s freshwater ecosystems.




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Wild plant conservation efforts could benefit farming and food security

Conservation of wild plants related to important crops requires more concerted efforts, according to a new study conducted in Scotland. The study makes recommendations for improving conservation within Scotland, as well as outlining a process that could help other countries to prioritise their wild plants.




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Making nano-scale manufacturing eco-friendly with silk

Nanolithography — a way of making finely detailed patterns or structures, such as those found in advanced computer microchips, uses toxic and corrosive chemicals. Researchers have now shown that these could be replaced with eco-friendly silk proteins and water, eliminating the need to use and dispose of hazardous chemicals, while achieving similar levels of detail to conventional methods.




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Some plants are more sensitive to herbicides during reproductive stages of life cycle

This study assessed the effects of herbicides on non-target plants in Denmark and Canada. The findings showed that some plants are more sensitive to herbicides in the reproductive stages of their life cycle and can experience delays in flowering and reduced seed production. The authors say future ecological assessments should consider reproductive outcomes.




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Water run-off is key to measuring the release of biocides from treated construction materials

Weathering of treated wood and other construction materials can lead to the release of chemicals into the environment. Researchers have investigated the release of biocides from wood and roof paints, demonstrating that the amount of water in contact with exposed surfaces is a key factor in determining the level of active chemicals released. The study provides guidance for testing biocidal products in line with the European Biocidal Products Regulation.




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Separate waste-water treatment of urine could have lower environmental impact than centralised, combined waste-water treatment

Municipal wastewater is a major source of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. Results from a recent study suggest that collecting and treating urine separately from other forms of sewage could be a cost-effective way to reduce the harmful effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment, while also providing a source of nutrients for fertilising agricultural crops.




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Earthworms are essential for soil quality, reducing crop pathogens and ensuring yield

Soil biodiversity, soil quality, and soil health are integral to protecting the natural environment. Soils are crucial to food production and human well-being, as highlighted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The abundance of soil biota is of great importance for the provision of associated ecosystem services (ES) and fundamental driver of self-regulation in soil. This study explores how the presence, or absence, of earthworms affects aspects of crop health and productivity, focusing on their shielding of winter wheat from the toxic plant fungi Fusarium.




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Benefits from combining climate, air and energy security policies

Policies based on cost-benefit analysis that tackle climate change, air pollution and energy security together produce far greater benefits than policies designed to address these issues separately, according to a new study. For example, current oil reserves would last until much longer than currently predicted and the number of premature deaths due to air pollution would be reduced by some 3 million per year globally, if all three policy areas were combined.




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Light-duty vehicles exceed EU emissions limits during on-road driving

The nitrogen dioxides (NOX) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of some light-duty petrol and diesel vehicles are higher during on-road driving than during standard laboratory tests, according to a new study. This means that in normal on-road driving, light-duty vehicles, which include passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, may exceed European emissions limits and could be having a greater impact on urban air quality than previously thought.




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Tourist cruise ships increase atmospheric pollution in the Arctic

Levels of air pollution significantly increase on the island of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic when tourist cruise ships are present, according to a recent study. With shipping levels rising in the region, the researchers recommend that stricter emissions regulations are introduced in order to limit the impact of pollution on the Arctic environment.




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Climate policies also deliver cleaner air and enhanced energy security

Integrating climate change policies with pollution control and energy security measures can deliver improved air quality, better public health and diversified energy supplies, and at a lower total energy cost than many previous studies have indicated, according to recent research.




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Measuring the impacts of the Nitrates Directive on nitrogen emissions

The EU's Nitrates Directive has led to significant decreases in nitrogen pollution in Europe, a new study suggests. Modelled scenarios with and without implementation of the Directive showed that it had resulted in a 16% reduction of nitrate leaching by 2008. These improvements could be further increased as implementation becomes stricter, the researchers conclude.