Instructure data scientist

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict on the question of criminalising marital rape. Justice Rajiv Shakdher who headed the Bench, said that the right to withdraw consent (for sex) formed the core of the woman’s right to life and liberty. Justice C. Hari Shankar disagreed that consent alone mattered and marriage changed nothing. He said marriage is accompanied by obligations that the partners have to bear including conjugal expectations. Data from NFHS-5 (2019-21)* show that over 95% of married women in India who endured sexual violence identified their husbands/former husbands as the perpetrator. Worryingly, over 90% of those who endured sexual violence did not seek help from anyone. Even among those who did, none approached a lawyer to seek legal recourse. More than 70% took help from their own family or husband’s family. About 18% of married women said they cannot say ‘no’ to their husbands even if they did not want to have sexual intercourse. About 20% … [Read more...] about Data | No sexual violence survivor contacted a lawyer, only 4.7% took police help in 2019-21

On May 15, India won its first Thomas Cup , defeating 14-time champions Indonesia 3-0 in the final in Bangkok. It was a historic win as the last time the Indian badminton team managed to enter the semi-finals of the tournament was 43 years ago. The final against Indonesia was the most challenging as all the opponents were ranked higher than the Indian players and the head-to-head records were poor. Moreover, the number of top 10 players from India in the singles and doubles categories was lower compared to those from Indonesia Jump through hoops The table lists the difference in rankings between Indian players and their opponents in the knock-out rounds of the Thomas Cup which India won. A negative number shows that the opponent had a better ranking. The table also lists the wins recorded in head-to-head battles in the past with the opponent. A negative number indicates that the Indian player had lost more matches than the opponent in such battles. For doubles players, … [Read more...] about Data | Indian shuttlers overcame poor head-to-head records and higher ranked players to win Thomas cup

Why can millions of hairs grow from our heads, and yet our palms and the soles of our feet are as bare as anything? It all comes down to a special molecule in our bodies, according to the scientists who have found it. The hairless regions of our skin secrete a special type of molecule known as an inhibitor. This particular one is a protein named Dickkopf 2 (DKK2). These effectively brick-up the WNT pathway, which is in charge of triggering hair growth in our bodies. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine believe certain animals have evolved to produce DKK2 in certain parts of their bodies, depending on what will best help different creatures to survive. "In this study, we've shown the skin in hairless regions naturally produces an inhibitor that stops WNT from doing its job," Professor Sarah E. Millar, an author of the study published in the journal Cell Reports , commented. Millar, who is a professor in dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania … [Read more...] about Why does hair grow in some places and not others? Scientists have a new answer

COVID-19 has officially claimed 1 million lives in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The disease has killed more than 30 out of every 10,000 people in the country since the pandemic began. Since March 2020, an average of nearly 1,250 people have officially died of COVID-19 in the U.S. every day. That count, which peaked in January 2021 with up to 4,400 deaths a day, has slowed down recently, with an average of 350 to 600 daily deaths in April and May, according to Johns Hopkins. While this death toll is staggering, it’s almost certainly a serious undercount. Many COVID-related deaths are not officially counted as COVID, so the actual number of deaths from the disease could be several hundred thousand higher, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California, which has more people than any other state, has also had the most deaths: More than 90,000 Californians have died of COVID-19 as of early May, an average of about 113 … [Read more...] about 1 million Americans have died of COVID-19. Data shows California’s role in the staggering toll

A miniature air "curtain" to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals and other health settings where social distancing or mask wearing is not possible has been developed. The desktop air curtain system (DCAS) can block all incoming aerosol particles, say the Japanese scientists behind it. Study co-author Kotaro Takamure said: "We envisage this system will be effective as an indirect barrier for use in blood-testing labs, hospital wards, and other situations where sufficient physical distance cannot be maintained, such as at a reception counter." An air curtain, or air door, is a fan-powered ventilation system that creates an air seal over an entryway. Hospitals use them to prevent ambulance fumes and other contaminants from reaching the inside of an emergency room. One challenge in developing smaller air curtains is fully blocking incoming aerosol particles over time because it is difficult to maintain the air wall over a long distance. The devices lose … [Read more...] about Miniature air curtain helps stop spread of COVID-19 in hospitals, scientists say

China on May 18 said that U.S. investigators haven’t released any information about the cause of a China Eastern Airlines jetliner crash in March after The Wall Street Journal reported its flight data recorder indicated someone pushed the Boeing 737-800 into a steep dive. American investigators confirmed to the Civil Aviation Administration of China [CAAC] that they released no information to reporters, the government newspaper Global Times reported. Phone calls to CAAC weren’t answered. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, referred reporters to the Global Times report in response to requests for information about the investigation. All 123 passengers and nine crew members were killed on March 21 when the plane dived from about 8,800 meters while flying from Kunming in China’s southwest to Guangzhou near Hong Kong. Debris was scattered across a mountainous area. The Journal , citing people familiar with U.S. officials’ preliminary assessment, said the data … [Read more...] about U.S. yet to provide data on March jet crash, says China

Poll after poll shows that things are really not looking good for Chesa Boudin . The latest, released Thursday by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and conducted by EMC Research, found that 67% of survey respondents were planning on voting “yes” on the District Attorney’s upcoming recall election, while just 31% said they would vote no. This follows three other polls that show, at best, support for Boudin trailing support for the recall by about 10%. Overall polls show him getting recalled by a significant margin. However, the polls’ results vary significantly. The Chronicle examined each of the major Boudin recall polls in detail, reaching out to several nonpartisan polling experts to get their opinions on the polls and what they can tell us about the election. Thad Kousser, Department Chair of Political Science at UC San Diego, said that all four polls “look like credible approaches” to surveying a representative sample of San Franciscans and capturing the political … [Read more...] about Another poll suggests trouble for Chesa Boudin in the recall. How reliable is the data?

Watching your dog grow old is devastating because you know there will come a time when you have to say your goodbyes. While you're thankful for the years you spent together, you mourn your 'lost time' and can feel cheated by their short lifespan. With the overall life expectancy for dogs at 11 years, and humans in the UK at 79 for males and 82 for females, we only get to spend about 14 per cent of our lifespan with our favourite four-legged friends. However, a team of scientists at the University of Washington have been trying to figure out how to make dogs live two to four years longer. The Dog Aging Project's first of three phases aimed to discover whether the anti-rejection medicine rapamycin could help extend dogs' lives. Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories. The drug helped to improve dogs' hearts ( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) The drug, which has been found to increase the lifespan of mice … [Read more...] about Scientists working on way to make dogs live longer – it’s already used in humans

As temperatures rise, who doesn't enjoy cooling down with a scoop of ice cream? But what's with that layer of ice crystals covering your delicious vanilla treat? Rest assured, this could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to cellulose derived from wood! Vanilla, strawberry or chocolate? We all love to beat the heat with a scoop of ice cream. But have you ever noticed the ice crystals that inevitably form on your tub of frozen goodness? Those pesky pieces of ice that add an unwanted grainy crunch to ice cream are caused by the way your home freezer works. Even with the door closed, the temperature inside the freezer isn't constant, which means that tiny ice crystals have time to melt and refreeze, often forming bigger crystals as they do so. In reality, the temperature would need to remain under -40°C, and constantly, to keep the tiny ice crystals frozen and virtually imperceptible. In most ice cream recipes, stabilisers are used to limit the formation of ice crystals but also … [Read more...] about Scientists discover a way to prevent ice crystals in your ice cream

A husband has been convicted of murdering his wife after her Fitbit revealed he was lying about her death. Richard Dabate, 45, told police that a man had broken into their home, tied him up and shot his wife Connie dead. But data from Connie's fitness device proved that this was not true, as she was still moving around the house in Connecticut, US, an hour after he claimed she died. Prosecutors said he planned the murder of his wife in 2015 as his lover was due to give birth to his child, and his life was about to unravel. Dabate was found guilty of murder, tampering with evidence and making a false statement. The killer had claimed that a masked man dressed in camouflage gear and with a voice like actor Vin Diesel had broken into their home in Ellington, Tolland County. Husband Richard plotted the killing as his life was about to unravel, jurors were told ( Image: Handout) He told police that he had left for work on the morning of December 23, but returned to … [Read more...] about Police told woman was killed in burglary – until her Fitbit data revealed truth