Brick kiln chimneys outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit: Nina Brooks
Like superheroes capable of seeing through obstacles, environmental regulators may soon wield the power of all-seeing eyes that can identify violators anywhere at any time, according to a new Stanford University-led study. The paper, published the week of April 19 in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), demonstrates how artificial intelligence combined with satellite imagery can provide a low-cost, scalable method for locating and monitoring otherwise hard-to-regulate industries.
“Brick kilns have proliferated across Bangladesh to supply the growing economy with construction materials, which makes it really hard for regulators to keep up with new kilns that are constructed,” said co-lead author Nina Brooks, a postdoctoral associate at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation who did the research while a Ph.D. student at Stanford.
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Brick kilns have proliferated across Bangladesh to supply the growing economy with construction materials, which makes it really hard for regulators to keep up with new kilns that are constructed, said co-lead author Nina Brooks, a postdoctoral associate at the University of Minnesota s Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation who did the research while a PhD student at Stanford.
While previous research has shown the potential to use machine learning and satellite observations for environmental regulation, most studies have focused on wealthy countries with dependable data on industrial locations and activities. To explore the feasibility in developing countries, the Stanford-led research focused on Bangladesh, where government regulators struggle to locate highly pollutive informal brick kilns, let alone enforce rules.
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The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets today to review the data that have led, “out of an abundance of caution,” to a recommended pause in the use of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. The focus is on six cases of what appears to be a very rare but severe type of blood clot, all occurring in women ages 18 to 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after vaccination. One woman died and another is hospitalized in critical condition.
Nearly 7 million doses of the single-dose J&J vaccine have been given in this country. The concern is a clot known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, occurring in combination with low blood platelets. Traditional treatments for clots, such as heparin, may actually be dangerous in this situation. The CDC and FDA are advising that anyone who has received the J&J vaccine and develops severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of being vaccinated should contact