NASA Umum Dua Misi Baharu RM2.06 Bilion Ke Zuhrah Pelajari Persekitaran

    Foto: NASA

Pentadbiran Aeronautik dan Angkasa Lepas Amerika Syarikat (NASA) mengumumkan dua misi baharu ke Zuhrah, pada 2 Jun yang akan dilancarkan penghujung dekad ini, lapor AFP pada 3 Jun 2021.

Sasaran misi berkenaan antara lain terarah kepada matlamat untuk mempelajari persekitaran planet berdekatan yang tidak menyediakan persekitaran terbaik bagi kehidupan, berbanding keadaan kondusif yang wujud di Bumi.

Pentadbir baharu NASA, Bill Nelson, ketika mengumumkan perkara itu berkata pelancaran kedua-dua misi berkenaan mempunyai tujuan terperinci, iaitu bagi memahami sains di sebalik persekitaran yang sangat panas di Zuhrah, sehingga berupaya meleburkan plumbum di permukaan.

"Mereka akan menawarkan peluang kepada keseluruhan komuniti sains untuk menyiasat sebuah planet yang kita sudah tidak kunjungi lebih 30 tahun," katanya.

Misi berkenaan diperuntukkan sekitar AS$500 juta (RM2.06 bilion) menerusi Program Penerokaan NASA, dan setiap satunya dijangka dilancarkan dalam tempoh antara 2028 hingga 2030.

Kedua-dua misi dipilih bersandarkan proses penilaian bersama yang dibuat secara kompetitif, selain nilai sains dan kebolehlaksanaan pelan berkenaan.

DAVINCI+ yang bermaksud Penyiasatan Atmosfera Dalaman Zuhrah mengenai Gas Lengai, Kimia dan Pengimejan, bakal mengumpulkan perincian berhubung kandungan karbon dioksida pada atmosfera Zuhrah, bagi meneroka aspek pembentukan dan evolusinya.

Misi itu turut menggariskan matlamat untuk menentukan sama ada planet berkenaan pernah mempunyai permukaan laut sebelum ini.

Suatu alat berbentuk sfera akan diturunkan ke dalam atmosfera penuh tumpat di Zuhrah yang dilitupi awan asid sulfurik.

Ia akan mengukur secara terperinci paras gas lengai dan elemen lain di dalam planet berkenaan, sekali gus membolehkan pengkaji memahami punca di sebalik kesan rumah hijau seperti yang berlaku ketika ini.

DAVINCI+ juga akan memancarkan imej beresolusi tinggi pertama 'tesserae' Zuhrah, iaitu ciri geologi yang hampir sama dengan benua di Bumi yang memberi gambaran bahawa Zuhrah juga mempunyai kerak tektonik.

Keputusan itu berupaya menyuntik pemahaman dalam kalangan saintis mengenai pembentukan permukaan planet.

Misi lain dikenali sebagai VERITAS, iaitu singkatan kepada Kadar Radiasi Zuhrah, Sains Radio, InSAR, Topografi dan SpektroskopiIa antara lain menggariskan matlamat untuk memetakan keseluruhan permukaan Zuhrah, iaitu dari orbit sehingga mencakupi aspek sejarah geologi planet berkenaan.

Menggunakan sejenis radar bagi menghasilkan pembinaan tiga dimensi, ia akan memberikan ketinggian permukaan planet dan mengesahkan sama ada gunung berapi dan gempa bumi masih berlaku di Zuhrah.

Imbasan sinar infra merah juga akan digunakan untuk menentukan jenis batuan, yang sehingga kini tidak diketahui umum, dan sama ada gunung berapi aktif di planet berkenaan melepaskan wap air ke lapisan atmosfera.

Tatkala misi berkenaan diterajui NASA, Pusat Aeroangkasa Jerman akan menyediakan pemetaan sinar infra merah, manakala Agensi Angkasa Itali dan France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales bakal menyumbangkan radar serta komponen lain bagi misi terbabit.

Saintis Program Penerokaan NASA, Tom Wagner, ketika mengulas berhubung pelan pelancaran misi itu menzahirkan keterujaan mengenai tahap pengetahuan manusia mengenai Zuhrah.

"Memang sukar untuk kita nafikan bahawa terlalu sedikit yang kita ketahui mengenai Zuhrah, tetapi hasil misi secara bersama ini berupaya memberi pencerahan berhubung pelbagai perkara.

"Dari awan di langit Zuhrah sehingga gunung berapi pada permukaan dan kandungan pada teras planetnya dapat kita rungkaikan.

"Ia seolah-olah kita bakal menjalankan penerokaan semula planet ini," katanya.

Kali terakhir kapal misi NASA melakukan penerokaan angkasa lepas di Zuhrah, ialah menerusi Magellan, yang mendarat pada 1990, namun beberapa kapal angkasa lain turut melakukan penerbangan melepasi Zuhrah selepas itu. 

SUMBER: AFP/3 JUN 2021

Kes Brought In Dead (BID) Meningkat

Berikut contoh tiga senario yang mungkin berlaku.

Senario 1 

Bergejala seperti demam dan batuk. Pergi ke klinik untuk dapatkan ubat. Tidak buat ujian saringan #COVID19. Beberapa hari kemudian ditemui meninggal dunia di rumah.

Senario 2 

Didapati positif COVID-19. Telah dilapor kepada KKM oleh klinik swasta. Ditemui meninggal di dunia di rumah sebelum dihantar ke PKRC atau hospital.

Senario 3

Hilang deria rasa dan sangat letih tapi tidak mengambil serius gejala-gejala ini.

Hanya berehat di rumah. Beberapa hari kemudian ditemui meninggal dunia di rumah. 

Tiga senario ini dikongsi Dr Siti Sarah Aishah Suhaidi.

Duduk di rumah. Keluar hanya perlu (bekerja atau beli barang keperluan) dengan patuh sepenuhnya SOP. 

Jika bergejala, buat ujian saringan untuk rawatan awal.

Sumber: Facebook KKM/ 28 Mei 2021

Petronas Chemicals 1Q net profit jumps nearly threefold year-on-year to RM1.46

Photo: Petronas

Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd’s first quarter net profit surged nearly threefold to RM1.46 billion from RM506 million a year earlier as revenue rose on higher petrochemical product prices in tandem with the recovery in crude oil prices despite lingering concerns on the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the global economy.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, Petronas Chemicals said revenue rose to RM4.68 billion in the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 (1QFY21) from RM3.89 billion.

Petronas Chemicals, which did not declare any dividend for 1QFY21, said the group "recorded lower plant utilisation rate of 90% as compared to 94% in the (previous) corresponding quarter mainly due to higher level of maintenance and statutory turnaround activities resulting in lower production and sales volumes".

"Profit after tax (before minority interest) was higher by RM973 million at RM1.5 billion in line with higher EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) and higher net share of profit from joint ventures and associates, partly negated by lower foreign exchange gain on revaluation of shareholder loan to a joint operation company.

"(In quarterly terms) revenue increased by RM839 million or 22% at RM4.7 billion largely attributable to higher product prices. Profit after tax (before minority interest) was higher at RM1.5 billion in line with higher EBITDA and higher net share of profit from joint ventures and associates," Petronas Chemicals said.

Going forward, Petronas Chemicals said the results of the group's operations are expected to be primarily influenced by global economic conditions, prices of petrochemical products such as olefins, which have a high correlation to crude oil prices, utilisation rate of Petronas Chemicals' production facilities and foreign exchange rate movements. 

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect the global economy and Petronas Chemicals has not been spared, according to the group.

"The utilisation of our production facilities is dependent on plant maintenance activities and sufficient availability of feedstock as well as utilities supply. 

"The group will continue with its operational excellence programme and supplier relationship management to sustain plant utilisation level at above industry benchmark.

"The group anticipates petrochemical product prices to remain strong in the coming quarter, amid continued tight supply and demand recovery," Petronas Chemicals said.

At 2.42pm today, Petronas Chemicals' share price rose 18 sen or 2.25% to RM8.18, which values the group at about RM65.44 billion.

Petronas Chemicals has eight billion issued shares, according to the company's latest quarterly financial report.

- THE EDGE/27 MAY 2021

Gara-Gara Seorang Positif COVID-19, Satu Stadium Kena Kuarantin Kendiri

 Medical staff conduct Covid testing at a drive-through site in Melbourne on Wednesday as the total number of infections in the city’s cluster rose to 15. The MCG, sites in regional Victoria and more cafes have been added to the list of exposure sites. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

MELBOURNE: Ribuan peminat bola sepak Australia yang menyaksikan pertandingan di Melbourne Cricket Ground Ahad lalu diarah menjalani ujian COVID-19 dan melakukan kuarantin kendiri.

Agensi Berita AFP pada 26 Mei melaporkan ia berikutan seorang penonton yang dijangkiti turut menghadiri perlawanan antara Collingwood dan Port Adelaide, bersama lebih 23,000 penonton di Melbourne.

Melbourne berusaha mengekang wabak yang semakin meningkat, dengan 15 kes disahkan setakat ini.

Australian Football League (AFL) berkata beribu-ribu peminat yang berada dekat kes positif itu diminta mengasingkan diri sehingga disahkan negatif.

Pada masa sama, pegawai kesihatan sedang meneliti rakaman kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) untuk menentukan siapa lagi yang mungkin berisiko.

Stadium itu adalah antara dikunjungi ramai kes positif, menyebabkan pegawai kesihatan negeri bertungkus lumus menguji dan mengesan di seluruh negeri dengan lima juta penduduk itu, yang berdepan perintah berkurung empat bulan selepas wabak tahun lalu.

Perlawanan AFL yang dijadualkan di Melbourne untuk hujung minggu lalu dibenarkan berlangsung dengan kapasiti sehingga 85 peratus, tetapi kerajaan masih melarang acara umum.

"Kami prihatin dengan jumlah serta lokasi yang terdedah dan 24 jam seterusnya akan menjadi kritikal jika kita hendak melakukan perubahan," kata pemangku Ketua Menteri Victoria, James Merlino.

Sebarang perhimpunan dilarang dan pelitup muka diwajibkan di tempat tertutup semalam, ketika kluster wabak semakin meningkat.

Victoria tidak mencatatkan kes tempatan selama kira-kira tiga bulan sebelum kes terbaru dikesan, dipercayai berkaitan dengan pengembara yang pulang dari luar negara dan dijangkiti ketika berada di hotel kuarantin.

Ia berjaya membendung penyebaran jangkitan, sebahagiannya melalui kawalan sempadan yang ketat yang mengehadkan penerbangan dari luar negara serta mewajibkan kebanyakan pelancong mengasingkan diri selama 14 hari selepas ketibaan. 

Sumber: AFP/26 MEI 2021

MR D.I.Y. Kini Antara 20 Syarikat Terbesar Bursa Malaysia

    Foto: SG.Magazine.com

BISNES | MR D.I.Y. Group (M) Bhd (MR D.I.Y.) dijangka bakal menggantikan Supermax Corporation Bhd dalam komponen indeks FBM KLCI.

Menurut CGS-CIMB dalam satu nota strategi, berdasarkan penilaiannya terhadap data pasaran setakat ini, MR D.I.Y. meningkat untuk berada di tempat ke-20 dari segi kedudukan permodalan pasaran.

Katanya, ia sekali gus menepati syarat untuk membolehkan syarikat peruncit perkakasan rumah itu dimasukkan ke dalam komponen indeks KLCI buat kali pertama.

"Justeru, analisis kami mencadangkan yang ia akan dimasukkan ke dalam KLCI pada semakan akan datang, menggantikan Supermax Corp, yang merekodkan permodalan pasaran paling rendah dalam kalangan 30 konstituen KLCI setakat 24 Mei 2021.

"Keputusan semakan semula KLCI ialah pada 3 Jun ini dan perubahan komponen indeks ini akan berkuat kuasa pada 21 Jun. Semakan ini akan menggunakan data pasaran pada akhir penutupan 24 Mei lalu," katanya.

Syarat dalam indeks FTSE Bursa Malaysia menyatakan bahawa sekuriti boleh dimasukkan ke dalam FBM KLCI sewaktu tempoh semakan jika permodalan pasarannya meningkat ke kedudukan ke-25 atau ke atas.

Selain itu, mana-mana sekuriti akan dikeluarkan sewaktu tempoh semakan jika ia jatuh ke kedudukan ke-36 atau ke bawah.

Supermax Corp mula dimasukkan ke dalam komponen indeks KLCI berkuatkuasa 20 Disember 2020, menggantikan KLCCP Stapled Group.

MR D.I.Y. membuat penampilan sulung di Pasaran Utama Bursa Malaysia pada 26 Oktober tahun lalu pada harga tawaran RM1.60 sesaham.

Sejak penyenaraiannya itu, saham syarikat berkenaan telah melonjak lebih 170 peratus dengan paras tertinggi pernah dicapai ialah pada RM4.38 pada 7 April lalu.

Setakat jam 2 petang pada 25 Mei, sahamnya diniagakan pada RM3.93 sesaham dengan permodalan pasaran RM24 bilion.

SUMBER: BH ONLINE/25 MEI 2021

'Jobs of the now': The jobs of the future have arrived early - here are the top 10

    

By: Robert Brown

Vice-President, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant

Which jobs will top the post-pandemic jobs list and which roles are likely to emerge as top contenders in the post-COVID future?

From Work-from-Home Facilitator to Fitness Commitment Counsellor and Algorithm Bias Auditor to Cyber Calamity Forecaster, the future of jobs is already upon us.

As some countries begin to pull out of pandemic-induced lockdown, and the corporate engines of “return to the office” begin to whir, an open question hangs: What kind of jobs will people return to following months of work-from-home exile in “Remotopia”?

Will the online “big-bang” of the 2020s (when everything that could go online did go online) accelerate digitally enabled jobs? And which jobs will top the post-pandemic jobs list, in the next, new future of work?

Over the past several years, the Cognizant Center for the Future of Work has published a series of reports on the Jobs of the Future that propose new roles which will emerge over the next decade and be central to businesses and employees everywhere. Because of the virus, time has compressed, resulting in a handful of these jobs of the future becoming ‘jobs of the now’.

The following is a top-ten summary of professions emerging in the wake of the pandemic.

1. Work from Home Facilitator – Prior to 2020, it’s estimated that less than 5% of companies had remote policies. Now, with the full post-pandemic expectation that remote work remains the norm, companies want to apply lessons learned to optimize the work-from-home experience. Far from being a futuristic job of tomorrow, WFH facilitators have become undeniable “jobs of the now.”

2. Fitness Commitment Counsellor – We cringe at the extra kilos, pounds and stones packed-on during months of pandemic-induced lockdown. To remedy the situation, predictive and preventative approaches to counselling, paired with digital wearables like Apple Watches and FitBit dashboards couple human accountability to maintaining fitness. And per the Cognizant Jobs of the Future (CJoF) Index, it’s a role that grew 28.7% in Q1 '21.

3. Smart Home Design Manager

– A lasting lesson of the virus for many will be that “everyone’s home is their castle.” The rise of smart home design managers will boom as homes are built – or retrofitted – with dedicated home office spaces, replete with routers in the right place, soundproofing, separate voice-driven entrances, and even Gorilla Glass wall screens.

4. XR Immersion Counsellor – As Zoom-intensive “Remotopia” inexorably gives way to 3D realms of virtual space, XR immersion counselors will work with technical artists and software engineering, training and workforce collaboration leads to massively scale the rollout of best-in-class AR and VR for learn-by-doing workforce training and collaboration (using platforms like Strivr) or apprenticeships (such as Mursion, for example) to get employees productive – fast.

5. Workplace Environment Architect – Everything from health screenings to “elevator commutes” in post-pandemic office architecture is about to go through a major rethink. The importance of employee well-being, and how human-centered design of a company’s real estate holdings can impact it, are now crucial to the future of work.

6. Algorithm Bias Auditor – “All online, all the time” lifestyles for work and leisure accelerated the competitive advantage derived from algorithms by digital firms everywhere. But from Brussels to Washington, given the increasing statutory scrutiny on data, it’s a near certainty that when it comes to how they’re built, verification through audits will help ensure the future workforce is also the fair workforce.

7. Data Detective – Openings for data scientists remain the fastest growing job in the tech-heavy “Algorithms, Automation and AI” family of the CJoF Index since its inception, and continued to see 42% growth in Q1 ’21. Given this high demand, they’re also scarce; that’s where data detectives help bridge the gap to get companies to investigate the mysteries in big data.

8. Cyber Calamity Forecaster – Aside from COVID-19, it’s arguable that the other, big catastrophe of 2020 was the continued onslaught of both massive state-sponsored cyberattacks like Solar Winds, down to individual bad actors promulgating ransomware exploits. The ability to forecast events like these is critical to forewarn of culture events. The CJoF Index bears this out: growth in openings for Cyber Calamity Forecasters grew 28% in Q1 ’21.

9. Tidewater Architect – The global challenge of climate change and sea level rise will remain an omnipresent challenge. Tidewater architects will work with nature – not against it – in some of the biggest civil engineering projects of the 21st century. And per the CJoF Index, openings for these jobs grew 37% in Q1 ’21.

10. Human-Machine Teaming Manager – Pandemic or no, the unceasing rise of robots in the workplace continues unabated. Human-Machine Teaming Managers will operate at the intersection of people and robots and create seamless collaborations. Already, openings for forerunner roles like robotics technicians grew 50% in the Q1 ’21 CJoF Index.

Dream jobs

While it is impossible to predict exactly how global labour markets will rebound in the wake of the virus, leaders can and should use the future of work as a prism for their own organizations to plan ahead. If there’s one lesson the pandemic has taught us, it’s to anticipate change.

Leaders need to see how the future of work will play out in real time through leading indicators that reveal how the jobs market is adapting in the face of technology-based innovation and disruption. The CJoF Index uses real data on US job openings to see the imagined possibilities of jobs of the future starting to emerge.

By combining strategic planning resources like “21 Jobs of the Future” and the CJoF Index, it’s possible to get a look into the not-too-distant future to see which roles are the top contenders in the post-COVID future.

2021 will be a reset moment, a period where more examples of the theoretical become “jobs-made-real”. Before they can be built, however, jobs of the future have to be dreamed - and this requires vision and some imagination.

SOURCE: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

ZOOM ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION ZOOM APPS FUND

New Venture Fund to Stimulate Innovation in the Zoom Apps Ecosystem

SAN JOSE, Calif. Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced the Zoom Apps Fund, a new $100 million venture fund created to stimulate growth of Zoom’s ecosystem of Zoom Apps, integrations, developer platform, and hardware. 

Portfolio companies will receive initial investments between $250,000 and $2.5 million to build solutions that will become core to how Zoom customers meet, communicate, and collaborate. 

Zoom Apps, announced at Zoomtopia 2020, are leading applications that will bring productivity and engaging experiences directly into the Zoom platform.

Dozens of Zoom Apps are currently in development and are an important component in building the future of video communications. The Zoom Apps Fund will invest in developer partners with viable products and early market traction that will provide valuable and engaging experiences to our customers.

“I founded Zoom in 2011, nearly ten years ago. Without the support of early investors, Zoom 

would not be what it is today,” said Eric S. Yuan, Founder and CEO of Zoom. “What I’ve learned over the past year is that we need to keep meetings productive and fun. 

My hope is that the Zoom Apps Fund will help our customers meet happier and collaborate even more seamlessly, and at the same time help entrepreneurs build new businesses as our platform evolves.”

To learn more about the Zoom Apps Fund visit zoom.com/fund and read our recent blog post.

About Zoom:

Zoom is for you. We help you express ideas, connect to others, and build toward a future limited only by your imagination. Our frictionless communications platform is the only one that started with video as its foundation, and we have set the standard for innovation ever since. 

That is why we are an intuitive, scalable, and secure choice for individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises alike. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom.

Zoom Press Contact

Colleen Rodriguez

Global PR Lead

press@zoom.us

SOURCE: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.