Meet Mayur Katariya, a prominent figure in the realm of business technology and analytics. With over 11 years of experience in this dynamic field, Mayur has emerged as a seasoned leader renowned for his profound insights and transformative contributions. Currently, he holds the esteemed position of Business Technology and Analytics Leader – Senior Delivery Solutions Architect at Databricks, a leading company in Data and AI. Throughout his career, Mayur has showcased a remarkable knack for guiding enterprises towards data-driven excellence, making him a prominent thought leader in the industry. In this article, we delve into Mayur Katariya’s journey, exploring his invaluable expertise and impact on the world of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence.

Expertise in Data Analytics, AI, and Cloud Technology

Mayur Katariya’s expertise in data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and cutting-edge cloud technology is truly exceptional. Over his career, he has mastered the art of turning raw data into valuable insights. He’s not just good; he’s outstanding at it. Mayur’s ability to help enterprises build innovative technology solutions and enable them to collect and analyze large volumes of cross-functional data helps businesses make smarter decisions.

For instance, While at ZS, he led critical projects and teams in healthcare and life sciences, where data plays a vital role. At companies like Amgen and Seagen, Mayur Katariya worked his magic by creating technology solutions harnessing data and AI to drive innovation. This led to faster drug discoveries, safety monitoring, and better patient care and therapies.

Mayur doesn’t stop at healthcare and life science. He has also worked with big names like Walmart, American Airlines, BlackBerry, and Persistent Systems, showcasing his adaptability across different industries to make a significant impact. Mayur’s expertise in Data, AI, Cloud, and Business Technology and strong leadership skills have enabled him to provide top-notch solutions that make a real impact. His contributions are a testament to his expertise in this ever-evolving field.

Defining Data Analytics and AI

Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are two powerful technologies reshaping how we understand and interact with data.

Data Analytics involves examining vast datasets to uncover valuable insights, trends, and patterns that can help answer business questions and drive decision-making. It’s like sifting through a treasure trove of information to find the hidden gems. Data analysts use various techniques and tools to process and analyze data, such as statistical analysis, data mining, and machine learning. The goal is to make data more understandable and actionable, helping organizations make informed decisions, optimize processes, and solve complex problems.

On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the ability of machines or computer systems to mimic human intelligence. AI systems can learn from data, adapt to new information, and perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing images, and making decisions. Machine learning, a subset of AI, enables algorithms to improve performance over time by learning from data. AI is used in various applications, from virtual assistants like Siri to autonomous vehicles and predictive analytics in business.

Thriving in Large-Scale Digital Transformation and Big Data Analytics

Mayur Katariya’s career has been marked by his exceptional ability to excel in large-scale digital transformation and big data analytics projects.

One notable aspect of Mayur’s expertise is his role in leading extensive cloud transformation projects. In sectors such as Healthcare and Life Sciences, Cybersecurity, High-tech, and Aviation, Mayur has spearheaded the adoption of cutting-edge technologies to drive substantial improvements. His proficiency in big data analytics and AI has allowed organizations to break the information silos and harness vast datasets for critical insights in real-time, making him a go-to leader for businesses seeking digital transformation success and data-driven insights.”In the age of digital disruption, the real differentiator isn’t merely technology, but the data-driven insights that fuel its power,” he says. Mayur’s extraordinary journey speaks volumes to his unwavering dedication to advancing the frontiers of technology and analytics.

A Glimpse into Mayur Katariya’s Odyssey

Mayur Katariya’s professional odyssey is a noteworthy narrative that reflects his enduring commitment to the world of data, analytics, and technology. His journey has continuously evolved from his tenure at ZS to the present day.

Mayur’s story at Databricks, one of the world’s leading Data and AI companies, marks a pivotal chapter in his career. His role as the Business Technology and Analytics Leader has allowed him to leverage his expertise in data analytics, cloud, and AI to solve intricate data challenges for enterprises across diverse industries. Here, he has demonstrated his visionary leadership, substantial expertise, and unwavering dedication to driving innovation in the data and AI landscape. 

However, Mayur’s journey extends beyond his current role. He has been part of numerous speaking engagements and presentations like the Data and AI Summit, RSA, and CES. He has won numerous national and international awards and accolades for his expertise, publications, and achievements. It is a journey of growth, exploration, and tireless pursuit of excellence. Mayur Katariya’s odyssey is a tribute to the power of passion, expertise, and a relentless pursuit of technological excellence.

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Sebastien Raoult, also known as Sezyo Kaizen, entered the guilty plea on Wednesday in US District Court in Seattle, Washington, acting US Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a statement.

Originally from Epinal in eastern France, Raoult was arrested in Morocco last year and extradited to the United States in January.

Raoult and two co-conspirators, Gabriel Bildstein and Abdel-Hakim El-Ahmadi, who formed a hacking ring dubbed “ShinyHunters,” were indicted on nine counts by a US grand jury in June 2021.

As part of a plea deal, Raoult pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The other counts will be dismissed at sentencing, which was set for January 11.

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 27 years in prison while identity theft carries a minimum two-year prison sentence.

“Raoult and his co-conspirators used deceptive tactics to trick people into sharing personal login information and breached confidential data from numerous companies,” Gorman said.

According to the plea agreement, Raoult and his co-conspirators hacked into the computers of companies in the United States and elsewhere and stole confidential information and customer records.

Hacked data was then offered up for sale on dark web forums, including RaidForums, EmpireMarket, and Exploit, or held for ransom.

According to US officials, the Shinyhunters hackers stole hundreds of millions of customer records and caused losses of more than $6 million to victim companies.

The post Frenchman charged with cybercrimes pleads guilty in US court appeared first on Digital Journal.

Recent research suggests that 61 percent of eco-data leaders consider decarbonising the data centre as the number one step they are taking to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Sustainability Solutions and Services function has generated a report, which provides a structure for customers to define and implement a realistic, measurable roadmap towards achieving carbon neutrality targets.

The recommended steps to achieve energy reduction and a lower environmental burden include:

Green IT

This is about gaining a holistic understanding of the IT footprint through insights to decarbonize IT assets and operations, including application and asset energy efficiency, power supply and equipment, scope 3 cloud emissions, energy efficient IT architecture and data stewardship.

Manufacturing

This is about understanding energy consumption and carbon emissions across manufacturing processes and value chains to realise business growth through lower carbon intensity and resource efficiency.

Facilities

Through premises it is important to create an optimized system built for your needs by incorporating sensors, advanced analytics, and control systems to achieve greater energy efficiencies and cost savings.

Data and analytics

By assessing data it is possible to co-create solutions for greater impact on social and environmental issues that matter the most to the firm. This can also help companies to make informed decisions about its process and create solutions that will truly impact the bottom line.

Measurable is actionable

It is not simply sufficient to collect and analyse data, it needs to be reacted to. This includes approaches to define and implement a realistic, measurable roadmap towards achieving carbon neutrality targets.

The post Digital green-over: The time has come for IT to decarbonise appeared first on Digital Journal.

The warning is spelt put by Šarūnas Karbauskas, a cyber-security expert at VPNPro, who tells Digital Journal that although many publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks are generally deemed safe, students still risk sharing personal information online if they do not take adequate precautions.

“A common misconception is that if a public Wi-Fi network requires a password to connect your device, then your personal information is entirely safe from cybercriminals, which simply isn’t the case”, Karbauskas explains.

The expert continues: “While password-protected Wi-Fi networks are definitely much safer than password-free networks, you can still be vulnerable to potential online attacks when entering personal information online.”

Password Vs Password-free Wi-Fi networks

In terms of common risks, Karbauskas considers: “Most public Wi-Fi networks, such as in cafés, pubs and restaurants, are password-protected which means that your data is encrypted when you are browsing online.”

In terms of consequences, Karbauskas clarifies: “This means that if someone outside of that network intercepts your connection, they won’t be able to understand the data and are unlikely to be able to do anything with it.”

Not everything is secure, however. Here Karbauskas warns: “If you connect to a public Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t require a password however, your data is not encrypted, which means that all information you enter online can be captured by anyone within range of the network. This includes any personal or banking information you may have entered.”

In terms of the optimal solutions, Karbauskas recommends: “Using a password-protected Wi-Fi connection is much safer but can still pose some risk, however. If your café’s Wi-Fi router uses old-school WEP encryption for example, every user’s web traffic is encrypted using a single key which means that anyone on the network can see what you’re doing.”

For additional security, Karbauskas notes: “Most Wi-Fi routers should now employ the WPA2, or the more advanced WPA3 protocol, which both provide a greater level of protection.”

With his final advice, Karbauskas recommends: “To check which type of security your Wi-Fi network uses, Windows users can go to Wi-Fi settings and click on the network they are connected to, and it will be under ‘Security type’. Mac users can hold down the ‘Option’ key and click on the Wi-Fi symbol in the top right corner of your screen, to show the Wi-Fi’s security type.”

The post Virtually looking over your shoulder: Wi-Fi concerns for students revealed appeared first on Digital Journal.

This has led the firm GlobalData to emphasise the urgency of tackling the challenge, as communicated to Digital Journal. Anaelle Tannen, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData, states: “Fungal diseases are often presumed to be more bothersome than serious, and many individuals are unaware of the impact that these mycoses can have on human health. However, as the burden of invasive fungal infections is increasing globally, there is a pressing need to improve awareness and understanding of these infections.”

It is estimated there were over three million incident cases of invasive fungal infections across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, U.K., and U.S. in 2022. Of these, aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, and pneumocystis pneumonia were the major contributors of infection.

Fungi are also major food spoilers and contaminants in healthcare and pharmaceutical settings.

Incident cases of invasive fungal infections are also expected to escalate in the coming years, in part, due to the impact of climate change. For example, with increasing global temperatures, some fungi may expand their habitats to encompass new warmer regions, such as Cryptococcus deuterogattii which has emerged in the temperate regions of western Canada and the Pacific northwest of North America in recent years.

Furthermore, medical advances over recent decades have led to a global increase in the number of immunocompromised individuals, such as organ transplant recipients or those living with or HIV, with these patients being much more susceptible to invasive fungal infections.

Considering these patterns, Tannen adds: “Antifungal resistance is also a major problem, as some fungi no longer respond to any antifungal treatments, which contributes to high rates of morbidity and mortality associated with invasive fungal infections. In order to combat the growing resistance to existing drugs, it is essential that new therapeutic candidates in development utilize novel mechanisms of action.”

According to GlobalData, there are over 170 antifungal agents in the pipeline. Whilst many of these are based on established mechanisms of actions, there are some that utilize more novel approaches, such as Pfizer’s fosmanogepix (a GPI anchored wall transfer protein 1 (PfGWT1) inhibitor) in Phase II development for candidiasis.

This agent is also in development for other fungal infections including Phase I development for coccidioidomycosis.

Tannen concludes: “It is hoped that advances with novel antifungal therapies in development will help to address the major unmet need of limited treatment options within this market.”

The post A growing menace: Novel antifungals essential to tackle antifungal resistance appeared first on Digital Journal.

Biomedical implants are wide-ranging, including breast implants, pacemakers and orthopaedic hardware. These can improve the lives of patients; however, a number are rejected by the body and need to be removed.

The cause is an immune reaction called foreign body response, where the body encapsulates the implant in scar tissue. It is hoped the work will improve the design and safety of biomedical implants.

Current practices revolve around seeing the use of biocompatible materials that are better tolerated by the body. This approach does not completely address the risks. This is why a new approach was needed.

According to lead researcher Geoffrey Gurtner: “Establishing a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the foreign body response presents the final frontier in developing truly bio-integrative medical devices.”

The research shows how some implants introduce stress points to the body, triggering an overactive immune response. As the cells interact with that implant and surrounding tissue, they activate due to the increased mechanical stress.

This leads to immune cells detecting a foreign body. The cells react by building a fibrotic capsule that surrounds the implant in an attempt to shield it. The immune cells start merging with each other, creating massive cells that spit out fibrous proteins like collagen and other products. The more severe the immune reaction, then the thicker the surrounding capsule becomes.

In some cases, the capsule constricts around the implant, impeding its function and causing pain. The research has shown that a protein called RAC2 was highly expressed in samples taken from patients with severe reactions.

To confirm RAC2’s role the scientists blocked the expression of RAC2 in animal models. This showed a significant reduction in the level of foreign body response, up to three-fold.

The researchers aim to explore further if targeting these pathways could serve as a potential therapy to mitigate or even prevent clinically significant foreign body response in humans. This could take the form of local targeted therapy.

The findings have been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, titled “Allometrically scaling tissue forces drive pathological foreign-body responses to implants via Rac2-activated myeloid cells.”

The post Lowering the reaction: Tackling biomedical implant immune responses appeared first on Digital Journal.

The experiment was hailed as “huge milestone”, though most physicists anticipated the result, and it had been predicted by Einstein’s 1915 theory of relativity.

It definitively rules out that gravity repels antimatter upwards — a finding that would have upended our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Around 13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang is believed to have produced an equal amount of matter — what everything you can see is made out of — and antimatter, its equal yet opposite counterpart.

However there is virtually no antimatter in the universe, which prompted one of the greatest mysteries of physics: what happened to all the antimatter?

“Half the universe is missing,” said Jeffrey Hangst, a member of CERN’s ALPHA collaboration in Geneva which conducted the new experiment.

“In principle, we could build a universe — everything that we know about — with only antimatter, and it would work in exactly the same way,” he told AFP.

Physicists believe that matter and antimatter did meet and almost entirely destroyed each other after the Big Bang.

Yet matter now makes up nearly five percent of the universe — the rest is even less understood dark matter and dark energy — while antimatter vanished.

– Newton’s apple flying up? –

One of the key outstanding questions about antimatter was whether gravity caused it to fall in the same way as normal matter.

While most physicists believed that it did, a few had speculated otherwise.

A falling apple famously inspired Isaac Newton’s work on gravity — but if that apple was made of antimatter, would it have shot up into the sky?

And if gravity did in fact repel antimatter, it could have meant that impossibilities such as a perpetual motion machine were possible.

“So why not drop some and see what happens?” Hangst said.

He compared the experiment to Galileo’s famous — though likely apocryphal — 16th-century demonstration that two balls of different mass dropped from the Leaning Tower of Pisa would fall at the same rate.

But this experiment — the result of 30 years of work on antimatter at CERN — was “a little bit more involved” than Galileo’s, Hangst said.

One problem was that antimatter barely exists outside of rare, short-lived particles in outer space.

However in 1996, CERN scientists produced the first atoms of antimatter — antihydrogen.

Another challenge was that, because matter and antimatter have an opposite electrical charge, the moment they meet they destroy each other in a violent flash of energy scientists call annihilation.

– A magnetic trap –

To study gravity’s effect on antimatter, the ALPHA team constructed a 25-centimetre-long (10-inch) bottle placed on its end, with magnets at the top and bottom.

Late last year, the scientists placed around 100 very cold antihydrogen atoms into this “magnetic trap” called ALPHA-g.

As they turned down the strength of both magnets, the antihydrogen particles — which were bouncing around at 100 metres a second — were able to escape out either end of the bottle.

The scientists then simply counted how much antimatter was annihilated at each end of the bottle.

Around 80 percent of the antihydrogen went out of the bottom, which is a similar rate to how regular bouncing hydrogen atoms would behave if they were in the bottle.

This result, published in the journal Nature, shows that gravity causes antimatter to fall downwards, as predicted by Einstein’s 1915 theory of relativity.

In more than a dozen experiments, the CERN scientists varied the strength of the magnets, observing gravity’s effect on antimatter at different rates.

While the experiment rules out that gravity makes antihydrogen go upwards, Hangst emphasised it did not prove that antimatter behaves in exactly the same way as normal matter.

“That’s our next task,” he said.

Marco Gersabeck, a physicist who works at CERN but was not involved in the ALPHA research, said it was “a huge milestone”.

But it marks “only the start of an era” of more precise measurements of gravity’s effect on antimatter, he told AFP.

Other attempts to better understand antimatter include using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider to investigate strange particles called beauty quarks.

And there is an experiment onboard the International Space Station trying to catch antimatter in cosmic rays.

But for now, exactly why the universe is awash with matter but devoid of antimatter “remains a mystery,” said physicist Harry Cliff.

Since both should have annihilated each other completely in the early universe, “the fact that we exist suggests there is something we don’t understand” going on, he added.

The post Mysterious antimatter observed falling down for first time appeared first on Digital Journal.

The boxes, named “curupiras” after a folkloric forest creature who preys on hunters and poachers, sport sensors and software trained “to recognize the sounds of chainsaws and tractors, or anything that could cause deforestation,” project manager Thiago Almeida told AFP.

“We recorded the sound of chainsaws and tractors in the forest… then, all the collected sounds were passed on to the AI team to train (the program) so that… it would only recognize these sounds and not the characteristic sounds of the forest, such as animals, vegetation and rain,” he explained.

Once identified, details of the threat can then be relayed to a central point and agents deployed to deal with it.

“The advantage of this system is that it can detect an attack… or a threat in real time,” said researcher Raimundo Claudio Gomes of the Amazonas State University behind the project.

Unlike satellite data, which reveal deforestation only after the fact, the curupiras can detect “when the destruction starts,” he added.

The sensors look like small internet modems but are in fact wireless and can relay data up to one kilometer (0.6 miles) via satellite to others in a network.

The project has just completed its pilot phase with ten prototype boxes fixed to trees in a densely forested area near Manaus, the capital city of Brazil’s northern Amazonas state.

The boxes were named after Curupira, a creature in some Indigenous folklore that has feet turned backwards to confuse the hunters it pursues.

Early results from the project, financed by Brazilian company Hana Electronics, have been “very promising,” said Gomes.

The team is now looking for more funding to add hundreds more sensors to the system, including ones that will be able to detect smoke and heat from forest fires.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to end illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030.

His far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro had presided over an increase of more than 75 percent in average annual Amazon deforestation compared to the previous decade.

Gomes said that unlike audio sensor-based systems already used in other countries, the Manaus project is comparatively inexpensive as it does not require large antennas for data transmission.

Each sensor costs about $200-$300 to manufacture.

The post Tree-hugging AI to the rescue of Brazilian Amazon appeared first on Digital Journal.

Whether it is YouTube scrapping a key misinformation policy or Facebook altering fact checking controls, the social media giants are demonstrating a certain lassitude with being the sheriffs of the internet Wild West.

The changes have come in a climate of layoffs, cost-cutting measures and pressure from right-wing groups that accuse the likes of Facebook-parent Meta or YouTube owner Google of suppressing free speech.

This has spurred tech companies to loosen content moderation policies, downsize trust and safety teams and, in the case of Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter), restore accounts known for pushing bogus conspiracies.

Those moves, researchers say, have eroded their ability to tackle what is expected to be a deluge of misinformation during more than 50 major elections around the world next year, not only in the United States, but also in India, Africa and the European Union.

“Social media companies aren’t ready for the 2024 election tsunami,” the watchdog Global Coalition for Tech Justice said in a report this month.

“While they continue to count their profits, our democracies are left vulnerable to violent coup attempts, venomous hate speech, and election interference.”

In June, YouTube said it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 US presidential election was plagued by “fraud, errors or glitches,” a move sharply criticized by misinformation researchers.

YouTube justified its action, saying that removing this content could have the “unintended effect of curtailing political speech.”

– ‘Era of Recklessness’ –

Twitter, now known as X, said in November it would no longer enforce its COVID misinformation policy.

Since billionaire Musk’s turbulent acquisition of the platform last year, it has restored thousands of accounts that were once suspended for violations including spreading misinformation and introduced a paid verification system that researchers say has served to boost conspiracy theorists.

Last month, the platform said it would now allow paid political advertising from US candidates, reversing a previous ban and sparking concerns over misinformation and hate speech in next year’s election.

“Musk’s control over Twitter has helped usher in a new era of recklessness by large tech platforms,” Nora Benavidez, from the nonpartisan group Free Press, told AFP.

“We’re observing a significant rollback in concrete measures companies once had in place.”

Platforms are also under pressure from conservative US advocates who accuse them of colluding with the government to censor or suppress right-leaning content under the guise of fact-checking.

“These companies think that if they just keep appeasing Republicans, they’ll just stop causing them problems when all they’re doing is increasing their own vulnerability,” said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom, a think tank.

For years, Facebook’s algorithm automatically moved posts lower in the feed if they were flagged by one of the platform’s third-party fact-checking partners, including AFP, reducing the visibility of false or misleading content.

Facebook recently gave US users the controls, allowing them to move this content higher if they want, in a potentially significant move that the platform said will give users more power over its algorithm.

– Hot topic –

The hyperpolarized political climate in the United States has made content moderation on social media platforms a hot-button issue.

Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court temporarily put on hold an order limiting the ability of President Joe Biden’s administration to contact social media companies to remove content it considers to be misinformation.

A lower court of Republican-nominated judges had given that order, ruling that US officials went too far in their efforts to get platforms to censor certain posts.

Misinformation researchers from prominent institutions such as the Stanford Internet Observatory also face a Republican-led congressional inquiry as well as lawsuits from conservative activists who accuse them of promoting censorship — a charge they deny.

Tech sector downsizing that has gutted trust and safety teams and poor access to platform data have further added to their challenges.

“The public urgently needs to know how platforms are being used to manipulate the democratic process,” Ramya Krishnan, from the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told AFP.

“Independent research is crucial to exposing these efforts, but platforms continue to get in the way by making it more costly and risky to do this work.”

The post Tech firms roll back misinformation curbs ahead of 2024 polls appeared first on Digital Journal.

A poll reveals that, within the U.S., nearly 3 in 4 people would retake a driving test or get a drone license to operate a flying car. This is according to the new American Muscle study. These findings showed 1 in 2 U.S. citizens are very interested in buying a flying car, however it was also found that nearly half of the population think flying cars will be more dangerous than current cars. This means there are some associated safety concerns to be addressed and overcome.

The key advantages include:

• Designed to drive on the street,
• Take off vertically when needed,
• Fly overhead above traffic,
• Provide real time and course adjustment data for computer controls.

There are of course some potential disadvantages, including collision concerns and aerial congestion. But for now, let’s consider the future state. Is this once-futuristic fantasy on the brink of being our new reality? If so, what are the general population findings when it comes to flying cars?

Given the safety implications, there is also the question of which brands consumers would want to see manufacture them.

How close are we to flying cars? Relatively so, it would appear. From example, the U.S. FAA recently approved the testing of Alef Automotive’s Model A, unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show.

With pre-orders live and anticipation building, online searches for “flying car” in the U.S. are up by 383 percent in the last month. Overall, 52 percent of U.S. citizens say they are interested in purchasing a flying car — Gen Z is most interested, with 61 percent wanting to own a flying car, while baby boomers are least interested (38 percent).

Geographically, Colorado is the state most interested in flying cars, with 976 searches per 100,000 residents. Florida (804) is the second most interested in flying cars, followed by Washington (741) and Nevada (727) — Minneapolis, Seattle, and Denver are the cities with the most searches.

In terms of the most trusted brands, coming top are: Toyota (43 percent), Tesla (41 percent), Honda (33 percent), BMW (28 percent), and Mercedes-Benz (25 percent). With fuel type, 40 percent would be dissuaded by gas-powered flying cars. In contrast, 58 percent favour electric-powered flying cars and 60 percent welcome hydrogen-fuelled models.

It would appear there is some appetite for established brands one-day creating flying vehicles.

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