Preterm births occur at an alarming rate of 10-15%. Preemies have a higher risk of infant mortality, developmental retardation and long-term disabilities. Predicting preterm birth is difficult, even for the most experienced clinicians. The most well-designed clinical study thus far reaches a modest sensitivity of 18.2-24.2% at specificity of 28.6-33.3%. We take a different approach by exploiting databases of normal hospital operations. We aims are twofold: (i) to derive an easy-to-use, interpretable prediction rule with quantified uncertainties, and (ii) to construct accurate classifiers for preterm birth prediction. Our approach is to automatically generate and select from hundreds (if not thousands) of possible predictors using stability-aware techniques. Derived from a large database of 15,814 women, our simplified prediction rule with only 10 items has sensitivity of 62.3% at specificity of 81.5%.

Many people spend their childhood peering up into the vast expanse of the sky, dreaming of growing up to become an astronaut. But these dreams could be dashed as the idea of people venturing into space will one day become a distant memory, according to a report published today. Robots will eventually have enough capabilities to replace humans and other animals on space missions, experts have said. Robots will eventually have enough capabilities to replace humans and other animals on space missions, experts have said. Russia is planning to send robots to the ISS to do jobs that are too dangerous for astronauts.

Artificial intelligence and robotics have enjoyed a resurgence of interest, and there is renewed optimism about their place in our future. But what do they mean for us? You submitted your questions about artificial intelligence and robotics, and we put them – and some of our own – to The Conversation's experts. It is 100% plausible that we'll have human-like artificial intelligence. I say this even though the human brain is the most complex system in the universe that we know of. But there are also no physical laws we know of that would prevent us reproducing or exceeding its capabilities. Popular AI from Issac Asimov to Steven Spielberg is plausible. What the question doesn't address is: when will it be plausible?

VIENTIANE – Southeast Asian nations are in unparalleled disarray over Beijing's saber-rattling in the South China Sea, analysts and insiders say, with the fractures set to deepen as staunch China ally Laos hosts top regional diplomats this weekend. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are among the delegates due to fly in from Sunday for two days of meetings in Vientiane, the capital of the communist nation. The South China Sea is set to cast a long shadow over the summit that is hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Earlier this month a U.N.-backed tribunal found there was no legal basis for China's claims to most of the strategic and resource-rich seas -- a ruling rejected as "waste paper" by Beijing. ASEAN prides itself on consensus diplomacy but divisions have never been starker with Beijing blamed for driving a wedge between members. The Philippines brought the international arbitration case, while fellow ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have competing claims to parts of the sea.

Big data overload is already beginning, but analytics can't do everything. So focus on business needs, experiment, and look for actionable insights, say government's data experts. How DIBP is using AI to measure risk. The astounding possibilities of the big data era and the internet of things are only just beginning to emerge and already there is a problem: data overload. Artificial intelligence is a big part of successful new data-driven approaches to public sector challenges, like the Department of Immigration and Border Protection's Border Risk Identification System, and might also be the key to extracting business value from the data deluge.

The risk that your job will be automated out of existence depends, of course, on the job you do. For many, that's already happened--typically in roles and industries where the name of the game is eliminating human error and improving efficiency. But in order for artificial intelligence to take a much bigger bite out of the knowledge-economy workforce, the technology may need to start behaving more like humans, not less. And that will mean mastering one key behavior: small talk. Sociolinguists involved in the Language in the Workplace Project at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand have discovered that people switch naturally between "transactional" talk--such as discussing a business goal--and "interactional" talk, like when you encourage or show concern for a distressed coworker.

NEW YORK, NY - 20 Jul 2016: Today, Macy's announced the pilot of "Macy's On Call," a mobile web tool that allows customers to interact with an AI-powered platform, via their mobile devices. "Macy's On Call" taps IBM (NYSE: IBM) Watson, via Satisfi, an intelligent engagement platform, to deliver a first-of-its-kind solution that will enhance the customer in-store shopping experience at 10 test locations nationwide. A Macy's team member tests out Macy's On Call, a new mobile web tool powered by IBM Watson and Satisfi. Macy's On Call allows customers to input questions in natural language about each participating store's unique product assortment, services and facilities and then receive a customized response to the inquiry. Macy's is currently piloting the new tool in 10 store locations across the country.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Macy's (NYSE:M) announced the pilot of "Macy's On Call," a mobile web tool that allows customers to interact with an AI-powered platform via their mobile devices. "Macy's On Call" taps IBM Watson, via Satisfi, an intelligent engagement platform, to deliver a first-of-its-kind solution that will enhance the customer in-store shopping experience at 10 test locations nationwide. The mobile companion, accessed via a mobile browser, allows customers to input natural language questions regarding each participating store's unique product assortment, services and facilities and receive a customized response to the inquiry. There are a number of ways that customers may request information. For example, a customer could type, "Where are the women's shoes?" or type a combination of brand and product inquiry such as "I.N.C dress," and they will receive the relevant response and location of that product in the store.

Curious to know what an Australian soldier fighting in WWI had for brekkie? Now you can ask him yourself, along with anything else that comes to mind. The Wizeline bots team has partnered News Corp Australia to launch the AnzacLive chatbot, an innovative way to share history with a modern audience. The chatbot was created to commemorate Anzac Day, which recognizes the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. in WWI -- namely the historic battles of Fromelles and Pozieres in July 1916. How did our bots team create a cross-century AMA? Journals from one of the soldiers, Archie Barwick, have been powered by technology.

Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display