SCS-C01 study help - AWS Certified Security - Specialty (SCS-C01) Updated: 2023

If you are a visitor of this website:

Please try again in a few minutes.

If you are the owner of this website:

There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. Cloudflare monitors for these errors and automatically investigates the cause. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. Please include the Ray ID (which is at the bottom of this error page). Additional troubleshooting resources.

Mention automation and someone will invariably (and understandably) mention its impact on jobs. There are a lot of opposing views on the subject, of course, but the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that robotics and AI will have a profound impact on human jobs, going forward.

At today’s Delivering the Future event at a fulfillment center south of Seattle, the company announced that it will be teaming with MIT and the Ipsos research firm to determine how these systems will impact work.

The subject is obviously an important one for Amazon. Not only is the retail giant a massive employer, it’s been deploying robotics in its fulfillment centers for over a decade. The direct impact they’ve had on human workers has been the subject of debate ever since. Amazon, naturally, argues that the machines have the effect of removing physical labor burden from human employees.

Critics, on the other hand, have suggested that robots make human jobs more robotic — a potential issue for work that is highly repetitive. There’s also the big question of job numbers. Proponents of automation suggest the technology will create more and better jobs. The opposing view holds that many existing blue collar-jobs will be displaced, and upskilling humans to work with robots is easier said than done.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

The study seems less concerned with actual job numbers, and more with how human employees and the public feel about the inevitable increase of robotics and AI in warehouses, manufacturing facilities and other industrial settings.

Amazon Robotics’ Chief Technologist Tye Brady did, however, address the question of job numbers ahead of today’s event, noting:

We have more than 750,000 mobile robots in our operations and thousands of other robotic systems that help move, sort, identify and package customer orders. It’s taken us more than 10 years to reach this scale. During that time, Amazon has hired hundreds of thousands of employees to work in our operations. We take a purpose-driven approach to how we design and deploy technology at our facilities and we consistently prioritize using robots to support safety and ease everyday tasks for our employees.

The study will applied to key facets of robotic developments, including the discipline of human-robot interaction (HRI), a field that pretty much does what it says on the tin.

“The key to effective teamwork is building a shared understanding of what our partners will do and what they will need to be successful,” says MIT’s Julie Shah “Our research shows that the best way to optimize human-robot team performance is to develop robots that are active collaborators in helping a human to learn about their capabilities, limitations and behaviors.”

Nearly half of Amazon's employees in the U.S. have reported sustaining injuries at the company's famously fast-paced warehouses, with some workers reporting they have to take unpaid time off from their jobs to recover, a new survey shows.

According to a national study from the University of Illinois Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development (CUED), 41% of the e-commerce giant's workers have gotten hurt on the job. Of those employees, 69% had to take unpaid time off to recover from pain or exhaustion in the past month, researchers found.

Amazon workers' self-reported injury rate is nearly six times higher than what some previous reports have found, according to the survey. 

"The survey data indicate that how Amazon designs its processes — including extensive monitoring and the rapid pace of work — are contributing to a considerable physical and mental health toll, including injuries, burnout and exhaustion," Beth Gutelius, research director at CUED and a co-author of the study, said in a statement. 

The survey, which was taken between April and August of this year, includes responses from more than 1,400 current Amazon workers across 451 facilities in 42 states. Those respondents answered nearly 100 questions on a range of topics, including work intensity, their workplace's health and safety protocols, and Amazon's monitoring practices.

Amazon uses an electronic system to track its warehouse workers' productivity, using specialized software, handheld scanning devices and other tools to track the time it takes employees to complete their duties.  

According to the survey, that system contributes to the pressure some workers feel to work faster, making them more likely to suffer injuries or experience burnout, the researchers said.

Previously collected data has also shown that the rate of injuries at Amazon's warehouses is higher than industry averages. In 2022, one report found that there were 6.6 serious injuries for every 100 Amazon workers, according to data Amazon submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That number is more than double the injury rate at all non-Amazon warehouses, which reported 3.2 serious injuries for every 100 workers. 

Amazon said CUED's findings provide an incomplete picture of the company's commitment to worker safety. 

"This is not a 'study' — it's a survey done on social media by groups with an ulterior motive," Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "The data that we publish each year and submit to OSHA… shows that rates in our buildings have improved significantly, and we're slightly above the average in some areas and slightly below the average in others."

Among other steps Amazon has taken to reduce worker injuries, the company teamed with the National Safety Council to help develop best practices; added adjustable tables in warehouses to minimize bending; and redesigned conveyors so workers don't have to reach as far to pick up items. The company is also implementing robotic technologies that help workers handle packages, cutting down on repetitive tasks.

In the study, Gutelius and co-author Sanjay Pinto note that Amazon has taken measures to prioritize the safety of its workers. Still, many workers suffer injuries anyway, according to Gutelius, with those who struggle to keep up with the company's fast pace of operations more likely to be hurt on the job. 

TEKOHAW, Brazil (AP) — At dawn in this small Amazonian village in Brazil's Para state, flocks of noisy green parrots soar overhead as children run and play between wooden homes, kicking up sandy soil — in places white and bare as a beach.

The ground reveals one of the paradoxes of the rainforest.

Renowned for its beauty and biodiversity, the life-giving nutrients of the forest are mostly stored in the trees and other plants, not the soil.

When the forest is cleared — for a cattle ranch, soybean field or even a small cluster of village homes — the combination of scorching Amazonian sun and intense rainfall combine to leach scarce nutrients from the soil in just a few years, leaving behind surprisingly barren ground. Soil rich in organic matter is black, but here it’s sometimes the color of bone. Some ecologists call it a “wet desert.”

This impoverished dirt makes it difficult to sustain agriculture in one place.

And in a region with some of the highest poverty levels in Brazil, people with few options have often just abandoned degraded fields and cleared more forest — hastening the cycle of deforestation that threatens the planet’s climate and the millions of species unique to the Amazon.

“The biodiversity is rich, but so many people are very poor,” said Judson Ferreira Valentim, a soil scientist for the government’s agricultural research agency, Embrapa. “We can’t protect the rainforest without addressing the poverty of the Amazon.”

___

EDITORS’ NOTE — This story is part of The Protein Problem, an AP series that examines the question: Can we feed this growing world without starving the planet? To see the full project, visit https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-protein-problem/index.html

___

The only way to meet both goals is to find more paths for people to make a living in the Amazon without further destroying the rainforest, say experts who have long worked in the region. That means using already deforested land more efficiently — to reduce pressure to clear more forest — as well as supporting businesses that sustainably harvest native products such as açaí and cacao.

Story continues

Valentim, who works in the northern state of Acre, where he’s lived for four decades, points from the window of his truck to areas of abandoned farmland: some are patches of bare soil or red clay; some are overgrown with dark shrubby weeds.

The scale of abandoned farm and pastureland across the Brazilian Amazon is massive — covering an area larger than Portugal, according to an AP analysis of data derived from satellite imagery by the Brazilian research collaboration Mapbiomas.

Other researchers estimate that ranching, which accounts for between 60% and 80% of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, is only a third as productive as it should be, and that increasing the efficiency on the same land area would more than meet increasing demands for meat through 2040. Brazil is a major exporter of beef to global markets, and currently 43% of Brazil’s cattle are raised within the Amazon region, according to an AP analysis of government data.

“You have to enforce laws against deforestation, but that’s only part of the solution. You also have to deliver people alternatives” to Improve their livelihoods, said Rachael Garrett, a researcher at Cambridge University who’s conducted fieldwork in the Amazon since 2006.

There are 28 million people living in just Brazil’s portion of the Amazon — including Indigenous farmers, ranchers who migrated from other parts of the country, and settlers forcibly relocated decades ago when the government took their old land for infrastructure projects like the Itaipú Dam.

“You can’t ignore that millions of people are living there,” Garrett said. “The more their needs are ignored, the worse some problems get.”

SUPERCHARGING THE SOIL

Nearly everyone in the Amazon starts work early, aiming to finish before the worst of the midday sun. Valentim is on the road at dawn to visit families who’ve tried new techniques to squeeze more production out of the soil.

Dairy farmer Edson Cesar de Oliveira waves from his porch. The son of a subsistence rubber tapper from Acre, his family lives in a small wooden home that he built himself.

Chickens cluck in the yard, and clothes flap on a laundry line. Cleonice Farina de Oliveira, his wife, offers black espresso and slices of homemade cheese to visitors.

For the past few years, the family has been experimenting with planting a native legume called forage peanuts alongside grass in their pastures. This plant attracts bacteria to its roots that can pull nitrogen from the air into the ground, essentially acting as a low-cost natural fertilizer.

While grass-only pastures may degrade in just two or three years, adding legumes may extend the soil’s fertility to ten or more years. It’s also higher in protein than grass alone, which helps livestock grow faster. And it’s easier than grass alone on the cattle’s digestive system, reducing their methane emissions.

De Oliveria, who said he can’t afford chemical fertilizers, has noticed that pastures with forage peanuts don’t turn as yellow during the dry season. And cows that graze there for at least two nights produce about 20% more milk, he said.

That increases the amount of cheese that the family can make to sell in local markets.

“We always sell out of our cheese,” said Cleonice, as she pulled on rubber boots to go milk the cows.

After coaxing the first three animals into wooden pens, she, her husband and their 22-year-old son Thalisson each took a milking station. The family provides all the labor on their small farm.

On another day, Valentim visits a larger family ranch owned by Luiz Augusto Ribeiro do Valle. Do Valle said the last year he cleared new forest to expand the ranch was 2007. Now he’s focused on improving productivity. In addition to planting forage peanuts in his pastures, he has changed the way he grazes cattle.

Holding up a detailed map of his ranch, he said, “You take a large pasture, divide it into smaller areas and rotate where the cattle graze.” The goal is to keep cattle always feeding on new grass, while other areas regrow — the new growth is more nutritious and easier to digest.

Cows bray in the distance and dragonflies buzz at his feet as he strolls up a hill, periodically bending to inspect the grass. “You have to keep checking the plan against the reality on the ground,” he said. By combining rotational grazing and forage peanuts, he said he can keep between 20% and 40% more cattle on the same amount of land.

HARD REALITIES OF THE RAINFOREST

But even these simple innovations can be hard for some poor ranchers in the Amazon to implement.

In a region with poor roads and spotty internet and cell-phone service, it’s hard to spread information about better farming practices.

Many small ranchers can’t afford fertilizers, tractors and other modern farming supplies. And drug trafficking, illegal mining and violence also make it difficult to work on the Amazon frontier.

Of the nearly 1 million farms in Brazil’s Amazon region, 83% are small family farms and ranches, according to government figures. Many operate on shoestring budgets.

As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government ramps up enforcement of environmental laws — reversing the policies of Jair Bolsonaro and so far curbing overall deforestation by 22%, according to Brazil's national space agency — some experts say it’s small-scale ranchers and farmers that are still most at risk for clearing rainforest.

“When you have fewer choices, you take bigger risks,” said René Poccard-Chapuis, an agronomist at the French agricultural research agency CIRAD who has worked in the region for three decades.

Like Valentim, he’s focused on helping farmers and ranchers — especially small operators — find low-cost solutions to Improve their livelihoods.

In Para state, in the eastern Amazon, Lucas dos Santos has a very modest ranch. He can’t afford a horse to ride or hired labor, but moves the cattle between pastures himself, holding a cattle prod in one hand.

He said he was unable to afford the price of new fencing to start rotational grazing for his small herd of 22 cattle. Then CIRAD researchers showed him how to use branch clippings from native trees in place of commercial fence posts.

The clippings, taken from trees on his property, put out new roots quickly, so he only had to pay for wires — and can now rotate his cattle.

TASTES OF THE RAINFOREST: AÇAÍ AND CACAO

César De Mendes is trying to grow a business in the rainforest without cutting any trees at all.

Walking through the forest along a tributary of the Amazon in Pará, he points out bright yellow fruits that sprout, sometimes in pairs, from the middle of tree trunks.

It’s cacao, the plant responsible for one of the world’s great joys: chocolate.

His company, De Mendes Chocolates, uses cacao harvested from virgin rainforest.

He’s hoping customers will appreciate how different microclimates and soil conditions across the region subtly impact the flavor of the chocolate.

“You can taste the different environments,” he said.

His small business sells mostly to upscale groceries and tourist shops. One of six employees at this location, Neilanny Maia, fulfills online orders by hand, devoting a room of her home to storing seed bags and finished chocolate bars.

The idea of harvesting rainforest fruits is simple, but scaling up a sustainable business isn’t always easy.

Just getting fruit to market before it spoils can be a huge challenge. Last year during the rainy season, one road was closed for 90 days. One solution is to build small processing factories near the forest, as the longstanding agricultural collective Projeto RECA has done in Brazil’s northern state of Rondônia.

One afternoon, light breaks through the canopy of virgin rainforest as 37-year-old açaí picker Edson Polinario tilts his head backward, squinting, looking for promising trees.

Once he’s chosen his target, he propels himself up the narrow palm trunk, using bands to grip the trunk securely.

With a stroke of his machete, he slices off a rack of açaí berries that resemble dark beads on a chandelier.

Then he slides down the trunk like it’s a firepole.

Every day a worker comes to Polinario’s house to collect bags of açaí, then hauls them back to Projeto RECA’s campus on the back of a motorcycle.

Açaí berries spoil quickly and are practically worthless if not processed and frozen within two days.

At the factory, they’re transformed into jams, syrups and frozen fruit pulp, ready to be shipped to supermarkets.

But there are other challenges to locating the business on the Amazon frontier. If factory equipment breaks, the team must dissemble it and drive parts several hours for repair. “We are too far from the big cities” for on-site maintenance, said Hamilton Condack de Oliveira, the president of the collective of about 200 households.

But still, they’ve managed to survive since the collective was founded in 1989.

They harvest from both virgin rainforest and agroforests planted on abandoned pastureland. Planting an agroforest — essentially a large orchard of mixed native tree species — doesn’t aid biodiversity and climate as much as simply retaining old-growth forest, but it’s much better than tending pasture or monoculture row crops.

“People will visit and say, ‘Oh that’s beautiful,’ but it’s a lot of work,” he said.

‘THE FOREST SUSTAINS US’

The impacts of climate change are already being felt locally in the Amazon region, forcing other adaptations.

For as long as their stories tell, the Indigenous Tembé people of Tekohaw village have used fire to clear small plots of land to grow cassava, beans and other subsistence crops. After farming for three years, they’d clear new land.

Because their plots were small, the overall impact on the forest was minimal. But now the village chief wants to find other ways to manage the soil’s fertility.

“We don’t want to use fire anymore in the forest because we can lose control of the fire, and it can burn the forest,” said Kaparaí Tembé. This wasn’t always as much of a risk, he said. But deforestation from ranching and soy farming for animal feed across the state of Pará has removed moisture from the air, and now the dry season has become longer and drier — heightening the risk of uncontrolled wildfires.

“We want to Improve agriculture here, in one specific place, not keep burning fields and pushing nature back,” he said, setting his hoe on the ground and mopping the sweat from his brow. “We need to nurture the soil.”

Earlier this year, the villagers treated the field with a powder made from grinding up limestone . It’s a technique to reduce the natural acidity of the Amazonian soil. Today Tembé and two other men are planting a different legume, called the pigeon pea, to add nitrogen to the soil.

Later, as he walked back to the village, Tembé heard the raucous shriek of a scarlet macaw.

“It’s a reminder of where I am,” he said. “The forest sustains us, the animals, the plants — we want to protect it.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

Transform your home for the holidays with 37 Amazon finds that will help you ‘candycore’ your space. Embrace the festive spirit with sweet and colorful decor.

More from SheKnows

These stocking holders look good enough to eat and can hold up to 10lbs of gifts, meaning you can really go all out and spoil your loved ones!

Find it on Amazon

Spread holiday joy from the second guests step foot inside your home with this adorable doormat adorned with festive gingerbread men, peppermint candy and candy canes. The set also includes a runner that you can place in your hallway or in the kitchen.

Find it on Amazon

Light up your front yard with these candy cane LED decorations. The durable metal framework makes them freestanding and the design is ac powered.

Find it on Amazon

If subtlety isn’t your vibe, these outdoor Christmas decorations really pack a punch. The bold and bright design features a big mug of hot chocolate with winking marshmallows and smiling gingerbread men. Go big or go home, right?

Find it on Amazon

For a show-stopping Christmas decoration, look no further than this light-up gingerbread house. It’s 16 inches in height and has LED lights to create the perfect festive ambience for your home.

Find it on Amazon

The decorating options with this wooden garland are endless. It’s 9ft in length, so you can drape it around your tree, use as decoration for your dining table or even drape across your doorway.

Find it on Amazon

Looking for a centerpiece for your Christmas dinner? These candy cane ribbon trees are such a unique design and come in a choice of festive colors.

Find it on Amazon

An easy way to update your furniture for the holidays is with some seasonal pillows and this candy cane design is ideal for snuggling up with.

Find it on Amazon

The soft bendable copper wire of these string lights make them easy to twist and mould to your desired shape. They drape well around the tree but can also be used for decoration in any room. Plus, they’re battery-powered so you don’t need to worry about concealing ugly wiring.

Find it on Amazon

If you want to adorn your tree with some magical sparkle, these glittery ornaments have some real festive flair. For less than ten dollars, you get ten pieces – which is an absolute steal!

Find it on Amazon

If you have a guest staying this holiday season, why not treat the guest room to some festive curtains? These candy cane curtains are guaranteed to offer festive cheer from the moment they wake up on Christmas morning.

Find it on Amazon

This cute bedding set features two pillow cases, a flat sheet and top sheet and is available from a twin to a split king. Plus, reviewers say the set washes really well.

Find it on Amazon

Transform your kids’ bedrooms for the festive season with this adorable bedding. Guaranteed to get them into the spirit and reviewers say that the quality is so soft.

Find it on Amazon

Like Rudolph’s nose, use candy cane lights to lead the way to your home this holiday season. The set includes 12 lights, with each cane at 20 inches tall.

Find it on Amazon

Screw the traditional, we’re all about decorations that look good enough to eat. These macaroon ornaments will look delicious on your tree and reviewers reassure that they are so well-made and realistic.

Find it on Amazon

For the chocolate fan in your life, this Hershey’s bar ornament is a real retro find. It really does look so realistic, just don’t get confused and mix it up with the real thing. They say candy is bad for our teeth but biting into glass ornaments is definitely worse!

Find it on Amazon

When it comes to cute candy ornaments, we say deliver us s’more, s’more, s’more! This tasty-looking decoration has such attention to detail and is also soft and squishy in design. Ideal for kids who like to play with the decor.

Find it on Amazon

This cookie pillow is not just delicious looking but also chocolate scented. Yes, breathe deeply and you’ll feel a rumbling in your tummy. Reviewers confirm the smell is just divine. Ideal for the holidays.

Find it on Amazon

Christmas is a time for indulging your sweet tooth so your home will definitely need a candy bowl to display all the delicious treats. This santa design is so cute, plus reviewers say you can also use it as a festive place for your keys or jewelry.

Find it on Amazon

These soaps are such a cute surprise for your guests. They’re hand-poured and include essential oils to keep your hands moisturized. Plus, they have a delicious cinnamon scent.

Find it on Amazon

Filled with Christmas candy and festive baubles, this Christmas wreath will really add some festive sparkle to your front door.

Find it on Amazon

Nobody likes water marks on their coffee table and your guests will only be too happy to place their drinks down on these adorable gingerbread men coasters.

Find it on Amazon

For less than six dollars, you get 25 festive straws – including red and white candy cane design. They’re made from high-quality paper, which is also biodegradable.

Find it on Amazon

Or for the gingerbread fans in your life, these cute straws will certainly make them smile. They’re also disposable and you get 200 in a pack.

Find it on Amazon

Add some festive retro cool to your kitchen with this vintage-style wooden hanging. It’ll brighten up a blank wall or add some cheer when placed on top of your mantlepiece.

Find it on Amazon

Erm, how adorable are these mugs? Plus, they’re the perfect excuse to make some delicious hot chocolate. Not that you need an excuse, of course. They’re also dishwasher-safe and assure that the cute design won’t fade over time.

Find it on Amazon

These edible candy spoons are the perfect addition to your marshmallow and hot chocolate. Reviewers say they’re a sturdy design and so deliciously minty.

Find it on Amazon

This stoneware bowl is such great quality and not only does it feature a candy cane striped design on the outside but the inside has festive mistletoe.

Find it on Amazon

These decorations are so beautifully crafted and can be placed in a candy dish or scattered in the center of your dining table. The bold colors are so bright and eye-catching.

Find it on Amazon

This realistic crinkled glass bag is such a fun and unique way to display your holiday candy. Reviewers say it also works for jewelry display or even flowers.

Find it on Amazon

Not only are these kitchen dish towels festive-themed but the set of three are made from premium cotton, which makes them so absorbent and quick drying. Plus, they’re pre-washed so you can use as soon as they arrive.

Find it on Amazon

For the Christmas cook, this gingerbread apron is the perfect gift. Not only is it waterproof but also oil-resistant and it’s machine-washable for easy cleaning. The tie-waist back means you can adjust to fit and there’s a choice of colors to pick from.

Find it on Amazon

If you feel in the baking mood this festive season, these stainless steel cookie cutters will ensure you serve up the cutest baked treats.

Find it on Amazon

These pajamas are so soft as they are made from 100% cotton which is also lightweight and breathable when you sleep. Reviewers say they’re the ideal way to get the whole family feeling festive.

Find it on Amazon

You can’t forget your pet pooch during the holidays. This candy cane chew toy great for their teeth and comes in a set of two.

Find it on Amazon

Speaking of dogs, get them looking festive with this candy cane striped bow tie. It comes in an extra large option for bigger dogs but the X small and even XX small can work for your cat.

Find it on Amazon

Make your home look like a candycore Christmas dream with these Christmas candy hanging banners. They come with four holes and string for easy hanging and you can use rope to tie the bottom in place to avoid any movement in the wind. Satisfied customers say these are the perfect accent to any festive front door.

Find it on Amazon

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.