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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Investing in agriculture reduces poverty and inequality: economic model finds the best funding mix for 10 African countries

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria

    Africa faces challenges in reducing extreme poverty and inequality. In 2024, 8.5% of the global population was living in extreme poverty (that is, on less than US$2.15 a day). Nearly 67% of these people were living in sub-Saharan Africa.

    To tackle these significant issues of poverty and inequality, it is essential to identify the locations of the most impoverished individuals. This enables investments to focus on generating growth and productivity that are both inclusive of poor people and sustainable.

    About 70% of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa live in rural areas. Most (65% to 70%) are employed in agriculture. Agriculture also contributes 30%-40% to the gross domestic product (GDP).

    Despite its importance, agriculture is underfunded. African countries don’t have enough of their own resources to finance agriculture, and external funding is becoming more scarce.

    The region thus desperately needs an innovative plan to finance agriculture for economic development.

    In a recent study we analysed how different ways of funding agricultural investment would affect inclusive growth and the wider economy in 10 African countries. Raising taxes, cutting budgets and external support were the different funding options we explored.

    We created economic models that would help countries with tight budgets understand the trade-offs and choose the best options.

    Our study found that investing more in agriculture – especially with external financing – was best at raising incomes and reducing poverty, particularly in rural areas. External funding avoids the higher costs of domestic financing. But a mix of both is also effective.

    Regardless of the country, all financing options resulted in increased rural incomes, reducing poverty and hunger. This shows that investment in agriculture has a positive impact both nationally and in rural contexts.

    The model

    Our paper uses an economic simulation model which looks at the big picture and also at more detail. It works out how changes in agricultural spending affect people’s lives (in terms of their income and expenditure) as well as the overall economy.

    The countries studied were Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Rwanda, Gabon, Malawi, eSwatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. We chose them based on the availability and accessibility of the data required.

    The model worked out the results of different financing strategies:

    • Increase in taxes (direct ones like household income and property tax or indirect ones like VAT or sales tax). The idea is that spending more on agriculture would be compensated for by higher tax revenues. These would come from households’ growing income and property taxes.

    • Reduction in non-agricultural investment spending. Here, the proportion of government investment dedicated to agriculture remains fixed. So there has to be less investment elsewhere.

    • Increase in government external borrowing or development assistance.

    Key findings

    We found that external financing boosted both national and rural incomes the most. But variations in the exchange rate may trigger an increase in domestic prices and a subsequent decline in export volumes. That could make a country less competitive economically.

    Despite this, the associated costs are generally lower than those of internal financing, aside from Mozambique’s rural income results.

    Between the two internal financing mechanisms tested, the option of reducing non-agricultural investment raised both national income and rural income in all countries except eSwatini.

    So that option should play a key role along with external financing.

    This finding is encouraging for fiscally constrained countries as the modelling showed that domestic financing improved the countries’ agency in sustainable growth.

    In a final modelling phase, the models explored how the policy interventions could transform poverty and inequality outcomes. They did this by following the intricate interplay of income and price dynamics. After a surge in agricultural investments following the policy scenarios, the findings showed a more pronounced reduction in poverty and inequality rates across all nations. There was one notable outlier — Angola. In Angola, investments channelled into the services sector have sparked the most substantial decreases in poverty and inequality, driven by the deep interconnectivity between services and its expansive oil industry.

    Even a small increase in public investment led to a clear drop in poverty, with agriculture investments having the biggest impact, followed by industry and services. Malawi showed the most substantial reduction in poverty. There were also noticeable effects in Rwanda, Botswana, eSwatini and Angola.

    Other countries showed mild impacts, maintaining low poverty levels.

    What can be done

    Scenario modelling can offer valuable insights for policy making because it is forward-looking. It also highlights the implications of strategic priorities.

    The study’s findings show that to achieve inclusive economic growth, countries should aggressively invest in agriculture, using a mix of external and domestic fiscal sources.

    On the back of the findings we made the following proposals.

    African governments are dependent on development aid because of limited domestic finances and weak growth prospects. This gets in the way of their ability to raise funds in the markets. However, if concessional financing is attainable and exchange rate impacts are controllable, external financing should remain a preferable option for financing agriculture investments.

    In the medium term, governments must focus on:

    • cutting unproductive non-agricultural spending

    • eliminating waste

    • ensuring cost-effectiveness.

    Savings should be redirected to agriculture.

    Over the medium term, there should be a focus on reforming tax policies. Direct and indirect taxes should be increased to fund agricultural investment. But maintaining transparency in using tax revenues is crucial. This encourages public support and local ownership of tax reforms by demonstrating their benefits.

    In the long term, governments should synchronise national development plans with ambitious agricultural growth initiatives.

    – Investing in agriculture reduces poverty and inequality: economic model finds the best funding mix for 10 African countries
    – https://theconversation.com/investing-in-agriculture-reduces-poverty-and-inequality-economic-model-finds-the-best-funding-mix-for-10-african-countries-252820

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Sarah Gabbott, Professor of Palaeontology, University of Leicester

    A fossilised creature found in a South African roadside quarry 25 years ago has finally got an official name. The small, segmented, crustacean-like creature, dated to 444 million years ago, can now be introduced as Keurbos susanae. It belongs to the arthropod group of animals, which accounts for about 84% of all known species that exist today, including insects, spiders and crabs.

    Palaeontologist Sarah Gabbott explains what’s so unusual about her discovery, which she named as part of the process of describing it scientifically.

    What can you tell us about this creature and the environment it lived in?

    The fossil is about 50cm long and has 46 almost identical segments. Projecting from each is a delicate, gill-like structure. It would probably have looked like a bit like a horseshoe crab and the gills would have been for absorbing oxygen from the water it lived in. Its insides are exquisitely well-preserved, which is very unusual for fossils – normally only the hard, more decay-resistant external features would be preserved. You can see bundles of muscle fibres that would have powered the limbs, tendons and an internal scaffold structure that gave the animal rigidity.

    We think it would have spent most of its life living on, or more likely just above, the seafloor, probably walking and swimming in an undulatory (waving) motion.

    It lived in the immediate aftermath of the end Ordovician extinction event more than 440 million years ago, caused by glaciations (the spread of icy conditions) across vast swaths of the planet. This extinction wiped out about 85% of Earth’s species. The marine basin that Keurbos susanae inhabited was probably very cold and at times covered with sea ice.

    It was a relatively hostile environment in other ways too. Our analyses of the chemistry of the shales – the sediments on the sea bed where this animal and others lived, now turned to rock – shows that they were deposited under anoxic conditions (that is, there was no oxygen circulating freely in the water). And at times free hydrogen sulfide occurred in the sediment porewaters (the water in tiny spaces between grains of sediment) and even above the seafloor. Not much could live in these conditions and this was critical to this fossil’s amazing preservation.

    It meant the carcass was not scavenged by other animals after it died. Also, the chemistry was important in the process whereby the soft tissues, which should usually rot away rapidly, became mineralised quickly after death. This turned the animal’s anatomy to mineral which survived for hundreds of millions of years until it was discovered.

    It is preserved “inside out”.

    Keurbos susanae is a new genus and species which we are still trying to place among other early arthropods. The fact that its insides are better preserved than its outside makes it difficult to compare with other fossils that are preserved the “other way round”.

    How did you find the fossil and what else has been found in that area?

    The site is in the Cedarberg mountains, north of Cape Town. To collect fossils in this area you need a permit granted by the Council for Geoscience. Fossil-bearing rocks are protected by law because of their heritage and scientific value.

    Fossil hunting in these rocks takes a lot of hard work and patience, splitting open the shales with a hammer and chisel. These shale rocks are what’s left of layers of silt that were once on the sea floor. The fossils here are super rare: you can dig and split shale for days and not find a single fossil! But we know there are some in there because of discoveries made previously.

    I found two specimens. The first one is complete but the second one only has the middle part of the body preserved.

    In the same rocks we have found some of the earliest vertebrate fossils with mineralised teeth, called conodonts. They were eel shaped and predatory. Also eurypterids (sea scorpions), arthropods with powerful swimming appendages, which would have cruised through the frigid waters. There are also orthocones – a type of chambered cephalopod – like the mollusc fossils called ammonites, which have been found in large numbers, but with a straight shell instead of coiled.

    Why has it taken 25 years to describe Keurbos susanae scientifically?

    Two reasons really.

    First, because of the nature of preservation, where all the insides are perfectly preserved but the outside (the carapace or body covering) is absent, it is just difficult to interpret and compare to other fossils. And secondly because the specimen’s head and legs are missing and these are key characteristics that palaeontologists would use to help them to understand the evolutionary relationships of such fossils.

    If more specimens were to be found, with their heads and legs, we could be more certain about where this fossil fitted in the scheme of life. But the site where I found it has been covered in a lot of rock from quarrying activity. So we decided to describe what we had in the meantime, and not wait for more examples.

    The fossil’s name, Keurbos susanae, refers to the place where I found it and to my mother, Sue, who encouraged me to follow a career that made me happy, whatever that might be.

    – Marine fossil found in South Africa is one of a kind, thanks to unusual preservation
    – https://theconversation.com/marine-fossil-found-in-south-africa-is-one-of-a-kind-thanks-to-unusual-preservation-255256

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Mentors Students at University of Maryland School of Medicine

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Dr. Cato T. Laurencin’s talk, “Regenerative Engineering, The Future is Here,” delivered this Spring, was sponsored by the University of Maryland Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP).

    The endowed biennial lectureship was established to honor the memory of Stephen R. Max, Ph.D., a great scientist, and the former and founding MD-Ph.D. Program Director. The lectureship invites an outstanding physician scientist to visit the scientific community, interact with and mentor MSTP students there, and deliver a major scientific lecture.

    Laurencin earned a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He completed the Harvard Medical School Medical Scientist Training Program, earning his MD from the Harvard Medical School, Magna Cum Laude, and his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    Laurencin is the University Professor at UConn and the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UConn School of Medicine, professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is chief executive officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute named in his honor at UConn.

    In his talk, he encouraged students to pursue excellence in all they do. He discussed his autobiography entitled, Success is What You Leave Behind, published by Elsevier. He encouraged students to give back throughout their careers. Laurencin’s work in mentorship is well known. He has created and established numerous programs in his career including the UConn Young Innovative Investigator Program, the UConn M-1 Program, the UConn Pre-K Program, the UConn NSF EFRI Regenerative Engineering REM and REU Programs, and the UConn NIH T32 Regenerative Engineering at the University of Connecticut alone. The UConn Foundation established the Cato T. Laurencin Scholars Award given to undergraduate students, while nationally, the Society for Biomaterials created the Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D. Travel Award given to undergraduate students in Biomaterials Science. He is the first to receive the three principal national awards for mentoring: the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring given to him by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at the White House.

    The pioneer of the field of Regenerative Engineering, Laurencin is the first surgeon elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors. As an orthopaedic surgeon physician-scientist he is the first individual to receive the Nicolas Andry Award (highest honor of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons), the Kappa Delta Award (highest research honor of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons), the Marshal Urist Award (highest honor in regeneration of the Orthopaedic Research Society), and the American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedic Surgery with induction into the AOA Awards Hall of Fame.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Having Traveled Over 7,000 Miles to Continue Her Education, This First-Year UConn Nursing Ph.D. Student Is Making a Name for Herself

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Netsayi Chimenya ’27 (NURS), RNM-MSN, knows first-hand the difficulties of working as a nurse in an environment that is understaffed and under-resourced. Having worked and trained in Malawi, Africa as a children’s nurse she is a witness to many challenges surrounding infant care.

    With a shortage of healthcare workers and a high burden of patients, Malawi is faced with a high infant mortality rate. Chimenya says at times they could be working in units where there are three nurses to 60 or 70 babies.

    While they try their best to provide care, they are simply not able to give everything to everyone. This leads to some tasks being left up to the mother.

    “When everyone comes to do research in Malawi, they’re usually talking about empowering healthcare workers,” Chimenya says. “But we also have moms who are a huge part of doing those tasks that nurses are supposed to do.”

    One of those tasks is nasogastric (NG) or orogastric (OG) tube feeding: a thin and soft tube that is inserted through the nose or mouth to deliver food to the pre-term infant’s stomach. The motion of feeding is very complicated for a pre-term infant which makes the NG/OG tube feeding a crucial part in the baby’s growth and nutrition.

    Chimenya says they have moms who are not taught what tube feeding is and how to monitor complications. At the same time, they expect that they should be providing specialized care for their sick babies.

    When complications do arise, they don’t have a solid reason as to why the problem occurred because the tasks were left to the mothers who are not properly trained. She says some of those problems – respiratory, stomach irritation, or cardiac arrest – can be caused by the NG/OG tube being inserted incorrectly.

    “So, I thought maybe we should target these moms and have an education program so that we empower them to do this task as we want them to do because we rely hugely on moms,” Chimenya says.

    Since Malawi doesn’t have a direct neonatal nursing pathway, Chimenya started looking at schools in the UK and the US that would best fit her research.

    “When I was applying to UConn, I saw that Dr. Casavant has done a lot of research with pre-term babies,” she says. “I felt like she was a good fit for my interests, and she’s been supportive with my topics.”

    Sharon Casavant, Ph.D., RN. (Contributed Photo)

    “She essentially sent me what could be a very rough draft of a dissertation proposal before she had even applied for the program,” says Sharon Casavant, Ph.D., RN, assistant professor.

    “What I love about Netsayi is that she’s always hungry. If I see something that I think she could apply for and she would be eligible for, I just kind of toss it her way and she goes for it.”

    Already, Chimenya was accepted to the New York Academy of Medicine’s (NYAM) Forum on Intercollegiate Regional Events (FIRE) for Social and Academic Discourse and the UConn Graduate Student Research Symposium.

    FIRE is a planning group showcasing doctoral student work and is comprised of nursing doctoral program directors and students from ten tri-state area schools in NY, CT, and NJ.

    The event was on April 29, 2025, where Chimenya got to present her research. “I got good feedback, networked, and established connections with professors and students from other universities,” she said.

    “It’s a really big deal to have an abstract accepted to the National Academics of Science in New York,” says Casavant. “She’s just amazing and she’s so committed to her babies and to Malawi. It’s beautiful. She’s a very hard worker and very, very, bright.”

    The UConn Graduate Student Research Symposium is a poster competition that took place on April 23, 2025.

    Any UConn graduate student is eligible to apply and present their research. Chimenya was one of hundreds to be selected to attend. Even though she didn’t win, she received praise from the judges on her work.

    “To make matters more exciting, when we went to the pre-workshop, it was only two first-years and I think I was the only nurse,” says Chimenya.

    “It has really motivated me to work on my own topic because other people are accepting it,” Chimenya says.

    With an already accomplished start, Chimenya doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

    “I’m really excited to be working with Sharon and the other experts who are doing infant nutrition at UConn, and I feel like this is the right place for me to augment my science and I’m here to update my skills,” she says.

    She intends to bring the knowledge and research she has acquired here back to Malawi to help “the healthcare workers, the mothers, and the children.”

    When recounting her experiences at UConn so far, she emphasizes that she has already been taught so much.

    “We are used to being under pressure and under-resourced and we are used to improvising,” she says. “Coming to a country where they have the resources, and they do things in an ideal way has taught me a lot.”

    Chimenya wants to impart the knowledge she has learned here when she returns home. She aims to bridge the gap between Malawi and the U.S. with the connections and relationships that she has made here.

    She’s expecting that when she goes back to Malawi to establish a research unit, “it will have a huge impact on infant health that is going to benefit a lot of children in Malawi.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Anticipating where future thermal areas may develop in Yellowstone National Park

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Stanley Mordensky, geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

    Aerial view of the new thermal area, in the center left. The existing Tern Lake thermal area is the bright white patch of ground in the upper middle part of the image. West Tern Lake is in the lower right. Research conducted under NPS Geology Programs Milestones Permit 2016-9.

    Change is the most reliable constant in a hydrothermally evolving landscape like that of Yellowstone, so understanding where future thermal areas may develop is important information for managing park resources and focusing scientific observation. The immense scale and remote nature of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, however, can make knowing where to look for developing thermal areas an exhausting process. For example, the relatively young Tern Lake thermal area started producing changes in vegetation observable by means of satellite data around 2000, but these changes were only noticed in 2018. 

    Geologists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are asking a similar question with respect to the United States, but rather than thinking about where to look for future hydrothermal areas, they are developing the tools to locate undiscovered hydrothermal systems. Nonetheless, the potential solutions to the two problems are similar by approach.

    In 2008, a USGS assessment of hydrothermal resources estimated that the western United States contains tens of thousands of megawatts of potential electrical power production from undiscovered hydrothermal resources. These USGS geologists are now estimating which regions of the western US have what proportions of these hydrothermal resources, with current work focused on the Great Basin, which is centered in Nevada with smaller sections Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California, and Wyoming. To find these yet-undiscovered geothermal resources, USGS geologists are using machine learning (a form of artificial intelligence) to build mathematical functions that correlate the presence of hydrothermal systems with faults, seismicity, stress in the crust, geophysics (like gravity and magnetic anomalies), and other data. 

    Map of areas predicted as having conditions favorable for fostering a hydrothermal system in the western United States.  Black dots are mapped hydrothermal systems.  From Mordensky et al., 2023 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0375650523000160).

    There are many machine learning approaches that can be used to correlate geologic datasets with the presence of hydrothermal systems, but USGS geologists have found that using approaches based on “decision trees,” akin to flowcharts with decisions dependent upon geologic conditions in the datasets, perform better than other forms of machine learning. More complex machine learning approaches generally need thousands of training sites for learning compared to decision trees. This is an important consideration because the number of known hydrothermal systems is relatively few. Simpler machine learning approaches do not account for the fact that not all hydrothermal systems are alike, so there is no one set of geologic conditions that will indicate the presence of a hydrothermal system. The decision tree approach, however, can identify “Goldilocks” conditions, which are qualities in the geologic datasets that are not too much, not too little, but just right to foster a hydrothermal system.

    While it is prohibited to develop geothermal power in Yellowstone National Park, where the hydrothermal systems are protected, the machine learning tools being developed by the USGS geothermal team could be used to identify areas of the park where hydrothermal systems may develop in the future and, in a practical sense, inform scientists about where to look now.

    Applying these machine learning approaches to identify thermal features on the Yellowstone volcanic plateau may also yield unexpected but interesting results extending beyond where to anticipate future thermal areas at Yellowstone. For example, the USGS team experimenting with machine learning and geothermal datasets have already established strong relations between heat flow and the likelihood of an area hosting a hydrothermal system. A similarly strong relation has been observed between hydrothermal systems and the proximity to geologic structures that promote underground fluid flow, like faults. But when heat flow is pretty much high everywhere, as it is across the Yellowstone plateau, how do the conditions needed to host a hydrothermal system change? What other geologic conditions play determining roles? Future research may help to address these questions.

    In addition to providing a potential tool to forecast where new hydrothermal areas may develop in Yellowstone in the future, these machine learning approaches might also provide information about the geologic conditions that drive hydrothermal circulation in general. This could be applied to other large areas with high heat flow, like the Taupō caldera system in New Zealand. Therefore, studying the geothermal activity at Yellowstone National Park might help scientists understand better methods for developing geothermal energy elsewhere.

    For more information on geothermal energy, see https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/c1249/c1249.pdf.

    Map of thermal areas from ground-based mapping and remote-sensing methods compiled by Vaughn et al., 2024 (https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/661d5eb7d34e7eb9eb7e3a41).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Top Animal Health Experts Address H5N1 Bird Flu in Trupanion Webinar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SEATTLE, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trupanion (Nasdaq: TRUP), the leading provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats, will host an upcoming webinar focused on the evolving state of bird flu (H5N1) and its impact on pets, pet parents, and the veterinary community.

    The complimentary one-hour RACE®-Approved CE webinar “Bird Flu: What We Know Now” will be available on-demand on petpublichealth.org/h5n1-update/ on Thursday, May 8th, at 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET.

    Hosted by Trupanion’s Chief Veterinary/Product Officer, Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS, the webinar features a panel of leading animal health experts, including:

    • Gail Golab, PhD, DVM, MANZCVS (Animal Welfare), DACAW: Associate Executive Vice President & Chief Veterinary Officer, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
    • Professor Scott Weese, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM: Veterinary Internist, Fellow (Canadian Academy of Health Sciences), Chief of Infection Control (Ontario Veterinary College), Director (University of Guelph Centre of Public Health & Zoonoses)
    • Professor Michael Lappin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM: Veterinary Internist, PhD (Parasitology), Director (Center for Companion Animal Studies, Colorado State University), Advisor (World Small Animal Veterinary Association One Health Committee)
    • Carrie Jurney, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology): Veterinary Neurologist, Owner (Remedy Veterinary Specialists), Founding President (Not One More Vet – NOMV)

    Presented as part of Trupanion’s Pet & Public Health Early Warning & Detection System, the webinar aims to equip veterinary professionals and pet parents with the latest information and practical guidance on avian flu in pets. 

    Panelists will delve into various topics, including:

    • Which pet populations may be at highest risk for avian flu.
    • How the virus can potentially spread to cats and dogs.
    • Current knowledge of clinical signs observed in pets.
    • Preventative steps veterinary teams can implement.
    • Data insights from North America and their potential implications for emerging cases.
    • Educational resources for both veterinary professionals and pet parents.

    Dr. Weinrauch commented, “The veterinary profession serves as a first line of defense for protecting both pets and public health. Empowering those entrusted with the care of our family pets is vital. Using real-time illness data, the Early Warning & Detection System concept aims to rapidly detect patterns and signs of illness in dogs and cats anywhere, any breed, any age, any sex, at any time.”

    To learn more and to stream the webinar, visit petpublichealth.org/h5n1-update/.

    About Trupanion’s Pet & Public Health Early Warning Detection System

    Trupanion’s Pet & Public Health Early Warning Detection System utilizes real-time pet health data from over 11,000 veterinary hospitals to rapidly identify illness and disease trends impacting companion animals. By collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mars Science & Diagnostics, the American Veterinary Medicine Association, and other leading pet and public health authorities, Trupanion aims to proactively detect and respond to potential pet and public health threats. For more information, please visit petpublichealth.org.

    About Trupanion

    Trupanion is the leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia with over 1,000,000 pets enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet parents peace of mind so they can focus on their pet’s recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “TRUP”. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada or GPIC Insurance Company. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. Policies are sold and administered in Canada by Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. dba Trupanion 309-1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2 and in the United States by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. is a registered damage insurance agency and claims adjuster in Quebec #603927. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. For more information, please visit trupanion.com. 

    Contact: 

    Laura Bainbridge, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
    Gil Melchior, Director, Investor Relations
    Investor.Relations@trupanion.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A pope of the Americas: What Francis meant to 2 continents

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Neomi De Anda, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton

    A portrait of Pope Francis is projected onto a water fountain in Lima, Peru, on April 21, 2025. AP Photo/Martin Mejia

    Most stories about Pope Francis mention that he made history as the first pontiff from Latin America. In fact, Francis was the first pope in centuries to be born outside Europe. But what impact did that actually have on the Catholic Church? The Conversation U.S. asked Neomi De Anda, a theologian at the University of Dayton, to explain the significance of having a pope from the Southern Hemisphere.

    Where do you see the influence of Pope Francis’ Latin American background?

    In reality, Francis is not only the first Latin American pope; he’s the first American pope. Francis is Argentine, the child and grandchild of Italian immigrants, and the first to be born in “América.” Though geography divides it into two continents, North and South, it is one land – one many Indigenous communities call “Turtle Island” or “Abya Yala.”

    In the pope’s 2024 video message to the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States, he called upon them “to be bridge-builders between the Americas” and to be a church that “welcomes, accompanies, and integrates” migrants. Speaking in Spanish, he invited the academy “to do theology with your head, your hearts, and your hands” and to integrate “the richness of both cultures, North and South, at the service of a dignified life.”

    Pope Francis arrives for a massive open-air Mass in a park just a few yards from the U.S. border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 17, 2016.
    AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

    This message emphasizes Francis’ view of “synodality” – meaning a church that walks together – and his understanding of the connection among all people in the Americas and the Caribbean. It also shows a recurring theme of his papacy: the connections between pastoral care and theology.

    The greeting also highlights his desire for all to have a life of well-being, or “buen vivir,” through God’s love. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” This is also a key theme in a 2007 document produced after a meeting of Latin American bishops, known as Aparecida. Francis, then a cardinal, was a primary drafter.

    Aparecida points out Latin America’s abundance of aquifers and forest lands, which are “humanity’s lungs.” It laments economic factors leading to environmental destruction and climate change – themes that would prove important to Francis’ papacy. The document stresses God’s care for people whose lands are being pillaged and who are forced to migrate. It claims “nothing and no one” can take away the strength, joy and peace God gives to the world’s most vulnerable.

    Francis repeatedly acknowledged the Catholic Church’s role in crimes against Indigenous people, and he apologized. How did ideas about colonialism shape his papacy?

    Francis spent much time and attention learning more about the experiences of Native communities: from his visit to Chiapas, Mexico, in 2016; to the Amazon Synod, a meeting of Catholic bishops from the Pan-Amazon Region, Indigenous leaders from this region, theologians and other subject matter experts in 2019; to his tour across Canada in 2022.

    After the synod, Francis released a letter titled Querida Amazonia, which includes a call for Catholic leaders to learn more about the lives of Native peoples from across the nine countries of the Amazon.

    During the papal Mass Francis celebrated in Chiapas, Mexico, in 2016, you can see the deep intermixing of local cultures and customs with the liturgy. For example, women spread incense across the altar using clay vessels, alongside deacons using a thurible, the metal burner typically used in services. Animal images at the front of the platform represented the integration of all of creation.

    Pope Francis delivers his message during Mass in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, on Feb. 15, 2016.
    AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

    Throughout his trip to Canada in 2022 – whose purpose, in part, was to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the Indigenous boarding school system – Francis presented a disposition of listening and care. He spent more time meeting with people and hearing about their experiences than giving prepared speeches on the perspective of the church.

    For First Nations peoples, the pope’s visit was an opportunity for reconciliation – but for some, it also reopened old wounds. One of their requests was that the church reject the Doctrine of Discovery: ideas about conversion to Christianity that colonial powers used to justify abuses.

    Talking to reporters on the plane returning to Rome, Francis named what had been done to Indigenous children in boarding schools as “genocide.” The following year, the Vatican released a repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery and documents associated with those ideas.

    Are there other ways that the pope did – or didn’t – make the church feel more inclusive?

    Francis’ papacy did less to change teachings on another topic shaped by colonialism: gender, sexuality and women. The Catholic Church maintains that there are two genders – male and female – which complement each other, a binary system that replaced more flexible ways of thinking about gender in some cultures.

    Members of a delegation of Indigenous peoples in Quebec await a meeting with Pope Francis on July 29, 2022.
    Ciro Fusco/Pool ANSA via AP

    The question of whether to ordain women as deacons arose from the Amazon Synod and continued at the church’s global Synod on Synodality, but without resolution.

    An emphasis on women’s role as child-bearers is embedded in the theological understanding of Mary as mother of Christ and the mother of the church. Whether intentionally or not, however, I would argue Francis laid groundwork for teaching about women and gender to expand.

    Appointments of women to high Vatican positions point to small shifts in practice. The presence of trans people among the last people who paid respects to Francis at his funeral marks a sign of possibilities that hopefully will continue.

    Although of “the church” might make us think of clergy, all who are baptized are the church. Around the world, Catholic communities have developed in many ways, with multiple forms of leadership – especially women lay leaders. The Vatican needs to continue to affirm that reality.

    The Catholic Church understands diversity as a gift of the Holy Spirit. My hope is for someone to continue in Francis’ vein of appreciating that pluralism.

    Neomi De Anda consults for the Louisville Institute, funded by Lily Endowment Inc. She receives funding from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Religion and Theology. She is a past president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States and is affiliated with the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative.

    – ref. A pope of the Americas: What Francis meant to 2 continents – https://theconversation.com/a-pope-of-the-americas-what-francis-meant-to-2-continents-255093

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: National security advisers manage decision-making as advocates or honest brokers

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    Mike Waltz speaks with reporters in the press room at the White House on Feb. 20, 2025. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    The removal of Mike Waltz as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser – formally the assistant to the president for national security affairs – raises the question of just what that position entails and also what it means that Marco Rubio will now act as secretary of state and national security adviser.

    The National Security Act of 1947 created the National Security Council to advise the president on matters of national security. It’s also tasked with integrating domestic, foreign and military policies.

    But the national security adviser position is neither enshrined in law nor accountable to Congress.

    I’m an economist and international relations scholar who has worked with three national security advisers − Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samuel “Sandy” Berger and Susan Rice.

    I’ve seen the job up close. The core of the national security adviser’s role is managing the national security decision-making process, as decisions on issues from Ukraine to Gaza to nuclear proliferation are made. It’s a coordinating role.

    Honest broker

    National security advisers set the timing and flow of policy analysis and recommendations to the National Security Council committees − first, the principals committee, which brings together the Cabinet secretaries with national security responsibilities from the State Department, Department of Defense, the CIA and others.

    While the principals committee typically rarely meets and virtually never with the president in the chair, not so the deputies committee. That committee brings together the Nos. 2 and 3 in the same departments.

    In my most recent stint in Washington as chair of the National Intelligence Council in the Obama administration, the deputies committee met almost every day, sometimes more than once. Its formal role is to tee up issues for decision by the principals and the president.

    National security advisers have the advantage of proximity to the president, with an office footsteps from the Oval, as it is known in Washington lingo. They also manage a relatively lean staff.

    In my time on the National Security Council staff in the Carter administration, it was perhaps 150 all told, including the watch officers in the White House Situation Room. In the Biden administration it was on the order of 350 staff.

    For us National Security Council staffers, if we disagreed with our counterparts at the State Department or the Defense Department, we could let the principals decide. We knew that we could get to Brzezinski faster, for example, than they could get to their Cabinet secretaries.

    National security adviser Susan Rice walks with Fang Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, in Beijing, in September 2014.
    AP Photo/Wang Zhao

    In Washington, proximity is opportunity. And, not surprisingly, national security advisers since McGeorge Bundy in the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations have become central figures in the foreign policy arena. The have had to manage the balance between seeking to influence the president and remaining an honest broker.

    As Berger put it, “You have to be perceived by your colleagues as an honest representative of their viewpoint, or the system breaks down.”

    Managing the tension

    National security advisers have managed the tension in their roles in different ways. And two models of those roles have emerged.

    Henry Kissinger, who served Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was a powerful strategist driving presidential policy, often bypassing traditional channels. He, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio will do, served a dual role from 1973 to 1975 as national security adviser and secretary of state. Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser who served George W. Bush, also later became secretary of state.

    Brent Scowcroft, who served both Ford and President George H. W. Bush, is the exemplar of the other model − an “honest broker” ensuring a fair, collegial policy process. He was the consummate insider: low-key, meticulous about process and influencing through quiet proximity. The Bush administration he served was also, as described by a friend, as collegial as the men’s locker room of an upscale country club. Still, while I never had the chance to work with him, he is my standard for the role of national security adviser.

    Waltz served too briefly to evaluate his record. It’s ironic that what seems to have done him in was the Signalgate scandal, in which Waltz added a journalist to a Signal group chat in which government officials discussed details about a planned U.S. military strike in Yemen.

    That was an example of Waltz’s coordinating role, bringing most of the relevant policy officials together to discuss an important issue. The purpose was right, but the means was extremely unwise.

    Henry Kissinger shakes hands with Chinese Premier Chou En-lai in Peking, China, in July 1971.
    AP Photo/White House

    Learning from the past

    Historically, the worst crisis of the National Security Council system ensued when it sought to conduct operations, not just organize them. That was the case in the Iran-Contra affair of the Reagan administration.

    Robert McFarlane took over as national security adviser in October 1983. A former Marine officer and deputy national security adviser, he was conscientious to a fault: In one meeting while he was consulting during the transition from President George H. W. Bush to President Bill Clinton, we asked him about work hours. He replied: “They’re not bad. I’m out of here by eight most nights, earlier on Sunday.”

    He was done in by Iran-Contra, a clandestine effort run by the National Security Council to trade arms to Iran − then under a U.S. arms embargo − in hopes of freeing American hostages, with proceeds diverted to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, despite a congressional ban on funding them. He pleaded guilty in 1988 to withholding information from Congress.

    It’s a telling lesson for Rubio and other Waltz successors as the national security adviser of the dangers of moving from honest broker and quiet advocate to operator − especially if the operation is contrary to public U.S. policy and perhaps against the law.

    This story is part of a series of profiles of Cabinet and high-level administration positions.

    Gregory F. Treverton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. National security advisers manage decision-making as advocates or honest brokers – https://theconversation.com/national-security-advisers-manage-decision-making-as-advocates-or-honest-brokers-255760

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Datadog Acquires Eppo to Expand Its AI, Product Analytics, Experimentation and Feature Flag Capabilities

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ: DDOG), the monitoring and security platform for cloud applications, today announced it has acquired Eppo, a feature flagging and experimentation platform, which will tightly integrate with Datadog’s existing Product Analytics suite.

    Today, application developers need to stitch together analytics from various tools across engineering, product and business teams to understand the impact of their new features and improvements. Changes are often rolled out without understanding their impact to KPIs, making it difficult to tie these changes back to business outcomes.

    With its acquisition of Eppo, Datadog creates a full end-to-end product analytics solution on one platform. This unified approach means that engineers can track code changes with feature flags, data science leaders together with product managers can design and measure impact with experiments, and business analysts can use Datadog’s Product Analytics suite to understand overall product usage and business outcomes.

    As AI workloads grow, Eppo’s experimentation capabilities help developers safely scale complex systems. These capabilities can measure the impact to the overall user experience in real time and accelerate the safe roll-out of changes, ultimately creating a more agile and trustworthy development workflow.

    “The use of multiple AI models increases the complexity of deploying applications in production. This complexity makes it difficult for developers to quantify the business impact of different models, agent behaviors, prompts or UI changes,” said Michael Whetten, VP of Product at Datadog. “Experimentation solves this correlation and measurement problem, enabling teams to compare multiple models side-by-side, determine user engagement against cost tradeoffs and ultimately build AI products that deliver measurable value.”

    “Eppo wants to bring a high velocity, experiment-first culture to companies of every size, stage and industry,” said Chetan Sharma, founder and CEO of Eppo. “With Datadog, we are uniting product analytics, feature management, AI and experimentation capabilities for businesses to reduce risk, learn quickly and ship high-quality products.”

    Eppo will continue supporting existing customers and bringing on new customers as part of Eppo by Datadog.

    About Datadog

    Datadog is the observability and security platform for cloud applications. Our SaaS platform integrates and automates infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring, log management, user experience monitoring, cloud security and many other capabilities to provide unified, real-time observability and security for our customers’ entire technology stack. Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes and across a wide range of industries to enable digital transformation and cloud migration, drive collaboration among development, operations, security and business teams, accelerate time to market for applications, reduce time to problem resolution, secure applications and infrastructure, understand user behavior and track key business metrics.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may include certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended including statements on the benefits of new products and features. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and are subject to a variety of assumptions, uncertainties, risks and factors that are beyond our control, including those risks detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 20, 2025, as well as future filings and reports by us. Except as required by law, we undertake no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise.

    Contact
    Dan Haggerty
    press@datadoghq.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Cairns Fortuin, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

    Windy days can mean more pollen and more sneezing. mladenbalinovac/E+ via Getty Images

    Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.

    One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.

    In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your car has turned yellow and pollen blankets your patio furniture and anything else left outside. Suddenly there are long lines at every car wash in town.

    On heavy pollen days, cars can end up covered in yellow grains.
    Scott Akerman/Flickr, CC BY

    Even people who aren’t allergic to pollen – clearly an advantage for a pollination ecologist like me – can experience sneezing and watery eyes during the release of tree pollen each spring. Enough particulate matter in the air will irritate just about anyone, even if your immune system does not launch an all-out attack.

    So, why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

    2 ways trees spread their pollen

    Trees don’t have an easy time in the reproductive game. As a tree, you have two options to disperse your pollen.

    Option 1: Employ an agent, such as a butterfly or bee, that can carry your pollen to another plant of the same species.

    The downside of this option is that you must invest in a showy flower display and a sweet scent to advertise yourself, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for its services.

    A bee enjoys pollen from a cherry blossom. Pollen is a primary source of protein for bees.
    Ivan Radic/Flickr, CC BY

    Option 2, the budget option, is much less precise: Get a free ride on the wind.

    Wind was the original pollinator, evolving long before animal-mediated pollination. Wind doesn’t require a showy flower nor a nectar reward. What it does require for pollination to succeed is ample amounts of lightweight, small-diameter pollen.

    Why wind-blown pollen makes allergies worse

    Wind is not an efficient pollinator, however. The probability of one pollen grain landing in the right location – the stigma or ovule of another plant of the same species – is infinitesimally small.

    Therefore, wind-pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency by producing copious amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be carried.

    For allergy sufferers, that can mean air filled with microscopic pollen grains that can get into your eyes, throat and lungs, sneak in through window screens and convince your immune system that you’ve inhaled a dangerous intruder.

    When wind blows the tiny pollen grains of live oaks, allergy sufferers feel it.
    Charles Willgren/Flickr, CC BY

    Plants relying on animal-mediated pollination, by contrast, can produce heavier and stickier pollen to adhere to the body of an insect. So don’t blame the bees for your allergies – it’s really the wind.

    Climate change has a role here, too

    Plants initiate pollen release based on a few factors, including temperature and light cues. Many of our temperate tree species respond to cues that signal the beginning of spring, including warmer temperatures.

    Studies have found that pollen seasons have intensified in the past three decades as the climate has warmed. One study that examined 60 location across North America found pollen seasons expanded by an average of 20 days from 1990 to 2018 and pollen concentrations increased by 21%.

    That’s not all. Increasing carbon dioxide levels may also be driving increases in the quantity of tree pollen produced.

    Why the Southeast gets socked

    What could make this pollen boost even worse?

    For the Southeastern U.S. in particular, strong windstorms are becoming more common and more intense − and not just hurricanes.

    Anyone who has lived in the Southeast for the past couple of decades has likely noticed this. The region has more tornado warnings, more severe thunderstorms, more power outages. This is especially true in the mid-South, from Mississippi to Alabama.

    Severity of wind and storm events mapped from NOAA data, 2012-2019, shows high activity over Mississippi and Alabama. Red areas have the most severe events.
    Christine Cairns Fortuin

    Since wind is the vector of airborne pollen, windier conditions can also make allergies worse. Pollen remains airborne for longer on windy days, and it travels farther.

    To make matters worse, increasing storm activity may be doing more than just transporting pollen. Storms can also break apart pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate deeper into the lungs.

    Many allergy sufferers may notice worsening allergies during storms.

    The peak of spring wind and storm season tends to correspond to the timing of the release of tree pollen that blankets our world in yellow. The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and more pollen released, and corresponding shifts in windy days and storm severity are helping to create the perfect pollen storm.

    Christine Cairns Fortuin receives funding from U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

    – ref. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm – https://theconversation.com/worsening-allergies-arent-your-imagination-windy-days-create-the-perfect-pollen-storm-254645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin visited the Atsamaz Makoyev Children’s Music School and the Children’s Art Center in Beslan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A new children’s music school for 270 students opened in Beslan in April 2024. The school was built according to the general plan for the integrated development of Beslan.

    The three-story building includes a concert hall for 160 people and 24 classrooms for individual lessons. The school has four departments: folk instruments (bayan, accordion, Ossetian harmonica), piano, string instruments, choir department. The school is equipped with modern equipment and new musical instruments: 28 pianos, 2 grand pianos, 3 accordions and 8 national harmonicas. The building is fully adapted for people with limited mobility.

    The children’s music school is named after the honored artist of Russia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia – Alania, People’s Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania, member of the Union of Composers of the USSR, artistic director and chief conductor of the North Ossetian State Philharmonic, Atsamaz Makoev. Thanks to him, the first composer’s class in the republic was opened in the institution.

    The House of Pioneers opened in Beslan in May 1961. In the 1990s, it was renamed the House of Children’s Creativity.

    Today it is a municipal budgetary institution of additional education “Center for Additional Education of Children” (CDED) of the Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania. Of the 36 teachers of the center, 9 have the highest qualification category, 5 have been awarded the title of “Honorary Worker of Education of the Russian Federation”, 3 teachers have been awarded honorary certificates of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania and one is a People’s Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania.

    In the 2024/2025 academic year, the center will implement 4 additional general educational development programs: art (1,072 people), natural sciences (75 people), social and humanitarian (180 people), and physical education and sports (220 people).

    Due to the reconstruction of the building, the CDOD is temporarily located on the basis of district educational institutions and the district Palace of Culture. All creative associations are equipped with the necessary equipment, some of which is already outdated. By the end of the construction of the new building with a total area of 1507.15 sq. m., new modern equipment was purchased, which will soon be transferred to the center along with the building.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Announces $202 Million Settlement with Gilead Sciences for Using Speaker Programs to Pay Kickbacks to Doctors to Induce Them to Prescribe Gilead’s Drugs

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    Gilead Admits to Paying Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to High Prescribers of Gilead’s HIV Drugs to Serve as Speakers at Programs and to Holding Programs at Luxury Restaurants

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Naomi Gruchacz, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”); Christopher M. Silvestro, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”), the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (“DOD-OIG”); and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that the U.S. has settled a civil fraud lawsuit against GILEAD SCIENCES, INC (“GILEAD”), a large pharmaceutical manufacturer, that, among other things, develops, manufactures, and sells drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The settlement resolves claims that GILEAD offered and paid kickbacks in the form of honoraria payments, meals, and travel expenses to healthcare practitioners who spoke at or attended Gilead speaker events to induce them to prescribe Stribild®, Genvoya®, Complera®, Odefsey®, Descovy®, and Biktarvy® (the “Gilead HIV Drugs”) in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) and thereby caused false claims for the Gilead HIV Drugs to be submitted to and paid by federal healthcare programs in violation of the False Claims Act.

    Under the settlement, which was approved yesterday by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, GILEAD agreed to pay a total sum of $202 million, of which $176,927,889.28 will be paid to the U.S. and the remainder will be paid to various states.  As part of the settlement, GILEAD also made extensive factual admissions regarding its conduct.

    U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “For years, Gilead unlawfully sought to increase sales of its HIV drugs, by using its speaker programs to funnel kickbacks to doctors.  As alleged, Gilead spent tens of millions of dollars on these programs, including over $20 million in speaking fees and millions more in exorbitant meals, alcohol and travel, all in an effort to induce doctors to prescribe Gilead’s HIV drugs and drive up sales.  With this settlement, Gilead has taken responsibility for its conduct and agreed to pay a significant financial penalty.  The message is clear, companies that illegally drain taxpayer dollars from federal healthcare programs will be held accountable.”

    HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz said: “This impactful settlement is the result of collaborative work by law enforcement partners, revealing Gilead’s unlawful practice of providing kickbacks to physicians under the guise of its HIV educational speaker programs.  Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, which in this case involved expensive HIV medications, can inappropriately influence physicians’ decision-making and divert the monies of taxpayer-funded federal healthcare programs.”

    DCIS Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Silvestro: “This settlement is the result of the partnership among law enforcement and the Department of Justice to aggressively investigate and hold accountable companies and their employees who value greed over healthcare.  Protecting TRICARE, the healthcare system for Service members and their families, and investigating kickback schemes are priorities for DCIS.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “This settlement ensures Gilead is held accountable for their illicit use of perks and kickbacks to entice doctors to prescribe the company’s medicine.  These types of schemes are not victimless – illegal kickbacks directly affect taxpayer funded healthcare programs.  The FBI will continue to investigate and stop healthcare companies attempting to benefit from deceitful and illegal practices.”

    As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:

    The Gilead HIV Drugs are antiretroviral drugs (i.e., drugs that act against retroviruses such as HIV) used for the treatment of HIV.  These drugs are very expensive—Medicare typically paid well in excess of a thousand dollars for a one-month supply of Complera®, and significantly more for many of the other Gilead HIV Drugs.

    As part of its marketing efforts and to increase sales, Gilead conducted events known as “HIV Speaker Programs” at which a healthcare provider involved in the treatment of HIV was engaged to present a slide deck (prepared by Gilead) and facilitate discussion about one of the drugs or a topic concerning HIV (an “HIV Disease State Topic”) to other healthcare providers involved in the treatment of HIV (“Attendees”).  Gilead’s HIV Speaker Programs were often held in the evening at restaurants (“HIV Dinner Programs”).

    From January 2011 to November 2017 (the “Relevant Time Period”), Gilead conducted HIV Speaker Programs in order to promote and increase the sales of the Gilead HIV Drugs.  The HIV Speaker Programs were supposed to be educational in nature and the cost of any meals provided was supposed to be modest.  But in practice, during the Relevant Time Period, Gilead’s HIV Speaker Programs provided kickbacks to healthcare providers by: holding HIV Dinner Programs at high-end restaurants that were wholly inappropriate for educational events; allowing Attendees to attend HIV Dinner Programs on the exact same topic again and again and, thereby, obtain free lavish meals for events that held minimal educational value for them; and paying for HIV Speakers to travel to speak at desirable destinations—at times at the HIV Speaker’s request.  Further, Gilead’s compliance program failed to prevent these improper practices, even though Gilead knew that it had to comply with the AKS and the company’s own data should have put Gilead on notice of many of these abuses. 

    Many healthcare providers who received these improper kickbacks then prescribed the Gilead HIV Drugs.  As a result, federal healthcare programs paid millions of dollars in reimbursements for tainted prescriptions.

    As part of the settlement, GILEAD admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the U.S., including the following:

    • Gilead paid many high-volume prescribers of HIV drugs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in honoraria to prepare and present as HIV Speakers.  For instance, one HIV Speaker, who received over $300,000 in total honorarium payments, wrote prescriptions for Gilead HIV Drugs that resulted in over $6 million in Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE payments.
    • On many occasions, Gilead covered the travel costs of HIV Speakers who traveled long distances to speak at HIV Speaker Programs at desirable travel destinations, such as Hawaii, Miami, and New Orleans.  This was sometimes in response to an HIV Speaker’s request to be booked for an HIV Speaker Program in that city.
    • Sales representatives in Gilead’s HIV therapeutic area (“Sales Representatives”) organized HIV Speaker Programs at high-end restaurants across the country.  For instance, a significant percentage of the HIV Speaker Programs held in New York City were held at expensive restaurants, such as the James Beard House, Del Posto, Asiate, Palma, Vaucluse, Ilili, and Limani.  In particular, Gilead held 157 HIV Speaker Programs at the James Beard House, making it one of Gilead’s most used venues for HIV Speaker Programs.  A dinner at the James Beard House typically included approximately six courses with alcoholic beverage pairings.
    • Sales Representatives repeatedly invited numerous doctors and other healthcare providers to attend the same HIV program over and over.  Many repeatedly attended HIV Speaker Programs covering the exact same topic, often within a short period of time.
    • Over 250 prescribers of the Gilead HIV Drugs attended HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic three times or more within a six-month period.  And over 80 of them attended five or more HIV Dinner Programs on the same topic within a six-month period.
    • Further, many healthcare providers who were paid to be HIV Speakers on a particular topic also attended HIV Dinner Programs on exactly the same topic, often within less than six months after speaking.
    • In certain instances, the same group of doctors repeatedly attended the same HIV Speaker Programs together at various restaurants.  In many instances, they attended a HIV Dinner Program less than two weeks after speaking on the same topic.
    • During the Relevant Time Period, Gilead’s policies and procedures failed to prevent Sales Representatives and Regional Directors in its HIV therapeutic area from improperly providing honoraria payments, meals, and travel expenses to healthcare providers who spoke at or attended HIV Speaker Programs to induce them to prescribe the Gilead HIV Drugs. 

    In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.

    *                *                *

    Mr. Clayton thanked the New York Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their extensive collaboration in the investigation and resolution of this case, and also praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, HHS-OIG and DCIS.

    The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob M. Bergman, Allison M. Rovner, Rebecca S. Tinio, and Lucas Issacharoff are in charge of the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Testimonials] Positive Impact of Samsung Innovation Campus on WSU Students

    Source: Samsung

    In today’s digital age, traditional qualifications alone are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of the local economy – practical skills, problem-solving abilities and technological fluency are now also essential to develop work-ready job seekers and entrepreneurs with in-demand skills needed by the local economy.
     
    In response to this need, Samsung has – over the years through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives such as the global Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) – collaborated with esteemed academic institutions such as the Walter Sisulu University (WSU). This strategic partnership was formed in an effort to bridge the gap between traditional education and the demand for skills training tailored specifically for the current job market that requires modern tech expertise.
     
    Importantly, Samsung recognises how essential SIC is in driving economic growth and technological advancement in South Africa and the continent as a whole. This partnership with WSU therefore, aims to provide ICT education to students from underserved communities in the Eastern Cape. This global SIC programme is designed to provide practical, cutting-edge training in digital skills and has since inception, also trained participants on a range of soft skills to foster talented youth who will go on to shape the future society. This SIC programme is a forward-thinking initiative that seeks to continue addressing the evolving demands of the modern workforce.
     
    These are some of the reasons why Samsung has remained dedicated to making a long-term social impact by investing in education, youth skills training and technological innovation. Over the years, the company has invested in youth development and workforce skills training by equipping students with in-demand digital skills needed by the local economy.
    Along with core competencies such as artificial intelligence (AI) as well as Coding and Programming (C&P) training in Python – SIC has been providing progressive knowledge to students ensuring that they are both academically qualified and industry work-ready.
     
    These high-demand skills are positioning the country’s youth for careers in technology-driven sectors and entrepreneurship. The institution is making these incredible strides because it has long recognised that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is reshaping education, work and daily life. WSU has now also ensured that technology is integrated into its teaching, research and student development initiatives. Importantly, the university has now made sure that digital transformation has become a strategic priority, by establishing an AI Centre that will serve as a hub for advanced digital skills training, research and innovation.
    For Samsung’s CSR initiatives, measurable impact on the country’s youth including young women has always been essential. This SIC programme has now touched the lives of about 71 young people at WSU – a combination of both males and females. With this programme, WSU students have now been prepared for careers in technology by creating both employment and entrepreneurial opportunities that will help them make a positive impact on society. For this reason, Samsung spoke to some alumni students about their experience in the programme and this, is what they had to say:
     
    A graduate and an alumni from the WSU-SIC programme who is originally from Lusikisiki, Atsho Nota has a diploma in Application Development studies which she believes has given her a strong foundation in technology and problem-solving.

    Atsho has always been passionate about technology and how it can be used to improve people’s lives. She added that this programme has made a significant difference in her personal and professional growth.
     
    “It has given me the opportunity to develop hands-on technical skills”, she explained: “I’ve now gained industry experience and it has improved my confidence in working with advanced technology. Also, the practical training has enhanced my problem-solving abilities significantly and prepared me for real-world challenges in the tech industry,” she added. Atsho’s future plans include advancing her career in the tech industry, possibly specialising in software development. She hopes to use her skills to contribute to innovative solutions and maybe even start her own business in the future. Atsho also wants to continue learning and growing in the field of technology to stay updated with industry advancements.
     
    Another impressive alumni student from the SIC programme is Lazola Leonardo Mbangata, who is currently running his own start-up company called Xero Technologies, while also pursuing a postgraduate degree – majoring in Software development. Born and raised in Butterworth, this young man has various certifications in data science and cyber security. For Lazola, this SIC programme has played a crucial role in his career and advancement in IT.
     

     
    He believes that studying Python and AI has advanced his development skills and enhanced his projects for automation and usability – thus bringing him one step closer to his future goal of AI security. “I decided to sign up for the programme because of my interest in AI and Python because I believed that this would grow my mind and understanding in the field, he said. “Also, working with a big company like Samsung was potentially an opportunity for crucial doors to be opened for me.”
     
    What Lazola found most interesting during the SIC lessons is the diversity in IT and the opportunity to not only build software but also to deal with software management and publishing. These skills that Lazola acquired have ensured that his business is on track for success. What is still a bit of a challenge is finding local clients, however he’s still quite determined and very optimistic.
     
    For Samsung, this partnership with WSU exemplifies the kind of university-industry collaboration that has ensured that together, they can continue training the leaders of tomorrow to use AI tools and other innovative technology platforms to effectively maximise the benefits of these new and exciting emerging technologies in their future careers.
    These testimonies are proof that this SIC initiative not only enhances individual career prospects, but also contributes significantly to building a group of resilient and future-ready workforce as well as technology entrepreneurs. Samsung’s efforts underscore its broader commitment to technological innovation and sustainable community development in the country.
     
    Sinethemba Mpambane, DVC: Institutional Support and Development at WSU said: “In a country that is facing significant youth unemployment, this SIC curriculum is a game-changer as it offers students direct access to opportunities in AI, software development and digital solutions, while also fostering innovation and problem-solving. As WSU, we are now looking forward to strengthening our collaboration with Samsung, expanding these programmes and continuing to empower students with future-ready skills.”
     

     
    Mpambane added that all these WSU-driven initiatives will complement this SIC programme by providing a platform for students and industry partners to engage in cutting-edge AI-driven projects. For WSU – the impact of this SIC programme is clear. Graduates are leaving with more than just certificates; they possess tangible, in-demand skills that enhance their employability and entrepreneurial potential.
     
    And furthermore, WSU in partnership with Samsung is committed to shaping the next generation of African technology leaders. This institution is seeking to become an impactful, technology-infused African university that remains relevant in today’s digital world, while preparing its students for the future. The SIC programme is but one of the ways of ensuring that WSU achieves its vision for the future.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How was the Earth built?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander E. Gates, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University – Newark

    The Earth formed in a ring of debris around the Sun, like the one around Vega, a bright star, in this artist’s conception. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    How was the Earth built? – Noah, age 5, Florida

    It isn’t easy to figure out how the Earth was built, because it happened 4½ billion years ago, and no one was there to watch. So scientists have had to look at what the Earth looks like now and at all of the other planets, moons and debris in the solar system.

    They’ve concluded that the Earth was built in the same way that you would build a big snowball to make a snowman. The mass that would become our home rolled through planetary debris – rocks floating in space – for more than 100 million years, adding more and more material, until it grew into a full-size planet.

    How do scientists like me know this is what happened? First, studies of the size, composition and location of asteroids and comets, many of which are as old as the Earth, indicate that 4½ billion years ago the solar system looked the way Saturn looks today, with rings of space rocks orbiting around the Sun. There’s still one such ring around the Sun – it’s called the asteroid belt and lies between Mars and Jupiter, with the Sun’s gravity holding the rocks in orbit.

    The solar system that includes Earth formed from a spinning disk of dust and gases.

    All of the other bodies that we know as planets today began as similar rings of space debris. An eddy, or area of rolling, developed in each of these rings and caused the debris to clump up in a snowball effect. But these pieces of debris were asteroids that smashed violently into the growing planets.

    We can see those impacts on planets and moons whose surfaces haven’t weathered or reformed. If you look at the Moon or the planet Mercury, you can see that they are covered with craters from asteroid impacts.

    When asteroids or comets struck these building planets, they crashed into their surfaces at speeds as high as 40,000 to 50,000 miles per hour (65,000 to 80,000 kilometers per hour). The impacts caused huge explosions that emitted massive amounts of dust and broken or melted rock.

    In fact, scientists believe that the Moon was once part of the Earth, until a large asteroid crashed into the Earth so hard that the Moon broke away and shot into space. There, it began orbiting the Earth as it does now.

    Still under construction

    Most big asteroids and comets collided with the Earth when it was young, about 4½ billion years ago. The number of such collisions has steadily decreased ever since. However, at least 100 tons of dust-size space rock rains down on the Earth every day, increasing the size of our planet bit by bit.

    The Earth also collides with space rocks, called meteors, that show up as shooting stars in the night sky. Some of these meteors come from an impact that struck Mars at some point, breaking away rock from the planet surface and shooting it into outer space. These rocks have been falling to Earth ever since.

    What’s the difference between an asteroid and a comet? Asteroids are large space rocks, while comets are large, dirty ice balls. Meteors are smaller − typically the size of pebbles or even dust.

    About 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid struck the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico. The enormous Chicxulub explosion drove large tsunamis throughout the ocean and raised so much dust into the air that it made the dinosaurs go extinct.

    Another large asteroid impact, about 35 million years ago, made a huge crater in the area that is now the Chesapeake Bay, near Washington, D.C. More recently, in 1908, an asteroid likely exploded over Tunguska, Russia, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers) of trees. Fortunately, no one lived in the area, so there were no known casualties.

    Barringer Crater in Arizona was caused by a meteor strike about 50,000 years ago. It measures about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) across.
    D. Roddy, USGS/Wikipedia

    Once a mass of space debris was assembled into the Earth, many processes continued to shape the planet’s surface. Wind, water, heat and cold cause rocks to weather and break down and soil to erode. Mountains are created as pieces of Earth’s crust collide and crack. Rivers and glaciers wear down the planet’s surface to make it smoother.

    The Earth is a dynamic planet that is constantly being built, and these processes will continue for billions of years into the future.

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Alexander E. Gates does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How was the Earth built? – https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-earth-built-254257

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New study informs fire prevention strategies to save lives and property

    Source: US Government research organizations

    U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research shows that fires in populated areas are three times more likely to lead to premature deaths than wildfires overall, informing fire mitigation efforts.

    Scientists at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) led the study, published in Science Advances, which found that smoke from fires that blaze through the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has far greater health impacts than smoke from wildfires in remote areas.

    “This research will support the development of advanced fire prevention strategies, improve building codes and lead to effective emergency response plans,” said Bernard Grant, a program director in the NSF Directorate for Geosciences. “It will help protect lives and homes, safeguard natural ecosystems and reduce the economic burden of wildfire disasters,”

    The researchers used an advanced NSF NCAR-based computer model, the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols, to simulate pollutants from fires. Their modeling included carbon monoxide chemical tracers, which allowed them to estimate emission sources and differentiate between wildland and WUI fires.

    “The health impacts are proportionately large because they’re close to human populations,” said NSF NCAR scientist Wenfu Tang, the report’s lead author. “Pollutants emitted by WUI fires, such as particulate matter and the precursors to ozone, are more harmful because they’re not dispersing across hundreds or thousands of miles.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congratulations Class of 2025

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Special Feature

    Commencement is more than a ceremony—it’s a defining moment.

    Read Our Stories

    When the members of the Class of 2025 first arrived at UConn in the fall of 2021, they were beginning their college careers at a time when the country and the world were still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, with nothing but uncertainty in the near-term forecast.

    Very quickly, it became clear that at least one thing was certain: the students of this class were determined to make their mark at UConn. Entering as the most diverse class in the history of the University, they soon established themselves as scholars, entrepreneurs, activists, and mentors.

    They experienced many milestones during their four years at UConn: a new University President; the opening of Science 1, Connecticut Hall, and the Toscano Family Ice Forum; the largest philanthropic gift in the University’s history; consecutive records for fundraising at HuskyTHON; and, in case you hadn’t heard, back-to-back national championships for the men’s basketball team and a 12th national championship for the women’s basketball team.

    This is a group of Huskies who refused to let adversity or uncertainty define their time at UConn, an attitude they’ll bring to whatever they pursue next – business, public service, art, professional sports, graduate education, families, military service, and more.

    So congratulations, Class of 2025 – from Avery Point; from Farmington; from Hartford; from Stamford; from Storrs; from Waterbury; and from all over Connecticut, the nation, and the world. When you look back, it won’t be on what you missed four years ago, but on everything you’ve gained in the four years since. Yesterday, today, tomorrow: Huskies Forever.

    Inspiring. Impactful. Unforgettable. For UConn’s Class of 2025, the last four years have been nothing short of exceptional. As this impressive class of soon-to-be brand-new Husky alumni prepares to take its next steps into the world, we look back and celebrate some of the moments that have made their time at UConn truly historic.

    [embedded content]

    I felt like I was a lot closer to the friends I made in college than in high school. I felt like I sort of like came into my own.
    – Lilian Vito ’25 (CAHNR, CLAS)

    Go to a basketball game! The energy is a lot different than anywhere else on campus, and you don’t get that sort of experience on any other college campus really. I met Paige Bueckers, I think it was the first week of class, on campus, and I wasn’t entirely familiar with UConn basketball at that point. I just didn’t watch sports really. But I met her, found out she was a really good player and then just from that point on, I’ve been keeping up with both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams.
    – Justin Coe ’25 (ENG)

    Don’t be afraid to try new things. UConn has so many opportunities, so many doors that can be opened for you. Don’t just try to stick in your lane. Try something new every week – every week, try a new club. Every week, meet someone new.
    – Jadon Gomez-Stafford ’25 (ENG)

    There are two different things that college life prepares you for. One’s obviously the professional life. But I think what college helps with more deeply is that interpersonal connection and also finding a sense of community, finding great friends, finding great people for you to interact with. And not all of them stick with you for the rest of your life, but the ones that do can really make your life a lot easier as go forward.
    – Harsh Shah ’25 (BUS, CLAS)

    Don’t be afraid to try things out and see what sticks. There’s a lot to this school.
    – Milo Barron ’25 (ENG)

    As the Class of 2025 embark on the next chapter of their lives, they share their thanks for the incredible memories, lifelong friends, professors, and staff that have inspired and helped them grow into the individuals they are today.

    [embedded content]

    Try as many things as possible. There are many opportunities at UConn, some that you have to look very hard to find and some that are just out there. In my experience just trying different opportunities that UConn provides helped me with my soft skills, like communication and dealing with uncertainties. They also provided me with a good opportunity to meet people, to network. And I think that’s a huge part of college.
    – Ammar Alsadadi ’25 (BUS, CLAS)

    Get involved in stuff early. I found out about a lot of the resources and programs that we have later on, that I wish I knew about earlier. So, try to get as much as you can out of the school while you’re here.
    – Sahana Chinthak ’25 (CLAS)

    I came from a really small town; my graduating class was 96 students. So, coming to a big campus and collaborating with other students and professors that’s been very eye opening, and it’s expanded my knowledge to a point where I can communicate better with people and I’m able to work better with people. I feel like I’ll carry those values and all the stuff I’ve learned into the real world.
    – Braden Gutierrez ’25 (CAHNR)

    I got to take a whole bunch of different classes because I’m in general studies. So, I got to take big classes, small classes, different types of majors. Creative writing is definitely my favorite.
    – Natalie Levy ’25 (BGS)

    My number one piece of advice to anyone is join a club. You need to be involved in the campus because there are so many opportunities where you can meet your next best friend or maybe your next partner. If you get involved in a club, something that you’re interested in, you’re going to meet these people that are also interested in this thing. You can really build your network that way.
    – Minh Vu ’25 (BUS)

    Congratulations and welcome to our newest UConn alumni!

    [embedded content]

    When you’re walking around campus you don’t recognize anyone, but then in your class – junior year, senior year – it’s like 10 to 15 kids, maybe 20 in your classes. So, it gets pretty small, and you get to know everyone there.
    – Matthew Henrickson ’25 (BUS, CLAS)

    I’m originally from India but I live in-state, so a lot of the people from my high school came to UConn and actually I was a little hesitant. I really wanted to go into business, and I didn’t really know what to do, but UConn provided me with a lot of real-world experiential learning opportunities where I could actually be in the real world and learn by doing rather than being in the classroom. I never expected to be able to do that as a student, gain all that experience.
    – Atharva Bhatnagar ’25 (CLAS)

    One thing I was looking for in a university – I wanted it to have a lot of school spirit. I didn’t realize what I was getting into coming here! It’s been really fun to be a part of this community.
    – Isabel Angelo ’25 (ENG)

    What will always make me think about UConn is my friends and the people that I’ve met here. Also, my parents both went here, so whenever I’m with them, it just kind of reminds me of my time here.
    – Paige Dolyak ’25 (CLAS)

    A lot of people move off campus too early, but being on campus and being constantly surrounded by thousands of people your age is the best thing that you could do. You can have such a fun, unique experience. I love it. I’m sad that I’m leaving.
    – Alexia Landry ’25 (CLAS)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Study Shows Large Improvements in Long COVID Symptoms and Return to Work

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have identified what is believed to be the first intervention found in a randomized controlled trial to show large and very large improvements in multiple symptoms associated with Long COVID, and to result in people debilitated by those symptoms returning to work. The study deployed progressively challenging computerized brain exercises alongside a progressively challenging coaching approach. The brain exercise used in the study is commercially-available only in the brain exercise app, BrainHQ made by Posit Science.

    While estimates of those still coping with Long COVID vary, some 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with Long Covid, and an estimated 9-10 million still report symptoms, with nearly 14% reporting an inability to return to work even 90 days after infection.

    The UAB study showed that the intervention resulted in statistically significant and very large benefits on its primary measures of performance and satisfaction with daily activities.

    It also showed significant benefits in many secondary measures, including large to very large benefits on depressive, fatigue, and brain fog symptoms, as well as a significant benefit in brain processing speed, and a trend toward large benefits on anxiety symptoms. No significant change was noted in a measure of global cognition.

    Perhaps, most strikingly, the researchers reported that eighty percent of the non-retired participants in the intervention group returned to work, and none in the control group.

    This was a modest-sized study designed primarily to assess feasibility and to help scope follow-on studies. The researchers enrolled 16 community residents, who were three or more months past COVID infection, with mild cognitive impairment and with dysfunction in the performance of instrumental activities of daily living. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or to a wait-list control.

    The intervention is based on the science of neuroplasticity, which has established that intensive, repetitive, and progressively challenging activities can drive beneficial changes to the brain. The approach is based on the seminal work of Dr. Michael Merzenich, who upended the field of brain science four decades ago, by showing that brains remain plastic — capable of chemical, physical and functional change — at any age.

    After discovering lifelong plasticity, Dr. Merzenich first harnessed plasticity in his co-invention of the cochlear implant to restore hearing to hundreds of thousands of people. For the past three decades, he has focused on creating computerized brain exercises to improve brain health and function. He is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the company that makes the BrainHQ exercises.

    The intervention in this study reflects further work in plasticity of two distinguished UAB faculty members. Dr. Karlene Ball pioneered plasticity-based exercises to address age-related cognitive decline. Her UAB colleague, Dr. Edward Taub, developed plasticity-based, constraint-induced movement therapy to address movement disorders. His supportive and progressively challenging coaching inspired the coaching used in this study.

    Prior studies of BrainHQ exercises in older adults, and in patients with various health conditions, (cancer, heart failure, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, mild cognitive impairment) suggested the kind of improvements seen in this study (in cognition, daily activities, depressive symptoms, stress, fatigue, and employment status). However, the magnitude of the improvements in this study were quite large as compared to some prior studies.

    “That may be because this study population had substantial deficits with room for substantial improvement, or it may be there is extra benefit from combining the exercises with this type of coaching,” commented Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “Either way, it suggests that brain training is a promising approach to helping people with Long COVID.”

    “It’s been a long road to address Long COVID,” observed Dr. Mahncke. “We hope this will be a turning point in identifying tools to address a condition that is often quite debilitating.”

    BrainHQ exercises have shown benefits in more than 300 studies. Such benefits include gains in cognition (attention, speed, memory, decision-making), in quality of life (depressive symptoms, confidence and control, health-related quality of life) and in real-world activities (health outcomes, balance, driving, workplace activities). BrainHQ is offered by leading health and Medicare Advantage plans, by leading medical centers, clinics, and communities, and by sports, military, and other organizations focused on peak performance. Consumers can try a BrainHQ exercise for free daily at https://www.brainhq.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Scientists and Researchers: “Choose Europe”

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    The European Union considers freedom of science and research as fundamental. We want scientists and researchers from all over the world to make Europe their home and contribute to making Europe the home of excellence and innovation. This is a crucial moment to attract top talents and boost the entrepreneurs’ spirit.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxvsxVdHOi0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Three CAR-T therapies to capture over 70% of T-Cell immunotherapy market in 2025, forecasts GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Three CAR-T therapies to capture over 70% of T-Cell immunotherapy market in 2025, forecasts GlobalData

    Posted in Pharma

    T-cell immunotherapies (TCI) are redefining cancer care, with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies witnessing significant momentum. In 2025, just three drugs- Carvykti by Legend Biotech, Yescarta by Gilead Sciences, and Breyanzi by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)– are expected to capture over 70% of the global T-cell immunotherapy market, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s latest report  “T-Cell Immunotherapy Landscape: Comprehensive Analysis of Current Drugs and Dynamics,”  reveals that the TCI space is entering a new growth phase, driven by clinical success and investor confidence. Sales are forecast to double between 2024 and 2027, as CAR-T therapies continue expanding beyond blood cancers into solid tumors.

    Eleni Tokali, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Cavykti, Yescarta, and Breyanzi are not only setting the standard for CAR-T therapies- but they are also poised to capture a massive share of the TCI market in 2025 alone, which highlights their impact and commercial momentum.”

    Currently, CAR-T therapies account for 73% of all T-cell therapies in the pipeline- five times more than TCR-based therapies. Of the 16 approved TCI drugs to date, 13 are CAR-Ts, primarily targeting hematological malignancies. Despite this, TCR-based therapies and other T-cell approaches are gaining traction, and their expanded potential in solid tumors is becoming a major focus in research.

    Tokali adds: “CAR-T therapies are at the forefront of T-cell immunotherapy, but the entire space, including TCR-based therapies, is advancing rapidly.”

    GlobalData projects 44 new TCI drug approvals by 2029, with 18 expected in 2027 alone.

    Tokali concludes: “The TCI market has seen an incredible surge in deal activity, with a 1,600% increase in deal volume from 2010 to 2024. In 2023 alone, 226 deals were recorded, with equity offerings making up 44% of all financing activity, signalling growing investor confidence in the field.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: NNIT A/S: NNIT adjusts 2025 outlook and publishes Q1 figures

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The first quarter financial performance was expected to be moderate, but the increased macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty has impacted NNIT to a larger extent than expected. Based on the realized results and the continued uncertainty, NNIT adjusts the 2025 financial outlook.

    Given the current uncertainty, organic revenue growth is expected to be 0% to 5% (previously 7% to 10%), which is due to postponement of projects and the sales pipeline materializing at a slower pace than planned as customers are hesitating to engage in new contracts, especially within Life Science. Expectations for the Group operating profit margin excluding special items are maintained at 7% to 9% as NNIT is significantly reducing its cost base by adjusting capacity and lowering general spending across regions and on corporate level. Special items are expected to be up to last year’s level of DKK 69m (previously expected to be below the 2024 level) mainly driven by further restructuring costs.

    NNIT generated Q1 2025 Group revenue of DKK 464m (Q1 2024: DKK 463m). The organic growth was negative by 0.8% (Q1 2024: 8.0%) due to Region Europe and Region US. Group operating profit excl. special items was DKK 18m (Q1 2024: 24m), equal to a margin of 3.9% (Q1 2024: 5.2%). Profit and margin were mainly impacted by Region Europe and a decrease in Region Denmark driven by overcapacity following the postponement of a large contract, which has been signed in Q2, and the loss of a large public tender. Special items for the Group amounted to DKK 25m (Q1 2024: income DKK 11.3m) primarily driven by restructuring costs.

    Financial figures, DKK million Q1 2025 Q1 2024 FY 2024
    GROUP      
    Revenue 464 463  1,851
    Group operating profit excl. special items 18 24 117
    Group operating profit margin excl. special items 3.9% 5.2% 6.3%
    Special items 25 -11 69
           
    REGION EUROPE      
    Revenue 119 126 512
    Regional operating profit 12 14 67
    Regional operating profit margin 10.0% 11.2% 13.0%
           
    REGION US      
    Revenue 87 93 346
    Regional operating profit 26 18 73
    Regional operating profit margin 30.4% 19.0% 21.2%
           
    REGION ASIA      
    Revenue 37 32 149
    Regional operating profit 3 -2 8
    Regional operating profit margin 7.6% -5.3% 5.2%
           
    REGION DENMARK      
    Revenue 221 212 844
    Regional operating profit 33 48 151
    Regional operating profit margin 15.1% 22.6% 17.9%

    Despite the adjustment of expectations for organic growth, NNIT maintains expectations for the Group operating profit margin excl. special items to reach 7% to 9%. NNIT has executed several cost reducing initiatives, which include capacity adjustments across the group, to minimize the impact on profitability.

    NNIT will publish the Q1 2025 trading statement on May 5, 2025, one day earlier than planned.

    For more information, please contact:

    Investor Relations
    Carsten Ringius            
    EVP & CFO
    Tel: +45 3077 8888
    carr@nnit.com

    Media Relations
    Thomas Stensbøl
    Press & Communications Manager
    Tel: +45 3077 8800
    tmts@nnit.com 

    ABOUT NNIT

    NNIT is a leading provider of IT solutions to life sciences internationally, and to the public and private sectors in Denmark.

    We focus on high complexity industries and thrive in environments where regulatory demands and complexity are high.

    We advise on and build sustainable digital solutions that work for the patients, citizens, employees, end users or customers.

    We strive to build unmatched excellence in the industries we serve, and we use our domain expertise to represent a business first approach – strongly supported by a selection of partner technologies, but always driven by business needs rather than technology.

    NNIT consists of group company NNIT A/S and the subsidiary SCALES. Together, these companies employ more than 1,700 people in Europe, Asia and USA.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NNIT A/S: Business performance impacted by market undercetainty expected to continue. Mitigating actions taken to protect profitability

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Q1 2025 key highlights

    • Financial performance for the first quarter was expected to be moderate, but macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty increased, which impacted NNIT. The uncertainty has influenced customer behavior, especially in the three regions focusing on IT Life Science solutions, where several projects have been postponed, most predominantly in Region Europe. Group revenue amounted to DKK 464.1m, entailing flat revenue growth compared with last year.
    • Despite improving utilization and capacity adjustments made across regions during the quarter as well as tight cost focus across business areas, the group operating profit excl. special items declined to DKK 18.0m in Q1 2025 compared with DKK 23.9m in the same quarter last year. The decline was due to the lower profit generation in Region Europe and Region Denmark, partly offset by improved profitability performance in Region US and Region Asia. Group operating profit margin excl. special items was 3.9% in Q1 2025 compared with 5.2% in the same quarter last year.
    • Region Denmark growth around 4% where selected solution areas focusing on the Public sector in Denmark, is showing growth upwards at 8%. SCALES also contributed to the growth in region Denmark solidifying its position as a leader within D365 solutions.
    • Special items amounted to DKK 25.3m in Q1 2025 covering restructuring costs of DKK 20m impacting all regions, earn-out payments of DKK 3m, and IT systems and integration costs amounting to around DKK 2m.
    • The financial outlook for 2025 was adjusted on May 5, 2025 cf. company announcement 04/2025 as the current macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape has deteriorated materially since the full-year outlook communicated in February. NNIT expects to be further affected by current uncertainty why the organic growth range was adjusted to 0% to 5% (previously 7% to 10%). Group operating profit margin excl. special items was maintained at 7% to 9% due to significant cost reducing initiatives with most already having been executed. As a result of lower revenue generation caused mainly by external factors, NNIT expects to incur additional restructuring costs as special items. Special items are expected to be at up to last year’s level of DKK 69m (previously expected to be significantly below the 2024 level).

    The first quarter was more severely affected by uncertainty than expected at the beginning of the year. Hesitance among several customers of NNIT has resulted in less revenue and sales as projects are being postponed. In general, NNIT has taken action to adjust capacity to fit the current demand with several reductions completed in 2024 and leaving NNIT in a stronger position going into 2025. However, it has been necessary to take further actions to mitigate the business impact from lower revenue generation with a reduction of around 100 employees in Q1 2025. Furthermore, NNIT has carried out several cost-reducing initiatives such as putting new employments on hold and limiting all discretionary spending to a minimum with full impact from the second quarter.

    Given the current macroeconomic environment and geopolitical unrest, NNIT continues to expect that its customers will be affected, which is reflected in the adjusted full-year financial outlook.

    Pär Fors, CEO of NNIT, comments: “The business environment of NNIT has deteriorated in the first quarter of the year as especially our Life Science customers are being negatively impacted by the macroeconomic unrest. Customers are hesitant to engage in new contracts before things are stabilizing, and we are navigating this environment to continue our strategic journey at NNIT. However, the impact from the uncertainty is more severe than initially expected, why the full-year outlook has been adjusted.”

    Financial overview – Selected key figures

    NNIT A/S, DKK million Q1 2025 Q1 2024 FY 2024
    Revenue 464.1 463.4 1,851
    Revenue growth, % 0.2% 12.2% 23.4%
    Revenue growth, organic % -0.8% 8.0% 10.8%
    Group operating profit excl. special items 18.0 23.9 117
    Group operating profit margin excl. special items, % 3.9% 5.2% 6.3%
    Special items .25.3 11.3 -69
    Group operating profit incl. special items -7.3 35.2 48
    Group operating profit margin incl. special items, % -1.6% 7.6% 2.6%
           
    Free cash flow -73 -166 -40

    Conference call

    May 6, 2025, at 3:00 PM CEST: Webcast link 

    Dial in information:
    DK: +45 78 76 84 90
    SE: +46 31-311 50 03
    UK: +44 20 3769 6819
    US: +1 646 787 0157
    Participant Access code: 472855

    For more information, please contact:

    Investor Relations
    Carsten Ringius            
    EVP & CFO
    Tel: +45 3077 8888
    carr@nnit.com

    Media Relations
    Thomas Stensbøl
    Press & Communications Manager
    Tel: +45 3077 8800
    tmts@nnit.com 

    ABOUT NNIT

    NNIT is a leading provider of IT solutions to life sciences internationally, and to the public and private sectors in Denmark.

    We focus on high complexity industries and thrive in environments where regulatory demands and complexity are high.

    We advise on and build sustainable digital solutions that work for the patients, citizens, employees, end users or customers.

    We strive to build unmatched excellence in the industries we serve, and we use our domain expertise to represent a business first approach – strongly supported by a selection of partner technologies but always driven by business needs rather than technology.

    NNIT consists of group company NNIT A/S and the subsidiary SCALES. Together, these companies employ more than 1,700 people in Europe, Asia and the USA.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: “Choose Europe for Science” Event at the Sorbonne in Paris

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    On Monday, May 5, 2025, President Emmanuel Macron has launched the “Choose Europe for Science” initiative from the amphitheatre of the Sorbonne university. The the aim of the conference is to encourage public and private researchers and entrepreneurs to choose Europe and France as their home.

    Commission President von der Leyen is among the high-ranking attendees and will give a speech.

    Like, comment, and share to support informed discussions on European affairs.

    Watch now & stay informed!

    More information can be found on the EC Press Corner
    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
    -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
    -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zimXNLPU0r4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 60 years of international education: Polytechnic celebrated the anniversary of the preparatory faculty

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University celebrated the 60th anniversary of the preparatory faculty for foreign students. This event was not just an anniversary date, but a vivid demonstration of many years of successful experience and achievements in the field of international education.

    The history of the faculty began in 1965, when the first 200 students from Cuba, Arab countries and Africa crossed the threshold of the classrooms at 21 Politekhnicheskaya Street. Under the leadership of Dean A. N. Nosov, a unique educational structure was created with three departments: Russian language, natural sciences and humanities. In 1988, the faculty found a new home – a modern building at 28 Grazhdansky Prospekt, which today remains a center of attraction for foreign students.

    The special value of the preparatory faculty is its ability to adapt to the challenges of the time, while maintaining the best traditions. Today we see how graduates of the preparatory faculty become successful specialists all over the world, and many remain in Russia, contributing to the development of our economy and science. This is the best assessment of our work, – noted the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev.

    Over six decades, the preparatory faculty has achieved impressive results in educational activities.

    When I came to Russia, I knew only a few Russian words. But thanks to the unique teaching method, after a month and a half I could understand speech and participate in dialogues, recalls 2016 graduate Hanaa Itri from Morocco. Today, she successfully works at a large Russian university, continuing the traditions of intercultural communication.

    The anniversary celebrations lasted two days. On the first day, an all-Russian scientific and methodological seminar was held, where representatives of leading Russian universities – Moscow State University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Kazan Federal University, Tomsk and Volgograd Polytechnics – discussed current issues of teaching taking into account the ethnic factor.

    On the second day, a festival of Russian language and culture was held, where students enthusiastically competed in linguistic contests, participated in master classes on folk crafts, and mastered the secrets of traditional Russian cuisine.

    The culmination of the celebration was the gala concert in the White Hall “Day of the Russian Language”, in which more than 60 students from 30 countries participated. The staff and veterans of the Higher School received gratitude from the Committee for Science and Higher School of St. Petersburg and honorary certificates from SPbPU.

    Preparatory faculty graduates shared their memories of their student years. One of them is the senior teacher of additional education at the Higher School of MOP Mukbil Mansur Hassan Muhammad from Yemen. After studying at the preparatory faculty, he graduated from the physics and metallurgy faculty and defended his PhD thesis at the Polytechnic University.

    The Polytechnic Institute has become my home. I love my job and my students. My students are my friends. I know from my own experience how difficult it is to adapt to life in another country where everything is new: the climate, the cuisine, the language, the people. Creative events help students get to know the country and get to know each other better, – shared Mukbil Mansur Hassan Muhammad.

    Foreign students performed Russian songs and dances at the concert. The numbers dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War were presented: the compositions “Katyusha”, “Wait for me”, “Yablochko” and “Siniy kerchief”.

    The event was attended by students from Turkmenistan, China, Latin America and Africa, as well as from other parts of the world. Many students of the preparatory faculty have talents: they dance, sing, recite poems. Concerts and similar events help foreign children adapt to our culture. Creativity plays an important role in this process, – said Lyubov Stepanova, senior teacher of additional education at the Higher School of MOP and the organizer of the event.

    Last year’s preparatory faculty graduates and current first-year students of the Institute of Historical and Cultural Studies Anzhi and Roz from Haiti also took part in the concert: Russia is a large, beautiful country with a rich culture and history. When we were choosing a university for study on the Internet, we really liked the Polytechnic, and were impressed by the opportunities for students. And our friends study here, and they told us a lot of good things. We like it here, the teachers are very helpful, for which we are very grateful to them.

    60 years is not just a number. It is thousands of graduates, dozens of countries, hundreds of educational programs. But the main thing is the traditions of quality and innovation that we carefully preserve and develop, – summed up the director of the Higher School of International Educational Programs Viktor Krasnoshchyokov.

    Today, the preparatory faculty of SPbPU is a modern educational center, where time-tested methods and innovative approaches are harmoniously combined. As a graduate from Indonesia, Desmarnov Tirto Pamangin, said: Here they not only give knowledge of the language, but also open the door to a new life. This is precisely the mission of the Higher School – to be a bridge between cultures and peoples.

    Photo archive

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the memorial event

    A memorial event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held at SPbGASU.

    Our university greeted the participants of the celebration with the sounds of wartime music. The veterans shared their memories.

    Zoya Ivanovna Kruglova taught French at LISI (SPbGASU) for 41 years and headed the trade union. When the war began, Zoya Ivanovna lived in Vyshny Volochok and went to first grade. “My father was at war, my brother was at war, my sister also volunteered for the front. My mother and I were left alone. As the Germans approached, we had to evacuate – first 20 kilometers to the village of Golovkino, then to another village where my father’s sister lived. There I went to second grade. It was three kilometers to school… Then we returned to Volochok.

    I remember Victory Day very well. It was a clear sunny day. I got up, my neighbor was running and saying – the war is over, victory! At school, the teacher told everyone to go to the city center, there would be a celebration there. We were very happy that the war was over. We danced, we danced.”

    Alexander Matveevich Maslennikov first entered the walls of our university 75 years ago, in 1950, as a student. He had A’s in all subjects. During his studies, he received only one B, and that was because he was ill. Then – postgraduate studies, defending a candidate’s and doctoral dissertation. Andrei Matveevich was one of the first in our country to introduce the matrix form of calculation of building structures and the finite element method into the educational process, he headed the department of structural mechanics of our university for 25 years, and was vice-rector for science.

    At the beginning of the war, Aleksandr Matveyevich was 14 years old. At 15, he went to work and worked on a ship of the Belsk River Shipping Company in Bashkiria throughout the war. Aleksandr Matveyevich jokes that his job title suited his last name very well – he was an oiler in the engine room. Aleksandr Matveyevich celebrated Victory Day in the firebox of a steamboat boiler.

    “There were three people on watch in the engine rooms. The mechanic was the main one. I was the oiler. And the third was the stoker. It was dark to go back to the city, we had to spend the night somewhere. It was cold in the steamer itself. We cleared the boiler firebox of ash, threw in rags – one of our materials that we used to clean the mechanisms so that they would work smoothly. And we spent the night right in the firebox. Suddenly the whistle blew. They were shouting – victory, victory! They announced that we had won, the war was over.”

    Marina Malyutina’s performance

    Marina Malyutina, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, spoke about our university’s contribution to the Victory. More than 950 students, postgraduates, teachers, employees and graduates of LISI went to the active army, to hospitals, medical battalions, and air defense units. Teachers and professors designed and supervised the construction of pillboxes, bunkers, and other defensive structures outside the city, camouflaged military facilities and architectural monuments. It was largely due to their efforts that not a single monument was destroyed during the 900 days of the siege. From March 1942 to August 1944, the institute’s staff was evacuated, where scientific research continued and the educational process did not stop. In 1945, the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Many teachers, employees and students were awarded medals “For the Defense of Leningrad”.

    Marina Viktorovna is sure that the memory of the war is a powerful factor in uniting people and forming national unity. “The exploits of previous generations are a moral guideline that inspires us to new achievements and hard work. We at SPbGASU will continue to preserve and increase the memory of the generation of victors and their legacy, educate highly qualified civil engineers and architects who will strengthen the sovereignty of our country with their work.”

    The Chairman of the Regional Public Organization “Association of Veterans of the Special Military Operation “Defenders of the Motherland”” Georgy Zhuravlev spoke to the participants of the memorial event. He spoke about the exploits of his family members during the Great Patriotic War and noted: through the stories of his loved ones, he understood what fascism brings to this world, so he went to the SVO. He took part in military operations near Kharkov, was seriously wounded, and was awarded the Order of Courage. Georgy Zhuravlev emphasized: now, when our country is facing new challenges, we are obliged to win the war against the new Nazism.

    The participants of the solemn ceremony observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen defenders of the Motherland and laid flowers at the memorial plaques on the balustrade of the main building of the university. A concert prepared by the Student Leisure and Creativity Center “Kirpich” took place in the assembly hall.

    An exhibition entitled “Faces of Victory” opened on the lower balustrade, dedicated to the teachers, students, and graduates of our university who fought during the Great Patriotic War or worked in the rear, performing the most important tasks for the country.

    Aleksandr Vasilyevich Prygunov (1907–1943) – Hero of the Soviet Union, graduate of the Institute of Municipal Construction Engineers (as our university was then called) in 1936. From the end of 1941, he commanded a sapper platoon on the Karelian Front. From May 1943, he took command of a sapper company, which distinguished itself in equipping three bypasses and restoring two bridges across the Lisenok River in the Gaivoronsky District of the Kursk Region, ensuring the timely passage of all divisional cargo.

    In the autumn of 1943, the brigade was tasked with forcing the Dnieper with assault troops. On the night of September 27, 1943, the company’s grenadiers ferried the first assault troops across the Dnieper, quickly set up a ferry crossing and began delivering artillery, ammunition and soldiers. The enemy opened fierce artillery and mortar fire on the crossing. Most of the boats were damaged, but Senior Lieutenant Prygunov, organizing repairs to the watercraft, and his soldiers continued to selflessly work on the crossing and the two surviving boats. Fierce fighting continued for two days. Despite the losses suffered and the lack of ferry equipment, Prygunov’s sapper company, under enemy fire, transported 17 artillery pieces, 117 boxes of ammunition, 557 soldiers and officers, as well as a large amount of other military equipment across the Dnieper in two nights. On September 29, 1943, A. V. Prygunov was mortally wounded by a shell fragment in the chest.

    For exemplary performance of combat missions, Senior Lieutenant A. V. Prygunov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

    Ivan Ivanovich Solomakhin (1908–1989) is a graduate of the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction (another name for our university). In early 1943, Solomakhin’s battalion took part in Operation Iskra on the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts to break through the blockade, and in the summer in the battles for the Sinyavin Heights. During battles with his battalion of sappers, using cold weapons, he was able to capture the “Devil’s Height,” which had been fought for over a year. As a result of the surprise attack, several hundred fascists were killed and 120 were captured. The engineering battalion lost 16 people killed and 26 wounded. He was awarded seven orders and three medals. A passage in the Kirovsky District of St. Petersburg is named after Ivan Solomakhin.

    In addition, the exhibition “The University During the War Years”, prepared by the historical and information center of SPbGASU, is open in the university museum (room 213). Anyone can visit it.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: AFCD staff patrol animal release hotspots (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    AFCD staff patrol animal release hotspots  
         A spokesman for the AFCD said, “If members of the public release animals in an improper manner, such as releasing them into unsuitable habitats, it may adversely affect their survival.”
     
         Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169), it is an offence to causes unnecessary suffering to animals by releasing them not in a proper manner. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years upon conviction.
     
    The AFCD will continue to conduct inspections at locations where animal releasing activities are likely to take place, take enforcement action when necessary, and carry out publicity and education work.
     
         In addition, the AFCD will launch a fish-restocking exercise on National Fish Releasing Day on June 6 to release fish fingerlings in the waters around Tung Ping Chau Marine Park to enhance local marine resources and ecology. The department will promote to the public the benefits of fish restocking to the environment, with a view to engaging them in supporting and participating in these science-based restocking exercises in lieu of animal releases not properly conducted. The public may also consider other charitable activities, such as planting trees or participating in volunteer services with animal welfare groups and environmental organisations.
    Issued at HKT 17:20

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Forests Are Our Lungs, Forests Regulate Climate, Buffer Disasters, and Support the Marginalised, Says VP

    Source: Government of India

    Forests Are Our Lungs, Forests Regulate Climate, Buffer Disasters, and Support the Marginalised, Says VP

    The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, today said,“Forests are extremely important. Forests are our lungs. If a country’s forests are in good shape, its people will enjoy good health—because forests are the lungs. Agriculture is our lifeline. But we need forests as they regulate climate, they buffer disasters, and they support livelihoods—especially for the poor and marginalized.”

    Interacting with faculty members and students of the College of Forestry, Sirsi, during a special programme on the “Role of Forestry in Nation Building”, today, Shri Dhnakhar emphasised that,“We must pledge to protect our forests and contribute in every way possible, because climate change is a global challenge—a global menace. The situation is alarmingly cliff hanging, and we have no other planet to live on apart from Mother Earth,” he warned.

    Highlighting India’s civilisational wisdom, the Vice-President said, “This land is a confluence of spirituality and sustainability. Sustainability is not just vital for the economy—it is vital for healthy living. Our Vedic culture has preached sustainability for thousands of years. And today, there is no alternative to sustainable development. We cannot engage in reckless exploitation of natural resources. We must restrict ourselves to what is minimally required. We all need to be aware of this.”

    Calling for deeper ecological consciousness, he remarked, “We must develop a sense of self-realisation—that Mother Earth, this environment, the forests, the ecosystems, the flora and fauna—we are their trustees, not consumers. We are duty-bound to pass this on to future generations.”

    “Environment is that aspect of life which touches every living being on Earth. When the environment is challenged, the challenge is not just to humanity—it affects everything that exists on this planet. Today, we face a critical test: to protect and preserve the environment, and to find ways to overcome the grave crisis that is unfolding,” he observed.

    Stressing the role of education in building a sustainable future, the Vice-President said, “Today, no institution can function as a standalone entity. There was a time when medical education, engineering education, management education, environmental education, and forest education all existed in silos. But now, everything has become interdisciplinary. And therefore, we must adopt an inclusive approach to learning.”

    Encouraging young minds, Shri Dhankhar said, “Be inquisitive—have yearning and desire for new knowledge. The academic pursuit you are engaged in holds immense possibilities—far beyond imagination. In our cultural heritage, wherever you look, you will find a treasure trove. The more you study, the more you will be able to serve creation. The very subject you are pursuing today holds the key to remedies and production. You can truly become an effective crucible of research, especially when it comes to forest produce.”

    Applauding the natural setting of the institution, the Vice-President noted, “Sirsi, nestled in the lap of the majestic Western Ghats—is one of the richest biodiversity regions not just in Bharat, but in the entire world. Such an environment transforms the very concept of a classroom. Here, the classroom doesn’t end at four walls; it extends beyond them. This is an open classroom, breathing and brimming with life. The College of Forestry is, fortunately and uniquely, surrounded by nature—in its most pristine form. The view here is truly extraordinary; the atmosphere fills one with joy and celebration.”

    Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj S. Horatti, Speaker of Legislative Council, Govt. of Karnataka, Shri Mankal S. Vaidya, District-in-Charge Minister (Uttara Kannada), Shri Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Member of Parliament, Dr. P.L.Patil, Vice Chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

    ****

    JK/RC/SM

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CSIR-IIIM Jammu -Mentored Solar Mech Engine Wins Top Honor at HonorsGradU 2025 Scholarship Awards

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 05 MAY 2025 1:11PM by PIB Delhi

    Jammu, May 4, 2025 – In a landmark achievement for Indian student innovation, Japteg Singh Bamrah, a Class 12 student from Dalhousie Public School, has won the prestigious HonorsGradU 2025 Scholarship, securing the coveted “Build a Better Future” Award for his groundbreaking invention—the Solar Mech Engine.

    Japteg Singh Bamrah and his Mentor, Dr. Nasir Ul Rasheed, demonstrating the Solar Mech Engine project executed under the Jigyasa Hackathon initiative.

    Mentored by Dr. Nasir Ul Rasheed, Senior Scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, under the Jigyasa Hackathon initiative, Japteg emerged as one of five global winners out of thousands of entries from around the world. He has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship for his undergraduate education in the United States, along with an additional $5,000 grant for further development and scaling of his innovation. Notably, his project was recognized as the top technology among this year’s winners.

    Organized by Honors Graduation, a U.S.-based non-profit supporting student-led sustainability and innovation projects, the HonorsGradU Scholarship is highly competitive, offering only five awards annually across the globe. Japteg is the first and only student from India since the program’s inception in 2012 to top the list, marking a moment of pride for the nation.

    During the National Startup Festival held on February 22–23, 2025, at CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, Japteg presented his Solar Mech Engine to Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Science and Technology and Vice President of CSIR, who graced the event as Chief Guest. The festival highlighted India’s growing support for grassroots innovation under the “Start-Up India, Stand-Up India” campaign, originally launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015 and spearheaded by Dr. Singh.

    The Solar Mech Engine, which earlier won the CSIR Jigyasa Hackathon 2024, is a standalone solar thermal system that operates on Concentrated Heat and Power (CHP) technology. It utilizes the principles of cyclic air expansion and contraction due to temperature differences to convert heat energy into mechanical energy. A key feature is its low-resistance generator, which employs electromagnetic induction for direct mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion. Its unique selling proposition lies in its ability to function as a reversible heat pump, making it a highly efficient and sustainable energy solution.

    CSIR-IIIM’s incubation and mentoring of Japteg’s project underscores its commitment to empowering young innovators and transforming their ideas into practical, scalable technologies.

    In recognition of his innovation and academic excellence, Japteg has received offers from over ten top universities across the USA, Australia, and Canada, with additional scholarships amounting to $16,000 annually for his undergraduate studies.

    With a total grant of $31,000, Japteg Singh Bamrah plans to refine his Solar Mech Engine further and pursue his higher education at a leading global university. His journey from a school innovator to a global sustainability advocate stands as a testament to the power of mentorship, vision, and grassroots innovation in building a better future.

    *****

    NKR/PSM

    (Release ID: 2126984) Visitor Counter : 66

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Exclusive: Russia and China continue to coordinate positions on all global issues – Director of IKS RAS K. Babaev

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, May 5 /Xinhua/ — In today’s turbulent international situation, it is necessary to show that Russia and China continue to coordinate their positions on all global issues, said Kirill Babaev, director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He commented to Xinhua on the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    “The relationship between the leaders of Russia and China is the basis, the foundation for our bilateral relations. And today, the relations between our countries continue to strengthen and develop dynamically. This, of course, is primarily the merit of our leaders, who set specific goals, set long-term tasks for cooperation in the field of economics, for strategic cooperation, for coordinating the foreign policy of our countries. Therefore, I believe that this is the most important element,” noted K. Babayev.

    “It is very important to show our overseas partners that Russia and China continue to coordinate their foreign policies, remain close, and take a unified position on the international arena on all global issues,” he said.

    “This is our common Victory. Russia and China made the maximum, the greatest contribution to the victory over fascism and Japanese militarism. Russia – in Europe, China – in Asia. Their sacrifices, their efforts were maximum,” emphasized K. Babayev.

    He added that today no one disputes that “the victory over fascism and Japanese militarism was the most important achievement of humanity in the 21st century. And that Russia and China played a vital role in this.”

    According to K. Babayev, this is the common memory of the peoples of Russia and China. “We need to show all of humanity that, firstly, we honor the memory of millions of our citizens who died. And secondly, that we still understand that today peace can only be achieved together, through common efforts and on terms that will be mutually beneficial for everyone,” he concluded. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Karolinska Development’s portfolio company Umecrine Cognition receives grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – May 5, 2025. Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) today announces that its portfolio company Umecrine Cognition has been awarded a research grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) amounting to USD 420,000. The grant will finance preclinical studies to evaluate the potential treatment effect of golexanolone in Parkinson’s disease.

    Umecrine Cognition is developing a new class of drugs to alleviate cognitive symptoms. The company’s drug candidate golexanolone has demonstrated a positive impact on non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disorders and cognitive impairments, in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. The grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation will support further preclinical studies to confirm golexanolone’s treatment effect on Parkinson’s-related sleep dysfunction and cognitive impairments, as well as evaluate the drug candidate’s effect on disease progression in several disease models.

    The grant is awarded to the collaboration between Umecrine Cognition and the principal investigator, Professor Gilberto Fisone Head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Circuit Neuropharmacology, and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, at Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.

    Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease most noticeably characterized by deteriorating motor functions. However, non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disorders and cognitive impairments, emerge before the onset of physical symptoms and have, historically, been overlooked due to a lack of scientific and clinical insights. While current treatments target motor dysfunction, there are no approved pharmaceutical therapies for non-motor symptoms.

    “The Michael J. Fox Foundation is the world’s largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s research, and the grant represents a significant acknowledgment and validation of golexanolone’s potential in treating this progressive and life-restricting disease. The funding enables further research on golexanolone as a novel treatment option for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease, an area with high medical need,” says Johan Dighed, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Karolinska Development.

    Karolinska Development’s ownership in Umecrine Cognition amounts to 73%.

    For further information, please contact:

    Viktor Drvota, CEO, Karolinska Development AB
    Phone: +46 73 982 52 02, e-mail: viktor.drvota@karolinskadevelopment.com 

    Johan Dighed, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Karolinska Development AB
    Phone: +46 70 207 48 26, e-mail: johan.dighed@karolinskadevelopment.com

    TO THE EDITORS

    About Karolinska Development AB

    Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) is a Nordic life sciences investment company. The company focuses on identifying breakthrough medical innovations in the Nordic region that are developed by entrepreneurs and leadership teams. The company invests in the creation and growth of companies that advance these assets into commercial products that are designed to make a difference to patient’s lives while providing an attractive return on investment to shareholders.

    Karolinska Development has access to world-class medical innovations at the Karolinska Institutet and other leading universities and research institutes in the Nordic region. The company aims to build companies around scientists who are leaders in their fields, supported by experienced management teams and advisers, and co-funded by specialist international investors, to provide the greatest chance of success.

    Karolinska Development has a portfolio of eleven companies targeting opportunities in innovative treatment for life-threatening or serious debilitating diseases.

    The company is led by an entrepreneurial team of investment professionals with a proven track record as company builders and with access to a strong global network.

    For more information, please visit www.karolinskadevelopment.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is it dangerous to kiss someone who’s eaten gluten if you have coeliac disease?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and Clinical Academic Gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University

    Lordn/Shutterstock

    Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or intolerance. It’s an autoimmune disease that makes the body attack the small intestine if gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) reaches the gut. Even a small amount – a tiny bread crumb – can cause damage and inflammation.

    The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. This means completely eliminating foods containing the protein, such as pasta, bread, noodles and many processed products, and preparing food carefully to avoid cross-contamination.

    But what about other forms of cross-contamination? One study surveyed 538 adults with coeliac disease about their dating habits and found 39% were hesitant to kiss their partners because of the disease.

    But can gluten really be transferred this way, with a kiss? Research is only just beginning to look at this question – here’s what we know.

    How harmful is gluten for people with coeliac disease?

    Coeliac disease is common: surveys representative of the population estimate it affects one in 70 Australians. However, it tends to be under-diagnosed. Research suggests only 20% of those with coeliac disease have a medical diagnosis.

    This means most sufferers are unaware they have coeliac disease, despite experiencing unpleasant symptoms.

    When untreated, coeliac disease can stop the small intestine absorbing nutrients and lead to gut symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence. It can also result in non-gut symptoms such as fatigue, skin rashes and brain fog.

    However, touching gluten won’t have any effect. Gluten only causes damage to people with coeliac disease if it enters the gut. This is why it can be effectively treated with a strict gluten-free diet.

    How much gluten is harmful?

    Researchers have investigated how much gluten can result in harm to people with coeliac disease. One study found some people with coeliac disease experienced damage to their small intestine with as little as 10 milligrams of gluten per day.

    For context, one slice of bread contains 2.5 grams of gluten. A very small amount can cause damage if eaten, such a tiny crumb accidentally transferred from a chopping board or plate.

    Australian researchers have determined that a dose of gluten below 3mg does not cause an immune response on very sensitive blood tests.

    Even a bread crumb can be harmful to people with coeliac disease, if it’s eaten.
    Master1305/Shutterstock

    Food regulatory authorities look at how much gluten is concentrated in particular foods to decide what is “gluten free”. In most countries a diet containing gluten at less than 20 parts per million (or 20mg per kilogram) is considered to be safe for people with coeliac disease.

    But Australia and New Zealand have much stricter requirements for labelling a food as “gluten free”. Testing methods in Australia allow for detection as low as three parts per million – this is known as the “limit of detection”. Foods below this limit contain no detectable gluten and can be labelled gluten free.

    So, what about kissing?

    What does this mean for kissing? Can enough gluten be transmitted from one person to another via saliva to cause problems? To date, there is very limited data.

    New US research presented today looked at ten couples, each with one partner who had coeliac disease.

    In the study, the non-coeliac partner ate ten crackers containing gluten before the couple kissed for ten seconds.

    The researchers found gluten transfer was minimal in the saliva. When the non-coeliac partner had a glass of water after eating the crackers, the gluten in their saliva was less than 20 parts per million (the international limit for gluten-free products).

    While this data has not yet been peer-reviewed, their preliminary finding seems to support similar research from 2022 which looked at peanut allergy and saliva to estimate gluten levels in saliva.

    It estimated that saliva after eating gluten could contain around 250 micrograms of gluten – one-twelfth of the minimum amount (3mg) believed to cause an immune response.

    This means, for people with coeliac disease, kissing should not be an issue to worry about.

    Cross-contamination from foods containing gluten is the biggest risk for people with coeliac disease.
    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    Other risks

    The bigger risk for people with coeliac disease continues to be exposure to gluten from food – even food labelled “gluten free”.

    One study found seven out of 256 manufactured food products sold as gluten free had detectable levels of gluten, in some cases as much as 3mg in a single serving.

    In 2018 another study found almost 10% of food sold as gluten free at cafes and restaurants across Melbourne actually contained gluten. One food sample contained a gluten concentration of more than 80 parts per million.

    Still, given Australia has strictest regulations in the world, the risk of getting sick from eating gluten-free foods is quite low.

    The risk from kissing? Even lower.

    If you want to look out for your loved one with coeliac disease, how you prepare food is more important. This includes preventing cross-contamination by storing and preparing gluten-free foods well away from foods containing gluten, and thoroughly cleaning equipment and utensils after they’ve been in contact with food containing gluten.

    And next time you’re on a date at your favourite eatery – whether they advertise as gluten free, or just have gluten-free items on the menu – it’s a good idea to politely ask about their food handling practices.

    Vincent Ho does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Is it dangerous to kiss someone who’s eaten gluten if you have coeliac disease? – https://theconversation.com/is-it-dangerous-to-kiss-someone-whos-eaten-gluten-if-you-have-coeliac-disease-255721

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –