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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Kelly, Sen. Young, Rep. Garamendi, Rep. Kelly Introduce SHIPS for America Act to Boost American Shipbuilding, Strengthen US Economy and National Securit

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Trent Kelly (R-Miss)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-8), and Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS-1) re-introduced the Ship-building and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, comprehensive legislation to revitalize the United States shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries. Other cosponsors in the Senate include Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA).

    There are currently 80 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce while China has 5,500. The SHIPS for America Act aims to close this gap and boost the U.S. Merchant Marine by establishing national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy, making U.S.-flagged vessels commercially competitive in international commerce by cutting red tape, rebuilding the U.S. shipyard industrial base, and expanding and strengthening mariner and shipyard worker recruitment, training, and retention.

    “After decades of dangerously neglecting our shipbuilding industry, we’re finally doing something about it. The SHIPS for America Act is the most ambitious effort in a generation to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries and counter China’s dominance over the oceans,” said Senator Kelly, a U.S. Navy veteran and the first U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate to serve in Congress. “Building and staffing more U.S.-flagged ships will create good-paying American jobs, make our supply chains more resilient, lower costs, and strengthen our ability to resupply our military at times of war. We’ll keep working with our colleagues in Congress, this administration, and our partners in the industry to make our country safer and competitive by passing the SHIPS for America Act.”

    “America has been a maritime nation since our founding, and seapower was a significant contributor to our rise to being the most powerful nation on earth. Unfortunately, the bottom line now is America needs more ships. Shipbuilding is a national security priority and a stopgap against foreign threats and coercion. Our bill will revitalize the U.S. maritime industry, grow our shipbuilding capacity, rebuild America’s shipyard industrial base, and support nationwide workforce development in this industry. This legislation is critical to our warfighting capabilities and keeping peace with China,” said Senator Young, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate.

    “Strengthening America’s shipbuilding capacity and revitalizing our commercial maritime industry is critical to national security and economic resilience. Under President Trump’s leadership, we’re prioritizing these vital sectors. I’m proud to work alongside Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Todd Young, and Congressman John Garamendi to help safeguard our maritime future,” said Congressman Kelly.

    “With China’s growing influence in the global maritime sector, the United States can no longer afford to overlook our maritime industries. The SHIPS for America Act will give our shipyards and merchant mariners the tools they need to rebuild America’s maritime industry and create good-paying American jobs,” said Congressman Garamendi. “I’m proud to lead this effort alongside Senator Kelly, Senator Young, and Representative Kelly to strengthen America’s national security, economic strength, and global leadership on the high seas.”

    “Because of our vast geography, the maritime industry is uniquely vital to Alaska, with many of our coastal communities relying on a strong U.S.-flagged fleet for everything from everyday logistics, to commercial fishing and homeland defense. I am proud to cosponsor the SHIPS Act, which advances common-sense solutions that will invest in the workforce and revitalize our nation’s shipbuilding, increasing Alaska’s resilience and security,” said Senator Murkowski.

    When it comes to maintaining our competitive edge against China, failure is not an option. The SHIPS for America Act will help the United States compete with China’s production of ships while creating new manufacturing jobs in shipyards across the nation,” said Senator Fetterman. “Not only will this strengthen our national security, but it’ll also grow our local economies and support working families right here in Pennsylvania. I’m proud to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will help us build more ships in America and stand up to China.”

    The SHIPS for America Act would:
    • Coordinate U.S. maritime policy by establishing the position of Maritime Security Advisor within the White House, who would lead an interagency Maritime Security Board tasked with making whole-of-government strategic decisions for how to implement a National Maritime Strategy. The bill also establishes a Maritime Security Trust Fund that would reinvest duties and fees paid by the maritime industry into maritime security programs and infrastructure supporting maritime commerce.
    • Establish a national goal of expanding the U.S.-flag international fleet by 250 ships in 10 years by creating the Strategic Commercial Fleet Program, which would facilitate the development of a fleet of commercially operated, U.S.-flagged, American crewed, and domestically built merchant vessels that can operate competitively in international commerce.
    • Enhance the competitiveness of U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce by establishing a Rulemaking Committee on Commercial Maritime Regulations and Standards to cut through the U.S. Coast Guard’s bureaucracy and red tape that limits the international competitiveness of U.S.-flagged vessels, modify duties to make cargo on U.S.-flagged vessels more competitive, requiring that government-funded cargo move aboard U.S.-flagged vessels, and requiring a portion of commercial goods imported from China to move aboard U.S.-flagged vessels starting in 2030.
    • Expand the U.S. shipyard industrial base, for both military and commercial oceangoing vessels, by establishing a 25 percent investment tax credit for shipyard investments, transforming the Title XI Federal Ship Financing Program into a revolving fund, and establishing a Shipbuilding Financial Incentives program to support innovative approaches to domestic ship building and ship repair.
    • Make historic investments in maritime workforce by supporting a Maritime Workforce Promotion and Recruitment Campaign, allowing mariners to retain their credentials through a newly established Merchant Marine Career Retention Program, investing in long-overdue infrastructure needs for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and supporting State Maritime Academies and Centers for Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The bill also makes long-overdue changes to streamline and modernize the U.S. Coast Guard’s Merchant Mariner Credentialing system.

    The legislation will be introduced in two pieces in the Senate, the SHIPS for America Act and the Building SHIPS in America Act.

    Background:
    Since first introducing the SHIPS for America Act in December, the urgency to boost American shipbuilding has emerged as a priority of bipartisan consensus this year, particularly after the U.S. Trade Representative revealed its findings regarding China’s shipbuilding dominance and President Trump signed a shipbuilding executive order.

    Sen. Kelly earned his B.S. degree in marine engineering and nautical science from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and later an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. He spent 25 years in the United States Navy as a pilot and is the first ever USMMA alumnus to serve in Congress. In 2023, he was elected chair of the USMMA Board of Visitors for the 118th Congress.

    The following organizations have endorsed the SHIPS for America Act:
    Keystone Shipping Company, American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association, Navy League, General Dynamics-NASSCO, American Waterway Operators, American Maritime Partnership, San Jacinto College, Oceantic Network, California State University Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, Senesco Marine, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation, American Maritime Officers, International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development (MIRAID), International Propeller Club, Crowley, American Maritime Officers Service, The Pasha Group, Saltchuk, Tropical, Saltchuk Marine, Overseas Shipholding Group, Core Power, Govini, US Ocean, Small Shipyard Grant Coalition, The American Club, Transportation Institute, Blue Water Autonomy, American Bureau of Shipping, With Honor Action, Texas A&M Maritime Academy, National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA), American Iron and Steel Institute, Shipbuilders Council of America, Maritime Association of the Port of NY/NJ, United Steelworkers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Matson, American Legion, Inc., Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.D.A.), Ocean Shipholdings, Inc, Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Ports America, Seafarers International Union (SIU), U.S. Marine Management, AUVSI, Maritime Accelerator for Resilience, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Chamber of Shipping of America, National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE), Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), California Forever, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), Alliance for American Manufacturing, Nucor, Steel Manufacturers Association, Blue Sky Maritime, New American Industrial Alliance, and Ship Operations and Marine Technical Support (SOMTS).

    See what maritime leaders and stakeholders are saying about the SHIPS for America Act:
    “The USA Maritime coalition supports the SHIPS for America Act and has been honored to work with Senators Kelly and Young and Congressmen Garamendi and Kelly as the bill has taken shape over the last two years. This bill represents the most comprehensive maritime policy initiative in more than half a century. Now, more than ever, the United States needs a strong, vibrant and growing Merchant Marine, capable of carrying a substantial portion of our foreign commerce and supporting our military in time of war. This initiative will ensure our country has the U.S.-Flag ships and American mariners needed to preserve, protect and defend America and our economic security. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress on this legislation,” said Brian W. Schoeneman, Chair, USA Maritime.

    “The Shipbuilders Council of America commends Senator Kelly, Congressman Kelly, Senator Young, and Congressman Garamendi for their leadership in advancing the SHIPS for America Act. This legislation represents a significant step forward in strengthening the nation’s shipyard industrial base and establishing a comprehensive national maritime strategy. We are encouraged by its focus on bolstering American shipbuilding and ensuring a robust maritime sector capable of supporting our nation’s economic and national security. SCA is committed to continuing its engagement with these Congressional members and staff to refine and enhance the legislation, especially to better support our domestic ship repair industry, and we look forward to collaborating with policymakers to ensure the success of initiatives that secure the future of America’s shipyard industrial base and maritime workforce,” Matthew Paxton, President, Shipbuilders Council of America.

    “The Navy League applauds the introduction of the SHIPS for America Act, a landmark legislative achievement that will comprehensively meet the needs of the U.S. merchant marine and bolster our shipbuilding industrial base. In today’s global threat environment, arguably the most perilous since the end of the Cold War, the United States must not only maintain the finest Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard on the seas, but also ensure a robust U.S.-flag merchant marine and a resilient shipbuilding industrial base. These elements are crucial for safeguarding our national and economic security in the event of large-scale military conflict. The SHIPS for America Act addresses these vital considerations and reaffirms that America is, and always will be, a maritime nation,” said Mike Stevens, CEO, Navy League.

    “In any conflict with China, the outcome will hinge on our ability to project power across the Pacific via military sealift. The vast majority of the USN Strategic Sealift Officers are service-obligated graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. We are deeply grateful to the sponsors of the SHIPS for America Act for recognizing that the USMMA campus at Kings Point, NY, built in the 1940s, urgently requires modernization to meet the demands of today’s national security threats,” said Captain James F. Tobin ’77, President/CEO, USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation.

    “The Masters, Mates & Pilots strongly supports the SHIPS for America Act. This comprehensive and pragmatic maritime policy initiative will create and support jobs for American mariners, ensuring that our country has the maritime manpower needed to protect and enhance our nation’s economic and military security,” said Captain Don Josberger, International President, International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.

    “The International Propeller Club is a steadfast advocate for the SHIPS for America Act. Our nation’s maritime industry is at a critical crossroads. This comprehensive maritime policy initiative will protect and enhance foreign policy, national security, and economic prosperity through increased U.S.-flag shipping capability and a revitalization of the domestic shipbuilding industry,” said Maria Conatser, International President, International Propeller Club.

    “The Consortium of State Maritime Academies strongly supports the SHIPS for America Act, and is grateful for the bipartisan and bicameral leadership of Sen. Kelly, Sen. Young, Rep. Kelly, and Rep. Garamendi. The Consortium is united in our goal of working with our elected officials to support passage of this Act. Once enacted, the SHIPS Act will result in the United States Merchant Marine once again playing a leading role on the global stage, and the growth of the American maritime industry, a strategically important industry that provides thousands of well paid positions for the nation,” said the Consortium of State Maritime Academies.

    “With Honor Action applauds Senator Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran, and Senator Todd Young, a Marine Corps veteran, for proposing real solutions to revitalize our nation’s shipbuilding base and create more job opportunities for Americans. As advocates for bipartisan, principled veteran leadership in Congress, we are pleased to see veterans who have chosen to continue to serve in Congress working together to address the critical issues facing our nation,” said Ryan Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO, With Honor.

    “NDTA supports the strategic rebuilding of the United State’s fleet of ships who fly our flag. We must have a fleet of ocean-going vessels to protect the economic security of our nation. The SHIPS for America Act is truly a significant step in the right direction. Everyone in America needs to get educated about the importance of this bill. Rebuilding our U.S. fleet, our shipbuilding capacity, and workforce is a national imperative,” said William A. Brown, Vice Admiral, USN (Retired), President and CEO, NDTA The Association for Global Logistics and Transportation.

    “U.S. economic and national security is inexorably tied to our nation’s shipbuilding capacity. Yet, for too long, China has dominated this critical sector, costing the U.S. tens of thousands of jobs across the shipbuilding supply chain and leaving us less secure as we rely on foreign-made vessels to meet our needs. Our union commends Sens. Kelly and Young and Reps. Garamendi and Kelly as they introduce the SHIPS for America Act. USW members stand ready to contribute their skills in manufacturing the plate steel, coatings, cable, glass, rubber, engines and countless other products we’ll need to revitalize American shipbuilding,” said Dave McCall, President, USW International.

    “In the United States, we have a small number of shipyards focused on building Navy and Coast Guard ships, and a far smaller amount focused on building ocean-going vessels for commercial use. At the shipbuilding supplier level, we have many components that are provided by a manufacturer who may be one of the few, if not the sole, remaining means of production. As noted in the SHIPS Act, we must work with our industrial partners in NATO and Allied nations, but also invest in our American workforce and capabilities. The elements of Buy America legislation incorporated in this Bill are important to reaching this goal,” said Roger Camp, President and CEO, American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association.

    “The reintroduction of the SHIPS for America Act marks as a vital step forward in strengthening our maritime supply chain and revitalizing the U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry. This legislation will help ensure that American goods move on American-built ships, operated by American mariners, supporting our economic security and national resilience. We appreciate the inclusion of legislation that would authorize terminal operators to establish tax free accounts for the purchase of cargo handling equipment knowing this will help our industry provide state-of-the-art services. Ports and terminal operators across the country are ready to meet the future with modern infrastructure and a highly skilled workforce – but we need a commercial fleet that can match that capability. The SHIPS for America Act helps close that gap and brings long-overdue investment to a sector critical to our competitiveness. NAWE applauds Senators Kelly and Young for their bipartisan leadership and looks forward to working alongside Congress to advance this important legislation,” said Carl Bentzel, President, National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE).

    “Hanwha Philly Shipyard recognizes and commends U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young, and Congressmen Trent Kelly and John Garamendi for their maritime policy leadership in reintroducing the bipartisan SHIPS for America Act. This bill offers tangible incentives to the domestic maritime industry with the goal of expanding the U.S. flag ocean-going fleet. It supports a major recapitalization of the shipbuilding infrastructure in the U.S., provides substantial incentives for the purchase of U.S.-built commercial vessels, and supports the national security and naval shipbuilding goals of the U.S. We see tremendous value in this legislation and believe it would have a long-term positive impact on Hanwha Philly Shipyard, other shipbuilders in the U.S. and Hanwha’s investments in America’s shipping industry and maritime industrial base,” said David Kim, CEO, Hanwha Philly Shipyard.

    “For too long, the United States has allowed its maritime strength to decline. In an era of rising great-power competition, revitalizing our maritime capabilities and sending strong signals to the private sector is more essential than ever. The American Legion, on behalf of our 1.6 million dues-paying members, is proud to support this legislation,” said James A. LaCoursiere, Jr., National Commander, The American Legion.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Business First Bancshares, Inc. Appoints Alejandro M. Sanchez to its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BATON ROUGE, La., April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Business First Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), the holding company for b1BANK, has announced the appointment of Alejandro M. Sanchez to the Business First Bancshares, Inc. Board of Directors and b1BANK Board of Directors, effective March 27, 2025.

    Sanchez is the president and CEO of Salva Financial Group of Florida, a consulting group advising financial institutions on strategic planning, regulatory compliance and crisis management. He also serves as an executive advisor to Nasdaq and holds board positions with Popular, Inc. (Nasdaq: BPOP), the holding company for Popular Bank and Republic Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: RBCAA), the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust, contributing expertise in governance, risk management and audit oversight.

    Sanchez led the Florida Bankers Association as president and CEO from 1998 to 2023, advocating for the state’s banking industry. He was nominated by President George W. Bush as one of three Presidential appointees for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board from 2002 to 2010 and was invited by President Obama to serve an additional two years.

    “Alex’s deep experience guiding financial institutions through complex regulatory environments and strategic transformations aligns closely with our growth strategy and governance objectives,” said Jude Melville, chairman and CEO of b1BANK. “His leadership and seasoned perspective will help us thoughtfully navigate opportunities and challenges, enhancing our capacity to serve our clients and communities effectively.”

    “It is an honor to join the Business First Bancshares board,” said Sanchez. “I look forward to contributing to the company’s strategic vision and ongoing success.”

    Sanchez holds a Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law and a Bachelor of Science from Troy University. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1976 to 1981.

    About Business First Bancshares Inc.

    As of March 31, 2025, Business First Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq: BFST) through its banking subsidiary b1BANK, has $7.8 billion in assets, $7.1 billion in assets under management through b1BANK’s affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson, LLC (SSW) (excludes $0.9 billion of b1BANK assets managed by SSW) and operates Banking Centers and Loan Production Offices in markets across Louisiana and Texas providing commercial and personal banking products and services. b1BANK is a 2024 Mastercard “Innovation Award” winner and multiyear winner of American Banker Magazine’s “Best Banks to Work For.” Visit b1BANK.com for more information.

    Media Contact: Misty Albrecht
    b1BANK
    225.286.7879
    Misty.Albrecht@b1BANK.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b9e3cc0-4786-4497-9e7c-ce188ece6be6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Applauds Committee Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Combat Online Scams, Protect Consumers in the Online Ticket Marketplace

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, applauded committee passage of his bipartisan bill that would better protect consumers in the online ticket marketplace. Senator Luján’s bipartisan Mitigating Automated Internet Networks for (MAIN) Event Ticketing Act, which he introduced with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), passed in a markup in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

    “Today, we are one step closer to ensure Americans can enjoy live entertainment without the fear of being scammed,” said Senator Luján. “Far too many Americans face excessive price-gouging for tickets from online bots and resellers. That’s why I partnered with Senator Blackburn to advance our MAIN Event Ticketing Act which will strengthen protections for consumers and artists from scammers. Now, I urge the full Senate to take up our legislation and pass this bipartisan bill to better protect consumers.”

    “As a cultural institution dedicated to making the performing arts accessible to all, the Santa Fe Opera applauds this bipartisan effort to better combat and enforce unfair ticketing practices and protect consumers and artists from exploitation,” said Santa Fe Opera General Director Robert K. Meya. “The MAIN Event Ticketing Act addresses critical challenges, ensuring that access to live performances remains fair and equitable to all audiences. We are grateful for Senator Luján and Senator Blackburn’s leadership on this important issue and fully support their efforts to enhance transparency and fairness in the online ticket marketplace.”

    “We are fully behind this legislation,” said Lensic 360 Director Jamie Lenfestey. “Enforcement of the existing law is a great approach. In high sales season we can see as many as 96,000 bot hits on our sales website daily. Any efforts in enhancing consumer protection and helping promoters and presenters best engage their audiences directly much needed step in the right direction.”

    “As a small venue owner, the health of my business relies heavily on food, beverage, and merchandise sales to complement ticket revenue. When bots and scalpers purchase tickets en masse, it not only drives up prices but also prevents true fans from attending events. This results in empty seats at my venue, leading to a significant loss—up to 75% of my projected revenue from concessions and merchandise sales,” said Jayson Wylie, President and CEO of Taos Mesa Brewing and Musich Entertainment.

    Specifically, the MAIN Event Ticketing Act would:

    • Create reporting requirements whereby online ticket sellers have to report successful bot attacks to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC);
    • Create a complaint database so consumers can also share their experiences with the FTC, which in turn is required to share the information with state attorneys general;
    • Enact data security requirements for online ticket sellers and requires the sharing of information between the FTC and law enforcement; and
    • Require a report to Congress on BOTS enforcement.  

    This legislation is endorsed by the Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America, Live Nation Entertainment, and the National Independent Venue Association.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Senator Murray Slams Trump Administration for Threatening Biomedical Research and Jeopardizing Americans’ Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH AND READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s questioning***

    ***WATCH AND READ: Emily Stenson’s testimony***

    Washington, D.C. – Today—at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on biomedical research—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, underscored why the investments we make in biomedical research are so vital, what’s at stake for patients and families as Trump takes a wrecking ball to this research, and why Congress must forcefully push back.

    In just 100 days, President Trump and his administration have taken unprecedented actions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that are having devastating impacts on biomedical research, innovation, and ultimately, the lives of millions of patients and families. The Trump administration’s actions are delaying funding and stalling research for lifesaving treatments and cures, weakening our biomedical workforce, cancelling vital ongoing studies and trials, and threatening to undo decades of hard-won progress.

    At the hearing, Senator Murray shared the story of Emily Stenson, a mom and patient advocate from Washington state whose daughter Charlie was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at just three years old but who, thanks to a National Cancer Institute clinical trial at Seattle Children’s Hospital, has been cancer free since December 2024. You can WATCH and READ Emily’s testimony here.

    Senator Murray emphasized that these lifesaving cancer trials are now on the chopping block as the Trump administration terminates $137 million in cancer research grants and plans to cut the NIH budget in half, and asked Emily, “If half of the cancer clinical trials were suddenly cancelled—what would that mean for patients like Charlie and the people you know on the cancer ward at Seattle Children’s?”

    Emily replied, “It would be devastating. There’s no other option often than a clinical trial. And how can you look at these families and say, we’re taking away the only option to save your child. There’s no funding. It feels like the government doesn’t care about families like ours if they take that away. It will be futures left in the balance.”

    Senator Murray also asked Dr. Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Dr. Barry Sleckman, Director of the University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center, about the impact Trump’s attacks on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have on the future of biomedical research and Americans’ health.

    Senator Murray noted that over the last three months, NIH has awarded billions less in funding than over the same period in previous years, which is unprecedented for an agency that typically awards 60,000 grants a year. All the while, Trump has fired or pushed out nearly 5,000 NIH employees, including grant administrators whose job it is to award this funding. Senator Murray asked Dr. Parikh, “At this rate, do you think NIH will be able to spend the $47 billion Congress passed and President Trump signed into law?”

    Dr. Parikh responded, “Thank you for that. If the will is there they can because I know the program folks that are still there, and they will work harder than anybody to work with the scientists in the field, to do the peer review, to get those dollars out. Because those dollars are not just about getting money out the door, it’s about funding the ideas that have been proposed, and there are plenty of proposals, there are plenty of good ideas. We don’t fund enough; the pay lines are already at 20 and 10 percent. We need to make sure that we do get those out, because otherwise it will be impoundment by default.”

    “Well, we know that they have canceled peer review panels and they’re firing staff. So, can they get that funding out the door effectively?” Senator Murray followed up.

    “Only if it becomes a priority. Only if it becomes a priority. We have to make sure that it can go out. I am confident that it can, if they make it a priority. I have not seen that yet,” Dr. Parikh replied.

    Senator Murray pressed, “Who’s the ‘they’?”

    “The ‘they’ is the NIH. The NIH administrators, leaders, and the Department of Health and Human Services. We have to be able to say that we are going to start awarding these grants at the rate that it requires to get the fully appropriated amount that you all approved at the end of last fiscal year,” Dr. Parikh responded.

    “To your knowledge, has that been done?” inquired Senator Murray.

    Dr. Parikh stated, “Not yet, the rate isn’t quite there yet.”

    Senator Murray also discussed the Trump administration’s announcement that they would stop funding the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which they later claimed they would reverse. WHI studies cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women—and thanks to this research, 126,000 cases of breast cancer and 76,000 cases of heart disease were prevented over a decade. The Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle is the clinical coordinating center for WHI and one of four regional centers. Senator Murray noted that: “The annual funding for these centers costs about $10 million, that’s less than half by the way of what taxpayers spend on President Trump’s golf trips just in case you were keeping track over the last 3 months—$10 million!”

    “How important, I wanted to ask you, is sex in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and do you think now is the time to be cutting breast cancer research?” Senator Murray continued by asking Dr. Sleckman.

    Dr. Sleckman replied, “Thank you for that question, Senator. You know, let me make a comment first about the Women’s Health Study. These types of studies are essential for cancer and understanding the basis of cancer. This is a very long-term study, not a five-year grant. Something where they’ve been following women for decades and using that information to understand about cancer risk and then make informed decisions about cancer prevention. These types of studies could only be funded in a large, organized way through the federal government, the NIH and the NCI. Getting back to your question, is that it’s extremely important to study the biological difference between men and women when it comes to cancer risk, cancer progression, and cancer treatment—extremely important. There are large groups at pretty much all NCI cancer centers that either take that into account when they’re designing a trial or are studying it specifically—absolutely important. Thank you for that question.” 

    ____________________________

    As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH has long been considered one of America’s crown jewels with a long history of strong bipartisan support from Congress. Less than 1 percent of the federal budget goes to medical research, yet NIH research drives our economy at the national and local levels by supporting thousands of jobs in every state. More than 83 percent of NIH’s budget goes to more than 300,000 research personnel at over 3,000 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions. NIH directly and indirectly supports more than 550,000 jobs across the country. It pays off: local communities see $2.56 of economic activity for every dollar invested in this research. NIH-funded research contributed to 354 out of 356 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2010 to 2019. The FDA plays an intricate role in advancing the biomedical research ecosystem in the United States, by regulating, promoting, and supporting the approval of new drugs, biologics, and medical devices coming on the market.

    Despite this, President Trump has systematically undermined NIH and the research it funds, as well as the FDA. He has terminated nearly 800 NIH grants across the country, cutting off more than $1.1 billion in essential research and trials. So far this year, he has slow walked roughly $2 billion in vital NIH funding that should be going out the door to fund the research that might discover the next treatment or cure that will change—or save—a patient’s life. Funding for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer research are just a few examples of large multi-million-dollar research grants that we know are being held hostage. He has illegally sought to cut billions in funding for universities to conduct this vital research by illegally capping the indirect cost rate in direct violation of bipartisan appropriations law. President Trump has pushed out nearly 5,000 NIH employees and 4,000 FDA employees—decimating the very work responsible for discovering lifechanging treatments and cures and ensuring they can safely get to market. He also reportedly plans to propose to nearly halve NIH’s budget.

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has led Congressional efforts to boost biomedical research. Previously, over her years as Chair of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Murray secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at NIH, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray’s Bill to Reauthorize Northwest Straits Commission Passes Through Senate Science Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Senator Murray has worked tirelessly to fund the Northwest Straits Commission every single year since 1998

    ICYMI: Senator Murray, Cantwell, and Rep. Larsen Reintroduce Legislation to Permanently Reauthorize Northwest Straits Commission

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, announced that the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 passed out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The legislation would reauthorize the Northwest Straits Commission in the Puget Sound, and fund it at $3 million each fiscal year for the next five years, through Fiscal Year 2031.

    Murray and Cantwell’s bill will now have to pass through the full Senate and the House before it can be signed into law.

    The Northwest Straits Commission is a community-led effort to restore marine habitats in the Northwest Straits region and address local threats to marine environments with projects such as restoring shellfish populations, protecting vulnerable ecosystems, and promoting growth for native water and shore-based plants. The Northwest Straits Commission provides funding, training, and support to seven county-based Marine Resources Committees (MRCs). The Commission advises local officials on how to best carry out environmental projects and provides expertise to community organizations to help them be partners in their work by, for example, training volunteers to identify forage fish spawning sites. Senator Murray led the authorization of the Northwest Straits Commission in 1998 and has secured federal funding for the Commission every single year in the decades since.

    “I first established the Northwest Straits Commission with bipartisan support in 1998, to ensure our rich marine resources in the Northwest Straits stay healthy—which in Washington state is critical for our local communities, Tribes, and economy,” said Senator Murray. “This legislation would help provide a strong and consistent funding stream for the Commission and ensure partners on the ground can expand their efforts to protect our marine species and habitats and support our outdoor recreation economy. I am proud to continue leading the charge to authorize the Northwest Straits Commission, and I will keep fighting to secure federal funding for this effort as I have done since I first helped establish the commission.”

    “The Puget Sound and the Straits are [among the busiest] waterways in the nation, and just happen to intersect with also some of the most beautiful habitat and species in the nation as well,” Sen. Cantwell said. “Having the Straits Commission continue to do their work is very important.”

    The Northwest Straits Commission is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including state and federal agencies, elected leaders, and Tribal partners throughout the Puget Sound Region.

    The Northwest Straits Commission was established following the bipartisan partnership of Senator Murray and former Congressman Jack Metcalf. Murray and Metcalf released a report in 1998 that laid the groundwork for the Northwest Straits Commission and its work protecting marine habitats, and later that year, Senator Murray successfully authorized the Northwest Straits Commission for a six-year period. Over the years, Senator Murray has helped secure tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for the Northwest Straits Commission’s restoration work and research—part of Senator Murray’s longtime, steadfast commitment to salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest.

    Last year, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray secured $1 million for the Northwest Straits Initiative through programmatic funding in the appropriations bills she wrote and passed into law in March 2024—this was the first time Northwest Straits received programmatic funding since the original authorization expired in 2004, and is significant in helping to ensure the Commission is funded. In the appropriations bills for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, Senator Murray secured a total of $6 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funding for the Northwest Straits Commission; that funding was essential to the removal of the “Windjammer” sailboat that had been partially submerged near the Kukutali Preserve since 2009 on Swinomish Tribal tideland. Prior to the return of Congressionally Directed Spending in Fiscal Year 2022, Murray ensured the Northwest Straits Commission received annual funding through the EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program. Prior to that, Murray secured CDS funding for the Northwest Straits Commission after the original authorization for the Commission expired in 2004.

    The text of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2025 is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Applauds Release of Mohsen Mahdawi, Renews Call for Release of Rümeysa Öztürk, Mahmoud Khalil, and Others

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Yesterday, Pressley Rallied With Colleagues at State Dept. to Demand Mahdawi’s Release and Due Process for All

    Pressley Recently Met with Constituent Rümeysa Öztürk, Mahmoud Khalil at ICE Detention Centers in Louisiana

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement applauding the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident who was detained on April 14 after his naturalization interview in Vermont. Yesterday, at a rally outside the State Department, Congresswoman Pressleyjoined Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)and their colleagues to call for Mahdawi’s immediate release and demand due process for all. Congresswoman Pressley recently met with constituent Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil, two students who have been unlawfully detained by ICE and transported to Louisiana from their homes in retaliation for their protected speech.

    “Mohsen’s release is an encouraging step in the fight to defend our democracy and the constitutional rights that Donald Trump is working overtime to rip away,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “Due process and free speech are fundamental rights. I am relieved and encouraged that Mohsen was released from detention today, and I continue to demand the immediate release of my constituent Rümeysa Öztürk, as well as Mahmoud Khalil, and the residents across the nation who may not have made headlines but similarly have been unjustly detained by this hostile administration. We have not forgotten about you and we will fight for your rights daily.”

    Mahdawi, a Vermont permanent resident for the last ten years, was abruptly arrested earlier this month by masked, hooded ICE agents without being charged with a crime. In response to his arrest, Rep. Balint, Rep. Pressley, and 66 other House Democrats demanded to know the Administration’s alleged reason for his arrest from Secretaries Rubio and Noem and received no response. 

    A full transcript of her remarks at yesterday’s rally is available below and video is available here.

    Transcript: Pressley Colleagues Demand Due Process for All at “Free Mohsen Mahdawi” Rally
    U.S. State Department
    April 29, 2025

    We keep using the word shame, and this is a shame that we find ourselves here. 

    And it is also a sham. 

    These extremist acts to disappear people from society have nothing to do with immigration. They have nothing to do with law and order. They have everything to do with power.

    And Donald Trump is abusing power. That is what dictators do. Dictators mean to silence any dissenting voices – and the only way to beat a dictator is with defiance, and that’s what brings us all here today. 

    I’m so glad that you all are awake. The other side wants you to be asleep. They’re anti-woke because they want a citizenry that is ignorant and uninformed, that is indifferent to the suffering of their neighbors, and that is inactive. 

    So you’re already winning, and you give me hope and make it easier to practice the discipline of hope – because you could have been anywhere else today, but you chose to be here to say that these abuses of power will not go unchecked.

    I know that I am speaking to the choir as I go to refer to my notes and enumerate these facts, but I preach to the choir for one reason, because I need the choir to sing. 

    When you leave here, I need you to sing about these injustices. I need you to sing about the fact that this is not about whether or not we can weather the next four years, that this is about shaping the next one hundred.

    I need you to sing about the fact that this is the moment and the opportunity to be better ancestors than descendants. 

    Who is Mohsen?

    Mohsen was raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. He is a man who loves and is loved, who is connected to family, who is connected to community.

    Mohsen is a green card holder and lawful permanent resident of the United States.

    Mohsen is a scholar, a senior at Columbia University and co-founder of Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union.

    And now, shamefully, Mohsen is a political prisoner. 

    Instead of celebrating his graduation and preparing for his Master’s program in the fall, he was on the verge of becoming a US citizen, after 10 years of living and learning and contributing in the United States. 

    Instead, his life has been upended, and he is awaiting his future from the confines of a detention center. Shameful.

    In Donald Trump’s America, Mohsen’s story is becoming shamefully all too familiar to all of us. 

    He was whisked away and disappeared off of the streets, just like my constituent, Somerville resident and PhD student, Rümeysa Öztürk.

    Make no mistake, these abductions are not isolated. 

    They are part and parcel of Trump’s precise, intentional, and coordinated attack on our democracy and our constitutional rights. 

    They serve no purpose other than to silence dissent, restrict due process, and to sow fear in our communities – which is exactly how a dictator operates. 

    But again, we will not allow these abuses of power to go unchecked or unanswered. 

    Last week, I went to conduct some real-time oversight. I visited our sister Rümeysa Öztürk and our brother Mahmoud Khalil in Louisiana at the ICE detention facilities where they are being held. 

    Allow me to digress for a moment to remind people that this is a for-profit carceral system, and the same way that there are billionaire corporations that benefit from for-profit prisons and mass incarceration, the same billionaire corporations are benefiting from for-profit detention centers and the disappearing of immigrants. These things are all connected. 

    So if someone at home is saying, “Why should I care about this?”

    If you care about mass incarceration, you need to care about mass deportation. If you care about mass deportation, you need to care about mass incarceration. 

    So last week, I went for a wellness check, which also again, was real-time congressional oversight. What I saw and heard from Rümeysa and Mahmoud was harrowing, heartbreaking, and infuriating. 

    Mahmoud spoke of growing up in Syria under Assad. He said, “I know what an authoritarian regime looks like – and this is it.”

    Rümeysa thanked me for being there, along with my colleagues in our CODEL and said the women at this detention facility have questioned if God has forgotten about us, if the world has forgotten about us.

    They are being denied proper medical care, deprived of sleep. They’re not receiving nutritious meals, no religious accommodation. A nurse, without consent, removed Rümeysa’s hijab.

    The cruelty is the point. 

    Look family, what’s happening to Mohsen, Rümeysa, Mahmoud and so many others is a damning injustice. They’ve been charged with no crimes, and are being detained simply for exercising their right to free speech, for speaking out about the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza. 

    Now let me be clear, regardless of your position on that issue or any other, this should outrage everyone and anyone with a moral conscience. 

    I do not journey to rural Louisiana because I am a Democrat. I journeyed to rural Louisiana because I’m a human being who gives a damn about other human beings. 

    In America we have a fundamental right to freedom of speech, and that’s what makes us who we are. So this blatant, flagrant violation of our First Amendment rights through these abductions should outrage everyone, regardless of your personal beliefs. 

    And as I close, because our freedoms and our destinies are tied, in his letter to Angela Y. Davis, James Baldwin wrote, “If they take you in the morning, dear sister, they will surely be coming for us that night.” And that is the truth. 

    Today, it is Mohsen, it is Rümeysa, it is Mahmoud, and tomorrow it could be you. 

    It could be you for reading a banned book. It could be you for suffering a miscarriage. It could be you for practicing Diversity Equity and Inclusion. 

    So today, we refuse to accept these abuses as inevitable. We demand due process and accountability for all, and we will keep working to protect our Constitution and everyone who calls this country home. 

    Free Mohsen Mahdawi. Free Rümeysa Öztürk. Free Mahmoud Khalil. Save our democracy.

    This is not about weathering the next four years. This is about shaping the next one hundred.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Delisting of Securities of TLGY Acquisition Corporation; Target Global Acquisition I Corp.; Inception Growth Acquisition Limited; Healthcare AI Acquisition Corp.; Globalink Investment Inc.; BurTech Acquisition Corp; Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp.; Pearl Holdings Acquisition Corp; Alpha Star Acquisition Corporation; CF Acquisition Corp. VII; Kairous Acquisition Corp. Limited; Finnovate Acquisition Corp.; Exela Technologies, Inc.; Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp I; Molecular Templates, Inc.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Nasdaq Stock Market announced today that it will delist the Class A common stock of Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc. Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc.’s stock was suspended on October 18, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock of Orgenesis Inc. Orgenesis Inc.’s stock was suspended on October 21, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock of ShiftPixy, Inc. ShiftPixy, Inc.’s stock was suspended on October 28, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock of Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc. Novo Integrated Sciences, Inc.’s stock was suspended on November 6, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp. Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp.’s securities were suspended on November 7, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock and 6.00% Series B Cumulative Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock of Exela Technologies, Inc. Exela Technologies, Inc.’s securities were suspended on November 8, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of Finnovate Acquisition Corp. Finnovate Acquisition Corp.’s securities were suspended on November 12, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A common stock of Mondee Holdings, Inc. Mondee Holdings, Inc.’s stock was suspended on December 6, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of TLGY Acquisition Corporation. TLGY Acquisition Corporation’s securities were suspended on December 9, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, warrants, and units of Target Global Acquisition I Corp. Target Global Acquisition I Corp.’s securities were suspended on December 17, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock, warrants, units, and rights of Inception Growth Acquisition Limited. Inception Growth Acquisition Limited’s securities were suspended on December 17, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of Healthcare AI Acquisition Corp. Healthcare AI Acquisition Corp.’s securities were suspended on December 17, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock, warrants, rights, and units of Globalink Investment Inc. Globalink Investment Inc.’s securities were suspended on December 17, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the unit of BurTech Acquisition Corp. BurTech Acquisition Corp.’s security was suspended on December 18, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of Pearl Holdings Acquisition Corp. Pearl Holdings Acquisition Corp’s securities were suspended on December 23, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the ordinary shares, warrants, rights, and units of Alpha Star Acquisition Corporation. Alpha Star Acquisition Corporation’s securities were suspended on December 23, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A common stock, warrants, and units of CF Acquisition Corp VII. CF Acquisition Corp. VII’s securities were suspended on December 23, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the ordinary shares, rights, units, and warrants of Kairous Acquisition Corp Limited. Kairous Acquisition Corp. Limited’s securities were suspended on December 23, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the Class A ordinary shares, units, and warrants of Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp I. Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp I’s securities were suspended on December 24, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the unit of FTAC Emerald Acquisition Corp. FTAC Emerald Acquisition Corp.’s security was suspended on December 24, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock of Molecular Templates, Inc. Molecular Templates, Inc.’s stock was suspended on December 26, 2024 and has not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    Nasdaq also announced today that it will delist the common stock, warrants, and rights of NorthView Acquisition Corporation. NorthView Acquisition Corporation’s securities were suspended on December 27, 2024 and have not traded on Nasdaq since that time.

    For more information about The Nasdaq Stock Market, visit the Nasdaq Web site at http://www.nasdaq.com. Nasdaq’s rules governing the delisting of securities can be found in the Nasdaq Rule 5800 Series, available on the Nasdaq Web site: https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/rulebook/nasdaq/rules/nasdaq-5800-series.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: When it comes to health information, who should you trust? 4 ways to spot a dodgy ‘expert’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University

    Surface/Unsplash

    When it comes to our health, we’re constantly being warned about being taken in by misinformation. Yet for most of us what we believe ultimately comes down to who we trust, including which “experts” we trust.

    The problem is that not everyone who presents themselves as an expert is actually an expert. And an expert in one area isn’t necessarily an expert in everything.

    The reality is that we often rely on superficial cues to decide who to trust. We’re often swayed by how confidently someone speaks, their perceived authority, or how compelling their story sounds. For some, it’s simply the loudest voice that carries the most weight.

    Even if we feel we have some understanding of science, few of us have the time or the capacity to verify every claim made by every so-called “expert”.

    So how can we distinguish credible experts from those that are not? Here are four things I look out for.

    1. Dodgy experts don’t acknowledge uncertainty

    One thing that separates trustworthy experts from dodgy ones, is their humility. They have a healthy respect of the limitations of science, the gaps in the evidence, and even the limitations of their own expertise.

    And importantly, they communicate this clearly.



    Read more:
    Uncertain? Many questions but no clear answers? Welcome to the mind of a scientist

    In contrast, one of the most common characteristics of the dodgy expert is they are misleadingly certain. They often present issues in overly simplistic, black-and-white terms, and they draw conclusions with misplaced confidence.

    This, of course, is part of their appeal. A neat clear-cut message that downplays uncertainty, complexity and nuance can be persuasive – and often even more persuasive than a messy but accurate message.

    One of the clearest examples of unfounded certainty was the confident claim by some “experts” early in the pandemic that COVID was no worse than the flu, a conclusion which ignored uncertainties in the emerging data.

    2. The dodgy experts doesn’t strive to be objective

    Credible experts follow a well-established and disciplined approach when communicating science. They present their understanding clearly, support it with evidence, and endeavour to remove emotion and bias from their thinking.

    A core principle of scientific thinking is striving for objectivity – and language reflects this. Experts generally aim to provide high-quality information to assist the public to make informed decisions for themselves, rather than manipulating them to reach specific conclusions.

    Dodgy experts often rely on overly emotional language, inject political agendas, or resort to personal attacks against critics in order to elicit strong emotions. This is a powerful tool for manipulating opinions when the evidence is lacking.

    One of the most harmful examples of this is the use of emotional testimonials by dodgy experts who claim people have “beaten cancer naturally”, offering false hope and often leading patients to abandon proven treatments.

    3. Dodgy experts cherry-pick evidence

    Despite what those seeking to mislead you would have you believe, scientists only reach consensus when a large body of high-quality evidence points in the same direction.

    So one of the most crucial skills experts possess is the ability to critically evaluate evidence. That means understanding its strengths and weaknesses, assessing its reliability, and synthesising what the full evidence base indicates. This task requires a deep understanding of their area of expertise.

    Dodgy experts don’t do this. They tend to dismiss inconvenient evidence that contradicts their narrative and readily embrace flawed, or even discredited, studies. In short: they often cherry-pick evidence to suit their position.

    Unfortunately, this tactic can be hard to spot if you don’t have an understanding of the full evidence base, which is something dodgy experts exploit.

    Scientists only reach consensus when a large body of evidence points in the same direction.
    Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock

    A red flag that you are being misled by a dodgy expert is when there is a clear over-reliance on a single study, despite its low quality.

    Perhaps the most well-known example of cherry-picking is the way dodgy experts rely on a single, discredited study to push the false claim that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine causes autism, while ignoring the vast body of high-quality evidence that clearly shows no such link.



    Read more:
    Monday’s medical myth: the MMR vaccine causes autism

    4. Dodgy experts don’t change their mind when the evidence changes

    Dodgy experts are often rigidly attached to their beliefs, even when new evidence emerges.

    In contrast, genuine experts welcome new evidence and are willing to change their views accordingly. This openness is often unfairly portrayed as weakness, but it reflects an expert’s desire to understand the world accurately.

    A striking example of this is the shift in our understanding of stomach ulcers. For years, ulcers were blamed on stress and spicy food, but that changed when Australian gastroenterologist and researcher Barry Marshall, in a bold move, swallowed Helicobacter pylori to demonstrate its potential role.

    His self-experiment (which is generally not recommended!) was the first step in a broader body of research that ultimately proved bacteria, not lifestyle, was the primary cause of ulcers. This ultimately led to Marshall and his colleague pathologist and researcher Robin Warren being awarded a Nobel Prize.

    As this example highlights, when presented with the evidence, clinicians and scientists acknowledged they’d got the underlying cause of stomach ulcers wrong. Clinical practice subsequently improved, with doctors prescribing antibiotics to kill the ulcer-causing bacteria.

    This is how science informs practice so we can continually improve health outcomes.

    In a nutshell

    True expertise is marked by intellectual humility, a commitment to high-quality evidence, a willingness to engage with nuance and uncertainty, flexibility, and a capacity to respectfully navigate differing opinions.

    In contrast, dodgy experts claim to have all the answers, dismiss uncertainty, cherry-pick studies, personally attack those who disagree with them, and rely more on emotion and ideology than evidence.

    Hassan Vally 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. When it comes to health information, who should you trust? 4 ways to spot a dodgy ‘expert’ – https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-health-information-who-should-you-trust-4-ways-to-spot-a-dodgy-expert-253437

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australians are warming to minority governments – but they still prefer majority rule

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Biddle, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University

    Minority governments have been part of Australia’s political history since Federation.

    In the country’s early decades, Prime Ministers Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin, Chris Watson, George Reid and Andrew Fisher all led without commanding a majority in the House of Representatives. Since the second world war, majority governments have become the norm at the national level, underpinned by the two-party system of Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition.

    Minority government has been rare, with the notable exception of Julia Gillard’s Labor government from 2010 to 2013. However, at the state/territory level, minority governments are far more common.

    The 2025 federal election could mark another shift. While Labor has pulled ahead in the polls over the course of the campaign, a minority government remains a real possibility.

    Even if a slim majority is achieved, the trend of falling primary votes for both major parties suggests minority governments could become more common in the years ahead.

    We have examined new data from more than 3,600 respondents in the March/April wave of the 2025 Election Monitoring Survey Series (EMSS) from the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) at the ANU. The results shed light on how Australians feel about the prospect of minority government, and how these attitudes could shape political expectations.

    Australians are more accepting of minority governments

    When respondents were asked whether they found the idea of a minority government acceptable, more said they did (39.3%) than said they did not (32.6%).

    This pattern is especially strong among Labor voters, minor party supporters, and those undecided about their vote. Only among Liberal voters was a minority government viewed more negatively, with a majority (51.8%) saying it would be unacceptable.

    These findings suggest that minority government does not present the widespread illegitimacy and inefficiency to the electorate that is sometimes claimed by political leaders.

    Fears of instability, but hopes for accountability

    Despite growing acceptance, Australians are divided about the likely consequences of a minority government.

    When asked whether a minority government would make politics more unstable or more representative and accountable, the country was split. About 42.7% expected more instability, while 37.6% expected greater representativeness. Another 19.6% believed it would make no real difference.

    Again, partisan divides are stark. Coalition voters overwhelmingly expect instability (62.3%), whereas minor party supporters are more optimistic about minority government delivering better accountability.

    These mixed expectations suggest while many suspect minority government will be a rocky ride, most expect little to no change. This is in contrast to recent claims a return to minority government would either further damage democracy or revitalise it by forcing change.

    Public supports reforms to make minority government work

    If a minority government emerges post-election, institutions will need to adapt. Some changes will be legislative, others cultural, some political.

    Recognising the challenges that minority governments can bring, Australians are supportive of modest reforms to help them function more effectively.

    Nearly half (47.6%) support establishing an independent body to oversee power-sharing agreements between major parties and crossbench MPs. A significant share (42.7%) also back requiring minority governments to sign formal agreements with the independents or minor parties they rely on.

    These preferences suggest Australians are pragmatic: if minority governments are to become more common, they want safeguards and structures to ensure stability and transparency.

    Trust varies across parties – and independents score well

    Australians remain relatively confident in key institutions, particularly when compared to the polarisation in other democracies. Trust is also a key factor in how Australians view different political actors in a minority government setting.

    When asked how much trust they have in different groups to act responsibly in a minority parliament, Labor emerges with the highest broad trust levels (50.4%), compared to the Liberal Party (43.0%). The Greens are the least trusted (35.7%). Trust in Independents is relatively high (45.7%).

    It is also interesting to note recent research tracking trends in non-major party voting. These find the Greens are increasingly likely to win seats from the ALP, while the Independents are more likely to win seats from the LNP.

    This matters. Who holds the balance of power has implications for maintaining trust in government. These results would indicate that if independents hold the balance of power, it may not undermine, but may actually contribute to, broader trust.

    A preference for majority rule remains

    Despite growing openness to minority governments, Australians still show a strong attachment to the traditional model of majority government in the House of Representatives.

    When asked whether “stable and effective government requires a majority of seats for one of the two major parties within the House of Representatives”, 53.8% agreed or strongly agreed. Only 16% disagreed.

    Support for this statement was strongest among Coalition voters (70.9%), but even a majority of Labor voters (54.7%) agreed. Only among minor party voters was disagreement more common.

    This result is not unexpected. Both major parties assertively campaign that major party majority provides the continuity, the stability and the certainty the country needs. It is worth noting these results were recorded in the lead up to a federal election.

    This result should also be set against over three decades of minority in the Senate.

    These findings suggest Australians prefer majority government (qualified by a desire for accountability) over minority government (particularly if that majority is led by their own party!).

    It will be interesting to track these attitudes in future EMSS should a minority government occur after May 3.

    What it means for the 2025 election – and beyond

    The 2025 federal election could be a turning point. If Labor wins a majority, it may delay a broader shift toward minority government politics. But if another minority parliament emerges, it will test the resilience of Australia’s political institutions and the evolving attitudes of voters.

    Australians appear ready to give minority government a chance – but they want it to work.

    Our only concrete reference point is the Gillard government. It was recognised for its negotiation, legislative success and running full term, but widely viewed as a political failure. What this revealed is the importance of minority government that adopts a pragmatic, inclusive and flexible approach to governance.

    Whatever the result, Australian electoral trends tell us minority governments are no longer the outlier they once were in Australian politics. Voters, political leaders, and importantly public institutions may need to adapt to a new norm in Australian politics.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Australians are warming to minority governments – but they still prefer majority rule – https://theconversation.com/australians-are-warming-to-minority-governments-but-they-still-prefer-majority-rule-255416

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How does consciousness work? Duelling scientists tested two big theories but found no winner

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Bayne, Professor of Philosophy, Monash University

    cdd20 / Unsplash

    “Theories are like toothbrushes,” it’s sometimes said. “Everybody has their own and nobody wants to use anybody else’s.”

    It’s a joke, but when it comes to the study of consciousness – the question of how we have a subjective experience of anything at all – it’s not too far from the truth.

    In 2022, British neuroscientist Anil Seth and I published a review listing 22 theories based in the biology of the brain. In 2024, operating with a less restrictive scope, US public intellectual Robert Kuhn counted more than 200.

    It’s against this background that Nature has just published the results of an “adversarial collaboration” from a group called the Cogitate Consortium focused on two prominent theories: global neuronal workspace theory and integrated information theory.

    Two big theories go head to head

    With so many ideas floating around and inherently elusive subject matter, testing theories has been no easy task. Indeed, debate between proponents of different theories has been vigorous and, at times, acrimonious.

    At a particularly low point in 2023, after the initial announcement of the results Cogitate has formally published today, many experts signed an open letter arguing that integrated information theory was not only false but doesn’t even qualify as scientific.

    Nevertheless, global neuronal workspace theory and integrated information theory are two of the “big four” theories that dominate current discussions of consciousness. (The others are higher-order representation theories, and the local re-entry – or recurrency – theory.)

    The theories are hard to summarise, but both tie consciousness to the activity of neurons in different parts of the brain.

    Advocates of these two theories, together with a number of unaligned theorists, generated predictions from the two theories about the kinds of brain activity one would expect to be associated with consciousness.

    Predictions and results

    The group agreed that integrated information theory predicts conscious perception should be associated with sustained synchronisation and activity of signals in a part of the brain called the posterior cortex.

    On the other hand, they said global neuronal workspace theory predicts that a process of “neural ignition” should accompany both the start and end of a stimulus. What’s more, it should be possible to decode what a person is conscious of from activity in their prefrontal cortex.

    The posterior cortex consists of the parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The prefrontal cortex is the front part of the frontal lobe.
    Refluo/Shutterstock

    These hypotheses (among others) were tested by “theory-neutral” teams from across the globe.

    The results were not decisive. Some were in line with predictions of one or other of the theories, but other results generated challenges.

    For example, the team failed to find sustained synchronisation within the posterior cortex of the kind predicted by integrated information theory. At the same time, global neuronal workspace theory is challenged by the fact that not all contents of consciousness could be decoded from the prefrontal cortex, and by the failure to find neural ignition when the stimulus was first presented.

    A win for science

    But although this study wasn’t a win for either theory, it was a decisive win for science. It represents a clear advance in how the consciousness community approaches theory-testing.

    It’s not uncommon for researchers to tend to look for evidence in favour of their own theory. But the seriousness of this problem in consciousness science only became clear in 2022, with the publication of an important paper by a number of researchers involved in the Cogitate Consortium. The paper showed it was possible to predict which theory of consciousness a particular study supported based purely on its design.

    The vast majority of attempts to “test” theories of consciousness have been conducted by advocates of those very theories. As a result, many studies have focused on confirming theories (rather than finding flaws, or falsifying them).

    No changing minds

    The first achievement of this collaboration was getting rival theorists to agree on testable predictions of the two theories. This was especially challenging as both the global workspace and integrated information theories are framed in very abstract terms.

    Another achievement was to run the the same experiments in different labs – a particularly difficult challenge given those labs were not committed to the theories in question.

    In the early stages of the project, the team took advice from Israeli-US psychologist Daniel Kahneman, the architect of the idea of adversarial collaborations for research.

    Kahneman said not to expect the results to change anyone’s mind, even if they decisively favoured one theory over another. Scientists are committed to their theories, he pointed out, and will cling to them even in the face of counter-evidence.

    The usefulness of irrationality

    This kind of irrational stubbornness may seem like a problem, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right systems in place, it can even help to advance science.

    Given we don’t know which theoretical approach to consciousness is most likely to be right, the scientific community ought to tackle consciousness from a variety of perspectives.

    The research community needs ways to correct itself. However, it’s useful for individual scientists to stick to their theoretical guns, and continue to work within a particular theory even in the face of problematic findings.

    A hard nut to crack

    Consciousness is a hard nut to crack. We don’t yet know whether it will yield to the current methods of consciousness science, or whether it requires a revolution in our concepts or methods (or perhaps both).

    What is clear, however, is that if we’re going to untangle the problem of subjective experience, the scientific community will need to embrace this model of collaborative research.

    I’m a co-director with Liad Mudrik of CIFAR’s “Brain, Mind, and Consciousness” program.

    – ref. How does consciousness work? Duelling scientists tested two big theories but found no winner – https://theconversation.com/how-does-consciousness-work-duelling-scientists-tested-two-big-theories-but-found-no-winner-255610

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Unveils New Housing In Castle Rock, Celebrates Women in the Trades Who Strengthen Colorado’s Economy

    Source: US State of Colorado

    CASTLE ROCK/DENVER – Today, Governor Polis unveiled 200 new homes for hardworking Coloradans at the Meadowmark community in Castle Rock. Last year, Governor Polis signed legislation to create more transit-oriented communities, eliminate discriminatory occupancy limits, get rid of costly parking restrictions, and give Coloradans the freedom to build Accessory Dwelling Units on their property. These efforts to break down government barriers to new housing continue to help bring more homes that Coloradans can afford to communities across the state. 

    “Each grand opening of new homes proves that by removing unnecessary government barriers, the market is responding to the deep need for more housing Coloradans can afford across the state. Today we unveiled 200 new homes in Castle Rock for hardworking Coloradans and families, and I look forward to building on our progress, making more housing for Coloradans and our families,” said Governor Polis. 

    Now, building on last year’s success, Governor Polis is supporting legislation to break down barriers for modular housing, allow communities to build more single-stair buildings that will save Coloradans money on housing, support the construction of more condos that Coloradans can afford, and support schools and churches in using their lands to build more homes for Coloradans. 

    Governor Polis also attended the Emily Griffith Women in the Trades Celebration to highlight the importance of Colorado women in the trades and Colorado’s emphasis on creating pathways to opportunity for everyone that strengthen Colorado’s workforce and economy. 

    “Today’s celebration confirms that in Colorado, the trades are for everyone. We are focused on connecting Coloradans, no matter who you are, with the skills needed to get a good-paying job. Our workforce and economy are made stronger by our efforts to create new opportunities and pathways for women to join the trades,” said Governor Polis. 

    Earlier this month, Governor Polis signed bipartisan legislation to create a new Associate of Applied Science degree at Emily Griffith Technical College, creating new opportunities for students of all backgrounds to participate in apprenticeships in HVAC, plumbing, electrical work, and more. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Update 289 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    Ukrainian engineers and construction workers are carrying out temporary repairs of the Chornobyl site’s New Safe Confinement (NSC) that was severely damaged in a drone attack earlier this year, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

    The drone strike on 14 February pierced a big hole through the roof of the large confinement structure built to prevent any radioactive release from the reactor destroyed in the 1986 accident and protect it from external hazards. It took several weeks to completely extinguish the fires and smouldering caused by this strike.

    The IAEA team based at the Chornobyl plant in northern Ukraine visited the NSC in recent days to discuss ongoing efforts by the site to assess the building’s structural integrity following the attack almost three months ago and to observe repairs of the inner and outer cladding to prevent water ingress.

    “Immediately after the drone strike Ukrainian emergency personnel rushed to contain and eventually put out the fires. The site is now focusing its efforts on assessing the full extent of the damage while also carrying out short-term repairs. It is clear that the confinement structure – constructed at huge expense and with major international support – suffered extensive damage,” Director General Grossi said.

    The Director General reiterated, however, that there has not been any radioactive release as a result of the damage, and that the NSC is able to continue to perform its protective function.

    At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the IAEA team has continued to hear explosions in the distance every day over the past week, a constant reminder of the potential dangers facing nuclear safety and security.

    The IAEA team has conducted walkdowns across the site to observe site activities, visiting all Emergency Control Rooms of the six reactors, the safety systems of unit 4, and the two fresh fuel storage facilities.

    At Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – three of their total of nine reactors remained shutdown for maintenance and refuelling outages.  

    At the South Ukraine NPP, the IAEA team reported about many air raid alarms over the past week. The team was informed by the site that six drones were detected at a distance of 1.5 km from the plant in the night of 25 April, coinciding with the sound of military activity that appeared to be coming from an attempt to shoot them down.

    At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, the IAEA team members were required to shelter on the morning of 30 April due to an air raid alert.

    As part of the IAEA’s medical assistance programme for Ukraine, 200 boxes of influenza medication were delivered to the National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (NRCRM), funded by Japan.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Family Driven: Enhancing Global Standards of Radiation Protection of Patients

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    Rizk’s journey in radiation protection and dosimetry started in 2005 when, after completing her master’s degree in Material Science and Electronic Components in 2004, she was offered the job of Technical Manager at the Individual Monitoring Laboratory at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission.  

    There she oversaw the safe occupational radiation exposure of more than 6000 workers across over 400 healthcare facilities, industrial companies and research centres.  

    “It is important to know what dosimetry is and its importance,” Rizk says, explaining that “it is the measurement and calculation of the radiation dose absorbed by the human body or other devices or objects. It is crucial in fields like radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy to ensure safe and effective use of radiation.” 

    She also achieved ISO accreditation for the Lebanese laboratory — the first of its kind in the Middle East — setting a new benchmark of standards and quality for radiation protection of occupationally exposed workers in the region. 

    “Chadia’s efforts have made a lasting impact, consistently raising standards and enhancing practices in the field,” said Director General of the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, Bilal Nsouli, and Rizk’s former professor during her Master’s degree. 

    In 2007, her collaboration with the IAEA began, initially as a fellow and later as a counterpart in four projects under the technical cooperation programme. Rizk worked with the IAEA on individual monitoring and regulatory compliance to improve occupational radiation protection in Lebanon in line with the IAEA International Basic Safety Standards.  

    “Despite limited resources, she remained steadfast in her commitment to providing dosimetry services according to international standards and her passion for radiation protection research has always stood out,” reflects Filip Vanhavere, Radiation Protection Research Coordinator at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre who worked with Rizk on an IAEA mission to the Lebanese laboratory. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Why are women paid less than men? New research in South Africa shows the company you work for makes the biggest difference

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Ihsaan Bassier, Researcher in Economics, University of Surrey

    Why do women earn less than men? The usual suspects – occupation, hours, experience – explain some of it. But a powerful, often overlooked reason is simply this: where women work. The companies that hire them play a huge role in shaping their lifetime earnings.

    South Africa has a severe gender pay gap, much of which is unexplained by worker characteristics such as occupation, skills or experience.

    In our new study published in the Journal of Development Economics, using tax data on the universe of formal workers in South Africa, we uncover a striking fact: nearly half of the gender pay gap in South Africa is explained by women working at lower-paying companies than men. That is, more women tend to work at companies that pay all workers less.

    In addition, this phenomenon evolves dramatically over a woman’s life.

    We tracked millions of workers between 2010 and 2018 using tax data. We wanted to figure out how much money different companies paid, relative to each other, regardless of the type of worker. To do this, we compared what two companies pay the same worker. We looked at workers who switched companies and compared how their pay changed when they moved to a new company. By doing this for many workers and many companies, we could see how much more or less that company tends to pay people with the same kind of background or job.

    In the formal sector in South Africa, women, on average, get paid 12% less than men. We find that about 45% of this gap – 5.5 percentage points – is due to women being concentrated in firms that pay less overall (to both women and men).

    This isn’t because women are paid less within the same company — that kind of direct discrimination plays a much smaller role. Instead, it’s largely about sorting: women and men end up at different companies, and those pay differently.

    Women disproportionately enter lower-paying sectors such as education, retail, or personal care, while men are over-represented in high-premium sectors like construction, mining, and manufacturing.

    As labour and development economists, we argue that reducing the gender pay gap takes more than putting women into male-dominated jobs or promoting equal pay for equal work. It means tackling the invisible structures that steer women into lower-paying companies.

    A gender gap that grows, then shrinks

    What’s particularly revealing is how the firm-pay gap changes across the life cycle. For workers in their early twenties, this gap is almost nonexistent. But from the mid-20s to the mid-40s — roughly the child-rearing years — the gap widens significantly.

    Why does this happen?

    First, women who remain continuously employed through their 30s tend to move to worse-paying firms than men, even though they switch jobs at similar rates.

    Second, women entering or re-entering formal work (after a spell of unemployment or informal work) tend to start at lower-paying firms than men. This disadvantage when re-entering contributes to the overall gap, but is more constant over the life cycle.

    Interestingly, churn (moving in and out of employment) is common — but men and women do it at similar rates. The key difference is what type of firm they land in when they return. Nearly half the gap among entrants is explained by industry sorting — women disproportionately enter lower-paying sectors such as education, retail, or personal care, while men are overrepresented in high-premium sectors like construction, mining, and manufacturing.

    This isn’t because women have less (or different) skills. That might be another contributor to the overall gender gap in pay, but it’s not what we looked at. This is the pay disadvantage that women face from being at firms that pay less for the same job or skill.

    The firms that women join tend to be in lower-paying industries, have fewer resources, and are less likely to be covered by collective bargaining agreements (union-negotiated industry wages) that boost pay.

    Just like women leave or re-enter formal jobs at the same rates as men, they are in fact just as likely to switch jobs when employed. The problem then is that their job switches are less likely to lead to upward moves in the pay hierarchy, possibly due to employer discrimination or a need to prioritise non-pay job characteristics (like flexibility).

    Then something remarkable happens. As women age into their late 40s and 50s, the gender gap begins to close. They start making more advantageous moves than men. This is likely because, having been sorted into lower-paying firms earlier in their careers, they have more room to climb. And with child-related constraints easing later in life, they finally can.

    Firms in developing countries

    Our finding — that women ending up in lower-paying companies accounts for nearly half of the pay gap — is higher than estimates from high-income countries like Portugal or Italy, where it explains around 20%–25%. But in developing countries like Brazil and Chile, the contribution is similar to what we find.

    Why do firms matter more in places like South Africa?

    Labour markets are more “monopsonistic” — firms have more power to set wages due to high unemployment and few outside options for workers. So because formal jobs are scarce, entering or moving up within the formal sector is harder, especially for women. In fact, we show that in regions of South Africa with lower levels of formality, the gender gap in firm pay is wider.

    Policy takeaways

    One instructive exception is the public sector, where the state has actively pursued gender equity in hiring. Public administration employs a much higher share of women than men and offers relatively high pay premia.

    In developing countries especially, where formality is limited and transitions into good jobs are harder, policy can focus on easing women’s access to high-paying companies.

    This can mean policies that support childcare, promote flexibility without penalising pay, or reduce discrimination in hiring. Otherwise, sorting into low-paying firms will keep reproducing the gender pay gap, one job move at a time.

    – Why are women paid less than men? New research in South Africa shows the company you work for makes the biggest difference
    – https://theconversation.com/why-are-women-paid-less-than-men-new-research-in-south-africa-shows-the-company-you-work-for-makes-the-biggest-difference-254221

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Informal workers in Ghana’s chop bars get no benefit from foreign aid: donors are getting it wrong

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Matteo Rizzo, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies, SOAS, University of London

    Informal street food caterers, popularly known as chop bars, are a key feature of Ghanaian city life. They offer the urban poor the cheapest food.

    A 2016 survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated there were about 3,300 chop bars in the capital, Accra, employing almost 4,300 workers. This figure is likely to be much higher now due to rapid urban growth in the last decade. Ghana’s urban population increased from 50.9% in 2010 to 56.7% in 2021. By the same year the Greater Accra region was home to 91.7% of the urban population in the country.

    Street food caterers in Accra face a number of problems, including insecurity of land tenure, inadequate knowledge of food hygiene, harassment from local authorities, cut-throat competition, and low returns from work.

    Foreign donors have over the years stepped in to attempt to address these problems. A flagship of this assistance has been a programme funded by Danish trade unions and the Danish Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Under its aegis, Ghana’s Trades Union Congress was able to support workers in chop bars.

    Drawing on our expertise on trade unions in Ghana and on the informal economy, we assessed the effectiveness and strategic relevance of this aid.

    The aid focused on entrepreneurial skills and micro-credit. This overlooks some of the real problems in the sector. It leaves wage workers in a precarious position and does nothing to boost demand for what the sector supplies. We argue that to be more effective, foreign aid should address these gaps.

    Entrepreneurial pipe dreams

    Increased donor attention to workers in the informal economy and trade unions could be seen as a positive trend. After all, this is where the majority of workers in African cities are to be found. Ghana’s official statistical service places the size of the country’s informal sector between 70% and 80% of the working populace in its reports from 2024.

    However, close examination of the type of support given, and its results, yields a more sobering picture.

    Aid focused firstly on capacity building and entrepreneurship. This aimed at boosting skills such as financial literacy and capacity to care for customers. The programme’s own evaluation highlights the increased confidence that chop bar operators gained through this training. Important as this might be, increased confidence can do very little to overcome structural challenges, like intense competition in an oversupplied sector and the insecurity of land tenure.

    A second area of support was the provision of micro-credit via the Trades Union Congress (Ghana). One could argue that it boosted the creditworthiness of informal economy operators. But there is evidence, including our study, that credit can often result in a spiral of debt and “poverty finance”.

    Donors chose to focus on small-scale entrepreneurs as the only economic actors in the informal economy. This reflects an ideological, and market fundamentalist, understanding of the informal economy as inhabited only by small enterprises and self-employed workers, and the challenge as one of making the market work better for the poor.

    The blind spots of donors’ support to the informal economy

    This approach by donors neglects informal and highly precarious wage workers within the chop bar sector. Our research shows that the chop bar industry is stratified in terms of class. Within it, alongside genuine self-employed workers, there are people who own relatively small-scale capital (cooking assets and in some cases the land and buildings in which the bars are based) and who employ informal wage workers.

    The informal workforce is by and large made up of migrant female workers with relatively low education and skill. They work without contracts, for very long hours and very low wages, and face the risk of sudden dismissal and harassment from employers. Such poor working conditions stem from the lack of contracts, and of the rights that come with them. This is the weakest category of workers in the industry – yet they have no place in donors’ and trade unions’ activities to support workers.

    The main limitation of donors’ aid to the chop bar sector is that it focuses exclusively on supply-side interventions. It is based on the idea that improving skills and access to finance will result in increased demand for the services of small-scale entrepreneurs. Many aid programmes on employment make this mistake and suffer from so called “employment dementia” .

    This type of aid doesn’t ask where the stimulus to increase demand for street food will come from, or what the structural roots of urban employment challenges are. It doesn’t consider why African cities have large informal economies and poor-quality jobs.

    Aid priorities

    Donors should re-think their aid priorities, and put informal wage workers at their centre. This would entail moving away from the current focus on micro-solutions for job creation, and instead supporting policies to promote structural change, to tighten labour markets and increase the demand for good-quality jobs within them.

    This article was co-authored with Dr Prince Asafu-Adjaye, an associate of Labour Research Service.

    – Informal workers in Ghana’s chop bars get no benefit from foreign aid: donors are getting it wrong
    – https://theconversation.com/informal-workers-in-ghanas-chop-bars-get-no-benefit-from-foreign-aid-donors-are-getting-it-wrong-253633

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Commencement Student Speaker Spotlight: Daniella Dennis

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Meet Daniella Dennis of New Britain. Her parents were born and raised in Jamaica and immigrated to America in the late 1990s. The youngest of four siblings, her mother as a Certified Nursing Assistant introduced her to the medical field. Before matriculating at UConn School of Medicine she was an EMT and a patient care technician during the COVID-19 pandemic. After graduation, she will be entering emergency medicine residency at UConn and will be a proud first-generation college graduate and first doctor in her family. Her advice to all students: no matter what stage you are at, you can never have too many mentors. 

    Why did you choose the UConn School of Medicine?

    I was born and raised in Connecticut so UConn growing up was a dream school for me. Something I’ve loved about UConn is its Team Based Learning curriculum which makes it very unique compared to other medical schools and its cohesiveness between faculty and students.

    Tell us more about your path to medical school.

    After New Britain High School, I attended Central Connecticut State University where I was a biomolecular science major with a minor in community engagement and graduated in 2018. Following graduation, I took two gap years where I worked as an EMT and as a patient care tech over at Hartford Hospital and then matriculated at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in the fall of 2021.

    What activities were you involved with as a student?

    I was involved in a multitude of different leadership positions including being secretary of the Student National Medical Association, a part of the Gold Humanism Society, in various surgical student groups and participated as a mentor as part of the Health Career Opportunities Programs — a pipeline program created by Dr. Marja Hurley here at UConn Health that helps students from high school who come from underrepresented backgrounds including those who are first-generation college students to be able to get into college and then furthermore get into medical and dental school.

    What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?

    How willing faculty are open to listening to student feedback and always looking for different ways to improve the curriculum and always looking for other new ways to improve student wellness.

    What’s one thing every student should do during their time at UConn?

    One of my favorite events that UConn has every single year is Culture Shock which is run in collaboration with the Student National Medical Association, the Latino Medical Association, and the Student National Dental Association. Culture shock is essentially our version of a school-wide talent show where we have students showcase their various talents and their cultures and most importantly it’s a great time to have the entire student body and faculty be around for a great night of celebration. The event raises money for various charities within the Greater Hartford Area. This event takes place every December and I’m glad to have been able to participate in Culture Shock and be able to attend the event every single year since my first year of medical school. I absolutely love seeing people in my class and even upper-class students be involved. Whether it’s my peers showcasing their singing skills, dancing, or most importantly the most famous part of the night is our fashion show where you get to showcase various pieces and clothing from your particular culture.

    Who inspired you to enter health care?

    It started with my mother who was a certified nursing assistant at a rehabilitation center and in elementary school after school I would visit her at work and be around various health care professionals including physicians, nurses, and physician assistants and I became very curious at that time at an early age about becoming a doctor. It wasn’t really until high school where we had a Health Academy that’s focused on helping students go into health care professionals that I really started to think more about becoming a physician. Furthermore I had a great relationship with my pediatrician growing up who became one of my first mentors in the field of medicine that I made the final decision to go to medical school after my sophomore year of college where during that summer between freshman and sophomore year I did a six-week program at Columbia University focused on first generation college students who were interested in going into health professional careers. During that program, I was able to shadow various physicians and different medical sub-specialties which really gave me the confidence and knowledge to go into medicine. From that experience I decided to go on the pathway of becoming a doctor and I’ve had a multitude of other great inspiration and mentors along the way that helped guide me on this path.

    What are your plans after graduation?

    I’ll be continuing my journey here at UConn as an Emergency Medicine resident physician.

    What’s one thing that will always make you think of UConn?

    The people! The faculty, friends, and mentors are what makes UConn have its collaborative feel and most importantly always making you feel comfortable and welcomed.

    What does being a part of UConn mean to you?

    I love being at UConn! Being at UConn feels at home. I think most importantly the reason that I love being here is that it feels like a community. I’m very thankful for my colleagues who’ve helped me throughout my entire medical school time. I really do love the faculty who also have been very supportive and very attentive to student wellness. These are the characteristics and traits that I want to continue to have as I transition in the next part of my journey of becoming a resident.

    What’s it going to be like to walk across the Commencement stage and get your degree?

    It’s going to be a huge accomplishment for me, especially in my case being a first-generation college student and now to be the first person in my family to become a doctor. It’s going to be an amazing accomplishment to share this moment with friends and family watching me on the stage and I’m super thankful for their support in terms of this entire journey to be able to get to this point.

    Any final words of wisdom for incoming students?

    Get involved and explore as early as you possibly can and most importantly you can never have too many mentors there’s always something that you can learn and grow from someone no matter what field that they come from. Always take advantage of the ability to ask for help.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova: Five world-class genomic research centers will be created in 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova held a meeting of the Council for the implementation of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Genetic Technologies for 2019–2030. The agenda included summing up the results of the competitive selection of organizations on the basis of which world-class genomic research centers will be created, as well as the competition for the distribution of grants for the implementation of research programs and projects in the field of genetics.

    “We are starting the next stage of the implementation of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Genetic Technologies – with updated objectives, a reboot of previously implemented areas and the selection of new research centers. It is extremely important that the centers selected today bring the expected results. According to the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development, approved by the President in 2024, genetic technologies are designated as a priority area. Our goal is not only to deepen fundamental research in this area, but also to ensure its practical implementation,” said Tatyana Golikova.

    As the Deputy Prime Minister noted, the centers will be created in four areas of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Genetic Technologies until 2030:

    · biosafety and ensuring technological independence;

    · genetic technologies for agricultural development;

    · genetic technologies for medicine;

    · genetic technologies for industrial microbiology.

    The head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, noted that the conditions of the competition had been revised.

    “Today we are faced with the most important task of achieving technological leadership, in connection with which many programs for supporting scientific research have been finalized, including the program for creating world-class genomic research centers. Now, the presence of an industrial partner or a qualified customer is one of the key conditions for participation in the competition,” the minister emphasized.

    World-class genomic research centers are consortia that unite the potential of research institutes, universities, and organizations of the real sector of the economy. Their activities contribute to the acquisition of new knowledge in the field of genetics and the development of new technologies.

    Following a competitive selection process, the government has formed a list of organizations on the basis of which five world-class genomic research centers will begin operating in 2025–2030.

    The Center for High-Precision Genetic Technologies for Medicine will be created on the basis of a consortium of the V.A. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, and the National Medical Research Center of Hematology. Its main areas of work include the creation of anti-cancer drugs based on recombinant oncolytic viruses, drugs for the treatment of ischemic strokes, technologies for obtaining functional protein structures and pharmacogenetic approaches for medical diagnostics, as well as personnel training and retraining.

    The Center for Predictive Genetics, Pharmacogenetics and Personalized Therapy is being created on the basis of the Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after Academician B.V. Petrovsky. The expected results of the center include, for example, the search for and identification of new genes responsible for cardiovascular diseases; the development of a diagnostic technology (“liquid biopsy”) for monitoring the risks of rejection and oncological diseases in patients who have undergone organ transplantation; the creation of a remote access advisory center for doctors and the development of higher and professional education programs in the field of genetics and pharmacogenetics.

    The world-class genomic research center “Genetic reprogramming and gene therapy” is being created on the basis of a consortium of five organizations: the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center of Physical and Chemical Medicine named after Yu.M. Lopukhin of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, the State Research Center “Institute of Immunology” of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, the Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Moscow Clinical Research Center named after A.S. Loginov. The center’s program involves bringing several completely original drugs to implementation, for example, for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy and hereditary angioedema.

    The activities of the World-Class Genomic Research Center “Ensuring Biological Safety and Technological Independence” of Rospotrebnadzor are aimed at actively introducing modern genomic technologies and synthetic biology methods into the country’s biosafety system. In particular, within the framework of the project, scientists set themselves the task of describing viruses of vertebrate and arthropod carriers in natural reservoirs that have pathogenic potential. As a result, taking into account the use of modern technological solutions for metavirome analysis, new, previously undescribed or modified viruses will be identified and their zoonotic and pathogenic potential for humans will be assessed. This will allow the Russian Federation to become the third country in the world to implement such global projects.

    The Kurchatov Genome Center consortium will include the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology. The center’s main tasks include creating producer strains (bacterial systems), methodologies for designing varieties based on the analysis of large genotyping data, developing new varieties and hybrids, prototypes of varieties of strategically important agricultural crops obtained using genome editing, as well as developing and implementing educational programs for specialists (in genomic selection) and gifted schoolchildren.

    In addition, following the results of the competition for the distribution of grants for the implementation of research programs and projects in the field of genetics, 13 teams conducting research in the field of genetics and 14 projects that will result in the creation of bioresource collections will receive support. The total amount of their funding in 2025 will be 1.7 billion rubles.

    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: GenomeIndia

    Source: Government of India

    GenomeIndia

    Government of India committed to fostering sustainable development through democratizing and disseminating this national genetic resource knowledge

    The Government is committed to ensure fair and equitable access to GenomeIndia data by our researchers

    Posted On: 30 APR 2025 5:28PM by PIB Delhi

    The ‘GENOMEINDIA’, funded by the Department of Biotechnology of the Central Government has completed whole genome sequencing (WGS) database of over 10,000 individuals representing all major population groups, across the country. GenomeIndia data represents Government of India’s commitment to scientific inquiry and is poised to reshape health and science in India and beyond, fostering sustainable development through democratizing and disseminating this national genetic resource knowledge.

    The result oriented cumulative proactive actions taken by the Department towards setting up of IBDC, release of Biotech PRIDE Guidelines, formulation of FeED Protocols, transfer and storage of GenomeIndia Data in IBDC; followed by the announcements by the highest leaderships in the country indicate strong determination of the Government for sharing of this data with our researchers to analyze critical information, accelerating discoveries and advancements in biological sciences.

    For the first time in the country, the department has established the Indian Biological Data Center (IBDC) in March 2020 with 96 TF computing capacity using 2912 CPUs, 39 TB of RAM, 865 TF computing capacity using 64 GPUs, 4 PB of parallel file system with the capability of writing 100GB of data every second and 1.5 PB of disk and tape to store backup copy of data. The Department has released the Biotech-PRIDE Guidelines, 2021 followed by formulation of ‘Framework for Exchange of Data (FeED) Protocols’ for responsible data sharing.

    On 9thJanuary 2025, during the ‘Genomics Data Conclave’, the ‘GenomeIndia Data’ was dedicated to the researchers by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. The Prime Minister stated that this national database encapsulates the extraordinary genetic landscape of India and will serve as an invaluable scientific resource to boost genetic and medical research for human health. Further, during the address to the nation on the evening of 25thJanuary, 2025, Her Excellency, Smt. Draupadi Murmu, President of India said that GenomeIndia project marks a significant chapter in the history of Indian Science.

    The department also announced the ‘Call for Proposals’ from researchers to exploit the opportunities of translational research using GenomeIndia data.  To address the queries of the researchers, the Department issued the addendum mentioning the types and category of data that will be available for research, also “associated phenotype data” will be shared. It is clarified that access to GenomeIndia data is not limited to the ‘Call’ but independent requests for data access are being received by IBDC, under the ambit of Biotech PRIDE Guidelines and FeED Protocols.  

    As on date, this National Resource generated under the GenomeIndia project comprises of Fastq files of 9772 samples (~700 TB), gvcfs: 9772 (~35 TB), phenotypic data from 9330 samples and Joint call files (~3.5 TB) and is archived at IBDC, the National Repository.

    To brief about the issue of phenotype data as mentioned in one of the news articles in a leading newspaper, it is stated here that curation and cleaning up of phenotypic data was performed on 9772 samples which underwent WGS and were used in joint calling. Out of these 9772 samples, phenotypic data from 9330 samples could be used because the data available for the rest of the samples (numbering 442) was not usable. Many phenotypic parameters had very high levels of missingness, so the data for the top 27 variables for 9330 samples is available for research. These 27 variables are Albumin, Alkaline_Phosphatase, ALT_SGPT, AST_SGOT, Basophils, Cholesterol, Creatinine, Direct_Bilirubin, Eosinophils, FBS_Fasting_Blood_Glucose, HB_Haemoglobin, HbA1C_Glycosylated_Haemoglobin, HDL, Indirect_Bilirubin, LDL, Lymphocytes, MCH_Mean_Corpuscular_Hb, Monocytes, Neutrophils, Platelet_Count, Protein, RBC_Red_Blood_Cell_Count, RBS, Total_Bilirubin, Triglycerides, Urea, WBC_Total_White_Blood_Cell_Count. The anthropometry data such as: Age, Gender, Height, Weight, Body Fat is also available.

    Further, some of the news articles have also raised concern about making ‘No Access’ for FASTQ files. It is pertinent to mention here that the total size of FASTQ files is approximately 700 TB. The logistical and technical challenges of transferring these files are enormous. It is difficult to ensure the completeness and sanctity of downloads by requesters. Analyzing raw sequencing files often demands two- to three-times more computational capacity, leading to redundant workflows and wasted infrastructure at the national level. By providing equitable access to gVCF files (which amounts to ~35 TB) instead, data can be shared more quickly and computational resources conserved. The international leading data banks established for more than 2 decades also does not allow the downloading of data; data is provided by their cloud platform. Hence, ‘No Access’ to FASTQ files in the department’s ‘Call’ means that these files will not be available for download at present. This policy is in line with other global consortia. As IBDC will grow and expand in future, similar provisions may be incorporated.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) announces the 28th National Conference on E-Governance (NCeG)

    Source: Government of India

    Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) announces the 28th National Conference on E-Governance (NCeG)

    On the 9th and 10th of June 2025 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

    Registration portal https://nceg.gov.in/  opened for registration by all Government and non-government participants

    Posted On: 30 APR 2025 5:18PM by PIB Delhi

    The 28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) is set to take place on the 9th and 10th of June, 2025 at Novotel, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The event is being jointly organized by, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG),Govt of India, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

    The theme of the two-day conference, is “Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation,” and will feature six plenary sessions and six breakout sessions. The Conference is designed to provide a platform for policy makers, practitioners, industry leaders, and academicians to deliberate, discuss, and recommend actionable strategy to enhance quality of public services rendered by the governments, to realize the policy of  “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance”  for a Viksit Bharat, through setting newer benchmarks in good governance.

    The National e-Gov Awards (NAeG) 2025, will be conferred by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Minister of State of the Prime Minister’s Office, Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy, and Minister of State in the Department of Space, during the Conference.

    The Conference will be graced by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu who will inaugurate the Conference and chair a plenary session on Vizag as IT Hub. The Dy. CM of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Pawan Kalyan and the Minister of IT & Human Resources, Shri N. Lokesh will deliver keynote addresses during the Conference in the presence of senior officers of State and Central Governments.

    DARPG has opened the portal nceg.gov.in for the registration of participants fromCentral Ministries and State/UT Governments, Industry, Academia, Start-ups, Exhibitors, Awardees, Speakers and Panellists etc for participation in the 28thNCeG 2025

    In preparation for this event a virtual meeting was chaired by Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG on 30th April 2025, to provide a comprehensive briefing on the Conference’s structure, schedule and importance. The meeting was attended by Secretary, Department of ITE&C, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Senior Vice President, NASSCOM,IIM Visakhapatnam along with other senior officials from the Government of India and State Governments. Government of AP shared the status report on the preparations.

     

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson Presents Congressional Gold Medal to the Six Triple Eight

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — Tuesday afternoon, Speaker Johnson hosted a bipartisan Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, commonly known as the Six Triple Eight. The battalion was the first and only all-Black, all-female unit to serve overseas in Europe during World War II. The Six Triple Eight, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, was instrumental in clearing the U.S. Army’s backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail in only three months, twice as fast as projected.

    The ceremony was held in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol and featured remarks from Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune, Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, Senator Moran, Senator Rosen, Representative Moore, former Representative LaTurner, and Colonel Edna Cummings. Stanley Earley III and Judith Earley, children of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, accepted the medal on behalf of the 855 women who served in the Six Triple Eight.

    Watch the Speaker’s remarks here

    Read Speaker Johnson’s remarks below:

    It’s a beautiful spring afternoon. We’re so happy to have you all, and I want to welcome my colleagues in Congress, of course, officials of the United States Army, distinguished guests. We’re so happy to have you at the United States Capitol today. We are honored to be joined by over 300 descendants and family members of the six triple eight.

    What a testament this is to the enduring impact of these remarkable women that we honor today. This ceremony reflects one of the highest and most cherished traditions of our republic, one that’s roots stretch back all the way to General George Washington, Ulysses S Grant and the Wright brothers.

    The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor this body can bestow. It’s reserved for those whose courage and service shaped our country and our nation’s story. It’s in this spirit that we gather to award this medal to the 6888, the Central Postal Directory. It’s 6888, but we call it the six triple eight.  

    This battalion was the first and the only unit of African American women to serve overseas during World War II. As tens of thousands of Allied forces made their final push across Europe, the mail system was stretched thin from scarce resources. It was crippling under the weight of wartime logistics.

    Then, just as today, letters of home were very, very important. They were lifelines that grounded the soldiers. They reminded our brave heroes of all they were fighting for, it was actually waiting back at home. Morale reports during the war underscore just how important mail was to the soldiers’ spirit, so much so that the phrase no mail, low morale became widespread. It was later adopted by the army as the official motto of the six triple eight yet for all the importance of mail, millions of undelivered letters piled up in dark warehouses across Europe, and those letters might well have stayed there, were it not for the work of the women that we celebrate today?

    Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, the battalion – Parenthetically, I just want to note she sounds like a Marvel, hero, that name is so awesome. Charity Adams Earley. The battalion deployed to England and got to work on the on the backlog. They worked in three ships, around the clock, day in and day out, to sort through the literal mountains of mail that had accumulated, all while navigating troop movements that turned on a dime, incomplete addresses, illegible writing, and thousands of soldiers who shared the same names.

    Listen to this. This is just one example. Okay, my name is Mike Johnson. Right, at this time, I know it’s sad. At this time, Michael was the ninth most popular name, and Johnson was one of the top five surnames. So, my staff did the math. They said, Sir, it’s pretty safe to assume that roughly 30,000 Mike Johnson’s served in World War II, and that’s enough to fill Fenway Park.

    Now just imagine the challenge that these ladies have. They were trying to get the right letter to the right soldier, and that’s the kind of that’s the kind of challenge that they faced. With great ingenuity, they maintained a tracking system of 7 million ID cards to solve the issue of soldiers curing names. They didn’t have all the high-tech gadgets that we have today. They had to do it manually.

    Processing roughly 65,000 pieces of mail per shift, they cleared the entire backlog in no less than three months.

    Listen to this. By the war’s end, the Six Triple Eight had sorted over 17 million pieces of mail. They got the job done, even in the face of inadequate supplies and even in the face of discrimination, both for women within the Army and back home. These women were valiant members of our Greatest Generation, artists, academics, athletes, women who wanted went on to pursue higher education, to build families, to buy homes, and shape the very foundation of the American middle class.

    We remember women like Margaret Sales, who enlisted on her 20th birthday. She enlisted on her 20th birthday, and she had dreams of pursuing music and teaching. We remember women like Romay Davis. She used the GI Bill to attend fashion school, and decades later, earned her black belt in her 70s. Tough ladies.

    We also, of course, remember the incomparable Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley who guided her unit. She faced all those challenges and she guided her unit with unshakable grace and resolve. And even after earning her degree in mathematics, Latin and physics, she returned to her studies after the war, and she said this famously, “After handling 855 women, any course in college would be a cinch.”

    We’re blessed that two members of the Six Triple Eight are still with us today, watching from home. They are, and we want to salute them from here in the chamber. Fannie McClendon, who hails from my home state of Louisiana, all right. She went on to serve her country as a Major in the Air Force. We also have Anna Mae Robertson watching at home. Just last month, she celebrated her 101st birthday. Ms. Anna Mae, you got a big group here.

    Okay, these women and the entire Six Triple Eight, are great American patriots, loyal to a nation that, for far too long, failed to return that favor. And I’m glad to say that that’s changing, and we’re doing that here today.

    This remarkable story has rightly captured imaginations, it has now inspired books and movies, stirred the conscience of millions of Americans who are just now hearing and sharing this incredible story. Today here in the people’s house, we add to that story. So, thank you all for being here. We are honored to host you and to celebrate these exceptional women. God bless you.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: WAVES 2025 Transforming India into a Global M&E Powerhouse

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 30 APR 2025 6:43PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    Get ready for a landmark celebration of creativity, technology, and storytelling as WAVES 2025 — the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit — takes center stage in Mumbai from May 1st to 4th. Hosted by the Government of India, this first-of-its-kind global event brings the spotlight to India’s vibrant Media & Entertainment sector, transforming the Jio World Convention Centre into a dynamic hub of imagination, innovation, and opportunity.

    With over 100,000 registrations, including 1,100+ international participants, WAVES 2025 is where filmmakers, tech pioneers, creators, investors, and industry leaders come together to shape the future of entertainment. From the legendary voices of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to the tech leadership of Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, the summit unites visionaries across sectors in a powerful showcase of talent and ambition.

    This is more than a summit — it’s a movement to position India as a global creative and digital powerhouse. With exciting highlights like the Create in India Challenge, cutting-edge exhibitions, startup pitches, cultural performances, and high-level dialogues, WAVES 2025 marks a bold step into the future—where culture meets code, and tradition meets transformation.

    Create in India Challenge Season 1

    The Create in India Challenge (CIC) is a strategic initiative aimed at empowering India’s content creators. By providing a platform for innovation and creative expression, CIC seeks to strengthen India’s creators’ economy, enhance soft power, and position emerging talent for global recognition. The initiative supports monetization of skills and contributes to the growth of the media and entertainment industry.

    CIC brings an exciting lineup of 32 unique challenges across creative, tech and cultural fields. Launched on August 22, 2024, it attracted massive participation from across India and around the world! The challenges have attracted entries from over 60 countries, reflecting the global appeal and reach of this pioneering initiative. From this exceptional pool of talent, 750 finalists will be given the opportunity to showcase their creative skills and outcomes at Creatosphere, a specially curated platform featuring innovation across animation, comics, AI, XR, gaming, music, and more, as part of WAVES 2025. The winners of these challenges will be conferred the prestigious ‘WAVES Creator Awards’ in a grand red carpet ceremony on Day 2 of the event.

    1. WAVES Promo Video Challenge: A unique contest designed to discover powerful and inspiring audiovisual content that captures and showcases the spirit and ambition of the WAVES 2025, through a video.

    Total Registrations

    164

    Finalists

    3
    1. Truth Tell Hackathon: Tech innovators, data experts, and media professionals were called to develop AI solutions that tackle misinformation and promote credible journalism.

    Total Registrations

    5650

    International Registrations

    186

    Finalists

    5
    1. Community Radio Content Challenge: This exciting competition aims to celebrate and showcase the creativity, innovation, and impact of community radio stations across India.

    Total Registrations

    246

    International Registrations

    14
    1. WAVES Hackathon Ad spend Optimizer: Participants worked on using data science, machine learning, and statistical modeling to create solutions that help advertisers make smarter, data-driven decisions. The goal was to maximize ROI and support marketing objectives.

    Total Registrations

    115

    International Registrations

    1
    1. Make The World Wear Khadi: Aims to blend India’s rich textile heritage with global fashion trends, offering an exciting challenge to advertising professionals and freelancers.

    Total Registrations

    770

    Finalists

    5
    1. Wah Ustad: It aims to nurture exceptional talent in Hindustani, Carnatic, and soulful Sufi music while preserving and promoting India’s rich musical legacy.

    Total Registrations

    300

    International Registrations

    3
    1. Battle Of the Bands: Designed to push the limits of creativity and music, while promoting a sense of community, innovation and growth within the industry

    Total Registrations

    200
    1. Symphony Of India: The event featured a diverse range of musical performances across various genres, celebrating the broad tastes of music lovers.

    Total Registrations

    212
    1. Theme Music Competition: Songwriters, singers, performers and music creators were invited to create and share a piece of music that resembles Indian classical music or a fusion of classical and contemporary music instruments and styles.

    Total Registrations

    212

    Runner-ups

    4

    Winner

    1
    1. Resonate EDM Challenge: Aims to spotlight and celebrate global talent in production of Electronic Dance Music (EDM), fostering collaboration, innovation, and creativity in music production and live performance. This initiative aligns with the “Create in India” mission, showcasing India as a hub for global creativity and entertainment.

    Total Registrations

    394

    International Registrations

    10

    Finalists

    10
    1. India A Bird’s Eye View: Passionate drone pilots and filmmakers were invited to capture the breathtaking beauty and diversity of India in a 2-3 minute video, showcasing the country from the unique perspective of aerial drone cinematography.

    Total Registrations

    1324

    Finalists

    5
    1. Anti-Piracy Challenge: This competition focuses on encouraging and supporting innovative solutions created by local companies in fingerprinting and watermarking technologies.

    Total Registrations

    1600

    Finalists

    7
    1. Comics Creator Championship: Comic Making Competition for amateur and professional artists.

    Total Registrations

    1560

    Finalists – Professional Category

    5

    Finalists – Amateur Category

    5
    1. WAVES Anime and Manga Challenge: An innovative initiative aimed at harnessing the growing interest in manga and anime in India.

    Total Registrations

    2400

    International Registrations

    7

    Runner-Ups

    3 (5 Different Categories)

    Winners

    7 (5 Different Categories)
    1. Animation Filmmakers Competition: Aimed at uncovering and empowering India’s storytellers in the field of animation.

    Total Registrations

    1290

    International Registrations

    19

    Finalists

    42
    1. Game Jam: An exciting opportunity for India’s game developers to showcase their creativity and innovation.

    Total Registrations

    5569

    Finalists

    10
    1. Esports Tournament: The eFootball and World Cricket Championship (WCC) competitions are held in batches, each offering thrilling matchups, with the champions being crowned at WAVES.

    Total Registrations

    35008

    Finalists (All Phases)

    10
    1. City Quest: Shades of Bharat: An educational game to celebrate Bharat’s urban development.

    Total Registrations

    2594

    International Registrations

    15
    1. XR Creator Hackathon: Challenge that invites developers from across India to push the boundaries of augmented and virtual reality.

    Total Registrations

    2205

    Winners (All Themes)

    5
    1. Innovate2educate Handheld Device Challenge: Academia, designers, engineers, and innovators were invited to develop a prototype of an educational handheld device that makes learning math, solving puzzles, and boosting cognitive skills fun and interactive.

    Total Registrations

    1826

    International Registrations

    513

    Finalists

    10
    1. AI Avatar Creator Challenge: The challenge focused on creating AI avatars: personalized, interactive digital personas that engage with users like human influencers in virtual spaces.

    Total Registrations

    1324

    International Registrations

    100
    1. WAVES Awards Of Excellence: A prestigious competition recognizing outstanding showreels and AdFilms in animation, VFX, gaming, and related fields, celebrating creativity and innovation.

    Total Registrations

    1331

    International Registrations

    63
    1. Bharat Tech Triumph Program: A contest to identify and empower the top gaming and interactive entertainment innovators.

    Total Registrations

    1078

    International Registrations

    12

    Winners

    20

     

    1. WAVES VFX Competition: Participants were tasked with creating a visual effects sequence or short film featuring a superhero with extraordinary powers, but using them in the context of everyday, mundane life.

    Total Registrations

    1367

    Finalists

    14
    1. WAVES Comic Chronicles: This competition invited comic submissions on any chosen theme, requiring a minimum of 60 panels, with each image or scene representing a single panel.

    Total Registrations

    1145

    International Registrations

    62

    Finalists

    50 (Both in General and Student Track)

     

    1. WAVES Explorer: Invited participants on a captivating journey to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and creativity. Participants created YouTube videos (up to 1 minute) or vlogs (up to 7 minutes) highlighting their favorite aspects of India.

    Total Registrations

    6932

    International Registrations

    30

     

    1. Reel Making Competition: Participants were invited to create engaging reels on themes such as food, travel, fashion, dance, music, gaming, yoga & wellness and tech.

    Total Registrations

    7812

    International Registrations

    55
    1. Young Filmmakers Challenge: The competition aimed to foster innovation, storytelling skills, and digital literacy among young participants through a concise 60-second film format.

    Total Registrations

    905

    International Registrations

    2

     

    1. Film Poster Making Competition: A unique opportunity to create innovative and visually compelling reimagined film posters to celebrate and promote the rich film poster heritage of India.

    Total Registrations

    543

    International Registrations

    29

    Finalists

    50

    Winners

    3
    1. Trailer Making Competition: Filmmakers, both seasoned and emerging, were invited to craft compelling trailers using Netflix content, offering a chance to reimagine iconic scenes or highlight fresh perspectives.

    Total Registrations

    3500

    International Registrations

    36

    Finalists

    20
    1. Unreal Cinematics Challenge: The Unreal Cinematics Challenge by TVAGA provided a platform for artists, animators, and content creators to showcase their storytelling and technical skills using Unreal Engine.

    Total Registrations

    700

    International Registrations

    1
    1. WAVES Cosplay Championship: A grand celebration of pop culture, creativity, and craftsmanship, bringing together participants showcasing their talents on the final day. It highlights genres such as Indian history, manga, anime, comics and games.

    Total Registrations

    513

    International Registrations

    3

    Finalists

     29

     

    Conclusion

    As WAVES 2025 nears its grand finale, thousands of participants from across the globe will come together to showcase their creativity, innovation, and talent. With a diverse range of challenges and an unparalleled platform for collaboration, WAVES is set to make a lasting impact on the future of India’s media and entertainment landscape.

    References

    https://cic.wavesindia.org/cic-dashboard/

    https://wavesindia.org/challenges-2025

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2122688

    Kindly find the pdf file

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Medicine’s over-generalization problem — and how AI might make things worse

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Benjamin Chin-Yee, Hematologist/Assistant Professor, Western University

    In medicine, there’s a well-known maxim: never say more than your data allows. It’s one of the first lessons learned by clinicians and researchers.

    Journal editors expect it. Reviewers demand it. And medical researchers mostly comply. They hedge, qualify and narrow their claims — often at the cost of clarity. Take this conclusion, written to mirror the style of a typical clinical trial report:

    “In a randomized trial of 498 European patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the treatment increased median progression free survival by 4.6 months, with grade three to four adverse events in 60 per cent of patients and modest improvements in quality-of-life scores, though the findings may not generalize to older or less fit populations.”

    It’s medical writing at its most exacting — and exhausting. Precise, but not exactly easy to take in.

    Unsurprisingly, then, those careful conclusions often get streamlined into something cleaner and more confident. The above example might be simplified into something like: “The treatment improves survival and quality of life.” “The drug has acceptable toxicity.” “Patients with multiple myeloma benefit from the new treatment.” Clear, concise — but often beyond what the data justify.

    Philosophers call these kinds of statements generics — generalizations without explicit quantifiers. Statements like “the treatment is effective” or “the drug is safe” sound authoritative, but they don’t say: For whom? How many? Compared to what? Under what conditions?

    Generalizations in medical research

    In previous work in the ethics of health communication, we highlighted how generics in medical research tend to erase nuance, transforming narrow, population-specific findings into sweeping claims that readers might misapply to all patients.

    In a systematic review of over 500 studies from top medical journals, we found more than half made generalizations beyond the populations studied. More than 80 per cent of those were generics, and fewer than 10 per cent offered any justification for these broad claims.

    Researchers’ tendency to over-generalize may reflect a deeper cognitive bias. Faced with complexity and limited attention, humans naturally gravitate toward simpler, broader claims — even when they stretch beyond what the data support. In fact, the very drive to explain the data, to tell a coherent story, can lead even careful researchers to overgeneralize.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) now threatens to significantly exacerbate this problem. In our latest research, we tested 10 widely used large language models (LLMs) — including ChatGPT, DeepSeek, LLaMA and Claude — on their ability to summarize abstracts and articles from top medical journals.

    Even when prompted for accuracy, most models routinely removed qualifiers, oversimplified findings and repackaged researchers’ carefully contextualized claims as broader statements.

    AI-generated summaries

    Analyzing nearly 5,000 LLM-generated summaries, we found rates of such over-generalizations as high as 73 per cent for some models. Very often, they converted non-generic claims into generics, for example, shifting from “the treatment was effective in this study,” to simply “the treatment is effective,” which misrepresented the study’s true scope.

    Strikingly, when we compared LLM-generated summaries to ones written by human experts, chatbots were nearly five times more likely to produce broad generalizations. But perhaps most concerning was that newer models — including ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek — tended to generalize more, not less.

    What explains these findings? LLMs trained on overgeneralized scientific texts may inherit human biases from the input. Through reinforcement learning from human feedback, they may also start favouring confident, broad conclusions over careful, contextualized claims, because users often prefer concise, assertive responses.

    The resulting miscommunication risks are high, because researchers, clinicians and students increasingly use LLMs to summarize scientific articles.

    In a recent global survey of nearly 5,000 researchers, almost half reported already using AI in their research — and 58 per cent believed AI currently does a better job summarizing literature than humans. Some claim that LLMs can outperform medical experts in clinical text summarization.

    Our study casts doubt on that optimism. Over-generalizations produced by these tools have the potential to distort scientific understanding on a large scale. This is especially worrisome in high-stakes fields like medicine, where nuances in population, effect size and uncertainty really matter.

    Precision matters

    So what can be done? For human authors, clearer guidelines and editorial policies that address both how data are reported and how findings are described can reduce over-generalizations in medical writing. Also, researchers using LLMs for summarization should favour models like Claude — the most accurate LLM in our study — and remain aware that even well-intentioned accuracy prompts can backfire.

    AI developers, in turn, could build prompts into their LLMs that encourage more cautious language when summarizing research. Lastly, our study’s methodology can help benchmark LLMs’ overgeneralization tendency before deploying them in real-world contexts.

    In medical research, precision matters — not only in how we collect and analyze data, but also in how we communicate it. Our research reveals a shared tendency in both humans and machines to overgeneralize — to say more than what the data allows.

    Tackling this tendency means holding both natural and artificial intelligence to higher standards: scrutinizing not only how researchers communicate results, but how we train the tools increasingly shaping that communication. In medicine, careful language is imperative to ensure the right treatments reach the right patients, backed by evidence that actually applies.

    Benjamin Chin-Yee receives funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Uwe Peters receives funding from a Volkswagen research grant on meta-science (“The Cultural
    Evolution of Scientific Practice”; WBS GW.001123.2.4).

    – ref. Medicine’s over-generalization problem — and how AI might make things worse – https://theconversation.com/medicines-over-generalization-problem-and-how-ai-might-make-things-worse-252486

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wealth, wellness and wellbeing: why healthier ageing isn’t just about personal choices

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Evans, Lecturer in Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Surrey

    Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock

    We’ve all heard it before: eat your five-a-day, and try to get some exercise. It’s advice that’s simple in theory, yet in practice, not everyone is able to follow it. So what’s standing in the way?

    Our research examined this question in depth. Using data from UK adults over the age of 50, we explored how socioeconomic status affects the likelihood of meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendations for physical activity and diet. These guidelines include at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity) physical activity per week and a daily intake of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables.

    What we found points to a clear and concerning disparity. Wealthier older adults are nearly twice as likely to meet both exercise and dietary recommendations compared to their less affluent peers. And perhaps even more striking, those who don’t meet these health guidelines are significantly more likely to suffer from depression.

    We analysed survey responses from more than 3,000 adults aged 50 to 90, using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. While nearly 70% of participants reported doing some form of physical activity, the data revealed a sharp wealth divide.

    Adults in the highest wealth quintile (the top 20%) were almost twice as likely to be physically active as those in the lowest quintile. A similar pattern emerged for diet. Over 70% of those in the wealthiest group reported meeting the five-a-day guideline, compared to just over 40% in the lowest income bracket.

    This matters, because not meeting government guidelines for physical activity and diet can have serious long-term health consequences. Regular exercise is known to increase HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

    It also benefits brain health by lowering inflammation and even promoting the growth of new brain cells. Similarly, diets rich in fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants – found in fruits and vegetables – are associated with lower the risks of disease and cognitive decline, including conditions like Alzheimer’s.

    Depression disparity

    But the impact isn’t just physical. Our research also explored links between lifestyle and mental health. Around 19% of participants met the criteria for clinical depression, with the highest risk found among women, people living alone, smokers and those with lower incomes.

    Alarmingly, rates of depression were nearly three times higher among those in the lowest wealth quintile (32.6% were depressed) compared to those in the highest (11.1%).

    Lifestyle clearly played a role in depression levels. Among inactive participants, 30% reported symptoms of depression – more than double the rate seen in those who were physically active (13.7%). Likewise, those who didn’t meet the five-a-day guideline had a depression rate of 23.4%, compared to 15.7% among those who did.

    These results suggest that staying physically active and eating well not only improves physical health but may also play a protective role in mental wellbeing. Yet not everyone has equal access to the resources, time, or environments that support healthy living. There is also the role of social isolation as a compounding factor.

    Social disconnection is strongly linked to both poor physical and mental health, including depression and even increased mortality risk. Physical activity programmes that also offer social interaction – such as walking groups or community exercise classes – may provide even greater benefits.

    Healthy ageing for everyone

    The evidence shows that health disparities in later life are deeply tied to wealth and socioeconomic status. This means that addressing them requires more than encouraging personal responsibility – it calls for policy action.

    Financial barriers to healthy food and physical activity need to be tackled through targeted programmes, subsidies and infrastructure investments. Making healthy options accessible and affordable – especially for those in lower-income groups – will benefit people and reduce strain on healthcare systems.

    As populations continue to age, promoting health in later life is a public health priority. But that effort will only succeed if it recognises – and works to reduce – the inequalities that hold people back from living healthy, fulfilling lives.

    Simon Evans 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. Wealth, wellness and wellbeing: why healthier ageing isn’t just about personal choices – https://theconversation.com/wealth-wellness-and-wellbeing-why-healthier-ageing-isnt-just-about-personal-choices-250316

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tony Blair opposes phasing out fossil fuels. These academics disagree

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    Rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and limiting energy consumption to tackle climate change is “a strategy doomed to fail” according to former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

    In the foreword of a new report, Blair urges governments to rethink their approach to reaching net zero emissions.

    Instead of policies that are seen by people as involving “financial sacrifices”, he says world leaders should deploy carbon capture and storage, including technological and nature-based approaches, to meet the rising demand for fossil fuels.

    But speak to many academic experts on climate change and they will tell a very different story: that there is no strategy for addressing climate change that does not involve ending, or at least massively reducing, fossil fuel combustion.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    A fossil fuel phase-out is ‘essential’

    “There is a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that a fossil fuel phase-out will be essential for reining in the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change,” says Steve Pye, an associate professor of energy at UCL.



    Read more:
    COP28 president is wrong – science clearly shows fossil fuels must go (and fast)

    “I know because I have published some of it.”

    Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, agrees.

    “Rapidly reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and not issuing new licenses to extract oil and gas, is the most effective way of minimising future climate-related disruptions,” he says.



    Read more:
    Science shows the severe climate consequences of new fossil fuel extraction

    “The sooner those with the power to shape our future recognise this, the better.”

    Fossil fuels are responsible for 90% of the carbon dioxide heating the climate. The amount burned annually is still rising, and so is the rate at which the world is getting hotter. Scientists now fear we are approaching irreversible tipping points in the climate system, hence their support for an urgent replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy.



    Read more:
    Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk

    Blair is confident that an emergency response on this scale can be avoided by absorbing CO₂ immediately after burning fossil fuels, from the smokestacks where the greenhouse gas is concentrated.

    Not all of the emissions responsible for climate change would be prevented. UCL earth system scientist Mark Maslin says that natural gas, which would linger as an energy source thanks to carbon capture, still leaks from pipelines and storage vessels upstream of power plants.



    Read more:
    The UK’s £22 billion bet on carbon capture will lock in fossil fuels for decades

    Commercial applications of the technology also have a poor track record. Just two large-scale coal-fired power plants are operating with CCS worldwide – one in the US and one in Canada.

    “Both have experienced consistent underperformance, recurring technical issues and ballooning costs,” Maslin says.

    CCS is no alternative to turning off the fossil fuel taps.
    Pan Demin/Shutterstock

    Blair might baulk at what he perceives to be the expense of ditching fossil fuels. But economic modelling led by Oxford University’s Andrea Bacilieri suggests his concern is misplaced. A rapid phase-out of fossil fuels could save US$30 trillion (US$1 trillion a year) by 2050 she concludes, compared with allowing power plants and factories to keep burning them with CCS.

    Developing CCS will be necessary to help manage an orderly transition from fossil fuels according to Myles Allen, a professor of geosystem science at Oxford University. But it is not a substitute for undergoing that transition, he says.



    Read more:
    Getting carbon capture right will be hard – but that doesn’t make it optional

    “Above all, we need to make sure the availability of CCS does not encourage yet more CO₂ production.”

    Keeping the public on board

    Is Blair right to fret about a public backlash to lower energy use? Academics suggest multiple reasons to think otherwise if the alternative is prolonging the use of fossil fuels.



    Read more:
    Should you get a heat pump? Here’s how they compare to a gas boiler

    Replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump that runs on electricity, for example, can lower a household’s energy consumption without a deliberate effort. That’s because renewable appliances convert power to heat more efficiently (how much depends on how well insulated the home is).



    Read more:
    Heat pumps without home insulation could raise bills and energy demand – here’s what the government can do

    In fact, it’s dependence on fossil fuel that is preventing many households from making this switch. The high wholesale price of gas determines the cost of electricity for UK consumers.



    Read more:
    How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power

    And surveys repeatedly show that support for net zero policies is broad and deep in the UK – including those that would involve lifestyle changes say Lorraine Whitmarsh (University of Bath), Caroline Verfuerth and Steve Westlake (both Cardiff University), who research public behaviour and climate change.



    Read more:
    Net zero: direct costs of climate policies aren’t a major barrier to public support, research reveals

    “Crucially, the public wants and needs the government to show clear and consistent leadership on climate change,” they say.

    Meanwhile, what can corrode public acceptance of sacrifices is the high-consuming behaviour of a minority (think pop stars in rockets, as Westlake recently argued). And, arguably, the statements of powerful people like Blair.



    Read more:
    Why Katy Perry’s celebrity spaceflight blazed a trail for climate breakdown

    New research even suggests the politics that Blair and many others like him favour might also play a role here. Felix Schulz (Lund University) and Christian Bretter (The University of Queensland) are social scientists who study how ideology affects personal views on climate policy.

    They identified respondents in six countries (the UK, US, Germany, Brazil, South Africa and China) who shared Blair’s neoliberal worldview, which the pair define as a belief that individuals are primarily responsible for their own fortune, and need to take care of themselves – as well as an abiding faith in the free market.



    Read more:
    People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research

    “We observed a strong link between a neoliberal worldview and lack of support for the climate policies in our study,” they say.

    Schulz and Bretter urge us to consider how someone’s ideology ultimately shapes their understanding of the problem and its solutions as well.

    – ref. Tony Blair opposes phasing out fossil fuels. These academics disagree – https://theconversation.com/tony-blair-opposes-phasing-out-fossil-fuels-these-academics-disagree-254530

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Medicine’s overgeneralization problem — and how AI might make things worse

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Benjamin Chin-Yee, Hematologist/Assistant Professor, Western University

    In medicine, there’s a well-known maxim: never say more than your data allows. It’s one of the first lessons learned by clinicians and researchers.

    Journal editors expect it. Reviewers demand it. And medical researchers mostly comply. They hedge, qualify and narrow their claims — often at the cost of clarity. Take this conclusion, written to mirror the style of a typical clinical trial report:

    “In a randomized trial of 498 European patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the treatment increased median progression free survival by 4.6 months, with grade three to four adverse events in 60 per cent of patients and modest improvements in quality-of-life scores, though the findings may not generalize to older or less fit populations.”

    It’s medical writing at its most exacting — and exhausting. Precise, but not exactly easy to take in.

    Unsurprisingly, then, those careful conclusions often get streamlined into something cleaner and more confident. The above example might be simplified into something like: “The treatment improves survival and quality of life.” “The drug has acceptable toxicity.” “Patients with multiple myeloma benefit from the new treatment.” Clear, concise — but often beyond what the data justify.

    Philosophers call these kinds of statements generics — generalizations without explicit quantifiers. Statements like “the treatment is effective” or “the drug is safe” sound authoritative, but they don’t say: For whom? How many? Compared to what? Under what conditions?

    Generalizations in medical research

    In previous work in the ethics of health communication, we highlighted how generics in medical research tend to erase nuance, transforming narrow, population-specific findings into sweeping claims that readers might misapply to all patients.

    In a systematic review of over 500 studies from top medical journals, we found more than half made generalizations beyond the populations studied. More than 80 per cent of those were generics, and fewer than 10 per cent offered any justification for these broad claims.

    Researchers’ tendency to over-generalize may reflect a deeper cognitive bias. Faced with complexity and limited attention, humans naturally gravitate toward simpler, broader claims — even when they stretch beyond what the data support. In fact, the very drive to explain the data, to tell a coherent story, can lead even careful researchers to overgeneralize.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) now threatens to significantly exacerbate this problem. In our latest research, we tested 10 widely used large language models (LLMs) — including ChatGPT, DeepSeek, LLaMA and Claude — on their ability to summarize abstracts and articles from top medical journals.

    Even when prompted for accuracy, most models routinely removed qualifiers, oversimplified findings and repackaged researchers’ carefully contextualized claims as broader statements.

    AI-generated summaries

    Analyzing nearly 5,000 LLM-generated summaries, we found rates of such over-generalizations as high as 73 per cent for some models. Very often, they converted non-generic claims into generics, for example, shifting from “the treatment was effective in this study,” to simply “the treatment is effective,” which misrepresented the study’s true scope.

    Strikingly, when we compared LLM-generated summaries to ones written by human experts, chatbots were nearly five times more likely to produce broad generalizations. But perhaps most concerning was that newer models — including ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek — tended to generalize more, not less.

    What explains these findings? LLMs trained on overgeneralized scientific texts may inherit human biases from the input. Through reinforcement learning from human feedback, they may also start favouring confident, broad conclusions over careful, contextualized claims, because users often prefer concise, assertive responses.

    The resulting miscommunication risks are high, because researchers, clinicians and students increasingly use LLMs to summarize scientific articles.

    In a recent global survey of nearly 5,000 researchers, almost half reported already using AI in their research — and 58 per cent believed AI currently does a better job summarizing literature than humans. Some claim that LLMs can outperform medical experts in clinical text summarization.

    Our study casts doubt on that optimism. Over-generalizations produced by these tools have the potential to distort scientific understanding on a large scale. This is especially worrisome in high-stakes fields like medicine, where nuances in population, effect size and uncertainty really matter.

    Precision matters

    So what can be done? For human authors, clearer guidelines and editorial policies that address both how data are reported and how findings are described can reduce over-generalizations in medical writing. Also, researchers using LLMs for summarization should favour models like Claude — the most accurate LLM in our study — and remain aware that even well-intentioned accuracy prompts can backfire.

    AI developers, in turn, could build prompts into their LLMs that encourage more cautious language when summarizing research. Lastly, our study’s methodology can help benchmark LLMs’ overgeneralization tendency before deploying them in real-world contexts.

    In medical research, precision matters — not only in how we collect and analyze data, but also in how we communicate it. Our research reveals a shared tendency in both humans and machines to overgeneralize — to say more than what the data allows.

    Tackling this tendency means holding both natural and artificial intelligence to higher standards: scrutinizing not only how researchers communicate results, but how we train the tools increasingly shaping that communication. In medicine, careful language is imperative to ensure the right treatments reach the right patients, backed by evidence that actually applies.

    Benjamin Chin-Yee receives funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Uwe Peters receives funding from a Volkswagen research grant on meta-science (“The Cultural
    Evolution of Scientific Practice”; WBS GW.001123.2.4).

    – ref. Medicine’s overgeneralization problem — and how AI might make things worse – https://theconversation.com/medicines-overgeneralization-problem-and-how-ai-might-make-things-worse-252486

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Statement on Commerce Department Report Showing Shrinking Economy Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    04.30.25

    Cantwell Statement on Commerce Department Report Showing Shrinking Economy Under Trump

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a report on the state of the economy over the first three months of 2025. The report showed that the country’s gross domestic product shrank by 0.3% during the first months of President Donald Trump’s second term.

    U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement:

    “Today’s GDP numbers are another warning sign our economy is moving in the wrong direction. The economy shrunk in the first quarter when it should be growing.  The Trump tariffs are a drag on the economy and American families will continue to feel the pain.”

    The Commerce Department report follows months of tariff whiplash from the Trump administration, during which the president erratically and unilaterally announced, imposed, raised, dropped, and reimposed a series of blanket and industry-specific tariffs on imports coming to the United States. In January 2025, it was widely expected that GDP growth would be at least 2% in the first quarter of 2025 – but that changed after President Trump announced his tariffs.  Shortly after the Commerce Department report was released, he posted on Truth Social that the declining economy “has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS” and is instead a holdover from former President Joe Biden’s economy. Under the last quarter of President Biden’s administration, the GDP grew 2.4%.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Meet Washington state’s 20 new winners of AI for Good Lab awards

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Meet Washington state’s 20 new winners of AI for Good Lab awards

    This month, Microsoft is celebrating our 50th anniversary. To help commemorate fifty years of creating technology that empowers people to achieve more, our AI for Good Lab launched an open call to support innovative AI-based projects here in Washington State.

    Our AI for Good Lab has been using AI to tackle global challenges and improve lives since 2018. We open-source our models, data, and tools so everyone can jump in, working together to make real impact. At a time when nonprofits, NGOs, and academic institutions are tasked with doing more with less, technology like AI offers a way forward.

    Through these awards, we’re investing $5 million over the next two years. This open call allows us to expand our commitments to a number of amazing projects while engaging a wide range of new organizations across the state of Washington. The 20 awardees will receive Microsoft Azure credits and the ability to collaborate with AI for Good Lab scientists.

    We’re thrilled to continue to cultivate relationships with innovative partners in this great state and the world at large. These game-changing organizations and projects are not only helping solve today’s challenges, they’re also paving the way for a brighter tomorrow. We are honored to share the following as our 2025 open call awardees.

       Sustainability

    1. Awardee: Stock-Smart.com – Washington State University Extension
      Project description: Washington State’s federal, state, tribal, and private land managers and livestock grazers are all beginning to use virtual fence systems to fine-tune ecological grazing management. Stock-Smart.com combines predicted livestock terrain use with satellite-based forage production data to inform grazing plans for livestock herds. By using AI-guided interpretation of virtual fence system geolocation data, Stock-Smart.com helps reduce wildfire risk, enhance wildlife habitats, and improve invasive species control.
    2. Awardee: Long Live the Kings
      Project description: In the Puget Sound, the impacts of rapid urbanization are compounded by climate change. Long Live the Kings employs AI and machine learning to automatically calibrate a 3D ecosystem modeling program for Puget Sound. This project will use the emulator to explore how cumulative watershed impacts affect ecosystem services and biodiversity to advance natural resource management in Puget Sound.
    3. Awardee: TealWaters
      Project description: TealWaters works to transform Washington State’s water management capacity by providing tools that inform and guide wetlands planning, protection, and restoration. TealWaters plans to support AI model testing beyond the scope of its existing tools to increase communities’ resilience to climate change and environmental stressors.
    4. Awardee: Washington State University  
      Project description: Climate change puts residents of Washington State at higher risk of dangerous wildfires. This project will develop cutting-edge AI models, fusing satellite imagery, weather data, building information, and wildfire simulation results to assess wildfire vulnerability of residential buildings in Washington State. By producing vulnerability assessments that include confidence scores, this multi-modal approach can help guide effective wildfire mitigation efforts.
    5. Awardee: Cornell University, Circular Construction Lab
      Project description: Reusing materials is the most effective circular economy strategy: it reduces waste and emissions, creates local green jobs, and supports local reuse ecosystems. AR3-Lumber aims to develop and implement AI-powered technology to reuse salvaged lumber through a local partnership with the Seattle Salvaged Lumber Warehouse. This project will enable AR3-Lumber to offer essential technical and methodological support to the circular lumber economy.
    6. Awardee: Woodland Park Zoo
      Project description: The Seattle Urban Carnivore Project aims to increase our understanding of and empathy for urban carnivores such as black bears by studying how these species live and interact with people across the greater Seattle region. This project will include a wildlife camera and bioacoustics monitoring program that collects data from green spaces across central King County and Bainbridge Island, utilizing AI to identify the diversity and density of species in urban corridors in a way that’s efficient and consumes fewer resources.
    7. Awardee: Conservation X Labs
      Project description: Conservation X Labs aims to prevent the sixth mass extinction by creating and democratizing innovative technologies to change what’s possible in conservation. The project will develop and deploy a multi-species management detection algorithm on a smart camera system to create a first –of –its –kind, real-time monitoring system for disease in wildlife that can be utilized by veterinarians, ecologists, and conservationists across Washington State.
    8. Awardee: NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service – Habitat Conservation
       Project description: Current methods of water management and salmon habitat restoration in the Columbia River Basin tend to be either hyper-localized or computationally intensive. This project aims to use remote sensing and machine learning to classify wetlands to better predict how water management decisions and climate change impact salmon populations and support more effective conservation strategies.
    9. Awardee: Information Communication and Technology for Development (ICTD) at the University of Washington
      Project description:       More plant and animal species are threatened with extinction now than at any other time in human history. The Information Communication and Technology for Development department at the University of Washington plans to monitor wildlife using audiovisual channels on tiny compute devices, fostering a better understanding of animal populations intricately linked to food safety, disease spread, and biodiversity.

      Health

    10. Awardee: Information Communication and Technology for Development (ICTD) at the University of Washington
      Project description:       More plant and animal species are threatened with extinction now than at any other time in human history. The Information Communication and Technology for Development department at the University of Washington plans to monitor wildlife using audiovisual channels on tiny compute devices, fostering a better understanding of animal populations intricately linked to food safety, disease spread, and biodiversity.
    11. Awardee: Providence
      Project description: Current methods for identifying patients for clinical trials rely on manual screening processes that miss many patients—especially those from underserved communities—or rely on sick patients and their doctors to do the work of seeking available trials. Providence and Microsoft Health Futures are collaboratively developing Trial Connect, an AI tool that scans population-level medical data across Washington State to identify patients who qualify for clinical trials that could save their lives.
    12. Awardee: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
      Project description: Data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) are used by more than 13,000 researchers around the world. IHME plans to build a global cloud laboratory to examine health locally, using satellite imagery, AI, and spatial demography to predict risks like drought and food insecurity to specific populations. This project aims to put actionable, population-level health data into the hands of decision-makers to improve individuals’ health and wellbeing.
    13. Awardee: University of Washington Radiology
      Project description: To improve public health and support patients in their most challenging moments, the University of Washington created self-improving large language models to translate radiology report findings into patient-friendly language. Patients will receive clear, lay-language explanations of their imaging results while healthcare providers provide feedback that will be used to refine the model, ensuring continuous improvement, reducing misunderstandings, and fostering better communication between patients and medical professionals.  
    14. Awardee: Institute for Protein Design – University of Washington
       Project description: Generative AI has already had a large impact ion protein structure prediction and protein design. This project aims to develop at least three specialized, open-source models, including a next-generation biomolecule design model, a model specialized for antibody/antigen structure and antibody design, and a model specialized for protein/ligand interactions to enable the next generation of therapeutics and biomaterials.
    15. Awardee: Washington State University Department of Chemistry
       Project description: Heavy and radioactive metal contamination in Spokane and Hanford threatens community health. This project will leverage geochemistry and large language models to build a publicly accessible dataset that will aid in designing effective soil decontamination methods for Spokane and Hanford, contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment for Washington residents. 

      Education/Public Good 

    16. Awardee: Washington State University
       Project description: Rural elementary teachers in Washington often struggle to design high-quality science assessments due to limitations around resources, professional development opportunities, and access to technology. This project will develop and deploy an AI-powered multi-agent assessment system to empower rural Washington elementary teachers and enhance accessibility, engagement, and instructional effectiveness.
    17. Awardee: Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington
      Project description: Rising labor and business costs have reduced the ability for Evergreen Goodwill to advance their mission of providing quality, free job training and basic education to people experiencing significant barriers to economic opportunity. The project will use an AI-powered automated donation ingestion and cataloging system to tackle the backlogged volumes of donated goods received by Evergreen Goodwill. By doing so, the project will reduce waste, increase efficiency, and unlock new opportunities for scale and profitability.
    18. Awardee: Washington State University – Group Argumentation Coordinator
      Project description: This project provides science teachers in Washington State with an AI-powered tool called a Group Argumentation Coordinator that will reduce the burden on overwhelmed teachers and improve students’ learning experience in science classrooms across the state. The project promotes real-time support for argumentation-based science learning in diverse classrooms. The two-year plan supported by this award focuses on system development, small-scale classroom pilots, and teacher feedback integration to ensure usability, fairness, and transparency.  
    19. Awardee: Washington State University – WARNS
      Project description: The Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs of Students (WARNS) has effectively assessed the needs critical to healthy social, emotional, and educational development of middle school and high school students across the state. This project will develop an elementary-level version of this assessment, leveraging large language models to reduce absenteeism and prevent dropouts among elementary school students by initiating a dialogue with students about what they need to thrive in the classroom. 
    20. Awardee: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound 
      Project description: The Puget Sound branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters is faced with the challenge of a 100 –day-long waitlist for families looking to participate in their mentorship program. Through a partnership with KPMG and Microsoft, Big Brothers Big Sisters developed an AI tool, AIMRE, to process large datasets on their waitlist and increase both the quality and timeliness of youth/mentor matches. This award will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to conduct further testing and deploy AIMRE locally, eventually scaling nationally to speed up the matching process for kids across the country.  

    We’re thrilled to support these 20 projects in their efforts to harness the transformative power of AI to solve challenges across Washington State and beyond.

    Tags: AI for Good Lab, Innovation, Innovation Featured, quantum, Technology

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felix Schulz, Research Fellow, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund University

    Sambulov Yevgeniy/Shutterstock

    Donald Trump won the US election on a campaign that included rolling back environmental laws. In the UK, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has called the national net zero target “impossible”. And former prime minister Tony Blair has said the current approach of phasing out fossil fuels is “doomed to fail”.

    Meanwhile in Germany, the parties in the most likely incoming coalition government hardly engaged with climate policy during the recent election campaign – and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which openly denies human-made climate change, received 20% of the vote.

    With political leaders around the world moving away from progressive climate policy, it’s worth asking: is this what the public wants?

    When it comes to the climate, what people think is influenced by where they live and what else they believe in. In recently published research, we sought to find out just how much people’s ideologies affected their views on climate policy.

    We surveyed representative samples of the public in six countries about their attitudes towards different types of climate policy. We asked about support for regulation (for example, building and vehicle standards or product bans), taxes (like carbon taxes), subsidies (to promote low-carbon alternatives), and information-based policies (such as emission disclosure requirements). Our survey covered policies in transport, housing, energy and industry.

    We also asked respondents about their ideologies: cultural worldviews, personal values, free market beliefs and political trust. Our findings reveal how people’s ideologies shape their support for climate policies.

    We included three high-income countries of the global north (the US, UK and Germany) and three upper-middle income countries from the global south (Brazil, South Africa and China). Together, these six countries are responsible for half of global CO₂ emissions.

    Our definition of global south, which includes countries such as China, is based on work by UN Trade and Development and the UN G-77 countries. It includes Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, most of Asia (excluding Israel, Japan and South Korea) and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). These countries generally have lower per capita income and are considered “developing” compared to global north countries.

    This comparison is important because, as we will explain, political and economic ideologies that originated in the global north can influence how people view climate policies.

    Across all policy types, we found more support for climate policies in the global south countries. In the global north countries, we found only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes. In Germany, support for regulatory policies and taxes was as little as 18%.

    Subsidies for the four sectors – for example, to support renewable energy projects or the production of green steel – received 35% support in Germany and 48% in the US. In contrast, the majority of the public in the three countries of the global south supported subsidies and regulatory climate policies.

    As with subsidies, we found strong majority support for information-based policies in the three countries of the global south (74-79%), against only minority support in Germany (36%) and the US (49%). In the UK, 53% supported information-based climate policies.

    Personal values play a role in support for the policies. Our findings show people with stronger biospheric values – the importance people place on the environment and the relationship between humans and nature – are more supportive of climate policies. This is true irrespective of the country they live in. People who are more trusting of political institutions and politicians also support these policies more.

    But demographics such as age, gender, education or income have a negligible effect on attitudes towards these policies, when accounting for other factors in our analysis.

    Neoliberalism and the climate

    We observed a strong link between a neoliberal worldview and lack of support for the climate policies in our study. As a political economic project, neoliberalism originated in the global north. But it continues to take root in the global south, particularly in Latin America.

    The belief that individuals need to take care of themselves and are responsible for their own fortune and problems was associated with less support for climate policies. And in every country we studied, we found a strong relationship between support for the free market and lack of support for climate policies.

    People who believe the free market is best at allocating outcomes efficiently and meeting human needs without government interference, and that it is more important than some local environmental concerns, show less support for the climate policies.

    These two sets of beliefs – individualistic worldviews and support for the free market – are the core principles of neoliberal thought.

    In the Global North countries, we found only only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes.
    Fotogrin/Shutterstock

    The superiority of the market over governments as an efficient and fair allocation machine has been the mantra of neoliberal politicians, thinktanks and institutions for more than half a century.

    Neoliberalism opposes government regulation and spending, and supports the free market. It also fosters an individualistic worldview. Instead of seeing themselves as workers, citizens or members of a collective, people are persuaded to internalise market logic – to see themselves as individuals who are out to maximise their personal profit.

    The cultural shift from more communitarian and egalitarian ideals towards an ideology based on the self-driven individual and the free market has been quite successful. Empirical evidence from 41 countries shows that individualist practices and values around the world have surged significantly over the past 50 years.

    We know from research that what the public thinks (or votes for) does influence what governments do. This is true even when accounting for the influence of powerful interest groups.

    So, those creating and campaigning for urgently needed climate policies need to take this into account. Support for climate policies isn’t just about whether someone believes in human-made climate change or cares about the planet – there are deeply-rooted ideological factors at play too.

    Felix Schulz receives funding from Formas, a Swedish research council for sustainable development and the Hans-Böckler-Foundation.

    Christian Bretter 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. People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research – https://theconversation.com/people-with-neoliberal-views-are-less-likely-to-support-climate-friendly-policies-new-research-253478

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NREL-Led Research Effort Adds Salt, Boosts Performance of Perovskites

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Using an ionic salt to replace the fullerene layer in perovskite solar cells boosted their performance, efficiency, and durability, according to a global research effort led by scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

    The performance of the perovskite solar cell improved with the addition of an ionic salt.

    Their findings appear in the journal Science.

    The researchers said their findings point to a promising approach to advancing perovskite photovoltaic technologies toward commercialization. Perovskites refers to a crystalline structure that has proven highly efficient as a semiconductor material for absorbing sunlight. Work continues to improve the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells.

    Kai Zhu, a senior scientist at NREL and an architect of the research effort, said improvements involved changing the chemical composition of the electron transport layer in the perovskite solar cell. This layer is essential as it moves electrons triggered by sunlight through the cell, thereby generating electricity. The fullerene C60 is commonly used for the electron transport layer in inverted perovskite solar cells, but its molecular nature leads to a weak interface and limits the performance of the device. That is especially a problem with long-term stability.

    The researchers experimented with adding acids and chemical compounds that reacted with C60 to form an ionic salt referred to as CPMAC. The change resulted in a three-fold increase in the mechanical strength of the electron transport layer of the cell, which is crucial for long-term stability and durability.

    “That’s really the surprise, but it’s a very good surprise,” Zhu said.

    The inverted architecture of the perovskite solar cell refers to how the layers are deposited on the glass substrate. This construction is known for its high stability and integration into tandem solar cells.

    The research at NREL was supported in part by the Center for Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Semiconductors for Energy (CHOISE), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Solar Energy Technologies Office. The research reported the initial lab efficiency of the perovskite cells that used the ionic salt was 26.1%, vs. 25.5% for the C60 version.

    Using the CPMAC, the researchers obtained a 26% lab efficiency with about 2% degradation after 2,100 hours of operation at 65 degrees Celsius, and a 25.5% efficiency with about 5% degradation after 1,500 hours of operation at 85 degrees Celsius. For a minimodule made up of four subcells, six square centimeters, the lab efficiency was 23% with less than a 9% degradation after 2,200 hours of operation at 55 degrees Celsius.

    The paper is “C60-based ionic salt electron shuttle for high-performance inverted perovskite solar modules.” Other co-authors from NREL are Shuai You, Yifan Dong, Lei Chen, Matthew Beard, and Joseph Berry. Researchers who contributed to the work hailed from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia) and Newcastle University (United Kingdom) in addition to CubicPV Inc., the University of Colorado Boulder, Arizona State University, and the University of Toledo.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Convening of the Annual General Meeting to approve the 2024 financial statements to be held on June 13, 2025 and evolution of the Atos Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Convening of the Annual General Meeting to approve the 2024 financial statements to be held on June 13, 2025 and evolution of the Atos Board of Directors

    Paris, France – April 30, 2025

    Convening of the 2025 Annual General Meeting

    The meeting notice (avis de réunion) for the General Meeting scheduled for June 13, 2025, containing the agenda, the draft resolutions, and the participation and voting procedures for this Meeting, will be published in the Official Legal Gazette (Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires – BALO) on May 5, 2025, and will be available on the Company’s website (https://atos.net/en/investors/annual-general-meeting).

    Evolution of the composition of Atos Board of Directors

    On the recommendation of the Nomination and Governance Committee, chaired by Lead Independent Director Elizabeth Tinkham, Atos’ Board of Directors has endorsed a series of proposed changes to its composition to be submitted for approval at the General Meeting convened for June 13, 2025. The proposed changes reflect the evolving needs identified by the Board and align with the Group’s ongoing transformation.

    It will be proposed to the vote of the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting:

    • to renew the terms of office of Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles and Jean-Jacques Morin as directors, for a duration that will expire at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027;
    • to appoint Surojit Chatterjee as new independent director, for a duration that will expire at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027; and
    • to ratify the appointment of Mandy Metten as a censor, for a duration of one year expiring at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.

    The Board of Directors has also been informed that Elizabeth Tinkham has decided not to seek renewal of her term of office as director, which will expire at the end of the General Meeting of June 13, 2025.

    Subject to approval of the proposed resolutions by the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors will comprise eight members (in addition to the director representing employees) and one censor, including 87.5%1independent members (seven out of eight), 50%2women and six nationalities3represented on the Board.

    Philippe Salle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atos SE, declared:

    “I am pleased with the upcoming appointment of a highly qualified new director as well as the renewal of terms on our Board of Directors. These developments will support the continued effectiveness of the Board and help to strengthen its overall capabilities. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Elizabeth Tinkham for her commitment, which has contributed meaningfully to advancing our mission and shared vision”.

    * * *

    About Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles

    Cofounder and President at Auxo, Co‑chair of the National Digital Council (Conseil National du Numérique) and non‑executive Board Director, Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles was first appointed to the Board of Directors of Atos SE on January 2, 2024, and currently chairs the CSR Committee and sits on the Remuneration Committee. Her experience at the intersection of senior public service and the private sector, along with her recognized expertise in digital transformation and sustainability issues, are valuable assets to the work of the Board.

    Biography of Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles

    Françoise Mercadal‑Delasalles began her career in senior public service at the Ministry of the Economy and Finance from 1988 to 1992, then at the Caisse des Dépôts from 2002 to 2008. Appointed Director of Resources and Innovation at Société Générale in 2008, she sat on the Group’s Executive Committee and steered its digital transition project. In 2018, Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles became CEO of Crédit du Nord, where she introduced digital tools to position the Group in new banking services and integrated ecological concerns into the company’s business model. In 2023, she co-founded Auxo, an integrated platform to manage extra-financial data and support companies in their transition to sustainability.

    Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles holds various non-executive positions on boards of directors and supervisory boards, notably that of Eurazeo. She has co-chaired the Conseil National du Numérique since 2021. She is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor), Officier du Mérite (Officer of the Order of Merit) and Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit).

    Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles holds a degree in literature and law, and is a graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP) de Paris, Sciences Po Paris and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA).

    * * *

    About Jean-Jacques Morin

    Deputy CEO of the Accor Group and CEO of the Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Jean-Jacques Morin was first appointed to the Atos SE Board of Directors on January 2, 2024, and currently chairs the Audit Committee. His strong financial background and strategic insight are major assets in helping Atos meet its current challenges, and he would continue to bring his valuable expertise and leadership to the Board’s work.

    Biography of Jean-Jacques Morin

    Jean-Jacques Morin began his professional career with Deloitte, where he spent five years in auditing and consulting roles in Paris and Montreal. From 1992 to 2005, he held various international positions, notably in the semiconductor sector with Motorola Semiconductors (USA, Switzerland, and France), ON Semiconductor (USA) and Communicant AG, a start-up in Berlin. In 2005, Jean-Jacques Morin joined Alstom as CFO of the Power sectors in Zurich, then in Transport, before being appointed Group CFO from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, Jean-Jacques Morin joined Accor’s Executive Committee as CFO. He is then appointed Group Deputy CEO in charge of Finance, Strategy, IT, Legal, Purchasing and Communications. In June 2023, in addition to his position as Group Deputy CEO, Jean-Jacques Morin took over the Premium, Midscale & Economy Division under his leadership, as CEO of the Division.

    Jean-Jacques Morin has held various non-executive positions, including with Orbis from 2016 to 2020 as a member of the Supervisory Board and the Audit Committee, and with Vallourec from 2018 to 2021 as a member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Adagio since 2022 and a member of the Board of Directors of AccorInvest since 2018. He was appointed Chairman of the Audit Committee of GROUPE REEL in 2024.

    Jean-Jacques Morin is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, holds an MBA from Thunderbird (Arizona State University) and a DSCG from the Ordre des Experts Comptables.

    * * *

    About Surojit Chatterjee

    Founder and CEO of Ema Unlimited, a generative AI company, Surojit Chatterjee is a seasoned technology executive with over two decades of experience driving innovation across global companies. His deep expertise in artificial intelligence, combined with extensive product leadership at firms like Google, Coinbase and Flipkart, would bring strategic insight and forward-thinking vision to the Board.

    Biography of Surojit Chatterjee

    Surojit Chatterjee began his career in 1999 as a Software Developer at IBM before joining Oracle Corporation in a technical role. In 2005, he moved into product management at Symantec Corporation. He joined Google in 2007, where he held several leadership roles across payments, mobile products, and advertising. In 2015, he became Senior Vice President and Head of Product at Flipkart, before returning to Google in 2017 as Vice President of Product Management for Google Shopping. He joined Coinbase as Chief Product Officer in 2020 and founded Ema Unlimited, a generative AI startup, in 2023.

    Since 2024, Surojit Chatterjee has served on the Board of Directors of Meesho, a privately-owned Indian e-commerce company.

    Surojit Chatterjee holds a Bachelor in Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, an MS in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

    * * *

    About Mandy Metten

    Head of Group Executives and Strategic Functions in Atos and a long-standing leader within the Group, Mandy Metten was a member of the Board of Directors representing employees until January 31, 2025, when she was appointed censor subject to the General Meeting’s ratification. Her experience across organizational change, diversity initiatives and people development would continue to bring valuable insight to the Board’s work.

    Biography of Mandy Metten

    Mandy Metten began her professional journey within the ATOS Group as an Executive Management Consultant specializing in Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Change from October 2007 to June 2014, during which she demonstrated expertise in critical strategic areas. In June 2014, she assumed the role of Manager of Atos Young Professionals, designing and overseeing a comprehensive 2-year development program for young professionals, providing development with training, mentoring and client exposure. As from November 2018, Mandy Metten served as Global Head of Group Campus Management, defining and implementing the Group campus strategy globally, including diversity and inclusion initiatives. Mandy Metten took additional responsibilities at Eviden in April 2023 and currently serves as Head of Group Executives & Strategic Functions.

    Mandy Metten was Chairman of the works council of Atos from 2010 to 2015. She also served as the Dutch delegate on Atos Societas Europaea Council (SEC) from 2012 to January 2024 and was a member of the Board Participating Committee (2017- January 2024). From August 2023, she became a Commissaris (Member of the Board of Directors) for Atos Nederland, contributing to the company’s governance.

    Mandy Metten holds a master’s degree in social and organizational Psychology. She completed a multi-level curriculum in Strategy, Economy, and Finance at the LeFebvre Institute.

    * * *

    About Atos

    Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with circa 74,000 employees and annual revenue of circa €10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

    The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

    Contacts

    Investor relations:

    David Pierre-Kahn | investors@atos.net | +33 6 28 51 45 96

    Sofiane El Amri | investors@atos.net | +33 6 29 34 85 67

    Individual shareholders: +33 8 05 65 00 75

    Press contact: globalprteam@atos.net

    1         In accordance with article 10.3 of the AFEP-MEDEF Code, the director representing employees is not taken into account in determining the percentage of independent members.
    2           In accordance with the law, the director representing employees is not taken into account in determining the parity ratio on the Board of Directors.
    3         Seven nationalities if the censor is taken into account.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –