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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Global: Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jake Brooker, Research Associate in the Department of Psychology, Durham University

    When people find out we study chimpanzees, they usually ask about their dark side. “You know chimpanzees kill each other, right?” or “Aren’t they the only animals besides humans that wage wars?”

    Chimpanzees are often cast as a mirror to our darkest tendencies, embodying violence, territoriality and power struggles. In contrast, bonobos are known as the most empathetic ape, heralded as the pacifist hippies, led by female collectives, who make love, not war.

    But our new research suggests it is time to leave these stereotypes at the door.

    The violent side of chimpanzee life has long captured the public imagination, and it’s true that when frustrated or feeling competitive, chimpanzees sometimes attack without much warning or provocation.

    However, what people often don’t know is that chimpanzees have a much softer side and can show amazing empathy towards one another, including reconciling and comforting others. Some of the first work conducted on animal empathy, led by the late primatologist Frans de Waal in the 1970s, explored this empathy in chimpanzees. De Waal and his colleagues provided beautiful examples of chimpanzees comforting one another, using behaviour that mirrors how we do so ourselves, such as embracing, touching and stroking.

    For a long time, scientists thought empathy was uniquely human, tied to our complex emotional skills and ability to think about others’ needs and perspectives. But this view was challenged when scientists started to notice animals responding to others in need, offering them help and comfort.

    Empathy is crucial for our social functioning. Consider the consequences when humans lose empathy for one another. For example, the perpetrators of abuse or during times of war. Thanks to research conducted with primates, rodents and other animals, we now know the roots of empathy run deep, reaching back through the branches of the evolutionary tree.

    As animals cannot talk to us, we cannot truly know what they are thinking or feeling. Yet research over the past several decades has shown that many animals have rich mental and emotional lives, including our closest living relatives, the bonobos and chimpanzees.

    Having separated from us around 5 to 7 million years ago, they provide us with the closest picture of what our last common ancestor might have been like. The two apes overlap in much of their behaviour and biology. However, differences in aspects of their social structures and dominance relationships mean they can also offer different insights into our own evolution.

    One quiet afternoon during routine observations at a sanctuary site in Zambia, we saw Misha, a greying middle-aged female chimpanzee emerge from the forest distraught. She wasn’t visibly hurt, but whatever had happened was serious enough to make her lose her cool, like a toddler having a temper tantrum. Normally composed, Misha threw herself onto the ground, legs splayed, screaming in distress. Moments later, something surprising happened. Little juvenile Tina started running towards her.

    Tina jumped onto Misha’s belly and embraced her tenderly. Then, another juvenile, Tom, approached to pat her gently. These friendly actions are what we call consolation, the offering of spontaneous comfort towards a distressed peer. We never found out why Misha was so upset, but she quickly settled down after these interactions. Having studied great apes now for over 20 years between us, we have collected hundreds of records of these apparent acts of kindness.

    Rethinking stereotypes

    In our new study, we compared consolation between bonobos and chimpanzees. There have been no previous direct comparisons of consolation in the two sister species.

    To provide a fair comparison, we studied them in similar environmental conditions over eight months. We studied large social groups at two African sanctuaries, chimpanzees in Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia and bonobos at the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Against expectations, we found the two species consoled at similar rates and that the greatest source of variation was within each species. In other words, offering comfort was shaped by individual and social characteristics, not species.

    Younger chimpanzees and bonobos were especially likely to console others, suggesting empathy emerges early in ape life. Among chimpanzees, young males and close social partners showed the most consistent comforting behaviour. Among bonobos, younger apes again led the way, with strong bonds between peers driving many of the responses.

    Our findings challenge the idea that bonobos are naturally more empathetic than chimpanzees and that like humans, the expression of their empathy is flexible, shaped by who you are, who you’re with, and the broader social culture.

    Like us, our ape cousins can show remarkable tenderness as well as despotism. Although there are some differences between them, for instance, chimpanzees can be hostile to strangers while bonobos have relaxed territory boundaries, the two apes overlap in their capacity for empathy. This suggests empathy has deep evolutionary roots, perhaps dating back to our last common ancestor. We need to move beyond stereotypes and look at what the science is telling us. Recognising these apes’ capabilities gives us a more rounded picture of the origins of human behaviour and our shared ancestry.

    Jake Brooker receives funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation – Diverse Intelligences Initiative (0309).

    Zanna Clay receives funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation – Diverse Intelligences Initiative (0309), and the European Research Council Starting Grant (802979)

    – ref. Our ape cousins show us empathy has deep evolutionary roots – new research – https://theconversation.com/our-ape-cousins-show-us-empathy-has-deep-evolutionary-roots-new-research-255277

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yannick Woudstra, Postdoctoral Researcher in Asexual Plant Evolution, Stockholm University

    A dandelion in full bloom on the pavement of a busy street in Gothenburg, Sweden. Yannick Woudstra/Stockholm University

    “Nothing is so uncommon as a common dandelion” say Karst Meijer and Erik van den Ham, Dutch botanists who started an international day (April 27) to celebrate this yellow flower in 2020. The pair hoped to showcase the immense diversity and fascinating ecology of dandelions, which are often maligned as noxious weeds.

    Intensive farming and weeding have drastically diminished dandelions in the Dutch countryside. Insects, many of whom feed on the pollen and nectar of these plants, have been the first to suffer. Between 1990 and 2017, Dutch protected areas reported a 75% decline in flying insects which has prompted another precipitous drop in the numbers of plants that rely on insects to pollinate them.

    However, hope comes from unexpected corners and dandelions are thriving in cities.

    A small crack in the pavement is sufficient for a dandelion to grow a long taproot that can access water and nutrients in the soil below the concrete. But don’t be fooled – that dandelion you stepped over is withstanding extreme pressure to thrive in your neighbourhood. There’s pollution, trampling, the heat that radiates from the concrete after a hot day and artificial light from street lamps to contend with.

    Having found ways to resist these pressures, dandelions grow prolifically in unfriendly cities, helping other wild species to survive as well. How do they do it?

    Many people think of plants as nice-looking greens. Essential for clean air, yes, but simple organisms. A step change in research is shaking up the way scientists think about plants: they are far more complex and more like us than you might imagine. This blossoming field of science is too delightful to do it justice in one or two stories.

    This article is part of a series, Plant Curious, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife.

    King of the urban jungle

    Cities are islands of heat. On average, a city like Amsterdam is 2°C warmer than its rural surroundings. On a hot summer day, it could be more than 11°C warmer. You can feel the heat when you walk a city’s streets in summer – how nice and cool does a park with trees and shade feel then?

    This heat is a challenge for plants too. Fortunately for dandelions, evolution has offered a helping hand. I discovered that dandelions evolved to use urban heat to their advantage: urban dandelions grow better and faster than their rural relatives at higher temperatures by making more efficient use of photosynthesis.

    Not only do urban dandelions cope better with summer heat, they can also avoid the problems other plants experience with warming winters caused by climate change.

    Plants are programmed to respond to changes in temperature; when a cold snap yields to milder weather, that’s a cue for plants to start flowering. Timing is crucial, as flowering must correspond with the emergence of pollinators. Milder city winters might weaken this signal and ensure plants miss their cue to flower. I discovered that urban dandelions have finetuned this process and can start flowering even after a very short and mild winter.

    Winter also brings frost. The salt sprayed on roads to keep traffic safe can stress the plants which grow on the roadside verge, but several dandelion species have, fortunately, become experts in dealing with high salt concentrations. The exact mechanisms are yet unknown, but it looks like these dandelions can store the toxic salts and metals that are typical of roadside pollution in their leaves, without being bothered by it.

    Urban dandelions even have a solution for feet and lawnmowers trampling and shredding them: growing low to the ground, so lawnmowers pass right over and feet do not cut the flowers away from the plants.

    Protector of the realm

    City plants cycle from eradication by concrete and asphalt to reconquest in the nooks and cracks that subsequently form. A group of artists from Sweden likened cities to disturbed gardens and said that people and plants alike are gardeners of this dynamic landscape.

    The dandelion is a pioneer of this disturbed garden: the first to arrive with its windborne seeds and the best equipped to conquer the pavement with its long taproots. Once established, dandelions enable others to arrive by providing a buffet for insects in early spring. A survey of urban meadows in Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol and Reading in the UK revealed that dandelions were providing 90% of the nectar (carbohydrates) and 80% of the pollen (proteins) in the diets of pollinators. As a result, more than 200 species of insects (that we know of) are supported by dandelions. These are the necessary pollinators that allow other plant species to establish, such as clover, mallow, mustard and poppy.

    A survey showed that 20% of insects visiting dandelions were solitary bees, like mining bees. Bumblebees were next most common (17%), then hoverflies (13%) and pollen beetles (6%).
    Yannick Woudstra/Stockholm University

    Because dandelions can grow almost anywhere there is a sliver of soil, they provide essential refreshment stops for urban pollinators on their way between gardens and parks. Not only does the dandelion rule the streets, it also protects and supports its inhabitants. And so, the dandelion can rightly be called king of the urban jungle.

    Next time you see one in your garden, think about what it does for friendly pollinating insects. Without dandelions, your garden plants would struggle to reproduce. And if all this talk about food makes you hungry, try some dandelion leaves in your salad for a tangy bite.

    Don’t hate dandelions. Let them spice up your life, your street and your garden.

    Yannick Woudstra receives funding from The European Commission (Horizon Europe; Marie-Skłodowska Curie Actions), The Sven & Lily Lawski Foundation (Sweden), The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Physiographical Society in Lund (Sweden) and the Lars Hiertas Memorial Foundation (Sweden).

    – ref. How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities – https://theconversation.com/how-dandelions-conquered-concrete-to-bring-nature-back-to-cities-254849

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How fighters make weight in combat sports – and regain it for the match

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University

    Chris Eubank Jr. missed weight by just 0.05lbs (23 grams) ahead of his highly anticipated clash with Conor Benn last weekend — a tiny margin that cost him a massive £375,000. But why does such a minuscule weight difference (roughly the weight of four sheets of A4 paper) matter so much in combat sports?

    Boxing, like most combat sports, uses weight classes to keep competition fair, strategic and safe. These classes exist to ensure that skill, not brute size, determines the outcome of a fight.

    By grouping fighters based on weight, the sport encourages more balanced match-ups that test a combination of power, speed, reach, endurance and skill.

    Where does weight come from?

    The body has two main “compartments” where weight can be lost from: fat mass and lean body (or fat-free) mass.

    Fat mass is self-explanatory and is influenced by sex, age, activity and other factors. A healthy percentage of body fat is about 25% for men and 30% for women.

    Lean mass includes just about everything else. About 50% is skeletal muscle, with organs, bones and water being the other 50%.

    Naturally, athletes try to lose fat while preserving lean mass – especially muscle, which plays a critical role in performance.

    How weight loss begins

    Preparing for a fight usually starts eight to 12 weeks before the bout, depending on the opponent, previous fights and training history.

    While there’s no universal rule for how much weight a fighter should drop, many aim to lose around 10% of their body weight.

    The primary goal? Cut fat without losing strength – a delicate process that combines nutrition, exercise and timing.

    How is weight lost?

    There are three major routes: reducing energy intake through fasting and dieting while increasing exercise. This is typically undertaken gradually with a long-term plan and a balanced diet that is focused on reducing fat mass and fuelling muscles.

    Within a few days of the weigh-in, more extreme measures are used, aimed at removing excess fluid from the body. These measures include heated activities, such as running or wrestling while wearing specialised suits or extra-layers to increase sweating when exercising.

    Stopping or limiting fluid intake can even go as far as spitting out saliva.

    Finally, in the most brutal category are the things that are advised against because they can cause harm, such as taking laxatives, diuretics or enemas.

    Normal defecation is likely to reduce the body weight by about 100-130g. However, depending on diet, it can be as much as 470g.

    Using laxatives or enemas can clear out the digestive tract, sometimes shedding about a kilogram of weight. Although this is risky and discouraged by health experts.

    By the time the weigh-in comes, everything that can be shed is pretty much gone and the athletes are in a dangerous physiological state.

    Reducing water intake while increasing water loss leads to reductions in body water content which directly reducesblood and plasma volume, extracellular water and haemoglobin mass – all things that are key for health and transporting energy, ions and minerals around the body.

    This fine physiological balancing act can result in a boxer collapsing before or at the weigh-in.

    Low blood sugar levels, dehydration and reduced oxygen delivery put a serious strain on the body. If this progresses too far, the blood can become too thick – increasing the risk of clotting – while the kidneys may begin to fail and the nervous system can start to malfunction.

    After weigh-ins

    Clearly, boxers and other combat athletes cannot fight in this depleted state, so weigh-ins typically happen the day before the fight. In Britain, the British Board of Boxing Control stipulates a weigh-in must happen 24 to 36 hours before a fight.

    Once the weigh-in is done, efforts to replenish those depleted resources are undertaken with fluids and electrolytes, combined with easily digestible carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores in the body.

    The fluids are an important part of many body systems including muscle. Skeletal muscle is 76% water and dehydration has been shown to reduce muscle strength by 2% and muscle power by 3%.

    Similarly, glycogen stores need to be replenished and this can take up to 24 hours. Glycogen accounts for 1-2% of skeletal muscle volume and is the main energy source for muscle contraction – a key requirement in boxing. Any deficiency is likely to result in poorer performance.

    After the weigh-in, studies show that victorious boxers regain more weight (8%) than losers (6.9%). And for each per cent more weight gained between weigh-in and bout, there was a 13% increase in the likelihood of victory in the fight.

    And after months of sacrifice, relentless training and physical strain, it must feel terrific to regain a bit of weight.

    Adam Taylor 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. How fighters make weight in combat sports – and regain it for the match – https://theconversation.com/how-fighters-make-weight-in-combat-sports-and-regain-it-for-the-match-255438

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: With Moominmama, Tove Jansson created a hero who wields a handbag instead of a sword

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Isabel Joely Black, Teaching Fellow in Anthropology, University of Manchester

    In 1989, the science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin published The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. In it, she notes that many stories depend heavily on a hero with a sword or weapon as a central object, while bags seem boring and insignificant.

    Le Guin argued against the idea of weapons being the most important tool in a novel. Novels themselves are not “sword-shaped”, she suggested, but bags of ideas bundled together. It might be unexpected to link Le Guin to Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories. But Moominmamma is a perfect example of the kind of hero Le Guin was imagining.

    The story Jansson tells in the first Moomin book, The Great Flood (1945), is not a conventional hero narrative. It is a bundle of experiences the Moomins encounter as they make their way through an uncertain environment. If the story functions more like the “bag” – of ideas, people, places and their relationships to each other – then the ideal object to sit at the heart of the story is a handbag.

    This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

    Moominmamma is, as children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce argues in his introduction to the 2024 edition of The Great Flood, the “hero” of the story in that she is often the person who drives the action forward. She approaches what appear to be dangerous situations with curiosity rather than fear. She rescues a cat and her kittens. She knocks on a door when she and Moomintroll are hungry and need help.

    Heroes normally come with weapons, as Le Guin argues. But as a different kind of hero, Moominmamma comes with a handbag. She shows how it is possible to survive a long and arduous journey to find a home without a weapon, using her bag to carry and collect items to support them on their journey rather than relying on violence to negotiate with the world.

    Le Guin remarks that it’s hard, but not impossible, to rise to the challenge of telling a story where the bag is the heroic object. With Moominmamma and her handbag in The Great Flood, Jansson fully rises to that challenge. Her courage, empathy and creativity encourage readers to think differently about how we live in the world and relate to others around us.

    Tove Jansson holding a model of Moominmama and her handbag.
    Wiki Commons

    Moominmamma’s handbag is ubiquitous in Jansson’s illustrations. She carries it wherever she goes and panics when it goes missing.

    The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950) depicts the first time Moominmama met her husband. She is introduced as she is washed up on shore, and her first worry is that she can’t find her handbag: “Suddenly, she sat up and cried: ‘Save my handbag! Oh, save my handbag!’”

    In Finn Family Moomintroll (1948), the shy, elfish creatures Thingummy and Bob take the handbag and turn it into a home for themselves. The whole of Moominvalley is involved in the hunt to return the bag and a party is thrown once it is found. Moominmama is even shown to sleep with it under her pillow in A Comet in Moominvalley (1946).

    An ice sculpture showing Moominmama with her handbag.
    Wiki Commons, CC BY-SA

    Moominmamma wasn’t drawn wearing her staple apron in the first few books, but the handbag has always been with her. In one comic strip, Moominpappa and Moomintroll know something must be seriously wrong when Moominmamma discards her bag before jumping into water.

    In The Great Flood, it is even shown in the very first drawing as a small black square held by Moominmamma as she and Moomintroll enter the dark forest. They are on a terrible journey in a search for a home, and what could be more useful than a bag carrying all the essentials they need, and able to store new items picked up along the way?

    The handbag’s many uses

    The handbag’s first value is carrying items Moominmamma or anybody else may need on their perilous travels. It is almost immediately put to use in The Great Flood, when Moomintroll falls in water and, once rescued, has wet feet. Moominmamma gives him a pair of dry socks that symbolise the comfort and reassurance Moomintroll needs (even though Moomins do not actually wear socks).

    When they discover a bottle with a message in it, she even has a corkscrew in the bag to open it. She also collects things in the environment that might be useful along the way, proving the value of a bag on a great journey is not only what you have when you start, but what you can gather.

    Moominmama moments from the 1990s cartoon adaptation of Jansson’s books.

    Moominmamma is always on the lookout for potentially useful things, including some chocolate she gathers off-page when the Moomins and a character described as the “little creature” are exploring. Much later, the Moomins are starving and can only find a few figs to eat. Moominmamma takes out the chocolate to keep Moomintroll and the little creature going when they desperately need it.

    Le Guin argued that novels can be thought of as bags of ideas, people and things bundled together and that literal bags can be just as useful in a crisis as a weapon. Moominmamma and her handbag are an ideal example of how this plays out. She is the alternative hero Le Guin imagined, and her bag is the bundle she uses as support, the most vital tool for a crisis or a long journey.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Isabel Joely Black 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. With Moominmama, Tove Jansson created a hero who wields a handbag instead of a sword – https://theconversation.com/with-moominmama-tove-jansson-created-a-hero-who-wields-a-handbag-instead-of-a-sword-255332

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘entourage effect’ — what we don’t know about how cannabis works

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Simone, Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences, Brock University

    In the years since legalization, there has been a tremendous surge in the number of cannabis products available to Canadian consumers, many offering tailored experiences to enhance seemingly any mood or activity.

    Do you want something calming or uplifting? Are you looking to inspire focus, spark creativity or get a good night’s sleep? Do you prefer full-spectrum extracts or THC isolates?

    But how does one plant produce so many different experiences? Like many of its botanical relatives, cannabis is rich in active compounds. The prevailing view is that these compounds work together to shape the overall experience, a phenomenon known as the “entourage effect.”

    From a consumer standpoint, the idea of custom-tailored experiences guided by key active ingredients is appealing — and it certainly makes things easier. But in reality, it’s not so cut-and-dried.

    Making informed decisions as a cannabis consumer can seem overwhelming, and navigating a product menu can feel like it requires a chemistry degree. But how much do we really know about how cannabis works? And how well are we able to predict individual experiences based on a product’s composition?

    What’s in a high?

    Most research into cannabis’ effects has focused on two key compounds, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is non-intoxicating and thought to underlie many therapeutic effects of cannabis, whereas THC is the primary compound responsible for the classic cannabis high.

    Until recently, the most pertinent information available to cannabis consumers was the THC:CBD ratio, and from a regulatory standpoint, these are the only compounds required by Health Canada for product labels. But the cannabis plant produces over 500 potentially bioactive compounds, most notably cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, with increasing emphasis being placed on how they interact to drive different experiences.

    The idea that the different components of cannabis work in concert, modulating one another’s activity to influence the overall experience, has been termed the “entourage effect.” Simply put, it seeks to explain the effects of cannabis beyond those of any individual component, such as THC or CBD, and offers an elegant explanation for a common question: how can products with the same amount of THC and CBD produce different effects?

    Indeed, the medical cannabis community has long-favoured full- and broad-spectrum products (those containing a varied chemical profile) over single-compound isolates such as purified THC or CBD, based on claims of superior safety and efficacy.

    Ask your local budtender for a recommendation and you will likely get a crash-course on terpene nomenclature, hearing words like limonene, myrcene, pinene and linalool.

    While this modern embrace of terpene pharmacology and natural product chemistry reflects a growing appreciation for the complexities of the cannabis plant, claims of entourage effects remain largely speculative, highlighting how much we’ve yet to learn.

    Sound science or smoke and mirrors?

    Initially coined by scientists in Israel and Italy in study published in 1998, the term “entourage effect” described interactions among endogenous cannabinoids (THC-and CBD-like molecules produced by the human body). The idea was that some of these compounds, which are inactive on their own, could enhance or modulate the activity of others, resulting in combined effects greater than the sum of their parts.

    It is important to note that this study did not examine plant-derived cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, but rather structurally related compounds produced naturally in the brain and body. As such, the idea of cannabis-specific entourage effects did not emerge directly from the data itself, but from broader inferences drawn from that research that provided a rationale for the diverse effects often reported by cannabis users.

    Since then, and despite a lack of supporting evidence, the term has been widely adopted and adapted by the cannabis industry, often leveraged to differentiate products in an overly crowded market.

    The available support for entourage effects in humans is limited to a few small clinical and observational studies and meta-analyses that suggest whole-plant extracts may outperform isolates for conditions like chronic pain and pediatric epilepsy.

    However, these studies often use non-standardized extracts and are therefore unable to identify which chemical interactions are driving the effects. Further, direct comparisons of full-spectrum and isolate products are lacking, with most claims rooted in inferences made from pre-clinical (in other words, non-human) research and from studies of non-cannabis derived phytomolecules.

    That said, the entourage effect is a valid hypothesis and arguably the most promising in terms of explaining cannabis’s varied and nuanced effects. Similar effects have been described for other drug classes, though these interactions are often termed synergism and potentiation and typically involve just a few well-characterized compounds. In contrast, unlocking cannabis synergy requires untangling the interactions of hundreds of different molecules, many of which are still poorly understood.

    That complexity is what I’ve spent my career trying to understand. Researching how cannabis-derived compounds work in the brain and body, I have gained a considerable appreciation for how far our understanding of cannabis has come, how much we have still yet to uncover and how easy it is for enthusiasm to outpace evidence.

    Reading between the product lines

    As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, consumers need to approach product claims with a healthy dose of skepticism. There is no doubt the cannabis plant is a treasure trove of unexplored and underexplored bioactive molecules, and that we will continue to uncover interesting and unexpected interactions among them. But we are far from a complete picture.

    At present, the entourage effect remains a hypothesis more often co-opted for marketing than grounded in evidence. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but it does mean we should resist conflating convenient narratives with established science. This highlights an important question: where does the onus of responsibility for generating this new knowledge fall?

    If the cannabis industry continues invoking the entourage effect for marketing and product differentiation, then it should support and contribute to research that furthers the state of evidence.

    Relying solely on existing pre-clinical and academic studies in lieu of directly advancing the science and validating real-world product claims risks perpetuating hype at the expense of credibility. But industry is not alone in their duty. Government must also remedy the regulatory bottlenecks that impede new research.

    Establishing a credible, science-backed cannabis marketplace means moving beyond hype. It requires action, from industry and government, to generate the information consumers need to make informed decisions.

    Jonathan Simone 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. The ‘entourage effect’ — what we don’t know about how cannabis works – https://theconversation.com/the-entourage-effect-what-we-dont-know-about-how-cannabis-works-251799

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Push to Support Coastal Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    04.30.25
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) in introducing legislation to strengthen coastal communities and the blue economy across the U.S. The bipartisan, bicameral Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation (Ocean ROI) Act, would direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish “Ocean Innovation Clusters,” while providing grants for their establishment, operation, and administration.
    Specifically, the Ocean ROI Act would require the Secretary of Commerce—acting through the administrator of the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and in consultation with the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—to designate at least one ocean innovation cluster in each of the five NOAA Fisheries regions, Gulf of America region, and the Great Lakes region. The bill would also authorize $10 million for competitive grants for cluster operation and administration to support ocean innovation clusters on the federal level.
    “A strong blue economy will require strong coordination and creativity, and that’s why I’m leading this effort to invest in our ocean clusters and take advantage of the opportunities for innovation and collaboration,” said Sen. Murkowski. “This effort doesn’t just focus on the untapped economic potential of our blue economy, but also ensures that collaboration is at the center of any conversation or effort to address the impacts of climate change on our coastal communities. By providing incentives and workspaces for Alaskans in maritime and maritime-adjacent industries, we can achieve real progress in strengthening the blue economy.”
    “From protecting orcas from vessel noise, to transitioning to a carbon-free future for our ports and maritime industry, Washington’s ocean cluster, called Maritime Blue, is working hard to solve complex challenges facing our economy. This bill would build on their success by creating a new grant program to fund ocean innovation clusters and grow Washington’s $60 billion maritime economy,” said Sen. Cantwell.
    “Ocean innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it relies on strong federal partnerships and trusted scientific institutions and federal agencies. As the Trump Administration doubles down on its attacks against climate research and ocean science, it’s more important than ever that Congress step up,” said Rep. Pingree, a senior appropriator and member of the House Oceans Caucus. “The Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act is a bipartisan, bicameral effort to invest in our Blue Economy, boost ocean-based industries, and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities from the Gulf of Maine to the Bering Sea. Congresswoman Salazar, Senator Murkowski, Senator Cantwell, and I represent some of the most iconic and vulnerable coastlines in the nation. We know just how vital the ocean is to our economies, our environment, and our future. The United States should be leading the world in ocean innovation, not dismantling the partnerships that make it possible.”
    “Miami’s beautiful coasts and pristine waters provide Florida with billions in tourism and commerce every year, and I am committed to preserving them for generations to come,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to reintroduce this legislation to promote Miami’s development and improve our environment through the sustainable use of our oceans. The blue economy and the opportunities it provides are growing, and there is no better place to invest the best we have in research and technology than right here in South Florida.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Viridien: Combined General Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting of April 30, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Combined General Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting

    of April 30, 2025

    Paris, France – April 30, 2025

    The Combined General Meeting of Viridien, chaired by Mr. Philippe SALLE was held on April 30, 2025 in Paris. The voting results and video replay of the event will be available on the Company’s website at the following address: https://www.viridiengroup.com/investors/shareholders/general-meetings.

    The General Meeting approved all resolutions that were submitted to it and notably:

    • The statutory financial statements and consolidated financial statements for the financial year 2024;
    • Appointment of DELOITTE & ASSOCIES, in replacement of ERNST & YOUNG et Autres, as statutory auditor in charge of certifying financial statements;
    • Appointment of BDO PARIS, in replacement of MAZARS, as statutory auditor in charge of certifying financial statements;
    • The Appointment of BDO PARIS as statutory auditors in charge of certifying the sustainability information;
    • The Say on Pay resolutions on the remuneration of corporate officers;
    • The renewals of Mr. Philippe SALLE, Mrs. Anne-France LACLIDE-DROUIN and Mr. Michael DALY’s term as Director for a period of four years and the co-optation of Mrs. Amélie OYARZABAL as Director.

    The Board of Directors, at its meeting following the General Meeting, appointed:

    • Mrs. Sophie ZURQUIYAH as Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer until the end of her term of office as director at the latest, i.e. until the Annual General Meeting of 2026,
    • Mr. Philippe SALLE as Vice-Chairman and Lead Independent Director.

    The Board also noted the end of Patrick CHOUPIN’s term of office as Director representing the employees. As the Company no longer exceeds the headcount thresholds requiring the appointment of a director representing the employees, no new director representing the employees will be appointed. The Board thanks Patrick CHOUPIN for his valuable insights, bringing the employees’ view to the Board room.

    The Board of Directors therefore comprises 8 directors, of whom 87.5% are independent and 50% are women. The Board is composed of:

    • Sophie ZURQUIYAH, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
    • Philippe SALLE*, Vice-Chairman and Lead Independent Director
    • Michael DALY*
    • Olivier JOUVE*
    • Anne-France LACLIDE-DROUIN*
    • Colette LEWINER*
    • Amélie OYARZABAL*
    • Mario RUSCEV*

    The Board also modified the composition of its committees as follows:

    Audit and Risk Management Committee

    • Anne-France LACLIDE-DROUIN*, Chairwoman 
    • Colette LEWINER *
    • Amélie OYARZABAL*

    Appointment, Remuneration and Governance Committee

    • Colette LEWINER*, Chairwoman
    • Olivier JOUVE*
    • Mario RUSCEV*

    New Businesses and M&A Committee

    • Michael DALY*, Chairman
    • Olivier JOUVE*
    • Amélie OYARZABAL*
    • Mario RUSCEV*

    Sustainability Committee

    • Philippe SALLE*, Chairman
    • Michael DALY*
    • Anne-France LACLIDE-DROUIN*
    • Mario RUSCEV*

    Sophie Zurquiyah, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Viridien:

    “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Philippe SALLE for his exceptional leadership and vision. His guidance has empowered the Group to undertake a bold and pivotal transformation, laying the foundation for a sustainable future. We are fortunate to have his continued presence on the Board as Vice-Chair and Lead Independent Director, which will be a precious assurance of continuity and stability.
    I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Directors for the trust they have placed in me by appointing me as Chairperson of the Board, in addition to my current role as Chief Executive Officer. This responsibility is a true honor, and I am committed to fulfilling it with determination, while awaiting the Board’s definition of a new governance structure for Viridien starting in 2026.”

    * Independent director

    About Viridien :

    Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Viridien employs around 3,400 people worldwide and is listed as VIRI on the Euronext Paris SA (ISIN: FR001400PVN6).

    Contact:
    Group General Secretary
    general.secretary@viridiengroup.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 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.

    Matteo Rizzo 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. 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 – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 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.

    Ihsaan Bassier has previously received funding for several research projects, including this one, through the SA-TIED joint initiative between UNU-WIDER and the South African National Treasury. He is a research affiliate at the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town.

    Leila Gautham 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. 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 – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From COVID to cancer: Why Canada’s RNA vaccine leadership matters more than ever

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anna Blakney, Assistant Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia

    As the world marks World Immunization Week, attention turns once again to the lifesaving power of vaccines.

    Amid headlines about rising cases of measles, falling vaccination rates and growing vaccine hesitancy, a quieter revolution is underway — one that could fundamentally reshape how we respond to global health threats, including pandemics and cancer.

    This revolution is being powered by RNA technology — and Canada is uniquely positioned to lead it.

    A made-in-Canada breakthrough

    While the swift development of COVID-19 vaccines appeared to be a sudden scientific triumph, it was built on six decades of foundational work. Much of that work happened in Canada. Messenger RNA (mRNA) are large, negatively charged molecules that are easily degraded and repelled by our cells.

    To coax our cells to internalize them, scientists developed a way to encapsulate them in “fat bubbles” or lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which were invented by Pieter Cullis and collaborators. Cullis, a co-author of this article, is a professor in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of British Columbia.

    Once inside a patients’ cells, the mRNA gives the cell instructions to translate a viral protein that triggers an immune response. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — which relied on these fat bubbles — were found to be highly efficacious (more than 94 per cent) and safe, both in initial trials and continuous monitoring over time. They were estimated to have saved nearly 10 million lives in 2021 alone.

    That’s just the beginning. Research teams across the country are now building on this homegrown innovation to expand the potential of RNA vaccines beyond infectious diseases.

    The next generation: Less means more

    At the University of British Columbia, the Blakney Lab is focused on developing vaccines and therapies using self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), a technology that offers several advantages over conventional mRNA. Because saRNA replicates itself once inside a patient’s cells, much smaller doses are needed to produce a robust immune response.

    Now, this replication process may sound like something out of a science fiction film, but similar to mRNA vaccines, this technology has been developed over decades and has been thoroughly clinically validated. The saRNA technology reduces manufacturing costs and makes vaccine production more scalable during global emergencies. Notably, the lower dose can also minimize side effects, potentially reducing the risk of getting a sore arm or having to miss a day of work after vaccination.

    Recent pre-clinical studies have shown that saRNA vaccines can offer longer-lasting immunity with smaller doses, and multiple clinical trials are now underway to evaluate their use for influenza, Zika virus and even cancer.

    Vaccine equity, health security, economic growth

    Expanding Canada’s domestic RNA vaccine capacity is more than just a scientific priority; it’s a public health imperative and economic opportunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain breakdowns exposed the risks of relying on international sources for essential vaccine ingredients and production. Investing in local infrastructure allows for faster and more flexible responses to future outbreaks.



    Read more:
    From PPE shortages to COVID-19 vaccine distribution, the supply chain has emerged as a determinant of health

    But it’s not just about pandemic readiness. One of the most exciting frontiers for RNA technology is the development of personalized cancer vaccines. These vaccines train the immune system to recognize and attack mutations specific to an individual’s tumour.

    In early clinical trials, mRNA-based cancer vaccines — such as those developed by Moderna and BioNTech — have shown promising results, dramatically reducing recurrence rates in melanoma and pancreatic cancer patients.

    Canada’s scientific ecosystem is primed to contribute meaningfully to this next generation of therapies. Strengthening our biotech infrastructure could create high-quality jobs, stimulate economic growth and reinforce Canada’s place as a leader in the global bioeconomy.

    From crisis to capacity

    The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how rapidly science can enable positive public health outcomes — and how easily inequities can widen if infrastructure and access aren’t prioritized.

    Despite being home to world-class researchers, Canada lacked the manufacturing capacity to produce its own mRNA vaccines. That gap is now being addressed through substantial recent investments from the government of Canada, but sustaining momentum will require long-term commitment from policymakers and funders.

    Equity must also remain at the forefront. Communities in rural, remote and Indigenous regions often face barriers to accessing vaccines — not because of hesitancy, but due to logistical challenges and under-resourced health systems. The Public Health Agency of Canada has emphasized the importance of building trust and tailoring solutions in partnership with these communities.

    Vaccine confidence remains another challenge. Post-pandemic surveys reveal that misinformation continues to shape public perceptions, even about long-established vaccines like MMR. Addressing this requires proactive science communication, sustained public education and rebuilding trusted relationships between communities and health systems.

    Looking ahead

    World Immunization Week offered a chance to celebrate how far we’ve come — but also to ask what comes next. With decades of research leadership, a strong innovation ecosystem and new investments in RNA infrastructure, Canada has the tools to lead the next chapter of mRNA technology development.

    Whether it’s fighting the next virus or personalizing cancer therapies for individual patients, RNA technologies hold transformative promise. Seizing this opportunity will require sustained support, policy alignment and a focus on equitable access.

    By investing in RNA innovation today, Canada can deliver not just vaccines, but a healthier, more resilient future for all.

    Immunity and Society is a new series from The Conversation Canada that presents new vaccine discoveries and immune-based innovations that are changing how we understand and protect human health. Through a partnership with the Bridge Research Consortium, these articles — written by academics in Canada at the forefront of immunology and biomanufacturing — explore the latest developments and their social impacts.

    Anna Blakney sits on the scientific advisory board and/or consults for Genvax Technologies, Replicate Biosciences and Pasture Biosciences. She receives funding from CIHR, CBRF, NSERC and CFI.

    Pieter Cullis a co-founder and have shares in Acuitas Therapeutics, the company that provided the LNP enabling the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. He receives funding from CIHR.

    – ref. From COVID to cancer: Why Canada’s RNA vaccine leadership matters more than ever – https://theconversation.com/from-covid-to-cancer-why-canadas-rna-vaccine-leadership-matters-more-than-ever-254692

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Boat wakes aren’t just a nuisance, they harm freshwater shorelines and wildlife

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Chris Houser, Professor in Department of Earth and Environmental Science, and Dean of Science, University of Waterloo

    After long winters, Canadians love their summers. For some, that means summer vacations by a lake, along a river or on a bay for some much-needed rest and relaxation. For some, it’s time to disconnect at the dock, while for others it’s a time to cruise the lake or enjoy the thrill of water-skiing, tubing and wake-boarding.

    Over the last decade, there’s been a strong growth in the sale of new and pre-owned motorboats, and in particular, wake boats that are designed to generate large wakes.

    While recreational boating is a multi-billion-dollar industry in Canada, and enjoyed by many — including me — there has been increasing concern among cottage owners and other advocacy groups about the impact of the wakes generated by these boats.

    Recreational boat wake and jet ski jumping wakes in cottage country in Ontario. (Chris Houser)

    There is increasing evidence that boat wakes erode the shoreline, disrupt aquatic ecosystems, degrade water quality and pose a safety hazard to those at the shoreline or also on the water.

    Stronger than waves

    In Ontario’s cottage country, boat wakes represent a significant portion of total wave energy.

    Except for lakes where motorboats are restricted, the energy generated by wakes is greater than the energy of the waves generated by winds. The exact amount depends on the size, shape and depth of the body of water, but recent research I conducted with colleagues suggests wakes can account for up to 90 per cent of the total wave energy in small lakes with widths up to five kilometres.

    One respondent to our survey noted that:

    “The shore is eroding. I’m losing land and trees into the water. The water is more murky than ever before and the constant large waves makes it unsafe for my kids to swim at times.”

    Wakes not only represent an increase in the number of waves, but they are also responsible for waves of greater height and energy, particularly those generated by wake boats. The smaller the lake, the greater the wake energy at the shoreline, but it is also larger along rivers, lake arms and in bays due to the types and frequency of boating in those areas.

    There is limited impact along rocky shorelines, our research has found, but change can occur where the shorelines are muddy or sandy and the water is shallow.

    Just like large storm waves, wakes can erode the shoreline and uproot and undermine shoreline vegetation. The resuspension of bottom sediment and organic material can also degrade water quality and clarity, leading to the development of algae blooms and hypoxia and the dispersion of contaminants.

    “We have boats that are enhanced for sale surfing and our lake is not wide enough or deep enough to handle the energy generated by the wakes that are produced by these boats. We have parts of our lake that are less than 20 metres wide and less than eigth feet deep, and these boats are generating cut-outs on the bottom of the lake bed, which of course stirs up silt from the floor bed and harms water clarity.” A cottager on Fairy Lake, north of Toronto.

    Dangers to loons, fish, docks and people

    The turbulence can also disturb loon nests and fish spawning in shallow water by destroying nests, washing away eggs and displacing juvenile fish, leading to reduced reproductive success.

    “It is not a coincidence we have not had loons nesting on our point for 10 years since our channel became a busy wake-surfing mecca.” A cottager on Lake Joseph, north of Toronto.

    In our research, residents and cottage owners also raised concerns that wakes cause damage to shoreline infrastructure and docked vessels, leading to greater maintenance and repair costs. Large wakes can make it difficult for smaller slower boats to navigate safely, and at the shoreline, those waves pose a hazard to swimmers, who may be knocked off balance or even swept out by larger waves.

    While studies suggest that wakes represent a significant portion of the wave energy on small lakes, there has been little actual documentation of impacts, and we discovered that there was little direct evidence of erosion. Most examples were extreme and highlighted potential hotspots of shoreline change associated with boat wakes.

    “Our shoreline has eroded approximately six feet in the last 10 years, causing trees and shoreline to collapse into the lake.” A Lake Joseph cottager.

    Most respondents to the survey identified boat operation, the experience of the operators and use of the lake by other users (for example, those fishing, swimming and relaxing) as the primary issues associated with wakes and boating in general. This is consistent with another recent study that found no evidence of shoreline erosion, but an increase in sediment resuspension and phosphorus availability.

    Speed limits, no-wake zones

    Further study is needed to determine when and where boat wakes are a physical and/or ecological stressor rather than simply being a disturbance to the peaceful cottage country scene.

    Through these studies, it will be possible to implement appropriate speed limits and no-wake zones, limits to wakeboat use and improve education and awareness as the industry continues to improve hull designs to reduce the wake.

    There is no doubt that the debate over the impact of boat wakes will continue this summer, but hopefully it won’t make our time on the dock this summer too rocky.

    Chris Houser 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. Boat wakes aren’t just a nuisance, they harm freshwater shorelines and wildlife – https://theconversation.com/boat-wakes-arent-just-a-nuisance-they-harm-freshwater-shorelines-and-wildlife-251958

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Cato T. Laurencin’s Mentees Honored at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Awards Event

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Two mentees of UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin — Carol Morris, MD, MS and Erica D. Taylor, MD, MBA — were recognized at the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society’s (JRGOS) Annual Awards Luncheon at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2025 Annual Meeting.

    The meeting was held on March 13 in San Diego, CA. Laurencin is active in mentoring, especially those underrepresented in science, engineering, and medicine.

    Carol Morris, MD, MS was honored with the JRGOS Claudia L. Thomas, MD Award in recognition of her exemplification of Dr. Claudia Thomas’ resilience, tenacity, and leadership in Orthopaedic Surgery. Morris was Laurencin’s first graduate student at his MIT lab when it was first established.

    “Dr. Laurencin’s mentorship and influence have been tremendous in my career. His impact on my professional trajectory has been significant and sustaining for decades,” said Morris.

    Morris is an internationally recognized leader in orthopedic oncology with clinical expertise in primary bone cancer, metastatic cancer to bone, soft tissue sarcoma, and neurofibromatosis. She is the chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

    Taylor was the recipient of the 2025 Alvin H. Crawford, MD, Mentorship Award in recognition of her remarkable contributions to orthopaedic surgery. Taylor is a leader in orthopaedic surgery and an ardent advocate for health equity and inclusion. She completed her residency under Laurencin and is the vice president of Health Equity for Duke Health, and vice chair of Equity & Inclusion for Duke University’s Department of Orthopaedics.

    “I met Dr. Laurencin as a medical student, and he has been a constant source of inspiration and a role model for excellence ever since. His sincere investment in my growth and his encouragement across every phase of my professional journey have made an enduring impact,” said Taylor.

    Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute named in his honor at UConn. He is the first individual to receive the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring bestowed by President Obama. At UConn alone, he created and established the UConn Young Innovative Investigator Program, the UConn ASPIRE Program, (A Scientific Program in Regenerative Engineering) funded by the Department of Education, the UConn M-1 Mentorship Program, the UConn Pre-K K Award Application Training Program, the UConn Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation REM and REU Programs funded by NSF, and the UConn Graduate Training Program in Regenerative Engineering funded by an NIH T32 Institutional Training Grant.  Nationally, the Society for Biomaterials established the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travelling Fellow Award Program for undergraduates in his honor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome luncheon for Polish parliamentary delegation led by Deputy Senate Marshal Kamiński

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Foreign Minister Lin hosts welcome luncheon for Polish parliamentary delegation led by Deputy Senate Marshal Kamiński

    Date：2024-12-13
    Data Source：Department of European Affairs

    December 13, 2024  
    No. 459  

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung on December 12 hosted a luncheon to welcome a parliamentary delegation from the Republic of Poland led by Deputy Senate Marshal Michał Kamiński. During the event, the two sides exchanged views on regional developments, Taiwan-Poland relations, and economic and trade exchanges. 
     
    Minister Lin pointed out that both Taiwan and Poland had previously gone through periods of authoritarian rule but had since chosen the path of democracy. He remarked that bilateral relations had steadily advanced in recent years in such areas as the economy, trade, higher education, law enforcement, and science and technology. Minister Lin also affirmed that Taiwan would continue to work with Poland and other like-minded countries to bolster democratic resilience, deepen Taiwan-Europe economic and trade linkages, and forge resilient democratic supply chains throughout the world. 
     
    Furthermore, Minister Lin noted that the Polish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Group released statements in April last year and May this year advocating Taiwan’s international participation and expressing concern over peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He thanked friends from the Polish parliament for taking such concrete action in support of Taiwan and added that he looked forward to further collaborating in the future and deepening bilateral interactions and exchanges.
     
    In his remarks, Deputy Senate Marshal Kamiński stated that Taiwan and Poland could learn from each other through exchanges in such fields as culture, the economy and trade, science and technology, and academia. He also said that due to Poland’s considerable economic development potential, many major Taiwanese enterprises had already invested in Poland, including Chi Mei Frozen Food and Compal, and that he anticipated that even more Taiwanese businesses would seek to develop market opportunities in Poland. 
     
    Taiwan and Poland share such universal values as freedom and democracy. In the future, the two countries will continue to work closely together to jointly promote prosperity and progress and protect hard-earned democratic achievements. (E)

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Who Defrauded Investors with Sham Technology Company Found Guilty of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury today convicted Ramesh Kris Nathan on six counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering in connection with fraudulently obtaining investors’ money for a company that had no legitimate business activities.  The guilty verdict followed an eight-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathan, 43, a U.S. national, promised investors that their money would fund Relativity Research Fund, Inc., a company for which Nathan set up a bank account in San Francisco.  He promoted Relativity as being involved in the research and development of advanced technologies, including prototype spacecraft and space-related propulsion systems.  He also made false promises of future trading of the company’s shares on the Nasdaq Private Market.

    “Ramesh Nathan spun fantastic tales about space travel technology and advanced robotics to entice investors into funding his company, but all he had to offer was science fiction.  He deceived his investors, many of whom were veterans, about a nonexistent business.  Then he used the ill-gotten funds to line his own pockets,”  said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  “Thanks to the jury’s verdict, Mr. Nathan is being held accountable for the harms he caused to multiple victims.”

    “Ramesh Nathan orchestrated a scheme rooted in deception, betraying the trust of investors for his own gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. “Today’s guilty verdict reflects the seriousness of his crimes and brings justice to the victims he defrauded. The FBI remains committed to holding financial criminals accountable and protecting the public from fraud.”

    The evidence presented at trial showed that Nathan induced potential investors to provide funds by making false and misleading statements on his company’s website, in promotional materials, and in emails to potential investors.  For example, Nathan claimed that the company was developing numerous technology-related enterprises, including advanced robotics and space travel technology.  Nathan also represented that the company had significant capital investments, worldwide offices with over 15,000 employees, and tens of billions of dollars in profits and revenue.

    The jury also found that Nathan laundered investor funds through various bank accounts, and then used the funds for his personal expenses and transfers to his mother and his then-girlfriend.  Nathan carried out his fraudulent scheme by recruiting an intermediary to share his lies with investors, many of whom were veterans of the United States military and friends and family of veterans.

    The defendant will next appear in court on June 13, 2025, for further proceedings.  Nathan faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering, and forfeiture of all property that is traceable to his wire fraud and money laundering violations.  Any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.  

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roland Chang and Sara Henderson are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Tina Rosenbaum.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.  
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Inellas Restoration Center Receives the SBB Research Group Foundation Grant

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inellas Restoration Center received a $5,000 grant from the SBB Research Group Foundation, which awards monthly grants to support impactful organizations. 

    Inellas Restoration Center (IRC), based in River Forest, IL, is dedicated to empowering women and children who have survived domestic violence by providing safety, healing, and long-term support. Through specialized programs and advocacy, the nonprofit works to break the cycle of abuse and help survivors rebuild their lives with stability and independence.

    IRC Founder and Executive Director Remona Sanders shares, “This organization was created to fill a critical gap in support for those impacted by domestic violence. Too often, individuals facing these challenges struggle to find the resources they need. Our mission is to ensure that help is accessible, compassionate, and empowering for anyone affected.”

    With a survivor-centered approach, IRC offers comprehensive services to address the urgent and long-term needs of those impacted by domestic violence. The Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention program provides crisis intervention, legal advocacy, counseling, and support groups to help survivors regain control and achieve self-sufficiency. Recognizing the importance of education and early prevention, the Teen Healthy Relationship Program teaches young people about consent, conflict resolution, and the foundations of healthy relationships. Additionally, the Partner Abuse Intervention Program works with individuals who have perpetrated domestic violence, fostering accountability and behavioral change.

    To further support survivors on their path to independence, IRC is launching the Transitional Housing Program, which will provide safe, stable housing along with financial literacy training, legal advocacy, tutoring, and case management. Survivors who do not require emergency shelter will still have access to specialized domestic violence services, including housing referrals, trauma-informed counseling, and community resources.
    By addressing the immediate and long-term needs of survivors, IRC continues to provide a pathway to safety, empowerment, and lasting change.

    “We are honored to support Inellas Restoration Center as they provide life-changing resources and compassionate care to survivors of domestic violence,” said Matt Aven, co-founder and board member of the SBB Research Group Foundation.

    About the SBB Research Group Foundation 

    The SBB Research Group Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that furthers the philanthropic mission of SBB Research Group LLC (SBBRG), a Chicago-based investment management firm led by Sam Barnett, Ph.D., and Matt Aven. The Foundation provides grants to support ambitious organizations solving unmet needs with thoughtful, long-term strategies. In addition, the Foundation sponsors the SBBRG STEM Scholarship, which supports students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees. 

    Contact: Erin Noonan 
    Organization: SBB Research Group Foundation 
    Email: grants@sbbrg.org 
    Address: 450 Skokie Blvd, Building 600, Northbrook, IL 60062, United States 
    Phone: 1-847-656-1111 
    Website: https://www.sbbrg.org 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Akka Launches New Deployment Options for Agentic AI at Scale

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Akka, the leader in helping enterprises deliver distributed systems, today announced new deployment options, as well as new solutions to tackle the issues with deploying large-scale agentic AI systems. Already the standard for building elastic, agile, and resilient distributed systems, with industry leaders such as Capital One, John Deere, Tubi, Walmart, Swiggy, HPE, and many others, Akka now gives enterprises the freedom to deploy their Akka applications on the infrastructure of their choice. For the first time, enterprises have the option to self-host their application or deploy and automate operations across multiple regions on the Akka Platform.

    “Agentic AI has become a priority with enterprises everywhere as a new model that has the potential to replace enterprise software as we understand it today,” said Tyler Jewell, Akka’s CEO. “With today’s announcement, we’re making it easy for customers to build their distributed systems, including agentic AI systems, without having to commit to the Akka Platform. Now, enterprise teams can quickly build scalable systems locally and run them on any infrastructure they want.”

    Over the past 15 years, the Akka Libraries have been downloaded more than 1 billion times. In November 2024, the Akka SDK was released to further simplify the development of distributed systems, but required the Akka Platform for operations. Now, the simplicity of development with the SDK is matched by the freedom to deploy on any infrastructure.

    Today, Akka has introduced two new deployment capabilities:

    • Self-managed Akka nodes – Enterprises can now run clusters of services that were built with Akka SDK on any cloud infrastructure. The new version of the Akka SDK includes a self-managed build option that will create services that can be executed stand-alone. Services are binaries packaged in Docker images that can be deployed in any container PaaS, bare metal hardware, VMs, edge nodes, or Kubernetes without any Akka infrastructure or platform dependencies. Nodes have Akka clustering built in.
    • Self-hosted Akka Platform regions – Enterprises can now run their own Akka Platform region without any dependency on Akka.io control planes. Services built with the Akka SDK have always been deployable onto Akka Platform, with Akka providing managed services through the company’s Akka Serverless and Akka BYOC offerings. Akka Platform provides fully automated operations, alleviating admins from more than 30 maintenance, security, and observability duties. Serverless and BYOC can federate multiple regions together by using an Akka control plane hosted at Akka.io.

    In contrast, the newly released option for self-hosted regions are Akka Platform regions with no Akka control plane dependency. Self-hosted regions can be installed, maintained, and managed by the customer in any data center with orchestration, proxy, and infrastructure dependencies specified by Akka. Since Akka Platform is updated many times each week, the installation of self-hosted regions is executed in cooperation with Akka’s SRE team to ensure stability and consistency of a customer environment.

    These two new options provide unique benefits to anyone building distributed systems at scale, as other frameworks strictly limit the infrastructure where an application can be deployed. An excellent example of this scenario is the industry’s current shift toward Agentic AI.

    The agentic shift requires a fundamental architectural change from transaction-centered to conversation-centered systems. Traditional SaaS applications are built on stateless business logic executing CRUD operations against relational databases. In contrast, agentic services maintain state within the service itself and store each event to track how the service reached its current state.

    As a result, developer teams experience very unpredictable behavior, limited planning and memory impacting agent effectiveness, hard failures at scale, opaque decision-making with zero transparency, and, perhaps most importantly, significant cost and latency concerns.

    Akka uniquely solves these issues for enterprises and aims to accelerate agentic AI application delivery as these technologies move from data science departments into core application delivery teams. Akka views this as a stack evolution, as agentic services augment rather than replace existing cloud-native application architecture. Akka’s implementation includes non-blocking asynchronous LLM adapters, automatic in-memory, and durable context databases, an event-driven system benchmarked to 10 million TPS, developer-friendly workflow tools, and multi-region deployment capabilities with replication filtering for compliance requirements.

    Already in production in global deployments with millions of users, Akka provides customers with the development and deployment options they need to deliver agentic AI for their businesses. Interested parties can find out more by visiting akka.io.

    About Akka
    Akka, formerly known as Lightbend, is relied upon by industry titans and disruptors to build and run distributed applications that are elastic, agile, and guaranteed resilient. For more information, visit www.akka.io.

    Editorial Contact
    Nichols Communications for Akka
    Jay Nichols
    +1 408 772 1551
    jay@nicholscomm.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amal Elawady, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

    A downburst blasts Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017. Natapat Ariyamongkol/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive.

    When a downburst’s winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to shatter windows and overturn vehicles.

    These winds behave in complicated ways, particularly in cities, as our latest research shows. Downburst winds can deflect off tall buildings, increasing the pressure on neighboring buildings’ windows and walls. The result can blow out glass and chip off facade. Even buildings designed to survive hurricanes can suffer major damage in a downburst.

    As engineers, we study downbursts with the goal of designing buildings, components such as solar panels and windows, and infrastructure such as power lines that can stand up to that powerful force. To do this, informed by field measurements, we create our own powerful downbursts using a hurricane simulator known as the Wall of Wind at Florida International University.

    An illustration of how the winds of a downburst fan out in open space. In a city with tall buildings, the wind can deflect off buildings, causing damage in unexpected ways.
    NASA/Wikimedia Commons

    What is a downburst?

    Downbursts can be as destructive as tornadoes, but their winds develop in a very different way.

    A downburst forms when a thunderstorm pulls cooler, heavier air down from high in the atmosphere. As this rain-cooled air rushes downward, it gains speed. Once it slams into the ground, it has nowhere to go but outward, sending strong winds in all horizontal directions.

    Dust in the air shows the curling rotation of a downburst’s winds.
    NOAA

    The wind speed in a downburst can reach over 150 miles per hour. That’s the strength of a Category 4 hurricane and strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, damage buildings and flip vehicles.

    These winds also rotate, but not in the same way tornadoes do. Downburst winds are typically considered straight-line winds, but they rotate around a horizontal axis as the wind curls upward after hitting the ground. Tornadoes, in contrast, spin around a vertical axis.

    Powerful storm systems known as derechos are often made up of multiple downburst clusters, each containing many smaller downbursts, sometimes called microbursts.

    Recreating Houston’s downburst in a warehouse

    On May 16, 2024, a derecho hit Houston with a downburst that was so strong, it blew out windows in several high-rise buildings that had been built to survive Category 4 hurricanes. The winds also pried off chunks of buildings’ facades.

    Two months later, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston with similar wind speeds, yet it left minimal damage to the downtown buildings.

    When a downburst hit downtown Houston on May 16, 2024, it shattered windows on some sides of buildings but not others, and not always in the line of the storm. The damage offered clues to how downbursts interact with tall buildings.
    Cécile Clocheret/AFP via Getty Images

    To understand how a downburst like this can be so much more destructive – and what cities and building designers can do about it – we simulated both the Houston downburst winds and Hurricane Beryl’s winds in the Wall of Wind.

    The test facility is equipped with a dozen jet fans, each almost as tall as the workers who run them and powerful enough to simulate a Category 5 hurricane. Our team used these fans to recreate powerful downburst winds that hit horizontally with the maximum wind speeds near ground level. Then, we put several models of buildings to the test to see how roofs, windows, facades and the structures of power lines reacted under that force.

    How the Wall of Wind’s fans mimic a downburst’s horizontal force.

    In the Houston derecho, a downburst hit downtown with 100 mph winds. It cracked some lower windows, likely with blowing debris, but it also caused widespread unexpected damage midway up some of the buildings.

    The Chevron Building Auditorium actually suffered the most damage on a side that wasn’t directly in the line of the storm but was facing another tall building. That left some intriguing questions. It suggested that the way the buildings channel the wind may have created a strong suction that blew out windows midway up the tower. Another burning question is whether building design codes are outdated when it comes to how well their cladding can stand up to these localized winds.

    Using the Wall of Wind, we were able to test those pressures on models of the Houston buildings and see how downburst winds increased the pressured on a tall building model with excessive forces near the ground level.

    The ability to simulate these winds is important for improving engineers’ understanding of the differences in how downbursts and other wind events exert force on buildings. The results ultimately inform building standards to help create more resilient and better-protected communities.

    Building better power lines

    Big storms, like downbursts, can also take down power lines.

    Power lines extend hundreds of miles between cities and states, making them more susceptible to a hit from a localized severe storm, such as a downburst. If one of the towers falls, it can cause a chain reaction, like dominoes falling one after another. That can knock out power for large numbers of people.

    The derecho that hit Houston with a downburst also crumpled transmission towers in Texas.
    AP Photo/David J. Phillip

    With colleagues, we have been testing transmission towers and multispan power-line systems under downburst and hurricane winds to understand how these structures respond, with the goal of developing better construction techniques. That work has helped to update the American manual for the design of power lines, which engineers use for designing safer, more storm-resilient transmission towers.

    What’s next

    Low-rise and mid-rise buildings are also vulnerable to downbursts, but the effects are less well understood. Downburst winds are most intense between 10 and 300 feet above the ground, meaning the roofs and walls of some low-rises can be hit with intense horizontal wind.

    Recent building codes have offered design guidelines to help ensure these buildings can withstand tornadoes. However, the way downbursts rotate in a short time around a building or a community of buildings puts pressure on the walls and the roof in different ways. Similar to straight-line winds, we expect high suction on the roof. Due to their short duration, varying wind direction and intense wind speed, downbursts may also cause excessive vibrations and varying pressure distribution on the roof components.

    How microbursts form.

    We’re now testing downburst damage to low- and mid-rise buildings to better understand the risks and help highlight changes that can make buildings more resilient.

    As populations grow, cities are adding more buildings. At the same time, powerful storms are becoming more frequent and more intense. Understanding the effects of different types of storms will help engineers construct high-rises, low-rises and power lines that are better able to withstand extreme weather.

    Amal Elawady receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

    Fahim Ahmed, Mohamed Eissa, and Omar Metwally do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-downburst-these-winds-can-be-as-destructive-as-tornadoes-we-recreate-them-to-test-building-designs-254931

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How rising wages for construction workers are shifting the foundations of the housing market

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bahaa Chammout, Kummer I&E PhD Fellow in Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Construction costs have surged in recent years, pushing homeownership further out of reach for many Americans. But this isn’t a new concern: In 1978, the U.S. Government Accountability Office warned that rising costs were threatening the American dream – at a time when the median home price was just US$44,300, less than three times the median household income. Today, that figure has climbed past $419,000, more than five times what the median American makes.

    One often-overlooked factor behind this surge? Labor costs.

    We are engineering experts, and in our latest study, we analyzed wages and workforce trends across more than 20 occupations in construction from 1999 to 2023. Interestingly, we found that unskilled workers — those in the lowest-paid roles – saw the largest wage gains. And the effects of these gains have rippled across the entire construction industry.

    A changing construction landscape

    A lot can change in 25 years, which is the last time researchers analyzed construction labor trends at this scale. Back then, construction wages were declining, driven in part by the rise of affordable trade schools and in part by falling union membership.

    Today, the landscape looks very different. The construction industry is grappling with a persistent labor shortage, facing an annual shortfall of more than a half-million workers. At the same time, wage dynamics have shifted greatly.

    The biggest gains go to the lowest-paid roles

    Construction projects rely on a wide range of roles – from highly skilled professionals like engineers and electricians to lower-skilled or unskilled workers. Unskilled workers handle physically demanding tasks like trench digging, concrete mixing and site preparation, and earn lower wages. As a result, contractors often hire more of them.

    While contractors tend to focus on expensive skilled labor when estimating project costs, our recent study found that unskilled workers have seen the largest wage gains in recent decades. Their wages rose by 2.75% to 3.5% per year — compared with under 2.5% for most skilled roles.

    The size of the construction workforce is also changing, with 88% of U.S. construction firms reporting difficulty finding workers. The shortage is especially severe among unskilled labor. For example, half as many people work as unskilled helpers now than in 1999.

    Given these trends, to avoid budgeting shortfalls and project risks, we encourage contractors to plan for higher costs for low-skilled workers. Our study also offers a simple method to help forecast wage trends, which contractors can use to estimate future labor costs.

    Wage hikes have a ripple effect

    Interestingly, not only did unskilled occupations see the biggest wage jumps, but they also influenced wage changes in other trades.

    Using econometric models, we analyzed these occupations as part of an interconnected system. We found that trades typically involved early in a project tend to influence wages for trades that come later. In particular, unskilled construction laborers – who handle tasks like site preparation and material handling – emerged as the leading drivers of wage trends across the industry. When their wages rise, others’ tend to follow.

    These insights suggest that contractors should monitor early-stage wage trends closely. When wages start rising among early-trade or unskilled workers, that is often a signal that broader labor costs are about to rise too. Planning ahead can help firms manage costs more effectively.

    Recent world events — such as COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war and the 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs — brought major challenges to the construction industry, which is still dealing with their aftermath. On top of that, worsening labor shortages, new tariffs and global supply chain disruptions mean the industry will continue to face significant challenges.

    However, tracking market data offers a valuable opportunity to understand emerging trends and develop strategies to respond effectively. Our research team – working closely with major U.S. contractors through the Missouri Consortium for Construction Innovation – is exploring solutions across a range of issues, including construction material costs, cross-border material trade with Canada and Mexico, and persistent labor shortages, among other critical topics.

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

    – ref. How rising wages for construction workers are shifting the foundations of the housing market – https://theconversation.com/how-rising-wages-for-construction-workers-are-shifting-the-foundations-of-the-housing-market-255087

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Courtney McGinnis, Professor of Biology, Medical Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Quinnipiac University

    A bee enjoys lunch on a flower in Hillsboro, Ore. HIllsboro Parks & Rec, CC BY-NC-ND

    The problem with climate change isn’t just the temperature – it’s also how fast the climate is changing today.

    Historically, Earth’s climate changes have generally happened over thousands to millions of years. Today, global temperatures are increasing by about 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit (0.2 degrees Celsius) per decade.

    Imagine a car speeding up. Over time, human activities such as burning fossil fuels have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the Sun. This is like pressing the gas pedal. The faster the driver adds gas, the faster the car goes.

    The 21st century has seen a dramatic acceleration in the rate of climate change, with global temperatures rising more than three times faster than in the previous century.

    The faster pace and higher temperatures are changing habitat ranges for plants and animals. In some regions, the pace of change is also throwing off the delicate timing of pollination, putting plants and pollinators such as bees at risk.

    Some species are already migrating

    Most plant and animal species can tolerate or at least recover from short-term changes in climate, such as a heat wave. When the changes last longer, however, organisms may need to migrate into new areas to adapt for survival.

    Some species are already moving toward higher latitudes and altitudes with cooler temperatures, altering their geographic territory to stay within their optimal climate. Fish populations, for example, have shifted toward the poles as ocean temperatures have risen.

    Pollinators such as bees can also shift their ranges.

    Bumblebees, for example, are adapted for cooler regions because of their fuzzy bodies. Some bumblebee populations have been disappearing from the southern parts of their geographic range and have been found in cooler regions to the north and in more mountainous areas. That could increase competition with existing bumblebee populations.

    Plants and pollinators can get out of sync

    Plants and their pollinators face another problem as the rate of climate change increases: Many plants rely on insects and other animals for seed and pollen dispersal.

    Much of that pollen dispersal is accomplished by native pollinators. About 75% of plant species in North America require an insect pollinator – bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, birds and bats. In fact, 1 in 3 bites of food you eat depend on a pollinator, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    So, even if a species successfully migrates into a new territory, it can face a mismatch of pollination timing. This is known as phenological mismatch.

    Monarch butterflies migrate each year and rely on plants blooming along their path to provide food.
    Clint Wirick/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

    During the winter, insects go into a hibernation known as diapause, migrate or take up shelter underground, under rocks or in leaf litter. These insect pollinators use temperature and daylight length as cues for when to emerge or when to migrate to their spring and summer habitats.

    As the rate of climate change increases, the chances of a timing mismatch between pollinators and the plants they pollinate rise.

    With an increase in temperature, many plants are blooming earlier in the spring. If bees or other pollinators emerge at their “normal” time, flowers may already be blooming, reducing their chance for pollination.

    If pollinators emerge too early, they may struggle to survive if their normal food sources are not yet available. Native bees, for example, rely on pollen for much of the protein they need for growing and thriving.

    Wild bees are emerging earlier

    This kind of shift in timing is already happening with bees in the U.S.

    Studies have shown that the date wild bees emerge in the U.S. has shifted by 10.4 days earlier over the past 130 years, and the pace is accelerating.

    One study found wild bees across species have been changing their phenology, or timing of seasonal activities, and over the past 50 years the emergence date is four times faster. That means wild bees were emerging roughly eight days earlier in 2020 than they did in 1970.

    A bee pollinates an almond tree in an orchard.
    David Kosling/U.S. Department of Agriculture, CC BY

    This trend of earlier emergence is generally consistent across organisms with the accelerating rate of climate change. If the timing mismatches continue to worsen, it could exacerbate the decline of pollinator populations and result in inadequate pollination for plants that rely on them.

    Pollinator decline and inadequate pollination already account for a 3% to 5% decline in global fruit, vegetable, spice and nut production annually, a recent study found.

    Without pollinators, ecosystems are less resilient − they are unable to absorb disturbances such as wildfires, adapt to changes, and recover from environmental stressors such as pollution, drought or floods.

    Managing climate change

    Pollinators face many other risks from human activities, including habitat loss from development and harm from pesticide use. Climate change adds to that list.

    Taking steps to reduce the activities driving global warming can help keep these species thriving and carrying out their roles in nature into the future.

    Courtney McGinnis is affiliated with You Got This Kid Leadership Foundation. She receives funding from Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

    – ref. Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways – https://theconversation.com/bees-fish-and-plants-show-how-climate-changes-accelerating-pace-is-disrupting-nature-in-2-key-ways-255384

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amal Elawady, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

    A downburst blasts Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017. Natapat Ariyamongkol/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive.

    When a downburst’s winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to shatter windows and overturn vehicles.

    These winds behave in complicated ways, particularly in cities, as our latest research shows. Downburst winds can deflect off tall buildings, increasing the pressure on neighboring buildings’ windows and walls. The result can blow out glass and chip off facade. Even buildings designed to survive hurricanes can suffer major damage in a downburst.

    As engineers, we study downbursts with the goal of designing buildings, components such as solar panels and windows, and infrastructure such as power lines that can stand up to that powerful force. To do this, informed by field measurements, we create our own powerful downbursts using a hurricane simulator known as the Wall of Wind at Florida International University.

    An illustration of how the winds of a downburst fan out in open space. In a city with tall buildings, the wind can deflect off buildings, causing damage in unexpected ways.
    NASA/Wikimedia Commons

    What is a downburst?

    Downbursts can be as destructive as tornadoes, but their winds develop in a very different way.

    A downburst forms when a thunderstorm pulls cooler, heavier air down from high in the atmosphere. As this rain-cooled air rushes downward, it gains speed. Once it slams into the ground, it has nowhere to go but outward, sending strong winds in all horizontal directions.

    Dust in the air shows the curling rotation of a downburst’s winds.
    NOAA

    The wind speed in a downburst can reach over 150 miles per hour. That’s the strength of a Category 4 hurricane and strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, damage buildings and flip vehicles.

    These winds also rotate, but not in the same way tornadoes do. Downburst winds are typically considered straight-line winds, but they rotate around a horizontal axis as the wind curls upward after hitting the ground. Tornadoes, in contrast, spin around a vertical axis.

    Powerful storm systems known as derechos are often made up of multiple downburst clusters, each containing many smaller downbursts, sometimes called microbursts.

    Recreating Houston’s downburst in a warehouse

    On May 16, 2024, a derecho hit Houston with a downburst that was so strong, it blew out windows in several high-rise buildings that had been built to survive Category 4 hurricanes. The winds also pried off chunks of buildings’ facades.

    Two months later, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston with similar wind speeds, yet it left minimal damage to the downtown buildings.

    When a downburst hit downtown Houston on May 16, 2024, it shattered windows on some sides of buildings but not others, and not always in the line of the storm. The damage offered clues to how downbursts interact with tall buildings.
    Cécile Clocheret/AFP via Getty Images

    To understand how a downburst like this can be so much more destructive – and what cities and building designers can do about it – we simulated both the Houston downburst winds and Hurricane Beryl’s winds in the Wall of Wind.

    The test facility is equipped with a dozen jet fans, each almost as tall as the workers who run them and powerful enough to simulate a Category 5 hurricane. Our team used these fans to recreate powerful downburst winds that hit horizontally with the maximum wind speeds near ground level. Then, we put several models of buildings to the test to see how roofs, windows, facades and the structures of power lines reacted under that force.

    How the Wall of Wind’s fans mimic a downburst’s horizontal force.

    In the Houston derecho, a downburst hit downtown with 100 mph winds. It cracked some lower windows, likely with blowing debris, but it also caused widespread unexpected damage midway up some of the buildings.

    The Chevron Building Auditorium actually suffered the most damage on a side that wasn’t directly in the line of the storm but was facing another tall building. That left some intriguing questions. It suggested that the way the buildings channel the wind may have created a strong suction that blew out windows midway up the tower. Another burning question is whether building design codes are outdated when it comes to how well their cladding can stand up to these localized winds.

    Using the Wall of Wind, we were able to test those pressures on models of the Houston buildings and see how downburst winds increased the pressured on a tall building model with excessive forces near the ground level.

    The ability to simulate these winds is important for improving engineers’ understanding of the differences in how downbursts and other wind events exert force on buildings. The results ultimately inform building standards to help create more resilient and better-protected communities.

    Building better power lines

    Big storms, like downbursts, can also take down power lines.

    Power lines extend hundreds of miles between cities and states, making them more susceptible to a hit from a localized severe storm, such as a downburst. If one of the towers falls, it can cause a chain reaction, like dominoes falling one after another. That can knock out power for large numbers of people.

    The derecho that hit Houston with a downburst also crumpled transmission towers in Texas.
    AP Photo/David J. Phillip

    With colleagues, we have been testing transmission towers and multispan power-line systems under downburst and hurricane winds to understand how these structures respond, with the goal of developing better construction techniques. That work has helped to update the American manual for the design of power lines, which engineers use for designing safer, more storm-resilient transmission towers.

    What’s next

    Low-rise and mid-rise buildings are also vulnerable to downbursts, but the effects are less well understood. Downburst winds are most intense between 10 and 300 feet above the ground, meaning the roofs and walls of some low-rises can be hit with intense horizontal wind.

    Recent building codes have offered design guidelines to help ensure these buildings can withstand tornadoes. However, the way downbursts rotate in a short time around a building or a community of buildings puts pressure on the walls and the roof in different ways. Similar to straight-line winds, we expect high suction on the roof. Due to their short duration, varying wind direction and intense wind speed, downbursts may also cause excessive vibrations and varying pressure distribution on the roof components.

    How microbursts form.

    We’re now testing downburst damage to low- and mid-rise buildings to better understand the risks and help highlight changes that can make buildings more resilient.

    As populations grow, cities are adding more buildings. At the same time, powerful storms are becoming more frequent and more intense. Understanding the effects of different types of storms will help engineers construct high-rises, low-rises and power lines that are better able to withstand extreme weather.

    Amal Elawady receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

    Fahim Ahmed, Mohamed Eissa, and Omar Metwally do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-downburst-these-winds-can-be-as-destructive-as-tornadoes-we-recreate-them-to-test-building-designs-254931

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter Nguyen, SJ, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

    A copy of the sentences against, left to right, Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst is displayed at the White Rose Memorial in Munich. Johannes Simon/Getty Images

    For three weeks in April 2025, my “Theology of Christian Martyrdom” class studied how a group of German students and professors from Munich and Hamburg formed a resistance movement from 1942 to 1943 known as the “White Rose.” These individuals defied Nazi tyranny, they were imprisoned, and many were executed.

    At the movement’s center were Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst and Willi Graf, who were all in their 20s, and Professor Kurt Huber. The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime.

    On the surface, the White Rose’s “crime” was the writings, printings and distribution of six anti-Nazi pamphlets urging Germans to resist Adolf Hitler and work to end World War II. However, a closer examination of their pamphlets, along with excerpts from their diaries and letters, reveals that their resistance was rooted in something deeper – a faith anchored in friendship and a humanistic learning. Their time together reading and discussing theological texts deepened their Christian faith.

    Teaching this class taught me that teachers can inspire students to improve their country’s social and political landscape through the study of literature, history and theology. Teachers can help students form their consciences and empower them to act against falsehood and injustice.

    The White Rose movement

    These young people came from a variety of Christian backgrounds, including Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox traditions. Some had been members of the Hitler Youth as teenagers, while others had served as medical assistants in the German army. They formed strong bonds and underwent personal transformations as students at the University of Munich, where they were mentored by a couple of philosophers, especially Kurt Huber, who was a devout Catholic.

    The students met regularly and secretly with their professors to study literature, philosophy and theology from the Catholic intellectual tradition, banned by the Nazi regime as part of Hitler’s strategy to first stifle and then strangle the Catholic Church in Germany. Based on the students’ correspondence and diaries, their covert engagement with Catholic thought became a cornerstone of the White Rose’s rejection of Nazi tyranny.

    In the works of the fifth-century North African theologian Augustine, the 20th-century novelist and playwright Georges Bernanos, and the 20th-century philosopher Jacques Maritain, these students encountered a Catholic intellectual tradition that was responsive to the urgent questions of their time.

    From Augustine they learned the importance of cultivating an interior life grounded in prayer. Bernanos stressed the importance of embracing one’s humanity to confront evil. Maritain emphasized the need to strive for a free democratic society.

    Importance of prayer

    The White Rose movement was concerned not only with the present state of humanity but also with its future, and not only with the individual but also with the communal. In their clandestine meetings and correspondence, they wrestled with the relationship between faith and reason, goodness in the face of evil, the meaning of tyranny, the nature of a just state, and the foundations of genuine liberty. Addressing these serious issues not only matured their intellects but also deepened their hearts; it taught them the importance of prayer.

    Hans Scholl, left, and his sister Sophie in 1940.
    Authenticated News/Archive Photos/Getty Image

    “Better to suffer intolerable pain than to vegetate insensibly. Better to be parched with thirst, better to pray for pain, pain, and more pain, than to feel empty, and to feel so without truly feeling at all. That I mean to resist,” Sophie wrote in her diary in the early summer of 1942.

    The personal writings of the White Rose reflect a religious passion, akin to the prayers of saints.

    For example, in his imprisonment, Graf stated: “I know my Redeemer liveth. This faith alone strengthens and sustains me.” The impact of Christianity on the inner lives of these young people is a crucial part of their narrative and resistance.

    Their circle of friendship became a haven in a totalitarian state that sought to isolate individuals, instill fear and transform these estranged and fearful people into part of a mass society. “We negated the many, and built on the few, and believed ourselves strong,” Traute Lafrenz, the last surviving member of the White Rose and a member of the Hamburg circle, later stated.

    The most significant intellectual influence on the group may have been John Henry Newman, a 19th-century Catholic convert and theologian who emphasized the primacy of a “well-formed” conscience. His writings helped them recognize what Catholics like myself see as a moral truth that transcended Nazi propaganda – that each person bears within them the voice of the living God. This voice could not be silenced by state power.

    Newman’s philosophy

    Newman insisted that conscience is not merely intuitive but is shaped through learning – from conversations, books and lived experience. With their professors’ guidance, the White Rose students were able to cultivate their conscience.

    The annual 2023 Newman lecture while commemmorating the 80th anniversary of the White Rose.

    If Newman were addressing college students today, I like to believe he would emphasize the significance of their conversations with friends on campus, the discussions held with classmates and professors in the classroom, the newspapers they read, the retreats they participated in, the novels they savored during the holidays, their road trips across the country, and their studies abroad. All of these experiences contribute to shaping their conscience.

    Newman’s defense of broad, active and serious learning offered an appealing counterpoint to Nazi ideology, which sought not only to deprive individuals of their civil rights but also to crush their inner lives and capacity to form meaningful relationships through terror and fear.

    The power of a well-formed conscience is perhaps best illustrated by Sophie Scholl, who shared Newman’s sermons with her boyfriend, Fritz Hartnagel, a Wehrmacht officer who fought for Germany during World War II.

    In the summer of 1942, horrified by the brutality he witnessed, Hartnagel wrote to Scholl that Newman’s words were like “drops of precious wine.” In another letter, he wrote: “But we know by whom we are created, and that we stand in a relationship of moral obligation to our Creator. Conscience gives us the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.” After the war, Hartnagel became active in the peace movement and supported conscientious objectors. To the members of the White Rose, conscience was a spiritual stronghold – one the state could not breach.

    Truth-seeking and challenges today

    I believe that while my students today face different challenges – a society shaped by what I regard as the nihilistic presence of technological power and populism, rather than full-blown totalitarianism – they also aspire to act with clarity and conviction. Newman’s view on the formation of conscience resonated with my students as well.

    What my students share with those young dissidents from over 80 years ago is a commitment to cultivating an inner life, fostering a community of friends and engaging in a vibrant intellectual tradition.

    They are drawn to the writings that animated Hans Scholl, who, drawing inspiration from the Catholic playwright Paul Claudel, wrote the following just two days before his arrest.

    “Chasms yawn and darkest night envelops my questing heart, but I press on regardless. As Claudel so splendidly puts it: Life is one great adventure into the light.”

    As a teacher, I believe that young people want to engage with an intellectual tradition that helps them discover their vocation and live with integrity, similar to Scholl.

    They seek to act with a clear conscience amid the uncertainties of their own times. This approach serves as a powerful contrast to any hollow, anti-intellectual and culturally bankrupt tyranny.

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

    – ref. How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith – https://theconversation.com/how-a-reading-group-helped-young-german-students-defy-the-nazis-and-find-their-faith-254774

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Agreeing to disagree’ is hurting your relationships – here’s what to do instead

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lisa Pavia-Higel, Assistant Teaching Professor of English and Technical Communication, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Conversational tools like ‘looping’ and ‘reframing’ can help move a conversation away from confrontation. Candra Ritonga/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    As Americans become more polarized, even family dinners can feel fraught, surfacing differences that could spark out-and-out conflict. Tense conversations often end with a familiar refrain: “Let’s just drop it.”

    As a communications educator and trainer, I am frequently asked how to handle these conversations, especially when they involve social and political issues. One piece of advice I give is that “agree to disagree,” or any other phrase that politely stands in for “stop talking,” will not restore harmony. Not only that, but it could also do permanent harm to those important family bonds.

    ‘No-go’ topics

    Conversation is the currency of relationships. When families talk about anything – from “What are your top five favorite movies?” to “What possessed you to load the dishwasher like that?” – they are not just exchanging information. They are building trust and creating a shared story that deepens the relationships within the family unit.

    According to communication researcher Mark L. Knapp’s model of relationship development, all relationships have a life cycle. People come together and solidify their connection through five stages, from “initiation” to “bonding.” But many relationships eventually come apart, going through five stages of breakdown.

    Mark L. Knapp’s model breaks relationships into 10 stages.

    No relationship is as linear as the model assumes, but it can help pinpoint potential danger zones – moments when a bond is at risk of coming apart. One stage, in particular, illustrates why avoiding these hard conversations is so dangerous: “circumscribing.”

    Imagine circumscribing topics of conservation with yellow police tape around them – topics that almost instantly trigger conflict. Having a few of these “no-go” topics in a relationship probably will not doom a marriage or cause family estrangement. However, marking too many ideas as off-limits makes it easier for people to avoid conversation altogether.

    Circumscribing is one of the “coming apart” stages in Knapp’s model. If problems aren’t addressed, a relationship can keep sliding down the slope toward the last stage: termination.

    We need to talk

    Sadly, this estrangement from loved ones is not a theoretical problem. In a 2022 poll of 11,000 Americans, more than 1 in 4 people reported that they were now estranged from close family.

    What’s more, these relationships are not always replaced by other close ties. About half of Americans say they only have three or fewer close friends. In 2023, then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared widespread loneliness and isolation an “epidemic.”

    Social connection is a basic human need. Relationships do more than provide support; they play a key role in how people define themselves. According to psychology’s “social penetration theory,” conversation with close family and loved ones deepens relationships while helping people learn to articulate their deepest values.

    So if “agree to disagree” is not the answer, what is?

    There is no one-time process that will fix all conflict over the course of a family dinner. These techniques take time, patience and compassion – all things that can be in short supply amid conflict. However, there are two techniques I not only recommend to others, but I use in my own conflicts: “looping for understanding” and “reframe and pivot.”

    Getting in the loop

    Looping, which was originally developed for legal mediation, helps both people in a conversation understand each other. Feeling misunderstood tends to escalate conflict, so this is a great starting place.

    During a “loop,” each person uses active listening, meaning they pay careful attention to what their partner is saying without judgment or interruptions. Then the listener shows their understanding by using what’s called “empathic paraphrase”: restating what they heard from the speaker, but also what emotions they perceived. Finally, they ask the original speaker for confirmation.

    That might sound something like this:

    So if I understand what you are saying, you think that people should not have to get a flu shot at your office because you are not sure if it’s effective, and you’re frustrated that you are being told what to do by your company. Do I have that right?

    If the speaker says no, then the listener “loops” by asking them to explain what they got wrong, and tries to paraphrase again. The participants keep looping until the answer to “Did I get that right?” is an emphatic “yes.” This practice ensures that both people are sure of the actual issue at hand.

    Looping has other benefits, too. In one study, emphatic paraphrasing not only made participants less anxious but also made the speaker see the paraphraser in a more positive light. Feeling fully heard and understood can go a long way to turning down the heat on difficult conversations.

    The goal of ‘looping’ is to make sure you understand the other person’s perspective – and the real issue at stake.
    FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

    Framing common ground

    However, that understanding may not be enough. Once both parties understand each other, another technique, “reframing,” can help pivot the conversation away from confrontation and move toward resolution.

    In reframing, the speakers find and discuss a single point of agreement. By emphasizing what they agree about, instead of what they disagree about, they look for a starting place to tackle the problem together, instead of facing off.

    For example:

    I think you and I can both agree that we want to keep the family safe. However, I think we disagree about what role having a gun in the house would play in that safety. Is that right?

    Finding a point of agreement is not always possible. However, this reframing presents both communicators as having a key shared value – a starting place for a more constructive discussion. Reframing also moves the conversation away from inflammatory language that could automatically reignite the fight. `

    No magic bullet

    No technique will ever be a perfect, one-size-fits-all solution for every relationship – or a quick fix. Careful communication can be mentally exhausting, and pressing pause is always OK:

    I don’t think we are going to solve our nation’s financial issues tonight, but thank you for talking about it. Let’s keep doing it. But for now, I think there’s pie. Want some?

    It’s also important to accept that not all relationships can or should be saved. However, it is always good to know that the relationship ended for a clear reason, and not over a misunderstanding that was never addressed.

    Hopefully, though, these tactics will help keep communication open and relationships healthy, no matter what topic is brought up at dinner.

    Lisa Pavia-Higel is affiliated with Braver Angels, a non-profit organization that facilitates conversations across the political divide. She is no longer active in the organization but was trained as a workshop facilitator.

    – ref. ‘Agreeing to disagree’ is hurting your relationships – here’s what to do instead – https://theconversation.com/agreeing-to-disagree-is-hurting-your-relationships-heres-what-to-do-instead-252687

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Forensics tool ‘reanimates’ the ‘brains’ of AIs that fail in order to understand what went wrong

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Oygenblik, Ph.D. Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    Tesla crashes are only the most glaring of AI failures. South Jordan Police Department via APPEAR

    From drones delivering medical supplies to digital assistants performing everyday tasks, AI-powered systems are becoming increasingly embedded in everyday life. The creators of these innovations promise transformative benefits. For some people, mainstream applications such as ChatGPT and Claude can seem like magic. But these systems are not magical, nor are they foolproof – they can and do regularly fail to work as intended.

    AI systems can malfunction due to technical design flaws or biased training data. They can also suffer from vulnerabilities in their code, which can be exploited by malicious hackers. Isolating the cause of an AI failure is imperative for fixing the system.

    But AI systems are typically opaque, even to their creators. The challenge is how to investigate AI systems after they fail or fall victim to attack. There are techniques for inspecting AI systems, but they require access to the AI system’s internal data. This access is not guaranteed, especially to forensic investigators called in to determine the cause of a proprietary AI system failure, making investigation impossible.

    We are computer scientists who study digital forensics. Our team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has built a system, AI Psychiatry, or AIP, that can recreate the scenario in which an AI failed in order to determine what went wrong. The system addresses the challenges of AI forensics by recovering and “reanimating” a suspect AI model so it can be systematically tested.

    Uncertainty of AI

    Imagine a self-driving car veers off the road for no easily discernible reason and then crashes. Logs and sensor data might suggest that a faulty camera caused the AI to misinterpret a road sign as a command to swerve. After a mission-critical failure such as an autonomous vehicle crash, investigators need to determine exactly what caused the error.

    Was the crash triggered by a malicious attack on the AI? In this hypothetical case, the camera’s faultiness could be the result of a security vulnerability or bug in its software that was exploited by a hacker. If investigators find such a vulnerability, they have to determine whether that caused the crash. But making that determination is no small feat.

    Although there are forensic methods for recovering some evidence from failures of drones, autonomous vehicles and other so-called cyber-physical systems, none can capture the clues required to fully investigate the AI in that system. Advanced AIs can even update their decision-making – and consequently the clues – continuously, making it impossible to investigate the most up-to-date models with existing methods.

    Researchers are working on making AI systems more transparent, but unless and until those efforts transform the field, there will be a need for forensics tools to at least understand AI failures.

    Pathology for AI

    AI Psychiatry applies a series of forensic algorithms to isolate the data behind the AI system’s decision-making. These pieces are then reassembled into a functional model that performs identically to the original model. Investigators can “reanimate” the AI in a controlled environment and test it with malicious inputs to see whether it exhibits harmful or hidden behaviors.

    AI Psychiatry takes in as input a memory image, a snapshot of the bits and bytes loaded when the AI was operational. The memory image at the time of the crash in the autonomous vehicle scenario holds crucial clues about the internal state and decision-making processes of the AI controlling the vehicle. With AI Psychiatry, investigators can now lift the exact AI model from memory, dissect its bits and bytes, and load the model into a secure environment for testing.

    Our team tested AI Psychiatry on 30 AI models, 24 of which were intentionally “backdoored” to produce incorrect outcomes under specific triggers. The system was successfully able to recover, rehost and test every model, including models commonly used in real-world scenarios such as street sign recognition in autonomous vehicles.

    Thus far, our tests suggest that AI Psychiatry can effectively solve the digital mystery behind a failure such as an autonomous car crash that previously would have left more questions than answers. And if it does not find a vulnerability in the car’s AI system, AI Psychiatry allows investigators to rule out the AI and look for other causes such as a faulty camera.

    Not just for autonomous vehicles

    AI Psychiatry’s main algorithm is generic: It focuses on the universal components that all AI models must have to make decisions. This makes our approach readily extendable to any AI models that use popular AI development frameworks. Anyone working to investigate a possible AI failure can use our system to assess a model without prior knowledge of its exact architecture.

    Whether the AI is a bot that makes product recommendations or a system that guides autonomous drone fleets, AI Psychiatry can recover and rehost the AI for analysis. AI Psychiatry is entirely open source for any investigator to use.

    AI Psychiatry can also serve as a valuable tool for conducting audits on AI systems before problems arise. With government agencies from law enforcement to child protective services integrating AI systems into their workflows, AI audits are becoming an increasingly common oversight requirement at the state level. With a tool like AI Psychiatry in hand, auditors can apply a consistent forensic methodology across diverse AI platforms and deployments.

    In the long run, this will pay meaningful dividends both for the creators of AI systems and everyone affected by the tasks they perform.

    Brendan Saltaformaggio’s research group receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors and collaborators.

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

    – ref. Forensics tool ‘reanimates’ the ‘brains’ of AIs that fail in order to understand what went wrong – https://theconversation.com/forensics-tool-reanimates-the-brains-of-ais-that-fail-in-order-to-understand-what-went-wrong-247769

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Country of migrants: the role of migration in regional development

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Major socio-political events, such as collectivization, caused mass internal migration in the USSR. Tens of thousands of people moved to new places to establish their daily lives and find work. These processes significantly changed the social, national and religious composition of the population of the regions, influenced economic development and the formation of healthcare and education infrastructure. Common features and characteristics of migration in the Perm region and Tuva were discussed at the round table of the “Mirror Laboratories” of the Yasinsky scientific conference.

    Internal migration in the USSR

    At the anniversary XXV Yasinsky (April) Conference The HSE hosted a round table discussion entitled “The History of Migration in the USSR: Regional Aspect.” It was organized as part of the Mirror Laboratories project, which brings together scientists from the HSE Perm campus and Tuva State University. The round table was moderated by Professor Faculty of Social, Economic and Computer Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics in Perm Sergey Kornienko.

    Vera Damdynchap, Head of the Department of General History, Archaeology and Documentation of the Faculty of History of Tuva State University, and Arzhana Nurzat, Senior Lecturer of the Department, presented a report entitled “Migration, Urbanization and Collectivization: Key Aspects of Social Transformation in Tuva (1944–1959).” Vera Damdynchap noted that Tuva’s accession to the USSR in 1944 accelerated the transformation of the economic structure.

    She said that by 1944 collectivization was not completed, and a significant part of the population was engaged in personal nomadic farming. Collectivization became an important element in the formation of the social structure of the population: by its end in 1955, the share of collective farmers reached 61.5% of the rural population of Tuva.

    At the same time, coal mining began in the autonomous region and enterprises in other industries began operating. This also changed the settlement structure of the population: the share of the urban population in 1944-58 increased from 6% to 33%. A particularly significant influx was recorded in the capital of the region, Kyzyl, as well as in the new cities and workers’ settlements of Chadan, Turan and Shagonar. It is significant that the total urban population increased by 1.4 times over 15 years, while its part from migrants increased by 7.6 times due to the relocation of rural residents and the arrival in Tuva of engineering and technical personnel and workers of new enterprises.

    The rapid growth of the urban population exacerbated the housing problem, which they tried to solve through temporary housing and rapid construction. It is curious that about 30% of collective farmers were involved in construction, having built 1,660 houses and cultural and household facilities.

    At the same time, the development of virgin and fallow lands began, which increased the role of farming in agriculture and the economy as a whole.

    In the post-war years, the number of Russians and Ukrainians who came to Tuva increased approximately 4 times, and their share in the population increased to 41%.

    Vera Damdynchap noted that in the autonomous region, collectivization was less dramatic than in neighboring Russian regions or, for example, in Buryatia.

    The role of forced migrants

    Associate Professor Departments of Humanities Anna Kimerling, a professor at the Faculty of Social, Economic and Computer Sciences at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Perm, presented a report entitled “Social Technologies of Integrating Forced Migrants into the Territorial Community of the Molotov Region in the 1940s and 1950s,” prepared jointly with Sergei Kornienko.

    She said that the study is based on archival documents and interviews, including those recorded by the German society “Renaissance”. The number of residents of the Molotov (Perm) region between the censuses of 1939 and 1959 increased by 37.5%, and the regional center – by two times. For comparison: during this period, the population of the USSR increased by 9.5%.

    Among the forced migrants were about 40,000 Soviet Germans – special settlers and labor army soldiers. Until the Decree “On the lifting of restrictions on the legal status of Germans and their family members in special settlements” was adopted on December 13, 1955, they could not leave their places of residence and work.

    Economic adaptation played an important role. By the early 1950s, 11% of forced migrants had built their own homes, half had vegetable gardens, and a third had small cattle. Social and cultural factors also played a significant role. The chances of adaptation were increased by the marriage of a forced migrant to a local resident or a deportee, as well as the birth of children in the new family. This and joint work at an enterprise increased the chances of receiving housing and rations, which were used not only by workers, but also by older family members.

    Former forced migrants recalled that the attitude towards “Russian Germans” was wary. The local population was not always ready to help them, but in places of special settlements, where most of the residents were repressed, rapprochement was faster.

    The speaker named another adaptation factor as education, cultural and human capital, or a skill valued at the place of work. A labor army soldier who knew how to operate a tractor received a good ration at the logging sites. Another exile drove the head of the settlement and, thanks to personal communication, received the position of manager of a bread store, which dramatically improved the living conditions of his family.

    Over time, forced migrants played a significant role in the development of the region. For example, one of the exiled Germans later became the chief architect of the Solikamsk region, Yevgeny Wagner became the rector of the regional medical institute, and Anatoly Bartolomey became the rector of the polytechnic.

    Professor of the Department of Documentation and Information Support of the Department of History of the Ural Federal University Oleg Gorbachev asked whether individual examples of successful careers of exiled settlers can be considered a reflection of the liberalization of the regime in relation to them. According to Anna Kimerling, cases of transfer to a responsible position are few and they occurred mainly in the post-Stalin period, which reflected a certain evolution of the authorities’ attitude towards the repressed.

    Ethnic and religious aspects

    Head of the Department of Russian History at Tuva University Zoya Dorzhu and Associate Professor of the Department Alena Storozhenko presented a report on “Migration Processes in Tuva in the 1920s-50s. Ethno-confessional Aspect”. State sovereignty and autonomy formed a special state-political context of relations with neighboring regions, which also influenced migration.

    The speakers highlighted several periods of the authorities’ attitude to migration. With the establishment of the independent Tuvan People’s Republic in 1921, the authorities sought to limit the influx of Russians into its territory. Thus, checkpoints were established on the border, which, however, did not stop migration. As the country drew closer to the USSR in the 1930s, migration controls on the border were relaxed. Migration was also accelerated by the TPR authorities’ request to Moscow to send specialists. Often, the resettlements of the 1920s and 1930s were caused by the desire of some residents of nearby regions of the USSR to avoid repression and, at the same time, the desire to find a place for productive agriculture. After joining the USSR in 1944, the restrictions were lifted.

    Tuvans remained in the majority, but their share in the total population of the republic and the region fluctuated significantly. In 1921 and 1931 it was about 80%, in 1945 – 85%, and by 1959 due to mass migration it had dropped to 57%.

    Migration had a significant impact on the ethnic and religious composition of the population. Buddhists, shamanists, Orthodox Christians and pagans were represented in the republic. Moreover, the Old Believers, who appeared in Tuva back in the 19th century, integrated into its territory, and at the time of the creation of the TNR they constituted a third of the Russian-speaking residents of the republic.

    Sergey Kornienko wondered whether it was possible to find common themes in studying the migration processes of Tuva and the Perm (Molotov) region. According to Alena Storozhenko, the Uralians made up a significant portion of the Old Believers who moved to Tuva, but it is still difficult to accurately determine their share in the number of migrants.

    Organized labor migration

    Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities of the Faculty of Social, Economic and Computer Sciences of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Perm Alexander Glushkov and Master’s student of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow Kristina Kozlova presented a report “Attracting Labor Migrant Workers to the USSR in the Late 1940s – 1950s: A Comparative Analysis of Agitation (Based on the Example of Enterprises in the Molotov Region of the RSFSR).” Alexander Glushkov recalled that in 1947, organized labor migrations resumed in the USSR. In the Molotov Region, workers were attracted to work in the coal industry, in logging enterprises and collective farms.

    Kristina Kozlova said that regional and republican authorities were engaged in agitation. In 1952, the regional executive committee issued a resolution defining the rules for selecting recruiters for resettlement and preparing agitation and reference materials.

    Among them, visual (posters) and written materials and oral propaganda can be singled out. Films were another form of propaganda. An important role was also played by materials in newspapers and magazines, including special issues of large-circulation newspapers, as well as brochures about the region, which included information about the region, as well as letters and stories from settlers.

    The recruiters’ lectures were devoted to the state and prospects of the region’s economy, as well as the international position of the USSR. Aleksandr Glushkov reported that the agitation did not cease even after the resettlement: the new residents of the region were explained the labor tasks facing them, and the authors of articles and posters also sought to reduce the number of resettlers returning home.

    The speakers compared the newspapers of two large enterprises of the region — the KamGESstroy and Molotovles trusts — before and after Stalin’s death, the forms of agitation and key narratives. The analysis showed that in the late Stalin period, non-material motives stood out: prestige, the call of the party and the desire to be useful to the Motherland. After Stalin’s death, material motivation increased: workers were offered to earn money, quickly improve their living conditions, including by acquiring a new profession. Agitation aimed at securing the settlers was focused on money and privileges.

    Kristina Kozlova summed up: a comparative analysis of the agitation of the late 1940s and mid-1950s allows us to identify common motives and a gradual transition to the prevalence of material incentives over ideological ones, although the latter did not disappear. This reflected the gradual transformation of Soviet society during the thaw.

    AI to the rescue

    Sergey Kornienko presented the report “Studying the History of Migration in the Digital Environment: Regional Aspect” (based on the materials of the joint project of HSE Perm and Tuva State University “Migration in the Socio-Economic, Demographic, Cultural and Human Dimensions”. HSE Mirror Laboratories Program, 2024-26).

    He identified three areas of digital scientific humanities research: creation and organization of digital versions of historical and historiographic sources; development and adaptation of methods, technologies and tools for digital research; representation of data and research results.

    During the project, its participants create digital versions of historical sources on the history of migration, including in the form of tables and data sets, information systems and databases.

    The professor said that rather complex types of sources have to be converted into digital format, in particular, lists of settlers, echelon lists, as well as household books describing the dwellings, livestock and inventory of settlers. Despite the development of technology, it is often necessary to resort to manual or semi-automatic digitization. Students are involved in this work, acquiring useful skills in digitizing documents. Digitized sources are convenient for conversion into tabular and matrix forms.

    Digital processing of document complexes allows us to eliminate gaps in some points of individual materials (for example, the absence of the year of birth or previous place of residence of a migrant), and to create metadata.

    To study propaganda materials for settlers of the 1940s and 50s, full-text resources were created, prepared for processing by computer methods and tools. In particular, this form of processing was used for the corpus of memoirs of settlers who moved to the Kaliningrad and Molotov regions.

    In addition, scientists conduct corpus studies using linguistic methods.

    Sergey Kornienko emphasized that digital methods allow increasing the reliability of research, introducing elements of novelty, introducing new sources more fully and processing old ones more effectively. This helps to better understand the impact of migration processes on the social structure and other components of migrants’ lives.

    The project participants will continue to use Data Science methods and apply neural network modeling – variants of artificial intelligence, the professor concluded.

    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: SAIC and Bluescape Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver Secure, Mission-Critical Operations Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESTON, Va., April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC) – a mission integrator for delivering advanced technology solutions to the government – announced today that it has established a strategic partnership with Bluescape® – a collaborative operations platform – to bring a commercially-developed, unlimited virtual workspace to the Department of Defense (DoD), space, intelligence and civilian agencies. The innovative alliance delivers Bluescape’s best-in-class, dual-use technology for today’s critical national security missions to SAIC’s vast ecosystem.

    Through the alliance, SAIC will seamlessly integrate Bluescape’s government-compliant unlimited virtual workspace to securely bring data, individuals and applications together for knowledge sharing, visual planning, data analysis and effective mission coordination. The platform is authorized to operate at FedRAMP Moderate+ and by the DoD at IL4/IL5 for CUI data – empowering dispersed teams to share, organize, and interact with critical intel for accelerated decision advantage and response times.

    More than just a collaboration tool, Bluescape is a trusted, secure and scalable collaborative operations platform that creates a common operating picture by unifying teams and information streams, providing a centralized, visual workspace for real-time collaboration, information sharing and decision-making. It provides a highly secure, virtual workspace for exchanging information, integrating mission applications and producing content jointly. Bluescape is a commercial platform that enables warfighters and decision-makers to deliver mission outcomes. It can be used across enterprise IT systems, operational forces and interagency or mission partners.

    “Today’s warfighters and intelligence community decision-makers face a myriad of complex national security challenges that continually reinforce the imperative need for advanced, secure and efficient solutions,” said Bob Ritchie, SAIC Chief Technology Officer. “Combining Bluescape’s secure and collaborative insight platform with SAIC’s mission-oriented commercial delivery provides the adaptability, speed and decision advantage our government customers require.”

    “Bluescape enhances every aspect of mission command and coordinated response. It can accommodate large-scale government organizations and the ability to onboard thousands of users simultaneously,” explained Norm Litterini, Vice President of Public Sector Channels and Partners for Bluescape. “It eliminates the “place problem” that can be a challenge in mission partner environments and across dispersed workforces.”

    Bluescape workspaces are persistent and repeatable, so the information and actions taken remain intact after a meeting concludes, providing an automatic record of how decisions were made to jump-start future project work. The platform also allows for the use of existing processes and tools under one secure environment – eliminating the need for a complete overhaul and delay in operations.

    About SAIC
    SAIC® is a premier Fortune 500 mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.

    We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.

    Media Contact
    Caralyn Duke
    Caralyn.duke@saic.com

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements in this release contain or are based on “forward-looking” information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “guidance,” and similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements in this release may include, among others, estimates of future revenues, operating income, earnings, earnings per share, charges, total contract value, backlog, outstanding shares and cash flows, as well as statements about future dividends, share repurchases and other capital deployment plans. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from the guidance and other forward-looking statements made in this release as a result of various factors. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause or contribute to these material differences include those discussed in the “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Legal Proceedings” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the SEC, which may be viewed or obtained through the Investor Relations section of our website at saic.com or on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Due to such risks, uncertainties and assumptions you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SAIC expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statement provided in this release to reflect subsequent events, actual results or changes in SAIC’s expectations. SAIC also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by investment analysts or others.

    About Bluescape
    Bluescape is the mission-ready visual workplace. Bluescape empowers distributed teams with easy-to-use tools to bring agility to complex processes—eliminating miscommunications, missed deadlines, and wasted time. Available as both FedRAMP authorized cloud solution and air-gapped software, Bluescape is built for the security needs of the public sector. Customers include Fortune 100 companies and government agencies. Bluescape is headquartered in Chicago, IL. For more information on how Bluescape drives innovation and transformation in government and commercial organizations, visit bluescape.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.

    Media Contact
    Josette Oder Moynihan
    Josette.moynihan@bluescape.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko visited the Donetsk People’s Republic on a working visit

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    The Deputy Prime Minister assessed the educational infrastructure of the region and spoke with students.

    At the Mariupol State University named after A.I. Kuindzhi (MSU named after A.I. Kuindzhi), Dmitry Chernyshenko talked to the participants of the project “University Shifts”, which allows the younger generation to consciously choose a profession and a university at an early age. Over three years, the project has involved more than 44 thousand children from the regions of Russia. The children told about their personal experience of participating in the project.

    “It’s great that you communicate with your peers, broaden your horizons. At the same time, you have a very clearly structured method of thinking and values. And you can, like Danko with a burning heart, follow your mission, lead and inspire,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko assessed the progress of restoration work and the university infrastructure. In particular, the university has a youth laboratory – the Laboratory of Media Literacy and Media Research. The Deputy Prime Minister handed over a certificate for the purchase of a video studio to its representatives.

    Also, a multifunctional sports ground was opened at Kuindzhi Moscow State University. It was built in six months and, along with other sports grounds of the university, became part of the sports cluster – they are being created on the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the program for the socio-economic development of the reunited entities.

    The new site has four locations: a mini-football field, a volleyball and basketball court, an area for passing the standards of the All-Russian physical education and sports complex “Ready for Labor and Defense”, and an area with multifunctional exercise machines.

    The Azov Marine Institute (AMI), a branch of the Sevastopol State University, trains specialists for the maritime industry. Currently, it is the only specialized higher education institution on the shores of the Azov Sea. In the future, it is planned to launch secondary specialized education programs and advanced training courses for already working maritime specialists. To ensure that the training is as practice-oriented as possible, several thematic classrooms were equipped with mock-ups, models, and other training elements during the recently completed repairs.

    The Deputy Prime Minister handed over a certificate for the acquisition of a vehicle to the institute’s management and assessed the university’s infrastructure and equipment, including training and sports simulators – AMI is now one of the most modern training bases for future sailors in Russia. Among the professional simulators are bridge and engine room simulators, a separate large-scale complex for practicing actions in emergency situations on ships.

    During the visit, Dmitry Chernyshenko visited the Mariupol Construction Specialized College, one of the flagships of secondary vocational education in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The educational institution is part of the educational and production cluster “Construction Industry”. As part of the federal project “Professionalism” of the national project “Youth and Children”, students master promising specialties and gain practical experience, which they demonstrated to the Deputy Prime Minister.

    “The most important thing is that the working specialties that you teach are based on the most modern technologies that you actually use in technological processes. For this, you need materials and teachers,” he told the college staff.

    In the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Mariupol, Dmitry Chernyshenko discussed work issues with Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol. The main topic was the key areas of upcoming construction and restoration work. In addition, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, the pupils of the children’s Sunday school read poems and performed Easter hymns.

    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 Global: As a neuroscientist, I’ve seen the impact of harsh words on children’s brains. We need to prevent childhood verbal abuse

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology, UCL

    21March/Shutterstock

    Harsh words can wound – and when directed at children, they can have a lifelong impact.

    Research has shown that when words are routinely used by the adults in their lives to humiliate, shame or control children, they can alter the developing brain. A 2023 study of over 20,500 UK adults found that one in five reported having been verbally abused as children.

    Definitions of verbal abuse vary, but it is generally characterised by a sustained pattern of behaviour where criticism, threats or rejection of the child leads them to feel routinely belittled, blamed, threatened, frightened or ridiculed. This is not the same as occasionally losing your temper with your children and saying something hurtful in the heat of the moment.

    I and colleagues believe this shapes how a child sees the world, others, and themselves. Exposure to abuse, including verbal abuse, leads to an increased risk of anxiety, depression, suicide attempts and drug use in later life.

    It has an impact on forming trusting relationships as an adult. Yet despite its devastating consequences, verbal abuse remains largely overlooked in public debate and policy.

    Preventing verbal abuse – along with all forms of child abuse and neglect – is more than just a moral imperative. It is essential for healthy brain development and lifelong wellbeing.

    Changes in the brain

    I was among the experts brought together by Jessica Bondy, founder of the Words Matter charity, in the House of Commons in April 2025 to discuss the prevention of childhood verbal abuse.

    As a neuroscientist, I have spent decades using brain imaging to understand how early adversity and trauma, including verbal abuse, can shape a young person’s development. We now know that emotional abuse, including consistently hostile or demeaning language from adults, can significantly alter the way a child’s brain perceives and reacts to the world.

    Several key brain systems are affected. For example, our threat system normally helps us stay safe by detecting danger and triggering a quick response – the well-known “fight or flight” reaction.

    But in children subjected to frequent abuse, including verbal abuse, this system becomes hyperactive. Even neutral social cues – a facial expression, or a joke or well-meaning comment – can be misinterpreted as threatening.

    Verbal abuse also affects how children form relationships. In healthy development, warm verbal and non-verbal exchanges with caregivers – praise, compliments, thoughtful understanding – help teach children how to establish secure and healthy relationships. They also help them build self-worth and social confidence.

    Warm exchanges help children build healthy relationships.
    fizkes/Shutterstock

    But verbal abuse, along with other forms of childhood maltreatment, can blunt the brain’s reward system. The brain becomes less responsive to positive experiences.

    We believe that these brain adaptations can alter how a maltreated child builds their social world. They may help the child survive in an adverse social environment, but over time they accrue long-term costs. It becomes harder to trust others; harder to navigate relationships; harder to believe you are of real value and truly lovable.

    Lifelong consequences

    By adulthood, the risk is that a repeated cycle of interpersonal stress and rupture is established. Romantic relationships can be destabilised by deep-seated fears of abandonment or rejection.

    Those early wounds fold into our sense of self, creating an enduring lens through which the world is perceived. It can be a struggle to feel at ease in one own’s mind, or safe in the mind of another.

    In addition to my research work at UCL, I am CEO of Anna Freud, a charity dedicated to transforming mental health support through evidence-based care, cutting-edge research, professional training and accessible resources. In our clinical work at Anna Freud, we have seen countless young people and adults struggle with the verbal messages they have received growing up.

    Harsh language sticks because we are biologically wired to privilege negative and threatening information for our own protection. These verbal wounds underpin so much later anxiety, pain and distress. Adults can spend decades trying to compensate to prove those words wrong.

    We need to shine a light on the impact of verbal abuse, helping parents, carers, teachers and all adults in a child’s life understand the power of their words. This does not imply that poor behaviour should go unchecked; children still need clear limits and honest corrective feedback. However, it does mean creating environments – at home, at school, in communities – where children are spoken to with respect, encouragement and care.

    Verbal abuse is not an inevitable part of growing up. It is preventable. And the science is clear: ending it is essential to safeguarding healthy brain development and improving life-long mental health outcomes. Society as a whole will benefit, with a new generation more likely to thrive in education and employment.

    We need to ensure every child is nurtured by words that build them up, not tear them down.

    Eamon McCrory has received funding from ESRC, MRC and NSPCC.

    – ref. As a neuroscientist, I’ve seen the impact of harsh words on children’s brains. We need to prevent childhood verbal abuse – https://theconversation.com/as-a-neuroscientist-ive-seen-the-impact-of-harsh-words-on-childrens-brains-we-need-to-prevent-childhood-verbal-abuse-255533

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ventotene manifesto: why European politicians are arguing over a 1941 document written by a group of imprisoned Italian antifascists

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Edoardo Vaccari, PhD candidate in International History, London School of Economics and Political Science

    The Trump administration’s decision to distance itself from Nato obligations signals a potential dismantling of the historical transatlantic order – and not merely in military terms. As the United States disengages from European affairs and cuts ties with what secretary of defense Pete Hegseth called Nato’s “pathetic” freeloaders, it is abandoning the principle of international solidarity that had defined American leadership since the second world war and the signing of the Atlantic charter in 1941.

    European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen responded by declaring that “we urgently have to rearm Europe”. Her plan is to enable European Union member states to spend more on their militaries. This turn towards rearmament has revived a debate over the meaning of the European Union, with parties clashing over its foundational commitment to peace and cooperation.

    In Italy, a group of prominent leftwing intellectuals and activists recently organised a pro-European rally in Rome warning against the prioritisation of military rearmament over deeper political integration. The initiative drew around 30,000 people to the capital, with parallel demonstrations held in cities across the country.

    A recurring theme of the day was the invocation of a document published at the same time as the Atlantic charter and long symbolic of European internationalism: the 1941 Ventotene manifesto. Originally titled For a Free and United Europe, the manifesto was written by anti-fascist prisoners Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi. Contributions came from from fellow anti-fascists Ernesto Colorni and his wife, Ursula Hirschmann, during their internment on the island of Ventotene in the southern Tyrrhenian sea.

    The manifesto called for the creation of a supranational federal state. This, it asserted, was the only way to address the causes of fascism and prevent future wars. It condemned the nation-state system, urged a decisive break with existing political traditions and proposed a revolutionary vanguard to lead Europe toward a new constitutional order. Its authors saw political unification not as a distant ideal but as an urgent necessity in the aftermath of continental collapse.

    Although the postwar European project followed a more incremental path than that envisioned by Rossi and Spinelli, the Ventotene manifesto quietly endured as a touchstone for political federalism and as a seminal text for European integration. It has been invoked by EU leaders such as von der Leyen and former European Commission vice-president Josep Borrell as an ideological compass for the union’s identity.

    For the Italian left, the manifesto holds a dual symbolic significance. It is both a founding document of Europeanism and a symbol of anti-fascist resistance, whose memory is under attack from the right.

    A monument to Altiero Spinelli, author of the Ventotene manifesto, forms part of the the European Union Founders’ Monument in Bucharest.
    Shutterstock/brunocoelho

    This layered significance helps explain the repeated invocation of the manifesto at the Rome rally. Calls for a federal Europe were intertwined with a broader defence of the historical legacy of anti-fascism.

    In a flourish of nostalgic symbolism, the left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica even distributed free copies of the text. Days later, rightwing prime minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the document in parliament as an undemocratic, socialist relic incompatible with her vision of Europe.

    The backlash was swift and theatrical. The left erupted in defence of the manifesto and the president of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, rushed to cement its place as a foundational text of the EU.

    The debate has taken a curiously historiographical turn. After years of vague and reverential invocation, Meloni’s intervention compelled members of the Italian parliament to publicly discuss the meaning of specific passages from the manifesto, probing their historical context and continued relevance.

    A flood of commentary followed from scholars and public intellectuals. Even oscar-winning director, Roberto Benigni chimed in and meanwhile proclaimed that the EU was “the greatest institutional, political, social, and economic construction of the last five thousand years”.

    However, both sides are getting it wrong. The left, cushioned by EU mythmaking, treats the manifesto like sacred scripture. This reading sidelines its radical ambitions, which went far beyond a generic pro-European stance. Rossi and Spinelli drew on Jacobin and Leninist revolutionary traditions and envisioned a vanguard party of committed federalists to lead a European revolution.

    Meloni, for all her opportunism, wasn’t wrong to highlight that. But she also distorts the manifesto. Her approach is to tear it from its wartime context in order to frame it as authoritarian and anti-democratic. This is part of a broader, ongoing effort to delegitimise the legacy of anti-fascism. Both camps weaponise history in service of their political concerns.

    Europe’s past and future

    The truth is both simpler and more inconvenient. The Ventotene manifesto was a product of its time. It was conceived in near-total isolation and drafted in secrecy on a remote detention island. Rossi and Spinelli envisioned a Europe on the brink of collapse, crushed under the machinery of the Axis powers. They believed that this destruction would create a “revolutionary situation” in which a complete political rebirth could be rapidly enacted.

    As the war drew to a close and the old parties reemerged, Rossi and Spinelli recognised that a swift revolutionary coup was unfeasible. They set the manifesto aside and instead launched the European Federalist Movement as an advocacy platform. What they did not renounce, however, was their ultimate goal: the creation of the “United States of Europe”. Spinelli, in particular, devoted the rest of his life to campaigning for this vision.

    Democracy in decline? The risk and rise of authoritarianism

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    Get tickets here

    Europe has moved toward deeper integration but not towards a full realisation of Spinelli’s federal dream. Leaders like von der Leyen and Borrell invoke the manifesto more for its symbolic weight than its ideas, repurposing it to suit current agendas.

    As a result, the manifesto is being diluted of its historical significance. Rather than continue to mythologise it, we should allow the manifesto to take its place alongside other historically significant texts. We should shift focus to actionable plans for the political challenges that lie ahead.

    This matters because the debate won’t stay in Italy. As Europe inches into a new era of rearmament, political unity is increasingly urgent. Beneath the quarrel lies a deeper question: should European rearmament proceed as a pragmatic response to security challenges, with individual nations acting alone, or should it be guided by a more ambitious internationalist vision?

    The Ventotene manifesto, for all its historical relevance and foresight, offers no roadmap for this moment. Paths to integration exist, from technical treaty reform to a more ambitious constitutional overhaul. That could involve drafting a new foundational charter for a federal union. But these paths require clarity, courage, and honesty – qualities Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi had in abundance.

    Edoardo Vaccari 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. Ventotene manifesto: why European politicians are arguing over a 1941 document written by a group of imprisoned Italian antifascists – https://theconversation.com/ventotene-manifesto-why-european-politicians-are-arguing-over-a-1941-document-written-by-a-group-of-imprisoned-italian-antifascists-255237

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why losing belly fat with PCOS can be difficult – and what helps

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    ivan_kislitsin/Shutterstock

    Tried a dozen different ways to shift that stubborn belly and still no luck? You’re not alone. For some women, losing belly fat can be especially difficult – and there may be a medical reason why.

    Search the term “PCOS belly” on TikTok and you’ll find a flood of content promising ways to get rid of it. From low to high intensity workouts, eating more protein, apple cider vinegar and natural supplements, the list of so-called solutions is endless. But what actually is a PCOS belly – and are these TikTok tips grounded in science?

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that affects around one in ten women of childbearing age, according to the NHS. However, more than half of these women may show no obvious symptoms.

    Women with PCOS produce abnormally high levels of androgens – male hormones like testosterone that are usually present in small amounts. This hormonal imbalance can lead to symptoms such as irregular periods, infertility, acne, excess facial and body hair, and in some cases, multiple cysts on the ovaries.

    The exact cause of PCOS is still unknown, but it’s believed to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors – it often runs in families.

    ‘PCOS belly’

    While not a clinical term, “PCOS belly” is commonly used on social media to describe the accumulation of fat around the abdominal area, which is often seen in women with PCOS. This is frequently linked to insulin resistance, a condition where the body’s cells don’t respond properly to insulin – a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels. When insulin isn’t used effectively, excess glucose is stored as fat, particularly around the midsection.

    In response, the body may produce even more insulin, which can stimulate the production of testosterone, further exacerbating PCOS symptoms. Women with PCOS often store more visceral fat – the deeper, more dangerous fat that wraps around internal organs – compared to women without the condition. One study found that women with PCOS had significantly more visceral fat, even if their weight was in the normal range. Up to 80% of PCOS cases show evidence of insulin resistance, but not all women have a PCOS belly or are overweight.

    Women with PCOS are also more likely to experience chronic low-grade inflammation, which can contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance. Additionally, elevated cortisol levels – the body’s main stress hormone – are often found in PCOS and are linked to abdominal fat.

    Some research also suggests that women with PCOS may have imbalanced gut microbiomes, which can lead to bloating and digestive issues. A 2024 study confirmed that women with PCOS are more prone to gastrointestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with bloating as a key symptom.

    Challenging but not impossible

    PCOS belly isn’t just a cosmetic concern – it’s associated with higher risks of serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and metabolic syndrome (which includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and elevated blood sugar).

    Increased abdominal fat also raises inflammatory markers, worsening insulin resistance and perpetuating a vicious cycle of hormonal imbalance.

    And it’s not just physical health. PCOS has a profound effect on mental health, with studies showing higher rates of anxiety, depression, and body image issues among women with the condition.

    Losing weight with PCOS is challenging, but not impossible. While you can’t spot-reduce belly fat, losing overall body fat can help shrink your midsection and reduce health risks.

    There’s no one-size-fits-all “PCOS diet”, but many women benefit from eating a balanced diet that focuses on whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats and low-glycaemic index carbs that don’t spike blood sugar.

    A balanced diet can also reduce inflammation and help curb cravings between meals. Research shows that walking after meals can help lower blood glucose, making fat storage less likely.

    Despite TikTok warnings about cortisol and high-intensity workouts, studies show both Hiit (high-intensity interval training) and Mict (moderate-intensity continuous training) can improve insulin sensitivity and lower testosterone levels in women with PCOS. Exercise can also lift your mood and reduce stress. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise weekly and strengthening activities at least two days a week.

    Chronic stress increases cortisol, which can worsen PCOS symptoms. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing can all help. Quality sleep is also crucial, both for hormone regulation and overall weight management. Women with PCOS are more prone to sleep issues like obstructive sleep apnoea.

    Some TikTok influencers recommend natural remedies – but always read the label and speak to a healthcare professional before starting taking any herbal medicines or alternative therapies.

    Supplements that show some promise include inositol, coenzyme Q10, vitamin D and curcumin. Berberine and L-carnitine may also be helpful. Research suggests these may improve insulin resistance or reduce inflammation, but more high-quality studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness and safety. Doctors may also prescribe metformin, to improve insulin sensitivity, or hormonal contraceptives to regulate periods and hormonal imbalances.

    PCOS belly is real, but so are the solutions. Every woman’s experience with PCOS is unique, and what works for one person might not work for another.

    Managing PCOS belly requires a holistic approach including diet and nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, sleep hygiene and possibly medication or supplements. If you’re struggling, speak with a GP or registered dietitian and always check with a pharmacist or doctor before starting any new supplements.

    You deserve support that’s based on science – not social media trends.

    Dipa Kamdar 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. Why losing belly fat with PCOS can be difficult – and what helps – https://theconversation.com/why-losing-belly-fat-with-pcos-can-be-difficult-and-what-helps-254519

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited to Set Up 75 Space Labs in EMR Schools under ISRO’s Technical Guidance

    Source: Government of India

    Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited to Set Up 75 Space Labs in EMR Schools under ISRO’s Technical Guidance

    19 states in the country to be benefitted

    Under CSR initiative around Rs 12 crores sanctioned

    It could bridge educational gaps and open new avenues for tribal youth in the fields of space science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM)

    Posted On: 30 APR 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi

    In a historic step Ministry of tribal affairs and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) announced the setting up of “Space Labs” in 75 Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) across 19 states in the country.

    Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India establishes EMRS to impart quality education to ST children thereby enabling them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get gainful employment in various sectors. EMRS in addition to imparting high quality education also takes care of their nutrition and overall health and development. As on date there are 470 functional EMRS across the country.

    BPCL has announced that it will support the tribal affairs Ministry under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to set up the Space Labs and has sanctioned around Rs 12 crores towards the same.

    Through this initiative, the Ministry seeks to bridge educational gaps and open new avenues for tribal youth in the fields of space science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). By providing exposure to space sciences at a young age, the ministry aims to lay the foundation for nurturing future scientists, technologists, and innovators from tribal communities. This project marks a significant step towards mainstreaming tribal students into India’s scientific advancement. It reflects the Government’s broader efforts under the NEP 2020 framework to create equitable and inclusive educational opportunities for all sections of society.

    The initiative will be technically supported by the Space tutor agencies recognized by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).Each such lab will have the advanced scientific equipment including the following components:

    1. LVM3 Launch Vehicle and EO satellite demo model with all dub system details
    2. Static model launch vehicles (PSLV, HRLV, IRNSS, GSAT)
    3. Table Top demo models of solar System, lunar Eclipse, phases of the moon, day and nights, 4 seasons, globe and time indicator
    4. Star tracker telescope 150/750mm and Cansat working model
    5. Space, Science, and Maths Teaching Learning Material (TLM) kits
    6. ISRO space bookand timelineexhibit

    These labs are to be established in EMRS of 19 states in India and includesAndhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal. More than 50,000 tribal students shall benefit through this initiative.

     

     

     

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