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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: The first programs for digital transformation of departments for 2025 have been approved

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Dmitry Grigorenko’s meeting with heads of digital transformation of federal executive bodies

    February 7, 2025

    Dmitry Grigorenko’s meeting with heads of digital transformation of federal executive bodies

    February 7, 2025

    Dmitry Grigorenko at a meeting with heads of digital transformation of federal executive bodies

    February 7, 2025

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    Dmitry Grigorenko’s meeting with heads of digital transformation of federal executive bodies

    Digital transformation programs for 2025 and the planning period 2026–2027 have been adopted for 11 federal ministries and departments. They were reviewed at a meeting of Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko with heads of digital transformation of federal executive bodies.

    The meeting approved development programs for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Digital Development, the Ministry of Energy, the Russian National Guard, the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, the Federal Archives Agency, the Federal Reserve Agency, the Federal Fisheries Agency, the Federal Bailiff Service, and the Federal Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund. Their projects provide for all the main planning parameters with established target indicators: funding volumes; key results (e.g., harmonizing departmental information resources, increasing the speed of processing interdepartmental requests); infrastructure development (e.g., transferring systems to Russian software and Russian information security tools).

    “In total, we have to approve 60 departmental digital transformation programs. Their implementation is aimed at increasing the efficiency of the departments themselves and public administration as a whole. This includes the quality of decisions made based on data received online, and the transparent implementation of key functions, and the speed of providing public services,” commented Dmitry Grigorenko.

    For example, the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund plans to introduce a system of personalized accounting of information on medical care provided in 2025. This will allow receiving information about insured citizens online, reducing errors in medical organizations’ bills, generating information about everyone who is subject to dispensary observation, creating individual medical examination routes for them, etc. Based on this information, personal risks of insured persons will be calculated, and forecasts of medical care consumption will be built.

    Taking into account the implementation of the tasks set within the framework of departmental digital transformation programs, a number of additional priorities were also identified at the meeting. Thus, among the tasks for 2025 is to introduce artificial intelligence technologies into the feedback platform. This will allow for the fastest possible classification of citizens’ requests by issue and assessment of the quality of responses to them. Also, special attention will be paid to ensuring information security in 2025.

    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 Europe: Celebrating women and girls in science!

    Source: European Union 2

    Every scientific discovery, breakthrough, and innovation we celebrate has been shaped by brilliant minds. However, the minds with more opportunities to shine have predominantly been male. While women constitute 48% of doctoral graduates in the EU, they represent only one third of the total number of researchers in Europe. According to the UN, female researchers also tend to have shorter, less well-paid careers. 

    Though progress has been made, women remain underrepresented in many fields, in senior academic and decision-making positions. These disparities are driven by challenges such as unconscious bias, a lack of mentorship, and limited access to resources – barriers that continue to hinder the full participation of women in research and innovation. 

    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February is both a celebration and a call to action to inspire young girls and women around the world, to ignite their curiosity and creativity – and to reflect on how best to support their scientific aspirations.  

    The European Commission is committed to upholding gender equality – one of the core values of the EU.  Read how the Commission is supporting equality with some key actions in research and innovation. 

    Gender equality plans 

    Gender equality is a priority of the European Research Area (ERA), with actions focused on driving institutional change in research careers at all levels. In 2022, this commitment was strengthened further, with all higher education establishments, research organisations, and public bodies from Member States and Associated Countries applying for Horizon Europe funding now required to implement a Gender Equality Plan (GEP). 

    These plans must address several areas, including work-life balance, gender balance in leadership and decision-making, gender equality in recruitment and career progression, integration of an inclusive gender dimension into research that acknowledges intersectionality, and measures against gender-based violence. 

    Learn out more about Horizon Europe guidance on GEPs and frequently asked questions.  

    Gender equality champions 

    The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions celebrates and recognises the outstanding results achieved by some change-driving academic and research organisations in the implementation of GEPs. The prize is shaping a community of changemakers who inspire others to adopt gender equality policies and drive meaningful, transformative institutional change.  

    To date, two award ceremonies have been held, honouring seven champions from Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and France. This year’s ceremony will take place in March 2025.  

    One of the previous winners is Universitat Rovira I Virgili in Spain where now the majority of research groups in the university are led by women as principal investigators. The university has also run a campaign to prevent sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination among their teaching staff. 

    Another notable champion is South East Technological University in Ireland. This institution has made impressive strides in achieving gender balance, particularly within its executive management team and across its teaching staff. From assistant lecturers to senior lecturers, the university has worked diligently to ensure that both women and men are equally represented. 

    Discover how you can apply to become one of the next EU gender equality champions. 

    EU-funded projects strengthen the gender equality balance in STEM  

    Strengthening women’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is not only a matter of equal opportunities and social justice, but also crucial to meet pressing societal challenges, such as the green and digital transitions. According to the “She figures 2021” report, women remain underrepresented among doctoral graduates in most narrow STEM fields.

    To tackle this imbalance, the EU is funding research and innovation projects aimed at increasing young girls’ participation in STEM activities, improving the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in science across the EU and beyond. 

    The Horizon Europe project STREAM IT tackles barriers for underrepresented groups in STEM, focusing on young girls, creating inclusive educational tools. The project aims to provide widely applicable solutions for various stakeholders, including workshop series for supporting girls to orient towards STEM, hands-on activities at science centres and museums, mentoring programme, and establishing collaborative networks on national and international level.  

    To further boost interest and female participation in STE(A)M (where “A” stands for creative thinking and applied arts), while deconstructing gender stereotypes, three EU-funded projects – Road-STEAMer, The SEER and SENSE – are collaborating to develop and deliver a roadmap for science education in Horizon Europe, in synergy with the EU’s Erasmus programme. 

    Find out more about STREAM IT, Road-STEAMer, The SEER and SENSE.

    Meet some of the inspiring women behind European R&I 

    EU actions to eliminate gender inequalities in research and innovation have already yielded significant results, as seen in the stories of several remarkable women in science.  

    One such example is Dr. Anne L’Huillier, the 2023 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, who works on the interaction between short and intense laser fields and atoms. She credits the MSCA programme’s early support for kickstarting her career.  

    Prof Rana Sanyal, the winner of the 2024 European Prize for Women Innovators and a leading expert in biotechnology, is another prime illustration of the vital role EU funding plays in supporting women researchers. 

    Alba García-Fernández and Erika Pineda Ramirez are other two EU-funded women researchers dedicated to developing more effective treatments for cancer patients. In honour of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, they offer inspiring advice for the next generation of female researchers. 

    “The contribution of women in science is invaluable. We have so much talent and ideas to offer. As Marie Skłodowska-Curie once said: ‘I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.’ So, my advice is: believe in yourself and go after what truly excites you. Stay curious, keep learning!” – Alba García-Fernández, MSCA fellow.  

    Erika Pineda Ramirez emphasises that while the work environment can sometimes make things harder, women researchers should keep trying and never give up because science needs more of their contributions. 

    Read more 

    Gender in EU research and innovation – European Commission 

    European Researchers’ Night celebrating science across Europe in 2024 and 2025 – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Anti-drug activities launched

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung today officiated at the opening ceremony of a series of activities to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN).

    Co-organised with the Security Bureau, the activities include an interactive roving exhibition in education institutions and competitions to consolidate anti-drug awareness in the community.

    Mr Tang said at the ceremony that the Government plans to gazette the listing of etomidate, the main ingredient of the “space oil drug”, as a dangerous drug with immediate effect on February 14.

    Possession, vaping or drug trafficking will then be liable for very serious criminal punishment, he stressed, adding that the law enforcement agencies are well-prepared for anti-narcotics work.

    One of the events commemorating ACAN’s 60th anniversary is a roving exhibition for people to learn about anti-drug work in the past, present and future.

    The exhibition features a theme zone displaying anti-drug posters produced between 1960 and 2025. The poster collection not only provides a review of various publicity campaigns but also reflects the changes in communication strategies in response to society’s development over the years.

    Precious historical photos, videos and TV announcements are displayed at the theme zone, reviewing the changes in Hong Kong’s anti-drug work as the times evolved.

    Including the elements of science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as multimedia, the roving exhibition also comprises games, digital panels and photo booths to provide information about criminal liability for drug offences and ways of seeking help.

    The first stop of the roving exhibition is being staged until February 10, from 10am to 8pm at Hong Kong City Hall.

    Click here for details.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Seed oils are toxic, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – but it’s not so simple

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mary J. Scourboutakos, Adjunct Lecturer in Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

    Seed oils have become a mainstay of the American diet. d3sign/Moment via Getty Images

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to clear the final hurdles in his confirmation as President Donald Trump’s health secretary, and a host of health influencers have proclaimed that widely used cooking oils such as canola oil and soybean oil are toxic.

    T-shirts sold by his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign now include the slogan, “make frying oil tallow again” – a reference to the traditional use of rendered beef fat for cooking.

    Seed oils have become a mainstay of the American diet because unlike beef tallow, which is comprised of saturated fats that increase cholesterol levels, seed oils contain unsaturated fats that can decrease cholesterol levels. In theory, that means they should reduce the risk of heart disease.

    But research shows that different seed oils have varying effects on risk for heart disease.
    Furthermore, seed oils have also been shown to increase risk for migraines. This is likely due to their high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. These fats can increase inflammation, a heightened and potentially harmful state of system immune activation.

    As a family physician with a Ph.D. in nutrition, I translate the latest nutrition science into dietary recommendations for my patients. When it comes to seed oils, the research shows that their health effects are more nuanced than headlines and social media posts suggest.

    How seed oils infiltrated the American diet

    Seed oils — often confusingly referred to as “vegetable oils” — are, as the name implies, oils extracted from the seeds of plants. This is unlike olive oil and coconut oil, which are derived from fruits. People decrying their widespread use often refer to the “hateful eight” top seed oil offenders: canola, corn, soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower and rice bran oil.

    These oils entered the human diet at unprecedented levels after the invention of the mechanical screw press in 1888 enabled the extraction of oil from seeds in quantities that were never before possible.

    Between 1909 and 1999, U.S. consumption of soybean oil increased 1,000 times. This shift fundamentally changed our biological makeup. Due to increased seed oil intake, in the past 50 years the concentration of omega-6 fatty acids that Americans carry around in their fatty tissue has increased by 136%

    Evaluating the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio

    Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that control inflammation. While omega-6s tend to produce molecules that boost it, omega-3s tend to produce molecules that tone it down. Until recently, people generally ate equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. However, over the past century, this ratio has changed. Today, people consume 15 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, partly due to increased consumption of seed oils.

    In theory, seed oils can cause health problems because they contain a high absolute amount of omega-6 fatty acids, as well as a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Studies have linked an increased omega-6 to omega-3 ratio to a wide range of conditions, including mood disorders, knee pain, back pain, menstrual pain and even preterm birth. Omega-6 fatty acids have also been implicated in the processes that drive colon cancer.

    However, the absolute omega-6 level and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in different seed oils vary tremendously. For example, safflower oil and sunflower oil have ratios of 125:1 and 91:1. Corn oil’s ratio is 50:1. Meanwhile, soybean oil and canola oil have lower ratios, at 8:1 and 2:1, respectively.

    Scientists have used genetic modification to create seed oils like high oleic acid canola oil that have a lower omega-6 to 3 ratio. However, the health benefit of these bioengineered oils is still being studied.

    The upshot on inflammation and health risks

    Part of the controversy surrounding seed oils is that studies investigating their inflammatory effect have yielded mixed results. One meta-analysis synthesizing the effects of seed oils on 11 inflammatory markers largely showed no effects – with the exception of one inflammatory signal, which was significantly elevated in people with the highest omega-6 intakes.

    To complicate things further, genetics also plays a role in seed oils’ inflammatory potential. People of African, Indigenous and Latino descent tend to metabolize omega-6 fatty acids faster, which can increase the inflammatory effect of consuming seed oils. Scientists still don’t fully understand how genetics and other factors may influence the health effects of these oils.

    Soybean oil is the most highly purchased oil in the United States.
    fcafotodigital via Getty Images

    The effect of different seed oils on cardiovascular risk

    A review of seven randomized controlled trials showed that the effect of seed oils on risk of heart attacks varies depending on the type of seed oil.

    This was corroborated by data resurrected from tapes dug up in the basement of a researcher who in the 1970s conducted the largest and most rigorously executed dietary trial to date investigating the replacement of saturated fat with seed oils. In that work, replacing saturated fats such as beef tallow with seed oils always lowers cholesterol, but it does not always lower risk of death from heart disease.

    Taken together, these studies show that when saturated fats such as beef tallow are replaced with seed oils that have lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratios, such as soybean oil, the risk of heart attacks and death from heart disease falls. However, when saturated fats are replaced with seed oils with a higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, such as corn oil, risk of death from heart disease rises.

    Interestingly, the most highly purchased seed oil in the United States is soybean oil, which has a more favorable omega-6 to 3 ratio of 8:1 – and studies show that it does lower the risk of heart disease.

    However, seed oils with less favorable ratios, such as corn oil and safflower oil, can be found in countless processed foods, including potato chips, frozen dinners and packaged desserts. Nevertheless, other aspects of these foods, in addition to their seed oil content, also make them unhealthy.

    The case for migraines – and beyond

    A rigorous randomized controlled trial – the gold standard for clinical evidence – showed that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids, hence low in seed oils, significantly reduced the risk of migraines

    In the study, people who stepped up their consumption of omega-3 fatty acids by eating fatty fish such as salmon experienced an average of two fewer migraines per month than usual, even if they did not change their omega-6 consumption. However, if they reduced their omega-6 intake by switching out corn oil for olive oil, while simultaneously increasing their omega-3 intake, they experienced four fewer migraines per month.

    That’s a noteworthy difference, considering that the latest migraine medications reduce migraine frequency by approximately two days per month, compared to a placebo. Thus, for migraine sufferers — 1 in 6 Americans — decreasing seed oils, along with increasing omega-3 intake, may be even more effective than currently available medications.

    Overall, the drastic way in which omega-6 fatty acids have entered the food supply and fundamentally changed our biological composition makes this an important area of study. But the question of whether seed oils are good or bad is not black and white. There is no basis to conclude that Americans would be healthier if we started frying everything in beef tallow again, but there is an argument for a more careful consideration of the nuance surrounding these oils and their potential effects.

    Mary J. Scourboutakos 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. Seed oils are toxic, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – but it’s not so simple – https://theconversation.com/seed-oils-are-toxic-says-robert-f-kennedy-jr-but-its-not-so-simple-246494

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Map wars in the Middle East: How cartographers charted and helped shape a regional conflict

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Leuenberger, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University

    A lot has changed since the publication of this 1750 map of Palestine. Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

    Maps are ubiquitous – on phones, in-flight and car displays, and in textbooks the world over. While some maps delineate and name territories and boundaries, others show different voting blocs in elections, and GPS devices help drivers navigate to their destination.

    But no matter the purpose, all maps have something in common: They are political. Making maps is about making decisions about what to omit and what to include. They are subject to selection, classification, abstractions and simplifications. And studying the choices that go into maps, as I do, can reveal different stories about land and the people who claim it as theirs.

    Nowhere is this more true than in the contested regions that today include modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, different governmental and nongovernmental organizations and political interest groups have engaged in what can best be described as “map wars.”

    Maps of the region use the naming of places, the position of borders and the inclusion or omission of certain territories to present contrasting geopolitical visions. To this day, Israel or the Palestinian territories may fall off some maps, depending on the politics of their makers.

    This is not exclusive to the Middle East – “map wars” are underway across the globe. Some of the more well-known examples include disputes between Ukraine and Russia, Taiwan and China, and India and China. All are engaged in controversies over the territorial integrity of nation-states.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displays a map of Israel indicating the Golan Heights are inside the state’s borders.
    Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images

    A short history of maps

    Traditionally, maps have been used to represent cosmologies, cultures and belief systems. By the 17th century, maps that represented spatial relations within a given territory beaome important to the making of nation-states. Such official maps helped annex territories and determine property rights. Indeed, to map a territory meant to know and control it.

    More recently, the tools for making maps have become more broadly accessible. Anyone with a computer and internet access can now make and share “alternative maps” that present different visions of a territory and make varied geopolitical claims.

    And maps produced in a conflict region, such as Israel and the Palestinian territories, tell a rich story about the relationship between mapmaking and politics.

    Mapping the Middle East

    During the British Mandate of Palestine from 1917 to 1947, British surveyors mapped the territories to exercise their control over the land and its people. It was an attempt to supersede the more informal Ottoman land claims of the time.

    By the founding of Israel in 1948, only about 20% of the total area of what is known as historic Palestine had been mapped – a fact that has fueled land disputes to this day. The British mapping efforts and their omissions enabled the newly established state of Israel to declare most of the territories as state land, thereby delegitimizing Palestinian land claims.

    A map shows the shaded areas of the Arab state recommended by the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine in 1947. The unshaded areas are parts of the proposed Jewish state.
    Underwood Archives/Getty Images

    Maps also helped build the Israeli state. Surveyors and planners mapped the land to allocate land rights, and they helped build the state’s infrastructure, including roads and railroads.

    But maps also helped create a sense of nationhood. Maps representing a nation’s shape by delineating its national borders are known as “logo” maps. They can enhance feelings of national unity and a sense of national belonging.

    Once established, the Israeli state remade the maps of the region. An Israeli Governmental Names Commission came up with Hebrew names to replace formerly Arab and Christian names for different towns and villages on the official map of Israel. At the same time, formerly Palestinian topographies and places were omitted from the map.

    Some Palestinian mapmakers, however, continue to make maps that include Palestinian named sites and depict pre-1948 historic Palestine – an area that stretches from River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Such maps are used to advocate for Palestinians’ right to land and foster a sense of national belonging.

    A Palestinian woman holds up a map of the British Mandate of Palestine during a protest in Gaza City on Feb. 27, 2020.
    Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

    At the same time, Palestinian cartographers who work with the Palestinian Authority – the government body that administers partial civil control over Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank – make official maps of the West Bank and Gaza in the hope of establishing a future state of Palestine. They align their maps with United Nations efforts to map the territories according to international law by demarking the West Bank and Gaza as separate from and as occupied by Israel.

    After the 1967 war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza. As a result, map wars intensified, especially between different fractions within Israel. The left-wing “peace camp,” which was dedicated to territorial compromises with the Palestinians, was pitted against an Israeli right wing committed to reclaiming the “Promised Land” for ensuring Israeli security.

    Such incompatible geopolitical visions continue to be reflected in the maps produced. “Peace camp” maps adhere to the delineation of the territories according to international law. For example, they include the Green Line – the internationally recognized armistice line between the West Bank and Israel. Official maps produced by the Israeli government, by contrast, stopped delineating the Green Line after 1967.

    Broader and border disputes

    Not only have different interest groups and political actors used maps of the region to put forth competing geopolitical claims, but maps have also played a central role in sporadic efforts to establish peace in the region.

    The 1993 Oslo Accords, for example, relied on maps to provide the framework for Palestinian self-rule in return for security for Israel. The aim was that after a five-year interim period, a permanent peace settlement would be negotiated based on the borders laid out in these maps.

    A map of the West Bank with proposed Palestinian-controlled areas in yellow, as per the Oslo II Accords.
    Wikimedia Commons

    Consequently, Palestinian planners and surveyors mapped the territory allocated to a future state of Palestine. With the Oslo Accords promising only a future state – but with its borders and level of sovereignty still uncertain – Palestinian experts nevertheless continue to prepare for governing the territories by mapping them.

    The Oslo maps are used to this day to delineate geopolitical visions of Israel and a future state of Palestine that are based on international law. But for many Israelis, the Oslo vision of a two-state solution has died – the attack by Hamas, the Palestinian nationalist political organization that governs Gaza, on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was its last blow.

    The subsequent war between Israel and Hamas, currently subject to a cease-fire, has from the outset involved maps.

    In December 2023, the Israeli military posted an online “evacuation map” that divided the Gaza Strip into 623 zones. Palestinians could go online – provided they have access to electricity and internet in a territory plagued by blackouts – to find out whether their neighborhood was called upon to evacuate. Israeli military commanders used this map to decide where to launch airstrikes and conduct ground maneuvers.

    But the map served a political aim, too: to convince a skeptical world that Israel was taking care to protect civilians. Regardless, its introduction caused confusion and fear among Palestinians.

    Charting a way forward

    Maps aren’t just for making sense of the past and present – they help people imagine the future, too. And different maps can reveal conflicting geopolitical visions.

    In January 2024, for example, various Israeli right-wing and settler organizations organized the Conference for the Victory of Israel. The aim was to plan for resettling Gaza and increase Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Speakers advocated for transferring Palestinians from the Strip to the Sinai through “voluntary emigration.” With Jewish settlers planning for the return to Gaza, and speakers citing both the Bible and Israeli security for justifications, an oversized map showed the location of proposed Jewish settlements.

    A man takes a photo with a map showing the Gaza Strip with Jewish settlements during a convention calling to resettle the Gaza Strip on Jan. 28, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel.
    Amir Levy/Getty Images

    Similarly, the Israeli Movement for Settlement in Southern Lebanon has published maps of planned Jewish settlements in Southern Lebanon.

    Such maps reveal the desire by some in Israel for a “Greater Israel” – an area described in 1904 by Theodor Herzl, considered the father of modern-day Zionism, as spanning from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.

    Unsurprisingly, Palestinians make different maps for envisioning the future. Palestine Emerging – a Palestinian and international initiative that brings together various experts, organizations, and funders – uses maps that connect Gaza to the West Bank and the wider region.

    A map shows the proposed Gaza-West Bank corridor transport link.
    Palestine Emerging

    Their aim is to transform Gaza into a commercial hub for trade, tourism and innovation and to integrate it into the global economy. Accordingly, maps of urban projects, airports and seaports overlay the cartographic contours of Gaza; and a Gaza-West Bank corridor, which would be sealed for Israeli security, could connect the two geographically separate Palestinian territories.

    Such maps reflect the efforts by Palestinian stakeholders to continue surveying the territories that, since the Oslo Accords, were to make up the future state of Palestine.

    A new era of expansionist geopolitics

    With the current U.S. administration more aligned with right-wing Israeli policies, maps of Greater Israel may guide what Hagit Ofran from Peace Now calls the beginning of a new “Greater Israel” policy period.

    In a novel twist, U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 4, 2025, floated a plan for the U.S. to “take over” Gaza, moving its current inhabitants out and turning the enclave into “”the Riviera of the Middle East.”

    Such a move would amount to another attempt to remake borders across the Middle East. It would not, however, end the “map wars” in Israel/Palestine.

    This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through the Science and Technology Studies (STS) Program, award #1152322. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or any other entity.

    – ref. Map wars in the Middle East: How cartographers charted and helped shape a regional conflict – https://theconversation.com/map-wars-in-the-middle-east-how-cartographers-charted-and-helped-shape-a-regional-conflict-231668

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool

    Breastfeeding is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more.

    Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely) through breastmilk. There is also the risk of harm to breastfed infants from medication or vaccination of their mothers.

    But separating mothers and babies or stopping breastfeeding also poses risks.

    Mothers need proper guidance on the best course of action during an Ebola outbreak.

    Threat to mothers and babies

    The symptoms of Ebola include fever, tiredness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and, later, bleeding from any part of the body.

    Ebola viruses are extremely contagious and people who become infected are at very high risk of death. Pregnant women and infants are more vulnerable and at greater risk than others.

    Ebola outbreaks most often occur in countries where breastfeeding is vital for child survival. They have occurred in several African countries and on 30 January 2025 Uganda declared an outbreak, the latest in several the country has endured.

    Breastmilk contains many ingredients that help to prevent and fight infection and that strengthen the baby’s own immune system. Replacing breastmilk with other foods or liquids (including infant formula) removes this protection from babies and makes them more likely to become seriously ill.

    Read more: Ebola: how a vaccine turned a terrifying virus into a preventable disease

    Protection or harm?

    It’s important to know which actions protect or harm babies and their mothers during outbreaks. Recommendations on infectious diseases must weigh up the risks related to the disease, medical treatments and the risks of not-breastfeeding.

    The World Health Organization has published guidelines on how to care for breastfeeding mothers and their infants when one or both have Ebola, but these recommendations are based on “very low quality” evidence, they are mostly expert opinion rather than research-based knowledge.

    Women and children have been largely neglected in Ebola research. More is known about Ebola and semen than Ebola and breastmilk.

    In a paper just published in the Lancet Global Health, we have outlined a roadmap for research on Ebola and breastfeeding so that mothers and babies can be protected.

    Read more: Ebola in Uganda: why women must be central to the response

    What we don’t know

    We know that Ebola is easily transmitted by close contact between people. So the close contact of breastfeeding is a risk to an uninfected baby or mother if one of them has Ebola.

    However:

    • We don’t know if breastmilk can be infectious and, if it is, for how long.

    • We don’t know whether expressed breastmilk can be treated so that it is safe.

    • We don’t know whether, if both mother and baby are infected, it is better for the baby if the mother keeps breastfeeding, if she is able to.

    • We don’t know if vaccinating mothers against Ebola helps to protect their breastfed infants from the virus.

    • We don’t know if there are any risks for breastfed infants if their mothers are infected.

    The result of this lack of knowledge is that decisions may be taken that increase risk and suffering for mothers and their babies.

    For example, mothers may refuse vaccination because they are fearful that it is risky for their baby. But by refusing vaccination they’d be making themselves vulnerable to Ebola.

    Alternatively, they may get vaccinated and stop breastfeeding, making their baby vulnerable to other serious infections.

    If mothers and babies who both have Ebola are separated and breastfeeding is stopped, it could reduce the chances of survival.

    Mothers and babies deserve better than this.

    No more excuses

    For many years people have called for more research on Ebola, breastmilk and breastfeeding, but this research has not been undertaken. It is not acceptable that women and children are deprived of breastfeeding because the needed research has not been done.

    Our experience providing medical care in Ebola outbreaks, developing guidance for breastfeeding mothers in emergencies and researching medications and breastfeeding prompted us to develop a plan to fill this research gap.

    In our paper, we describe the different groups of breastfeeding women affected by Ebola who must be included in research:

    • vaccine recipients

    • mothers who are ill with Ebola

    • mothers recovering from Ebola

    • mothers who are infected with Ebola, but have no symptoms

    • the wider population of breastfeeding mothers in communities experiencing Ebola outbreaks.

    The roadmap also includes the research questions that need answering and the study designs that would enable these questions to be answered.

    It is up to governments, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, funders and health organisations to act.

    Following the Ebola and breastfeeding research roadmap will not necessarily be easy. It is difficult to do research in the middle of an emergency.

    But research on vaccination safety can be done outside outbreaks. Putting research plans in place and gaining approvals before outbreaks will also make things easier.

    Closing the female data gap

    Women have the right to societal, family and health support to enable them to breastfeed.

    Lack of research is part of a problem called the “female data gap”, where knowledge of women’s bodies, experiences and needs is lacking.

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

    There just needs to be a commitment to make this research happen.

    – Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies
    – https://theconversation.com/breastfeeding-and-ebola-knowledge-gaps-endanger-mothers-and-babies-248356

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rebecca Ackermann, Professor, Department of Archaeology and Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

    Here’s how the story of the Taung Child is usually told:

    In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly removed a fossil skull from this material.

    A year later, on 7 February 1925, he published his description of what he argued was a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus, in the journal Nature. It was nicknamed the Taung Child, a reference to the discovery site and its young age.

    The international scientific community rebuffed this hypothesis. They were looking outside Africa for human origins and argued that the skull more likely belonged to a non-human primate. Dart was vindicated decades later after subsequent similar fossil discoveries elsewhere in Africa.

    Dart is portrayed as prescient in most retellings. He’s hailed for elevating the importance of Africa in the narrative of human origins.

    But is this a biased and simplified narrative? The discovery played out during a period marked by colonialism, racism and racial segregation and apartheid in South Africa. The history of human origins research is, therefore, intertwined with inequality, exclusion and scientifically unsound ideas.

    Viewed against this backdrop, and with a contemporary lens, the figure of Dart, and palaeoanthropology on the African continent more broadly, is complex and worthy of reflection.

    The South African Journal of Science has published a special issue to mark the centenary of Dart’s original paper.

    A group of African researchers and international collaborators, ourselves among them, contributed papers offering perspectives on the science, history and legacy of palaeoanthropology in South Africa and beyond.

    We were particularly interested in exploring how the history of the discovery of early hominins in South Africa influenced the scientific field of palaeoanthropology. Did it promote or limit scientific enquiry? In what ways? What were its cultural effects? And how do they play out now, a century later?

    The papers in the special issue unpack a number of issues and highlight ongoing debates in the field of human evolution research in Africa and beyond.

    Our goal is to celebrate the remarkable science that the discovery of A. africanus enabled. At the same time we are probing disciplinary legacies through a critical lens that challenges researchers to do science better.

    The marginalisation and erasure of voices

    Several key themes run through the contributions in the special issue.

    One is the unheard voices. The colonial framework in which most palaeoanthropological research in South Africa took place excluded all but a few groups. This is particularly true for Indigenous voices. As a legacy, few African researchers in palaeoanthropology are first authors on prominent research or leading international research teams.

    Too often, African palaeoanthropological heritage is the domain of international teams that conduct research on the continent with little meaningful collaboration from local African researchers. This is “helicopter science”. More diverse teams will produce better future work and those of us in the discipline must actively drive this process.

    Read more: Archaeology is changing, slowly. But it’s still too tied up in colonial practices

    The dominance of western male viewpoints is part of the colonial framework. This theme, too, threads through most of the work in the special issue.

    In a bid to redress some of the imbalances, a majority of the authors in the special issue were women, especially African women, and Black Africans more broadly. Many of the papers call for a more considered and equitable approach to the inclusion of African researchers, technicians and excavators in the future: in workshops and seminars, on professional bodies, as collaborators and knowledge creators, and in authorship practices.

    Community and practice

    Colonial legacies also manifest in a lack of social responsiveness – the use of professional expertise for a public purpose or benefit. This is another theme in the special edition. For example, Gaokgatlhe Mirriam Tawane, Dipuo Kgotleng and Bando Baven consider the broader effects of the Taung Child discovery on the Taung community.

    A map showing where the skull was discovered. HERI, Author provided (no reuse)

    Tawane is a palaeoanthropologist and grew up in the Taung municipality. She and her co-authors argue that, a century after the discovery of the fossil, there is little (if any) reason for the local community to celebrate it. They argue that more must be done not only to give back to the community, which is beset by socio-economic struggles, but also to build trust in science and between communities and scientists.

    Researchers need to understand that there is value in engaging with people beyond academia. This is not merely to disseminate scientific knowledge. It can also enrich communities and co-create a scholarship that is more nuanced, ethical and relevant. Researchers must become more socially responsive and institutions must hold researchers to higher standards of practice.

    Resourcing

    Another theme which emerges from this special issue is the value of and the need for excellent local laboratory facilities in which to undertake research based on the fossils and deposits associated with them.

    Increased investment in local laboratory facilities and capacity development can create a shift towards local work on the content being led by Africans. It can also increase pan-African collaboration, dismantling the currently common practice of African researchers being drawn into separate international networks.

    It is important for international funding bodies to increase investment within African palaeoanthropology. This will facilitate internal growth and local collaborative networks. International and South African investment is also needed to grow local research capacity. Fossil heritage is a national asset.

    This is an edited version of an article in the South African Journal of Science. Yonatan Sahle (Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Department of History and Heritage Management, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia) co-authored the academic article.

    – The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy
    – https://theconversation.com/the-fossil-skull-that-rocked-the-world-100-years-later-scientists-are-grappling-with-the-taung-finds-complex-colonial-legacy-248605

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The era of practical quantum computers draws closer

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Practical quantum computers could help solve problems associated with rescheduling airline flights

    By Domenico Vicinanza, Anglia Ruskin University

    In 1981, American physicist and Nobel Laureate, Richard Feynman, gave a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) near Boston, in which he outlined a revolutionary idea. Feynman suggested that the strange physics of quantum mechanics could be used to perform calculations.

    The field of quantum computing was born. In the 40-plus years since, it has become an intensive area of research in computer science. Despite years of frantic development, physicists have not yet built practical quantum computers that are well suited for everyday use and normal conditions (for example, many quantum computers operate at very low temperatures). Questions and uncertainties still remain about the best ways to reach this milestone.

    What exactly is quantum computing, and how close are we to seeing them enter wide use? Let’s first look at classical computing, the type of computing we rely on today, like the laptop I am using to write this piece.

    Classical computers process information using combinations of “bits”, their smallest units of data. These bits have values of either 0 or 1. Everything you do on your computer, from writing emails to browsing the web, is made possible by processing combinations of these bits in strings of zeroes and ones.

    Quantum computers, on the other hand, use quantum bits, or qubits. Unlike classical bits, qubits don’t just represent 0 or 1. Thanks to a property called quantum superposition, qubits can be in multiple states simultaneously. This means a qubit can be 0, 1, or both at the same time. This is what gives quantum computers the ability to process massive amounts of data and information simultaneously.

    Imagine being able to explore every possible solution to a problem all at once, instead of once at a time. It would allow you to navigate your way through a maze by simultaneously trying all possible paths at the same time to find the right one. Quantum computers are therefore incredibly fast at finding optimal solutions, such as identifying the shortest path, the quickest way.

    Think about the extremely complex problem of rescheduling airline flights after a delay or an unexpected incident. This happens with regularity in the real world, but the solutions applied may not be the best or optimal ones. In order to work out the optimal responses, standard computers would need to consider, one by one, all possible combinations of moving, rerouting, delaying, cancelling or grouping, flights.

    Every day there are more than 45,000 flights in the United States alone, and worldwide there are thousands of airlines connecting tens of thousands of airports. This problem would take years to solve for a classical computer.

    On the other hand, a quantum computer would be able to try all these possibilities at once and let the best configuration organically emerge. Qubits also have a physical property known as entanglement. When qubits are entangled, the state of one qubit can depend on the state of another, no matter how far apart they are.

    This is something that, again, has no counterpart in classical computing. Entanglement allows quantum computers to solve certain problems exponentially faster than traditional computers can.

    A common question is whether quantum computers will completely replace classical computers or not. The short answer is no, at least not in the foreseeable future. Quantum computers are incredibly powerful for solving specific problems – such as simulating the interactions between different molecules, finding the best solution from many options or dealing with encryption and decryption. However, they are not suited to every type of task.

    Classical computers process one calculation at a time in a linear sequence, and they follow algorithms (sets of mathematical rules for carrying out particular computing tasks) designed for use with classical bits that are either 0 or 1. This makes them extremely predictable, robust and less prone to errors than quantum machines. For everyday computing needs such as word processing or browsing the internet, classical computers will continue to play a dominant role.

    There are at least two reasons for that. The first one is practical. Building a quantum computer that can run reliable calculations is extremely difficult. The quantum world is incredibly volatile, and qubits are easily disturbed by things in their environment, such as interference from electromagnetic radiation, which makes them prone to errors.

    The second reason lies in the inherent uncertainty in dealing with qubits. Because qubits are in superposition (are neither a 0 or 1) they are not as predictable as the bits used in classical computing. Physicists therefore describe qubits and their calculations in terms of probabilities. This means that the same problem, using the same quantum algorithm, run multiple times on the same quantum computer might return a different solution each time.

    To address this uncertainty, quantum algorithms are typically run multiple times. The results are then analysed statistically to determine the most likely solution. This approach allows researchers to extract meaningful information from the inherently probabilistic quantum computations.

    From a commercial point of view, the development of quantum computing is still in its early stages, but the landscape is very diverse with lots of new companies appearing every year. It is fascinating to see that in addition to big, established companies like IBM and Google, new ones are joining, such as IQM, Pasqal and startups such as Alice and Bob. They are all working on making quantum computers more reliable, scalable and accessible.

    In the past, manufacturers have drawn attention to the number of qubits in their quantum computers, as a measure of how powerful the machine is. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritising ways to correct the errors that quantum computers are prone to. This shift is crucial for developing large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, as these techniques are essential for improving their usability.

    Google’s latest quantum chip, Willow, recently demonstrated remarkable progress in this area. The more qubits Google used in Willow, the more it reduced the errors. This achievement marks a significant step towards building commercially relevant quantum computers that can revolutionise fields like medicine, energy and AI.

    After more than 40 years, quantum computing is still in its infancy, but significant progress is expected in the next decade. The probabilistic nature of these machines represents a fundamental difference between quantum and classical computing. It is what makes them fragile and hard to develop and scale.

    At the same time, it is what makes them a very powerful tool to solve optimisation problems, exploring multiple solutions at the same time, faster and more efficiently than classical computers can.

    Domenico Vicinanza, Associate Professor of Intelligent Systems and Data Science, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Scientific regiment. Chemist and theologian Nikolai Pestov

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    Nikolai Evgrafovich Pestov (1892-1982) – Doctor of Chemical Sciences – specialist in the field of mineral fertilizer technology, professor, holder of the Order of Lenin, famous theologian, historian of the Orthodox Church.

    Nikolay Pestov was born on August 17, 1892 in Nizhny Novgorod. He was the youngest, tenth, child in the family. From school, he was interested in chemistry and in 1911 he entered the chemistry department of the Imperial Moscow Higher Technical School (now Bauman Moscow State Technical University). When the Great War, as World War I was then called, broke out, he first entered the Alekseevskoye Military School, and later volunteered for the front with the rank of ensign, without finishing his fourth year at Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

    During the war, Nikolai Pestov participated in training soldiers for chemical defense. Once he had to defuse a bomb and carry it out in a truck along a broken road. He took the body of the bomb as a souvenir. After the February Revolution, Nikolai Pestov was elected a member of the regimental committee and the regimental court. A review of him spoke of his discipline, tact, excellent knowledge, and “a sympathetic and noble heart.” For his military distinctions, Nikolai was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd degree, and the Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree.

    After the October Revolution, Nikolai Evgrafovich had the chance to serve in the Nizhny Novgorod Cheka, in the capital’s Vsevobuch administration under the All-Russian Main Headquarters, and as the head of the Vsevobuch administration in Sverdlovsk, where he personally met Lev Trotsky, whom he later called a “demonic personality.” Trotsky gave his younger comrade his book with the dedication: “To my friend and comrade-in-arms N. Pestov, as a keepsake. Lev Trotsky.”

    In 1921, the convinced atheist Pestov had a spiritual experience – he saw Christ in a dream – and soon resigned from the Red Army, left the Communist Party, completed his studies at the Moscow Higher Technical School and was hired as an employee of the Scientific Institute for Fertilizers (NIUIF). He began to lead a religious life, and was briefly arrested for participating in a student Christian circle.

    From 1933, he worked at the Department of Mineral Substances Technology at the Mendeleyev Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology, from where he was fired in the dangerous year of 1937 for refusing to speak at a meeting condemning the arrested professor Nikolai Yushkevich. “Almost every day, or rather every night, I expected to be arrested. I believe that only through the prayers of my children, wife and spiritual father was I not arrested at that time and remained alive,” he wrote later. Not long before this, Nikolai Evgrafovich was almost arrested when that very memorable German bomb from the First World War was discovered during a search.

    Two years later, Nikolai Pestov was unanimously elected head of the chemical technology department at the Moscow Engineering and Economics Institute (now the State University of Management), where he headed the chemical technology department. In January 1941, he defended his doctoral dissertation “Physicochemical properties of powder and granular products of the chemical industry.” Later, he worked for about a year as the dean of the chemistry department, and from October 1943, he became deputy director for scientific and educational work.

    During the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Evgrafovich worked on issues of organizing and planning the chemical industry. A separate topic of his research was mineral fertilizers for the country’s agriculture. These studies turned out to be very useful both during and after the war, when it was necessary to establish agriculture on low-fertility and war-damaged soils. Professor Pestov was not mobilized into the active army due to health reasons; he developed bronchial asthma. His eldest son Nikolai went to the front and died in 1943. While adjusting the fire of a mortar battery, he was wounded and shell-shocked, but refused to go to the hospital; the second wound to the stomach turned out to be fatal. Nikolai Pestov later wrote a book about his son, Life for Eternity.

    Even during the war, Nikolai Evgrafovich stopped hiding his faith from his colleagues and placed a small iconostasis in his office. Since 1943, he worked on the fundamental work “Modern Practice of Orthodox Piety”. Professional merits turned out to be higher than personal convictions for the country’s leadership, and in November 1944, Professor Pestov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. In 1946, he received the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, and in 1953, for length of service and impeccable work among the workers of science of higher educational institutions of the city of Moscow, he was awarded the Order of Lenin.

    Nikolay Pestov is the author of over 100 scientific publications and had 4 patents for inventions. His memory is still alive at the State University of Management.

    #Scientific regiment

    Nikolai Pestov, 1915 Nikolai Evgrafovich (right) with his eldest son Nikolai Nikolai Evgrafovich and his wife Zoya Veniaminovna

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/07/2025

    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: Portland Investment Counsel Inc. Recognized at the FundGrade A+® Awards

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Portland Investment Counsel Inc. (Portland) is pleased to announce that the Portland Life Sciences Alternative Fund, managed by Michael Lee-Chin, Executive Chairman and Portfolio Manager and Dragos Berbecel, Portfolio Manager of Portland, was awarded a 2024 FundGrade A+® Award in the Alternative Equity Focused category for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2024, out of a total of 58 funds.

    “We are deeply honored that Portland Life Sciences Alternative Fund has been recognized with a FundGrade A+® Award, a noteworthy achievement in Canada’s wealth management industry. This award reinforces our unwavering commitment to creating wealth for our investors and demonstrates our thesis that improved patient outcomes can lead to stronger investor outcomes. We extend our congratulations to all fellow recipients. Most importantly, we thank advisors and investors for their continued trust and confidence in our investment framework ” said Michael Lee-Chin.

    The annual FundGrade A+® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize Canadian investment funds that have consistently received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year.

    To learn more about this award-winning fund, visit: Portland Life Sciences Alternative Fund.

    About Portland Investment Counsel Inc.
    Portland is an Investment Fund Manager, Portfolio Manager and Exempt Market Dealer. We have a reputation for being Owners and Operators thus we are insightful Investors. Portland provides portfolio management and exempt market dealer services as well as investment products. Our investor roots date back to 1987. www.portlandic.com

    About Fundata Canada Inc.’s FundGrade A+®rating
    FundGrade A+® is used with permission from Fundata Canada Inc., all rights reserved. The annual FundGrade A+® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize the “best of the best” among Canadian investment funds. The FundGrade A+® calculation is supplemental to the monthly FundGrade ratings and is calculated at the end of each calendar year. The FundGrade rating system evaluates funds based on their risk-adjusted performance, measured by Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Information Ratio. The score for each ratio is calculated individually, covering all time periods from 2 to 10 years. The scores are then weighted equally in calculating a monthly FundGrade. The top 10% of funds earn an A Grade; the next 20% of funds earn a B Grade; the next 40% of funds earn a C Grade; the next 20% of funds receive a D Grade; and the lowest 10% of funds receive an E Grade. To be eligible, a fund must have received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year. The FundGrade A+® uses a GPA-style calculation, where each monthly FundGrade from “A” to “E” receives a score from 4 to 0, respectively. A fund’s average score for the year determines its GPA. Any fund with a GPA of 3.5 or greater is awarded a FundGrade A+® Award. For more information, see www.FundGradeAwards.com. Although Fundata makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Fundata.

    Portland Investment Counsel Inc.
    Diana N. Oddi, Director, Communications and Marketing
    905.331.4250

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Serov Readings Reach New Level

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the Serov Readings

    On February 3, the Serov Readings took place at SPbGASU. The event, which has been held at our university since 2021, acquired the status of an international scientific and technical symposium this year.

    In memory of a prominent scientist

    “The Serov Readings are held in memory of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Evgeny Nikolaevich Serov, who worked at our university for many years. The scientist is known for his participation in the development of domestic standards for the design of wooden structures in the USSR and Russia, as well as high-quality textbooks that will always be relevant,” said the organizer of the symposium, head of the department of metal and wooden structures at SPbGASU Egor Danilov.

    According to Yegor Vladimirovich, the unofficial holding of the readings confirmed the hypothesis about their demand among the professional scientific community: famous scientists, including those from abroad, participated in them. At the moment, the goal is to consolidate Russian scientists in the field of wooden structures on the basis of SPbGASU.

    Evgeny Nikolaevich Serov (01.02.1932–30.01.2018) is a prominent scientist and specialist in the field of wooden structures. He worked at our university from 1964 to 2017, rising from assistant to professor of the Department of Wood and Plastic Structures. In 1975–1980, he headed the correspondence faculty.

    Along with the main course “Wood and Plastic Constructions”, he also taught special disciplines, including “Engineering Restoration of Architectural Heritage”, and conducted practical classes directly at architectural monuments with unique wooden structures. The research work of students supervised by Evgeny Serov was repeatedly awarded second and third degree diplomas by the Ministry of Higher Education of the RSFSR, and the students were participants of the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements and co-authors of scientific articles and inventions. Combining extensive public and administrative activities, Evgeny Nikolaevich worked on the most important national economic topics of the State Construction Committee and the State Planning Committee, the Ministry of Higher Education of the RSFSR.

    As a result of many years of research, Evgeny Serov developed new structural forms from glued timber structures (GTS), technologies for their production, including waste-free cutting of blank blocks, as well as calculation methods that take into account the high degree of anisotropy (unequal properties in the directions of the fibers) of glued timber. He formulated the main principle of GTS design – the principle of tracking orientation with the coordination of the fields of effective stresses and the resistance fields of anisotropic material, developed and implemented special curvilinear inserts in the junctions of frame and beam structures, a method for strengthening the support zones of GTS using glued reinforcement bars, which was used in arches with a span of 63 m.

    New solutions in the use of wood

    Opening the symposium, the Vice-Rector of SPbGASU for scientific activities Evgeny Korolev emphasized: despite its long history, the topic of wood use is constantly evolving. Today, it is necessary to search for new design and technological solutions.

    Professor of the Department of Metal and Wooden Structures, Honorary President of the Wooden Housing Association Alexander Chernykh believes that the event provides an opportunity to pass on experience to the younger generation, and that the attention of colleagues from other universities is important for SPbGASU researchers.

    Deputy Dean for Research, Associate Professor of the Department of Architectural and Civil Engineering Olga Pastukh invited everyone to the III National (All-Russian) Scientific and Technical Conference “Prospects of Modern Construction”, which will be held at SPbGASU on April 21–23.

    The program of the Serov Readings included 23 in-person and remote reports, 23 poster reports from 62 participants. 46 people applied as listeners, including students and postgraduates of SPbGASU. Participants from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Arkhangelsk and other Russian cities, as well as from China and Vietnam, exchanged experiences and opinions on the research conducted in the field of wooden structures, their operation, improvement, and calculation.

    Scientific consultant of Georekonstruktsiya LLC Roman Orlovich informed about the problems of exploitation of wooden structures in historical buildings. In his opinion, wooden floors can be preserved with the right approach to analysis of their bearing capacity, physical wear and tear and damage by rot, as well as with the right use of technical solutions.

    Chief Researcher of the Kucherenko Central Research Institute of Building Structures (a structural division of JSC NIC Construction) Alexander Pogoreltsev shared the results of a study of platform joints of multi-story buildings made of CLT. He is confident that the general theory of calculating platform joints, which is successfully used in calculating reinforced concrete structures, is not applicable to wood, which is an anisotropic material (i.e. a material with different mechanical properties of fibers when forces are applied to the fibers in different directions).

    The current generation of researchers are worthy successors of the famous scientist.

    Postgraduate student Elizaveta Kotova presented a report on “Bearing capacity and deformability of circular LVL structures” (supervisor – Egor Danilov): “LVL timber is famous for its high strength and durability, and circular structures made of this material allow you to create elegant and effective architectural forms with large spans, without the use of massive supports. This opens up new opportunities for designing buildings and structures with a unique design. Therefore, the relevance of the study of circular LVL structures is due to the need to develop accurate methods for calculating the stress-strain state, improve the regulatory framework, increase the efficiency of design and operational safety.”

    As a result of studying the existing methods for calculating circular structures, Elizaveta managed to find out that information about the bearing capacity and deformability of circular LVL structures is relatively limited compared to studies of rectilinear LVL beams. This is due to the complexity of analyzing the stress-strain state in curvilinear structures.

    At present, trial tests of LVL samples with different angles of inclination have been carried out to visualize the behavior of a curvilinear LVL sample under load in order to obtain the main mechanical characteristics of the material. The results obtained will be used for more accurate compilation and calculation of the LVL circular structure in the computational program. In the future, it is planned to study the stress-strain state of dowel joints. Based on the results of the numerical study, a physical model of the LVL circular structure will be developed, which will be tested in laboratory conditions.

    The work is aimed at creating a mathematical model for calculating the stress-strain state of circular LVL structures, which will improve the efficiency of calculating and designing such structures and optimize technical solutions, which will lead to an increase in their bearing capacity and rigidity.

    Master’s student Yulia Trunina presented a report on the topic “The influence of low negative temperatures on the mechanical properties of LVL” (supervisor – associate professor of the Department of Metal and Wooden Structures Pavel Koval): “As the temperature decreases, the properties of wood change, namely, the strength and elastic characteristics become higher. This pattern allows the material to be used in regions where for a significant time of the year the air temperature is not only below zero, but also reaches -70 °C. LVL is a composite material based on wood. This allowed us to assume that a change in its properties will also occur with a change in temperature.”

    An experiment at freezing temperatures of -70, -35 and 0 °C on compression of small LVL samples of more than 300 pieces confirmed the dependence. At the same time, depending on the direction of the veneer fibers, the change in strength and elastic modulus occurred with varying degrees. Yulia reported that this will allow more accurate prediction of the material properties in the future. It became possible to take into account the thawing process (using the derived formula), since the experiment took place under normal conditions – at 20 ° C. These data should be used in the future for larger structures, such as beams or frames, and also to study their durability, i.e. the operation of the structure in the climatic conditions of the Arctic and the Far North, taking into account time. And it is also necessary to consider the combined effect of moisture and temperature on the structure, including in real conditions with fluctuations of these factors.

    International experience

    The work of postgraduate student Xu Kaixuan was called “Development of methods for calculating composite (wood-concrete) floor slabs of residential and public buildings” (supervisor – professor, doctor of technical sciences Alexander Chernykh). “I began working on this topic during my studies in the master’s program at SPbGASU and chose it for my PhD dissertation. I would like to note that the research is carried out by a student team with the active assistance of employees of the Center for Mechanical Testing of Building Structures at SPbGASU,” the author noted.

    According to the postgraduate student, the applied basic design solutions and forms of wood-concrete composite slabs are in demand in the construction of industrial, civil construction and social infrastructure facilities, including multi-apartment residential buildings using wooden CLT structures, as well as in the construction of pedestrian and automobile bridges as span slabs. Xu Kaixuan attributed the advantages of such solutions to environmental friendliness and sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and synergy of the strength properties of concrete and wood. The main problem is to ensure the joint operation of concrete and CLT under load.

    During the research, Xu Kaixuan determined the types and shapes of metal connectors (connectors) to ensure the joint operation of CLT slabs and concrete; he found that the combination of shape, size and location of connectors in the adhesive bond zone are critical to the perception of the acting loads of composite floor slabs.

    At present, an analysis of the best practices for the design and application of wood-concrete composite floor slabs in Russia and abroad has been conducted, and the relationships between the geometry of connectors and the bearing capacity of the samples under study have been experimentally established.

    Xu Kaixuan plans to conduct numerical modeling and experimental studies to determine the missing design characteristics of the adhesive interaction in the contact zone of connectors and concrete to develop a method for calculating the stress-strain state of wood-concrete composite floor slabs.

    The Department of Metal and Wooden Structures of SPbGASU was born from the merger of two large scientific centers: MKiIS (metal structures and testing of structures) and KDiP (wood and plastic structures), authoritative in the Russian scientific community and abroad. The employees of the department are members of the Technical Committee for Standardization in Construction, take part in the work of the All-Russian Scientific and Technical Council for Metal and Wooden Structures. The opinions of the members of the department are listened to in large enterprises of the industry (TsNIISK, Association for the Development of Steel Construction, Association of Wooden Housing Construction, etc.).

    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: Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool

    Breastfeeding is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more.

    Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely) through breastmilk. There is also the risk of harm to breastfed infants from medication or vaccination of their mothers.

    But separating mothers and babies or stopping breastfeeding also poses risks.

    Mothers need proper guidance on the best course of action during an Ebola outbreak.

    Threat to mothers and babies

    The symptoms of Ebola include fever, tiredness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and, later, bleeding from any part of the body.

    Ebola viruses are extremely contagious and people who become infected are at very high risk of death. Pregnant women and infants are more vulnerable and at greater risk than others.

    Ebola outbreaks most often occur in countries where breastfeeding is vital for child survival. They have occurred in several African countries and on 30 January 2025 Uganda declared an outbreak, the latest in several the country has endured.

    Breastmilk contains many ingredients that help to prevent and fight infection and that strengthen the baby’s own immune system. Replacing breastmilk with other foods or liquids (including infant formula) removes this protection from babies and makes them more likely to become seriously ill.



    Read more:
    Ebola: how a vaccine turned a terrifying virus into a preventable disease

    Protection or harm?

    It’s important to know which actions protect or harm babies and their mothers during outbreaks. Recommendations on infectious diseases must weigh up the risks related to the disease, medical treatments and the risks of not-breastfeeding.

    The World Health Organization has published guidelines on how to care for breastfeeding mothers and their infants when one or both have Ebola, but these recommendations are based on “very low quality” evidence, they are mostly expert opinion rather than research-based knowledge.

    Women and children have been largely neglected in Ebola research. More is known about Ebola and semen than Ebola and breastmilk.

    In a paper just published in the Lancet Global Health, we have outlined a roadmap for research on Ebola and breastfeeding so that mothers and babies can be protected.



    Read more:
    Ebola in Uganda: why women must be central to the response

    What we don’t know

    We know that Ebola is easily transmitted by close contact between people. So the close contact of breastfeeding is a risk to an uninfected baby or mother if one of them has Ebola.

    However:

    • We don’t know if breastmilk can be infectious and, if it is, for how long.

    • We don’t know whether expressed breastmilk can be treated so that it is safe.

    • We don’t know whether, if both mother and baby are infected, it is better for the baby if the mother keeps breastfeeding, if she is able to.

    • We don’t know if vaccinating mothers against Ebola helps to protect their breastfed infants from the virus.

    • We don’t know if there are any risks for breastfed infants if their mothers are infected.

    The result of this lack of knowledge is that decisions may be taken that increase risk and suffering for mothers and their babies.

    For example, mothers may refuse vaccination because they are fearful that it is risky for their baby. But by refusing vaccination they’d be making themselves vulnerable to Ebola.

    Alternatively, they may get vaccinated and stop breastfeeding, making their baby vulnerable to other serious infections.

    If mothers and babies who both have Ebola are separated and breastfeeding is stopped, it could reduce the chances of survival.

    Mothers and babies deserve better than this.

    No more excuses

    For many years people have called for more research on Ebola, breastmilk and breastfeeding, but this research has not been undertaken. It is not acceptable that women and children are deprived of breastfeeding because the needed research has not been done.

    Our experience providing medical care in Ebola outbreaks, developing guidance for breastfeeding mothers in emergencies and researching medications and breastfeeding prompted us to develop a plan to fill this research gap.

    In our paper, we describe the different groups of breastfeeding women affected by Ebola who must be included in research:

    • vaccine recipients

    • mothers who are ill with Ebola

    • mothers recovering from Ebola

    • mothers who are infected with Ebola, but have no symptoms

    • the wider population of breastfeeding mothers in communities experiencing Ebola outbreaks.

    The roadmap also includes the research questions that need answering and the study designs that would enable these questions to be answered.

    It is up to governments, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, funders and health organisations to act.

    Following the Ebola and breastfeeding research roadmap will not necessarily be easy. It is difficult to do research in the middle of an emergency.

    But research on vaccination safety can be done outside outbreaks. Putting research plans in place and gaining approvals before outbreaks will also make things easier.

    Closing the female data gap

    Women have the right to societal, family and health support to enable them to breastfeed.

    Lack of research is part of a problem called the “female data gap”, where knowledge of women’s bodies, experiences and needs is lacking.

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

    There just needs to be a commitment to make this research happen.

    Catriona Waitt receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Gates Foundation.

    Karleen Gribble is a long-term member and current steering committee member of the Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Core Group.

    Peter Waitt receives funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the UK Medical Research Council, thr UK National Institute of Health Research and the Wellcome Trust.

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

    – ref. Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies – https://theconversation.com/breastfeeding-and-ebola-knowledge-gaps-endanger-mothers-and-babies-248356

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rebecca Ackermann, Professor, Department of Archaeology and Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

    Here’s how the story of the Taung Child is usually told:

    In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly removed a fossil skull from this material.

    A year later, on 7 February 1925, he published his description of what he argued was a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus, in the journal Nature. It was nicknamed the Taung Child, a reference to the discovery site and its young age.

    The international scientific community rebuffed this hypothesis. They were looking outside Africa for human origins and argued that the skull more likely belonged to a non-human primate. Dart was vindicated decades later after subsequent similar fossil discoveries elsewhere in Africa.

    Dart is portrayed as prescient in most retellings. He’s hailed for elevating the importance of Africa in the narrative of human origins.

    But is this a biased and simplified narrative? The discovery played out during a period marked by colonialism, racism and racial segregation and apartheid in South Africa. The history of human origins research is, therefore, intertwined with inequality, exclusion and scientifically unsound ideas.

    Viewed against this backdrop, and with a contemporary lens, the figure of Dart, and palaeoanthropology on the African continent more broadly, is complex and worthy of reflection.

    The South African Journal of Science has published a special issue to mark the centenary of Dart’s original paper.

    A group of African researchers and international collaborators, ourselves among them, contributed papers offering perspectives on the science, history and legacy of palaeoanthropology in South Africa and beyond.

    We were particularly interested in exploring how the history of the discovery of early hominins in South Africa influenced the scientific field of palaeoanthropology. Did it promote or limit scientific enquiry? In what ways? What were its cultural effects? And how do they play out now, a century later?

    The papers in the special issue unpack a number of issues and highlight ongoing debates in the field of human evolution research in Africa and beyond.

    Our goal is to celebrate the remarkable science that the discovery of A. africanus enabled. At the same time we are probing disciplinary legacies through a critical lens that challenges researchers to do science better.

    The marginalisation and erasure of voices

    Several key themes run through the contributions in the special issue.

    One is the unheard voices. The colonial framework in which most palaeoanthropological research in South Africa took place excluded all but a few groups. This is particularly true for Indigenous voices. As a legacy, few African researchers in palaeoanthropology are first authors on prominent research or leading international research teams.

    Too often, African palaeoanthropological heritage is the domain of international teams that conduct research on the continent with little meaningful collaboration from local African researchers. This is “helicopter science”. More diverse teams will produce better future work and those of us in the discipline must actively drive this process.



    Read more:
    Archaeology is changing, slowly. But it’s still too tied up in colonial practices

    The dominance of western male viewpoints is part of the colonial framework. This theme, too, threads through most of the work in the special issue.

    In a bid to redress some of the imbalances, a majority of the authors in the special issue were women, especially African women, and Black Africans more broadly. Many of the papers call for a more considered and equitable approach to the inclusion of African researchers, technicians and excavators in the future: in workshops and seminars, on professional bodies, as collaborators and knowledge creators, and in authorship practices.

    Community and practice

    Colonial legacies also manifest in a lack of social responsiveness – the use of professional expertise for a public purpose or benefit. This is another theme in the special edition. For example, Gaokgatlhe Mirriam Tawane, Dipuo Kgotleng and Bando Baven consider the broader effects of the Taung Child discovery on the Taung community.

    Tawane is a palaeoanthropologist and grew up in the Taung municipality. She and her co-authors argue that, a century after the discovery of the fossil, there is little (if any) reason for the local community to celebrate it. They argue that more must be done not only to give back to the community, which is beset by socio-economic struggles, but also to build trust in science and between communities and scientists.

    Researchers need to understand that there is value in engaging with people beyond academia. This is not merely to disseminate scientific knowledge. It can also enrich communities and co-create a scholarship that is more nuanced, ethical and relevant. Researchers must become more socially responsive and institutions must hold researchers to higher standards of practice.

    Resourcing

    Another theme which emerges from this special issue is the value of and the need for excellent local laboratory facilities in which to undertake research based on the fossils and deposits associated with them.

    Increased investment in local laboratory facilities and capacity development can create a shift towards local work on the content being led by Africans. It can also increase pan-African collaboration, dismantling the currently common practice of African researchers being drawn into separate international networks.

    It is important for international funding bodies to increase investment within African palaeoanthropology. This will facilitate internal growth and local collaborative networks. International and South African investment is also needed to grow local research capacity. Fossil heritage is a national asset.

    This is an edited version of an article in the South African Journal of Science. Yonatan Sahle (Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Department of History and Heritage Management, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia) co-authored the academic article.

    Rebecca Ackermann receives funding from the National Science Foundation African Origins Platform (AOP240509218040) and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

    Lauren Schroeder receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2020-04159)

    Robyn Pickering receives funding from the NRF African Origins Platform (AOP240509218076) and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences (COE2024-RP)

    – ref. The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy – https://theconversation.com/the-fossil-skull-that-rocked-the-world-100-years-later-scientists-are-grappling-with-the-taung-finds-complex-colonial-legacy-248605

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: A concerted effort for long-term excellence, competitiveness and increased patient benefit

    Source: Government of Sweden

    A concerted effort for long-term excellence, competitiveness and increased patient benefit – Government.se

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    Published

    Sweden’s national life sciences strategy serves as a long-range framework, and the strategy’s eight priority areas remain the starting point for this update of the previous strategy from 2019.

    Download:

    The updated objectives indicate the Government’s policy for the
    development of the sector and aim to encourage a mobilisation at the local, regional and national levels. By being an active partner in both Sweden and the EU, the Government wants to contribute to a sustainable and advantageous development of Sweden’s life sciences.

    Shortcut

    Sweden’s national life sciences strategy was launched in December 2019.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI can boost economic growth, but it needs to be managed incredibly carefully

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Professor Ashley Braganza, Professor of Business Transformation, Brunel University of London

    Erman Gunes / Shutterstock

    The UK government’s efforts to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into public services and stimulate economic growth represents a pivotal step in the roll out of the technology in this country.

    AI offers the promise of improving public services by enabling faster, more efficient processes, personalising provision of those services for the public and optimising decision-making. However, the adoption of this technology in public systems brings inherent risks, particularly in an environment characterised by rapid technological developments.

    A primary concern and challenge lies in ensuring that AI adoption builds trust in public services. Mismanagement of AI can worsen inequality, lead to job losses, and erode public confidence in government and the further rollout of AI-based technologies.

    Balancing these opportunities and risks requires understanding the trade offs involved, notably the tension between job creation and displacement, unconstrained benefits from the misuse of AI, and the need for fairness, transparency, equity and a capacity to be able to explain the design of algorithms.

    AI has the potential to generate employment in fields such as data science, algorithm design and system maintenance. However, automating routine administrative tasks such as form processing and record management threatens to make many public sector roles redundant.

    The challenge lies in maintaining efficiency and accountability while addressing inevitable job gigification. This transition will not be uniform. Workers in roles vulnerable to automation will experience immediate consequences.

    The government has rightly identified the need to invest in reskilling initiatives that prepare workers for an AI-driven future. Reskilling is necessary but insufficient to fuel economic growth.

    As tasks are gigified by AI technologies, traditional full-time jobs become increasingly scarce, leading to more “white collar” workers experiencing income volatility, periods of un- or underemployment and precarious living. Yet, extant financial systems are based upon patterns of monthly income and expenditure on mortgages and rent or utilities.

    Financial systems need to become significantly more flexible to enable workers to align uncertain income streams with unavoidable regular expenditure on necessities such as food and internet connectivity.

    Oversight is key

    The risks of AI algorithm failures are particularly apparent when systems deployed in the public sector cause harm. A glaring example is the UK Post Office scandal, where inaccurate data from the Horizon IT system led to wrongful prosecutions.

    This case highlights the importance of oversight in AI deployment. Without a mix of regulations, guidelines and guardrails, errors in AI systems can lead to serious consequences, particularly in sectors related to justice, welfare and resource allocation.

    Government must ensure that AI-driven systems are not only efficient and accurate but also auditable. Independent bodies should oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of AI systems to reduce risks of failure.

    AI can enhance public services, but it is important to acknowledge that algorithms reflect biases inherent in their design and training data. In the public sector, these biases can have unintended and unforeseen consequences that are invidious, as they are hidden in the depths of complex computer code.

    For instance, AI systems used in housing allocation can exacerbate existing inequalities if trained on biased historical data. Fairness and trust should therefore be core principles in AI development. Developers must use diverse, representative datasets and conduct bias audits throughout the process.

    Citizen engagement is essential, as affected communities can provide valuable input to identify flaws and contribute to solutions that promote equity.
    A key challenge for policymakers is whether AI can deliver on its promise without deepening social divisions or reinforcing discriminatory practices. Transparency in AI decision making is essential for maintaining public trust.

    Citizens are more likely to trust systems when they understand how decisions are made. Governments should commit to clear, accessible communication about AI systems, allowing individuals to challenge and appeal automated decisions. While AI adoption will likely cause disruption in the early stages, these challenges can diminish over time, leading to faster, more personalised services and more meaningful work opportunities for government employees.

    AI systems are dynamic, continuously evolving with the data they process and the contexts in which they operate. Governments must prioritise ongoing review and auditing of AI systems to ensure they meet public needs and ethical standards. Engaging relevant stakeholders – citizens, public sector employees and private sector partners – is essential to this process.

    Transparent communication about the goals, benefits, and limitations of AI helps build public trust and ensures that AI systems remain responsive to societal needs. Independent audits conducted by multidisciplinary teams can identify flaws early and prevent harm. To fully realise AI’s potential and ensure its benefits are distributed equitably, policymakers must carefully balance efficiency, fairness, innovation, and accountability.

    A strategic focus on education, ethical algorithm design and transparent governance is necessary. By investing in education, AI ethics and strong regulatory frameworks, governments can ensure that AI becomes a tool for societal progress while minimising unintended adverse consequences.

    S. Asieh Hosseini Tabaghdehi works for Brunel University of London. She received funding from UKRI (ESRC) to investigate the ethical implication of digital footprint data in SMEs value creation.

    Professor Ashley Braganza 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. AI can boost economic growth, but it needs to be managed incredibly carefully – https://theconversation.com/ai-can-boost-economic-growth-but-it-needs-to-be-managed-incredibly-carefully-248578

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How fast is your gut? The answer to this question is important to your health

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nick Ilott, Senior Researcher and Lead Bioinformatician, The Oxford Centre for Microbiome Studies, University of Oxford

    The sweetcorn test can help you figure out how fast your gut is. Africa Studio/ Shutterstock

    Many of us pay attention to the foods we’re putting in our bodies – asking ourselves whether they’re nutritious and healthy for us. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself how fast this food is moving through your gut? The answer to this question is actually really important, as the speed that food moves through your digestive tract affects your health and wellbeing in many ways.

    Once you’ve chewed up and swallowed your meal, this food begins its journey along the gastrointestinal tract – a long and winding pathway that begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. Along the way, it reaches specialist organs that churn and digest (stomach), absorb nutrients (small intestine) and absorb water and salts (large intestine).

    The movement of food through the digestive tract is known as gut motility. This process is partly controlled by the trillions of bacteria present in our gut. The gut microbiome is extremely important as these bacteria help develop our immune system and break down food.

    So, when we eat, we’re not just feeding ourselves – we’re feeding the micro-helpers present in the intestine. To thank us, the bacteria produce small molecules called metabolites that boost our immune system and keep our gut moving by stimulating the intestinal nerves so they contract and move the food onwards.

    Without these bacteria and their metabolites, our guts would be less able to move food through the gastrointestinal tract. This could cause a build up of ingested material, leading to constipation and discomfort.

    Gut transit time

    The time it takes for food to pass from one end of the gastrointestinal tract to the other is called gut transit time.

    Gut transit time varies from one person to the next. Recent estimates suggest it can take somewhere between 12 and 73 hours for food to pass through the body – with the average being around 23-24 hours. This variation in gut transit explains some of the gut microbiome differences seen between people – and consequently their gut health.

    Many factors can also affect our natural gut transit time – including genetics, diet, and our gut microbiome.

    If gut transit time is long (meaning you have slow gut motility), bacteria in the large intestine produce different metabolites. This is because, just like us, the bacteria in our guts need to be fed. These bacteria enjoy fibre. But, if gut transit time is long and fibre is taking too long to reach the large intestine, these microbial inhabitants have to switch to an alternative food source. So, they turn to protein.

    The switch to protein can result in the production of toxic gases leading to health problems such as bloating and inflammation.

    Slow gut transit can also cause partially digested food to get stuck in the small intestine. This has additional health consequences – such as an overgrowth of small intestinal bacteria, which can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea and bloating.

    A slow moving gut may leave you feeling bloated.
    staras/ Shutterstock

    Fast gut transit can negatively impact health, too.

    There are many reasons that someone may experience fast transit time. For example, anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can all cause decreased transit time and even diarrhoea.

    In cases of fast transit, the resulting stool is loose with high water content. This indicates that the faecal matter has not spent enough time in the intestine, preventing sufficient absorption of water and nutrients. In cases of IBD for example, this can lead to dehydration.

    Testing your gut speed

    Fortunately, there’s a very simple at-home test you can do to check your gut motility. It’s called “the sweetcorn test”. And yes, it is what you’re thinking.

    Don’t eat any sweetcorn for 7-10 days (the “wash-out” phase). Then you are ready to begin the test. Note down the date and time, and eat some sweetcorn – a corn on the cob or a handful of corn is sufficient. Because the outer shell of the corn is indigestible, it will pass through your gastrointestinal tract with the rest of the food you’ve eaten and will eventually be visible in your stool.

    What you’ll do is keep an eye on the next few stools you pass and note down the date and time that you observe the golden treasure. It should be noted that this at-home test is not definitive – but it does represent a measure of transit time that, on average, gives similar results to more sophisticated measures.

    If you pass the corn in 12 hours or less, your gut is fast. If you don’t pass it for around 48 hours of more, then your gut is slow. If you find your gut motility is on either end of the spectrum, there are fortunately things you can do to improve it.

    If it’s consistently fast, it’s best to visit your doctor to see if there is an underlying cause. If it’s a little slow – but you don’t seem to be having any additional gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, lack of appetite or nausea – eat more fruit and veg to increase the fibre you’re feeding those friendly gut bacteria, drink more water and exercise.

    Following a balanced diet will help to keep your bowels moving and healthy.

    Nick Ilott receives funding from the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KTRR), GutsUK, PSC Support and supervises a PhD project jointly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Roche.

    – ref. How fast is your gut? The answer to this question is important to your health – https://theconversation.com/how-fast-is-your-gut-the-answer-to-this-question-is-important-to-your-health-248701

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain has a new snake species – should climate change mean it is allowed to stay?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Major, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Herpetology, Bournemouth University

    Meet north Wales’s newest resident: the Aesculapian snake (_Zamenis longissimus_). Nathan Rusli

    All animals live in or seek a set of climate conditions they find tolerable. This “climate envelope” partially determines where animals are found, but the continued existence of many species now rests on the outcome of human-driven climate change.

    Rising temperatures are moving the available climate niches of many species into areas which were previously too cool. While their ranges shift poleward or to higher elevations, their habitat downslope or closer to the equator shrinks, as it becomes too hot to live in.

    Flying and marine animals are relatively free to follow these shifting niches. Birds and butterflies are two examples. New species arrive regularly in the UK with the warming climate and are generally met with excitement by enthusiasts and scientists alike, given that they are a natural effort by a species to make the best of a difficult situation.

    However, many grounded species, including reptiles and mammals, cannot disperse through habitats split apart by roads and other human-made obstacles, or cross natural barriers like the Channel. This limits their ability to find suitable conditions and makes them vulnerable to extinction.

    Nowhere to go?

    Here is the dilemma for conservationists like us.

    We normally focus on preserving species within their modern ranges, and have traditionally viewed species that end up outside theirs as a problem. But retaining the status quo is increasingly untenable in the face of unchecked climate change.

    Should we consider conserving species that have moved, or been moved, outside of the native ranges that existed before industrial society and its greenhouse effect? Should we even consider deliberately moving species to conserve them? Introduced species that have established just outside of their native ranges, in slightly cooler climates, offer a glimpse of the likely consequences.

    Our new study in north Wales focused on one such migrant. Aesculapian snakes (Zamenis longissimus) are nonvenomous reptiles that mostly eat rodents and are native to central and southern Europe, reaching almost to the Channel coast in northern France.

    Two accidental introductions, one in Colwyn Bay, north Wales, and another along the Regent’s Canal in London, have allowed this species to thrive in Britain. It is not actually novel to our shores, but it disappeared during a previous ice age and has probably been absent for about 300,000 years.

    While the introduced UK populations appear to be thriving, recent surveys of this snake in the southern parts of its range have discovered a rapid decline, potentially due in part to climate change.

    A good neighbour

    Given their status as a non-native species, we were keen to find out how Aesculapian snakes are surviving in chilly north Wales, further north than anywhere they currently occur naturally. To do this, we implanted 21 snakes with radio transmitters and spent two summers tracking them around the countryside.

    Aesculapian snakes are elusive and wary of humans.
    Tom Major

    Our results surprised us. The snakes had a trump card which seemed to help them weather the cool climate. They were frequently entering buildings – relatively warm refuges – while they were digesting food or preparing to shed their skin. They also used garden compost bins for shelter and to incubate their eggs.

    Even more surprisingly, most residents did not mind the snakes. In fact, many had no idea they had snakes as neighbours because they kept such a low profile, typically hiding in attic corners. The snakes appear to coexist with normal suburban wildlife, and there are no indications that their presence is affecting native species.

    Should successfully established, innocuous immigrants be proscribed and potentially eradicated, as is currently the case? Or should they be valued and conserved in the face of current and impending climate change?

    Protecting and conserving the maximum possible diversity of species and ecosystems is the heart of the conservation agenda. However, the rapid pace of change forced upon our planet requires us to rethink what is practical and desirable to achieve.

    Conservation within the silos of national boundaries is an increasingly outdated way of trying to maintain the diversity underlying global ecosystems. Instead, conservationists may need to accept that the rapidly changing environment necessitate shifts in the ranges of species. And perhaps, even assist those species incapable of moving on their own.

    Introductions have allowed this snake to flourish on an island it would never naturally reach.
    Antonio Gandini

    Unlicensed “guerrilla” releases are obviously unacceptable due to biosecurity risks (for example, the potential to introduce devastating diseases such as the amphibian-killing Bsal fungus) and other unforeseen consequences. Even legitimate reintroductions often fail, due to there being too few individual specimens, pollution or predation from invasive species.

    Aesculapian snakes will be considered by the government for addition to the list of alien species of special concern, which would be grounds for eradication. It would be tragic if species such as this became extinct in parts of their natural range, while thriving introduced populations just to the north of their pre-industrial distribution are treated as undesirable aliens that must be removed.

    Instead, we argue that this innocuous species should be the figurehead for new thinking in conservation biology, that incorporates the reality of impending further climate change and dispenses with the narrow constraints of national boundaries and adherence to pre-industrial distributions.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Wolfgang Wüster receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust.

    Tom Major 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. Britain has a new snake species – should climate change mean it is allowed to stay? – https://theconversation.com/britain-has-a-new-snake-species-should-climate-change-mean-it-is-allowed-to-stay-249043

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: California wildfires force students to think about the connections between STEM and society

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Erika Dyson, Professor of Religous Studies, Harvey Mudd College

    Satellite imagery shows the front line of the Palisades fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Contributor

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    “STEM & Social Impact: Climate Change”

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    Harvey Mudd College’s mission is to educate STEM students – short for science, technology, engineering and math – so they have a “clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.” But the “impact” part of our mission has been the most challenging to realize.

    When our college revised its “Core Curriculum” in 2020, our faculty decided we should create a new required impact course for all students.

    What does the course explore?

    The course is taught by a team of eight instructors who share their own disciplinary perspectives and help students critically analyze proposed interventions for increasing wildfire risks.

    Our instructors teach biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics.

    The class also includes scholars focused on media studies, political science religious studies and science, technology and society.

    The course focuses on California wildfires so students can think critically about the ways STEM and social values shape each other.

    For example, in 1911, U.S. Forest Service deputy F. E. Olmsted applied the Social Darwinist idea of “survival of the fittest” to forest management. Reflecting the prevailing views of his era, he believed that competition was the driving force behind biology, economics and human progress – where the strong thrive and the weak fail.

    Olmsted said it was good forestry and good economics to let the forests grow unchecked. This policy would yield straight and tall “merchantable timber” suitable for sale and the needs of industry.

    He also rejected “light burning,” which Native Americans had used for centuries to manage forest ecosystems and reduce the flammable undergrowth.

    We live with the consequences of such reasoning 100 years later. Fires speed through overgrown land at alarming rates and release enormous amounts of carbon and other particulate matter into the atmosphere.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    Climate change is arguably the most pressing concern of our time. And wildfires are particularly relevant to those of us in fire-prone areas like Southern California.

    Public distrust of science is increasing. Consequently, society needs skilled STEM practitioners who can understand and communicate how scientific interventions will have different consequences and appeal to different stakeholders.

    For example, Los Angeles first responders have been using drones for search and rescue and to gather real-time information about fire lines since at least 2015.

    But the public is not always comfortable with drones flying over populated areas.

    The Los Angeles Fire Department has fielded enough citizen concerns about “snooping drones” and government concerns about data collection that it developed strict drone policies in consultation with regulators and the American Civil Liberties Union.

    The course’s focus on writing, critical thinking and climate change science prepares students to participate in public discussions about such interventions.

    By making students consider the impact of their future work, we also hope they will be proactive about the careers they want to pursue, whether it involves climate change or not.

    What’s a critical lesson from the course?

    Not everyone benefits in the same way from a single innovation.

    For example, low-income and rural Americans are less likely to benefit from the lower operating costs and lower pollution of electric vehicles. That’s because inadequate investment in public charging infrastructure makes owning them less practical.

    The course’s interdisciplinary approach helps to expose these kinds of structural inequities. We want students to get in the habit of asking questions about any technological solution.

    They include questions like: Who is likely to benefit, and how? Who has historically wielded power in this situation? Whose voices are being included? What assumptions have been made? Which values are being prioritized?

    What materials does the course feature?

    We combine popular and scholarly sources.

    Students watch two documentaries about the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, which killed 85 people.

    The 2018 Camp Fire caused an estimated $US12.5 billion in damages.
    AP Photo/Noah Berger

    They analyze wildfire data using the Pandas library, an open-source data manipulation library for the Python computer programming language.

    They also read a Union of Concerned Scientists report examining fossil fuel companies’ culpability for increased risk of wildfires. And they analyze the environmental historian William Cronon’s classic indictment of the environmentalist movement for romanticizing an idea of a pristine “wilderness” while absolving themselves of the responsibility to protect the rest of nature – humans, cities, farms, industries.

    We also examine poetry by Ada Limón, indigenous ecology and Engaged Buddhism.

    What will the course prepare students to do?

    The final assignment for the course asks students to critically analyze a proposed intervention dealing with growing California wildfire risk using the disciplinary tools they have learned.

    For example, they could choose the increased deployment of “beneficial fires” to reduce flammable biomass in forests.

    For this intervention, we expect that students would address topics like the historical erasure of Indigenous knowledge of prescribed burning, financial liabilities associated with controlled burning, and scientific research on the efficacy of beneficial fires.

    Darryl Yong is a professor at Harvey Mudd College and co-directs Math for America Los Angeles. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation.

    Erika Dyson 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. California wildfires force students to think about the connections between STEM and society – https://theconversation.com/california-wildfires-force-students-to-think-about-the-connections-between-stem-and-society-248286

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How AI can help in the creative design process

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tilanka Chandrasekera, Professor of Interior Design, Oklahoma State University

    A student works on a design in a fashion merchandising lab. Fashion Merchandising Labs at Oklahoma State University, CC BY-ND

    Generative artificial intelligence tools can help design students by making hard tasks easier, cutting down on stress, and allowing the students more time to explore innovative ideas, according to new research I published with my colleagues in the International Journal of Architectural Computing.

    I study how people think about design and use technology, and my research focuses on how tools such as AI can help make the design process more efficient and creative.

    Why it matters

    Our study found that AI design tools didn’t just make the designs better – they also made the process easier and less stressful for students.

    Imagine trying to come up with a cool idea in response to a design assignment, but it’s hard to picture it in your head. These tools step in and quickly show what your idea could look like, so you can focus on being creative instead of worrying about little details. This made it easier for students to brainstorm and come up with new ideas. The AI tools also made more design variations by introducing new and unexpected details, such as natural shapes and textures.

    A design fueled by artificial intelligence: The left image is the result of the text-to-image technology, and the image on the right is the design completed by the student.
    Oklahoma State University, CC BY-ND
    A design by a student without using artificial intelligence.
    Oklahoma State University, CC BY-ND

    How we did our work

    My colleagues and I worked with 40 design students and split them into two groups.

    One group used AI to help design urban furniture, such as benches and seating for public spaces, while the other group didn’t use AI. The AI tool created pictures of the first group’s design ideas from simple text descriptions. Both groups refined their ideas by either sketching them by hand or with design software.

    Next, the two groups were given a second design task. This time, neither group was allowed to use AI. We wanted to see whether the first task helped them learn how to develop a design concept.

    My colleagues and I evaluated the students’ creativity on three criteria: the novelty of their ideas, the effectiveness of their designs in solving the problem, and the level of detail and completeness in their work. We also wanted to see how hard the tasks felt for them, so we measured something called cognitive load using a well-known tool called the NASA task load index. This tool checks how much mental effort and frustration the students experienced.

    The group of students who used AI in the first task had an easier time in the second task, feeling less overwhelmed compared with those who didn’t use AI.

    The final designs of the AI group also showed a more creative design process in the second task, likely because they learned from using AI in the first task, which helped them think and develop better ideas.

    What’s next

    Future research will look at how AI tools can be used in more parts of design education and how they might affect the way professionals work.

    One challenge is making sure students don’t rely too much on AI, which could hurt their ability to think critically and solve problems on their own.

    Another goal is to make sure as many design students as possible have access to these tools.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Tilanka Chandrasekera receives funding from external funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF)

    – ref. How AI can help in the creative design process – https://theconversation.com/how-ai-can-help-in-the-creative-design-process-244718

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese museums receive about 72.65M visits during Spring Festival week

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Museums across China received approximately 72.65 million visits from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 this year, the first seven days of the Chinese new year, according to data released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) on Friday.

    The average daily number of visits increased by 12.84% compared to the previous year, the NCHA added.

    In addition, the country’s 55 national archaeological site parks recorded nearly 5.17 million visits during the same period.

    China has experienced a steady rise in museum visits in recent years. By the end of August 2024, the country had 6,833 officially registered museums — covering history, art, science, archaeology and more.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Xtract One Technologies to be used for Hospital Weapons Detection Screening in Manitoba

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Xtract One Technologies (TSX: XTRA)(OTCQX: XTRAF)(FRA: 0PL) (“Xtract One” or the “Company”) today announced its Xtract One Gateway (“Gateway”) has been selected to protect key hospital locations in Manitoba, including at the province’s Health Sciences Centre and Crisis Response Centre locations operated by Shared Health.

    The system will redefine the security experience by not only balancing powerful threat detection with seamless flow for individuals, but also enhancing safety standards and optimizing operational efficiency.

    “Healthcare environments today face two security challenges: providing top-tier security while ensuring that both patients and caregivers feel safe and comfortable,” said Peter Evans, CEO of Xtract One. “This is a trend we’re seeing across the healthcare sector, where providers are actively looking for solutions to these growing challenges, and we welcome the opportunity to play a role in securing health facility environments.”

    Xtract One’s portfolio of screening solutions are designed specifically for scanning individuals and their belongings, allowing seamless passage through checkpoints and reducing the need for separate bag searches, thereby improving screening times dramatically. Gateway unobtrusively scans individuals, their pockets, their bags and backpacks for potential mass casualty weapons while distinguishing harmless personal items like laptops, tablets, three-ring binders, notebooks, eyeglass cases, keys, and phones, streamlining access into and out of facilities without disrupting the flow of movement.

    To learn more, visit www.xtractone.com.

    About Xtract One
    Xtract One Technologies is a leading technology-driven provider of threat detection and security solutions leveraging AI to deliver seamless and secure experiences. The Company makes unobtrusive weapons and threat detection systems that enable facility operators to prioritize and deliver improved “Walk-right-In” experiences while providing unprecedented safety. Xtract One’s innovative portfolio of AI-powered Gateway solutions excels at allowing facilities to discreetly screen and identify weapons and other threats at points of entry and exit without disrupting the flow of traffic. With solutions built to serve the unique market needs for schools, hospitals, arenas, stadiums, manufacturing, distribution, and other customers, Xtract One is recognized as a market leader delivering the highest security in combination with the best individual experience. For more information, visit www.xtractone.com or connect on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

    Forward Looking Statements
    This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks detailed from time to time in the continuous disclosure filings made by the Company with securities regulations. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. The Company has no obligation to update any forward looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason except as required by law.

    For further information, please contact:
    Xtract One Inquiries: info@xtractone.com, http://www.xtractone.com
    Investor Relations: Chris Witty, Darrow Associates, cwitty@darrowir.com, 646-438-9385
    Media Contact: Kristen Aikey, JMG Public Relations, kristen@jmgpr.com, 212-206-1645

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Return of 35 Malaysian Chevening scholars concludes year-long Chevening 40th anniversary celebrations

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    35 Malaysians have returned home after completing their post-graduate studies in the UK under the Chevening Awards Programme.

    Acting Deputy British High Commissioner Tom Shepherd with the 35 returning Malaysian Chevening scholars

    This cohort saw 34 scholars completing their Master’s degree and one scholar completing an Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies fellowship programme. They are the 40th batch of Malaysian Chevening alumni since the establishment of the scholarship programme in 1983, and their return also marks the conclusion of the year-long 40th anniversary of the Chevening Awards

    Acting Deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Tom Shepherd, hosted a reception today to welcome home the 2023/24 cohort of scholars. In congratulating the returning scholars, Sheperd said:

    The UK’s commitment to education and fostering global talent remains steadfast and the Chevening Programme is a great example of this. Strengthening the bond between the UK and Malaysia, these alumni have returned not only equipped with invaluable knowledge and skills but empowered to make a real difference in Malaysia, contributing to its continued growth and prosperity.

    The Chevening Award is the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded and administered by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. This is complemented by generous sponsorships by Malaysian corporate partners including Yayasan Khazanah, CIMB Foundation and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. British universities are also providing additional funding in support of the Chevening programme. 

    Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, KGB, AO, Founder and Chairman of the Sunway Group and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation said:

    The Chevening Scholarships Scheme has recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary and has, over the years, nurtured key talent in many countries in the world. The Scholarships have become a byword for excellence, prestige, loyalty and satisfaction. It has been JCF’s pleasure to support a Chevening Scholarship since 2018, and we look forward to doing so for many years in the future. This is a flagship programme in our links with the United Kingdom, which have seen us partner with Oxford, Cambridge, Lancaster, and the Royal College of Physicians.

    Norhidayah Aslah, Head of Scholarship, Yayasan Hasanah, said:

    Yayasan Khazanah is proud to support and celebrate the return of our Chevening scholars, who have gained invaluable global perspectives and expertise. Their experiences and insights will contribute significantly to Malaysia’s growth and development. We look forward to seeing them apply their knowledge, drive positive change, and make a lasting impact in their respective fields.

    Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Foundation said:

    CIMB Foundation is deeply committed to uplifting communities and driving positive societal impact through education, a core impact area that aligns with Chevening Scholarship. By investing in learning and development, we empower outstanding individuals with the expertise and leadership skills needed to drive meaningful change.

    The returning batch of Malaysian Chevening scholars from the 2023/24 academic year have graduated from disciplines such as Medical Ultrasound, Film Aesthetics, and Conservation and International Wildlife Trade. They attended prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford, King’s College London and London School of Economics.

    Scholar Mandeep Singh who got a Masters in Anthropology and Development from London School of Economics and Political Science said:

    I am glad I made my voice count during my year in the LSE. While I got to contribute to various intellectual debates concerning the Global South, I did not lose sight of the everyday challenges which left economic growth precarious for the many. Through my postgraduate studies, I have urged anthropologists to play an active role in making development policies fair and just. I hope to work with public and social sectors to make this a case in Malaysia.

    Scholar Nur Ezzah, who attended SOAS, University of London and obtained a Master’s in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice, said:

    My Masters provided me with an in-depth understanding of the complexities surrounding human rights issues and equipped me with the tools to critically analyse policies and legislation through a human rights lens. My current role allows me to advocate for marginalised communities, ensuring that human rights principles are integrated into policies and legislation, fostering social justice and equality. My most memorable experience during my Chevening year was attending the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts in Hay-On-Wye, where I met some of my favourite authors and camped under the stars in that charming book town.

    Malaysia is the second largest recipient of Chevening awards in ASEAN and the 35 returning scholars are now part of the 2,000-strong Chevening Alumni in Malaysia.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4445–4446: Cloudy Days are Here

    Source: NASA

    Earth planning date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025
    Overnight before planning today, Mars reached a solar longitude of 40 degrees. The solar longitude is how we like to measure where we are in a Mars year. Each year starts at 0 degrees and advances to 360 degrees at the end of the year. For those of us on the Environmental Science (ENV) team, 40 degrees is a special time as it marks the beginning of our annual Aphelion Cloud Belt (ACB) observation campaign. During this time of year, the northern polar ice cap is emerging into the sunlight, causing it to sublimate away and release water vapor into the atmosphere. At the same time, the atmosphere is generally colder, since Mars is near aphelion (its furthest distance from the Sun). 
    Together, these two factors mean that Mars’ atmosphere is a big fan of forming clouds during this part of the year. Gale is right near the southern edge of the ACB, so we’re starting to take more cloud movies to study how the ACB changes during the cloudy season. (Jezero Crater, home to Perseverance, is much closer to the heart of the ACB, so keep an eye on their Raw Images page over the next several months as well.
    The drive from Monday’s plan ended early, after just about 4 meters instead of the 38 meters that had been planned (about 13 feet vs. 125 feet). We initially thought this might have been because our left-front wheel ran into the side of a large rock (see the image above), but after we got our hands on the drive data, it turned out that the steering motor on the right front wheel indicated that a rock was in the way on that side too, so Curiosity stopped the drive to await further instruction from Earth. This is a well-understood issue, so we should be back on the road headed west today.
    The cold weather is still creating power challenges, so we had to carefully prioritize our activities today. Despite the drive fault, we received the good news that it was safe to unstow the arm, so we were able to pack in a full set of MAHLI, APXS, and DRT activities. Before that, though, we start as usual with some remote sensing activities, including ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam observations of “Beacon Hill” (some layered bedrock near the rover) and a ChemCam RMI mosaic of the upper portion of Texoli butte.
    After taking a 3½-hour nap to recharge our batteries, we get into the arm activities. These start off with some MAHLI images of the MAHLI and APXS calibration targets, then continue with MAHLI and APXS observations of “Zuma Canyon.” This is followed by DRT, APXS, and MAHLI activities of some bedrock in our workspace, “Bear Canyon.” Although we then take another short nap, we don’t yet stow the arm as we have a pair of lengthy post-sunset APXS integrations. The arm is finally stowed about an hour and a half before midnight.
    The second sol of this plan begins with some more remote sensing activities, starting with ChemCam LIBS on “Mission Point”. This is followed by a series of Mastcam images of “Crystal Lake” (polygonal fractures in the bedrock), “Stockton Flat” (fine lamination in the bedrock), “Mount Waterman,” and Mission Point. We then finish with some ENV activities, including a Mastcam tau and Navcam line-of-sight to measure dust in the atmosphere and a Navcam cloud movie. This plan ends with a (hopefully!) lengthy drive west and many hours asleep to recharge our batteries as much as possible before planning starts again on Friday. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that REMS, RAD, and DAN continue to diligently monitor the environment throughout this plan.
    Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs executive order to further prepare for future urban firestorms, stepping up already nation-leading strategies

    Source: US State of California 2

    Feb 6, 2025

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed an executive order to launch key initiatives to continue adapting to future extreme firestorm events in urban communities and leading the way to build a more resilient state.

    Sacramento, California – Adding to California’s nation-leading fire safety  standards, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to further improve community hardening and wildfire mitigation strategies to neighborhood resilience statewide. A copy of the executive order is available here.

    We are living in a new reality of extremes. Believe the science – and your own damn eyes: Mother Nature is changing the way we live and we must continue adapting to those changes. California’s resilience means we will keep updating our standards in the most fire-prone areas.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The executive order issued by Governor Newsom does the following:

    • Directs the State Board of Forestry to accelerate its work to adopt regulations known as “Zone 0,” which will require an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of structures located in the highest fire severity zones in the state.
    • Tasks the Office of the State Fire Marshal with releasing updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for areas under local government responsibility, adding 1.4 million new acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire severity, which will update building and local planning requirements for these communities statewide.
    • Requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to work with local, federal and tribal partners on improvements to the Federal resource ordering system for wildfire response. 

    Protecting homes 

    Science has shown that combustible material within the immediate five feet of a structure contributes the greatest risk of embers directly or indirectly igniting the home. “Zone 0” regulations under development for new and existing construction would require an ember-resistant zone within the immediate 5-feet of structures in local area Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas, and Fire Hazard Severity Zones in State Responsibility Areas.

    Zone 0 regulations would move forward this year in tandem with financial assistance and relief for homeowners, proposed in the Governor’s January Budget, and to be augmented by the California Conservation Corps supporting work in vulnerable communities and in coordination with local Fire Safe Councils. While it is anticipated that the regulations would apply to new construction upon taking effect, requirements for existing homes would likely be phased in over three years to allow homeowners to prepare and prioritize mitigations and secure financial assistance.

    Research suggests that the cost of building a home with Zone 0 mitigations already incorporated adds little to no cost to building a comparable home without those features. 

    Updating fire hazard severity areas

    To ensure future resiliency against urban firestorms, local government planners and developers will have to factor in wildfire-hardening requirements in building planning, design, and construction within nearly 2.3 million acres of land in areas where local governments are responsible for wildfire prevention and response, known as local responsibility areas.

    The release of updated Fire Hazard Severity Zones for Local Responsibility Area maps would identify new areas where new development is required to adhere to the highest standards of wildfire resilient building codes and land-use planning. These new zones and maps would add approximately 1.4 million new acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire hazard severity. Specifically, they would expand current wildfire building resiliency requirements in the High-Fire Hazard Severity Zone to approximately 1.16 million new acres, and they would expand both current wildfire building and local planning resiliency requirements in the Very High- Fire Hazard Severity Zone to approximately 247,000 new acres. 

    The release of these updated zones and maps, which are expected to be released one region at a time beginning in Northern California, would begin a 120-day clock for local government jurisdictions to adopt local ordinances incorporating the State Fire Marshal’s recommendations.

    The release of these Local Responsibility Area maps would follow last year’s release of equivalent updated zones and maps in the State Responsibility Area, and follow months of planning discussions, including consultation with insurance providers who have developed their own models to determine risk, premiums and coverage that are independent of the state’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps.

    Investing in wildfire prevention

    Overall, the state has more than doubled investments in wildfire prevention and landscape resilience efforts, providing more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience since 2020, with an additional $1.5 billion from the 2024 Climate Bond to be committed beginning this year for proactive projects that protect communities from wildfire and promote healthy natural landscapes. Of note, since 2021, the State has made strategic investments in at least 61 fuels reduction projects near the Palisades and Eaton fire perimeters through projects treated over 14,500 acres.

    The Newsom Administration has invested $2 billion to support CAL FIRE operations, a 47% increase since 2018, which has helped build CAL FIRE from 5,829 positions to 10,741 in that same period, and the Administration is now implementing shorter workweeks for state firefighters to prioritize firefighter well-being while adding 2,400 additional state firefighters to CAL FIRE’s ranks over the next five years. 

    Augmenting technological advancements and pre-deployment opportunities 

    The Newsom Administration has also overseen the expansion of California’s aerial firefighting fleet, including the addition of more than 16 helicopters with several equipped for night operations, expanded five helitack bases, and assumed ownership of seven C-130 air tankers, making it the largest fleet of its kind globally. 

    California is also leveraging AI-powered tools to spot fires quicker, has deployed the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) to provide real-time mapping of wildfires, and has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense to use satellites for wildfire detection and invested in LiDAR technology to create detailed 3D maps of high-risk areas, helping firefighters better understand and navigate complex terrains. 

    In anticipation of severe fire weather conditions in early January 2025, Cal OES approved the prepositioning of 65 fire engines, as well as more than 120 additional firefighting resources and personnel in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, and CAL FIRE moved firefighting resources to Southern California including 45 additional engines and six hand crews to the region. 

    During the wildfires, California was able to mobilize more than 16,000 personnel including firefighters, National Guard servicemembers, California Highway Patrol officers and transportation teams to support the response to the Los Angeles firestorms, and more than 2,000 firefighting apparatus composed of engines, aircraft, dozers and water tenders to aid in putting out the fires. 

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    What they’re saying: 

    • Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, original author of the Mental Health Services Act: “Twenty years ago, I never could have dreamed that we would have the strong leadership we have today, committing billions and making courageous policy changes that question the conventional wisdom on mental health. Now, with the passage of Proposition 1. California is delivering on decades old promises to help people living with brain-based illnesses, to live better lives, to live independently and to live with dignity in our communities. This is a historic moment and the hard work is ahead of us.“
    • Senator Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), author of Senate Bill 326: “Today marks a day of hope for thousands of Californians who are struggling with mental illness – many of whom are living unhoused. I am tremendously grateful to my fellow Californian’s for passing this important measure.  And I am very appreciative of this Governor’s leadership to transform our behavioral health care system!”
    • Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), author of Assembly Bill 531: “This started as an audacious proposal to address the root cause of homelessness and today, Californians can be proud to know that they did the right thing by passing Proposition 1. Now, it’s time for all of us to get to work, and make sure these reforms are implemented and that we see results.”

    Bigger picture: Transforming the Mental Health Services Act into the Behavioral Health Services Act and building more community mental health treatment sites and supportive housing is the last main pillar of Governor Newsom’s Mental Health Movement – pulling together significant recent reforms like 988 crisis line, CalHOPE, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, CalAIM behavioral health expansion (including mobile crisis care and telehealth), Medi-Cal expansion to all low-income Californians, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (including expanding services in schools and on-line), Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, Veterans Mental Health Initiative, Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program, Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, Health Care Workforce for All and more.

    More details on next step here

    Recent news

    Feb 6, 2025

    News What you need to know: Building on yesterday’s positive meetings on Capitol Hill and with President Trump, Governor Newsom continued his bipartisan outreach in meetings with House and Senate leadership that focused on securing critical disaster aid for the…

    Feb 6, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom today announced he will issue an executive order to harden communities from wind-propelled wildfires that turn into urban firestorms.  Washington, D.C. — After meeting with key state and federal leaders on recovery…

    Feb 5, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President Trump and members of Congress — focusing on securing critical disaster aid for the survivors of the Los Angeles fires and ensuring impacted families who lost their…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Measures taken to Improve Mental Healthcare

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Measures taken to Improve Mental Healthcare

    Government has launched a “National Tele Mental Health Programme” in October, 2022, that would function as the digital arm of the District Mental Health Programme

    36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells whose services are available in 20 languages

    Government has launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application in October, 2024 to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well-being to mental disorders

    Tele-MANAS Cell established at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune to extend tele-mental health assistance and support to all Armed Forces service personnel and their dependents

    Mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at more than 1.73 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs

    25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in Post Graduate departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities

    42,488 mental healthcare professionals trained under Digital Academies, established since 2018 at three Central Mental Health Institutes

    Posted On: 07 FEB 2025 1:55PM by PIB Delhi

    The Government has launched a “National Tele Mental Health Programme” (NTMHP) on 10th October, 2022, that would function as the digital arm of the District Mental Health Programme to provide universal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24 x 7 tele-mental health counselling services. For this, a toll-free number (14416) has been set up across the country.

    Specific objectives of the Programme are:

    • To exponentially scale up the reach of mental health services to anybody who reaches out, across India, any time, by setting up a 24×7 tele-mental health facility in each of the States and UTs of the country.
    • To implement a full-fledged mental health service network that, in addition to counselling, provides integrated medical and psychosocial interventions.
    • To extend services to vulnerable groups of the population and difficult to reach populations.

     

    As on 03.02.2025, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells. Tele-MANAS services are available in 20 languages based on language opted by States. More than 18,13,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number.

    Rs. 120.98 crore, Rs. 133.73 crore and Rs. 90.00 crore has been allocated for National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) for the year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively.

    The Government has launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application on World Mental Health Day, i.e. 10th October, 2024. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well-being to mental disorders.

    The Government has established a dedicated Tele-MANAS Cell at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune to extend tele-mental health assistance and support to all Armed Forces service personnel and their dependents, further enhancing the mental health care services available to them.

    In addition to the above, the Government is also taking steps to integrate mental healthcare services at primary healthcare level. The Government has upgraded more than 1.73 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

    The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) is implemented under the National Mental Health Programme in 767 districts of the country to detect, manage and treat mental illness at District Hospitals. Facilities are also made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels and include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc.

    Under the Tertiary care component of NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in Post Graduate (PG) departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities. The Government has also provided support to establish / strengthen 47 PG Departments in mental health specialties in 19 Government Medical Colleges/ institutions.

    For increasing the number of psychiatrists in the Country, Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued the Minimum Standard of Requirements for Post-Graduate Courses – 2023 (PGMSR-2023) on 15.1.2024. For starting/ increase of seats in MD (Psychiatry), the number of OPD has been brought down to 30 per day for annual intake of maximum 2 PG students with 20% increase for each additional seat. Similarly, the minimum beds required per unit for starting MD (Psychiatry) course with 2 seats, 3 seats and 5 seats in a medical college is 8 beds, 12 beds and 20 beds respectively.

    The Government is also augmenting the availability of manpower to deliver mental healthcare services in the underserved areas of the country by providing online training courses to various categories of general healthcare medical and para medical professionals through the Digital Academies, established since 2018, at the three Central Mental Health Institutes namely National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam, and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. The total number of professionals trained under Digital Academies are 42,488.

    The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

    ****

    MV

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Consumer Products Leader Selects Kneat to Digitize Validation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LIMERICK, Ireland, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — kneat.com, inc. (TSX: KSI) (OTCQX: KSIOF), a leader in digitizing and automating validation and quality processes, is pleased to announce that a multinational consumer food and drink producer (“the Company”) has signed a three-year Master Services Agreement (“MSA”) with Kneat to digitize its validation processes.

    Headquartered in Europe and operating manufacturing facilities globally, the Company will initially use Kneat for Equipment and Computer System Validation within a specialized health sciences division with over 5,000 employees.  The MSA allows the company to scale Kneat to all its affiliate companies and business divisions.

    “Today’s announcement highlights that life science applications for Kneat can be found outside traditional life sciences companies, as we bring another consumer products leader into the Kneat community. We are proud to be a part of this Company’s world-class quality effort supporting their pursuit of health, wellness, and nutrition for people around the world.”

    – Eddie Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Kneat

    The number of consumer goods companies relying on Kneat has grown over the past several years, as certain products in their portfolios are subject to validation regulatory requirements. Digitizing these processes helps these companies mitigate risk and protect the brands they have been building for years, and positions Kneat to continue adding value to their efforts over the years ahead.

    About Kneat

    Kneat Solutions provides leading companies in highly regulated industries with unparalleled efficiency in validation and compliance through its digital validation platform Kneat Gx. As an industry leader in customer satisfaction, Kneat boasts an excellent record for implementation, powered by our user-friendly design, expert support, and on-demand training academy. Kneat Gx is an industry-leading digital validation platform that enables highly regulated companies to manage any validation discipline from end-to-end. Kneat Gx is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified, fully validated, and 21 CFR Part 11/Annex 11 compliant. Multiple independent customer studies show up to 40% reduction in documentation cycle times, up to 20% faster speed to market, and a higher compliance standard.

    Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

    Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, certain information presented constitutes “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the relationship between Kneat and the customer, Kneat’s business development activities, the use and implementation timelines of Kneat’s software within the customer’s validation processes, the ability and intent of the customer to scale the use of Kneat’s software within the customer’s organization, and the compliance of Kneat’s platform under regulatory audit and inspection. While such forward-looking statements are expressed by Kneat, as stated in this release, in good faith and believed by Kneat to have a reasonable basis, they are subject to important risks and uncertainties. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, given that they involve risks and uncertainties.

    Kneat does not undertake any obligation to release publicly revisions to any forward-looking statement, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued forward-looking statement constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at an investor’s own risk.

    For further information:

    Katie Keita, Kneat Investor Relations
    P: + 1 902-450-2660
    E: investors@kneat.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “The situation in Russian science looks stable and positive”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    © Higher School of Economics

    On the eve of Russian Science Day, TASS held a press conference dedicated to the results of the third round of the comprehensive study “We do science in Russia” He was conducted Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEZ) HSE. The authors of the study and experts representing higher education, research institutes and industry spoke about the state of domestic science, the drivers of its development, the dynamics of change and the barriers that need to be overcome.

    The first “Making Science in Russia” study was conducted in 2017, the second round took place in 2022, and the third from October to November 2024.

    Present and future

    As explained by the first vice-rector, director of the HSE ISSEK Leonid Gokhberg, the basis of the study was the results of a survey of the heads of 719 universities and leading scientific organizations, which make up almost the entire core of Russian science. These are “the key players who make the weather in this area and determine its development with their daily practices.”

    The assessment was carried out on 87 factors grouped into 8 large blocks, which made it possible to determine the sentiment index in Russian science. In the second step, the researchers identified 47 measures of state scientific and technical policy, assessed their effectiveness on a number of parameters and rated them.

    “The situation in Russian science looks stable and positive, there is progress compared to previous rounds of the study,” Leonid Gokhberg noted. For example, assessments related to the institutional conditions of functioning of universities and scientific organizations have improved – first of all, we are talking about increasing awareness of policy measures and regulation of important aspects of their daily life (regulation of state assignments and state purchases, tender procedures, etc.).

    Representatives of the scientific sphere assess the prospects for the coming years even more optimistically. Expectations are connected with further increase in the efficiency of scientific research, cooperation with business and stimulation of investment inflow from commercial structures, development of the information base of science.

    At the same time, the situation looks different in different sectors. “Universities are feeling the best, and this correlates with the measures of their support that have been launched in recent years and have had a rather positive impact on the development of university science,” Leonid Gokhberg stated.

    Financing

    The director continued the topic Center for Statistics and Monitoring of Science and Innovation ISSEK Ekaterina Streltsova, touching upon “the most sensitive issue” – funding of science.

    This block received the most restrained assessment from the scientific community, but this does not mean that everything is bad. Science is financed from many sources, and the study showed that the situations with different sources differ for different organizations. Key sources of budgetary financing are assessed more restrainedly in general, since they may not be very relevant for non-profit organizations that participated in the survey (for example, grants from Russian scientific foundations).

    “We see a significant improvement in the situation for all types of organizations compared to 2022, as budget expenditures on science are steadily increasing. This year, almost 3% of federal budget funds are planned to be allocated to support science, this is the highest figure in the last ten years, and we hope that funding for science will continue to increase,” Ekaterina Streltsova emphasized.

    Organizations of all types were skeptical about the provision of funding from state companies and especially from business, and, in her opinion, this is a predictable result given the current structure of funding for Russian science. In recent years, the business sector has provided about 30% of the costs of science, and although this figure has increased compared to 2010, measures are needed to stimulate investment.

    Of all the sources of funds, foreign organizations received the lowest ratings. “It was these ratings that influenced the overall score for the entire area and pulled it down, and this is understandable,” says Ekaterina Streltsova. “Foreign resources have never been significant for the development of Russian science; in the last five to six years, the share of these sources in the total volume of expenses has not exceeded 2.5%.”

    Personnel and equipment

    Ekaterina Streltsova noted that the human resources potential received a positive assessment for most factors: the managers are satisfied with both the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the scientific personnel they work with. Compared to 2022, some values have improved due to the implementation of a whole range of measures. Difficulties are associated with attracting foreign researchers and participation in international projects.

    The assessment of material and technical conditions is also quite stable: organizations are generally optimistic about the availability of scientific equipment and consumables, but many note the complication of supplies from abroad. The availability of access to specialized domestic software and Russian AI-based systems is assessed cautiously, but it is in this area that expectations are high and positive.

    The weak point remains the commercialization of results – their promotion and implementation in the economy. For example, universities and research organizations are actively involved in patent activities, but their contribution to the development of licensing activities in the domestic market is still limited. Obviously, this is due, among other things, to insufficient dialogue between science and business. “Although the situation has improved somewhat compared to 2022, we see that the intensity of interaction with business in the form of joint laboratories, basic departments, and so on is still assessed rather restrainedly, which, of course, requires further implementation, including of the measures already in force,” concluded Ekaterina Streltsova.

    “A most interesting analysis”

    The results of the study “Making Science in Russia” were commented on by representatives of science, higher education and industry.

    Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Grigory Trubnikov noted that HSE scientists conducted “a most interesting analysis.” In his opinion, over three rounds of research, “analytics has taken off,” it has a large audience, and the data can be trusted.

    Commenting on the conclusions about science funding, he put forward the hypothesis that the problem is not that it should be increased, say, twofold, but that “science should be done faster” — this is the main request of the scientific community. If we remove the obstacles associated with control, procurement procedures, academic mobility, and foreign restrictions, then the competitiveness of Russian science will increase.

    Grigory Trubnikov also noted that in terms of international cooperation, everything depends on the specific organization, and things are going well at his institute in Dubna – cooperation with China, Mexico, Brazil is developing, and this is a noticeable trend in general.

    Stanislav Terekhov, head of the laboratory of antibiotic resistance at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, highly praised the existing measures to support science, including the creation of youth laboratories (his laboratory is one of them). In his opinion, this allows the best personnel to be retained in the country and students and postgraduates to be integrated into laboratory practice, but state support should be supplemented by private initiatives.

    Science and Business

    Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology at Sechenov University Vadim Tarasov emphasized the links between science and business in his speech. In his opinion, the Priority 2030 program “gave universities a huge opportunity to be flexible in their interactions with industry,” and now it is necessary to set goals for 10-15 years ahead, understanding what technologies the country needs to ensure sovereignty, and which ones are worth entering foreign markets with.

    First Vice President for MTS Technologies, Head of the MTS Basic Department at HSE Pavel Voronin also highly praised the study, calling it very complete and high-quality.

    In his opinion, science is the foundation for technology, and “the geopolitical situation requires us to invest more in this fundamental part,” but the economic situation forces many companies in the market to approach finances prudently. When it is necessary to monitor expenses more closely, the first thing that is cut is unpredictable, long-term investments. “From a business point of view, it is important not to get caught in these scissors, to correctly determine priorities and leave a certain share of investments for long-term research,” concluded Pavel Voronin.

    Head of the scientific and technical cooperation department of the State Corporation Rosatom Ekaterina Chaban stated that in her corporation “every scientific project is also a business project” and confirmed the researchers’ findings on the successful attraction of young people to science. In the scientific division of Rosatom, out of 2 thousand scientists, 38% are under 35 years old, 48% are under 39 years old, and among the directors of institutes there are scientists and designers under 40 years old. “The corporation does a lot to maintain the influx of young people and retain young personnel,” she explained.

    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 Canada: Leading in financial literacy: Minister Nicolaides | Leader en matière de littératie financière : Ministre Nicolaides

    “The latest PISA results from 2022 show that Alberta is a world leader in education. Alberta students rank first in financial literacy among Canadian provinces, ahead of Ontario and British Columbia, which tied for second place.

    “Alberta students also performed exceptionally well against international competitors in financial literacy. Globally, Alberta students placed first ahead of Denmark, the top-ranked country.

    “Alberta’s students’ achievement in financial literacy builds off the previously released 2022 PISA results. Across Canada, Alberta students rank first in science, reading and creative thinking and second in mathematics. Globally, Alberta students rank second only to Singapore in science, reading and creative thinking.

    “Ensuring Alberta’s youth can build the financial literacy skills they need to make informed decisions about their finances and their future continues to be a focus for our government.

    “That’s why we have invested $5 million to support practical, hands-on financial literacy programming for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and our renewed K–6 curriculum that includes a stronger foundation in financial literacy.

    “As we look forward, we will continue to develop new curriculum for grades 7–12 and ensure financial literacy is incorporated throughout all grades where appropriate.”

    Related information

    • Programme for International Student Assessment 2022 results 
    • Financial literacy grants

    Related news

    • International success for Alberta students: Minister Nicolaides (Dec. 5, 2023) 

    Le ministre de l’Éducation, Demetrios Nicolaides, a fait la déclaration suivante sur les derniers résultats du Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves (PISA) de 2022 : 

    « Les derniers résultats du PISA de 2022 montrent que l’Alberta est un leader mondial en matière d’éducation. Les élèves de l’Alberta se classent au premier rang en matière de littératie financière parmi les provinces canadiennes, devant l’Ontario et la Colombie-Britannique, qui se classent au deuxième rang ex æquo.

    Les élèves de l’Alberta ont également obtenu des résultats exceptionnels par rapport à leurs concurrents internationaux en matière de littératie financière. À l’échelle mondiale, les élèves de l’Alberta se classent premiers, devant le Danemark, le pays le mieux classé.

    Les résultats des élèves de l’Alberta en matière de littératie financière s’appuient sur les résultats du PISA de 2022 déjà publiés. Au Canada, les élèves de l’Alberta se classent premiers en sciences, en lecture et en pensée créative et deuxièmes en mathématiques. À l’échelle mondiale, les élèves de l’Alberta se classent au deuxième rang, après Singapour, en sciences, lecture et pensée créative.

    Veiller à ce que les jeunes de l’Alberta puissent acquérir les compétences en littératie financière dont ils ont besoin pour prendre des décisions éclairées concernant leurs finances et leur avenir continue d’être une priorité pour notre gouvernement.

    C’est pour cela que nous avons investi 5 millions de dollars pour soutenir des programmes pratiques de littératie financière pour les élèves de la maternelle à la 12e année, ainsi que notre programme d’études renouvelé de la maternelle à la 6e année, avec une base plus solide en littératie financière.

    À l’avenir, nous continuerons d’élaborer de nouveaux programmes pour la 7e à la 12e année et nous veillerons à ce que la littératie financière soit intégrée à tous les niveaux, le cas échéant. »

    Renseignements connexes

    • Résultats du Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves de 2022 
    • Subventions pour la littératie financière

    Nouvelles connexes

    • Réussite internationale pour les élèves de l’Alberta : Ministre Nicolaides (5 décembre 2023)

    Translations

    • Arabic
    • Simplified Chinese
    • Traditional Chinese
    • Punjabi
    • Spanish
    • Ukrainian

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The work plan of SPbPU and KRSU for 2025 has been formed

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    During the working visit of the acting rector of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University Sergey Volkov to Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, a meeting of key leaders was held to finalize the main positions of the plan of joint activities of KRSU and SPbPU for 2025.

    Opening the meeting, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Arsenyev noted: 2025 began with a series of online meetings of specialized working groups of our two universities, where the main blocks of the plan for joint activities were worked out, parameters were defined in detail, and key indicators were calculated. Today’s meeting of supervising vice-rectors and directors of institutes is the final step towards approving this most important document.

    One of the main blocks of joint activities is “Development of educational potential”. The working group led by Vice-Rector for Educational Activities Lyudmila Pankova discussed in advance with colleagues from KRSU issues related to the opening of network master’s degree programs in the areas of construction, software engineering, logistics and technosphere safety. KRSU will act as the base organization and plans to begin recruitment for these programs in the fall of 2025. In the second year of study, KRSU students will come to the Polytechnic University and, if they successfully master all disciplines, will receive master’s degrees from both universities. Sergey Volkov confirmed that the most talented graduates of such joint programs will be invited to teach at KRSU.

    The most important component of educational activities is the organization of a distance learning system for KRSU students using the resources of the Polytechnic University. The joint work plan provides access to most SPbPU courses on the Moodle platform, as well as access for more than 50 students to the online laboratory campus. KRSU is working to open an Online Course Registration Center in Bishkek as early as 2025, and SPbPU is ready to provide expert support for the activities of such a center, train employees, conduct the necessary trainings and consultations.

    Based on the successful experience of cooperation with the Russian-Armenian University, SPbPU agreed with KRSU to introduce the course “Fundamentals of Project Activities” into the educational process. In 2025, mentors will be trained and methodological recommendations for the course will be developed.

    The successful practice of academic mobility of third-year undergraduate students of KRSU, who came to the Polytechnic for a semester last year, will continue. The directors of the Institute of Economics and Technology, Institute of Social Sciences, Institute of Economics, Institute of Science and Culture, and Institute of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FSMEK) — the main institutes where students from Kyrgyzstan studied in 2024 — confirmed their interest in continuing such programs, but emphasized the importance of strict selection of students by field. Sergey Volkov confirmed that KRSU students are showing great interest in the Polytechnic and promised that 40 undergraduates and 10 graduates for study in the fall of 2025 will be carefully selected through a competition. In addition to semester mobility, the plan provides for short-term mobility and advanced training programs for KRSU students and teachers. Director of the Institute of Scientific Research Marina Petrochenko suggested that individual programs be timed to coincide with significant scientific and educational events of the Polytechnic institutes, for example, Science Week or student competitions, so that Kyrgyz students could participate in them.

    Advanced training for KRSU teachers will be held in a hybrid and in-person format. There is a request from Kyrgyz colleagues for programs in energy, electronics, supercomputer technologies, economic security, etc. In the near future, a specific list of programs will be formed and 15 teachers will be identified who will come to SPbPU for in-person training. A separate request from the KRSU leadership is to organize training for members of the admissions committee on technologies for conducting an admissions campaign, working with the “Apply Online” services and other recruitment practices adopted at the Polytechnic University.

    Vice-Rector for Research at SPbPU Yuri Fomin, presenting the final plan for the “Development of Scientific Potential” block, focused the attention of KRSU management on the need to build end-to-end business processes – from the selection and training of talented young scientists in graduate school to the formation of dissertation councils and successful defenses. Polytechnic is ready to share such experience. And in the near future, there are plans to organize dissertation defenses in SPbPU dissertation councils in key areas for KRSU applicants and postgraduate students.

    The specialized research groups of the institutes of KRSU and SPbPU have prepared a list of 12 initiative projects for joint research. Yuri Fomin suggested correlating these projects with the planned internships of postgraduate students, the organization of defenses, the preparation of publications, and the submission of applications for grants in order to ensure the most effective activities of joint research groups and support the long-term development of scientific potential.

    Two global joint projects of KRSU and SPbPU are planned as flagship projects in the work plan. The first is related to the work of the high-mountain observatory of atmospheric physics of KRSU. The observatory is equipped with high-tech instruments, in particular a lidar complex. The project will be of a more fundamental nature and will be related to studies of the state of the atmosphere, environmental monitoring, the formation of predictive models of seismic activity, etc. Over the years of the laboratory’s work, a significant array of data has been collected that can be used to verify and build models. On the part of SPbPU, the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications and the Civil Engineering Institute will be involved in the project. Director of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Alexander Korotkov noted the enormous potential of such an interdisciplinary project, which is capable of combining scientific competencies, the use of unique equipment, the developments of both the Polytechnic University and KRSU to develop a popular scientific direction and solve problems that are truly important for Kyrgyzstan.

    The second project is the preparation of a comprehensive plan for the development of mining in the interests of the industrial partner of KRSU, the company “Alliance Altyn”. In early March, a large off-site meeting will be held directly at the production site. Director of the Institute of Energy Viktor Barskov confirmed his interest in the project and his readiness to send specialists from the Institute to Bishkek.

    KRSU attracts not only industrial partners, but also government organizations to cooperation. In particular, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic requested the organization of a Fire Safety Center on the basis of KRSU for the training and advanced training of relevant specialists. Director of the ISI Marina Petrochenko mentioned a similar experience of cooperation between Polytechnic University and the Gefest Group of Companies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, which ultimately led to the creation of a basic department. The work plan for 2025 includes a clause on the organization of a Fire Safety Center at KRSU and joint work in this direction by the ISI SPbPU and the FADIS KRSU.

    Vice-Rector for Information Technologies of SPbPU Andrey Lyamin confirmed the possibility of using the resources of the SPbPU supercomputer for joint scientific work and the educational process. In the near future, a joint scientific group will be formed, and KRSU scientists will be able to gain access, including for the implementation of the above-mentioned flagship projects. Andrey Lyamin also raised the issue of organizing KRSU access to the most important university toolkit – the Antiplagiat program, which is needed for scientific and educational activities. In accordance with the work plan, SPbPU will provide the Kyrgyz university with access to the resource.

    In terms of joint work, significant attention is paid to the interaction of library systems, in particular the development of joint IT solutions, regulations and methods that will contribute to the maximum digitalization of librarianship, the formation of an operating repository and the promotion of the results of the intellectual work of KRSU students and scientists.

    The directors of SPbPU institutes supported the KRSU initiative to create a student design bureau, on the basis of which student teams, including joint ones, will design various solutions in the field of construction, energy, calculations and modeling. Such projects will be able to participate in university, regional and international competitions. The KRSU student design bureau will also serve as a basis for the implementation of applied projects of the course “Fundamentals of Project Activity”.

    And so that really interesting projects and developments do not go to waste, the director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Digital Engineering School Sergey Salkutsan in January 2025 during a visit to KRSU agreed on all the details of the pilot project for the development of student entrepreneurship and the launch of the project “Graduate Qualification Work as a Startup”. But it is not only the students who are in the focus of attention – for the management teams of KRSU (and this is more than 400 people), trainings on lean manufacturing, developed at SPbPU, are planned.

    In 2025, the Polytechnic University will continue to support social projects, youth initiatives and communities. A joint student campaign will be held as part of the events for the 80th anniversary of the Victory in May 2025. Students and teachers will be able to take part in the events “Voice of Generations” and “Student Spring”. Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies Maxim Pasholikov said that following mutual consultations between specialists from SPbPU and KRSU, a detailed plan for joint activities of student communities has been drawn up. The work will be carried out in constant communication, with monthly online meetings in each area.

    Also, key joint events will be the project-analytical session planned for May 2025 on the development of the KRSU development program for 2026-2030, and expert sessions on monitoring the implementation of the current development program and modernization and transformation processes. Acting Vice-Rector for Prospective Projects Maria Vrublevskaya, commenting on the preparation for this session, drew the attention of the KRSU management to the recommendations for assessing competencies and the staffing of the university, as well as conducting comprehensive work within the framework of the human capital management policy, which were formulated following the results strategic session in December 2024 years.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft scientists introduce schoolchildren to the profession of geologist

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On the eve of Russian Science Day, the Ufa scientific institute of Rosneft held a scientific and educational lecture for schoolchildren of the all-Russian “Movement of the First”. As part of the “Visiting a Scientist” project, students of grades 7-9 learned about the profession of a modern geologist.

    Schoolchildren learned about geological discoveries that influenced scientists’ ideas about the development of the Earth over billions of years. Today, this information helps answer the question of where it is best to look for oil. Rosneft searches for and explores hydrocarbon raw materials on land and water, and conducts scientific research in the Arctic and the World Ocean. Modern digital products developed by specialists at the research institute help with this. Millions of gigabytes of data are analyzed using artificial intelligence, and 3D models are built to make decisions, allowing for the prediction of events at a depth of several kilometers.

    Using high-precision microscopes, young researchers were able to study rock samples. Schoolchildren were also shown unique specimens of fossils, minerals, ancient microorganisms, shells and other geological finds dating back hundreds of millions of years.

    The company actively involves young people in science, helps them choose promising specialties for their future education and career. Schoolchildren were told about 13 corporate departments of Rosneft in leading universities of Bashkortostan – Ufa University of Science and Technology and Ufa State Petroleum Technological University. The best students, while still studying at the university, have the opportunity to find employment at Rosneft enterprises and participate in real production projects side by side with professionals.

    The event ended with a quiz, during which the most attentive listeners received gifts. On the same day, more than 100 Ufa residents had the opportunity to listen to a lecture on science and the Earth. The Institute organized a meeting with geologists for everyone at the site of the city coworking space “People”.

    Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft February 6, 2025

    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 –