Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eva A Sprecher, Research Fellow in Clinical, Education and Health Psychology, UCL
Flock follows Robbie (Jamie Ankrah) and his older sister Cel (Gabriella Leonardi). Playing On, CC BY
There are over 100,000 children and young people living in care in the UK, either with foster carers, in residential children’s homes or in other settings. Flock, currently playing at the Soho Theatre in London before embarking on a UK tour, follows the lives of two young people who have spent time in care, Robbie (Jamie Ankrah) and his older sister Cel (Gabriella Leonardi).
The play was written by Lin Coughlan and directed by Jim Pope after three years of development with Raising the Roof, a project working with young people aged 16-25 who have lived in care, to develop fictional narratives informed by their own lives.
The voices of young people who have lived in care give this play its beating heart. And they’re also vitally important for authentic representation of first-hand care-stories that are notably missing in mainstream media.
Historically, characters who have grown up in the care system tend to be represented as villains or criminals in popular culture. Think Paul Spector in The Fall, or Loki from the Marvel universe. Exceptions can be found in many heroes in the Marvel comics created by Stan Lee, like Spider-Man or Daredevil.
Researchers who have first-hand experience of the care system have commented on the prevalence of stigmatising narratives around “damage” and negative stereotypes associated with experience of care, alongside idealised “happy-ever-after” foundling stories.
Important work is being done to archive the work of creators with experience of the care system and to capture a variety of care stories. However, nuanced work taking into account the complexity of going through the care system is rare and public attitudes reflect harmful misconceptions about young people living in care.
Trailer for the touring production of Flock.
In England, it’s estimated that at least one in three children who enter care are separated from their siblings. In Flock, Robbie is desperately waiting for his 18th birthday, when he hopes he will be able to live reunited with his sister Cel.
While Robbie and Cel are not living together, they find ways to connect – taking trips to McDonalds or going bowling. Maintaining connections with siblings, while sometimes complex, can make a big difference to supporting the sense of belonging, mental health and wellbeing experienced by young people in care.
Cel is one of the only people who shares Robbie’s memories of his nan and their valued moments with her before coming into care. There is evidence that sibling separation has a long-lasting impact for adults with experience of care, associated with complicated feelings of loss. However, when planning for young people’s living arrangements, sibling reunification or connection is not always prioritised.
Young carers and their siblings
Sibling reunification is not always easy. While Cel loves Robbie, she often feels more like his parent, and the responsibility of supporting him to manage his emotions while she is still a child weighs heavily on her. Cel might be described as a young carer, taking on daily tasks and personal care for her sibling when adults were not able to do so.
While young carers who have spent time caring for a sibling do often express feeling more resourceful, greater responsibility and prioritising their sibling’s needs can impact their own wellbeing. Cel dreams of going to university and the freedom of leaving her responsibility as an older sister, even as she loves Robbie and wants the best for him.
Cel is not the only person that Robbie can rely on. He also has a strong connection with his best friend Miko (Deshaye Gayle) and somewhat reluctantly meets with his personal advisor, Mrs Bosely (Jennifer Daley). As Robbie’s relationship with Cel comes under threat, these connections become especially important.
After difficult early experiences, some young people may experience changes to their brain and behaviour that allows them to survive loss, neglect or abuse. These adaptations may look like an increased alertness to danger or an unwillingness to trust others.
While these changes may help children stay safe when living in unsafe circumstances, they might also make it harder to maintain close relationships. This negative impact of these understandable adaptations on relationships is called “social thinning”. At moments, Robbie’s mistrust is clear – when he fears that Miko is only his friend out of pity or when he finds it hard to accept any support Bosely offers him. However, we also see that the consistent, warm and understanding support of Miko and Bosely helps Robbie to stay connected in his lowest moments.
This play represents both the very difficult experiences of young people living in care, alongside real moments of joy, strength, hope and connection. Flock provides a refreshing and much-needed story of the complex reality of the lives of young people living in care in the UK, putting real voices at its centre.
Flock is on at the Soho Theatre, London until November 2, when it embarks on a UK tour.
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Eva A Sprecher 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.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The Department of Public and Municipal Administration of the State University of Management, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, is beginning to study the value orientations of Russian youth in 2024.
Part of this research is a nationwide youth survey, in which all interested students and young teachers of our university aged 14 to 35 are invited to participate. The research can be helped by distributing information among friends from other universities.
According to the head of the research team, head of the department of state and municipal administration of the State University of Management Sergey Chuev, the scientific project will assess changes in the attitudes and guidelines of young people since 2017.
“Conducting this type of research allows us to dynamically assess a number of indicators in the youth environment, including changes in the life priorities of young people, the level of patriotism, and attitudes toward the most pressing social issues,” said Sergei Chuev.
This work will allow us to assess and significantly reduce the risks of deviant behavior of young people and unpredictable reactions of the student environment and its surroundings to various events at both the regional and federal levels.
Let us recall that this is the second such study by the State University of Management. Our university conducted the first one in 2017 as part of the preparation of the report to the Government of the Russian Federation “On the implementation of the state youth policy”. Results of the study.
Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 10.23.2024
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.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 25 at 12:00, the State University of Management will host the grand opening of the student expeditionary corps, a public organization whose goal is to conduct student expeditions of historical, patriotic and environmental focus.
The grand opening will be attended by:
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky, Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev, Deputy Director General of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives Evgeny Murakhveli, Vice-Rector of the Russian Technical University MIREA Igor Tarasov, as well as invited guests and students.
The expedition team members will share their impressions, successes in the work they have done, and demonstrate their findings.
In 2024, the State University of Management joined the unique inter-university project “Arctic Team” and began to actively develop cooperation with RTU MIREA and other higher education institutions in organizing and conducting volunteer expeditions.
As a result of the expeditions, the remains of seven soldiers who died defending the borders of our Motherland were found and ceremoniously buried, two unique pillboxes (long-term firing points) were cleaned, which were part of the “Stalin Line” erected to protect the western borders of the USSR. Parts of German military equipment and insignia of German officers were found. In one of the pillboxes of the Sebezh fortified area, students of the State University of Management and the Russian Technical University of Radio Engineering and Electronics set up an exhibition, the exhibits of which are items from the Great Patriotic War found on the territory of the fortified area, and which can be visited during a shift as part of an organized excursion.
Students of the State University of Management took part in 10 expeditions, including search operations in the Sebezh fortified area at the sites of battles of the Great Patriotic War, went to the Arctic to clean up scrap metal – about 120 tons of scrap metal were collected, helped restore a kindergarten in the territory of the ethno-settlement “Land of Hope” (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug).
Having assessed the high activity and involvement of students in expedition trips, a decision was made to open our own expeditionary corps in order to expand the possibilities and geography of travel.
We are waiting for everyone on October 25 at 12:00 at the Information Technology Center of the State University of Management.
Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 10/25/2024
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.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Development Bureau (DEVB) and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) today (October 23) signed the Framework Agreement on Deepening Exchange and Collaboration regarding Stratigraphy, Palaeontology and Prehistoric Sites (Framework Agreement) to conduct scientific research, specimen management and identification, training, and exchanges in the fields of palaeontology, palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic sites. The study of dinosaur fossils discovered on Port Island is the inaugural project under the Framework Agreement.
Witnessed by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, the Framework Agreement was signed by the Commissioner for Heritage of the DEVB, Mr Ivanhoe Chang, and the Vice Director of the IVPP of the CAS, Mr Liu Jun.
Dinosaur fossils were discovered for the first time in Hong Kong. The site is on Port Island in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters of Hong Kong. Ms Linn said that the discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong.
The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of the DEVB was informed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in March this year that the sedimentary rock on Port Island might contain suspected vertebrate fossils. The DEVB then commissioned experts from the IVPP to come to Hong Kong to conduct field investigation, study fossil specimens, recommend management plans and discuss follow-up actions.
Experts from the IVPP, officers from the DEVB, the AMO and the AFCD conducted site visits to Port Island to collect specimens which contain suspected vertebrate fossils. After taking a preliminary osteohistological analysis of specimens by the IVPP experts, the specimens have been identified as bone fossils of large aged dinosaur. Thereafter, IVPP experts prepared specimens containing dinosaur bone fossils, and it was initially confirmed that the fossils dated to the Cretaceous period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago). Further studies will have to be conducted to confirm the species of the dinosaur.
The AMO and the AFCD, together with the IVPP, will jointly take forward the study of dinosaur fossils, including excavation of the fossils on Port Island and preparation of the fossils. They will also collaborate with universities in Hong Kong and other places to conduct scientific research, and construct the story of dinosaurs in Hong Kong.
The AMO will hold talks tomorrow (October 24) afternoon at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre (HKHDC), where experts from the IVPP will talk about dinosaurs in China and relevant research. Participants will have the chance to preview the dinosaur fossils prepared at the HKHDC after the talks. The dinosaur fossils will be on public display at the HKHDC from October 25. In addition, the temporary workshop and exhibition space being built in the courtyard of the HKHDC is expected to open by the end of this year for the public to observe the experts’ preparation work and the fossils prepared. The Government will also devise plans for the long-term display of the fossils to enhance the public’s interest and knowledge in palaeontology.
To facilitate future investigations, excavations and research on Port Island, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation announced the closure of the entire area of Port Island within Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park from today until further notice pursuant to the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations (Cap. 208A). Patrols have been arranged together with the Marine Police. During the closure of Port Island, except approved experts and relevant personnel, no person shall land or enter Port Island. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $2,000 and three months’ imprisonment upon conviction.
Dstl scientific expertise and advice is at the heart of the Ministry of Defence’s ambitions in space.
Scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are at the forefront of designing and developing Defence’s next generation satellite constellation – a system that will bring giant leaps in operational advantage to the armed forces.
We have developed new collaborative ways of working with both Space Command and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) to deliver the next generation multi-satellite system to support greater global surveillance and intelligence for military operations – known as the ISTARI programme.
ISTARI will cost £968 million and involves the development of a constellation (group) of satellites to deliver global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and to send data and information rapidly to decision makers across the globe. A series of operational capability demonstrator missions will first be carried out to test the concept.
Dstl is leading the initial constellation design and development. Using our evidence-based decision-making and systems engineering we are working with DE&S to jointly deliver the missions and bring them into service for Space Command.
Taking a multi-disciplinary approach enables more rapid decision-making and sharing of best practice across technical, programmatic and operational disciplines. It enables defence to ask the right questions and make the right decisions to develop and deliver capability effectively and efficiently.
Tyche: MOD’s first sovereign Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) satellite
Space Command’s first satellite, Tyche, launched in August aboard SpaceX Falcon 9. Dstl provided technical assurance to Tyche, which was built by UK industry.
Space Command’s first satellite, Tyche
Tyche is an electro-optical imaging satellite capable of collecting images of the ground, and short image sequences of ground locations, to detect moving objects. It also possesses an additional on-board processor for immediate processing of data collected, including the ability to upload Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms for data reduction.
Tyche will be able to communicate with commercial data relays in geostationary orbit to reduce data latency and increase opportunities for tasking.
A key aspect to the experimentation Tyche will deliver will be the opportunity to demonstrate how the satellite interfaces with the wider emerging MOD space architecture.
Goonhilly Earth Station: new communications ground stations in Cornwall
Dstl is also building on the existing ground facilities to enhance space operations. In conjunction with the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), 2 new remote ground stations have been installed at Goonhilly Earth Station (GES) in Cornwall to expand Dstl’s space-to-ground capability and enable increase experimentation.
Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station (Credit: Shutterstock)
The powerful 3.9m Safran Legion antennas, to be operated by Dstl, complement Dstl’s Hermes ground station and will track satellites and download Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data – vital to demonstrating the ISTARI concept.
Dstl is also working with Goonhilly to tailor and assess the suitability of an open standard for booking and scheduling of remote ground terminals within a network; this will broker access between multiple end users.
Dstl’s in-house expertise is vital to these missions as we help build Defence’s next generation space capability, which will be vital to ensure operational advantage on the frontline. Find out more about our space defence science and technology capability.
Survey responses can still be returned by post and online until 5 NovemberShetland residents have supported a new research project looking at ways to help make the islands’ population sustainable.
More than 450 households took part in a study investigating changing population dynamics and the role policy and place-based interventions can play to help create and maintain healthy and balanced populations in Shetland and other Scottish island communities.
The project is led by Marcus Craigie, a PhD student based at the University of Aberdeen, supervised by academics in the Department of Geography and Environment at the School of Geosciences and The James Hutton Institute. Marcus’ research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Marcus, who grew up in Orkney, said: “I am delighted by the support shown by local communities during fieldwork in August and September and with the response rates to surveys distributed across Unst, Bressay, Burra and Trondra, and Walls and Sandness.
“It is vitally important that the challenges and opportunities associated with retaining existing residents and attracting new and returning residents – for example, transport, housing and jobs – are considered in a way that is geographically nuanced and to do this, we need people to have their say.”
Over 450 surveys have already been returned but, from discussions in the community, Marcus says he is aware others were filled out but may not have been returned or were left in places the restrictions of his role prevent him from accessing.
“From chatting to local residents, I know that a number left their surveys ready to be collected inside their front doors but I wasn’t able to enter someone’s home and collect in this way without prior permission from the homeowner,” he added.
“The survey will help increase awareness of the Shetland context in Scotland-wide discussions about island population change and support policy recommendations for national and local government, so we want the best representation possible. I am hugely grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their views, and it would be a real shame not to collect any responses which either missed the initial deadline for collection or were left for collection in this way.”
If anyone has already received an invitation to take part in the survey and has a completed response that was not collected it may be returned by 5 November 2024 to: Marcus Craigie, Doctoral Candidate, Geography and Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, St Mary’s, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, AB24 3UF.
An opportunity to complete and submit a response online at https://bit.ly/ShetlandSurvey using the participant ID on the invitation to participate also remains available until 5 November 2024.
Key representatives from the Liverpool City Region are currently on a trade mission to the United States. Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, outlines why the visit is vital for the city’s future economic success...
One of Liverpool’s key strengths is that, thanks to our maritime, music and sporting heritage, we are known around the world.
No matter whether you are in Boston, or Botswana, mentioning the city’s name means instant recognition – usually linked to our history as a place of emigration, the city that gave birth to The Beatles, and is home to two Premiership football clubs.
It is a useful ‘foot in the door’ when you want to have conversations with the right people about driving trade and investment.
That is why I am delighted that ‘Team Liverpool City Region’ are currently on a high-level mission to the United States aimed at driving tens of millions of pounds of long-term investment, trade and tourism to the Liverpool City Region.
Liverpool has a rich shared history with the United States and was the exit port for millions of people emigrating to America during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The delegation includes senior representatives from the city region’s Health and Life Sciences sector, including the University of Liverpool and Health Innovation North West Coast, as well as leaders from our hugely successful cultural, museums and events sectors.
They are taking part in a packed schedule of meetings with civic and business leaders aimed at promoting our city region as a place that is ready to do investment deals, and is a must-visit destination for tourists.
The United States is already the Liverpool City Region’s largest export market worth £1.8bn a year.
Total trade between the city region and the US is worth £2.5bn, and Liverpool is the UK’s largest western-facing port, handling 45% of the UK’s trade from the US.
But we believe there are huge opportunities to do more.
The trade mission is all about sowing the seeds for future investment, collaboration and economic growth.
We know our city region is a great place to live, work and visit – but it is vital that, in an increasingly competitive world, we do all we can to spread that message around the globe.
Union Minister, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh to Launch “Weather Forecasts at the Gram Panchayat Level” on 24th October 2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi Villages to become Climate Resilient: Weather Forecasts will now be Available to Gram Panchayats
Gram Panchayats to Get Access to 5-Day and Hourly Weather Forecasts
Posted On: 23 OCT 2024 9:53AM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), in collaboration with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is set to launch a landmark and a transformative initiative to provide Gram Panchayats with 5 days daily weather forecasting and provision to check hourly weather forecast – Gram Panchayat-Level Weather Forecasting – on 24thOctober 2024at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. This initiative, aimed at empowering rural communities and enhancing disaster preparedness at the grassroots, will directly benefit farmers and villagers across the country. As part of the Government’s 100 Days Agenda, this initiative strengthens grassroots governance and promotes sustainable agricultural practices, making rural populations more climate-resilient and better equipped to tackle environmental challenges.
This is the first time that localized weather forecasts will be available at the Gram Panchayat level, supported by IMD’s expanded sensor coverage. The forecasts will be disseminated through the Ministry’s digital platforms: e-GramSwaraj, which enables efficient governance, project tracking, and resource management; the Meri Panchayat app, which fosters community engagement by allowing citizens to interact with local representatives and report issues; and Gram Manchitra, a spatial planning tool that provides geospatial insights for development projects.
The launch will be graced by the presence of Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singhalias Lalan Singh, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Shri (Dr.) Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology & Earth Sciences, and ShriProf. S. P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj along with Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, DG, India Meteorological Department,Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Rajand other senior officials from the Ministries of Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Rural Development, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and other key stakeholders.
A Training Workshop on “Weather Forecasts at the Gram Panchayat Level” will be organized to mark the launch of this pioneering initiative. The workshop will be attended by more than 200 participants, including Elected Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and State Panchayati Raj officials. This training session will equip Panchayat representatives and functionaries with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize weather forecasting tools and resources at the grassroots level, empowering them to make informed decisions and enhance climate resilience in their communities.
This endeavour, a key component of the Government’s 100 Days Agenda, is a significant stride toward boosting local-level governance and cultivating climate-resilient villages. As weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, the introduction of weather forecasting at the Gram Panchayat level will serve as a crucial tool in safeguarding agricultural livelihoods and enhancing rural preparedness against natural disasters. Gram Panchayats will receive daily updates on temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and cloud cover, empowering them to make critical decisions in agriculture, such as planning sowing, irrigation, and harvesting activities. These tools will also strengthen disaster preparedness and infrastructure planning. Furthermore, SMS alerts will be sent to Panchayat representatives regarding extreme weather events like cyclones and heavy rainfall, ensuring immediate action to protect lives, crops, and property. This endeavour is a transformative step toward building climate-resilient communities at the grassroots level.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on MHRA saying ‘Donanemab licensed for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in some adults’, and NICE draft guidance saying ‘Donanemab does not currently demonstrate value for the NHS’.
Prof Andrew Doig, Professor of Biochemistry, University of Manchester, said
“Donanemab is a new drug for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) which tackles the build-up of a form of amyloid-β in the brain, the likely root cause of AD. It is an antibody that is administered through a needle inserted into a vein. Donanemab was tested with a clinical trial on about 2000 people with early-stage AD, run over 18 months.
“Donanemab shows real benefit to patients with mild AD by slowing down cognitive decline. The benefits are small, however, and there are concerns with the drug. Firstly, donanemab is not a cure for AD and it does not reverse, or even halt, the disease. All it does is to slow down the rate at which the disease progresses, as measured by loss of memory and other cognitive skills. In effect, patients who take donanemab see a delay to their loss of brain function by around six months. Secondly, carrying out a diagnosis to see who is eligible to take donanemab can only be carried out by a PET scan, similar an MRI scan, or by analysing cerebrospinal fluid, carried out by a lumbar puncture. These diagnosis methods are expensive and can be unpleasant for patients, so are not routinely available. Genetic tests to check that a patient is eligible for the drug are also useful. Thirdly, there is a small, but real risk, that donanemab can cause swelling or bleeding in the brain. About a quarter of patients in the trial showed evidence of this. Finally, the cost of the drug is very high, as is the cost of administering the drugs, as it requires regular MRI scans. Given the small benefits and high costs of the drug, NICE has not approved donanemab. NHS resources are limited (e.g. MRI machines) and are better spent elsewhere.
“This decision will be disappointing for patients and carers who are living with the burden of this horrible disease that has no cure. Nevertheless, there is hope. Better diagnostic methods are in development, such as a simple blood test, which would mean that PET scans or lumbar punctures are not needed. Donanemab has not been ruled out forever and this decision could change. We will continue to track how well it works over longer time periods. Costs may also come down. In addition, many other AD therapies, such as other antibodies are on the way. Some of them are likely to work better than donanemab and could be approved.
“Donanemab and other related drugs have shown that it is possible to slow cognitive decline caused by AD. They therefore point the way to a future where AD can be treated, bringing benefit to millions of people.”
Prof B. Paul Morgan, UK Dementia Research Institute Cardiff, Cardiff University, said:
“NICE has reached the decision that the Alzheimer’s drug Donanemab, despite having a modest effect on rate of disease progression, does not clear the clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness hurdles for approval for use in the NHS. The drug requires monthly infusions and carries significant risk of side effects, necessitating very close monitoring using imaging and other expensive tests.
“The decision is not surprising in that it closely mirrors that made for another Alzheimer’s drug, Lecanemab, in August. Both drugs are monoclonal antibodies that target amyloid, the main component of the plaques that develop in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. They differ subtly in that Lecanemab targets the soluble form of amyloid to prevent plaque formation while Donanemab targets amyloid aggregates in plaques. Nevertheless, both efficiently clear amyloid and have a similar slowing effect on progression of cognitive decline in patients. Both also share the same risks, notably an increase in inflammation in brain blood vessels that can lead to bleeding in the brain.
“The decision will be a disappointment to Alzheimer’s sufferers and their carers. It means that there are no disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer’s currently approved in the UK. The decision also highlights the problems with the amyloid-targeting drugs – eye-wateringly expensive, difficult to administer and potentially harmful. Balancing these against a modest impact on the disease, the decision made by NICE is understandable. These drugs are already in use in the US and elsewhere, albeit at lower than predicted uptake, and more will be learned from their wider use. In particular, improvements in patient selection and monitoring may tip the balance in the future.
“The final lesson from these disappointments is that we need better drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, moving beyond the focus on amyloid clearance and targeting other aspects of the disease that may provide better, safer and affordable routes to effective therapy of this awful disease.”
Prof Rob Howard, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, University College London (UCL), said:
“NICE have made the correct and responsible decision that donanemab treatment within the NHS cannot be considered to represent a cost-effective use of resources. Importantly, the estimated potential value-based benefits of donanemab to patients with dementia and their families were between only a fifth and a sixth of the actual costs of buying and administering the treatment.
“Although there is considerable uncertainty about both the meaningfulness of the very small benefits seen with treatment and any longer term effects beyond the 18 months of data collected in the pivotal trials, NHS access to these new drugs would not have made an appreciable difference to the experience of patients and families affected by dementia.
We have well-established drug treatments and psychosocial interventions for Alzheimer’s disease that are already available to people with dementia within the NHS but are not universally accessed. Our priority now should be to ensure that everyone with dementia who might benefit from these cost-effective interventions and adequately resourced adult social care services is able to access them. It would be unhelpful if the conversation about how we adequately fund NHS and social care for people with dementia was distracted by the issue of these new drugs. We should thank NICE for their leadership and clarity in this regard.”
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said:
“These first drugs are just the opening chapter for Alzheimer’s treatments. Today’s MHRA approval of donanemab is another step towards a future where we can begin to offer treatments to people affected by dementia. In this case, NICE’s initial recommendation is that the benefits of the drug are not significant enough to make it cost effective, which means it will not be available to patients on the NHS. This will be disappointing to many. However, I do believe we are at a pivotal moment in our research mission to develop better, safer treatments.
“This is a long journey and is only possible because of long-term investment in research that underpins the identification and development of new treatments. The MRC-funded UK Dementia Research Institute is at the forefront of research into dementias, and working together with our many partners from patient charities, leading UK universities, the NHS and industry we are hopeful that major advances in diagnostics and treatments are ahead of us.”
Prof Charles Marshall, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Neurologist, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), said:
“This will be very disappointing news for people affected by Alzheimer’s who are desperate for something that can slow the course of the disease. Hopefully, future developments will allow the introduction of treatments like this in the NHS. For this we will need investment in modernised dementia clinics that can deliver diagnosis and treatment appropriately, as well as evidence that Donanemab continues to slow Alzheimer’s disease over a longer time period, which could make it cost effective. We need NHS patients to be involved in generating this evidence so that we can see how effective Donanemab might be if used widely in the UK.”
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and President of the British Neuroscience Association said:
“While people living with dementia and their loved ones will undoubtedly be disappointed by the decision not to fund this new treatment on the NHS, the good news that new treatments can slow disease even a small amount is hopeful. New research is bringing us closer to treatments that should be safer and more effective. This decision on the amyloid targeting drug donanemab is not a surprise as it is consistent with the recent recommendations for lecanemab, a very similar drug. Donanemab is an antibody that removes amyloid pathology from the brain. This is not a cure. The treatment slows disease progression modestly but does not stop or reverse symptoms. The treatment also comes with potentially serious side effects of brain swelling and brain bleeding.”
Prof Tom Dening, Professor of Dementia Research, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, said:
“Given the MHRA and NICE positions previously stated on lecanemab, these decisions in relation to donanemab are hardly surprising. My personal position stands more with NICE, because I think that we don’t do enough to support people with dementia after they get a diagnosis, and the expensive monoclonal antibodies are a bit of a distraction from the main issue, which is to help people live the best lives they can with the diagnosis.”
Professor Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“Disease-modifying therapies like donanemab and lecanemab offer a new horizon of hope in the fight against dementia. MHRA’s approval of donanemab marks another milestone in this journey, but it comes alongside a draft NICE decision not to recommend donanemab for use on the NHS. While this is disheartening, we respect the decision of the regulator.
“In other diseases like cancer, treatments have become more effective, safer and cheaper over time and we hope to see similar progress in dementia.
“With around 20 Alzheimer’s disease drugs in late-stage clinical trials, more drugs will be submitted for approval within the next few years.
“New treatments are an important catalyst for change, but they are only one piece of the puzzle. While preparing for the future, we must not lose sight of the million people living with dementia in the UK today – a third of whom don’t have a diagnosis.
“We need to see significant government investment to bring about radical change so that everyone with dementia in the UK can get an early and accurate diagnosis. Without this, people won’t be able to access existing treatments and interventions to help manage their symptoms today or be ready for the disease slowing treatments of tomorrow.”
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Today’s announcement marks another frustrating setback for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease. We finally have two new treatments licensed in Britain for Alzheimer’s, but it’s incredibly disappointing that NHS patients in England and Wales won’t receive them. While these drugs are not cures and come with risk of side effects, trials show they are the first treatments to slow the decline in memory and thinking skills linked to Alzheimer’s, rather than just alleviating symptoms.
“NICE’s recent interim decisions on lecanemab and donanemab highlight uncertainty about their benefits compared to the significant costs of delivering them in the NHS. Yet dementia remains the UK’s leading cause of death, and without action, an ageing population means more families will be affected, driving up NHS costs through emergency admissions and care.
“NHS England has identified nearly 30 other dementia treatments that could be available by 2030, giving the government and NHS a crucial opportunity to transform how dementia is treated – just as Labour pledged in their manifesto. But we still haven’t heard from Health Secretary Wes Streeting on how he plans to break the deadlock we’re facing, where research is delivering new treatments but they remain out of reach for NHS patients. We’ve written to the Health Secretary again, calling for his leadership to bring together NICE, NHS England and industry so that people with dementia in the UK aren’t left behind.
“Today’s decision also risks signalling that the UK is no longer a good place to launch new dementia treatments. Although the UK has a strong history in dementia research, it currently hosts just 7% of global dementia trials and under 3% of participants in phase 3 trials for dementia worldwide live here. How the government tackles these challenges will show if they’re serious about bringing innovation to the NHS and cutting the red tape that is limiting people’s access to research and innovative medicines.”
MHRA decision and NICE draft guidance on donanemab for Alzheimer’s disease was published at 10:00am UK time Wednesday 22nd October 2024.
Prof Andrew Doig: Andrew Doig is a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Manchester. He is a founder and director of PharmaKure, a spin-out company working on diagnostics and drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Prof Rob Howard: I don’t have any relevant CoIs.
Prof Charles Marshall: I have no relevant conflicts to declare.
Prof Siddharthan Chandran: Siddharthan is the academic lead of Neurii, a £5M partnership to deliver patient focused digital health solutions for dementia, part funded by Eisai. The UK Dementia Research Institute holds partnerships with charities (BHF, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and LifeArc), and industry (Lilly, Eisai, Astex, SPARC and Ono).
Hilary Evans-Newton No COI.
Prof Tom Dening: No COI.
Professor Fiona Carragher: No conflicts of interest.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones: I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai. I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Bashneft, a Rosneft company, planted 748 thousand trees on an area of over 200 hectares in 2024. This is 45% more than the same indicator last year. The plantings took place in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Preserving the environment for future generations is an integral part of Rosneft’s corporate culture. The company implements large-scale environmental programs aimed at minimizing the impact on the environment, improving the environmental friendliness of production, preserving and replenishing natural ecosystems.
Bashneft employees carried out landscaping of the territories in two stages: in the spring they planted 158 thousand trees on an area of 37 hectares, in the fall – 590 thousand seedlings on an area of 164 hectares.
One of the key environmental actions this year was the planting of 24 thousand seedlings by employees of Bashneft-Dobycha (a subsidiary of Bashneft) in the Asly-Kul nature park in the Davlekanovsky district of Bashkiria. This is a continuation of a large-scale program aimed at preventing the swamping of Aslikul, the largest lake in Bashkortostan. Last fall, Bashkir oil workers began restoring the forest around the northwestern part of the reservoir. In total, the company’s employees planted 68 thousand pine seedlings and 10 thousand larch seedlings in this nature park, resulting in three forest areas with a total area of 19.5 hectares.
Experts from the Biology Research Center of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that the creation of a coniferous forest in the northwestern part of Lake Aslikul will help stop the process of swamping of the banks and preserve the reservoir for future generations.
In just the last 5 years, thanks to the initiatives of Bashkir oil workers, more than 5.2 million trees have been planted on an area of over 1.5 thousand hectares. Young green areas will soon form full-fledged coniferous forests, which will contribute to the restoration and preservation of the ecological balance.
Reference:
PJSC ANK Bashneft is one of the oldest enterprises in the country’s oil and gas industry, which is engaged in oil production, processing and marketing. Bashneft’s key assets, including an oil refining and petrochemical complex, are located in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Bashneft also conducts oil exploration and production in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Perm Krai, Orenburg Oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan.
Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft October 23, 2024
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.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Rose (TN-06)
COOKEVILLE, TN—Today, U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) announced two key changes to his Tennessee staff. Ray Render, who has served as Deputy District Director since 2019, has been promoted to District Director. Rep. Rose is also pleased to welcome back Leah Grider to the team as Deputy Chief of Staff.
Rep. Rose released the following statement:
“Ray Render and Leah Grider have shown up for the good people of Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District every day since joining my team,” Rep. Rose said. “They both reflect the best of Tennessee, and I have no doubt they will continue to work diligently to meet the needs of our constituents, from East Nashville to East Tennessee.”
About Ray Render
Ray Render was born and raised in Madison, Tennessee, where he graduated from Madison High School in 1985. He later earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 1989. In 1993, he completed a Master of Business Administration from Belmont University.
Following a long career at Bridgestone, Ray took on the role of Deputy District Director for Rep. Rose in 2019. At that time, he served those living in the western counties of Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, including Robertson, Sumner, and Wilson. In 2023, when a significant section of eastern Davidson County was added to the 6th district and Robertson County was removed from the district due to redistricting by the state legislature, he ensured relationships with all new stakeholders were formed. From Madison to Lebanon to Gallatin, Ray is known by local elected officials, business owners, civic leaders, and other constituents as someone who can be counted on to help.
Ray’s community involvement extends far beyond his official duties. In fact, his dedication to service earned him the of title of 2023 Wilsonian of the Year. He is involved with Leadership Wilson, Leadership Middle Tennessee, Wilson Rides, Habitat for Humanity, Compassionate Hands and Various Chambers of Commerce. Most recently, Ray served as president of the Mt. Juliet Breakfast Rotary Club.
About Leah Grider
Grider, a Smith County native, spent more than four years serving the 6th District from the Washington, D.C. office. Her new role for Team Rose will be based in Tennessee, primarily serving counties on the eastern end of the district, including Cumberland, Putnam, Fentress Pickett, and Scott.
Leah was raised in Carthage and is a graduate of Smith County High School. She is also an alumna of Tennessee Technological University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting.
Prior to her work with Representative Rose, Bane worked as an Economic Development Planner for the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD), where she collaborated with elected officials, key stakeholders and community leaders from across Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District in both banking and economic development job roles.
The 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum commenced in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2024. [Photo courtesy of the China Association for Science and Technology] The 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum (WSTDF), hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), commenced in Beijing on Oct. 22. Focusing on the theme of “Science and Technology for the Future,” the forum seeks to advance the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, harness international expertise for high-quality development, foster cross-cultural scientific exchanges, and tackle global challenges through innovation and technological solutions. He Junke, executive vice chairman of WSTDF 2024 and executive president of CAST, presided over the opening remarks session and the release of the forum’s achievements. Wan Gang, chairman of WSTDF 2024 and president of CAST, delivered the opening speech. In his address, Wan presented four proposals, namely, deepening global opening up and cooperation in basic research; continuing to promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence; supporting young scientific talents in their innovation and creation; and strengthening global science and technology governance through opening up and collaboration. Wan Gang emphasized the need for all parties involved to share insights and collective wisdom to achieve mutual benefit in a spirit of unity and cooperation and with an open, inclusive mindset. He called for joint efforts in creating global technological solutions to sustainable development and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Following the opening, participants visited an exhibition honoring Liu Hui, who lived from A.D. 225-295 and is regarded as one of the founders of classical Chinese mathematical theories. The main activities of the forum in Beijing will run until Oct. 24, featuring six major thematic sessions and three roundtable dialogues, along with several cultural exchange events. Over 350 guests from 33 countries and regions will engage in discussions at the forum. Among them are 14 Nobel, Turing andLasker Award winners, 27 heads of international science and technology organizations, 41 academicians from home and abroad, and over 200 experts and scholars from renowned universities, research institutions and enterprises. The forum is set to conclude in Beijing on Oct. 30. Initiated by CAST in 2019, the WSTDF has played a positive role in promoting people-to-people exchanges in science and technology, broadening channels for international collaboration, and fostering greater openness, trust and cooperation.
Dinosaur fossils initially confirmed to be dated to the Cretaceous period were discovered for the first time on Port Island in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters of Hong Kong, the Development Bureau (DEVB) today announced.
The bureau also today signed a framework agreement with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct scientific research, specimen management and identification, training, and exchanges in the fields of palaeontology, palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic sites.
Witnessed by Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, the Framework Agreement on Deepening Exchange & Collaboration regarding Stratigraphy, Palaeontology & Prehistoric Sites was signed by the DEVB’s Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang and IVPP Vice Director Liu Jun, with the study of dinosaur fossils discovered on Port Island as the inaugural project under the framework agreement.
Ms Linn said the discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong.
In March, the DEVB’s Antiquities & Monuments Office (AMO) was informed by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) that the sedimentary rock on Port Island might contain suspected vertebrate fossils.
The DEVB then commissioned experts from the IVPP to come to Hong Kong to conduct field investigations, study fossil specimens, recommend management plans and discuss follow-up actions.
Experts from the IVPP and officers from the DEVB, the AMO and the AFCD conducted site visits to Port Island to collect specimens which contain suspected vertebrate fossils.
After taking a preliminary osteohistological analysis of specimens by the IVPP experts, the specimens have been identified as large aged dinosaur bone fossils.
Thereafter, IVPP experts prepared specimens containing dinosaur bone fossils, and it was initially confirmed that the fossils dated to the Cretaceous period about 145 million to 66 million years ago. Further studies will have to be conducted to confirm the species of the dinosaur.
The AMO, the AFCD and the IVPP will jointly take forward the study of dinosaur fossils, including excavation of the fossils on Port Island and preparation of the fossils.
They will also collaborate with universities in Hong Kong and other places to conduct scientific research, and construct the story of dinosaurs in Hong Kong.
The AMO will hold talks tomorrow afternoon at the Heritage Discovery Centre, where experts from the IVPP will talk about dinosaurs in China and relevant research. Participants will have the chance to preview the dinosaur fossils afterwards.
The dinosaur fossils will be on public display at the centre from Friday. In addition, the temporary workshop and exhibition space being built at the centre is expected to open by the end of this year for the public to observe the experts’ preparation work and the fossils prepared.
The Government will also devise plans for the long-term display of the fossils to enhance the public’s interest and knowledge in palaeontology.
To facilitate future investigations, excavations and research on Port Island, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation announced the closure of the entire area of Port Island within Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park from today until further notice. Patrols have been arranged together with Marine Police.
During the closure, no person shall land or enter Port Island, except for approved experts and relevant personnel. Offenders are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $2,000 and imprisonment for three months.
Until now, space exploration has been dominated by two categories of missions – flagshipmissions, like the James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes, andsmaller-scale missions– with little in between.
Cara Battersby is an associate professor of physics at UConn.
But a “happy medium” can help fill in the gaps of information gleaned from these two mission types. Recognizing this, NASA’s Probe Explorers program recently selectedtwo probe designsto receive $5 million funding for development over the next 12 months. The two designs will then compete to receive $1 billion funding to get off the ground – literally – and launch in 2032.
One of these probe concepts,PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), has been developed by an international team including UConn physics associate professor Cara Battersby, who leads one of the project’s key science objectives.
If selected for launch, it will use far-infrared sensing technology to illuminate the secrets of the universe, helping scientists understand our own and surrounding galaxies.
Uncovering Galactic Secrets in Hidden Wavelengths
“This observatory is designed to fill this enormous gap in wavelength coverage between the mid-infrared all the way to the submillimeter,” Battersby says.
The James Webb telescope can “see” in the mid-infrared range of electromagnetic radiation, while the ALMA telescope in Chile can “see” in the submillimeter range. Everything in between is known as the “far infrared” range. This frequency of radiation isn’t visible to the human eye, or even from Earth itself, Battersby points out.
“The Earth’s atmosphere completely absorbs this wavelength of light that comes from interstellar space – distant galaxies, forming planets,” she says. “So there’s really no existing or planned telescope that can cover this wavelength gap. The fact that NASA is supporting the next phase for this mission is really exciting, and the science that it enables it is breathtaking.”
In space, PRIMA would use this wavelength range to understand the time period between “cosmic dawn” and “cosmic noon,” which encompasses the first era of galaxy formation and the peak of cosmic star formation in the universe. It would also uncover new data to explain how planets and their atmospheres develop. Battersby herself is leading the star and planet formation group on the PRIMA team.
In other words, PRIMA would provide the entire astronomy community with critical insights from this key wavelength range that can help us understand our cosmic origins: from the formation of stars and planets to the buildup of elements and the evolution of galaxies over cosmic time.
Battersby compares the current state of astrophysics to looking at a crowd of people and attempting to guess their ages, without knowing much about human development. If you didn’t have background knowledge – that children are generally shorter than adults, for instance – it would be impossible.
But if, instead, you understand that people generally get taller as they mature, and that there are exceptions (some people are always very short; some are tall from a young age), you can start to sort people visually and make educated guesses about how old they are.
Likewise, if you understand what distinguishes an older galaxy from a younger one, you can start to piece together the story of how space took shape over billions of years.
“We see these pictures of populations of galaxies, and we don’t know what they were like when they first formed and how they grew. What controls how big a galaxy can get or how many stars it can form? Does it make a really big black hole or really small black hole?” Battersby says. “In order make sense of the data, you need to uncover pictures of the galaxies when they were young and follow them as they grow. Only then can you put the timeline together.”
Cara Battersby (right) and graduate student Rachel Lee (left) at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, in Heidelberg, Germany. (Courtesy of Cara Battersby)
Enriching Scientific Community on Earth
In addition to the sheer scientific advancement potential, Battersby is excited about PRIMA’s ability to enrich the entire astronomy community – and provide UConn students with some truly once-in-a-lifetime research opportunities.
“A large percentage of the time the observatory is actually operating will be devoted to the astronomy community,” she says. “They can put in proposals to do their favorite science [with PRIMA]. We actually had a community call for proposals, and we had about 70 people write papers about what they would like to do with the telescope – so there’s a ton of community interest.”
And if PRIMA is selected to launch, that means Battersby’s students at UConn will have a chance to get involved with this historic project. In fact, one of her graduate students, Rachel Lee, is already nearing publication on a paper exploring some potential applications for PRIMA.
“I’m really excited about what this opportunity will mean for students at UConn moving forward, because there will be a chance to make meaningful impacts on this mission that has a very good likelihood of going into space,” she says. “That’s really unique. I certainly never had that opportunity as a student. Working on this is one of the coolest things I’ve done in my career, and now that’s something that UConn students could have a chance to do – they could be part of this whole team.”
PRIMA’s principal investigator is Jason Glenn of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Links between eating a balanced diet and overall health are well-established. But for people living in “food swamps” these healthy options just aren’t readily available.
A new study in the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment highlights the lived experiences of women of color living in a food swamp in North Hartford, and both the challenges and opportunities for accessing healthy food in their neighborhood.
The study was a collaboration between the UConn Department of Allied Health Sciences, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, the UConn School of Medicine, and North Hartford community members.
Food swamps are areas characterized by an oversaturation of fast food and other highly processed food options. They also have a lack of grocery stores with fresh produce.
“Food swamps are areas where residents don’t have access to fresh, healthy foods,” says Curtis Antrum, lead author of the study and graduate assistant. “Instead, they are surrounded by establishments like fast food or corner stores. People of color in poorer neighborhoods are disproportionately impacted by food swamps.”
The researchers used a method known as Photovoice for this study. This research method involves study participants taking photos, in this case, of the food environment in their neighborhood, and adding voice notes narrating their experience.
This method empowers participants to engage in citizen science by sharing more detailed and personal information with the researchers.
“Photovoice actually prompts a focus on action,” says Kristen Cooksey Stowers, assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and senior author on the paper. “Not just engaging lived experience and documenting problems and health inequities, but also keeping the dedication to engage lived experience and community voice when you are carving out and evaluating solutions.”
From these accounts, the researchers identified some key themes in the challenges participants face, such as a lack of access to grocery stores; advertising and marketing that push “junk” food; lack of transportation to access healthier options; unaffordability of fresh produce; the impact of junk food on their children’s school performance; the prominence of alcoholic beverages over health alternatives; and the quality of fresh food at their local stores.
“Anyone paying attention knows that North Hartford residents have been impacted by degradation and segregation; however, through the Photovoice approach, our lived experiences within this food swamp are urgent and impossible to ignore,” Mary Holter, a member of the Community Action Task Force (CATF).
Curtis Antrum and Kristen Cooksey Stowers at the Gallery Walk for the Invest Health Hartford Team. (Jason Sheldon/UConn Photo)
Participants did identify positive aspects of their food environment as well, such as the availability of culturally relevant foods for the city’s large Caribbean and Hispanic populations, like plantains and yucca. However, participants note that this does not fully meet their needs in the absence of other produce.
The paper concludes by highlighting the assets the community already has and how these can be bolstered by policy changes and increased funding.
“The message that we heard from [community members] was that they want more investment in our community assets,” Cooksey Stowers says.
This paper reflects the overarching aim of Cooksey Stowers’ lab, the Health Equity Lab for the People (HELP), in shifting the field away from a negative framing of problems, but instead places the focus on solutions.
Cooksey Stowers’ lab hopes to change this by empowering community members to have their voices heard by researchers and policy makers.
“It’s very important from a personal level that we can reach them where they are, so they can participate actively and see the results,” Antrum says.
The team plans to replicate this pilot study with a larger sample that includes men and women and will look at the impact of poor nutritional health on students’ educational outcomes. The team has also looked at how policies create food swamps. For example, in Hartford, corner stores and other non-grocery establishments that sell food were coded as grocery stores, giving policy makers an inaccurate picture of food access across the city.
“The Photovoice Project is being shared in multiple venues, and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But in this case, the voice and lived experience of residents are captured alongside the photos, substantiating a more compelling case for the change that is required to move the needle towards health equity,” says Angela Harris of Phillips Metropolitan CME Church.
Working with community partners, Cooksey Stowers successfully lobbied to have the definition updated to require “grocery stores” sell a certain percentage of fresh foods and a square footage requirement in 2022.
“That was a barrier to change,” Cooksey Stowers says. “Because as we were presenting data to folks outside of Hartford trying to recruit a supermarket operator, trying to get state-level support, on paper they were seeing that there were grocery stores there.”
Other policies can help restrict new fast-food establishments from opening while encouraging community-owned health-promoting businesses like cafes and restaurants with healthy options and fitness establishments. They presented this policy proposal to Hartford policy makers at the end of September.
“They are envisioning a health-topia, not an area that is filled with dialysis treatments,” Cooksey Stowers says. “They want to focus on prevention, not just treatment.”
“To make a real impact, we need sustainable investment and policy changes to turn food deserts and swamps into spaces that promote health, equity, and opportunity,” says Denise Holter, CATF chair. “This isn’t just about access to healthy, affordable food—it’s about ensuring dignity, choice, and a brighter future for everyone.”
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused onPromoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice andEnhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The Polytechnic delegation visited the capital of Belarus, Minsk. Our university was represented by Acting Director of the PhysMech Institute Alexey Filimonov, Advisor to the Rector’s Office Vadim Korablyov, and Associate Professor of the Higher School of Engineering Physics Vyacheslav Bondarenko. The program of the trip included discussion of cooperation prospects and participation in scientific events.
The visit began with a working meeting at the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. It is headed by the Head of the Department of Aerospace Activities of the NAS, Academician Pyotr Vityaz. During the discussion, in which the Director of the Institute of Applied Physics of the NAS, Professor Mikhail Kheifets, also took an active part, the scientists considered a number of promising areas for joint research. In particular, they discussed plans to prepare materials for the Union State program in the areas of “Life Sciences” and “Materials Science”.
After that, the SPbPU delegation visited the VII International Scientific Conference “Modeling of Synthesis and Destruction of Materials”, where issues of deepening cooperation in this extremely important applied area of research were considered. Colleagues emphasized the seriousness of the publication activity of the Union State countries and agreed to strengthen it. The Belarusian side proposed to conduct an economic analysis and make a decision on expanding the composition of the founders of the highly rated journal “Nonlinear Phenomena in Complex Systems”.
Polytechnicians took part in the XI International Scientific Conference “Materials and Structures of Modern Electronics”, which is traditionally held at the Physics Department of the Belarusian State University. Specialists present to the scientific community the main results of experimental and theoretical research in the field of semiconductor physics, condensed matter and nanotechnology. More than 50 oral reports were heard at the conference.
The team of polytechnics presented two reports. The first report “Natural size effect in heterocontacts” is devoted to obtaining information about the nature of the electronic properties of the surface of semiconductors and contact structures. Our scientists showed the results of a study of the natural size effect in semiconductor heterocontacts during the distribution of space charge on point and extended linear defects, which is extremely relevant in debugging the technology of manufacturing modern electronic devices on heterojunctions.
The second report, written in collaboration with colleagues from the A. A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was called “Magnetostriction anomalies and magnetocaloric effect of rare-earth Laves phases based on cobalt.” It presented the results of comprehensive studies of the structure and magnetic properties of practically significant rare-earth alloys, as well as the study of anomalies in the area of phase transitions using various techniques.
On the sidelines of the conference, several working meetings were held with the Director of the B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Academician S. V. Gaponenko, Deputy Head of the State Center “Belmicroanalysis”, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus V. A. Pilipenko, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician N. A. Poklonsky, Dean of the Instrument-Making Faculty of the Belarusian National Technical University A. I. Svistun and Professors of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics A. G. Smirnov and G. G. Gorokh.
The outcome of these meetings was a decision to prepare a large, comprehensive interdisciplinary application within the framework of the Union State research program.
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.
SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tis the season for holiday decor. But all those haunted Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving centerpieces and Christmas ornaments present a hidden danger pet parents need to watch out for.
In 2023 alone, pet medical insurance company Trupanion (Nasdaq: TRUP) received more than 24,000 foreign body ingestion claims. Foreign body ingestion (FBI) is a painful, sometimes deadly, and costly condition that happens when a pet eats something they can’t pass through their gastrointestinal system without veterinary help.
“Keep a close eye on your pets during the holiday season,” says veterinarian and Trupanion General Manager, Dr. Stephen Rose, BVSc (Hons1) M Infotech CVA ACVCHM. “And if you suspect your pet ate something they shouldn’t have, don’t risk it—reach out to your veterinarian to have them examined to be sure. It’s better to be safe than sorry in these instances.”
Foreign Body Ingestion: By the Numbers
In 2023, Trupanion paid 24,305 foreign body ingestion claims. The average claim was $878, while the highest claim was $27,403.
Amongst Trupanion’s current population of insured pets, 7% of dogs and 3% of cats have had an FBI claim. Puppies and kittens have the most FBI claims of any age group by far. Pets under 1 year of age claim 322% more than adults and senior pets. Adult pets claim 34% more than senior pets.
Top 5 Dog Breeds Claiming
Doberman Pinscher
Maltese
Boston Terrier
Shih Tzu
German Pointer
Top 5 Cat Breeds Claiming
Persian
Bengal
Russian Blue
Sphynx
Siberian
The Science & Medicine of Foreign Body Ingestion
When a pet eats a foreign object that they can’t pass through their gastrointestinal system, it can become lodged anywhere along the GI Tract and cause a variety of symptoms from vomiting and diarrhea to obstruction, organ damage, and even death.
Early signs and symptoms of foreign body ingestion are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, refusal of food or loss of appetite, whining, restlessness, pain in the belly, straining to defecate or being unable to fully vacate the bowels.
If these symptoms are observed, it’s recommended that the pet is seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible so that they can be evaluated for foreign body ingestion.
During the examination, the vet may perform diagnostic imaging such as x-rays to see if a foreign object can be seen, or use a substance called Barium which when swallowed, illuminates on the radiographs to show if there is a blockage somewhere along the GI tract, and can help track the foreign material.
Surgery is often needed to safely remove foreign objects from the GI tract to prevent further damage. The vet may also support with IV fluids, prescribing pain and/or nausea medications, inducing vomiting, performing bloodwork to check organ function, as well as observation while the pet passes the object.
Prognosis is based on many factors such as what the pet ingested, how long the object has been stuck in the GI tract, where in the tract the object is stuck, and how healthy the pet is otherwise.
Early intervention is always better. If too much time passes before treatment, the pet’s health may continue to decline, and if the blockage is an intestinal or stomach obstruction, the blood flow to organs can be affected, which can result in permanent damage or necrosis of those tissues. In these cases, just a few hours can mean the difference between life or death.
Keeping Your Pets Safe During the Holidays
Common items that pets ingest that result in foreign body ingestion include clothing (often socks and underwear), sticks, bones, corn cobs, champagne corks, food packaging and wrappers, dental floss, hair elastics, and toy stuffing or squeakers.
During the holidays, the big ones to watch out for are decorations like tinsel, garlands, ribbons, and string. In fact, there is a specific type of very dangerous foreign body ingestion called a Linear Foreign Body, where things like strings or ribbons get lodged anywhere from the tongue down the esophagus and into the stomach and intestines. These linear foreign objects can cause the intestines to bunch and slice through the tissues as the body tries to expel them.
“Keep a close eye on your pets during the holiday season,” says veterinarian and Trupanion General Manager, Dr. Stephen Rose, BVSc (Hons1) M Infotech CVA ACVCHM. “There’s a lot going on—a lot of distractions for pet parents, and a lot of objects around the house this time of year that look like toys to our pets, so it’s vital to remain vigilant. On special occasions, ensure you’re cleaning up wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons after opening gifts, and when entertaining, keep pets contained and out of the kitchen so they don’t have access to food and bones, and to prevent guests from feeding them things they shouldn’t eat. And if you suspect your pet ate something they shouldn’t have, don’t risk it—reach out to your veterinarian to have them examined to be sure. It’s better to be safe than sorry in these instances.”
More Foreign Body Ingestion Safety Tips
Provide gates and pens to control what areas pet have access to
Check toys regularly to ensure they’re still intact
Dispose of toys that are coming apart to prevent ingestion of stuffing, strings and squeakers
Keep laundry room doors closed to prevent access to laundry baskets and detergent pods
Keep bathroom and bedroom doors closed to prevent access to garbage cans and other debris
About truInsights
truInsights is a data focused initiative introduced by Trupanion and designed to deliver valuable health-related data and insights to pet parents, veterinarians and pet lovers alike. With over 20 years of pet health data, Trupanion has explored its veterinary invoice data from nearly two million pets and provides details on data trends, as well as prevention tips for keeping our pets safe.
About Trupanion
Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Puerto Rico and Australia with over 1,000,000 pets currently enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet’s recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “TRUP”. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. Policies are sold and administered by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). For more information, please visit trupanion.com.
Winston Salem, NC, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clinical ink, a global life science technology company, announces the promotion of John Pappadakis from EVP, Global Business Development to Chief Commercial Officer and Megan Petrylak from EVP, Clinical Operations to Chief Operating Officer. Jonathan Goldman MD, CEO of Clinical ink commented: “I am delighted to announce the promotion of two of our most seasoned and experienced executives. With John Pappadakis as CCO, and Megan Petrylak as COO, Clinical ink has the ideal leadership team to drive us to the next phase of growth. Our unwavering focus on quality and innovation make us the partner of choice for our biopharmaceutical partners and the patients they serve.”
John Pappadakis, Chief Commercial Officer
John Pappadakis has 34 years of experience in sales and marketing leadership roles within the pharma industry. His career includes commercial and R&D positions at Oracle and IMS Health, following positions of increasing seniority at Pfizer and Parke-Davis where he launched over 30 new molecular entities.
As Clinical ink’s EVP, Global Business Development, John devised an innovative go-to-market strategy centered around the addition of scientific and medical expertise, and the incorporation of new FDA requirements into the Clinical ink technology platform. His vision inspired the creation of the company’s newest integrated cardiometabolic product, GlucoseReady™. Under his leadership, the company recruited a world-class commercial team and demonstrated record levels of key BD metrics.
As Chief Commercial Officer, John will further diversify Clinical ink’s customer base with the addition of new large, medium and small biopharmaceutical companies, whilst solidifying the company’s CRO relationships and other industry alliances. His plans include the deepening of the therapeutic area focus on cardiometabolic, CNS, immunology and oncology, the introduction of an end-to-end decentralized/digital health platform centered around eCOA and EDCXtra™, as well as new licensing-based business models. Moving forward, John will be announcing novel and transformative AI-driven clinical trial innovations.
Megan Petrylak, Chief Operating Officer
Megan Petrylak has over 14 years of clinical trial experience in senior operational leadership roles. She has particularly focused on driving successful outcomes in phase 1-3 clinical trials for a wide range of global biopharmaceutical and CRO customers. Prior to her 6 year tenure at Clinical ink, Megan served as Director of Project Delivery at Worldwide Clinical Trials. Prior to that role, she headed Bioclinica’s centers for imaging and eClinical project management.
As EVP, Clinical Operations, Megan oversaw Clinical ink’s entire customer, site, and patient-facing operations function. She augmented the team with deep expertise in data management and data quality, mandating a quality-first culture. This resulted in impressive increases in customer satisfaction, complemented by significant reductions in all study build and execution metrics and excellent quality outcomes. In addition, Megan’s team successfully launched new products including GlucoseReady™ and EDCXtra™ and has developed a range of industry partnerships including TransPerfect for translations and eClinical Solutions for complex data solutions. Her deep subject matter expertise in eCOA and data management has been recognized at numerous industry consortia and she has served as an expert speaker at meetings such as the Society of Clinical Data Management.
In her new role as Chief Operating Officer, Megan will oversee significant growth in Clinical ink’s revenue, broadening the customer base and expanding the range of integrated solutions. Her plans include upscaling the team to support the planned growth in revenue and margin profile, aided by automation of key operational and data processes. Megan will continue to prioritize quality to drive operational excellence and ensure exceptional delivery to clients.
About Clinical ink
Clinical ink is the global life science company bringing data, technology, and patient-centric research together. Our deep therapeutic-area expertise, coupled with behavioral science, eDC/Direct Data Capture, eCOA, eConsent, telehealth, and digital biomarkers advancement (including the use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring for detection of hypoglycemia), support the next generation of clinical trials and ultimately, the clinical management of patients.
March Bio is rapidly advancing its innovative autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, MB-105, in development for the treatment of relapsed and refractory CD5 positive T-cell lymphoma.
Series A was led by 4BIO Capital and Mission BioCapital with participation from KdT Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, Volnay Therapeutics, Modi Ventures, and Mansueto Investments.
London, United Kingdom, 23 October 2024 – 4BIO Capital (“4BIO” or “the Group”), an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies, today announces that it has led a $28.4 million (£21.9 million) Series A Financing round of March Biosciences (“March Bio” or the “Company”).
4BIO led the oversubscribed round alongside Mission BioCapital with participation from new investors KdT Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, Volnay Therapeutics, Modi Ventures and Mansueto Investments and existing investors TMC Venture Fund, Cancer Focus Fund and Small Ventures.
Since its inception as a spinout of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital), March Bio has rapidly advanced its innovative autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, MB-105, in development for the treatment of relapsed and refractory CD5 positive T-cell lymphoma. MB-105 is specifically engineered to overcome major hurdles related to T-cell targeting by overcoming T-cell fratricide while maintaining high potency against CD5 positive tumor cells. MB-105 has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and durable remissions in relapsed T-cell lymphoma patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial at Baylor College of Medicine, with plans to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial in early 2025. Proceeds from the financing will support the Phase 2 clinical development of MB-105 to expand on this data with optimized manufacturing processes.
Owen Smith, Partner of 4BIO Capital, said, “For far too long, T-cell cancers have been an innovation desert with patients facing a dismal prognosis. March Bio’s innovative autologous CAR-T approach brings patients new hope. MB-105 is specifically engineered for relapsed and refractory CD5 positive T-cell lymphomas and I am delighted that this targeted approach combined with the incredible team led by Sarah is moving rapidly into Phase 2 to bring this exciting new treatment to patients. We are honored to be a co-lead investor in March Bio and to help support the company as it continues in its mission to bring transformative therapies to those in urgent need.”
Sarah Hein, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of March Biosciences, added, “This oversubscribed financing enables us to advance our first-in-class CAR-T therapy, MB-105, into a Phase 2 trial for T-cell lymphoma – an indication with an exceptionally poor prognosis and few treatment options. With the support and confidence of 4BIO and all of our investors, we are not only advancing our lead program but also expanding our pipeline, underscoring our commitment to delivering best-in-class therapies to patients that can change the treatment paradigm for these challenging cancers.”
Owen Smith of 4BIO Capital and Cassidy Blundell of Mission BioCapital will be joining March Bio’s Board of Directors. The financing will also provide resources for the ongoing development of undisclosed pipeline products, as well as for general corporate proceeds.
4BIO Capital (“4BIO”) is an international venture capital firm focused on investing in advanced therapies, including genomic medicines and other emerging technologies, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO’s objective is to invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies developing treatments in areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to these potentially curative therapies for all patients. Specifically, it looks for viable, high-quality opportunities in cell and gene therapy, RNA-based therapy, targeted therapies, and the microbiome. The 4BIO team comprises leading advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors who have collectively published over 250 scientific articles in prestigious academic journals including Nature, The Lancet, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. 4BIO has both an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and X @4biocapital and visit http://www.4biocapital.com.
About March Biosciences
Houston-based March Biosciences, launched from the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital), is dedicated to addressing challenging cancers unresponsive to current immunotherapies. Its lead asset, MB-105, is a CD5-targeted CAR-T cell therapy currently in Phase 1 trials in patients with refractory T-cell lymphoma and leukemia, with promising signals of efficacy and safety to date. A Phase 2 trial is expected to begin next early year. The company has raised over $50M to date, inclusive of this current financing and support from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and the NIH SBIR program. Learn more at http://www.march.bio.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 23 — Eleven major high-tech zones in China have jointly established a collaborative network to promote innovation in the country’s AI industry, China Science Daily has reported.
A conference on the establishment of this network held early this week in Beijing revealed that the newly-founded network features 11 major high-tech zones nationwide, including Beijing’s Zhongguancun, also dubbed China’s “Silicon Valley,” and those in the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Qingdao, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Xi’an, according to the report published on Tuesday.
Wu Jiaxi, deputy director of the planning department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, expressed hope that the collaborative innovation network would cultivate fertile ground for AI innovation in China — via an open and inclusive approach.
High-tech zones are the core carriers and major hubs for AI development in China, and they have become a significant force in AI innovation, said Wu.
He also emphasized the importance of building a community for AI innovation and development through shared benefits, as well as deepening the domestic AI industry layout through an innovation-driven model.
During the conference, network participants announced the Zhongguancun Initiative, which aims to accelerate the development of AI technologies in areas such as chips, algorithms and models.
The Zhongguancun Initiative also seeks to establish a comprehensive innovation and entrepreneurship service system for the entire AI industry chain and to build mechanisms for the exchange of technology, industry, capital and talent.
The initiative encourages the establishment of open AI platforms to maximize the sharing of AI development achievements and seeks the active participation of high-tech zones in the formulation of international and national standards.
Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of strengthening data security and privacy protection, as well as providing regular supervision and regulatory services for AI platform companies, to ensure the traceability and reliability of AI technologies.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Carr, Reader in Education with Psychology and Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath
One of my (Sam’s) earliest memories is from 1980, when John Lennon was tragically assassinated. I vividly recall my mother’s reaction upon hearing the news – she put down the phone, overwhelmed with grief.
Her connection to Lennon, someone she’d never met, was deeply personal. This moment, even though I was only three years old, left a lasting impression and showed me how profound these attachments can be. For my mother, Lennon wasn’t just a famous figure. He represented a significant part of her life and emotions.
This collective mourning illustrates how deeply ingrained celebrities can become in our lives, not just as entertainers, but as symbols of our personal experiences and memories.
It was my first feeling of being in love, my first feeling of crushing on a boy, of being excited about boys. I kissed the posters every night. We all did. It felt like you were part of the best club in the world and it’s a huge part of why we bonded together.
This form of attachment is known as a parasocial relationship, an emotional connection formed with someone who is unaware of the bond. Unlike personal relationships, where both parties contribute to the connection, parasocial relationships allow fans to project idealised traits onto celebrities, unchallenged by reality.
In this way, celebrities often represent aspirational versions of ourselves or embody significant aspects of our identity. When they die, the emotional experience of grief is not just about the person, but about losing part of that imagined connection.
No one’s 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you’re not alone.
The death of a beloved celebrity shatters something that feels deeply meaningful, and can leave you grappling with an emotional void. The loss is not just of a public figure, but of a personal connection that may have shaped your identity and sense of belonging.
This profound sense of grief is often also shared. Following Payne’s sudden death, fans have gathered worldwide, from the UK to the Philippines and Argentina, to sing and mourn at vigils for the star. A similar phenomenon was also observed in September, when Harry Potter fans raised wands at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando. They were paying tribute to Maggie Smith, who played the popular character Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, following her death aged 89.
Collective grief is a common reaction when an influential figure dies. These shared acts of mourning are not only socially significant but also have the power to foster empathy, transforming collective pain and public emotion into meaningful memories of social solidarity and communal strength.
While fans will mourn their star regardless of age, there’s a stark contrast between the deaths of Smith and Payne. Smith’s passing is generally viewed as a “good” death, marking the end of “a true legend”, while Payne’s death at 31 is seen as “a bad, sad ending”. The way that we grieve celebrities is often connected to their age. When Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 aged 43, it shattered many fans’ sense of hope for the future.
For many Payne fans, the singer was their “first love”. Falling in love with celebrities, as psychoanalysts like Aldo Carotenuto have argued, elicits a projection of idealised fantasy that becomes interwoven with our vision of the future. This temporal aspect of fandom is rooted in our sense of narrative identity, through which we view life as a continuing book. The death of a young star can powerfully disrupt this plot and leave you grappling with an unresolved chapter in your own story.
One Direction fans often call themselves “directioners”. Losing a core member of the group has led some directioners to feel this identity is now threatened or altered. The disruption to your sense of identity following the death of a young celebrity that you grew up alongside can be profound. It signifies not only the loss of a cherished part of your past but also serves as a painful reminder of the passage of time and the fragility of life.
This reality can force you to confront your own mortality, highlighting the finite nature of existence. In times of collective mourning, people reflect on their own lives and aspirations while cherishing the memories and legacies of those they admired.
Moving forward without them
Despite the deep pain of grieving, fans often engage in what grief experts call “continuing bonds” – an effort to maintain a connection with the celebrity through memories, tributes or ongoing engagement with their work.
This bond helps to reestablish a sense of order, providing emotional continuity even in the face of loss. The bonds we form with celebrities are often more meaningful than they first appear. Sociologist Jackie Stacey has examined how memories tied to celebrities can profoundly shape and sustain a sense of meaning throughout our lives.
From a life course perspective, early experiences with a favourite star can become deeply embedded in your identity, acting as enduring sources of comfort, inspiration and self-expression.
Though his life has been cut short, the memories and inspiration Payne provided will continue to live on among his fans. As directioners gathered outside the Buenos Aires hotel where he passed away, they sang One Direction songs, including the poignant line: “This is not the end.”
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Scott Williamson, Associate Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
Most people in most countries say they want to be governed democratically. Because democracy’s appeal is so powerful, governments and political leaders everywhere claim to be supporters of democracy.
Take China, for instance. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ruled for decades under a single-party system, a system that contrasts sharply with traditional definitions of democracy. Democratic systems emphasise competitive elections for key leaders, strong protections for political rights and constraints on executive power.
Yet, ask members of the CCP and they will probably tell you that their governance is democratic because it responds to the preferences of the Chinese public. In their view, what makes a democracy is not elections, liberties and constraints. Rather, strong and unencumbered political leaders can govern well and give the people what they want.
How do people understand democracy? If people around the world hold dramatically different views of what democracy means – or even adhere to understandings of democracy that reflect a more authoritarian style of government – then democracy’s apparent global appeal may not mean very much in practice.
Researchers have long been interested in how people from different countries and backgrounds understand democracy. But it’s a complex issue and previous studies have found it difficult to determine what people really mean when they say they want to be governed democratically. In a new article published in Science, we use an experiment administered via surveys in Egypt, India, Italy, Japan, Thailand and the US to bring fresh evidence to this debate.
We presented survey respondents with paired profiles of hypothetical countries. These profiles randomised nine factors reflecting different theories of how people understand democracy. For instance, we presented respondents with information about the countries’ elections, varying whether they were free and fair, biased, or not held at all.
We also randomised whether political rights were protected or repressed, and whether the executive respected the powers of the legislature and courts or not. These three attributes reflect traditional concepts of democracy.
We also included attributes of the hypothetical countries that reflect alternative understandings of democracy. Some claim that democracy means a political system capable of producing substantial changes that benefit citizens broadly. So we varied whether economic equality in the country is higher or lower. We also adjusted whether social equality between genders is better or worse. And we randomised how much influence technocratic experts wield over policy decisions.
Others argue for a more authoritarian model of democracy in which unconstrained leaders give the people what they want in exchange for their obedience. To reflect this view, we gave information about how often the countries’ political leaders follow the majority’s preferences. We also varied whether people obey the government or not.
After reviewing the country profiles, respondents were asked to determine which hypothetical country was more democratic. Analysing which attributes influenced respondents’ choices more strongly gives us insights into how they understand what democracy means.
Reasons to be cheerful
Our results indicate that the traditional definition of democracy is widely accepted. Across the six diverse countries in our sample, respondents were much more likely to perceive countries as democratic when elections were free and fair and political rights were strongly protected.
This prioritisation of elections held across the board. People felt that way regardless of their individual characteristics such as gender, educational attainment, political ideology, age, minority status and attitudes toward geopolitics.
This finding implies some reasons to be optimistic about support for democracy. It suggests that when people say they want democratic governance, many mean competitive elections and protected liberties. This agreement is important. It makes it more likely that enough people will recognise – and potentially push back – against attempts by anti-democratic political leaders to subvert democratic governance.
Reasons for caution
But our findings also highlight points of caution. First, institutional checks and balances were less central to how our respondents understood democracy. This suggests that political leaders may be able to increase their grip on power more easily by undermining the influence of the legislature and courts.
And anti-democratic politicians can still claim to be democratic by deceptively arguing that they prioritise these elements of the political system, while actually undermining them. A prominent example is former US president Donald Trump. In 2020, Trump tried to overturn his election loss by falsely asserting it had been rigged against him.
Even in outright authoritarian countries, rulers often use controlled elections as “evidence” of their democratic character. In Egypt, for instance, the autocratic president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi declared after winning his rigged 2023 election that he would continue to build “a democratic state that protects its citizens”.
Many people may see through such claims, but autocrats can sometimes build support by using elections to present themselves as democrats – even when they are not free and fair.
While many people reject outright authoritarian notions of what democracy means, factors other than elections and liberties also influence their understanding of democratic governance. In our study, countries were often believed to be more democratic when they delivered good outcomes – for example, by providing higher gender or economic equality.
Gender equality was the only attribute in the experiment which came close to elections and liberties in its ability to shape perceptions of which countries were more democratic. Because gender equality is inherently desirable and is associated with democracy, some autocrats have successfully engaged in “genderwashing”. They’ve done this by (often nominally) reforming women’s rights to reduce pressure for more competitive elections and protected political rights.
Finally, just because people generally agree on what democracy means does not necessarily mean they will continue to support it. If democracies fail to perform effectively or represent their citizens well, people may be persuaded to accept more authoritarian models of governance.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Even if we haven’t heard them for many years, familiar songs often stick with us for life. We can often recall every lyric to songs we learned as kids or albums we idolised as teenagers. But beyond music we’ve purposely chosen to listen to or learn, one type of music seems to stick with us without any effort: the jingle.
Jingles have a long history in the advertising industry. The first known radio jingle in the UK – Have You Tried Wheaties? – was launched in 1926. Jingles have since become a major feature of our everyday lives.
Recent market research found that several of the ten most recognisable jingles for UK adults dated back three or even four decades. While comparison site Go Compare topped the list, Mars’ “work, rest and play” jingle (axed in the mid-1990s) and even Shake ‘n’ Vac “put the freshness back” (1980) are still buzzing about in the heads of those polled.
So why do these songs stick with us? And what effect does this have on what we buy?
Jingles become memorable in different ways. Some advertisers use familiar songs, which are inherently easier to remember, in a new context. For instance, the Go Compare jingle uses the traditional song Over There and couples it with the comic visual element of an over-the-top opera singer. The “Just one Cornetto” campaign (launched in 1981) similarly takes a classical melody (O sole mio) and tweaks it to sell ice cream.
Other jingles make use of musical elements that make them likely to become “earworms” – those tunes that get stuck in our heads whether we like them or not. In research examining a large collection of pop music, my team found that songs that were likely to become earworms had upbeat tempos, often in the range that would make a person want to dance along. Many jingles, such as “Do the Shake ‘n’ Vac” and “I feel like Chicken Tonight” fit this pattern.
Indeed, other research has shown that when people either move or sing along to catchy songs, they are more likely to subsequently experience these songs as earworms. It has also been found that having an earworm for a song you have recently learned means you will remember that song better later on.
Lyrics can also play an important role in the memorability of a song or product. The alliterative lyrics of “Maybe it’s Maybelline” ensure that even a consumer who has never heard of this brand will easily recall its name the next time they are in the shop.
Links to other times in our life
It’s not just features of the music that give jingles such a stronghold in our memories. Music tends to be closely associated with the contexts in which we’ve heard it. That is, it often becomes closely entwined with autobiographical memories from our lives.
Hearing a jingle from our childhood can therefore bring back memories not just of hearing that song, but the living room we grew up in, and the feeling of sitting around the TV with family watching together. Jingles therefore can be a strong trigger of nostalgia.
Research has shown that the period when we are around ten to 25 years old tends to be remembered most vividly. Music cues are also best at tapping into memories of this period, which is known as the “reminiscence bump”.
In line with this, the same consumer research also revealed different recognition rates for jingles across age groups. For instance, for millennials, McDonalds’ “I’m lovin’ it” ranked number two in the top-recognised jingles list and “Maybe it’s Maybelline” came in at number five.
More than 40 years on, plenty of Brits will still be able to sing along.
Some brands also explicitly aim to merge this nostalgic element with staying on trend. Maybelline has recently reinvented its jingle, incorporating dance music elements to appeal to gen Z audiences while retaining features of the classic 1990s jingle that connects millennials to their youth.
So does writing a memorable jingle help to sell a product? In short, yes. Research that examined choices of two products from the same category (for example, cameras) showed that products coupled with a familiar tune were more likely to be chosen than those coupled with an unfamiliar tune.
However, liking the music also independently affected product choice. In particular, music that participants really disliked tended to put them off choosing a product even if the tune was familiar. This suggests that advertisers do need to carefully consider the musical preferences of their target market over and above simply writing catchy tunes.
Music has a strong hold on our memories. The same features that help us to learn the alphabet through music or transport us back to the first dance at our wedding also mean we are able to effortlessly recall which cleaning product promises that washing machines live longer.
Kelly Jakubowski consults for Maybelline (L’Oréal Groupe). She receives research funding from The Leverhulme Trust and AHRC.
The challenge asked participants to use LLM and other machine learning algorithms to create an AI assistant that would help student programmers and developers solve Python problems by understanding where an error was made in their code and offering step-by-step explanations and recommendations for fixing it without explicitly providing the corrected code.
The competition lasted seven days, five of which were held online on the DS Works platform from the cloud technology provider Cloud.ru. The opening and final days were held in the HSE building on Pokrovsky Boulevard.
16 teams that were among the top ranking teams based on the quantitative metrics obtained for their solution were allowed to defend their projects.
The victory was won by the team “MISIS Computer” from the University of Science and Technology MISIS. The second place was taken by the team MMG from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. The bronze was won by the team Selling Pandas, consisting of first-year students of the program“Applied Mathematics and Computer Science” HSE Faculty of Computer Science. The winners received cash prizes of 250,000, 200,000 and 150,000 rubles, respectively.
Vice-Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Sergey Roshchin and Head of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Alexey Masyutin awarded the winners and shared their opinions on the hackathon.
Sergey Roshchin
— The Higher School of Economics is developing in order to respond to the challenges that occur in technology, business processes and various spheres of human life. The big digital world is a new reality in which we must learn to live and interact with artificial intelligence technologies. That is why we are actively building education so that absolutely all of our students, regardless of their field of study, master digital competencies. The Higher School of Economics is a recognized leader in training personnel in the field of AI. But we are going further and setting ourselves more ambitious goals, including automating routine tasks related to the development of AI technologies. We chose the hackathon format because it allows students to test and prove themselves by solving important and new problems. The competition participants spent a whole week developing a solution, and during this time, I am sure, they managed not only to find a worthy solution, but also to gain experience and develop their human capital. And the results obtained are a contribution to our digital future.
This time we managed to hold a real hackathon, when there is no pre-defined pipeline on how to get a solution.
Participants had the opportunity to adapt language models to help the student step-by-step understand the problem while writing code, rather than simply providing a ready-made solution.
Based on the results of the defenses, variants were proposed with enrichment with synthetic data, and with advanced aroma engineering, and with RAG approaches, and even with additional LLM training. This exceeded our expectations.
We intend to use the best solutions for implementation in HSE Smart LMS and provide an AI assistant for both students and teachers when learning Python.
The teams that won prizes also shared their impressions.
First place – the team “MISIS Computer”
— The hackathon was really cool, our team has a lot of experience participating in hackathons, and we know firsthand what a quality organization is. This hackathon had a really great organization, a good leaderboard, clear metrics and, most importantly, active organizers and experts who promptly answered questions and were in touch. Special thanks to Maxim — for his openness and cool expertise on the task. The results of the hackathon will not pass by HSE, the organizers are going to implement the best solutions in the university systems. Thanks to the organizers, experts and participants for such an interesting competition! We will be back!
Second place – MMG team
— Our team took part in the hackathon with great pleasure. We were especially pleased that it was technical and research-based, without a business component, and that the task was very relevant and in demand. Despite the fact that for most of us such a deep dive into working with LLM was the first time, we successfully coped with it, mastered new technologies and gained valuable experience.
It was an honor for us to represent the Financial University at this event. We would like to express special gratitude to the organizers for their constant support. They quickly resolved any difficulties that arose and were always in touch, which created comfortable conditions for work. We are glad that we were able to take part in this hackathon and take such a high place!
Third place – Selling Pandas team
— This was our first hackathon, which essentially consisted entirely of using fine-tuning LLMs (large language models). It was not easy, but it is precisely such competitions that bring the most pleasure, when you need to create a solution in a limited time in a practically new area for you.
By the end of the hackathon, we didn’t even want it to end, as there were still ideas that we hadn’t managed to implement. We were also very pleased with the organization of the hackathon: they always provided clear information and promptly answered all questions. We are very happy that we managed to take the prize place.
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.
Atlanta, GA, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trust Stamp (Nasdaq: IDAI), a global provider of advanced identity solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of a pioneering research initiative aimed at expanding its biometric cryptosystem, Stable IT2, to include contactless palm authentication. The Biometric Secure Module (BSM) project will further enhance security by integrating face and palm biometrics, providing a more resilient and privacy-centric authentication system.
Cyber-crime is on the rise, with global costs projected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. Trust Stamp’s BSM project aims to address this growing concern by developing a biometric cryptosystem that offers high-entropy, secure authentication without the need to store sensitive biometric data. This ensures users’ data remains protected even in the event of a device breach, as no cryptographic keys are stored directly on the device.
Project Biometric Secure Module (BSM) financed by Xjenza Malta, through the FUSION: R&I Technology Development Programme Lite, will span 18 months, with a start date of November 1, 2024. The funding covers 75% of the project cost, with the company contributing 25% from its own resources. By leveraging Trust Stamp’s proprietary Stable IT2 algorithm, the BSM will generate cryptographic keys directly from facial and palm biometric features. This innovative approach maintains high security while minimizing the risks associated with device compromises.
Prof. Norman Poh, Chief Science Officer of Trust Stamp, emphasized the privacy advantages of this approach, stating, “By utilizing palm biometrics, we can generate secure keys from a biometric modality that is less publicly exposed than facial features. This provides an added layer of protection against unauthorized access.”
Prof. Reuben Farrugia, Research Director at Trust Stamp, outlined the significance of the research, noting that this project aims to deliver a software development kit (SDK) for Android devices. This SDK will allow integration of the Stable IT2 process into mobile applications, enabling secure on-device authentication. Additionally, the development of Trust Stamp’s Orchestration Layer will provide seamless access to helper data, facilitating user-friendly biometric authentication.
Trust Stamp’s BSM project represents a significant advancement in the field of biometrics, offering a robust solution that aligns with industry standards such as the FIDO Alliance’s recommendations. With the combination of face and palm recognition, Trust Stamp is poised to redefine digital identity security, particularly for financial institutions, digital wallets, and identity access management providers.
About Trust Stamp: Trust Stamp is a global provider of AI-powered identity verification and authentication solutions. With a focus on privacy-first security, Trust Stamp offers innovative biometric technology to enhance digital identity management. For more information, visit http://www.truststamp.net.
About Xjenza Malta: Xjenza Malta is the government agency responsible for promoting and coordinating scientific research, technological innovation, and science communication in Malta.
All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements,” including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The information in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements and information related to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. These statements reflect management’s current views with respect to future events-based information currently available and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Tampa, FL, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LM Funding America, Inc. (NASDAQ: LMFA) (“LM Funding” or the “Company”), a cryptocurrency mining and technology-based specialty finance company, is pleased to announce the promotion of Ryan Duran from Vice President of Operations to President of its digital mining subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co LLC.
Bruce Rodgers, Chairman and CEO of LM Funding, stated, “As we continue to focus and expand our Bitcoin mining operations, it is clear that strong, dedicated leadership is essential to drive our hosting and mining infrastructure. With his expertise and leadership skills, Ryan Duren is the perfect choice to accelerate our growth in the Bitcoin mining business.”
With this promotion, Ryan Duran will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction and enhancing the operational efficiency of the Company’s mining operations, ensuring that LM Funding remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency industry.
Mr. Duran has worked with the Company since 2008 and has developed broad operational experience in the digital mining and hosting area and the specialty finance operations of the business. Mr. Duran has a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Finance from Florida State University.
About LM Funding America LM Funding America, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMFA), together with its subsidiaries, is a cryptocurrency mining business that commenced Bitcoin mining operations in September 2022. The Company also operates a technology-based specialty finance company that provides funding to nonprofit community associations (Associations) primarily located in the state of Florida, as well as in the states of Washington, Colorado, and Illinois, by funding a certain portion of the Associations’ rights to delinquent accounts that are selected by the Associations arising from unpaid Association assessments.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” and “project” and other similar words and expressions are intended to signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guaranties of future results and conditions but rather are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Some of these risks and uncertainties are identified in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other filings with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, uncertainty created by the risks of entering into and operating in the cryptocurrency mining business, uncertainty in the cryptocurrency mining business in general, problems with hosting vendors in the mining business, the capacity of our Bitcoin mining machines and our related ability to purchase power at reasonable prices, the ability to finance and grow our cryptocurrency mining operations, our ability to acquire new accounts in our specialty finance business at appropriate prices, the potential need for additional capital in the future, changes in governmental regulations that affect our ability to collected sufficient amounts on defaulted consumer receivables, changes in the credit or capital markets, changes in interest rates, and negative press regarding the debt collection industry. The occurrence of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently weighed in on these debates with its 2024 decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. The court’s ruling grants cities the authority to prohibit individuals from sleeping and camping in public spaces, effectively condoning the use of fines and bans to address rising rates of homelessness.
East Atlanta Village, a historically Black neighborhood in Atlanta with about 3,000 residents, is trying something different. In the fall of 2023, with support from the Atlanta City Council, the mayor’s office and Intown Cares, a local nonprofit that works to alleviate homelessness and hunger, the neighborhood hired a full-time social worker to support people experiencing homelessness.
Michael Nolan, an Intown Cares social worker, is trained in an approach that emphasizes individual autonomy and dignity, recognizes that being homeless is a traumatic experience, and prioritizes access to housing. His role includes helping individuals get the documentation they need to move off the streets, such as copies of their birth certificates and Social Security cards. He also has a dedicated phone line that community members can use to alert him about dangerous situations that involve homeless people.
Michael Nolan, East Atlanta Village’s social worker, spends 40-plus hours weekly providing supplies, services and other help to people experiencing homelessness.
I am a researcher at the University of Washington studying programs and technologies that help urban neighborhoods flourish. I’m also a resident of East Atlanta Village and have helped the neighborhood organize and evaluate this experiment.
For the past year, my colleagues and I have collected data about the neighborhood social work program to understand how well it can support both people without housing and the broader community. Our preliminary findings suggest that neighborhood social work is a promising way to address challenges common in many neighborhoods with homelessness.
I believe this approach has the potential to provide long-term solutions to homelessness and improve the health and safety for the entire neighborhood. I also see it as a sharp contrast with the punitive approach condoned by the Supreme Court.
Resolving conflicts over public space
One of the people I interviewed while evaluating this initiative was Rebecca, a resident of East Atlanta Village who walks her dog in the local park every day. In the fall of 2023, she noticed that a man had moved into the park and set up a tent. At first, the area was clean, but within a few weeks there was garbage around the tent and throughout the park.
Rebecca felt that the trash was ruining one of the few green spaces in the neighborhood. She decided to contact Nolan. Nolan told her that he knew the unhoused man, was working with him to secure permanent housing and in the meantime would help him move his tent to a less-frequented space.
Such negotiations around public spaces are common challenges for neighborhoods with large homeless populations, especially in dense urban areas. Other examples in our data included conflicts when a homeless person began sleeping in his car outside another resident’s home, and when a homeless man wandered into a homeowner’s yard.
The standard approach in these situations is to fine, ban or imprison the unhoused individual. But those strategies are expensive, can prolong homelessness and do little to actually resolve the issues.
In contrast, hiring a social worker has enabled East Atlanta Village to resolve conflicts gently, through conversation and negotiation. The solutions address concerns about public health and safety and also offer people without homes an opportunity for long-term change.
Meeting basic needs
Over the past year, this program has helped 13 people move into housing. Nolan has facilitated over 180 medical and mental health care visits for people living on the street.
Eighty-six people have been connected to Medicaid, food assistance or Social Security benefits. Thirty-five people have health care for the first time, and six people have started receiving medication for their addictions.
Research shows that addressing people’s basic needs by helping them obtain food, medicine, housing and other necessities not only supports those individuals but also produces cascading benefits for the entire community. They include reduced inequality, better health outcomes and lower crime rates.
Managing mental and behavioral health
Studies have found that about two-thirds of unhoused individuals struggle with mental health challenges. Unmet mental and behavioral health needs can contribute to unsafe and illegal behavior.
The United States does not have a comprehensive system in place for supporting people who are living on the street and struggling with chronic mental and behavioral health challenges. While much more infrastructure is needed, in East Atlanta Village, Nolan is able to check in on people experiencing homelessness, work with clinics to deliver medication for addiction and mental health needs and alert community members about dangerous situations.
As an example, in December 2023 a homeless man was arrested in East Atlanta Village for trespassing, stealing mail and other erratic behavior. When concerned residents posted to the neighborhood Facebook group, Nolan responded that he knew the man well, that this behavior was not typical and that he would look into the situation.
Nolan later updated his post, commenting that the man had been arrested but that he would “continue to follow up and ensure that his current behaviors do not return upon his release.”
In other examples, Nolan has helped de-escalate situations when people experienced mental health episodes in local coffee shops and churches.
A model for other cities
Cities around the U.S. have decisions to make about addressing homelessness and its associated challenges. Neighborhood social work is not a magic bullet, but my colleagues and I see it as a promising approach to address the most common challenges that neighborhoods with high rates of homelessness face.
East Atlanta Village is currently working with the Atlanta City Council to renew funding for this program, which cost US$100,000 in its initial year. We hope that other neighborhoods also consider this strategy when deciding how to address homelessness in their own areas.
Ishita Chordia is affiliated with the East Atlanta Neighborhood Association. She volunteers for the neighborhood association and has helped organize and evaluate the neighborhood social work program.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Hannah Cutting-Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Studies; Director of Food Studies, University of Oregon
Beef dominates American diets. In 2022, Americans consumed almost 30 billion pounds of beef.Johnrob/E+ via Getty Images
American diets have long revolved around beef. On an 1861 trip to the United States, the English novelist Anthony Trollope marveled that Americans consumed twice as much beef as Englishmen. Through war, industry, development and settlement, America’s love of beef continued. In 2022, the U.S. as a whole consumed almost 30 billion pounds (13.6 billion kilograms) of it, or 21% of the world’s beef supply.
Beef has also reached iconic status in American culture. As “Slaughterhouse-Five” author Kurt Vonnegut once penned, “Being American is to eat a lot of beef, and boy, we’ve got a lot more beef steak than any other country, and that’s why you ought to be glad you’re an American.”
In part, the dominance of beef in American cuisine can be traced to settler colonialism, a form of colonization in which settlers claim – and then transform – lands inhabited by Indigenous people. In America, this process centered on the systemic and often violent displacement of Native Americans. Settlers brought with them new cultural norms, including beef-heavy diets that required massive swaths of land for grazing cattle.
As a food historian, I am interested in how, in the 19th century, the beef industry both propelled and benefited from colonialism, and how these intertwined forces continue to affect our diets, culture and environment today.
Cattle and cowboys
Beginning in the 16th century, the first Europeans to settle across the Americas – and later, Australia and New Zealand – brought their livestock with them. A global economy built on appropriated Indigenous territories allowed these nations to become among the highest consumers and producers of meat in the world.
The United States in particular tied its burgeoning national identity and westward expansion to the settlement and acquisition of cattle-ranching lands. Until 1848, Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and New Mexico were part of Mexico and inhabited by numerous tribes, Indigenous cowboys and Mexican ranchers.
The Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846-48, led to 525,000 square miles being ceded to the United States – land that became central to American beef production. Gold, discovered in the northern Sierra by 1849, drew hundreds of thousands more settlers to the region.
The desire for cattle-supporting land played an integral role in the systematic decimation of bison populations, as well. For thousands of years, Native Americans relied on bison for physical and cultural survival. At least 30 million roamed the western United States in 1800; by 1890, 60 million head of cattle had taken their place.
Beef replaces bison
It is no coincidence that the rise of an extensive and powerful American beef industry coincided with the near-elimination of bison across the United States.
In 1875, Philip Sheridan, a general in the U.S. Army, applauded the impact bison hunters could have on the beef industry. Hunters “have done more in the last two years, and will do more in the next year, to settle the vexed Indian question, than the entire regular army has done in the last forty years,” Sheridan said. “They are destroying the Indians’ commissary … (and so) for a lasting peace, let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated. Then your prairies can be covered with speckled cattle.”
In 1884, with no hint of irony, the U.S. Department of Indian Affairs constructed a slaughterhouse on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and required tribal members to provide the factory’s labor in exchange for its beef.
By 1888, New York politician and sometimes rancher Theodore Roosevelt described Western stockmen as “the pioneers of civilization,” who with “their daring and adventurousness make the after settlement of the region possible.” Later, during Roosevelt’s presidency – from 1900 to 1908 – the U.S. claimed another 230 million acres of Indigenous lands for public use, further opening the West to ranching and settlement.
The Union Stock Yards in Chicago, the most modern slaughterhouse of the era, opened on Christmas Day in 1865 and marked a turning point for industrial beef production. No longer delivered “on the hoof” to cities, cattle were now slaughtered in Chicago and sent East as tinned meat or, after the 1870s, in refrigerated railcars.
Processing over 1 million head of cattle annually at its height, the Union Stock Yards, a global technological marvel and international tourist attraction, symbolized industrial progress and inspired national pride.
By the turn of the 20th century, beef was solidly linked to American identity both at home and globally. In 1900, the average American consumed over 100 pounds of beef per year, almost twice the amount eaten by Americans today.
Canadian food writer Marta Zaraska argues in her 2021 book “Meathooked” that beef became a key part of the American origin myth of rugged individualism that was emerging at this time. And cowboys, working the grueling cattle drives, came to embody values linked to the frontier: self-reliance, strength and independence.
Popular for decades as a street food, America’s proudest culinary invention – the hamburger – debuted at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 alongside other novelties such as Dr. Pepper and ice cream.
At the same time, national programs reinforced food insecurity for Native Americans. In efforts to eventually dissolve reservations and open these lands to private development, for example, in 1952 the U.S. government launched the Voluntary Relocation Program, in which the Bureau of Indian Affairs persuaded many living on reservations to move to cities. The promised well-paying jobs did not materialize, and most of those who relocated traded rural for urban poverty.
Policies encouraging settler colonialism ultimately led to more sedentary lifestyles and a dependence on fast, convenient and processed foods – such as hamburgers – regardless of the individual or environmental costs.
In recent decades, scientists have warned that industrial meat production, and beef in particular, fuels climate change and leads to deforestation, soil erosion, species extinction, ocean dead zones and high levels of methane emissions. It is also a threat to biodiversity. Nutritionist Diego Rose believes the best way “to reduce your carbon footprint (is to) eat less beef,” a view shared by other sustainability experts.
As of January 2022, about 10% of Americans over the age of 18 considered themselves vegetarian or vegan. Another recent study found that 47% of American adults are “flexitarians” who eat primarily, but not wholly, plant-based diets.
At the same time, small-scale farmers and cooperatives are working to restore soil health by reintegrating cows and other grazing animals into sustainable farming practices to produce more high-quality, environmentally friendly meat.
More encouraging still, tribes in Montana – Blackfeet Nation, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, and South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux – have reintroduced bison to the northern Great Plains to revive the prairie ecosystem, tackle food insecurity and lessen the impacts of climate change.
Even so, in the summer of 2024, Americans consumed 375 million hamburgers in celebration of Independence Day – more than any other food.
Hannah Cutting-Jones 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.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Thomas G. Roberts, Postdoctoral Fellow in International Affiars, Georgia Institute of Technology
Neither candidate has talked much about space policy on the campaign trail, but both have records to consider.Anton Petrus/Moment via Getty Images
The next president of the United States could be the first in that office to accept a phone call from the Moon and hear a woman’s voice on the line. To do so, they’ll first need to make a series of strategic space policy decisions. They’ll also need a little luck.
Enormous government investment supports outer space activities, so the U.S. president has an outsize role in shaping space policy during their time in office.
Past presidents have leveraged this power to accelerate U.S. leadership in space and boost their presidential brand along the way. Presidential advocacy has helped the U.S. land astronauts on the surface of the Moon, establish lasting international partnerships with civil space agencies abroad and led to many other important space milestones.
But most presidential candidates refrain from discussing space policy on the campaign trail in meaningful detail, leaving voters in the dark on their visions for the final frontier.
For many candidates, getting into the weeds of their space policy plans may be more trouble than it’s worth. For one, not every president even gets the opportunity for meaningful and memorable space policy decision-making, since space missions can operate on decades-long timelines. And in past elections, those who do show support for space initiatives often facecriticism from their opponents for their high price tags.
But the 2024 election is different. Both candidates have executive records in space policy, a rare treat for space enthusiasts casting their votes this November.
As a researcher who studies international affairs in outer space, I am interested in how those records interface with the strategic and sustainable use of that domain. A closer look shows that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have used their positions to consistently prioritize U.S. leadership in space, but they have done so with noticeably different styles and results.
Trump’s space policy record
As president, Trump established a record of meaningful and lasting space policy decisions, but did so while attracting more attention to his administration’s space activities than his predecessors. He regularlytook personal creditfor ideas and accomplishments that predated his time in office.
The former president oversaw the establishment of the U.S. Space Force and the reestablishment of the U.S. Space Command, as well as the National Space Council. These organizations support the development and operation of military space technologies, defend national security satellites in future conflicts and coordinate between federal agencies working in the space domain.
While president, Donald Trump oversaw the creation of the U.S. Space Force. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Should he be elected again, the former president may wish to accelerate NASA’s Moon plans by furthering investment in the agency’s Artemis program, which houses its lunar initiatives.
Notably, the Trump administration kept this position that the president can alter at will assigned to the vice president, a precedent the Biden administration upheld.
In this role, Harris led the United States’ commitment to refrain from testing weapons in space that produce dangerous, long-lasting space debris. This decision marks an achievement for the U.S. in keeping space operations sustainable and setting an example for others in the international space community.
Like some Trump administration space policy priorities, not all of Harris’ proposals found footing in Washington.
Should she be elected, Harris may choose to continue her efforts to shape responsible norms of behavior in space and organize oversight over the space industry.
Alternatively, she could cede the portfolio to her own vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has virtually no track record on space policy issues.
Stability in major space policy decisions
Despite the two candidates’ vastly different platforms, voters can expect stability in U.S. space policy as a result of this year’s election.
Given their past leadership, it is unlikely that either candidate will seek to dramatically alter the long-term missions the largest government space organizations have underway during the upcoming presidential term. And neither is likely to undercut their predecessors’ accomplishments.
Thomas G. Roberts is affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In just about any discussion of a poll about the very close presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, you’ll hear the phrase “within the poll’s margin of error.” Those words signal that it is a tight race with no clear leader, even if one of them has a slightly larger percentage of support, like 48% to 47%.
As the director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, which has been taking the pulse of the public on policy issues and elections for the past 30 years, I’ve noted that people have been paying more attention to this technical term since at least 2016.
But those 1 or 2 percentage points were within their polls’ margins of error. And Clinton lost Florida. In a poll about a political race, the margin of error tells readers the likely range of results of an election.
What is a margin of error?
A poll is one or more questions asked of a small group of people and used to gauge the views of a larger group of people. The margin of error is a mathematical calculation of how accurate the poll results are – of how closely the answers given by the small group match the views held by the larger group.
If everyone in the larger group were polled, there would be no margin of error. But it’s complicated, difficult and expensive to contact that many people. The U.S. Census Bureau spent US$13.7 billion over several years in its most recent effort to count every person in the United States every 10 years, and it still wasn’t able to include exactly everyone.
Pollsters don’t have that kind of time – or money – so they use smaller samples of the population. They seek to identify representative samples in which all members of the larger group have a chance to be included in the poll.
The group size is important
The calculation of how close the poll is to the views of the larger population is based on the size of the group that is polled.
For example, a sample of 600 voters will have a larger margin of error – about 4 percentage points – than a sample of 1,000 voters, which has a margin of error of just over 3 percentage points.
The way the sample is chosen also matters: In 1936, the Literary Digest magazine polled people on the presidential election by mailing surveys to telephone owners, car owners and country club members. Everyone in this group was relatively affluent, so they were not representative of the whole U.S. voting population. Calculating a margin of error would have been meaningless because the sample did not capture all segments of the population.
Let’s use an example of how to understand the margin of error. If a poll shows that 47% of the polled group support Candidate A, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, that means that the percentage in the population supporting Candidate A is likely to be between 44% (47 minus 3) and 50% (47 plus 3).
One quick note: Most polls report margins of error alongside another technical term, “confidence interval.” In the most rigorous reporting of polls, you might see a sentence near the end that says something like “The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, at a 95% confidence interval.” What all that means is this: Imagine if 100 different random samples of the same size were selected from the larger group, and then asked the same questions in the poll. The 95% confidence interval means that 95% of the time, those other polls’ responses would be within 3 percentage points of the answers reported in this one poll.
Comparing support between candidates
The concept of margin of error gets more complex when looking at the differences in support between two candidates. If a margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, the margin of error on the difference between them is about double – or 6 percentage points, in this example.
That’s because the margin of error here is a combined one, and refers to not just the percentage voting for Candidate A but also to the percentage voting for the other candidate.
To look back at 2016 again, the final Quinnipiac University Poll in Florida before Election Day showed Clinton with 46% support and Trump with 45% support. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points, which meant Clinton was likely to get between 42.1% and 49.9% of the vote, and Trump was likely to get between 41.1% and 48.9% of the vote.
The actual result was that Trump won Florida with 48.6%, as compared with Clinton’s 47.4%. Those results were within our poll’s margin of error, meaning we were correct to declare it “too close to call” – and we would have been wrong to say Clinton was ahead.
2024 will be a close election
In the current election cycle, many media reports about polls are not including information about the margin of error.
Leaving out that information, or downplaying its significance, may help media outlets provide a quick, simple picture about the state of the race. Technology can seem precise in the modern age of the internet and artificial intelligence.
But polling is not as precise. It is an inexact science. It’s a pollster’s job to capture snapshots of the complexities of human nature at a particular time. People’s minds can change, and new information can arise as the campaigns unfold.
With the presidential election in its final weeks, our polls have been finding a fairly tight and steady race, with most voters telling us their minds are made up. Because the difference between the presidential candidates is within the margin of error in swing states, the election polling in autumn 2024 is telling Americans to hold their breath and make sure they vote, because it is likely to be a squeaker.
Doug Schwartz is affiliated with the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).
