NewzIntel.com

Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s purported ‘Art of the Deal’ negotiating skills aren’t likely to end the Russia-Ukraine war

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anton Oleinik, Professor of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland

    The White House says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserting the truce was effective immediately while also accusing Russia of lying about the deal’s terms.

    Needless to say, it’s far from clear that United States President Donald Trump’s supposed “Art of the Deal” negotiating skills are enough to broker sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine given the protagonists’ unwillingness to make concessions and the volatile nature of attempts to broker a peace agreement.

    The war waged by Russia has reached the stage where both Russian and Ukrainian officials fear losing face if they make concessions.

    Both view their enemy as an existential threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued Russian defeat would spell “the end of the 1,000-year history of the Russian state,” while Zelenskyy says Russia’s protracted assault is an overt existential threat and the absence of U.S. support threatens the very survival of his country.

    Both sides have seemed prepared to fight until the bitter end. The involvement of a mediator in the form of the United States, therefore, could potentially change the deadly dynamics of the conflict.

    ‘Love to beat them’

    Trump declares being up to this formidable task. He positions himself as a mediator occupying a middle ground between the protagonists, unlike his predecessor in the Oval Office who supported Ukraine.

    In his ghost-written book The Art of the Deal, Trump claimed to enjoy these sorts of challenges:

    “In New York real estate… you are dealing with some of the sharpest, toughest, and most vicious people in the world… I happen to love to go up against these guys, and I love to beat them.”

    But if mediators, including Trump, are to successfully persuade opposing sides to make a deal, they need to properly understand each side’s motives. To what extent is each side malleable so some common ground can be found? Making a deal always requires compromises and concessions.

    Trump is well aware of this, saying recently of any prospective Russia-Ukraine agreement: “You’re going to have to always make compromises. You can’t do any deals without compromises.”

    Understanding motivations

    David McClelland’s theory of human motivation may be relevant in terms of attempts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. The social psychologist argued that three motives — the need for achievement, the need for affiliation and the need for power — explains most human behaviour:

    1. The need for achievement explains the desire to be productive and get results;
    2. Concern about establishing, maintaining or restoring a positive relationship with another person or people underpins the need for affiliation;
    3. The will to dominate, to have an impact on another person or people, is the essence of the need for power.

    McClelland predicted that when the need for power significantly exceeds the need for affiliation, conflicts and wars are likely. He viewed a high “power-minus-affiliation” gap as indicative of what he called the “imperial power motive syndrome.”



    Read more:
    Too much power can do very odd things to a leader’s head

    The metaphor of an empire lies at its origin. The empire’s declared mission is to enlighten, civilize and bring order to its subjects. Leaders with the imperial power motive syndrome show reformist zeal to save others, whether they like it or not.

    The social psychologist Robert Hogenraad subsequently adapted McClelland’s theory for computer-assisted content analysis by developing dictionaries of the three needs.

    If the words associated with the need for power — control, domination, victory, for example — occur more often in a text, speech or news reports than words associated with the need for affiliation — like love, family, friends — then the speaker has the imperial power motive syndrome.

    Hawks vs. doves

    My recently published analysis of war-related speeches delivered by Russian, Ukrainian, American, British and French leaders during the three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine gives some clues about the motivations of the parties involved.

    Compared with their western counterparts, Putin and Zelenskyy exhibit the strongest imperial power motive syndrome and are “hawks.” Their need for power, as expressed through their public speeches, significantly exceeds their need for affiliation. Trump, however, appears similar to that of his arch-rival, former president Joe Biden. Both are closer to the “dovish” end of the scale.

    The preliminary outcomes of talks on a potential ceasefire reveal the challenges faced by mediators.

    First, the talks being held in Saudi Arabia were bilateral, with American officials meeting separately with Russian and Ukrainian delegations, as opposed to trilteral.

    Second, no joint statement followed the talks, although it was widely expected.

    Third, the White House issued two separate statements, one on talks with Ukraine’s representatives and the other on discussions with Russia’s representatives.

    The Ukraine statement includes the commitment to continue the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, whereas the statement on the talks with Russia does not mention any of this.

    This is despite the fact that the International Criminal Court has accused Putin of committing war crimes via the unlawful deportation of children.

    Trump’s antipathy toward Zelenskyy

    The prospects of a peace agreement is further complicated by the history of Trump’s attempts to broker deals in Ukraine.

    The war in Ukraine actually began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and a proxy war in Donbas. Trump was elected president two years later.

    His discourse about Ukraine did not differ significantly from Obama’s and Biden’s until his first impeachment in 2020 for soliciting “the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his re-election.”

    His call to Zelenskyy in July 2019 triggered the impeachment. He pushed for two investigations aimed at helping his re-election bid — one into Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and another into the hack of Democratic National Committee servers in 2016 — in exchange for releasing about $400 million of military assistance already approved by Congress and inviting Zelenskyy to the White House at that time.

    During and after the first impeachment, Trump’s language on Ukraine significantly diverged from Obama’s and Biden’s. He began using words like “corruption,” “lies” and “hoax” in relation to Ukraine.

    Moving forward

    All this suggests that Trump’s first impeachment has had a lasting impact on his perception of Ukraine and its leader.

    And so in addition to dealing with two protagonists who are unwilling to make concessions, Trump as a mediator faces challenges related to his past.

    One protagonist, Zelenskyy, may unwittingly remind him of one of the darkest moments in his political career — his first impeachment. This fact should be kept in mind when trying to make sense of the treatment received by Zelenskyy during his most recent visit to the White House and Trump’s references to him as a “dictator.”

    To truly succeed in mediation, Trump must move forward, leaving biases and prejudices related to Ukraine and its leader in the past. But can he?

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

    – ref. Trump’s purported ‘Art of the Deal’ negotiating skills aren’t likely to end the Russia-Ukraine war – https://theconversation.com/trumps-purported-art-of-the-deal-negotiating-skills-arent-likely-to-end-the-russia-ukraine-war-252666

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to science/research-related bits of the Spring Statement

    Source: United Kingdom – Science Media Centre

    Scientists comment on science related elements of the Spring Statement delivered by the Chancellor. 

    Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE):

    “Today’s spring statement confirmed the difficult context for the upcoming spending review.  The Chancellor emphasised the importance of economic growth – and we will continue, alongside the rest of the R&D sector, to make a strong case for R&D’s role in delivering it, and for an ambitious settlement for R&D and innovation in June.  It is welcome that the chancellor recognises the importance of capital investment, which includes R&D.

    “Defence R&D is an important part of the UK research system.  It is critical that the breadth of UK R&D is supported by the UK Government if R&D is to drive economic growth and deliver wide ranging benefits to society.

    “We look forward to seeing the detail behind the fiscal measures announced today and await the detail of departmental allocations following the autumn budget last October. Proper scrutiny of R&D funding allocations is of great importance ahead of the spending review this June.”

    Dr Joe Marshall, CEO, National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), said:

    “It was reassuring that the Chancellor acknowledged a major UK strength is our position as a ‘hub for global innovation’.  This shouldn’t be taken for granted and is the result of a strong and effective supporting ecosystem.

    “While efficiency savings in government should always be sought, and the transformation fund is a welcome initiative, it will be important to ensure that these changes are carried forward without negative impact on the research and innovation ecosystem.

    “The Chancellor has today stressed the increasing importance of defence spending in an uncertain world.  It must be remembered that research and innovation is as crucial for defence supply chains as it is to other sectors of the economy.

    “The £400m ringfenced for defence innovation, the defence growth board, and the alignment of defence spending with the industrial strategy are all positive signs that the Government recognises this – the vital role of the ecosystem that supports universities and businesses come together must be prioritised within these interventions.”

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spring-statement-2025;

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-delivers-security-and-national-renewal-in-a-new-era-of-global-change

    Declared interests

    The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Daily physical activity, even at light intensities, linked to lower cancer risk

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release
    Wednesday, March 26, 2025

    NIH study finds number of steps taken daily may be more important for cancer risk than the intensity of activity.
    What
    In a prospective cohort study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Oxford found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a lower risk of cancer than individuals who were more sedentary. The findings, published March 26, 2025, in British Journal of Sports Medicine, are among the first to evaluate the cancer risk reduction associated with light intensity activities such as doing errands and performing household chores.
    Previous studies have shown an inverse association between physical activity and cancer risk, but most of these studies relied on self-reported questionnaires, which may not accurately capture the intensity of different activities. Earlier studies that used objective measures were focused on higher-intensity physical activity. In the new study, led by researchers from NIH’s National Cancer Institute, participants in the UK Biobank study (median age of 63) wore wrist accelerometers that tracked total daily activity, activity intensity, and daily step count over a period of one week. The researchers then looked at the relationship between the daily averages and incidence of 13 cancer types, including breast and colorectal cancer, previously associated with physical activity.
    After a mean follow-up of 5.8 years, 2,633 participants had been diagnosed with one of the 13 cancer types. Individuals with the highest total amount of daily physical activity had a 26% lower risk of developing cancer than individuals who had the lowest amount of daily physical activity. The researchers also explored the impact of replacing daily sedentary time with light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity and found that this shift was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. The associations between physical activity and cancer risk remained even after researchers adjusted for demographic factors, lifestyle factors, body mass index (BMI), and other health conditions.
    Higher daily step count, but not the pace of the steps (step intensity), was also associated with a lower risk of cancer. Compared with cancer risk in those taking 5,000 steps per day, cancer risk was 11% lower for those taking 7,000 steps per day and 16% lower for those taking 9,000 steps per day. Beyond 9,000 steps, the risk reduction plateaued. The researchers suggested that less physically active individuals may lower their cancer risk by incorporating more walking, at any pace, into their daily routine.
    Who
    Alaina Shreves, M.S., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, and Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford
    Reference
    “Amount and intensity of dail total physical activity, step count and risk of incident cancer in the UK Biobank” appears March 26, 2025, in British Journal of Sports Medicine.
    About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI supports a wide range of cancer research and training extramurally through grants and contracts. NCI’s intramural research program conducts innovative, transdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on the causes of cancer, avenues for prevention, risk prediction, early detection, and treatment, including research at the NIH Clinical Center—the world’s largest research hospital. Learn more about the intramural research done in NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI’s Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Studying at the University of Bologna is very different from how we study at the HSE”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Alina Pakhomova

    Photo from personal archive

    Alina Pakhomova, 4th year student of the educational program “Computer Science and Engineering» MIEM HSE, studied for six months at the oldest university in Europe — the University of Bologna. She went to Italy under the academic mobility program, and upon returning to Moscow, she told about her impressions of life and study in another country, leisure, new friends and, of course, the famous Italian cuisine.

    University of Bologna and the educational system

    The University of Bologna is considered the oldest university in the Western world, where Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Umberto Eco studied. In addition, it is one of the top universities in Italy. Therefore, when I saw that Bologna was on the list of universities to which HSE had the opportunity to apply, there was no doubt: I applied only there. Besides, the programs at other universities, to be honest, were not very suitable.

    When you go on mobility, you replace your courses with those at the university where you will study, regardless of the field. I am in my 4th year of bachelor’s degree, and it turned out that I studied on master’s courses, since they were the best fit for replacement. In addition, there are more master’s programs in English than bachelor’s, which means there is more choice.

    The semester lasts from September to February. Exams were, as in HSE, in autumn and winter, but, unfortunately, in winter they are there both before and after the New Year. After the free winter holidays at HSE, it was difficult to sit and chat during the winter holidays in Italy…

    Lectures and practical classes

    Studying at the University of Bologna is very different from how we study at the HSE. Classes last three hours, sometimes two. Frankly, you lose focus after the usual hour and a half. In Italy, it is important to sit down after a class and reread the lectures, delve into the material and take notes, otherwise you simply won’t remember anything. At the HSE, seminars are very helpful in consolidating the material, which the University of Bologna doesn’t have.

    There are laboratory works, but, unlike HSE, where you most often do the work at home, and in the practical class you only ask questions or already defend the work, in Bologna they are done by students right in the practical classes and only finished at home, which happens rarely, only if you did not have time.

    Probably my favorite course is Artificial Intelligence in Industry, because it was a course where you delve into how everything works in real life, and lectures were often given by invited lecturers from foreign companies. By the way, in Bologna, another common practice in IT areas is a project as an exam. That is, you just pass one big project, and the grade for it is your final grade for the course.

    Where to live in Bologna

    Housing is hard here. The university does not provide dormitories: they are there, but it is almost impossible to get them. If you do not have 1000 euros for a room in a student co-living, where exchange students from other European countries (Erasmus students) usually live, then welcome to the “Hunger Games”. Here you will not choose an apartment, but the landlord (landlord) will choose the one he likes best from the mass of students who want to rent housing.

    Then you need to look for either a double (bed in a double room) or a single (bed in a single room). The prices are 350 and 500 euros respectively. Another option is to join someone and rent the entire apartment.

    Tip 1: try to look for housing through acquaintances or students who were on mobility before you, and do it in advance. Also look through chats, as students often post the housing they lived in and find a replacement.

    Tip 2: Don’t be upset if you can’t find anything in advance. You can rent temporary accommodation and then continue searching in Bologna itself once you’ve arrived there.

    What did you like most about Italy?

    Here it is easy to arrange a mini-vacation and travel to another city or country. For example, I flew for the weekend to France, Denmark and other European countries, because the tickets cost 15-20 euros (1500-2000 rubles) one way. And the journey takes very little time.

    Speaking about Italy itself, it really helped me slow down. In Moscow, you are constantly in some kind of hustle and bustle, constantly going somewhere on the metro, wasting a lot of time on it. In Bologna, on foot, 20 minutes — and you are already there. Here, it is much easier to meet for a short walk or a get-together in a cafe, invite someone for a coffee before work or for an Aperol after classes.

    How the vision of the future profession has changed

    Before Italy, I thought I had decided on the direction I wanted to develop in. My study and work experience combines several areas: IT, marketing, and events. All this makes me an excellent devrel. But after studying abroad, I realized that I don’t want to stop there. I plan to continue my education in a master’s degree. Now I am most interested in product management in the field of high technologies.

    Communication and extracurricular student life

    People and networking were one of the main goals of my trip. There were 7 of us from HSE who went on mobility, and we didn’t know each other before Italy. But the circumstance of finding ourselves alone in another country and trying to figure out a lot of new rules and bureaucratic requirements really brought us together. In Moscow, we would most likely never have crossed paths, and even if we had, we would hardly have become friends: we are all very different. But in another country, everything is different, the very circumstances of life brought us closer. And communication with completely different people, unlike your usual environment in Moscow, changes you a lot.

    In Europe, there is an organization called ESN (Erasmus Student Network). Their branches are usually in every student city. Either students or graduates work there. They organize various meetings and events for dating, trips and travel with big discounts. They also have partners, and you can get discounts in establishments or companies with an ESN member card (it costs 10 euros). For example, one of the partners is a low-cost airline that provides 10% discounts and free luggage space with an ESN card.

    I wouldn’t say that there is some kind of super-organization of all events, but there are simply a lot of them. The events are mainly aimed at introducing people, uniting them by interests and providing an opportunity to have a good time together. For example, one of the events is The Babel Nights: people gather in different audiences and communicate in a certain language. English, Italian, Spanish, French, German – you can choose whichever is closer to you and go to the right audience. You can also go to the theater together (cheaper with ESN) and to exhibitions. In general, everyone will find something to their liking.

    There are other student clubs. For example, some guys just organized a hiking chat and every Saturday they go somewhere on a short day hike. When I left, they decided to expand and create sub-chats for basketball and volleyball fans.

    It’s easy to meet anyone here, but the common problem is that communication is very superficial. To be honest, sometimes you get tired of the huge amount of small talk.

    Local cuisine and favourite dishes

    Food in Italy is a separate topic. What is interesting here is not so much what food is the most delicious, but how Italians treat their food and the order of eating. Take a cappuccino after 12, order a pizza for two, drink autumn special coffee from Starbucks with pumpkin syrup – get ready for deportation, as we often joked when doing something like this. Italians are very sensitive to their gastronomic culture and really don’t like it when someone doesn’t follow the rules.

    My favorite dishes are: croissant with pistachio, cappuccino and lasagne. I won’t mention pizza and pasta because I feel sick from eating so much of them. I don’t understand how Italians can eat pasta every day. Once we asked a friend: “Are there days when you don’t eat pasta for lunch?” His answer perfectly describes the Italian culture: “Of course, but then I’ll definitely have it for dinner.”

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: To address the environmental polycrisis, the first step is to demand more honesty

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mike Berners-Lee, Professor of Sustainability, Lancaster University

    Minerva Studio/Shutterstock

    Climate breakdown is major threat to life as we know it, but it is just one element of a much wider environmental polycrisis that includes biodiversity loss, energy and pollution, food security, population growth and disease outbreaks. That can feel overwhelming and make people feel helpless, especially when we see that global emissions are higher than ever – even after three decades of UN climate summits.

    The good news is that, despite our failure so far, it is possible for us to do better. And the sticking point has not been lack of technology. To look for the point of maximum leverage that all of us can have, we need to look deeply into the reasons behind our frustrating lack of progress to date.

    In my new book, A Climate of Truth, I argue that society radically needs to become more honest. In politics, media and business. The worst failure in our attempts to tackle the world’s environmental and societal problems have deceit at their core.

    By holding power to account, insisting on transparency and shining a light on any greenwash, we can start to build the conditions under which the quality of decision-making and action that we so desperately need can become possible at last.

    Dishonesty, to be clear, isn’t just about clearcut lies. These are just the tip of the iceberg. Just as dangerous are such techniques as subtle twists, misdirections of attention, biased selection of evidence, using loopholes and failing to call out deceitful colleagues.

    Bullshit, as defined by American professor of philosophy Harry Frankfurt, is a blend of fact and fiction concocted to persuade. The craft of misleading the public has been refined over decades by corporate interests, advertising executives, media moguls and the worst politicians for their own financial gain, social standing or power.

    Many people in the west have become careless in their requirement for this basic standard from their leaders. We have allowed a growing a false narrative, propagated by the most dishonest among us, that lies are a normal and inevitable part of everyday life. And the results of our post-truth experiment are now starting to come in, with, sadly, plenty more consequences yet to come.

    It is now high time not just for a reset on honesty, but to raise the bar beyond anything the global community has ever known. Why do we need a higher standard than ever? Because deceit throws a spanner into any decision-making process and our complex, urgent polycrisis demands the highest quality, wisest decision-making that we can possibly attain.

    How can we achieve a culture of basic honesty when that very complexity makes deceit easier than ever? The answer is to create a high enough price for being caught. We need to treat deliberate deception as a form of abuse.

    Just one incident tells us that a politician does not have our best interests at heart and is unfit for office – although we might have to vote for the least un-fit politician to gradually raise the bar – plus that their colleagues who stayed quiet in the knowledge of their deceit are also unfit for office. The same goes for businesses and media. This is something we can collectively and consistently insist upon.

    The push for integrity

    In practice, the starting point is to ask the most careful and discerning questions that we can. We need to look at the track record of people, and the ownership and track records of media empires and companies.

    We need to switch wherever we can to the most honest alternatives. We can achieve that by disowning unfit politicians, starving out bad media, supporting the best media that we find, and spending our money on companies that act with integrity for a better world. We need to challenge those around us who are not so discerning and initiate conversations with friends, relatives and colleagues to encourage the quest for more truthful leadership.

    These actions are so simple yet so important because we cannot even begin to make progress without raising this standard. Whichever aspect of environmental or social change you care about most, this is your point of maximum leverage – and your route to maximum agency.

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

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

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

    – ref. To address the environmental polycrisis, the first step is to demand more honesty – https://theconversation.com/to-address-the-environmental-polycrisis-the-first-step-is-to-demand-more-honesty-251742

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fast Stream opens doors for North East civil servant Keiron

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Fast Stream opens doors for North East civil servant Keiron

    Meet Keiron Ringwood who is among the one in nine fast streamers in 2024 who joined the accelerated development scheme from within the Civil Service.

    Keiron Ringwood

    For Keiron Ringwood, being able to build a career on his home turf has always been a big priority.

    So, after joining the Civil Service straight from university, he wanted to be able to grow his career while continuing to live in his beloved North East of England.

    After working as an administration officer for HMRC in Durham and an executive officer for DEFRA in Newcastle, he applied for the Civil Service’s prestigious Fast Stream accelerated development scheme and secured a place on his second attempt.

    Though it’s best known as one of the UK’s top graduate employers, the Civil Service’s Fast Stream is also open to existing civil servants who made up around one in nine of successful applicants in 2024.

    Keiron’s role as a Fast Stream policy advisor in His Majesty’s Treasury in Darlington has broadened his horizons in ways he never imagined.

    Its combination of formal training and enriched workplace opportunity has set him on a path which should see him become a Grade 7 at the end of three years.

    “What I enjoy most is the chance the Fast Stream gives you to learn about the way the government works and to meet people from different backgrounds and from different parts of the country,” he said.

    “I’m making the most of the experience and learning as much as I can from the people, the training and workplace opportunities I’m getting.” 

    Keiron was brought up in Hartlepool. After getting Cs and Bs in his GCSEs at his local comprehensive school, he came into his own during his Sixth Form years and achieved distinctions in BTEC business and law qualifications. Throughout his studies he also managed to support himself through hospitality jobs at his local McDonalds and Hartlepool Catholic Club.

    Despite gaining a First Class degree in journalism at nearby Sunderland University, he decided against a career in the media and opted instead to follow his parents into the Civil Service.

    “My mum and step dad have been administration officers in DWP for more than 30 years and I was attracted to the structure and security of a Civil Service role,” he said.

    “I put a lot into all my posts, but securing a place on the Fast Stream gave me confidence that the Civil Service was an organisation in which I could progress. If it hadn’t been, I would have left and gone elsewhere.”

    While Keiron did not get into the Fast Stream on his first try, he succeeded on his second attempt and could not have been more delighted to learn the scheme could, in his case, accommodate his request for a local placement 

    “My friends and family are in the region so staying where my roots are is a non-negotiable for me,” he said.

    Keiron currently leads on the policy relating to tax-free childcare, developing the policy in a way that improves take-up.

    Being on the Fast Stream has set him on a steep development path that has seen his confidence increase.

    “I used to feel inferior because of my background and accent,” he said.

    “But I’m learning alongside people with very different upbringings and feel I fit in as I am just fine.”

    Find out more about the Fast Stream here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NCDHHS Partners with Hazel Health to Provide Virtual Mental Health Services for K-12 Students in North Carolina

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: NCDHHS Partners with Hazel Health to Provide Virtual Mental Health Services for K-12 Students in North Carolina

    NCDHHS Partners with Hazel Health to Provide Virtual Mental Health Services for K-12 Students in North Carolina
    jwerner

    The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced students across North Carolina will soon have access to high-quality, virtual mental health care through Hazel Health. This initiative, supported through an investment by UnitedHealthcare, is part of a broader effort announced last year to provide virtual school-centered mental health care for up to one million students across select states nationwide.

    Through this initiative, nearly 400,000 students – amounting to almost 30% of North Carolina’s K-12 student population – will have access to Hazel Health’s mental health services. Once Hazel is implemented, any student who is enrolled within participating districts will be able to access one of Hazel’s on-staff, licensed therapists before, during and after the school day. Hazel Health services will go live in late March 2025, beginning with Harnett County Schools and Durham Public Schools, with more districts to be added in the coming weeks.

    “Services like school-based telehealth are critical to improving access to mental health care because they meet children and families where they are with the care they need,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “We look forward to partnering with our public schools and Hazel Health to further the department’s ongoing work to transform North Carolina’s mental health system and create better outcomes for children and families.”

    More than 1 in 3 high school students in North Carolina have reported feeling sad or hopeless, along with almost 1 in 3 middle school students.  While there are early signs signaling improvement, the numbers still paint a grim picture of the health and wellbeing of our nation’s youngest generation.

    “Many children in schools lack access to essential mental health services, with barriers ranging from provider shortages to cost,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services.  “Schools are an essential part of a child’s life, so expanding access to direct mental health care in school addresses the gap in care and can improve a child’s wellbeing, academic performance, social relationships and long-term development.” 

    “Mental health challenges—such as anxiety, depression, and trauma—can severely impact a child’s ability to learn, socialize, and thrive,” said Yvonne Copeland, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Child and Family Well-being. “Many students face barriers to accessing professional mental health support, including transportation issues, long wait times, stigma, and financial constraints. By bringing tele-behavioral health care services to schools, we can remove those barriers and address concerns earlier, setting children up for long-term success.”

    “School-based healthcare is essential to removing obstacles to care, such as transportation and time limitations, to allow for early identification and treatment of behavioral conditions for children of all ages,” said Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. “We are honored to collaborate with NCDHHS and Hazel Health to ensure that students in select districts – including Harnett and Durham Public Schools – have access to critical mental health services to help them be successful in and out of the classroom.”

    “The cross-functional, public-private partnership in North Carolina shows a deep commitment to ensuring that all students have access to the mental health support they need,” said Andrew Post, President, Hazel Health. “When we prioritize student wellbeing and health now, we’re doing more than boosting their academic achievements – we’re building the groundwork for them to thrive throughout their entire lives.”

    Hazel Health, the nation’s largest provider of school-centered telehealth, serves over 5 million students in 18 states. A third-party study conducted by Clemson University found that 75% of students who participated in Hazel’s online therapy program experienced clinically significant reductions in depression and anxiety after an average of six sessions. Additionally, early research also indicates that Hazel’s therapy program can combat chronic absenteeism. One emerging data point: 68% of students who engaged with Hazel’s therapy program improved their attendance–and over 30% had zero absences!–since their referral to Hazel.
    To learn more, please visit hazel.co.

    About Hazel Health
    Hazel Health is the nation’s largest and most trusted provider of school-based telehealth. By partnering with districts and health plans across the country, Hazel transforms schools into the most accessible front door to pediatric healthcare. Today, Hazel’s licensed providers deliver teletherapy and virtual care (in school or at home) to over four million K-12 students, regardless of their ability to pay. Hazel aims to remove all barriers to the mental and physical health care that children need to thrive in school, at home, and in life. Learn more at hazel.co.

    About the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
    NCDHHS manages the delivery of health and human services for all North Carolinians, especially our most vulnerable populations – children, people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income families. Our vision is to advance innovative solutions that foster independence, improve health and safety, and promote well-being in every community across the state. The department works closely with health care professionals, community leaders and advocacy groups; local, state and federal entities; and many other stakeholders to make this happen. Visit ncdhhs.gov.

    El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte anunció hoy que los estudiantes de Carolina del Norte pronto tendrán acceso a atención de salud mental virtual de alta calidad a través de Hazel Health. Esta iniciativa, respaldada a través de una inversión de UnitedHealthcare, es parte de un esfuerzo más amplio anunciado el año pasado para proporcionar atención de salud mental virtual centrada en la escuela para hasta un millón de estudiantes en determinados estados del país.

    A través de esta iniciativa, casi 400,000 estudiantes, que representan casi el 30% de la población estudiantil de grados K a 12 de Carolina del Norte, tendrán acceso a los servicios de salud mental de Hazel Health. Una vez que Hazel se haya implementado, cualquier estudiante que esté inscrito dentro de los distritos participantes podrá acceder a uno de los terapeutas con licencia en el personal de Hazel antes, durante y después del día escolar. Los servicios de Hazel Health comenzarán a funcionar a fines de marzo de 2025, comenzando con las Escuelas Públicas de los condados de Harnett y las escuelas públicas del condado de Durham, y se agregarán más distritos en las próximas semanas.

    “Los servicios como la telesalud escolar son fundamentales para mejorar el acceso a la atención de salud mental, ya que reúnen a los niños y las familias donde se encuentran con la atención que necesitan”, dijo Dev Sangvai, secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte. “Esperamos colaborar con nuestras escuelas públicas y Hazel Health para promover el trabajo continuo del departamento para transformar el sistema de salud mental de Carolina del Norte y crear mejores resultados para los niños y las familias”.

    Más de 1 de cada 3 estudiantes de secundaria en Carolina del Norte han informado sentirse tristes o desesperanzados, junto con casi 1 de cada 3 estudiantes de secundaria. Si bien hay señales tempranas que indican una mejora, los números aún pintan un panorama sombrío de la salud y el bienestar de la generación más joven de nuestra nación.

    “Muchos niños en las escuelas carecen el acceso a servicios esenciales de salud mental, con barreras que van desde la escasez de proveedores hasta el costo”, dijo Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, directora de la División de Salud Mental, Discapacidades del Desarrollo y Servicios de Uso de Sustancias de NCDHHS.  “Las escuelas son una parte esencial de la vida de un niño, por lo que ampliar el acceso a la atención directa de salud mental en la escuela aborda las carencias en la atención asistencial y puede mejorar el bienestar, el rendimiento académico, las relaciones sociales y el desarrollo a largo plazo de un niño”.

    “Los problemas de salud mental, como la ansiedad, la depresión y el trauma, pueden afectar gravemente la capacidad de un niño para aprender, socializar y prosperar”, dijo Yvonne Copeland, directora de la División de Bienestar Infantil y Familiar de NCDHHS. “Muchos estudiantes enfrentan barreras para acceder al apoyo profesional de salud mental, los problemas de transporte, largos tiempos de espera, estigma y limitaciones financieras. Al llevar los servicios de atención médica teleconductual a las escuelas, podemos eliminar esas barreras y abordar las preocupaciones antes, preparando a los niños para el éxito a largo plazo”.

    “La atención médica escolar es esencial para eliminar los obstáculos a la atención, como el transporte y las limitaciones de tiempo, para permitir la identificación temprana y el tratamiento de las condiciones de comportamiento de los niños de todas las edades”, dijo Anita Bachmann, CEO de UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. “Nos sentimos honrados de colaborar con NCDHHS y Hazel Health para garantizar que los alumnos de las escuelas en distritos seleccionados incluso las escuelas públicas de Harnett y Durham, tengan acceso a servicios críticos de salud mental para ayudarlos a tener éxito dentro y fuera del aula”.

    “La asociación multifuncional público-privada en Carolina del Norte muestra un profundo compromiso para garantizar que todos los estudiantes tengan acceso al apoyo de salud mental que necesitan”, dijo Andrew Post, presidente de Hazel Health. “Cuando priorizamos el bienestar y la salud de los estudiantes ahora, estamos haciendo más que aumentar sus logros académicos: estamos sentando las bases para que prosperen durante toda su vida”.

    Hazel Health, el mayor proveedor nacional de telesalud centrada en la escuela, atiende a más de 5 millones de estudiantes en 18 estados. Un estudio de terceros realizado por la Universidad de Clemson encontró que el 75% de los estudiantes que participaron en el programa de terapia en línea de Hazel experimentaron reducciones clínicamente significativas en la depresión y la ansiedad después de un promedio de seis sesiones. Además, las primeras investigaciones también indican que el programa de terapia de Hazel puede combatir el ausentismo crónico. Un dato emergente: el 68% de los alumnos que participaron en el programa de terapia de Hazel mejoraron su asistencia, ¡y más del 30% tuvieron cero ausencias!, desde su remisión a Hazel.
    Para obtener más información, visite hazel.co.

    Acerca de Hazel Health
    Hazel Health es el proveedor de telesalud escolar más grande y de mayor confianza del país. Al asociarse con distritos y planes de salud en todo el país, Hazel transforma las escuelas en la puerta de entrada más accesible a la atención médica pediátrica. Hoy en día, los proveedores con licencia de Hazel brindan teleterapia y atención virtual (en la escuela o en el hogar) a más de cuatro millones de estudiantes de grados K a 12, independientemente de su capacidad de pago. Hazel tiene como objetivo eliminar todas las barreras a la atención de salud mental y física que los niños necesitan para prosperar en la escuela, en el hogar y en la vida. Más información en hazel.co.

    Acerca del Departamento de Salud Y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte
    NCDHHS gestiona la prestación de servicios de salud y humanos para todos los habitantes de Carolina del Norte, especialmente nuestras poblaciones más vulnerables: niños, personas con discapacidades, adultos mayores y familias de bajos ingresos. Nuestra visión es avanzar en soluciones innovadoras que fomenten la independencia, mejoren la salud y la seguridad, y promuevan el bienestar en todas las comunidades del estado. El departamento trabaja en estrecha colaboración con profesionales de la salud, líderes comunitarios y grupos de abogacía; entidades locales, estatales y federales; y muchas otras partes interesadas para que esto suceda. Visite ncdhhs.gov.

    Mar 26, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Blaming absent dads for the crisis of masculinity is too simplistic – many men want to be more involved

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anna Tarrant, Professor of Sociology, University of Lincoln

    imtmphoto/Shutterstock

    Fatherlessness and a lack of male role models are often cited as causes of an apparent crisis of masculinity among boys. This is not new. These arguments have been made for nearly half a century, both in the UK and the US, as the root of a multitude of social issues.

    These are key ideas in the Lost Boys report from thinktank the Centre for Social Justice, cited recently by Gareth Southgate in his Richard Dimbleby lecture on the issues facing boys. In this report, concerns about fatherlessness and a lack of male role models for boys in their homes and schools loom large as part of an explanation about why boys today are “lost” and struggling.

    I am a researcher who works with boys and fathers, especially with those in low-income communities. I have long feared that these explanations fall short. In the report, boys are presented as passive victims of inequalities. Men, as fathers and educators, are considered to be to blame when they are deemed absent, or seen as a way to solve the societal ills that influence and shape the nation’s boys.

    But simply asking fathers to step up and do better isn’t enough. In my research with men as caregivers, including young fathers aged 25 and under, I’ve found they want to be involved in their children’s lives but face numerous challenges that can make this more difficult.

    Whether struggling to secure qualifications and find employment or family-suitable housing that is near to or safe for their children, they come up against serious barriers to support with their parenting.

    The UK remains woefully ill-equipped to support fathers to be involved and present in the lives of their children. Not only do we have among the worst parental leave offers in Europe, but family and public health services do not routinely engage with fathers as effectively as they should.

    Diverse family life

    Lost Boys also presents a bleak picture of family life in Britain. It highlights what is referred to, rather sensationally, as an epidemic of family breakdown.

    The report notes there are “just shy of half of young Britons growing up with only one biological parent … with close to nine out of ten of these being single mothers”. If absent fathers are the problem, then this concern over fatherlessness also presents single mothers bringing up boys as lacking.



    Read more:
    Having a single parent doesn’t determine your life chances – the data shows poverty is far more important

    Further, in the emphasis on the absence of biological fathers from households, it is assumed that the diverse ways we now live family life are also a problem. This obscures the very meaningful family connections that are forged through co-habiting, step-parenting, single-sex parenting and other forms of care – which men also engage in.

    Including fathers

    Working-class communities often bear the brunt of concerns about a gender crisis. Men in these communities, through labels like feckless and absent dads, are portrayed as failing fathers. This often happens despite limited engagement with them to understand their experiences.

    Fathers may face barriers, such as access to nearby work and housing, that prevent them from spending as much time with their children as they want.
    Alex Linch/Shutterstock

    My research with boys and fathers over the last decade has shown there are greater benefits when fathers are directly involved in addressing the systemic challenges shaping their parenting experiences. We have therefore involved fathers in creating dads’ groups and online parenting support, where they challenge negative views and advocate for progressive societal support for boys and men.

    Shifting away from the concept of “fatherless families”, this work promotes the idea of creating societies that are father-inclusive and better at supporting men as fathers. This might be by advocating for increased time to bond with their children through well-funded and affordable parental leave, or through more effective public health and community-based support for fathers through pregnancy and parenthood.

    Focusing on including fathers means we can explore ways that societies can better support men to be involved in caregiving – and role modelling.

    To do this requires collective and collaborative efforts. Building partnerships and fostering dialogues across diverse sectors including education, health, social services, local government and charities – as well as with parents and communities – we are better able to respond to the complexities of the issues boys and men navigate. My work demonstrates the value of developing systemic solutions that are rooted in lived experience and professional insight.

    The issues boys and men navigate are diverse, messy and reflective of the complex machinery of our social world. They’re linked to socioeconomic inequalities, geography and social history.

    Meaningfully addressing the problems boys and young men encounter that play out in our homes, schools and online means broadening the scope of change beyond individuals and families. It means creating the social conditions for happier, healthier journeys into and through adulthood and fatherhood.

    Anna Tarrant receives funding from UK Research & Innovation.

    – ref. Blaming absent dads for the crisis of masculinity is too simplistic – many men want to be more involved – https://theconversation.com/blaming-absent-dads-for-the-crisis-of-masculinity-is-too-simplistic-many-men-want-to-be-more-involved-252408

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How scratching monkeys can help us understand emotions and consciousness

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Bonaventura Majolo, Professor of Social Evolution, University of Lincoln

    A recent study tested Japanese macaque self scratching Tathoms/Shutterstock

    Scientists Sakumi Iki and Ikuma Adachi recently spent a lot of time watching monkeys scratch themselves.

    Self-scratching among non-human primates is known to indicate social tension and anxiety. The two researchers from Kyoto University, Japan, wanted to use this link to work out whether being anxious (and so scratching a lot) made their monkey subjects more pessimistic, or whether their pessimism was what drove their anxiety (and their scratching).

    Their findings suggest the former is true, as the primates were more likely to make a pessimistic choice if they had scratched their body. This not only provides evidence for an important theory about how physiological changes are linked to emotional states, but also shows that monkeys’ body language can reveal some interesting cues about how animal consciousness may differ from that of humans.

    Several studies have previously shown that self-scratching in primates is linked to social tension and emotional state. For instance, a 1991 study found monkeys who were given an anxiety relief drug seemed to scratch themselves less, whereas monkeys who received an anxiety-inducing drug increased self-scratching.

    Research has also shown subordinate capuchin monkeys self-scratch more when they are approached by a dominant individual, perhaps due to the increased risk of aggression. Japanese macaques with a high tendency to scratch themselves are less likely to make peace after a conflict with their group companions.

    Researchers of animal and human behaviour often use self-scratching as a measure of short-term changes in anxiety, social tension and emotional state. Self-scratching is also linked to social tension in humans: people often scratch more during a short period of high anxiety.

    Self-scratching is an example of what behavioural scientists call displacement behaviour, which includes yawning, lip-biting, fumbling and face-touching.

    Research has shown it can also allow us to better cope with anxiety. For example in 2012, UK researchers asked participants to do difficult (and in some cases unsolvable) arithmetic calculations in front of an audience, and found that participants who displayed higher rates of self-scratching during the test also reported a lower level of anxiety after the test.

    Japanese macaques are well known for bathing in hot springs.
    mapman/Shutterstock

    The researchers at Kyoto University found that macaques seem to have a different relationship to displacement behaviour than humans.

    Iki and Adachi worked with six adult Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). They used videos of a macaque scratching themselves to induce self-scratching in their study subjects, since this behaviour is contagious, similar to yawning.

    They trained the monkeys to choose between different options on a greyscale touchscreen. The darker the shade of grey, the more likely the monkeys were to get a food reward.

    When they chose the lightest shade of grey, the touchscreen temporarily blanked out. The darkest shade of grey always rewarded the monkeys with food and the three shades in the middle had inconsistent outcomes.

    These stimuli tested whether the monkeys were biased towards optimism or pessimism. The monkeys who self-scratched were more likely to be pessimistic about the outcome of the inconsistent stimuli. The researchers measured pessimism in terms of reaction time.

    The longer it took a monkey to choose the ambiguous shades, the more pessimistic the researchers believed the monkeys to be. Monkeys didn’t seem to hesitate if they didn’t scratch. The researchers argue that scratching was a sign the monkeys were anxious and being anxious made the monkeys more pessimistic about the future.

    Their study was one of the first to test what’s known as the James-Lange theory in non-human animals. The theory argues there is a sequential connection between behavioural and physiological components of emotions and our experience of these emotions. According to this idea, behavioural and physiological responses happen first. This means, for example, that having an irregular heartbeat would make us anxious.

    The new results support the James–Lange theory. Negative emotions (measured by self-scratching) induce pessimism, and not vice-versa. The areas of the brain linked to basic emotions, such as fear, are similar in mammals. However, it is unclear whether the way we experience these emotions is comparable to other species.

    For example, two human subjects who have similar physiological responses in relation to anxiety may perceive it differently. One subject may be OK with anxiety, another subject may struggle to handle such situation. We know non-human primates have individual responses to anxiety, but we don’t fully know why and we can’t ask them.

    This study highlights interesting similarities, but also differences between humans and other species. A possible difference is related to consciousness. Humans have a conscious experience of their bodily responses which affects how we respond to them.

    An irregular heartbeat can make us anxious. This isn’t just because it causes a physiological response that induces stress, but also since we know that something is wrong when we feel that our heartbeat is irregular, which can make us even more anxious.

    I say this is “possibly” a difference because some researchers argue that other animals, like chimpanzees or elephants, may have some form of consciousness.

    Humans, unlike the Japanese macaques of this study, can also have the opposite temporal pattern predicted by the James-Lange theory. If I know that I have an exam tomorrow, this thought may make my heartbeat become irregular.

    The short-term link between emotional responses and the perception of these responses could be shared by many primates (the group of animals that include humans, other apes, monkeys and lemurs) and other mammals too. But research is yet to demonstrate this conclusively.

    Research like the one by Iki and Adachi demonstrates the importance of studying a wide range of species, and not just the ones closest to humans, such as chimpanzees and bonobos, to better understand what factors shape behavioural and cognitive skills in the animal kingdom.

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

    – ref. How scratching monkeys can help us understand emotions and consciousness – https://theconversation.com/how-scratching-monkeys-can-help-us-understand-emotions-and-consciousness-250694

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why your medical condition might be named after a food

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

    “Strawberry nose” can refer to a skin disorder called rhinophyma or large pores or blackheads on the nose Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

    From watermelon stomach to chocolate cysts, you might wonder why doctors decided to name some ailments after foods – after all, it’s enough to put you off your dinner.

    When early physicians and surgeons were studying the body to understand normal function or disease, they lacked modern microscopic and molecular imaging and diagnostic techniques. Instead, they had to rely on basic observational skills and often used easily recognised descriptors to explain the appearance of organs and diseases.

    Food, then, became a convenient way to communicate the appearance of the body – in health and in sickness. This practice is known as eponymophilia and it continues today, particularly in pathology – the study of disease.

    There are lots of eponyms to describe the female reproductive system. Many healthcare workers describe healthy ovaries, for instance, as almond shape and size, while the shape of a typical uterus is often likened to an upside-down pear.

    Different shapes can be down to normal anatomical variation but can also be a sign of disease. Knowing these shapes and sizes allows for rapid identification during imaging assessments or medical examinations.

    Following childbirth and the cutting of the umbilical cord, the mother must deliver the afterbirth. According to 16th century anatomist, Matteo Realdo Colombo, the afterbirth looked like a “flat-cake”, and so he named it “placenta”, which comes from the Latin word for a type of cake.



    Read more:
    How a 16th century Italian anatomist came up with the word ‘placenta’: it reminded him of a cake

    Doctors examine the placenta carefully post-delivery to make sure none is left inside the mother – a condition known as retained placenta – which happens in 0.1-3% of births. Retained placenta can cause post-partum haemorrhage and and even the death of the mother, so checking the placenta looks like a “flat-cake” can save lives.

    While some eponyms, like the flat-cake placenta, seem straightforward, others can seem rather unkind. Take the common descriptions of Cushing’s syndrome for instance.

    People with Cushing’s often have a larger than average abdomen and lean legs, known as “lemon on matchstick” and can develop a “moon face” and a “buffalo hump”.

    Cushing’s disease is caused by long-term exposure to high levels of cortisol, a hormone the body makes to regulate its response to stress. It can develop naturally from tumours forming in the adrenal or pituitary glands, which produce cortisol.

    More commonly, however, it’s caused by some medicines, such as steroids – which contain a synthetic version of cortisol.

    Some eponyms can also function as euphemisms – making a serious, even threatening condition sound less worrying. Take “milky leg syndrome” or “milk leg”, for instance – deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the iliac veins in the pelvis or the femoral veins at the top of your legs.

    The blockage prevents venous drainage – when veins drain deoxygenated blood and return it to the heart – from the legs, which causes painful, pale and swollen legs.

    Research suggests that 75% of cases of milk leg occur in the left leg and men are more likely to develop the condition than women. There are a number of risk factors, including previous vein blockage, obesity and pregnancy.

    If not treated promptly, the condition can progress to phlegmasia cerulea dolens – a rare but serious complication of DVT causing fluid build-up that prevents arteries from delivering blood into the tissues – which can lead to tissue death and venous gangrene. Sadly, once venous gangrene has set in, amputation and death are common outcomes.

    While this all sounds grim, spare a thought for those who suffer from “hot potato voice”, which describes the sound of someone who has an obstruction somewhere in the upper part of their airway. This blockage prevents the person from forming sounds properly and can be caused by an abscess in or around the tonsils, or a stone lodged in the throat.

    Before I go on, it’s only fair to warn you that if you’re eating or drinking or you haven’t got the stomach for more graphic descriptions, you might not want to read any further.

    Not for the faint-hearted

    Pea soup diarrhoea is an apt description of a deeply unpleasant infection: salmonella. Salmonella – or food poisoning – is an infection with salmonella bacteria that causes diarrhoea, high temperature and stomach pains. It can be transmitted from person to person through contaminated food or water or from touching infected animals, their faeces, or their environment.

    Thankfully, most healthy people recover fully by drinking plenty of fluids and resting. Younger or older people are at greater risk of more severe illness, as are immunocompromised people, and they may be prescribed antibiotics to help them recover from the infection.

    While diarrhoea can look like pea-soup, some STIs can look like cauliflower. Yes, sexually transmitted warts caused by the human papilloma virus can have a “cauliflower-like appearance”.

    They are typically seen on the external genitalia, around the anus and may be present internally too. Certain types of cancers, such as squamous cell carcinomas, also have a cauliflower-like appearance as they develop.

    The thick, white odourless discharge that can be a symptom of thrush is often likened to cottage cheese.

    The vagina usually self-cleans by producing a white or clear discharge. The white colour is most common at the beginning or end of the menstrual cycle; however, if the consistency becomes clumpy or curd-like, this is often a sign of infection.

    Most commonly, it’s a yeast infection but could also be a sexually transmitted disease, such as chlamydia. If there is a problem, this discharge is usually associated with other symptoms such as discomfort, pain, itching or an unpleasant smell.

    While some of these descriptions may seem unpleasant, they can be helpful to identify abnormalities and medical conditions. Food eponyms can help avoid confusion so doctors know what they’re looking for during examinations or surgery.

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

    – ref. Why your medical condition might be named after a food – https://theconversation.com/why-your-medical-condition-might-be-named-after-a-food-247543

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Snow White: this opportunity to empower Disney’s first princess falls short at every turn

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Laura O’Flanagan, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University

    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a wonder of animation and cinema when it was first released by Disney in 1937. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it tells the story of a princess whose wicked step mother is intimidated by her youthful beauty. Desperate to be the “fairest of them all” the evil queen tries to have Snow White killed. Evading death, she is forced into hiding with seven dwarves.

    It was Disney’s first animated feature-length film and a critical and commercial success. Snow White was also the first Disney princess.

    In the decades since, Disney’s pantheon of princesses has grown. Alongside newer princess, Snow White seems pretty antiquated and uninspiring. She is a passive, innocent character who doesn’t do very much but wait around for her prince with whom she travels into the sunset at the film’s conclusion. In contrast, Moana (2016) and Elsa from Frozen (2013) are strong and independent characters who develop into thoughtful and careful leaders by the end of their stories.

    So, in an age of live-action remakes of some of Disney’s most iconic films it seemed fitting to give the character who started it all an update for modern audiences. However, the production was mired in controversy before it was even released, raising questions about whether Snow White is a story that can ever really be retold in a more empowering way.

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

    Changing the story to move with the times is in keeping with traditions of oral folk tales. But, controversy has followed the film since it was announced. As a result, Disney scaled back their usual red carpet premieres and it has been critically panned upon release.

    To many, the prospect of an updated, less romantically inclined Snow White was unthinkable. Some online commenters dubbed a Snow White story where the princess is not dreaming of true love “woke”.

    There was also backlash against the choice of Rachel Zegler as Snow White because of her Colombian background. The live-action Snow White isn’t the first remake to be the source of such racism. The ire echoes the hatred which accompanied 2023’s The Little Mermaid, when black actress Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel.

    There were also those who had concerns about the story, particularly the titular seven dwarves. Actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism, has condemned the production’s use of CGI, rather than casting dwarf actors to play Snow White’s mining companions. The story’s representation of people with dwarfism, has led some to say that the story shouldn’t be retold altogether.



    Read more:
    Why the changing representation of dwarfism in Disney’s live action Snow White remake is so important

    However, there are some aspects of the story that could have provided interesting opportunities to explore modern issues.

    For instance, it could have thoughtfully explored female ageing through the character of the evil queen. It could also, perhaps, have commented on the politics of beauty and the pressure for consumers in their teens and twenties, who have started buying beauty products at younger ages than ever before.

    Like Frozen’s tale of sisters saving each other, it could have subverted the trope of the damsel in distress saved by her prince charming. Snow White could have been a strong heroine who can overcome evil on her own terms.

    The story could have revised mistakes of the past and depicted different body types and people of different sizes and statures. It could also have portrayed consensual kisses by updating the kiss Snow White receives while asleep, turning it into a moment she chooses to participate in.

    Unfortunately, the new Snow White does not achieve any of these, or really anything much at all. The result is a dull, pointless story with poorly rendered visuals, cheap-looking costumes and lacklustre musical numbers.

    Falling short

    The 1937 film was a technical marvel and remains one of Disney’s visual masterpieces. Snow White of 2025 looks like she is gallivanting through a theme park ride as she moves through the forest, bathed in permanent evening light among computer-generated woodland creatures in her garish costume.

    The miners are introduced as 274-year-old magical creatures. Their appearance is neither human nor magical creature, landing somewhere uncanny in between. This is the crux of the film’s entire problem. The opportunity to update Snow White fails on every level because it does not go far enough.

    The story largely remains intact, with some expansion in terms of backstory and some additional characters. The evil queen remains a one-dimensional villain obsessed with beauty.

    The script plays with the word “fair”, with it taking on a confused double-meaning in the story. To the queen “fair” is beautiful, in keeping with the 1937 film, but to Snow White, “fair” means just. This is an interesting idea but it becomes muddled as the film progresses, and loses its way.

    Snow White is portrayed with an expanded backstory and is certainly given more motivation than in the 1937 film. For instance, she wants to reinstate “fairness” in the kingdom, which has been under the tyrannical rule of the evil queen since Snow White’s father’s death. But as more characters are introduced to aid Snow White on her journey, these serve as distraction and buffer, preventing her from showing any real development or growth.

    Prince Charming has been replaced by Jonathan, a Robin Hood-style bandit who condescendingly explains to Snow White why she has “princess problems”. He ultimately saves her by giving her true love’s kiss when she is under the queen’s spell. The issue of consent still swirls around this scene and underscores the question: is this an update at all?

    In the end, the queen is ultimately defeated by collective action, compared with a lightning bolt like in 1937. This is a significant development and perhaps the clearest update in the film. In 2025, the defeat of a vain autocrat by collective action is an appealing thought. Perhaps the filmmakers could have leaned into this idea, allowed Snow White to truly become one of the people and a clear democracy could have been established. But, like every other of the film’s updates, it falls short and she remains an unelected autocrat – albeit “the fairest one of all”.

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

    – ref. Snow White: this opportunity to empower Disney’s first princess falls short at every turn – https://theconversation.com/snow-white-this-opportunity-to-empower-disneys-first-princess-falls-short-at-every-turn-253064

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Signal chat group affair: unprecedented security breach will seriously damage US international relations – expert view

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robert Dover, Professor of Intelligence and National Security & Dean of Faculty, University of Hull

    Plans for an attack against an enemy target are classified in America. But the private views of high-ranking officials about allies, communicated within government, must also count as intelligence to be protected.

    The recent communication of this category of information over the Signal messaging app has been dismissed by the US president, Donald Trump as a mere “glitch”. It is definitely that. But it also raises the prospect that in his first two months of office, key parts of the administration might have inadvertently been leaving sensitive information vulnerable to enemy interception. That would be one of the most serious intelligence breaches in modern history.

    National security advisor, Mike Waltz, has subsequently “taken responsibility” for the episode – but, so far at least, remains in post. Instead, the administration has decided to launch bitter ad hominem attacks against the journalist that revealed this breach of security, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.

    Storied national security reporter: The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
    US Secretary of Defense

    Trump called Goldberg a “total sleazebag”, defense secretary Pete Hegseth referred to him as “deceitful and highly discredited”. Walz called him “the bottom scum of journalists”.

    The recent chat group reported exchange involved the adminstration’s most senior national security officials: Waltz, Hegseth, Vice-President J.D. Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, among others.

    As we know now, it also, accidentally, included Goldberg, himself a storied national security reporter before he took up the editorship of the Atlantic. It’s a national security blunder almost without parallel.

    Interestingly, some of the people on this chat were among those who savaged Hilary Clinton’s use of a personal email address during her time as secretary of state. This was controversial, but did not meet the standard for prosecution. Most of her work-related emails were archived into federal records by their recipients on government email. It was poor practice, and regulations were significantly tightened after.

    If an inquiry is set up about this most recent incident, it will be interesting to see whether these messages are treated as federal records. This would be signficant because the messages would need to be handed over to officials to classify and archive as part of the public record. That would certainly clear up whether this was indeed a “glitch” or whether classified information was indeed shared – something the administration still denies.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    For such an elevated group of US government officials to use a consumer messaging app to talk business invites an easy win for enemy intelligence agencies. America’s key intelligence competitors invest billions of dollars in techniques and technologies to break the toughest encryption. For phone-based communications, we know that apps such as NSO Group’s Pegasus can be used to bypass the encryption on phones.

    The Guardian newspaper’s investigative work has highlighted how journalists and activists were targeted by countries using this technology and the interception capability of capable intelligence nations is far stronger. So the standard security induction to officials would cover communications, devices and protocols.

    It is not clear whether the protocols cover the use of emojis. Waltz’s use of a fist, fire and flag emoji is certainly unusual in diplomatic cables that have been aired publicly.

    Even worse, the communication between these officials was prior to a deployment of US military assets against an enemy target, the Houthi rebels in Yemen. This potentially placed the success of the operation and those assets at risk.

    That the Yemenis did not move assets that had been targeted does not conclusively prove that the communications remained safe. It has long been a practice to pick and choose when to risk revealing that communications are being intercepted.

    Zero accountability

    An ordinary intelligence officer who communicated about highly sensitive and classified deployments through a platform with security that is not accredited or controlled by the intelligence community, would certainly face disciplinary action. An officer who accidentally invited a journalist into this chat would be likely to face even stiffer sanctions. Trump seems to have rallied around his officials, however.

    The US has recent form in vigorously pursuing journalists who publish classified materials. The Edward Snowden leaks caused considerable damage to transatlantic intelligence and Snowden was forced to take up residence in Moscow to avoid prosecution.

    The newspapers who published his papers were subject to strong action from the governments in their countries. The publication of Chelsea Manning’s leaked cables – known as Cablegate – by Julian Assange and Wikileaks resulted in a lengthy process to try and prosecute Assange (Manning herself was prosecuted and was sentenced to 35 years in jail, serving seven).

    But instead, Trump has chosen to spearhead a backlash against The Atlantic – the “messenger”. It fits in with Trump’s antipathy towards the mainstream media and his strong preference for some social media outlets. It might also signal a more serious turn towards intolerance to investigative journalism.

    Diplomatic disaster

    What the Signal messages also reveal is a contempt for European allies among Trump’s most senior people. That will be difficult to repair. Describing allies who have lost thousands of soldiers supporting American foreign policy aims as “pathetic” and “freeloaders” will make it very difficult for those governments to underplay the significance of the comments.

    What we have seen in the Signal messages might herald a new era of diplomacy and policy making, by officials who are not afraid to break established patterns. What we can definitely say is that it is radically different to the diplomacy the rest of the west is used to, and it will be nearly impossible to unsee.

    The western allies will be accelerating their plans to be less dependent on the US – and this will be to America’s detriment.

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

    – ref. Signal chat group affair: unprecedented security breach will seriously damage US international relations – expert view – https://theconversation.com/signal-chat-group-affair-unprecedented-security-breach-will-seriously-damage-us-international-relations-expert-view-253090

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: China boosts global confidence for win-win cooperation

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

    Beijing, March 26 — Against the backdrop of global economic fragmentation and rising uncertainties, China reaffirmed its commitment to innovation-driven high-quality development and global cooperation at the just-concluded China Development Forum (CDF) 2025.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of CDF 2025, underscored China’s commitment to its 2025 growth target of around 5 percent, signaling strong confidence in the country’s economic prospects.

    The decision reflects both China’s profound understanding of its economic conditions, and confidence in its governance capacity and future development potential, Li said, calling for the combination of more proactive and impactful macro policies with structural reforms, and voicing hope that China will continue to welcome enterprises from around the world with open arms.

    The premier added that the country will safeguard free trade, and contribute to the smooth and stable operation of global industrial and supply chains.

    Themed “Unleashing Development Momentum for Stable Growth of Global Economy,” the high-profile gathering held from March 23 to 24 in Beijing brought together Chinese policymakers, global business leaders, and leading international scholars to chart a course for sustainable growth amid uncertainties.

    “China is open for business and China is set for growth,” said Ola Kallenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, on the sidelines of the event.

    STABILITY AMID UNCERTAINTIES

    As the theme of stability resonated throughout the forum discussions, Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, provided insight into China’s economic resilience and stability to counteract global uncertainties.

    “Amid rising external instability and uncertainty, China will remain firmly focused on pursuing its own development, leveraging the certainty of high-quality growth to offset external uncertainties and striving to serve as a stabilizing anchor for the global economy,” Han added.

    International observers echoed confidence in China’s economic prospects. Jeffrey Sachs, renowned economist and director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development, told Xinhua that China’s around-5-percent growth target is “perfectly achievable,” adding that the country is “booming in key sectors, especially digital, artificial intelligence, robotics, and this is going to propel a Chinese growth.”

    In the eyes of Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Bill Winters, China’s growth story has shifted. “It is now about transformation and unleashing new productive forces to flourish to support high-quality growth,” he said.

    A PwC report released at the CDF noted that over the past two years, driven by new quality productive forces, China has demonstrated a commercial evolution path distinct from those of the traditional industrialized nations, marked by improvements in production factors, transformations in business models, and the intelligent reshaping of industrial chains.

    “This has opened up new opportunities for global business investment and development in China, highlighting the new advantages of the Chinese market during the global economic transition period,” the report read.

    INNOVATION AS NEW GROWTH ENGINE

    Finance Minister Lan Fo’an offered concrete details about China’s supportive fiscal policies, emphasizing their role in stimulating innovation and consumption. “We’re implementing targeted measures to convert potential demand into real growth drivers,” Lan explained.

    “This includes increasing fiscal support for tech innovation and providing tangible assistance to private enterprises.” He specifically highlighted plans to “accelerate the development of new quality productive forces” through strategic investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies.

    Data showcased China’s progress: its global innovation index ranking rose to 11th in 2024, with 19.6 percent, 27 percent, 64 percent, and 91.5 percent year-on-year growth in semiconductor wafers, industrial robots, bullet trains, and drones respectively in early 2024.

    The nation’s emphasis on innovation as a driver for high-quality growth resonated strongly throughout the forum. Siemens AG President and CEO Roland Busch pointed to China’s advances in AI and high-tech manufacturing.

    “China gave the answer for where growth would come from: Growth from high tech, growth by higher efficiency, and high-quality growth,” he remarked, adding that China surprises the world with innovations like the open foundational model R-1 developed by DeepSeek.

    Kallenius also praised China’s innovation-driven market. “China’s competitive advantage lies in its passion for innovation,” he said. “That is why Mercedes-Benz continues to deepen its presence in China.”

    Reflecting this trend, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot emphasized the country’s emergence as a global leader in life sciences. “Today, China is home to one of AstraZeneca’s Global R&D Centres, where our researchers in Shanghai are spearheading 20 global clinical trials and advancing over 200 pipeline projects,” he said.

    Prior to the forum, the British pharmaceutical giant signed a landmark 2.5-billion-U.S. dollar agreement on Friday to invest in Beijing over the next five years, the largest single investment in Beijing’s biopharmaceutical sector in recent years.

    Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will establish a global strategic R&D center in Beijing, its sixth worldwide and second in China after one in Shanghai. The new center, equipped with an advanced AI and data science laboratory, will accelerate early-stage drug research and clinical development.

    “Looking ahead, China will not only serve as a global innovation hub but also a core arena for setting standards and reshaping industrial chains,” the PwC report added.

    OPEN COLLABORATION FOR SHARED FUTURE

    From CDF 2025 in Beijing to the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 in south China’s Hainan Province, foreign executives reaffirmed their commitment to China as a key market for investment and collaboration: China’s complete industrial system, rich application scenarios, vast market scale, and large talent pool offer extensive collaboration opportunities for international industrial and technological innovation.

    The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China said in its latest survey that 58 percent of its member firms plan to expand or maintain investments in China through 2025, while 53 percent of U.S. companies are expected to invest more in the country, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

    BMW AG Chairman Oliver Zipse stressed that “economic prosperity comes from openness, not protectionism,” while criticizing trade barriers. “The best response to ‘de-risking’ strategies is more cooperation, not less.”

    Speaking to global business leaders attending the CDF, Lan also emphasized that China’s fiscal policy will support high-standard opening up, and that China will ensure equal treatment for all types of business entities and continue to improve the business environment.

    “For global companies, China’s commitment to high-tech innovation and open collaboration makes it an indispensable partner for long-term growth,” said Busch, highlighting China’s rapid technological advancements and collaborative spirit.

    Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric, said: “China is not only our second-largest worldwide market but it’s also a vital source of innovation.” For the French industrial giant, China will remain a key partner as it navigates the complexities of a rapidly changing world, he added.

    While China accelerates its push toward innovation-led growth and deepens its commitment to openness, global businesses continue to see the country as a critical partner in achieving long-term economic prosperity, and as the premier put it, there is a growing need for countries to open their markets and for enterprises to share resources, in order to address challenges and pursue common prosperity.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Politicians’ attacks on immigrants lack solid evidence: New data set the record straight

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Edward Koning, Associate professor, University of Guelph

    Immigration dominated recent election campaigns in countries that include the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States.

    The subject sparked particularly fierce debates over welfare. While some politicians called for more support for typically economically vulnerable immigrant populations, others argued that welfare systems are already too generous and accommodating to newcomers.

    Unfortunately, many debates on this subject lack solid evidence. A newly launched data set could change that. The data, which provides systematic information on immigrants’ access to social programs across different countries and different time periods, can help ground some of these discussions in empirical reality.

    The data set reveals key insights. One striking observation is that the countries where politicians most frequently complain that immigrants are treated too generously are among the most exclusionary from a comparative perspective.

    It also shows that although most welfare systems were moving towards greater inclusion up until the 2010s, since then social programs in many countries have become more inclusive in some respects but more exclusive in others.

    A new data set for 22 countries

    The data set, called the Immigrant Exclusion from Social Programs Index (IESPI), measures how much immigrants’ access to pensions, health care, unemployment benefits, housing benefits, social assistance and active labour market programs compares to that of native-born citizens.

    The index uses 32 indicators to measure factors like whether immigrants have to have resided in the country for a certain period of time, held a specific type of residence status, or met standards of successful integration before they can access social programs.

    The data covers the years 1990 to 2023 and includes information for 22 countries.

    Complaints about inclusion

    In the United States, President Donald Trump has voiced concerns about immigrants’ welfare access repeatedly, both during his first term and since taking office again this year.

    In last year’s British election, a staple of Rishi Sunak’s campaign was the insistence that immigrants threaten the sustainability of the welfare state.

    On the other side of the North Sea, the political party that won the Dutch elections made the argument that immigrants are “pampered” a central feature of its election platform.

    Ironically, all three of these countries are among the most exclusionary, according to the most recent IESPI data, as the graph below illustrates. (Note that the IESPI is organized such that a value of 0 is maximally inclusionary and 100 is maximally exclusionary.)

    Inclusionary trends have ended

    A second observation is that the era of social welfare systems becoming more inclusive for immigrants has ended.

    From 1990 until the 2010s, most western welfare systems were removing barriers for immigrant access to social programs. But since then, levels of immigrant welfare exclusion have not changed dramatically over time.

    Closer inspection shows that this picture of stability since the 2010s hides negative trends in different social programs.

    On the one hand, health-care programs and active labour market policies have gradually become more inclusionary. More and more countries have been making health-care services accessible for vulnerable immigrant populations, and rolling out targeted programs to improve newcomers’ chances on the labour market.

    On the other hand, social assistance policies have generally become more exclusionary over time. Many countries have intensified restrictions for recent arrivals, migrants without permanent residence status and migrants who cannot demonstrate successful integration.

    Large differences in historical trajectories

    When we look beyond aggregate trends, we also note very different trajectories in different countries.

    In some countries (Austria, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain), social programs have become consistently more inclusionary.

    Other countries (Canada, Luxembourg and Sweden) have also undergone an inclusionary development, although at a more modest pace of change.

    In a third set of countries (Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Switzerland), policies initially became more inclusionary but this trend was halted or reversed around 2010. The social programs of three other countries (the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States), finally, have consistently become more exclusionary over time.

    These comparisons within the IESPI data set hopefully enable us to make sense of the frequently charged nature of discussions about immigrants’ access to social programs.

    Most obviously, they show we should be cautious when listening to some of the politicians who are most critical of immigrant welfare access, like Donald Trump, Rishi Sunak and Geert Wilders.

    If their arguments that exclusionary reforms in their countries are nothing but reasonable adjustments to overly generous approaches ever had any merit, that merit is quickly evaporating.

    Edward Koning received funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada to collect the data for this project.

    – ref. Politicians’ attacks on immigrants lack solid evidence: New data set the record straight – https://theconversation.com/politicians-attacks-on-immigrants-lack-solid-evidence-new-data-set-the-record-straight-251853

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: With Hooters on the verge of bankruptcy, a psychologist reflects on her time spent studying the servers who work there

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Dawn Szymanski, Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee

    Servers told researchers that they were instructed to make their male customers feel special. Brian Brainerd/The Denver Post via Getty Images

    In 1983, six businessmen got together and opened the first Hooters restaurant in Clearwater, Florida. Hooters of America LLC quickly became a restaurant chain success story.

    With its scantily clad servers and signature breaded wings, the chain sells sex appeal in addition to food – or as one of the company’s mottos puts it: “You can sell the sizzle, but you have to deliver the steak.” It inspired a niche restaurant genre called “breastaurants,” with eateries such as the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and Twin Peaks replicating Hooters’ busty business model.

    A decade ago, business was booming for breastaurant chains, with these companies experiencing record sales growth.

    Today it’s a different story. Declining sales, rising costs and a large debt burden of approximately US$300 million have threatened Hooters’ long-term outlook. In summer 2024, the chain closed over 40 of its restaurants across the U.S. In February 2025, Bloomberg reported that the company was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.

    Hooters isn’t necessarily going away for good. But it’s certainly looking like there will be fewer opportunities for women to work as “Hooters Girls” – and for customers to ogle at them.

    As a psychologist, I was originally interested in studying servers at breastaurants because I could sense an interesting dynamic at play. On the one hand, it can feel good to be complimented for your looks. On the other hand, I also wondered whether constantly being critiqued might eventually wear these servers down.

    So my research team and I decided to study what it was like to work in places like Hooters.

    In a series of studies, here’s what we found.

    Concocting a male fantasyland

    More so than most restaurants, managers at breastaurants like Hooters seek to strictly regulate how their employees look and act.

    For one of our studies, we interviewed 11 women who worked in breastaurants.

    Several of them said that they were told to be “camera ready” at all times.

    One described being given a booklet with exacting standards outlining her expected appearance, down to “nails, hair, makeup, brushing your teeth, wearing deodorant.” She had to promise to stay the same weight and height, wear makeup every shift and not change her hairstyle.

    Beyond a carefully constructed physical appearance, the servers relayed that they were also expected to be confident, cheerful, charming, outgoing and emotionally steeled. They were instructed to make male customers feel special, to be their “personal cheerleaders,” as one interviewee put it, and to never challenge them.

    Suffice it say, these demands can be unrealistic – and many of the servers we interviewed described becoming emotionally drained and eventually souring on the role.

    ‘The girls are a dime a dozen’

    It probably won’t come as a surprise that Hooters servers often encounter lewd remarks, sexual advances and other forms of sexual harassment from customers.

    But because their managers often tolerate this behavior from customers, it created the added burden of what psychologists call “double-binds” – situations where contradictory messages make it impossible to respond properly.

    For example, say a regular customer who’s a generous tipper decides to proposition a server. Now she’s in a predicament. She’s been instructed to make customers feel special. And he’s already left a big tip, in addition to being a regular. But she also feels creeped out, and his advances make her feel worthless. Should she push back?

    GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole shakes hands with Hooters employees after a campaign rally in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1996.
    J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images

    You might assume that managers, aware that their scantily clad employees would be more likely to face harassment, would try to set boundaries and throw out customers who treated servers poorly. But we found that waitresses at breastaurants have less support from both management and their co-workers than servers at other restaurants.

    “Unfortunately, the girls are a dime a dozen, and that’s how they’re treated,” a former server and corporate trainer at a breastaurant explained.

    The lack of co-worker support might also come as a surprise. Rather than standing in solidarity, the servers tended to compete for favoritism, better shifts and raises from their bosses. Gossiping, name-calling and scapegoating were commonplace.

    The psychological toll

    My research team also wanted to learn more about the specific emotional and psychological costs of working in these types of environments.

    Psychologists Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Robert have found that mental health problems that disproportionately affect women often coincide with sexual objectification.

    So we weren’t surprised to find that servers working in sexually objectifying restaurant environments, such as Hooters and Twin Peaks, reported more symptoms of depression, anxiety and disordered eating than those working in other restaurants. In addition, they wanted to be thinner, were more likely to monitor their weight and appearance, and were more dissatisfied with their bodies. Hooters didn’t reply to a request for comment on this story.

    Why are women drawn to the job?

    Given our findings, you might wonder why any women would choose to work in places like Hooters in the first place.

    The women we interviewed said that they sought work in breastaurants to make more money and have more flexibility.

    A number of servers in one of our studies noted that they could make more money this way than waitressing at a regular restaurant or in other “real” jobs.

    For example, one of the servers we interviewed used to work at a more run-of-the-mill restaurant.

    “It was OK, I made OK money,” she told us. “But working at Hooters … I’ve walked out with hundreds of dollars in one shift.”

    All the women we interviewed were in college or were mothers. So they enjoyed the high degree of flexibility in their work schedule that breastaurants provided.

    Finally, several of them had previously experienced objectification while growing up, or they’d participated in activities centered on physical appearance, such as beauty pageants and cheerleading. This likely contributed to their decision to work at a Hooters or one of its competitors: They’d been objectified as adolescents, and so they found themselves drawn to these kinds of setting as adults.

    Even so, our research suggests that the financial rewards and flexibility of working in breastaurants probably aren’t worth the potential psychological costs.

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

    – ref. With Hooters on the verge of bankruptcy, a psychologist reflects on her time spent studying the servers who work there – https://theconversation.com/with-hooters-on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy-a-psychologist-reflects-on-her-time-spent-studying-the-servers-who-work-there-251217

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico could spell trouble for distilled spirits

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Andrew Muhammad, Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee

    If all the tariff drama in the news lately has you reaching for a stiff drink, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, those same tariffs might make it harder to get your hands on your favorite brand of tequila.

    In early March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump levied import tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico, following through on a promise he made back in November 2024. While he later partially reversed course, suspending tariffs on some goods, tensions remain high. Mexico is largely holding off on retaliation, but Canada quickly fired back with counter-tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. products.

    These trade tensions spell trouble for numerous industries, including the booming spirits market. Canada and Mexico – two of the top U.S. trading partners – accounted for nearly half of the US$12 billion in distilled spirits the U.S. imported in 2024.

    As an agricultural economist, I’ve analyzed how a 25% tariff could affect tequila, whiskey and other distilled spirits – and the results weren’t pretty. I found that these tariffs would cost distilled spirit importers over $1 billion in lost trade, with tequila alone taking a more than $800 million hit.

    Americans’ thirst for imported liquor

    The U.S. imports far more distilled spirits than it exports – five times as much by value, as of 2024.

    Since 2000, U.S. imports of distilled spirits have surged by more than 300%, driven largely by the explosive rise in tequila consumption. Between 2000 and 2024, tequila imports rose by 1,400%, skyrocketing from $350 million to $5.4 billion.

    While imports of whiskey, liqueurs, vodka and brandy also grew, none matched tequila’s explosive rise. Tequila now represents 45% of all spirits imported into the U.S., up from 12% in 2000.

    Not surprisingly, 99% of tequila and mezcal is imported from Mexico, making it the leading foreign supplier of distilled spirits to the United States. Meanwhile, Canada has supplied between 4% and 6% of U.S. spirits imports over the past two decades, primarily whiskey and liqueurs.

    Since distilled spirits are classified as agricultural products, their rising imports have significantly contributed to the U.S. agricultural trade deficit. However, this isn’t necessarily a problem. Imports help meet demand from U.S. consumers, generate value-added opportunities for U.S. companies, and support economic activity in bars, liquor stores, restaurants and beyond.

    A 25% tariff on Mexican goods is a 25% tax on tequila

    In my study, published in February in the peer-reviewed journal Agribusiness and in a follow-up policy brief, I found that 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada could reduce imports of distilled spirits by $1.2 billion. This loss exceeds the total amount of tax revenue those tariffs can expected to bring in.

    Unsurprisingly, tequila imports would be the hardest hit, falling by $810 million. I found that the tariff revenue from tequila – $910 million – could actually exceed the corresponding fall in imports. That’s because demand for tequila, like most alcoholic beverages, is what economists call “inelastic,” meaning that when prices rise, consumers are unlikely to change their purchasing decisions by very much.

    However, it would be a mistake to consider tequila in isolation. When I factored in other notable decreases, such as a $100 million drop in whiskey imports, I found that the value of total trade losses, in the form of decreased imports, would outweigh the total tariff revenue. I also found that no product category would come out ahead.

    In fact, even products like vodka, which are mostly exempt from these tariffs, would be indirectly affected. This is because tariffs can increase the overall cost of importing, leading businesses to reduce all imports, tariffed or otherwise. My research suggests that this “trade destruction” effect, to use an economics term, will be quite significant.

    A new era of tariffs

    The Trump administration has argued that tariffs will generate a lot of money for the federal government. But my research suggests those gains may not outweigh the economic costs to businesses and consumers.

    Contrary to common belief, trade losses don’t just affect exporting countries. Domestic consumers also face higher prices and fewer choices – hurting their overall economic welfare. Reducing imports also affects U.S. businesses involved in marketing, distribution and sales.

    Trade is more complex than a simple formula of “exports good, imports bad.” Research makes it clear that tariffs have negative consequences, including higher consumer prices, reduced product availability and downstream economic disruption. Policymakers would be wise to take those effects seriously. Otherwise, they might find themselves with a serious economic hangover.

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

    – ref. Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico could spell trouble for distilled spirits – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariffs-on-canada-and-mexico-could-spell-trouble-for-distilled-spirits-251583

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mississippi’s education miracle: A model for global literacy reform

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Harry Anthony Patrinos, Professor of Education Policy, University of Arkansas

    Mississippi’s reforms have led to significant gains in reading and math, despite the state being one of the lowest spenders per pupil in the U.S. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

    In a surprising turnaround, Mississippi, once ranked near the bottom of U.S. education standings, has dramatically improved its student literacy rates.

    As of 2023, the state ranks among the top 20 for fourth grade reading, a significant leap from its 49th-place ranking in 2013. This transformation was driven by evidence-based policy reforms focused on early literacy and teacher development.

    The rest of the country might want to take note.

    That’s because Mississippi’s success offers a proven solution to the reading literacy crisis facing many states – a clear road map for closing early literacy gaps and improving reading outcomes nationwide.

    As an expert on the economics of education, I believe the learning crisis is not just an educational issue. It’s also economic.

    When students struggle, their academic performance declines. And that leads to lower test scores. Research shows that these declining scores are closely linked to reduced economic growth, as a less educated workforce hampers productivity and innovation.

    The Mississippi approach

    In 2013, Mississippi implemented a multifaceted strategy for enhancing kindergarten to third grade literacy. The Literacy-Based Promotion Act focuses on early literacy and teacher development. It includes teacher training in proven reading instruction methods and teacher coaching.

    Relying on federally supported research from the Institute of Education Science, the state invested in phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. The law provided K-3 teachers with training and support to help students master reading by the end of third grade.

    It includes provisions for reading coaches, parent communication, individual reading plans and other supportive measures. It also includes targeted support for struggling readers. Students repeat the third grade if they fail to meet reading standards.

    The state also aligned its test to the NAEP, or National Assessment of Educational Progress, something which not all states do. Often referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card,” the NAEP is a nationwide assessment that measures student performance in various subjects.

    Mississippi’s reforms have led to significant gains in reading and math, with fourth graders improving on national assessments.

    I believe this is extremely important. That’s because early reading is a foundational skill that helps develop the ability to read at grade level by the end of third grade. It also leads to general academic success, graduating from high school prepared for college, and becoming productive adults less likely to fall into poverty.

    Research by Noah Spencer, an economics doctoral student at the University of Toronto, shows that the Mississippi law boosted scores.

    Students exposed to it from kindergarten to the third grade gained a 0.25 standard deviation improvement in reading scores. That is roughly equivalent to one year of academic progress in reading, according to educational benchmarks. This gain reflects significant strides in students’ literacy development over the course of a school year.

    Another study has found an even greater impact attributed to grade retention in the third grade – it led to a huge increase in learning in English Language Arts by the sixth grade.

    But the Mississippi law is not just about retention. Spencer found that grade retention explains only about 22% of the treatment effect. The rest is presumably due to the other components of the measure – namely, teacher training and coaching.

    Other previous research supports these results across the country.

    Adopting an early literacy policy improves elementary students’ reading achievement on important student assessments, with third grade retention and instructional support substantially enhancing English learners’ skills. The policy also increases test scores for students’ younger siblings, although it is not clear why.

    Moreover, third grade retention programs immediately boost English Language Arts and math achievements into middle school without disciplinary incidents or negatively impacting student attendance.

    These changes were achieved despite Mississippi being one of the lowest spenders per pupil in the U.S., proving that strategic investments in teacher development and early literacy can yield impressive results even with limited resources.

    The global learning crisis

    Mississippi’s success is timely. Millions of children globally struggle to read by age 10. It’s a crisis that has worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Mississippi’s early literacy interventions show lasting impact and offer a potential solution for other regions facing similar challenges.

    In 2024, only 31% of U.S. fourth grade students were proficient or above in reading, according to the NAEP, while 40% were below basic. Reading scores for fourth and eighth graders also dropped by five points compared with 2019, with averages lower than any year since 2005.

    In 2013, Mississippi ranked 49th in fourth grade reading scores.
    Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

    Mississippi’s literacy program provides a learning gain equal to a year of schooling. The program costs US$15 million annually – 0.2% of the state budget in 2023 – and $32 per student.

    The learning gain associated with the Mississippi program is equal to about an extra quarter of a year. Since each year of schooling raises earnings by about 9%, then a quarter-year gain means that Mississippi students benefiting from the program will increase future earnings by 2.25% a year.

    Based on typical high school graduate earnings, the average student can expect to earn an extra $1,000 per year for the rest of their life.

    That is, for every dollar Mississippi spends, the state gains about $32 in additional lifetime earnings, offering substantial long-term economic benefits compared with the initial cost.

    The Mississippi literacy project focuses on teaching at the right level, which focuses on assessing children’s actual learning levels and then tailoring instruction to meet them, rather than strictly following age- or grade-level curriculum.

    Teaching at the right level and a scripted lessons plan are among the most effective strategies to address the global learning crisis. After the World Bank reviewed over 150 education programs in 2020, nearly half showed no learning benefit.

    I believe Mississippi’s progress, despite being the second-poorest state, can serve as a wake-up call.

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

    – ref. Mississippi’s education miracle: A model for global literacy reform – https://theconversation.com/mississippis-education-miracle-a-model-for-global-literacy-reform-251895

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Seth T. Kannarr, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of Tennessee

    President Donald Trump re-renamed Denali as Mount McKinley in 2025. Tim Rains/National Park Service, CC BY

    Place names are more than just labels on a map. They influence how people learn about the world around them and perceive their place in it.

    Names can send messages and suggest what is and isn’t valued in society. And the way that they are changed over time can signal cultural shifts.

    The United States is in the midst of a place-renaming moment. From the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, to the return of Forts Bragg and Benning and the newly re-renamed Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park, we are witnessing a consequential shift in the politics of place naming.

    This sudden rewriting of the nation’s map – done to “restore American greatness,” according to President Donald Trump’s executive order that made some of them official – is part of a name game that recognizes place names as powerful brands and political tools.

    In our research on place naming, we explore how this “name game” is used to assert control over shared symbols and embed subtle and not-so-subtle messages in the landscape.

    As geography teachers and researchers, we also recognize the educational and emotional impact the name game can have on the public.

    Place names can have psychological effects

    Renaming a place is always an act of power.

    People in power have long used place naming to claim control over the identity of the place, bolster their reputations, retaliate against opponents and achieve political goals.

    These moves can have strong psychological effects, particularly when the name evokes something threatening. Changing a place name can fundamentally shift how people view, relate to or feel that they belong within that place.

    In Shenandoah County, Virginia, students at two schools originally named for Confederate generals have been on an emotional roller coaster of name changes in recent years. The schools were renamed Mountain View and Honey Run in 2020 amid the national uproar over the murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.

    Four years later, the local school board reinstated the original Confederate names after conservatives took control of the board.

    One Black eighth grader at Mountain View High School — now re-renamed Stonewall Jackson High School — testified at a board meeting about how the planned change would affect her:

    “I would have to represent a man that fought for my ancestors to be slaves. If this board decides to restore the names, I would not feel like I was valued and respected,” she said. The board still approved the change, 5-1.

    Even outside of schools, place names operate as a “hidden curriculum.” They provide narratives to the public about how the community or nation sees itself – as well as whose histories and perspectives it considers important or worthy of public attention.

    Place names affect how people perceive, experience and emotionally connect to their surroundings in both conscious and subconscious ways. Psychologists, sociologists and geographers have explored how this sense of place manifests itself into the psyche, creating either attachment or aversion to place, whether it’s a school, mountain or park.

    A tale of two forts

    Renaming places can rally a leader’s supporters through rebranding.

    Trump’s orders to restore the names Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, both originally named for Confederate generals, illustrate this effect. The names were changed to Fort Liberty and Fort Moore in 2023 after Congress passed a law banning the use of Confederate names for federal installations.

    Veterans and other guests posed in 2023 next to a newly unveiled sign for Fort Moore, named for Lt. Gen. Harold ‘Hal’ Moore, who served in Vietnam, and his wife, Julia Moore. In 2025, President Donald Trump reverted the name back to Fort Benning.
    Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump made a campaign promise to his followers to “bring back the name” of Fort Bragg if reelected.

    To get around the federal ban, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth identified two unrelated decorated Army veterans with the same last names — Bragg and Benning — but without any Confederate connections, to honor instead.

    Call it a sleight of hand or a stroke of genius if you’d like, this tactic allowed the Department of Defense to revive politically charged names without violating the law.

    A soldier walks beside a sign that was unveiled when Fort Liberty was rededicated as Fort Bragg during a ceremony on base on March 7, 2025.
    AP Photo/Chris Seward

    The restoration of the names Bragg and Benning may feel like a symbolic homecoming for those who resisted the original name change or have emotional ties to the names through their memories of living and serving on the base, rather than a connection to the specific namesakes.

    However, the names are still reminders of the military bases’ original association with defenders of slavery.

    The place-renaming game

    A wave of place-name changes during the Obama and Biden administrations focused on removing offensive or derogatory place names and recognizing Indigenous names.

    For example, Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains, was renamed to Kuwohi in September 2024, shifting the name from a Confederate general to a Cherokee word meaning “the mulberry place.”

    Under the Trump administration, however, place-name changes are being advanced explicitly to push back against reform efforts, part of a broader assault on what Trump calls “woke culture.”

    The view from a lookout tower on Kuwohi, formerly known as Clingmans Dome, in the Great Smoky Mountains.
    National Park Service



    Read more:
    From Confederate general to Cherokee heritage: Why returning the name Kuwohi to the Great Smoky Mountains matters

    President Barack Obama changed Alaska’s Mount McKinley to Denali in 2015 to acknowledge Indigenous heritage and a long-standing name for the mountain. Officials in Alaska had requested the name change to Denali years earlier and supported the name change in 2015.

    Trump, on his first day in office in January 2025, moved to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley, over the opposition of Republican politicians in Alaska. The state Legislature passed a resolution a few days later asking Trump to reconsider.

    Georgia Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter made a recent legislative proposal to rename Greenland as “Red, White, and Blueland” in support of Trump’s expansionist desire to purchase the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

    Danish officials and Greenlanders saw Carter’s absurd proposal as insulting and damaging to diplomatic relations. It is not the first time that place renaming has been used as a form of symbolic insult in international relations.

    Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America might have initially seemed improbable, but it is already reflected in common navigation apps.

    Google Maps displays the name ‘Gulf of America’ instead of Gulf of Mexico in March 2025.
    Google INEGI



    Read more:
    Yes, Trump can rename the Gulf of Mexico – just not for everyone. Here’s how it works

    A better way to choose place names

    When leaders rename a place in an abrupt, unilateral fashion — often for ideological reasons — they risk alienating communities that deeply connect with those names as a form of memory, identity and place attachment.

    A better alternative, in our view, would be to make renaming shared landscapes participatory, with opportunities for meaningful public involvement in the renaming process.

    This approach does not avoid name changes, but it suggests the changes should respond to the social and psychological needs of communities and the evolving cultural identity of places — and not simply be used to score political points.

    Instead, encouraging public participation — such as through landscape impact assessments and critical audits that take the needs of affected communities seriously — can cultivate a sense of shared ownership in the decision that may give those names more staying power.

    The latest place renamings are already affecting the classroom experience. Students are not just memorizing new place labels, but they are also being asked to reevaluate the meaning of those places and their own relationship with the nation and the world.

    As history has shown around the world, one of the major downsides of leaders imposing name changes is that the names can be easily replaced as soon as the next regime takes power. The result can be a never-ending name game.

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

    – ref. From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools – https://theconversation.com/from-greenland-to-fort-bragg-america-is-caught-in-a-name-game-where-place-names-become-political-tools-251201

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kory London, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

    Medetomidine is now a key ingredient in street fentanyl sold in Philly. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    Philadelphia’s street opioid supply – or “dope” market – is constantly changing. As health care workers and researchers who care for people who use drugs in our community, we have witnessed these shifts firsthand.

    New adulterants are frequently added to the mix. They bring additional and often uncertain risks for people who use drugs, and new challenges for the health care providers and systems who treat them.

    The latest adulterant to dominate the supply is medetomidine.

    What is medetomodine?

    Medetomidine, pronounced meh-deh-TOH-muh-deen, is a drug used in veterinary medicine for sedation, muscle relaxation and pain relief, often during surgery. It is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, which essentially means it works by slowing the release of adrenaline in the brain and body.

    In May 2024, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office began testing for medetomidine in people who died from fatal overdoses. By the end of the year, 46 of the deceased had tested positive for the substance, in addition to fentanyl and other known chemicals.

    In fact, medetomidine is quickly becoming more common in Philadelphia’s street opioid supply than even xylazine, a non-FDA-approved sedative linked to skin ulceration, chronic wounds and amputation.

    Xylazine was first detected in Philadelphia street drugs in 2006 and became increasingly common starting in 2015. By early 2023, xylazine was detected in 98% of tested dope samples in the city.

    However, its presence is steadily dropping, according to local drug-checking program data. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health says medetomidine has emerged as a primary adulterant and is now twice as common as xylazine in drug-checked samples.

    Recent studies show even more unusual substances entering the street fentanyl supply, such as the industrial solvent BTMPS.

    At the same time, hospital and behavioral health providers are reporting more common presentations of severe withdrawal symptoms among people who use drugs in Philadelphia.

    Risks of medetomidine

    While medetomidine’s sedating effects are similar in mechanism to xylazine, it is upward of 10-20 times more potent. It suppresses brain signals in the central nervous system, leading to deep sedation.

    Since medetomidine is so powerful and does not act on opioid receptors, a person who overdoses on it often does not respond to the opioid-reversal drug naloxone, which goes by the brand name Narcan, in the manner we commonly expect from people who appear to have overdosed on opioids.

    When patients overdose on a combination of opioids and medetomidine, providing naloxone will help individuals start breathing again but does not reverse the sedation caused by the medetomidine.

    From our clinical experience, after patients start to breathe normally, providing additional doses of naloxone does not seem to help and even risks prompting opioid withdrawal symptoms.

    Additionally, medetomidine presents serious clinical challenges for health care workers treating patients in withdrawal. These patients often experience symptoms such as rapid heart rate, severe spikes in blood pressure, restlessness, disorientation and confusion, and severe vomiting. While many of these symptoms were similar, if less intense, for those withdrawing from opioids and xylazine, the number of patients we are seeing is unprecedented – as is the severity of their symptoms.

    While published data on humans’ withdrawal from medetomidine is limited, clinicians are drawing comparisons to dexmedetomidine, a related drug used in humans that has shown similar features when withdrawn too quickly.

    Researchers and clinicians in Philadelphia’s hospitals, including us at Thomas Jefferson University, are analyzing emerging clinical data. This data suggests that existing protocols that effectively controlled withdrawal symptoms in the era when xylazine was common are no longer adequate in the era of medetomidine. New protocols have been developed based on the guidance of local experts and are being tested.

    When patients overdose on a combination of opioids and medetomidine, providing naloxone can help individuals start breathing again but does not reverse the sedation caused by the medetomidine.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    Approaches to drug testing

    The rise in severe withdrawal symptoms has prompted expanded testing for adulterants such as medetomidine in Jefferson’s emergency departments.

    Currently, drug testing involves two primary approaches. Qualitative analysis determines the presence or absence of substances. For example, fentanyl and xylazine test strips are commonly used by harm reduction groups and people who use drugs. Unfortunately, they can be unreliable and prone to user error, expiration, misinterpretation and false positives or negatives. This technology is also commonly used in urine drug-testing kits sold over the counter.

    Quantitative analysis, on the other hand, is a more sophisticated approach to drug testing. It uses complex technology such as liquid-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry to separate the individual components of a sample and determine their concentration. This form of testing is more expensive and requires specialized equipment and analysts to perform the tests and interpret the results.

    Hospitals in the city have begun selectively testing urine and blood samples from patients who present with suspected medetomidine exposure. The labs are looking for the presence of certain drugs and their related byproducts, and also trying to identify distinct concentrations that might be associated with overdose, intoxication and withdrawal.

    Implications for public health

    We believe Philadelphians should be aware of these recent changes in the street drug supply and how people in their communities may react to exposure to medetomidine.

    Naloxone is still recommended for a person showing signs of opioid overdose – such as excess sedation, shallow or absent breathing and small pupils. Narcan is freely available at pharmacies around the city. But if the patient starts breathing but does not immediately wake up, additional doses of naloxone should be avoided.

    As always, contact 911 for expert assistance and to get patients to an emergency department to complete their care.

    Patients who use large amounts of drugs may suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. Typical medications given to those in opioid withdrawal, such as buprenorphine or methadone, may not be sufficient to treat this constellation of symptoms. Even medications and regimens tailored for xylazine may not be effective.

    Patients with severe withdrawal symptoms need to be seen in the emergency department, given the risk of undertreating this emerging condition.

    Read more of our stories about Philadelphia.

    Kory London receives funding from The Sheller Family Foundation.

    Karen Alexander receives funding from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

    – ref. Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users – https://theconversation.com/medetomidine-is-replacing-xylazine-in-philly-street-fentanyl-creating-new-hurdles-for-health-care-providers-and-drug-users-251753

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US swing toward autocracy doesn’t have to be permanent – but swinging back to democracy requires vigilance, stamina and elections

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Victor, Associate Professor of Political Science, George Mason University

    The United States is no longer a democracy.

    At least, that’s the verdict of one nonprofit, the Center for Systemic Peace, which measures regime qualities of countries worldwide based on the competitiveness and integrity of their elections, limits to executive authority and other factors.

    “The USA is no longer considered a democracy and lies at the cusp of autocracy,” the group’s 2025 report read.

    It calls Donald Trump’s second inauguration following a raft of criminal indictments and convictions, combined with the U.S. Supreme Court’s July 2024 granting of sweeping presidential immunity, a “presidential coup.”

    Generally, only scholars pay attention to this kind of technical index. This year, however, many people are calling out the erosion of U.S. democracy.

    Political scientists like myself can see that in the guise of government “efficiency,” the Trump administration is sabotaging the rule of law to such an extent that authoritarianism is taking hold in America.

    How long might this situation last?

    US no longer a democracy?

    The term “political regime” refers to either the person or people who hold power, or to a classification of government, including in a democracy.

    Since the mid-1960s, when the U.S. expanded voting rights to include its Black citizens, historians and political scientists have generally classified the U.S. as having a democratic regime. That means the government holds free and fair elections, embraces universal voting rights, protects civil liberties and obeys the law.

    All of these areas have significantly degraded in the U.S. over the last few decades due to partisan polarization and political extremism. Now, the rule of law is under attack, too.

    Trump’s unprecedented use of nearly 100 executive orders in the first two months of his presidency aims to enact a vast policy agenda by decree. For comparison, President Joe Biden issued 162 executive orders over four years.

    This is not what the founders had in mind: Congress is the constitutional route for policy-making. Skirting it threatens democracy, as do the issues Trump’s orders address. From attempting to deny citizenship through birthright to abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, Trump is attacking both the U.S. Constitution and Congress. His administration has even defied judges who order it to stop.

    All of this challenges the rule of law – that is, the idea that everyone, including those in power, must follow the same laws.

    When things get this bad, can a country recover?

    Autocrats can be beaten

    Based on my research, the short answer is yes – eventually.

    When a political party that does not honor democratic institutions or heed critical democratic norms takes power, political scientists expect the government to shift toward autocratic rule. That means restricting civil liberties, quashing dissent and undermining the rule of law.

    This is happening right now in the U.S.

    The Trump administration is challenging broadcasters for their election coverage and banning speech that does not conform to its gender ideology. It’s flagrantly violating the Constitution. And it’s eliminating federal funding for universities and research centers that oppose its actions.

    However, as long as a country has a robust opposition and elections that offer real opportunities for alternative parties to win office, the regime shift is not necessarily permanent.

    Take Brazil, for example.

    Its 2022 election ousted President Jair Bolsonaro, leader of an autocratic regime that had attacked the Brazilian media, judiciary and legislature. Bolsonaro claimed his loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was fraudulent, and in January 2023 his supporters attacked the nation’s capital. Since then, Bolsonaro has been charged with plotting a coup and barred from seeking office until 2030.

    Brazilian voters and the courts stemmed the country’s autocratic slide and returned it to a democratic regime.

    Polarization swings the pendulum

    Today the American public is deeply divided and dissatisfied with how U.S. democracy works. This polarization translates into presidential elections that are narrowly won.

    According to the American Presidency Project at the University of California Santa Barbara, which measures presidential margins of victory by subtracting the electoral vote percentage from the popular vote percentage for each election, the average margin of victory in presidential elections between 1932 and 2000 was 25 points. Since 2000, it has been 7.8 points.

    Moreover, since 1948, every time the White House changed hands after an election, it flipped parties as well, with one exception in 1988. Political scientists refer to this back-and-forth as “thermostatic shifting.” In other words, the electorate regularly sours on the status quo and aims to adjust the thermostat to another temperature – or political party.

    When a party that more strongly favors democratic principles takes power, the U.S. more firmly adheres to democratic institutions and norms. This was essentially Biden’s winning pitch to voters in 2020.

    Trump’s return to the White House despite two impeachments and a criminal conviction on 34 felony charges marked another pendulum swing – this time, back in the direction of authoritarianism.

    The U.S. political pendulum has been singing back and forth like this since at least 2016, with Trump’s first win. I expect the oscillation to continue.

    A kind of equilibrium

    The risk, of course, is that a ruling authoritarian-leaning party abuses its power to ensure that the opposition can never again win. This has happened in recent decades in Hungary, Turkey and Venezuela, to name a few.

    There are good reasons to believe that a permanent slide into autocracy is harder in the U.S. than in those countries.

    The U.S. has a robust and wealthy network of civil society organizations, which are well versed in exercising their civil liberties. Its decentralized federalist structure is harder for any one person or party to seize. U.S. elections for example, are run by state and local governments, not the federal government. This makes its election systems more resilient than more centralized election systems.

    At the moment, I see no reason to fear that the U.S. will fail to hold free and fair elections in 2026 or 2028.

    For the time being, then, the U.S. is in what I call a “pendular equilibrium.” Parties trade majority control as voters react to extremism, shifting the regime from more autocratic to more democratic depending on who is in power.

    The effect is a stable outcome of sorts – not a static stability but a dynamic stability. Despite the day-to-day chaos, there is balance over time in the predictable shift back and forth.

    When the pendulum stops swinging

    Until, that is, some other force comes along to disrupt the pattern.

    This might be a force more toward fascism that restricts elections to the point of futility, as in Venezuela and Russia. Or the equilibrium could be thrown off by a democratic resurgence, in the model of Brazil or Poland.

    Even just maintaining the pendular equilibrium to conserve some manner of democratic regime will require those who oppose authoritarianism to boldly insist on political leaders who value democratic principles: fair elections, voting rights, civil liberties and rule of law.

    Dangerously, many Americans won’t notice the end of democracy as it happens. As the political scientist Tom Pepinksy writes, life in authoritarian states is mostly boring and tolerable.

    For those who pay attention, the frequency and seriousness of lawless actions can nonetheless make it difficult to sustain an organized opposition.

    Until and unless the U.S. nurtures and elects political movements and leaders who make lasting democratic changes, I believe the country will continue to lurch back and forth in its pendulum swing.

    Jennifer Victor serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of OpenSecrets, a non-partisan, non-profit. This is an unpaid position.

    – ref. US swing toward autocracy doesn’t have to be permanent – but swinging back to democracy requires vigilance, stamina and elections – https://theconversation.com/us-swing-toward-autocracy-doesnt-have-to-be-permanent-but-swinging-back-to-democracy-requires-vigilance-stamina-and-elections-250383

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: An exhibition dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics opened at SPbGASU

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Exhibition exhibits

    On March 25, in honor of the 95th anniversary of the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics, a book exhibition entitled “Descriptive Geometry. Engineering Graphics: Milestones in History” was ceremoniously opened in the scientific and technical library of SPbGASU.

    The exhibition displays the first textbooks on descriptive geometry, projects and drawings by teachers of the 19th–20th centuries, albums with drawings by the first students, scientific research by department staff, and modern textbooks and teaching aids.

    “Today we have gathered in our legendary library to congratulate the staff of the oldest department of the university and pay tribute to all those talented and hardworking teachers whose contribution to the training of specialists in the construction field is invaluable. We have gathered to remember the names of those who laid the foundations of the traditions of the Russian school of civil engineers and stood at the origins of teaching the discipline “Descriptive Geometry”; those who supplemented, expanded and preserved the traditions of teaching; those who today, in the rapid time of the development of digital technologies, are engaged in this science,” Elena Romanova, head of the scientific and technical library of SPbGASU, addressed the guests of the exhibition.

    Elena Gennadyevna expressed her gratitude to Elena Denisova, head of the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics, for donating to the library a rare 1821 edition of L. L. Vallee’s “Treatise on the Science of Drawing,” which contains a general theory of shadows, linear perspective, a general theory of optical images, and aerial perspective used for blurred drawing.

    Senior lecturer of the Department of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics Vladimir Zaikin shared his memories of outstanding scientists – Ivan Dmitrievich Sizov, Maria Fedorovna Yakovleva, Alexandra Nikolaevna Zaikina, Valentina Fominichna Ivanova. According to Vladimir Konstantinovich, of the 95 years that the department has existed, he could talk about the last fifty – he visited the lecture halls and drawing rooms when he was still a child, then studied at our university and has been working there for many years.

    The department’s head Elena Denisova spoke about the department’s successes today. The department provides graphic and geometric training for all engineering, construction and architectural specialties. The scientific interests of the staff concern various aspects of the application of the academic disciplines “Descriptive Geometry”, “Engineering Graphics” and “Computer Graphics” to these areas of study.

    The department uses modern teaching methods – interactive lectures, online courses, CAD systems are used: Kompas-3D, nanoCAD for creating 3D models and preparing drawings, which allows students to better understand spatial relationships and visualize complex geometric objects, and gain skills in working with modern software. Tasks are developed that require manual graphics: you cannot completely abandon manual drawing, which develops motor skills, an eye and an understanding of the principles of construction, which is critical for the formation of spatial thinking.

    The main scientific areas of the department are geometric modeling, computer graphics, information modeling technologies (IMT), engineering analysis, data visualization, application of methods of descriptive geometry and engineering graphics in education, use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, etc.

    Over the past three years, the department’s teachers have published more than 160 works. Students under their scientific supervision have published about 100 works. The department has three areas of the student scientific society of the Faculty of Architecture: “3D modeling in modern design” (headed by Elena Denisova), “Architecture and geometry in a sustainable world” (headed by Olga Melnikova, senior lecturer of the department), and “Computer-aided design (CAD) systems for solving construction and architectural problems” (headed by Yuliana Guryeva, associate professor of the department).

    Career guidance work is carried out: master classes are held for schoolchildren: “Profession: Civil Engineer. Who builds, what builds and for whom builds”, “Not everyone is given the opportunity to live so generously – to give cities to friends as a keepsake!” The department’s teachers work in schools and collaborate with other educational institutions.

    Students, under the guidance of the department’s teachers, regularly participate in competitions and olympiads at the regional, all-Russian and international levels, where they win prizes, demonstrating a high level of training and a creative approach to solving engineering problems.

    The department’s teachers have written manuals and textbooks that have received high marks in competitions, and have acquired a number of patents for their inventions. Yuliana Guryeva was awarded a laureate diploma at the international exhibition and competition “Creative Spring. The Expanses of My Homeland…” for her graphic work “The Bell Tower of the Nikolsky Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg” (from the series “St. Petersburg – the City of Naval Glory”).

    “In the modern educational realities, the Department of Descriptive Geometry must actively develop in order to remain relevant and in demand. Traditional approaches need to be adapted to new technologies, labor market requirements, and the changing educational needs of students,” Elena Denisova is confident.

    The department’s development areas include the introduction of new educational technologies, development and refinement of courses and disciplines that meet modern labor market requirements in close cooperation with graduating departments, encouraging students to participate in scientific conferences and competitions in geometry and computer graphics, participation in international educational and scientific projects, and student and teacher exchanges with foreign universities.

    Students of SPbGASU congratulated the department on its anniversary in the form of a video message, in which they warmly thanked the teachers for their responsiveness, assistance in preparing for the Olympiads and developing professional skills.

    The opening ceremony of the exhibition continued with a tour of the reading room for working with rare books, where Elena Romanova showed unique graphic works from the collection of the Scientific and Technical Library of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, made by teachers and students of previous years.

    The exhibition in the reading room of the Scientific and Technical Library of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering will run until April 25.

    Opening hours: Monday – Thursday from 10:00 to 18:00, Friday from 10:00 to 17:00.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial News: New Issue of the Magazine “Money and Credit”: Modeling Trust and the Forecasting Power of News

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    Published first in 2025 number quarterly scientific journal of the Bank of Russia “Money and Credit”. Among the topics of the issue are modeling trust in the central bank based on social media data, forecasting inflation using news texts and analysis of factors influencing inflation risks.

    Trust in the central bank is one of the factors of the effectiveness of monetary policy (MP): the higher the level of trust in the central bank, the stronger its influence on inflation expectations. To assess the level of trust, survey data are usually used, which are problematic to conduct too often. Anastasia Matevosova (Moscow State University; Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) offers use big data and builds an indicator based on sentiment analysis of VKontakte user comment texts. Such an indicator can be used with different frequencies – for example, on both weekly and annual data. Modeling on weekly data revealed that an increase in trust leads to a decrease in inflation expectations with a lag of about 2 weeks.

    Text analysis using neural networks can also help in forecasting inflation. Elizaveta Volgina (Moscow State University) in her work uses To do this, information from the media news is added to standard macro variables (such as the dynamics of wages, industrial production or oil prices). The author shows that such a forecast is more accurate than a forecast without taking into account the news.

    When conducting monetary policy, it is important for central banks to take into account not only the inflation forecast, but also the risks that it will be higher. With the same forecast, a situation in which the risk of high inflation is more significant requires stricter monetary policy measures. Alexandra Chudayeva (RANEPA) analyzes the factors of such inflation risks andshows, that on a yearly horizon these include an increase in wages and a decline in production, and on a monthly horizon – an increase in retail turnover and a weakening of the ruble.

    You can read these and other articles from the magazine “Money and Credit” No. 1 for 2025 atwebsite magazine.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //vv. KBR.ru/Press/Event/? ID = 23489

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The day the Red Army reached the USSR border in 1944

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On March 26, 1944, on the 1009th day of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet troops reached the state border of the USSR with Romania.

    This significant event occurred as a result of the actions of the 2nd Ukrainian Front during the Uman-Botoşani offensive operation under the command of the newly-minted Marshal Ivan Konev. Let us recall that Konev received a promotion for the successful Korsun-Shevchenkovsk operation, which ended on February 17, that is, just a month before the Red Army reached the border.

    Border posts were once again installed on the 85-kilometer section of the Soviet border, and this section of the border was taken under the protection of the 24th Border Regiment, the same one that guarded this line in 1941. Regiment veteran Boris Sichan recalls:

    “You can’t imagine the excitement in the regiment when it became clear that we were going to the same section of the border that we had guarded before the war. After we crossed the Dniester at Mogilev-Podolsky, many border guards took off their hats and caps and pulled out of their kit bags the green caps that they had carefully preserved since 1941.”

    Now the Red Army faced the task of liberating a not very friendly Europe from fascism: Romania under the dictatorship of Hitler’s ally John Antonescu, Hungary with the puppet regime of Ferenc Szalasi, Bulgaria, ruled by a pro-German regency council…

    There were still many large-scale operations and fierce battles ahead. In the meantime, Soviet troops were gradually reaching the borders of the Motherland and in other sections of the front: – On July 20, units of the 1st Belorussian Front crossed the border with Poland; – On July 21, troops of the Karelian Front reached the border with Finland; – On August 17, units of the 3rd Belorussian Front entered German territory; – On November 7, the western state border of the USSR was completely restored.

    #Scientific regiment

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/26/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Pioneer in regenerative engineering Professor Cato T. Laurencin, is now Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin.

    Dr. Cato T. Laurencin at the ceremony.

    Laurencin is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of regenerative engineering that he founded, along with groundbreaking work in orthopaedic surgery, polymer science chemistry and engineering, and musculoskeletal repair and regeneration.

    Laurencin is the first surgeon in the world elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors. He earned his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, his M.D. from the Harvard Medical School, Magna Cum Laude, and his Ph.D. in Biochemical engineering/Biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    “St. Lucia is an extraordinary country, with extraordinary people,” said Laurencin. “The country has more Nobel Prize winners per capita than anywhere in the world. In being Knighted through the auspices of King Charles III, I am proud to be included among fellow Knights such as the late Sir Derek Wolcott, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

    Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin receiving the medal of the Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia.

    Laurencin is the Chief Executive Officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university Institute at UConn created in his honor. He is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine. In engineering, he is professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and professor of Biomedical Engineering at UConn.

    Sir Laurencin’s Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia medals.

    His research has successfully translated to and influenced technologies affecting millions of patients. His contributions to science include over 500 scientific articles, numerous patents, and he has written or edited 17 books. He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, America’s highest honor for technological achievement, in ceremonies at the White House. In 2023 he was named Inventor of the Year by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation.

    Laurencin received Knighthood on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Government of St. Lucia. “I’m proud that we have established an MOU between the University of Connecticut and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia and have a number of collaborations established. I’m especially proud that my donated autobiography ‘Success is What You Leave Behind’ sits in schools and libraries throughout the country.”

    Laurencin received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Grant Award, and the NSF Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Grant Award for his work in Regenerative Engineering. He has received the highest awards of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Materials Research Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and the American Chemical Society, which awarded him the Priestley Medal. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers established the Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founder’s Award, honoring his pioneering efforts in the field.

    “My father, the late Cyril Laurencin, was born in St. Lucia and was a distinguished carpenter. He asked me to promise to make a difference in the world, and to pay special attention to making a difference in the lives of St. Lucians. Receiving Knight Commander of the Order of St. Lucia shows a promise kept.”

    Laurencin was born in America but also became a citizen of St. Lucia. Thus, his Knighthood is not an honorary one.

    The University of Connecticut congratulates Sir Cato Thomas Laurencin.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 4 College of Engineering Faculty Elected to CASE

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    For being “leading experts in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine,” the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) is welcoming four faculty from UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE) into its membership.

    They are among 12 inductees from UConn, and 36 statewide. The new members will be introduced at the Academy’s 50th Annual Dinner on May 28.

    Election to CASE is open to scientists and engineers who work or live in Connecticut based on scientific distinction achieved through significant original contributions in theory or applications, unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of applied science and technology, or both.

    The 2025 CASE inductees from the CoE include:
    • Omer Khan, professor of electrical and computer engineering

    • Ji-Cheng “JC” Zhao, dean of the College of Engineering; professor of materials science and engineering

    • Guoan Zheng, Collins Aerospace Professor of Engineering Innovation in the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and director of the UConn Center for Biomedical and Bioengineering Innovation

    • Xiao-Dong Zhou, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor in Sustainable Energy; the Nicholas E. Madonna Chair in Sustainability; director of the Center for Clean Energy Engineering; and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering

    “CASE is honored to have these outstanding scientists and engineers join us as we seek to fulfill our mission to provide evidence-based advice to inform policy and promote innovation in Connecticut,” says CASE President Amy Howell.

    Brief bios of the 2025 CASE Fellows are below:

    Omer Khan

    Omer Khan leads the Computer Architecture Group (CAG) and serves as an associate director of the Connecticut Advanced Computing Center (CACC). His research interests include computer architectures and methods that exploit parallelism, locality, resiliency, and privacy suitable for high-performance applications, such as graph intelligence problems. He has contributed architectural advancements for futuristic massively parallel microprocessors that substantially enhance system level performance and efficiency.

    Most recently, Khan and his colleagues took a hardware-architecture-algorithm approach to develop a new system architecture that helps optimize multiple goals at once, like finding the best trade-off between speed and fuel efficiency for autonomous vehicles. They propose Ordered Parallel Multi-Objective Search, or OPMOS, that exploits massive parallelism to achieve huge improvements in performance.

    “OPMOS is a unique approach that brings together algorithmic optimizations and architectural insights to rapidly accelerate these computationally hard multi-objective graph intelligence problems,” Khan explains. “This means exact solutions that used to take hours to generate can be found in seconds. This allows decision-makers to have access to real-time information, leading to better decision-making in high-impact application scenarios.”

    As a complementary research effort, Khan is addressing the computational complexity problem in artificial intelligence applications, such as autonomous systems, social influence, and chip design that must handle increasingly large and sparse graph-based data.

    “Efficient processing of sparse graph problems is extremely challenging since the underlying computations require complex mathematical operations whose processing suffers from performance scaling challenges on existing hardware processing units,” Khan explains. Khan and his colleagues are developing parallel hardware architectures that exploit sparsity for performance to reduce computational complexity without compromising accuracy.

    Prior to joining UConn, Khan spent several years in the semiconductor industry as a high-performance processor architect.

    Khan has a BS in electrical and computer engineering from Michigan State University (2000) and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2009).

    Ji-Cheng “JC” Zhao

    Ji-Cheng “JC” Zhao is an expert on design of advanced alloys and coatings, additive manufacturing (3D printing) of alloys and composites, high-throughput materials science methodologies, and computational thermodynamics and kinetics. He previously served as a director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy), managing approximately $100 million in projects to develop energy-efficient and green technologies.

    Before working in academia and government, Zhao was a senior materials scientist and project leader at General Electric (GE) Research Center where he invented new materials and processes, mostly for gas turbines and jet engines, leading to 48 U.S. patents.

    As dean of engineering at UConn, Zhao is working to expand the College’s research footprint, launch impactful educational programs, and advance relationships with local, national, and international partners.

    Zhao is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Inventors, ASM International, the Materials Research Society, and the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society.
    Zhao has a BS in materials science and engineering from Central South University in Hunan, China (1985) and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Lehigh University (1995).

    Guoan Zheng

    Guoan Zheng is an expert on biomedical optics and instrumentation, computational imaging, microscopy, and chip-scale imaging. At UConn’s Smart Imaging Laboratory, he leads a team of researchers who are developing a new technique called Synthetic Aperture Ptycho-Endoscopy (SAPE), which achieves outstanding resolution and visibility in endoscopic images. Since its inception in 2013, the laboratory has been supported by NSF, NIH, DOE, Connecticut Innovations, and partnerships with multiple industry leaders.

    Zheng is also the inventor of Fourier ptychography, a transformative microscopy technique that has become a global standard, now widely adopted across numerous laboratories worldwide. The technique is featured as a chapter in the most widely read textbook on Fourier optics.

    He’s also a member of Optica and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

    Zheng holds a BS in electrical engineering from Zhejiang University (2007); and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (2013).

    Xiao-Dong Zhou

    Xiao-Dong Zhou is passionate about reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the development of advanced materials and innovative, efficient processes. He’s an expert on nonequilibrium thermodynamics, electrochemistry, thermodynamics and electrochemistry in fuel cells, electrolyzers, and batteries, and studies ways small molecules—such as oxygen, water, carbon dioxide and methane—can be used to create value-added commodities.

    At UConn, Zhou serves as a special advisor on sustainable energies to President Radenka Maric and Vice President for Research Pamir Alpay. In this role, he provides guidance and contributes to the development of sustainable energy strategies and initiatives across the university.

    Zhou currently serves as the technical editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, and an associate editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society and the International Journal of Ceramic Engineering and Science. Since 2017, Zhou has secured more than $23 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy.

    Zhou received his BS in chemical engineering from East China University of Science and Technology and his Ph.D. in ceramic engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

    In 2012, CASE elected Pamir Alpay, vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship and professor of materials science and engineering to its membership. He’s among 20 engineering faculty from UConn—including the four new inductees—who are CASE members.

    “We’re thrilled to have Professors Zhao, Zheng, Khan, and Zhou join our membership at the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering,” Alpay says. “This achievement is a testament to their contributions to research and innovation, and their dedication to advancing knowledge in engineering fields. Their work continues to inspire excellence within our academic community at the CoE.”

    The CoE faculty are among 12 newly elected CASE members at UConn. One third of all new inductees statewide are UConn faculty. Others 2025 inductees include:

    • Gerald Berkowitz, professor of horticulture, University of Connecticut College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources
    • Ming-Hui Chen, department head of statistics; Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    • Jie He, professor of chemistry, University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    • Guozhen Lu, professor of mathematics; director of Mathematical Sciences Research Collaboratory, University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    • Xiuling Lu, professor of pharmaceutical sciences; associate director of the Kildsig Center for Pharmaceutical Processing Research, University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy
    • Vijay Rathinam, professor of immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center School of Medicine
    • Kumar Venkitanarayanan, professor of animal science; associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies, University of Connecticut College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources
    • Jing Zhao, professor of chemistry, University of Connecticut College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

    UConn Engineering continues to have a strong presence in CASE membership. Khan, Zhao, Zheng, and Zhou join 16 other faculty from the College of Engineering who are already members of CASE.

    CASE was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1976 to provide expert guidance on science and technology to the people and to the state of Connecticut, and to promote the application of science and technology to human welfare and economic well-being.

    For more information about CASE, visit https://ctcase.org.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Welcome Back to Honduran Chevening Scholars 2023-24

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Welcome Back to Honduran Chevening Scholars 2023-24

    Deputy Head of Mission, Paul Huggins, welcomed the Honduran Chevening Scholars who successfully completed their master’s programs at UK universities.

    Two Honduran scholars from the 2023-24 academic year pursued master’s degrees at various renowned British institutions. 

    The Embassy congratulated the scholars on the successful completion of their studies and for being outstanding representatives of Honduras during their time in the UK. 

    Chevening is the UK government’s global scholarship program, offered by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in partnership with various organizations. Since 1983, Chevening has helped build bridges with over 160 different countries and territories, supporting the education and development of future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers worldwide. 

    The returning scholars are:

    • Eva Carolina Salgado Aguilar – MSc in Data Analytics at Queen Mary University of London. 
    • Fanny Carolina Nuñez Soriano – MSc in Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship at University of Strathclyde. 

    Chevening has fostered economic development and better business environments worldwide by funding scholars who have created businesses, become directors, and hold high-level positions in global organizations. 

    The application window for the 2025-2026 scholarships will open in August 2025. We strongly encourage mid-career professionals to apply for the program and sign up for alerts by visiting the Chevening website.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The school Olympiad “All-Russian School TIM-Championship” of SPbGASU has started in the 2024/2025 academic year

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

    The All-Russian school TIM-Championship of SPbGASU is held annually for students in grades eight through eleven and is addressed to those who plan to enroll in educational institutions in the following areas: Construction, Information Systems and Technologies, Applied Informatics, Thermal Power Engineering and Thermal Engineering, and Construction of Unique Buildings and Structures.

    This year, 85 schoolchildren from 17 regions took part in the qualifying round – correspondence course using distance learning technologies, 36 of them were admitted to the final stage, the opening of which took place today, March 26, at the Educational Center for Digital Competencies of SPbGASU.

    “The Olympiad is aimed at developing students’ creative abilities and interest in research, engineering, technical, and inventive activities, at the professional orientation of schoolchildren, and the promotion of scientific knowledge. The tasks go beyond the school curriculum, which allows us to assess the intellectual development of students, promote the development of gifted children, and increase their motivation for in-depth study of technical disciplines. In addition, in this way we popularize the educational programs of SPbGASU in order to accept motivated applicants, and form the composition of the university’s students from the most capable and prepared to master the main professional educational programs of higher education,” explained Inna Sukhanova, a member of the organizing committee and director of the Educational Center for Digital Competencies of SPbGASU.

    She specified that the industrial partner of TIM-Championship – the company OOO RL Proekt – provided a set of drawings of a ready-made solution of an individual two-story residential building without a basement, with a parking lot. Participants will have to correctly understand the drawings and, in accordance with the prescribed task, create a digital information model of this building strictly according to all the drawings.

    One day is allotted for completing the tasks. Tomorrow, a competent jury will begin its work, which includes employees of specialized departments of SPbGASU and leading experts in the relevant fields of knowledge and professional activity. The winners will be determined based on the results of the individual competition in each age category on March 28. Their award ceremony will take place on April 25 as part of the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference “Information Modeling in Construction and Architecture Problems” (BIMAC-2025).

    Deputy Director for Experimental Work at Secondary School No. 255 in the Admiralty District of St. Petersburg Marita Yarmolinskaya noted that the TIM-Championship of SPbGASU is only one of the activities that are provided to the school as a participant in the TIM-Classes of SPbGASU project. She considers the project itself to be very important for schoolchildren, since it is an effective method of career guidance and familiarization with a new interesting industry that is actively developing today.

    “We are making a lot of efforts to involve children in this project. In fact, the percentage of schoolchildren who want to choose technical specialties for themselves in the future is much higher than the share of those who plan to do so in the eighth or ninth grades. Practice shows that at first, many dream of the so-called fashionable industries, for example, blogging. But in the final grade, they realize the need for a practical specialty and enter technical universities. We see our task in introducing children to engineering and technical specialties as early as possible, so that the choice of further education is conscious. The TIM-classes project is very helpful in this,” explained Marita Yarmolinska.

    She added that this year the most important thing for them is participation and acquisition of initial experience in solving tasks of such level and volume, since the students are first-year students. Last year, already experienced students received two diplomas: third degree and a diploma in the nomination “Architect-Innovator”.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: An Interview with Foreign Law Intern at the Law Library of Congress, Yu-Chen Tsai

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Today’s interview is with Yu-Chen Tsai, a foreign law intern working with Foreign Law Specialist Laney Zhang in the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress.

    Describe your background.

    I was born and raised in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan known for its rich history and delicious street food. With my father being from the Philippines, I grew up in a multicultural environment.

    What is your academic/ professional history?

    I started my legal career in a rather unconventional way. My first formal employment was as an Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) coordinator at a hospital, where I was responsible for formulating a new human subject protection plan for all research involving human participants conducted at the institution. After leaving my position as an IRB coordinator, I continued to serve as an IRB member.

    Seeking broader legal experience from different perspectives, I worked as an in-house counsel in two distinct industries—human resources and manufacturing. In these roles, I conducted contract analyses, assessed the pros and cons of various agreements, and provided senior management with legal advice to support their decision-making processes.

    I hold a bachelor’s degree in law from Soochow University. Following that, I pursued a master’s degree at the College of Law at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, where my dissertation focused on the importance of information disclosure regarding adverse drug events during litigation. I recently completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at Columbia Law School in New York and passed the New York bar in 2024.

    How would you describe your job to other people?

    As a foreign law intern at the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress, I conduct in-depth legal research and draft memoranda on the legal jurisdictions of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Singapore in response to Congressional and public inquiries. Additionally, I assist in drafting articles on Taiwan’s legal developments for the Global Legal Monitor.

    Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?

    About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Law Library of Congress with my current supervisor, Laney Zhang, as my guide. I told myself then that I would return one day. And here I am. It is truly a blessing to have the opportunity to work and learn alongside so many talented legal experts from different countries and to contribute by sharing legal developments from Taiwan.

    What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Law Library of Congress?

    I was amazed to learn that there are tunnels beneath the Library of Congress that connect its three buildings, as well as some congressional buildings. I always get lost in this underground maze.

    What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?

    I love birds and have nine parrots back home. I also have a passion for flower arrangements and previously ran a small online store in Taiwan.

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Broadcom Simplifies and Accelerates Private Cloud Lateral Security with VMware vDefend Innovations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif., March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) today introduced new updates to VMware vDefend that enable organizations to up-level security planning and assessment, simplify lifecycle management and operations, and seamlessly scale security across application environments. As organizations develop security plans for VMware Cloud Foundation(R) (VCF), these new technologies and guidance tools enable improved time-to-implementation and help efficiently maintain security operations for all critical and non-critical applications.

    “Organizations often navigate thousands of applications to power their business. This complexity makes it difficult to maintain visibility and lateral security across all applications,” said Umesh Mahajan, vice president and general manager, Application Networking and Security Division, Broadcom. “VMware vDefend simplifies how organizations achieve zero trust and private cloud security goals by cutting through complexity and providing a comprehensive lateral security implementation. The latest vDefend innovations further this efficiency by offering real-time security assessments, a next-generation security services platform to simplify operations, and micro-segmentation as code to further improve security operations.”

    VMware vDefend is available as an Advanced Service for VMware Cloud Foundation.

    Robust Private Cloud Security Planning and Assessment with Security Intelligence
    It is essential for security teams to quickly detect and investigate potential breaches in their environment. This requires a proactive approach to security planning and rapid time-to-implementation across all application workloads. To support this, VMware vDefend introduces a Security Segmentation Assessment and Report in its Security Intelligence tool for lateral security visibility and threat analytics. It provides a real-time assessment of an organization’s security segmentation posture for implementing a zero trust private cloud initiative. The assessment analyzes application traffic to deliver timely, data-driven insights related to application interactions, pinpointing potential security gaps due to insecure network protocols and inappropriate application communication, measuring progress with a security segmentation score, and offering actionable and easy-to-implement policy recommendations. This assessment, along with rule recommendations, help organizations rapidly roll out lateral security protection on VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall across all their applications and stay ahead of potential breaches. The Security Segmentation Assessment Report is available today.

    Simplified Security Operations
    To establish a sophisticated security plan, organizations need a consistent, reliable platform and an optimized approach to micro-segmentation that allows customers to apply security as part of the application deployment process. vDefend addresses these needs by introducing new updates, including:

    • Updates to Security Services Platform (SSP): SSP is a self-contained and scale-out platform that simplifies deployment of Security Intelligence as well as advanced threat prevention tools such as Network Detection and Response and Malware Prevention. The new SSP architecture greatly streamlines the user experience with a simplified network design, streamlined life cycle management, tailored user profile for security administrators, and easier workflows for configuration and deployment. The enhanced scale-out capability ensures that visibility and threat prevention automatically extend to large-scale VCF deployments.
    • Micro-segmentation as Code: vDefend Distributed Firewall offers an optimized and streamlined approach to micro-segmentation. It is built into the hypervisor and applies security to every workload with an API-driven model that plugs into automation frameworks. This allows customers to apply lateral security as part of the application deployment process and seamlessly scale micro-segmentation across application environments. It features a declarative context-based model to deploy the full intent of customers’ vDefend security policy in a single, simplified manner and includes built-in automation that eliminates the need for external scripting. This rich policy model applies to both virtual machines and container workloads to ensure consistent lateral security protection.
    • Network Detection and Response Enhancement for Air-Gapped Environments: The Network Detection and Response (NDR) capability of VMware vDefend now supports mechanisms for organizations to securely update threat intelligence in on-premises operations without external network access. This ensures that all detection, correlation, and response activities are executed with higher fidelity within the closed network leveraging both internally and externally sourced threat intelligence. NDR provides an additional layer of protection against targeted attack campaigns in sensitive, high-security or classified environments and supports industries with strict regulatory compliance.
    • VMware Validated Solutions design for secure VCF: This best practice design guide1 with prescriptive use case guidance enables security teams to rapidly roll-out zero trust lateral security for VCF’s management components and application workloads.

    These capabilities are available today.

    Third-Party Validation
    Third-party research reports outline the impact and value of vDefend. vDefend recently received an AAA rating for Advanced Threat Prevention in the SE Labs Advanced Security Test Report. The SE Labs methodology tests full chains of attack, including complex, multi-staged ransomware threats, and uses a variety of tools and techniques commonly employed by threat actors to analyze the performance of vDefend Advanced Threat Prevention. An AAA rating is the highest rating vendors can receive and indicates the use of best-of-breed threat detection algorithms.

    Additionally, a recently commissioned Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Broadcom, revealed that a composite organization representative of interviewed customers with experience using VMware vDefend:

    • Reduced their cyber breach risk by 40%
    • Cut security operations expenses by 25%
    • Avoided a 12% increase in cyber insurance premiums

    The study also showed that the composite organization realized a 116% return on investment using VMware vDefend. The full study can be accessed here.2

    Supporting Quotes

    “Deep application-level visibility and micro-segmentation for a zero trust private cloud is critical for us,” said Sarita Akula , senior manager, Infrastructure Platforms at University of Arts, London. “In a very short time, we enabled Security Intelligence’s application analytics with SSP, successfully segmented certain critical applications, and laid the groundwork for enabling advanced threat detection and prevention capabilities of vDefend.”

    “vDefend has been a critical technology in our journey to Zero Trust security for health care applications,” says Tyler Wertenbruch, IT technical manager at St. John’s Health. “With vDefend’s micro-segmentation-as-code capabilities, we were able to apply lateral security during the application on-boarding process, enabling us to ensure that security remains up to date and maintain a strong Zero Trust posture. We are looking forward to leveraging Security Intelligence’s enhancements for deeper visibility and assessment of our application environment.”

    “VMware vDefend’s Security Intelligence hosted on the enhanced Security Services Platform has become a critical tool for quickly securing our customers’ business applications”, said Michael Law, managing consultant engineer at CDW, “These vDefend enhancements for lateral security are unmatched in the industry.”

    Additional Resources

    About Broadcom
    Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) is a global technology leader that designs, develops, and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions. Broadcom’s category-leading product portfolio serves critical markets including cloud, data center, networking, broadband, wireless, storage, industrial, and enterprise software. Our solutions include service provider and enterprise networking and storage, mobile device and broadband connectivity, mainframe, cybersecurity, and private and hybrid cloud infrastructure. Broadcom is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

    (1)   1VMware Validated Solutions: Lateral Security for VMware Cloud Foundation with VMware vDefend, March, 2025
    (2)   2Forrester Consulting, The Total Economic ImpactTM Of Broadcom VMware vDefend, March, 2025

    Media Contact:

    Heather Haley
    Broadcom Global Communications
    heather.haley@broadcom.com
    925-856-8042

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Cloudera Appoints Leo Brunnick as Chief Product Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloudera, the only true hybrid platform for data, analytics, and AI, today announced the appointment of Leo Brunnick as Chief Product Officer. With more than 30 years of experience leading technology teams, Brunnick will work closely with CEO Charles Sansbury and the entire Cloudera leadership team to oversee the company’s product and technology direction.

    “Not many companies today understand that enterprises require flexibility to successfully deploy new solutions, but Cloudera clearly has that down,” said Brunnick. “Cloudera is the only data platform provider that offers both robust on-premises and cloud-native data and AI services to enable a truly hybrid experience behind customer firewalls. These capabilities, combined with the incredible AI talent and growing ecosystem of partners, are what drew me to the company.”

    Brunnick recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of Naviga, a software provider for content development in media. During his six years there, Brunnick led a team of more than 600 product, marketing, engineering, and customer support professionals. Prior to his time at Naviga, he held several leadership roles at Vignette, including EVP of Engineering, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer, until the company’s sale to OpenText in 2008. Brunnick also served as an officer in the Marine Corps and earned his MBA from Georgia State University after graduating from Harvard University with his bachelor’s degree in general engineering.

    “Leo’s experience guiding high-performing teams and translating customer needs into platform excellence will be invaluable to Cloudera as we continue to lead the data, analytics, and AI markets,” said Sansbury. “With Leo officially onboard, Cloudera is set to continue accelerating product innovation to provide our customers with the most robust hybrid solution on the market.”

    To learn more about Cloudera, visit www.cloudera.com.

    About Cloudera
    Cloudera is the only true hybrid platform for data, analytics, and AI. With 100x more data under management than other cloud-only vendors, Cloudera empowers global enterprises to transform data of all types, on any public or private cloud, into valuable, trusted insights. Our open data lakehouse delivers scalable and secure data management with portable cloud-native analytics, enabling customers to bring GenAI models to their data while maintaining privacy and ensuring responsible, reliable AI deployments. The world’s largest brands in financial services, insurance, media, manufacturing, and government rely on Cloudera to use their data to solve what was once impossible—today and in the future. 

    To learn more, visit Cloudera.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X. Cloudera and associated marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cloudera, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Contact
    Jess Hohn-Cabana
    cloudera@v2comms.com

    The MIL Network –