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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Energy-thirsty indoor vertical gardens ripe for improvement

    Source: University of South Australia

    16 October 2024

    Indoor vertical gardens are gaining popularity among homeowners and restaurants, allowing them to grow microgreens year-round, but new research has identified a major drawback: their demands on energy.

    A study by researchers from the Marche Polytechnic University and University of South Australia shows that while domestic vertical garden appliances can provide fresh, local produce under controlled conditions and with zero food miles, they do chew up energy.

    Artificial lighting – essential for plant growth – accounted for more than 50% of the total energy costs in growing a crop of red lettuce, which is five times higher than professional vertical farming setups.

    The ventilation and irrigation systems also accounted for a significant share of the overall energy usage, consuming 18% and 9% of the power costs respectively.

    The study, published in the 2024 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for Living Environment (MetroLivEn), investigated the electricity consumption of a commercial home cultivator – or indoor garden – using smart meters to provide real-time information on electricity usage and peak demands.

    Lead author Dr Gianluca Brunetti says the findings highlight opportunities to improve the technology used in domestic indoor vertical gardens to overcome energy inefficiencies.

    “Indoor vertical farming has significant potential to contribute to urban agriculture by growing crops year-round in compact spaces,” Dr Brunetti says.

    “However, energy consumption, particularly from artificial lighting and ventilation systems, must be carefully managed to ensure these systems are not only viable but also sustainable in the long term.

    The researchers say that while indoor vertical gardens are still in their infancy, they anticipate the market will grow substantially over the next decade, in line with a move towards more sustainable cities.

    Vertical farming is seen as a potentially resource-efficient technology that can save water, nutrients, labour and space. It could also produce crops out of season and protect them from pests.

    Like any rapid innovation, it does come with drawbacks (initial capital cost and high energy usage) which manufacturers do not disclose, while exaggerating the benefits, the researchers say.

    Co-author UniSA Professor Enzo Lombi says switching to LED lighting, enhancing ventilation efficiency, and improving the design of the appliance could significantly reduce energy consumption.

    “As these systems become more mainstream, improvements in design and energy management will make them more sustainable. Transitioning to renewable energy sources would further enhance their environmental benefits,” Prof Lombi says.

    The study also proposes the adoption of energy labelling, similar to that used for other household appliances, to help consumers make informed decisions about the sustainability of these devices.

    Notes to editors

    About the study: The research is part of the VITALITY project (ECS00000041 – CUP I33C22001330007) funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), aimed at promoting innovation in sustainability across Central Italy.

    “Sustainable Domestic Vertical Farming: Energy Consumption of an Indoor Farming Appliance” is authored by researchers from the Polytechnic University of Marche and the Future Industries Institute at the University of South Australia. DOI: 10.1109/MetroLivEnv60384.2024.10615743

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Researcher contacts:
    Marche Polytechnic University: Dr Gianluca Brunetti E: g.brunetti@staff.univpm.it
    University of South Australia: Professor Enzo Lombi E: enzo.lombi@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 19 Real-World Examples of Geothermal Heat Pumps In Action

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Case Studies Detail Geothermal Heat Pump Installations in Climate Zones Across United States With Varying System Types, Sizes, and End Uses

      The geothermal system at Epic Systems Corporation is complemented by many other sustainability solutions such as heat reduction through rooftop gardens, wind turbines and acres of solar photovoltaics, and energy-efficient building envelopes. Epic’s buildings consume about 25% less energy than comparable buildings in the same climate. Photo from Epic Systems Corporation

      Montana State University’s district energy system acts as a living laboratory for campus facilities professionals, engineers, and students—a hands-on learning opportunity to study and improve energy-efficient building design, right beneath their feet. Photo from Montana State University

      The historic Inn on Boltwood, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, installed a geothermal system for heating, cooling, and hot water in 2009 for their 49 guest rooms and 8,000 square feet of event space. Photo from the Inn on Boltwood

      The College of Southern Idaho’s geothermal system may be hidden on the surface, but stepping foot into the heating plants reveals another more colorful story. The vibrantly colored pipes move thousands of gallons of warm water per day for sustainable heating. Photo from College of Southern Idaho

      Previous Next

    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has published a set of geothermal heat pump (GHP) case studies to help people better understand GHP systems, installations, and benefits.

    These 19 studies detail GHP installations in climate zones across the United States, with varying system types, sizes, and end uses.

    For most areas in the United States, subsurface temperatures are warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer—regardless of overall climate in a particular region. GHPs leverage these constant temperatures to heat and cool buildings more efficiently than traditional systems and can be used in individual buildings as well as networks for multiple buildings. However, homeowners or business owners interested in installing GHPs do not always have access to information about how the systems work or whether these systems are suitable for their areas.

    Web and printable versions of each case study are available. Graphic by NREL

    To help address this gap, GTO asked the geothermal program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to work with installers and owners of GHPs and create the case studies. The results provide real-life examples of GHP systems in different parts of the country, making it easier for people to understand how such a system might work for them.

    While none of the systems featured are funded by GTO, they provide valuable insights of the depth and breadth of uses for GHPs. The Geothermal Heat Pump Case Study Yearbook includes webpages and printable versions of each study.

    Learn more about GHPs and GHP-related tax credits, incentives, and technical assistance.

    Tags: Geothermal

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Inflation Expectations – Why They Matter and How They Are Formed

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    Introduction

    I would first like to pay respect to the traditional and original owners of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, to pay respect to those who have passed before us and to acknowledge today’s custodians of this land. I also extend that respect to any First Nations people joining us here today.

    A low and stable inflation rate is critical to preserving macroeconomic stability. Having a good idea of what’s going to happen to prices allows businesses to plan for investment and expansion. It also makes things like budgeting and financial planning easier for households. This is particularly true for those on low incomes, who typically have smaller financial buffers than others and spend more of their income on essentials. And with more stable household and business balance sheets, the financial system is more stable.

    The experience of the last few years has clearly highlighted this. Everyone across the economy has felt the increased cost of living. This is very clear in the data we monitor, such as household spending, but it’s perhaps more apparent in survey metrics such as consumer confidence, which remains much lower than its pre-pandemic average (Graph 1). So there are a number of good reasons to bring inflation down and keep it at a low and stable rate.

    In addition to the tangible impact of elevated inflation today, central bankers often note that they want to make sure that inflation expectations remain anchored. But why is this the case? And what impact do current inflation outcomes have on expectations?

    Why do inflation expectations matter?

    Macroeconomists generally think that a prerequisite for consistently achieving low and stable inflation over time is well-anchored inflation expectations. That is, people across the economy believe inflation will generally average a low rate (in Australia’s case, 2–3 per cent), and they make decisions based on this underlying belief that becomes self-reinforcing. Indeed, this is a key lesson from economic history; there are multiple episodes that demonstrate the damage de-anchored expectations can cause, and the policy effort and welfare costs associated with re-anchoring them. Türkiye’s current experience is just one example (Graph 2).

    So why do expectations matter at all when it comes to economic outcomes? We think they matter because people don’t just make decisions based on what is happening today, they also factor in what they think will happen tomorrow. In other words, inflation expectations are at least partly self-fulfilling.

    For example, our decision over how much to save for retirement today is determined by how much income we think we’ll need once we stop working, and this is partly influenced by what we think will happen to prices between now and then.

    In addition to changing the behaviour of households, inflation expectations also directly feed into all of the decisions firms make – for example, over capital investment, pricing and staffing. One way this occurs is through the wage-setting process (Graph 3). This could be workers, or their union representatives, bargaining for higher wages if they think inflation will be higher. Or it could be firms’ expectations of higher future prices giving them the confidence to offer higher wages today to attract workers.

    And given that this is an investment conference, I’d be remiss not to mention how important inflation expectations are to the domestic and international portfolio allocation decisions made by financial market participants. These expectations then feed into long-term interest rates, exchange rates, and the prices of assets in our superannuation funds and all other investment portfolios. In short, inflation expectations are a factor in pretty much every economic decision that’s made every day.

    The fact that expectations feed into actual inflation outcomes means de-anchored expectations typically leads to greater inflation volatility (Graph 4). Volatility breeds uncertainty, and uncertainty makes decisions harder for everyone. As a business, how do you decide when it’s right to invest if you’re less sure of the financial returns? And to go back to the example of households deciding how much to save for retirement or to buy a home, a bout of unexpectedly high inflation is very hard to plan for. Both the effort required to make decisions with uncertainty, and that some otherwise good decisions will not be made, makes us all worse off.

    Tracking inflation expectations

    Given the enormous damage that such de-anchoring can cause, and that policy can be enacted more flexibly while expectations remain anchored, the RBA Board is constantly alert for signs that this risk might emerge here in Australia. It does that by tracking a range of inflation expectations measures, including multiple financial market measures, and surveys of households, unions and professional forecasters. That analysis indicates that inflation expectations have not become de-anchored through the current high-inflation experience (Graph 5).

    So we’re not currently concerned that expectations could become de-anchored in the near term. But we do think it’s important that we track how they’re evolving and that we understand how expectations are formed, so we can monitor whether there are any signs of this risk materialising in the future.

    As I’ve already alluded to, there are a number of different groups across the economy, and each plays a part in determining aggregate macroeconomic outcomes. To understand what’s happening to expectations, we therefore need to understand how different groups form their inflation expectations, as they each play critical roles in determining how the economy evolves over time.

    For consumption/savings decisions, households’ own expectations matter the most. For wage bargaining and competition for labour, unions’ and firms’ expectations likely matter most. And when it comes to how inflation expectations feed into long-term interest rates, it’s the financial markets’ expectations that matter.

    In short, given the importance of inflation expectations as a driving force of many economic decisions, we need to understand how all of the different groups across the economy form their inflation expectations so that we can do our best to keep them anchored.

    So today I’m going to discuss some of the latest research in this area, which we have conducted ourselves and in partnership with our colleagues in academia. This includes a Research Discussion Paper that has been released in parallel with this event, which explores some of the points below in more detail – I encourage you all to have a look at my colleagues’ work.

    The presentation I am giving today draws heavily on a presentation at one of the first ‘Policy Issues Meetings’ with RBA Board members earlier this year. As previously highlighted by Governor Bullock, these meetings:

    … assemble a group of staff with the right experience and expertise to give the members insights and diversity of perspectives on the key issues relevant for policy. It will provide analysis of issues that are relevant to a few upcoming [Board] meetings, not just the immediate one.

    These new meetings have been very well received by Board members. They have appreciated the opportunity to explore policy-relevant topics in more depth and to meet with more of the staff that are engaged in the work. In turn, staff have valued the additional engagement with their work, so it’s been a clear win-win.

    For most of this speech, I’ll be focusing on household and union expectations, and mostly on short-term expectations. In the past, how these groups form expectations has been less well-understood, and this is why we’ve focused our latest research here.

    But before turning to unions and households, it is worth mentioning that we have a reasonable understanding of how financial markets form expectations. Financial markets efficiently incorporate signals about the likely future direction of inflation into market prices; by taking active positions that are contingent on economic outcomes, it’s no surprise that market participants keep themselves very well-informed about what’s happening. From these prices, we can discern whether their short- and long-term expectations remain anchored to the RBA’s inflation target.

    To understand how households and unions form their expectations, we’ve collaborated with academic colleagues to develop a very general model approach that we’ve then applied to different data series. The model assumes that some people form their expectations by extrapolating from their previous experience. That is, they assume that their experience of price increases in the past are a good guide for what they’ll experience in the future. The model also assumes that some people build on this and take account of forward-looking information as well. For example, they might expect to see a sharp increase in grocery prices in the future if it’s reported that the harvest has been poor.

    The first iteration of the model was run through to around the middle of the pandemic. The graph shows the fit of the model to actual data. In the grey lines are unions’ one- and two-year-ahead expectations, and households’ one-year-ahead expectations (Graph 6). And then the blue lines are the model estimates of each of these.

    We think the model did a reasonable job over the historical period. Especially for unions, where the model pretty much captured every major wiggle in their expectations.

    We’ve learned a lot from this process, but there are three key insights that I want to highlight:

    1. We estimate that around three-quarters of households and unions form their expectations by extrapolating from their lived experience. That is, they observe what inflation was yesterday and compare it to what they expected. Every time inflation turns out higher than what these people expected, they partially adjust their expectations up.
    2. This extrapolation process happens a lot slower for households than it does for unions. That is, households only adjust their expectations a small amount each time they are surprised. As a result, inflation has to be persistently higher or lower than previously expected for expectations to change significantly.
    3. The remaining one-quarter of unions and households don’t just extrapolate, they incorporate a lot more of the broader economic information available to them (beyond inflation outcomes themselves) to make forward-looking judgements about where inflation is likely to go. In principle, this is similar to the RBA’s forecasting process – we look at past outcomes and forward-looking indicators to assess how we think inflation will evolve from today.

    Of the roughly 25 per cent who take on board additional information, this could come from a number of different sources. To carry on my groceries example from earlier, in 2011 this group might have expected that banana prices would shoot up in the months after Tropical Cyclone Yasi struck northern Queensland, given the reporting of the damage to that year’s crop. Or this group could be looking at economic forecasts – including the RBA’s – to get a sense of where inflation may be heading.

    With this better understanding of how people form their inflation expectations, we can now assess how they have evolved recently, relative to what the models expected they would do.

    Less extrapolation recently could reflect greater attention to inflation or recognition that the recent episode is temporary

    The orange line is the model’s prediction for how inflation expectations would evolve during the recent high-inflation period (Graph 7). While inflation was rising, expectations were evolving in-line with the model’s output. But the model suggested that the turning point in expectations would come later. So expectations are currently lower than our models thought would be the case.

    As best we can tell, the models missed the turning point because unions and households have been extrapolating less from the recent high inflation outcomes. The model attributes part of this to an increase in the share of people who take on board forward-looking information, from around one-quarter to over two-thirds for unions.

    This finding is consistent with a theory known as the ‘rational inattention’ hypothesis. The idea being that when inflation is low and stable, extrapolation from the past provides a reasonably accurate expectation of the future, so it is not worth paying more ‘attention’. Conversely, when inflation does not fit this pattern – for example, in the recent past when it was much higher – extrapolation might provide a poor forecast. So it is ‘rational’ for people to put more effort into thinking about where inflation will head next.

    Another finding from the model is that those who use previous inflation to form their expectations, that is they use yesterday’s experience to guide today, have been adjusting their view more slowly in recent years. A possible reason for this is that some people have seen the recent experience as atypical and so don’t expect it to continue – given the nature of the shocks (the pandemic and then the conflict in Ukraine), it’s easy to understand this. So while this group only use previous inflation outcomes to form their expectations, they do appear to adjust how much weight they put on specific outcomes to take account of broader economic conditions.

    Unfortunately, these are just plausible hypotheses at this point, we don’t have enough evidence to be definitive. If once inflation sustainably returns to the target band expectation formation reverts to how it was before the recent episode, that would provide further evidence in favour of these hypotheses. But more importantly, it would give us comfort that in future inflationary episodes, expectation formation might similarly change in a way that mutes the increase in expectations.

    Another possible explanation is that some more ‘salient’ prices have evolved differently to average prices

    In everything I’ve shown so far, we assume that the price increases that matter most are the ones that people spend most of their money on. Which is exactly how the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, is constructed.

    But that might not be how people extrapolate from what they have previously observed to form their expectations. Our lived experience is that we ‘see’ some prices much more frequently than others, and that some price changes are more noticeable than others.

    Prices that change regularly or that people pay often may be particularly influential when people form their expectations – they’re more visible, and they could be seen as a proxy for what’s happening to all prices across the economy. These are known as salient prices.

    While there are some obvious candidates for prices that may be salient – such as fuel, groceries, rent, and energy prices – determining how salient they are has unfortunately proven difficult.

    The strongest result we have obtained is with respect to petrol and diesel prices – that is, the prices you see changing every day when you drive past a petrol station or fill your car up. For other potentially salient prices, whether or not our models identify them as salient depends on the various other modelling decisions that are made. But for fuel prices, it doesn’t seem to matter what you do to the model, these prices almost always show up as salient.

    Having said all that, allowing for fuel to be a salient price in the model does not significantly change the model’s estimate of inflation expectations most of the time. This occurs because fuel prices are volatile and households learn slowly. So it actually takes an extended period of fuel prices evolving differently to other prices before there would be a meaningful impact on expectations (according to the model).

    But that’s exactly what we have seen in the past few years (Graph 8). From the beginning of 2021 until mid-2022, fuel price inflation was much higher than average price inflation, increasing 61 per cent over this period. But for most of the period since then, fuel price inflation has been around its historical average, while much of the broader consumption basket has continued to experience above-target price inflation.

    So, for household’s expectations, accounting for the salience of fuel prices can at least partially explain why the simpler inflation expectations model presented earlier predicted that short-term inflation expectations would remain higher for longer.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, recent research has improved our understanding of how people form inflation expectations. As a result, we have been able to better analyse how expectations have evolved during the recent high-inflation period. And it’s a good news story with respect to expectations:

    • Short-term expectations appear to be converging towards long-term expectations, and these have remained anchored through the recent past.
    • There’s no evidence of expectations being more persistent than normal.
    • And there’s even some evidence of households and unions extrapolating less from recent inflation, at least during the period of higher inflation.
    • We need to be mindful of certain prices that may be particularly ‘salient’ for households. But such prices work in both directions, and recently have been working to bring expectations down faster.

    References

    Afrouzi H and C Yang (2021), ‘Dynamic Rational Inattention and the Phillips Curve’, CESifo Working Paper No 8840.

    Ampudia M, MJ Lombardi and T Renault (2024), ‘The Wage-price Pass-through Across Sectors: Evidence from the Euro Area’, BIS Working Paper No 1192.

    Anesti N, V Esady and M Naylor (2024), ‘Food Prices Matter Most: Sensitive Household Inflation Expectations’, CFM Discussion Paper Series CFM-DP2024-34.

    Bazzoni E, M Jacob, S Land, M Mijer, J Moulton and S Welchering (2022), ‘European Consumer Pessimism Intensifies in the Face of Rising Prices’, McKinsey & Company, October.

    Beckers B and A Brassil (2022), ‘Inflation Expectations in Australia’, The Australian Economic Review, 55.

    Beckers B, A Clarke, A Gao, M James and R Morgan (2024), ‘Developments in Income and Consumption Across Household Groups’, RBA Bulletin, January.

    Bernanke B (2013), ‘A Century of US Central Banking: Goals, Frameworks, Accountability’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(4).

    Binder CC (2017), ‘Measuring Uncertainty Based on Rounding: New Method and Application to Inflation Expectations’, Journal of Monetary Economics, 90.

    Binder CC (2018), ‘Inflation Expectations and the Price at the Pump’, Journal of Macroeconomics, 58.

    Blinder AS (1982), ‘The Anatomy of Double-Digit Inflation in the 1970s’, in Hall RE (ed), Inflation: Causes and Effects, University of Chicago Press, pp 261–282.

    Borio C, M Lombardi, J Yetman and E Zakrajšek (2023), ‘The Two-regime View of Inflation’, BIS Papers No 113.

    Brassil A, C Gibbs and C Ryan (forthcoming), ‘Boundedly Rational Expectations and the Optimality of Flexible Average Inflation Targeting’, RBA Research Discussion Paper.

    Brassil A, Y Haidari, J Hambur, G Nolan and C Ryan (2024), ‘How Do Households Form Inflation and Wage Expectations?’, RBA Research Discussion Paper No 2024-07.

    Bullock M (2023), ‘A Monetary Policy Fit for the Future’, Australian Business Economists Annual Dinner, Sydney, 22 November.

    Bullock M (2024), ‘The Costs of High Inflation’, Keynote Address to the Anika Foundation Fundraising Lunch, Sydney, 5 September.

    Charm T, JR Saavedra, K Robinson and T Skiles (2022), ‘The Great Uncertainty: US Consumer Confidence and Behavior during Inflationary Times’, McKinsey & Company, August.

    Chin M and L Lin (2023), ‘The Pass-through of Wages to Consumer Prices in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Sectoral Data in the U.S.’, IMF Working Paper No 2023/233.

    Chua CL and S Tsiaplias (2024), ‘The Influence of Supermarket Prices on Consumer Inflation Expectations’, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 219.

    Coibion O, Y Gorodnichenko, S Kumar and M Pedemonte (2020), ‘Inflation Expectations as a Policy Tool?’, Journal of International Economics, 124.

    D’Acunto F, U Malmendier, J Ospina and M Weber (2019), ‘Salient Price Changes, Inflation Expectations, and Household Behavior’, June.

    De Fiore F, T Goel, D Igan and R Moessner (2022), ‘Rising Household Inflation Expectations: What are the Communication Challenges for Central Banks?’, BIS Bulletin, No 55.

    Haidari Y and G Nolan (2022), ‘Sentiment, Uncertainty and Households’ Inflation Expectations’, RBA Bulletin, September.

    Hambur J and R Finlay (2018), ‘Affine Endeavour: Estimating a Joint Model of the Nominal and Real Term Structures of Interest Rates in Australia’, RBA Research Discussion Paper No 2018-02.

    Kilian L and X Zhou (2022), ‘Oil Prices, Gasoline Prices, and Inflation Expectations’, Journal of Applied Econometrics, 37(5).

    Maćkowiak B, F Matějka and M Wiederholt (2023), ‘Rational Inattention: A Review’, Journal of Economic Literature, 61(1).

    Moore A (2016), ‘Measures of Inflation Expectations in Australia’, RBA Bulletin, December.

    RBA (2024), ‘Box A: Are Inflation Expectations Anchored?’, Statement on Monetary Policy, August.

    Reiche L and A Meyler (2022), ‘Making Sense of Consumer Inflation Expectations: The Role of Uncertainty’, ECB Working Paper Series No 2642.

    Sims C (2003), ‘Implications of Rational Inattention’, Journal of Monetary Economics, 50(3).

    Suthaharan N and J Bleakley (2022), ‘Wage-price Dynamics in a High-inflation Environment: The International Evidence’, RBA Bulletin, September.

    Wood D, I Chan and B Coates (2023), ‘Inflation and Inequality: How High Inflation Is Affecting Different Australian Households’, Working paper prepared for the RBA Annual Conference, Sydney, 25–26 September.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Stefanik Demand FBI Take Action Against Antisemitic Terrorist Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – As antisemitic incidents in the United States have increased 200% since Oct. 7, 2023, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) demanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate Columbia University Apartheid Divest’s (CUAD) terrorist threats.
    After CUAD celebrated the anniversary of the horrific Oct. 7 attacks as a “moral, military and political victory,” praised a Hamas-claimed terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, and once again called for and endorsed violence, Ernst and Stefanik urged the FBI’s New York field office and Columbia University leadership not to repeat last year’s failures, when Jewish students were told to hide at home.
    “The time to act is now. Rarely has the FBI had such public and obvious evidence of potentially imminent violence. This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were ‘on its radar,’ but did nothing,” the lawmakers wrote.
    Click here to read the full letter.
    Background:
    As cases of antisemitism on campuses started to increase after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ernst introduced the Students Bill of Rights Act to protect the First Amendment rights of students and stem discrimination at its source.
    In May 2024, Ernst led her colleagues in demanding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigate if 501(c)(3) organizations that have backed the violent pro-Hamas protests on college campuses violated the terms of their tax-exempt status.
    In response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses increasing by 700% last year, Ernst introduced legislation requiring universities and the Department of Education to immediately address civil rights complaints if a student experiences violence or harassment on campus because of their heritage.
    Last week, Senator Ernst raised concern that Hamas-linked entities on college campuses may be circumventing the Foreign Agents Registration Act to shape U.S. public opinion and policy outcomes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: NHC vice-minister attends 14th Meeting of BRICS Health Ministers

    Source: People’s Republic of China Ministry of Health

    Liu Jinfeng, vice-minister of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), led a delegation to the 14th Meeting of BRICS Health Ministers, which was held in Moscow, capital of Russia, from Oct 10 to 11.

    In his speech at the meeting, Liu gave an overview of the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the actions taken as part of the Healthy China Initiative, as well as the measures and progress of deepening medical reform.

    He called for unity and cooperation among BRICS countries, deepening collaboration and exchanges through policy dialogues and sharing experience and results in the development of the health sector, so as to contribute “BRICS strength” to the building of a global community of health for all.

    Heads of health departments of BRICS countries discussed topics including early warning network for infectious diseases, BRICS Medical Association, BRICS medical journal, research network of tuberculosis prevention and control, vaccine research and development center, nuclear medicine, antimicrobial resistance, public health cooperation and pharmaceutical regulatory systems. They also expressed a willingness to enhance experience sharing and strengthen exchanges.

    The meeting, which was attended by more than 60 people including health ministers of BRICS countries and representatives from the World Health Organization, adopted a declaration.

    During his stay in Russia, Liu visited the Russian National Telemedicine Center and the Russian Cancer Research Center, and delivered a speech at the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Month of Discovery: Nadine Noaman ‘26, Uncovering UConn Muslim History

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The contributions of the Muslim community at UConn — from the Arabic language program, to partnerships with international universities, to the Muslim Student Association and the Islamic Center at UConn (ICUC) — are now so integral to the University that a newly arrived first-year student might not think twice about how they all came to be, says Nadine Noaman ’26 (CLAS).

    But Noaman knows exactly how much work went into creating today’s community.

    “The impact of these generations should not go unnoticed. We are part of UConn history,” she says.

    Noaman is currently producing a docuseries entitled “Tracing the Trailblazers: UConn’s Muslim Community, Accommodations, and Activism Journey,” funded by the UConn IDEA grant and UConn BOLD Women’s Leadership Network.

    The impact of these generations should not go unnoticed. We are part of UConn history.

    For the project, Noaman is collecting oral histories from alumni and students who span the last half-century of Muslim life at UConn. The earliest interviewees were doctoral students at UConn in the 1970s; the most recent are current undergraduates, Noaman’s peers.

    The series has three major aims, says Noaman: to preserve this rich community history, to highlight strides made by Muslims at UConn, and to track the impact of Muslim student activism on the university.

    For Noaman, this history is personal. She herself is a third-generation leader in UConn’s Muslim community: both her maternal grandparents received their PhDs from UConn in the 1980s, and her mother received a Pharm.D. from the school. (Her aunt and uncle are also alumni.)

    The UConn International House in the 1950s. (Jerauld A. Manter/Department of Archives & Special Collections/UConn Library)

    From the Ashes

    In late 2023, a fire destroyed the Whitney House on the edge of the UConn Storrs campus – an iconic white building near Mirror Lake that had variously served as UConn’s International House and the home of the Rainbow Center over the past 50 years. The house was dismantled after the University deemed it beyond repair.

    “One of the earliest memories that I have that sparked the idea [for ‘Tracing the Trailblazers’] was when my mom and I were passing by the International House when they were about to take it down,” Noaman remembers. “And she started to recall how impactful that building was on campus. She shared how there were communal prayers and Eid celebrations – so many initiatives and events took place there that brought communities together.”

    “It’s unfortunate that the building is no longer physically there,” she continues. “In that moment, I realized I want to honor and preserve the legacy and experiences of these past generations at UConn.”

    UConn’s Muslim students tabling at the International Fair in the 1980s. (Courtesy of Nadine Noaman)

    Though the International House is no longer standing, UConn’s Muslim community has found other venues for sharing space and strengthening community ties. The Islamic Center at UConn (ICUC) hosts daily prayers, holiday festivities, and weekly halaqas, or lecture circles, to discuss Islam-related topics. It also accommodates the Muslim Student Association (MSA), of which Noaman is the Islamic Education Chair.

    “I love when I have the opportunity to do tabling; I get to talk to other amazing Huskies on campus and clear up misconceptions about Islam or provide accurate knowledge,” she says.

    In addition, Noaman also currently works as a coordinator for UConn Salaam, a program within the Asian American Cultural Center. Salaam develops programming that increases accurate knowledge of Islam, strives to dismantle Islamophobia, and builds coalitions amongst various student organizations.

    Muslim community members participate in a weekly halaqa, 2024. (Photo by Nadine Noaman)

    What Changes, What Stays the Same

    MSA table set up for an event informing the student community about Muslim life (Photo by Nadine Noaman)

    As a prominent player in these spaces, Noaman was curious about how Muslim life at UConn had evolved from the experiences of her grandparents to her own. While working on “Tracing the Trailblazers,” she learned that the reasons for this evolution were twofold.

    There were societal issues: the early interviewees recalled hostile jokes about Muslims all living in the desert, while current students report having to counter misconceptions that Islam promotes violence. Though the trends changed over time, they all fall “under the same iceberg: lack of knowledge,” notes Noaman.

    Second, there was the dynamic way the UConn Muslim community advocated for their needs, encouraging the University to be a more positive and inclusive place. Community organizing and solidarity established more accommodations for Islamic worship and holidays for generations to come.

    Celebrating the Diversity of Islam

    By engaging with the stories in “Tracing the Trailblazers,” Noaman says, viewers will be able to appreciate a rich array of perspectives and backgrounds.

    “There is such diversity in our Muslim community – in one Friday prayer, we realized that we had over 40 different nationalities represented,” she says.

    Muslim Huskies go on to make a difference for the University and the world, contributing in diverse ways, too.

    “We are a religion of peace,” says Noaman. “There’s a strong emphasis on being active in our community and helping others. So, many of my friends are in fields like healthcare and engineering because they want to embody those specific Islamic values.”

    Editing “Tracing the Trailblazers.” (Courtesy of Nadine Noaman)

    Noaman herself (who is double-majoring in Psychological Sciences and Spanish) wants to go into education – a field for which her coursework, student leadership, and independent research have well prepared her.

    Once complete, “Tracing the Trailblazers” will be available to stream online, and Noaman hopes to be able to host an on-campus premiere as well. She extends her gratitude to God, as well as her family, peers, and the BOLD network and IDEA grant team who supported this independent project.

    Having the funding was “affirming and motivating, and it gave me the resources to be detailed in the research aspect,” Noaman says. “I’ve done traditional research before, but embarking on this project has expanded my understanding of what I see as research, and so I’m grateful for this experience – times a gazillion-fold.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Eating ourselves to death: How the modern diet is destroying our bodies and our planet One of the UK’s leading food reform campaigners has been chosen to deliver the last in a decade-long series of prestigious talks at Aberdeen University.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Henry DimblebyOne of the UK’s leading food reform campaigners has been chosen to deliver the last in a decade-long series of prestigious talks at Aberdeen University.
    Henry Dimbleby, the outspoken former government policy tsar and independent national food strategy author, will deliver the 2024 Carnegie Lecture on November 6.
    The occasion marks the 75th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the Rowett Institute’s founding director Lord Boyd Orr for his work improving global nutrition.
    Boyd Orr’s pioneering research demonstrating the link between poverty, poor diet and ill health had a major impact, inspiring everything from school milk to war-time rationing.
    After leading the Aberdeen-based Institute for three decades, he became the first director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949  “for his lifelong effort to conquer hunger and want, thereby helping to remove a major cause of military conflict and war”.
    Today, 75 years on, the food landscape may have dramatically changed but we still find ourselves grappling with stark inequalities when it comes to diet and health.
    And echoes of Boyd Orr’s pleas for action – and of his frustrations at the pace of change and political will to force it – can be heard in the work of Mr Dimbleby.
    The Leon restaurants founder and co-author of the bestselling book Ravenous: How to Get Ourselves and Our Planet into Shape, will use the lecture to further explore his forensic analysis of our malfunctioning food system and how we can fix it.
    The Andrew Carnegie Lecture series, a ten-year programme of public talks at Scotland’s ancient universities (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews) is a project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to celebrate its centenary.
    Mr Dimbleby will afterwards join a panel discussion featuring Rowett Institute Director Professor Jules Griffin, Professor Alexandra Johnstone, the institute’s theme lead for Nutrition, Obesity and Disease and leader of the £1.6m Food Insecurity and Obesity (FIO Food) project, and Food Standards Scotland chair Heather Kelman.
    “John Boyd Orr’s contribution to improving British diets – and his clear understanding of the wider importance of nutritional health to our world – was immeasurable,” Mr Dimbleby says.
    “It is hard to know quite what he would make of the way problems with the food system have evolved since he was putting his expertise and drive behind global reform.
    “But it is a great pleasure to be able to go to Aberdeen – where the pioneering work that underpinned his achievements was done at the Rowett – to talk about how scientists, politicians, industry leaders and others can take a leaf out of the Boyd Orr book.”
    University of Aberdeen Principal Professor George Boyne said: “For more than 500 years the University has been at the forefront of driving research which goes beyond the status quo, works across borders and delivers sustainable solutions to the challenges facing society.
    “In Henry we are delighted to have a speaker delivering this special anniversary lecture who so clearly shares these principles and demonstrates the same commitment towards changing lives.”
    Related Content
    More information and tickets for the event are available here:
    The Andrew Carnegie Lecture at Arts Lecture Theatre event tickets from TicketSource

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New guide lets you plan your Walled City Trail experience at Derry Halloween

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    New guide lets you plan your Walled City Trail experience at Derry Halloween

    15 October 2024

    The ultimate guide to all the ghoulish goings on in Derry this Halloween launched today, helping visitors plan ahead for the biggest Halloween celebration in Europe, now just weeks away.

    The Derry Halloween Awakening the Walled City Trail details all the best activities and highlights of the trail which runs this year from Monday October 28th – Thursday October 30th from 6pm – 9pm.

    It is available on the DerryHalloween.com website and printed copies will be available to pick up from Council buildings, Visit Derry and other venues in the week before Halloween.

    This year the trail is packed full of all sorts of spooky spectacles, weaving its magic throughout the city centre at haunted hotspots including the Upper City Walls, the Diamond, Cathedral Quarter, Guildhall Square, Waterloo Place and Ebrington Square.

    Visit the Witchy Wonderland where In Your Space Circus will create an eerie walk-through experience full of mischief and mayhem on Derry’s historic Walls.

    The ramparts will provide the perfect atmospheric backdrop for some dazzling fire performance and ghostly goings on. 

    This year the Guildhall Production Studio will bring the worlds of old and new together with the latest technology to animate the iconic Austins building and Bishop Street Court House, bringing some local ghost stories to life.

    Enter the ethereal Elemental Garden set to take over Ebrington Square, an ambient and mesmerising celebration of darkness and light, as visualised by landscape spectacle specialists LUXE, in a piece supported by The Executive Office.

    A number of exciting new highlights feature in the trail this year, including the debut appearance of the weird and wonderful Rodafonio, created by renowned designer and musician Cesar Alvarez and brought all the way from Barcelona.

    Also adding an international flavour to the festivities are the Stelzen-Art Time Travellers, bringing their enchanting illuminations all the way from Germany to the city’s Cathedral Quarter.

    Take care not to fall under a spell as the bewitching Hocus Pocus bring their spellbinding show to the City of Bones at Waterloo Place, 28th – 30th October, with an interactive, child friendly performance by the Studio 2 Sanderson Sisters, back after 300 years.

    Then step back in time to the 1980s as the New Gate Arts Group take you Back to the Future with a special street performance featuring a DeLorean Car and the renowned Sollus Highland Dancers.

    Add to this the Monster Fun Fair at Ebrington, the sensational Spark Drummers, Uncle Doom and his Organ of Doom, Street Walkabouts, Haunted Houses, Live Music, creepy Arts & Crafts, Kids Halloween Disco, Wailing Nuns, Wicked Windows, City Dance’s Walter on the Dance Floor, Interactive Kids Shows in the Guildhall and a city centre Trick or Treat Trail – and you will find plenty to keep you busy in the home of Halloween.

    Head of Culture with Council, Aeidin McCarter, said now was the time to plan your visit.

    “There is so much going on this year, we would really encourage people to plan ahead and familiarise themselves with the event map and programme information to ensure they get to see everything that’s happening,” she stressed.

    “The great thing is that from Monday – Wednesday we have a full programme of entertainment and activities in the build up to Halloween, so any night is a good time to visit!

    “The Awakening the Walled City Trail offers the chance to explore the city centre by night and experience some of the myth and magic that makes this place so special at this time of year.
    “I am thrilled that we are back on the City Walls this year for part of the trail – it’s the perfect place to capture the real essence and atmosphere of Halloween through the centuries.

    “There will be lots of activities for younger children throughout the day as well, so please check out the programme online or download our app for the latest updates.”

    The Derry Halloween festival is led by Derry City and Strabane District Council, supported by Tourism Northern Ireland and The Executive Office, with additional support from Ulster University and Air Coach.

    Download the Awakening the Walled City Trail at DerryHalloween.com and don’t forget that Derry Halloween is also on WhatsApp.
    Get the latest updates, exclusive sneak peeks, and instant info right on your phone.
    Don’t miss any of the spooky surprises in store at https://bit.ly/halloweenwhatsapp

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese government promises to ban ‘dodgy’ trading practices

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Hard on the heels of pledging a crackdown on excessive surcharges, the Albanese government has promised legislation to ban unfair trading practices.

    The government said this would include specific prohibitions on various “dodgy” practices.

    “From concert tickets to hotel rooms to gym memberships, Australians are fed up with businesses using tricky tactics that make it difficult to end subscriptions or add hidden fees to purchases,” the prime minister, treasurer and assistant treasurer said in a statement.

    “These practices can distort purchasing decisions, or result in additional costs, putting more pressure on the cost of living.”

    They said the government would deal with

    • “subscription traps” that make it difficult to cancel a subscription

    • “drip pricing” characterised by hidden fees or fees added during the purchase

    • deceptive and manipulative online practices. These aim to confuse consumers, such as for example by creating a false sense of urgency, warning there is only a limited time to purchase

    • dynamic pricing, where a price changes during the transaction

    • requiring a consumer to set up an account and provide unnecessary information for an online purchase

    • a business making it difficult for a consumer to contact it when they have a problem with the product.

    Earlier this week Arts Minister Tony Burke said on the ABC the government was not looking at “dynamic pricing” in the music industry.

    Asked on Four Corners whether dynamic pricing should be allowed in Australia, Burke said: “Surge pricing is something that, as consumers, people have always dealt with.

    “I don’t love it, but I think we have to be realistic, it’s always been there. It’s not something we’re looking at, at the moment.”

    Asked about the discrepancy, a government spokesperson said the Four Corners interview “was recorded a month ago, before this policy existed”.

    Treasury will consult on the design of the planned changes. The government on Wednesday will put out a consultation paper on reforms for greater protections for consumers and small businesses under the consumer guarantees and supplier indemnification in the Australian Consumer Law.

    The government says it will work with the states to have a final reform proposal in the first half of next year.

    There will be penalties for suppliers that refuse to give consumers a remedy such as a replacement product or a refund when legally required.

    “Currently, it can be difficult for consumers to obtain a remedy, especially when engaging in the digital economy,” the government statement said.

    The reforms would empower the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and state and territory agencies to pursue breaches of consumer guarantees and supplier indemnification provisions.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “hidden fees and traps are putting even more pressure on the cost of living and it needs to stop”.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Albanese government promises to ban ‘dodgy’ trading practices – https://theconversation.com/albanese-government-promises-to-ban-dodgy-trading-practices-234142

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Science expeditions in snow, hail and air pollution

    Source: US Government research organizations

    NSF celebrates the 2024 Earth Science Week theme ‘Earth Science Everywhere’ with 3 upcoming field campaigns across the country

    Starting this winter through next summer, the U.S. National Science Foundation is supporting three field campaigns, or collaborative research activities, to study atmospheric phenomena. The first will take place in Colorado and focus on snowstorms. Soon after that wraps up, another group of researchers will gather in the Great Plains to study hailstorms. Finally, a team of scientists will take to the skies above New York City to look at air pollution drivers.

    Winter snowstorms from a cloudy perspective

    Credit: Melissa Dobbins

    From their perch in a wind vane atop the Storm Peak Laboratory, several cloud probes measure the properties of snowflakes and aerosols.

    Claire Pettersen and a group of researchers will spend 4 1/2 months working at a lab atop a Colorado mountain this coming winter as part of an NSF-funded field campaign to improve snowfall forecasts and climate change projections in the western U.S. mountains.

    The team includes scientists from multiple universities gathering at NSF-supported Storm Peak Lab, which sits atop Mount Werner next to a chairlift in the Steamboat Ski Resort, about an hour northwest of Denver. “Storm Peak Lab is a really cool place to design a field campaign,” Pettersen, a professor at the University of Michigan, said. “The lab actually sits inside a cloud when it snows on the mountain.”

    The lab’s unique location and cutting-edge meteorological instruments make it an ideal location to study how mountains impact winter clouds and snowfall. The upcoming effort, called the Snow Sensitivity to Clouds in a Mountain Environment (S2noCliME) field campaign, will leverage many NSF-funded resources in addition to the lab’s instruments, including the Colorado State University Sea-Going Polarimetric Radar, which will help the team study how storms can strengthen or weaken as they move through the region, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook radar observatory, which will help the team investigate cloud and ice particles during a snowstorm.

    The team is working with scientists at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) to put together a public field catalog that holds its data and observations. The team is also connecting with the community, including the local airport and nearby schools, to share weather forecasts and raise awareness of the campaign. “We want to provide something to the community that’s useful,” Pettersen said.

    Springing into hailstorms in the Plains

    After the snow melts and spring turns to summer next year, hail scientist Becky Adams-Selin of the company Atmospheric and Environmental Research, along with 14 collaborating institutions from 11 states and four countries, will spend six weeks in the Great Plains and Front Range studying hailstones falling from the sky.

    Hail can destroy buildings and devastate crops. To better understand the science behind the ice, Adams-Selin is leading an upcoming field campaign called In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP), which will use a variety of instruments and techniques to study hail processes in thunderstorms in the Great Plains and Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

    Credit: Becky Adams-Selin, AER

    A 3D-printed replica of the 7-inch hailstone that fell in Aurora, Nebraska on June 22, 2003.

    “It’s been a few decades since the last major field campaign focused on hail,” Adams-Selin.

    ICECHIP plans to make up for the long gap with a multipronged approach. The team will send out four mobile radars to characterize hailstones’ physical characteristics, like their size and shape. During a hailstorm, the team will use custom-designed equipment to capture the stones as they fall and redirect them into a cooler. Other plans include creating 3D printed hail models and then using drones to drop them to see how fast they fall.

    “Hail science is having a renaissance moment,” Adams-Selin said. Not only will this campaign provide valuable data for researchers and weather forecasters, but it will also aid insurance companies trying to set rates and mitigate damage, roofing companies, farmers and other entities affected by hail. “We are very integrated with the people who will use our science,” she said.

    City air in the summertime

    In the height of summer next year, John Mak and a team of researchers will spend four to six weeks studying what happens in the air above and around New York City.

    “New York City is a unique environment with a lot of relevance to the American population,” Mak, a professor at Stony Brook University, said. “We will fly the NSF NCAR C-130 aircraft and collect gases and particles to study this densely populated area that has a forest to its north, ocean to its south and large urban center in its center.” The resulting information will inform future research on ozone and air pollution and provide important information to air quality agencies to help them make decisions on methodologies for mitigating air pollution.

    The Greater New York Oxidant, Trace gas, Halogen and Aerosol Airborne Mission (GOTHAAM) will focus on the summer months. The warmer temperatures and longer days make for a unique laboratory setting to see how both urban and natural emissions from surrounding forests and water bodies create unique chemical reactions that can impact air quality and public health.

    “You can get a really interesting ‘soup’ of different kinds of compounds that can change throughout the day,” Mak said. “We’ll be exploring the interplay among the different pots, looking at how they mix throughout the day and what happens overnight, and how this impacts the next day’s chemistry as the sun comes up.”

    Earth Science Week activities

    Whether they’re studying snow in Colorado, hail in the Great Plains or air pollution in New York City, NSF-supported scientists are supporting the 2024 Earth Science Week theme, ‘Earth Science Everywhere.’

    Here are some activities related to each field campaign for K-12 students and educators:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU hosted a strategic session “Youth Laboratories: Uniting to Solve Regional and National Problems”

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The event is part of a series of strategic sessions aimed at forming a community of youth laboratory leaders, developing horizontal connections, and identifying problems that arise during the creation and operation of such research centers.

    The creation of youth laboratories is one of the activities for the implementation of the national project “Science and Universities”. The main goal of the organized strategy sessions is to determine the role of youth laboratories in the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation.

    The strategic session, which took place at NSU, brought together 115 heads of youth laboratories from different cities of the Siberian Federal District – Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and others.

    Deputy Governor of the Novosibirsk Region Irina Manuilova took part in the session; she spoke about the importance of supporting youth laboratories at the regional level to achieve technological sovereignty and solve the problems of the Decade of Science and Technology:

    — Youth laboratories are an opportunity for young people to find their place, find employment and come to science. Therefore, at the regional level, last year we created three youth laboratories at the expense of the regional budget, we support them and will continue to finance them. We will create another laboratory in 2025. The main thing is that these youth laboratories produce results – the development of the relevant topics that they have chosen and their promotion. This will make a real contribution to the economy and fundamental science. And those very young researchers, who we need like air now, play a huge role in this process in order to fulfill all the tasks that the time and our President set for us.

    The rector of NSU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk addressed the participants with a welcoming speech:

    — The university turned 65 this year. On September 28, 1959, the first 308 students began their studies. Since then, of course, the university has grown a lot: now NSU has more than 8,500 students in 6 faculties and 4 institutes. The university is a participant in all major federal development programs, including the national project “Science and Universities”, we have 7 youth laboratories. I wish you a successful strategic session, to get the most useful things out of it, to find new friends and get a lot of positive impressions.

    Speaking about the objectives of the session, Alina Pavlova, Head of Department at the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Directorate of Scientific and Technical Programs”, member of the Corresponding Council, PhD in Chemical Sciences, and moderator of the session, noted:

    — This strategic session is aimed at identifying the problems, raising the acute issues that you encountered during the implementation of this support measure. And identifying your proposals on how to improve the mechanisms for its implementation. It is important for us that this support measure is convenient, useful, and that it really works to attract young people to science.

    During discussions in interdisciplinary teams, participants identified the most pressing issues, the solution of which will allow them to draw up an effective plan for the development of youth laboratories. Important results included the preparation of proposals for improving work and the development of a comprehensive and systematic approach.

    The leaders of the youth laboratories met with each other, talked, exchanged experiences and proposed creating a platform for further ongoing interaction.

    Irina Chugueva, Deputy Director of the Department for Coordination of Activities of Scientific Organizations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, summing up the session, noted:

    — Colleagues, I am really very glad that you have gathered here. It is very important that you have now communicated and seen each other. I hope that such horizontal connections will emerge that can have a very good effect in the future. Regarding the creation of a common platform for discussion — it is a very good idea. There really should be some kind of resource, an electronic platform where all the heads of youth laboratories can communicate.

    The series of events “Youth Laboratories: Uniting to Solve Regional and National Problems” started on October 8 in Vladivostok. The final strategic session aimed at summarizing the results will be held from November 12 to 14 in Moscow. In the future, a round table dedicated to the development of the youth laboratories project is planned to be held within the framework of the IV Congress of Young Scientists.

    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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/science/strategic-session-youth-laboratories-uniting-to-solve-problems-reg/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rain may have helped form the first cells, kick-starting life as we know it

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Aman Agrawal, Postdoctoral Scholar in Chemical Engineering, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering

    How did early cells keep themselves distinct while allowing for some amount of exchange? UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering/Peter Allen, Second Bay Studios, CC BY-ND

    Billions of years of evolution have made modern cells incredibly complex. Inside cells are small compartments called organelles that perform specific functions essential for the cell’s survival and operation. For instance, the nucleus stores genetic material, and mitochondria produce energy.

    Another essential part of a cell is the membrane that encloses it. Proteins embedded on the surface of the membrane control the movement of substances in and out of the cell. This sophisticated membrane structure allowed for the complexity of life as we know it. But how did the earliest, simplest cells hold it all together before elaborate membrane structures evolved?

    In our recently published research in the journal Science Advances, my colleagues from the University of Chicago and the University of Houston and I explored a fascinating possibility that rainwater played a crucial role in stabilizing early cells, paving the way for life’s complexity.

    The origin of life

    One of the most intriguing questions in science is how life began on Earth. Scientists have long wondered how nonliving matter like water, gases and mineral deposits transformed into living cells capable of replication, metabolism and evolution.

    Chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey at the University of Chicago conducted an experiment in 1953 demonstrating that complex organic compounds – meaning carbon-based molecules – could be synthesized from simpler organic and inorganic ones. Using water, methane, ammonia, hydrogen gases and electric sparks, these chemists formed amino acids.

    The Miller-Urey experiment showed that complex organic compounds can be made from simpler organic and inorganic materials.
    Yoshua Rameli Adan Perez/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Scientists believe the earliest forms of life, called protocells, spontaneously emerged from organic molecules present on the early Earth. These primitive, cell-like structures were likely made of two fundamental components: a matrix material that provided a structural framework and a genetic material that carried instructions for protocells to function.

    Over time, these protocells would have gradually evolved the ability to replicate and execute metabolic processes. Certain conditions are necessary for essential chemical reactions to occur, such as a steady energy source, organic compounds and water. The compartments formed by a matrix and a membrane crucially provide a stable environment that can concentrate reactants and protect them from the external environment, allowing the necessary chemical reactions to take place.

    Thus, two crucial questions arise: What materials were the matrix and membrane of protocells made of? And how did they enable early cells to maintain the stability and function they needed to transform into the sophisticated cells that constitute all living organisms today?

    Bubbles vs droplets

    Scientists propose that two distinct models of protocells – vesicles and coacervates – may have played a pivotal role in the early stages of life.

    Miniature compartments, such as lipid bilayers configured into capsules like liposomes and micelles, are important for cellular organization and function.
    Mariana Ruiz Villarreal, LadyofHats/Wikimedia Commons

    Vesicles are tiny bubbles, like soap in water. They are made of fatty molecules called lipids that naturally form thin sheets. Vesicles form when these sheets curl into a sphere that can encapsulate chemicals and safeguard crucial reactions from harsh surroundings and potential degradation.

    Like miniature pockets of life, vesicles resemble the structure and function of modern cells. However, unlike the membranes of modern cells, vesicle protocells would have lacked specialized proteins that selectively allow molecules in and out of a cell and enable communication between cells. Without these proteins, vesicle protocells would have limited ability to interact effectively with their surroundings, constraining their potential for life.

    Coacervates, on the other hand, are droplets formed from an accumulation of organic molecules like peptides and nucleic acids. They form when organic molecules stick together due to chemical properties that attract them to each other, such as electrostatic forces between oppositely charged molecules. These are the same forces that cause balloons to stick to hair.

    One can picture coacervates as droplets of cooking oil suspended in water. Similar to oil droplets, coacervate protocells lack a membrane. Without a membrane, surrounding water can easily exchange materials with protocells. This structural feature helps coacervates concentrate chemicals and speed up chemical reactions, creating a bustling environment for the building blocks of life.

    Thus, the absence of a membrane appears to make coacervates a better protocell candidate than vesicles. However, lacking a membrane also presents a significant drawback: the potential for genetic material to leak out.

    Unstable and leaky protocells

    A few years after Dutch chemists discovered coacervate droplets in 1929, Russian biochemist Alexander Oparin proposed that coacervates were the earliest model of protocells. He argued that coacervate droplets provided a primitive form of compartmentalization crucial for early metabolic processes and self-replication.

    Subsequently, scientists discovered that coacervates can sometimes be composed of oppositely charged polymers: long, chainlike molecules that resemble spaghetti at the molecular scale, carrying opposite electrical charges. When polymers of opposite electrical charges are mixed, they tend to attract each other and stick together to form droplets without a membrane.

    Coacervate droplets resemble oil suspended in water.
    Aman Agrawal, CC BY-SA

    The absence of a membrane presented a challenge: The droplets rapidly fuse with each other, akin to individual oil droplets in water joining into a large blob. Furthermore, the lack of a membrane allowed RNA – a type of genetic material thought to be the earliest form of self-replicating molecule, crucial for the early stages of life – to rapidly exchange between protocells.

    My colleague Jack Szostak showed in 2017 that rapid fusion and exchange of materials can lead to uncontrolled mixing of RNA, making it difficult for stable and distinct genetic sequences to evolve. This limitation suggested that coacervates might not be able to maintain the compartmentalization necessary for early life.

    Compartmentalization is a strict requirement for natural selection and evolution. If coacervate protocells fused incessantly, and their genes continuously mixed and exchanged with each other, all of them would resemble each other without any genetic variation. Without genetic variation, no single protocell would have a higher probability of survival, reproduction and passing on its genes to future generations.

    But life today thrives with a variety of genetic material, suggesting that nature somehow solved this problem. Thus, a solution to this problem had to exist, possibly hiding in plain sight.

    Rainwater and RNA

    A study I conducted in 2022 demonstrated that coacervate droplets can be stabilized and avoid fusion if immersed in deionized water – water that is free of dissolved ions and minerals. The droplets eject small ions into the water, likely allowing oppositely charged polymers on the periphery to come closer to each other and form a meshy skin layer. This meshy “wall” effectively hinders the fusion of droplets.

    Next, with my colleagues and collaborators, including Matthew Tirrell and Jack Szostak, I studied the exchange of genetic material between protocells. We placed two separate protocell populations, treated with deionized water, in test tubes. One of these populations contained RNA. When the two populations were mixed, RNA remained confined in their respective protocells for days. The meshy “walls” of the protocells impeded RNA from leaking.

    In contrast, when we mixed protocells that weren’t treated with deionized water, RNA diffused from one protocell to the other within seconds.

    Inspired by these results, my colleague Alamgir Karim wondered if rainwater, which is a natural source of ion-free water, could have done the same thing in the prebiotic world. With another colleague, Anusha Vonteddu, I found that rainwater indeed stabilizes protocells against fusion.

    Rain, we believe, may have paved the way for the first cells.

    Droplets with meshy walls resist fusion and prevent leakage of their RNA. In this image, each color represents a different type of RNA.
    Aman Agrawal, CC BY-SA

    Working across disciplines

    Studying the origins of life addresses both scientific curiosity about the mechanisms that led to life on Earth and philosophical questions about our place in the universe and the nature of existence.

    Currently, my research delves into the very beginning of gene replication in protocells. In the absence of the modern proteins that make copies of genes inside cells, the prebiotic world would have relied on simple chemical reactions between nucleotides – the building blocks of genetic material – to make copies of RNA. Understanding how nucleotides came together to form a long chain of RNA is a crucial step in deciphering prebiotic evolution.

    To address the profound question of life’s origin, it is crucial to understand the geological, chemical and environmental conditions on early Earth approximately 3.8 billion years ago. Thus, uncovering the beginnings of life isn’t limited to biologists. Chemical engineers like me, and researchers from various scientific fields, are exploring this captivating existential question.

    Aman Agrawal 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. Rain may have helped form the first cells, kick-starting life as we know it – https://theconversation.com/rain-may-have-helped-form-the-first-cells-kick-starting-life-as-we-know-it-238291

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Steven Matome Mathetsa, Senior Lecturer at the African Energy Leadership Centre, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand

    South Africa’s state-owned electricity company, Eskom, has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to approve a 36.1% electricity price hike from April 2025, a 11.8% price increase in 2026 and an 9.1% increase in 2027. Steven Mathetsa teaches and researches sustainable energy systems at the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Energy Leadership Centre. He explains some of the problems with the planned tariff increase.

    Why such a big hike?

    Eskom says the multi-year price increase is because of the need to move closer a cost-reflective tariff that reflects the actual costs of supplying electricity.

    However, Eskom’s electricity tariff increases have been exorbitant for several years – an 18% increase in 2023 and a 13% increase in 2024. This is a price increase far above inflation, which is currently at 4.4%.

    Some companies have installed their own generation capacity, and individuals have moved to rooftop solar systems. As a result electricity sales have fallen by about 2% , resulting in a drop in revenue.

    There’s a knock on effect for municipalities, the biggest distributors of electricity, which have also been forced to hike tariffs in line with Eskom’s increases.

    All these costs are passed onto the consumers.

    What will the impact be on South Africans?

    If the hike is approved it will certainly worsen the economic difficulties facing
    South Africa. One of the most unequal countries in the world, South Africa has an extremely high unemployment rate – 33.5%at the last count.

    Economic growth is also very slow, at a mere 0.6% in 2023. The cost of living is high.

    Exorbitant increases in electricity costs aggravate these problems.

    South Africans and businesses in the country have little choice about where they source their energy. Eskom is still the sole supplier for nearly all the country’s electricity needs. This means that ordinary citizens are likely to continue relying on electricity supplied by Eskom, irrespective of the costs.

    The high costs affect businesses negatively. Large industrial and small, medium, and micro enterprises have all highlighted that costs associated with utilities, mainly electricity, are affecting their sustainability.



    Read more:
    Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

    The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act implementation will make major changes to Eskom. The reforms establish an independent Transmission Systems Operator tasked with connecting renewable energy providers to the grid. This will allow the creation of a competitive market where renewable energy providers can sell power to the grid.

    But it’s not yet clear if these changes will address the issue of exorbitant electricity price rises.

    What are the problems?

    The country’s energy frameworks are drafted on the basis of the World Energy Trilemma Index. The index promotes a balanced approach between energy security, affordability, and sustainability. In other words, countries must be able to provide environmentally friendly and reliable electricity that their residents can afford.

    South Africa is currently unable to meet these goals because of different energy policies that do not align, a lack of investment in electricity and dependency on coal-fired power. Electricity is increasingly becoming unaffordable in the country. Although there’s been a recent reprieve from power cuts, security of supply is still uncertain.



    Read more:
    South Africa’s new energy plan needs a mix of nuclear, gas, renewables and coal – expert

    Furthermore, over 78% of the country’s electricity is produced by burning coal. This means South Africa is also far from attaining its 2015 Paris Agreement greenhouse gas reduction goals.

    Compounding this problem is that Eskom is financially unstable – it needed R78 billion from the government in debt relief in 2024. For years, there was a lack of effective maintenance on the aging infrastructure.

    The country has made some inroads into improving security of supply. To date, recent interventions have resulted in over 200 days without power cuts. This should be commended. The same focus must be placed on ensuring that electricity remains affordable while giving attention to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

    What needs to change?

    South Africa’s 1998 Energy Policy White Paper and the new Electricity Regulation Amendment Act promote access to affordable electricity. However, they’ve been implemented very slowly. Affordable electricity needs to be taken seriously.

    The question is whether the country’s electricity tariff methodology is flexible enough to accommodate poor South Africans, especially during these challenging economic times.

    In my view, it is not. In its current form, vulnerable communities continue to foot the bill for various challenges confronting Eskom, including financial mismanagement, operational inefficiencies, municipal non-payment, and corruption.

    I believe the following steps should be taken.

    Firstly, South Africa should revise its tariff application methodologies so that consumers, especially unemployed and impoverished people, are protected against exorbitant increases.

    Secondly, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa should strengthen its regulations to ensure its compliance and enforcement systems are effective. For example, Eskom should be held accountable when it does not deliver efficient services or mismanages funds, and be transparent about costs associated with its processes. Municipalities should also be held accountable for non-payment and other technical issues they regularly struggle with. Both affect the revenue of the power utility.



    Read more:
    South Africa’s economic growth affected by mismatch of electricity supply and demand

    Thirdly, the government must make sure that price increases are affordable and don’t hurt the broader economy. It can do this by adjusting its policies to make sure that increases in electricity tariffs are in line with the rate of inflation.

    Fourthly, communities can play a vital role in saving electricity at a household level. This will reduce the country’s overall energy consumption. Furthermore, both small and large businesses should continue to consider alternative energy technologies while implementing energy saving technologies.

    Lastly, the level of free-basic electricity is not sufficient for poor households. Subsidy policies should also be reviewed to allow users access to affordable electricity as their financial situation changes negatively.

    Steven Matome Mathetsa 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. South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-36-1-electricity-price-hike-for-2025-why-the-power-utility-eskoms-request-is-unrealistic-240941

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Steven Matome Mathetsa, Senior Lecturer at the African Energy Leadership Centre, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand

    South Africa’s state-owned electricity company, Eskom, has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to approve a 36.1% electricity price hike from April 2025, a 11.8% price increase in 2026 and an 9.1% increase in 2027. Steven Mathetsa teaches and researches sustainable energy systems at the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Energy Leadership Centre. He explains some of the problems with the planned tariff increase.

    Why such a big hike?

    Eskom says the multi-year price increase is because of the need to move closer a cost-reflective tariff that reflects the actual costs of supplying electricity.

    However, Eskom’s electricity tariff increases have been exorbitant for several years – an 18% increase in 2023 and a 13% increase in 2024. This is a price increase far above inflation, which is currently at 4.4%.

    Some companies have installed their own generation capacity, and individuals have moved to rooftop solar systems. As a result electricity sales have fallen by about 2% , resulting in a drop in revenue.

    There’s a knock on effect for municipalities, the biggest distributors of electricity, which have also been forced to hike tariffs in line with Eskom’s increases.

    All these costs are passed onto the consumers.

    What will the impact be on South Africans?

    If the hike is approved it will certainly worsen the economic difficulties facing South Africa. One of the most unequal countries in the world, South Africa has an extremely high unemployment rate – 33.5%at the last count.

    Economic growth is also very slow, at a mere 0.6% in 2023. The cost of living is high.

    Exorbitant increases in electricity costs aggravate these problems.

    A 2023 protest against electricity prices hikes. Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

    South Africans and businesses in the country have little choice about where they source their energy. Eskom is still the sole supplier for nearly all the country’s electricity needs. This means that ordinary citizens are likely to continue relying on electricity supplied by Eskom, irrespective of the costs.

    The high costs affect businesses negatively. Large industrial and small, medium, and micro enterprises have all highlighted that costs associated with utilities, mainly electricity, are affecting their sustainability.

    Read more: Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

    The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act implementation will make major changes to Eskom. The reforms establish an independent Transmission Systems Operator tasked with connecting renewable energy providers to the grid. This will allow the creation of a competitive market where renewable energy providers can sell power to the grid.

    But it’s not yet clear if these changes will address the issue of exorbitant electricity price rises.

    What are the problems?

    The country’s energy frameworks are drafted on the basis of the World Energy Trilemma Index. The index promotes a balanced approach between energy security, affordability, and sustainability. In other words, countries must be able to provide environmentally friendly and reliable electricity that their residents can afford.

    South Africa is currently unable to meet these goals because of different energy policies that do not align, a lack of investment in electricity and dependency on coal-fired power. Electricity is increasingly becoming unaffordable in the country. Although there’s been a recent reprieve from power cuts, security of supply is still uncertain.

    Read more: South Africa’s new energy plan needs a mix of nuclear, gas, renewables and coal – expert

    Furthermore, over 78% of the country’s electricity is produced by burning coal. This means South Africa is also far from attaining its 2015 Paris Agreement greenhouse gas reduction goals.

    Compounding this problem is that Eskom is financially unstable – it needed R78 billion from the government in debt relief in 2024. For years, there was a lack of effective maintenance on the aging infrastructure.

    The country has made some inroads into improving security of supply. To date, recent interventions have resulted in over 200 days without power cuts. This should be commended. The same focus must be placed on ensuring that electricity remains affordable while giving attention to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

    What needs to change?

    South Africa’s 1998 Energy Policy White Paper and the new Electricity Regulation Amendment Act promote access to affordable electricity. However, they’ve been implemented very slowly. Affordable electricity needs to be taken seriously.

    The question is whether the country’s electricity tariff methodology is flexible enough to accommodate poor South Africans, especially during these challenging economic times.

    In my view, it is not. In its current form, vulnerable communities continue to foot the bill for various challenges confronting Eskom, including financial mismanagement, operational inefficiencies, municipal non-payment, and corruption.

    I believe the following steps should be taken.

    Firstly, South Africa should revise its tariff application methodologies so that consumers, especially unemployed and impoverished people, are protected against exorbitant increases.

    Secondly, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa should strengthen its regulations to ensure its compliance and enforcement systems are effective. For example, Eskom should be held accountable when it does not deliver efficient services or mismanages funds, and be transparent about costs associated with its processes. Municipalities should also be held accountable for non-payment and other technical issues they regularly struggle with. Both affect the revenue of the power utility.

    Read more: South Africa’s economic growth affected by mismatch of electricity supply and demand

    Thirdly, the government must make sure that price increases are affordable and don’t hurt the broader economy. It can do this by adjusting its policies to make sure that increases in electricity tariffs are in line with the rate of inflation.

    Fourthly, communities can play a vital role in saving electricity at a household level. This will reduce the country’s overall energy consumption. Furthermore, both small and large businesses should continue to consider alternative energy technologies while implementing energy saving technologies.

    Lastly, the level of free-basic electricity is not sufficient for poor households. Subsidy policies should also be reviewed to allow users access to affordable electricity as their financial situation changes negatively.

    – South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic
    – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-36-1-electricity-price-hike-for-2025-why-the-power-utility-eskoms-request-is-unrealistic-240941

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University to collaborate with TMH Corporate University

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    On October 14, Polytechnic University signed a cooperation agreement with the autonomous non-profit organization of additional professional education “TMX Corporate University”. TMX (JSC Transmashholding) is the largest developer of modern rolling stock for railway and urban rail transport in Russia.

    The agreement was signed during the official visit of the delegation of the TMH Corporate University to the Polytechnic University.

    The document was signed by the rector of SPbPU, chairman of the SPbB RAS Andrey Rudskoy and the deputy general director for corporate development and project activities, member of the Management Board of JSC Transmashholding, director of the ANO DPO Corporate University TMH Natalia Shishlakova.

    For the Polytechnic University, Transmashholding is an important partner. Our cooperation has great prospects in scientific and technological activities, training of highly qualified personnel. The main thing is that we have common tasks and goals. I am confident that our interaction will be fruitful and mutually beneficial for both parties, – Andrey Rudskoy emphasized.

    The signing of the agreement opens up new opportunities in the field of education and scientific research. Joint educational projects and programs, exchange of experience, preparation of final qualification works in the form of projects or startups commissioned by TMH are planned.

    Cooperation with the Polytechnic University in the field of advanced training in mechanical engineering, especially in the field of diesel engine production, opens up new horizons for scientific research and development. Joint activities in the field of scientific research and experimental design work will allow us not only to apply advanced technologies, but also to train high-level specialists capable of responding to modern challenges, – noted Natalia Shishlakova.

    Technological development and scientific research in the field of transport require constant updating of knowledge and skills. The cooperation agreement opens new horizons for scientific activity for both students and teachers. Joint research projects aimed at solving current problems are expected to emerge in the coming years.

    Polytechnic University has significant experience in educational projects implemented jointly with industrial partners. Only in close cooperation with the real sector of the economy is it possible to train engineers who are able to work with new technologies and apply them in practice, who are able to think outside the box and find new solutions. Today, the market is experiencing a real hunger for specialists in engineering fields of training. This is confirmed by the fact that most of our students are already “booked” by enterprises in their third year. One of the promising areas of cooperation is the integration of blue-collar jobs into our main educational programs, – commented Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of SPbPU Lyudmila Pankova.

    Photo archive

    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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/partnership/polytech-will-collaborate-with-corporate-university-tmkh/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Congress.gov Interview with Wade Ballou, the Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Today’s interview is with Wade Ballou, the Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives.

    As Legislative Counsel, Wade Ballou oversees the House Office of the Legislative Counsel (HOLC). HOLC provides legislative drafting services to the committees and Members of the House of Representatives on a nonpartisan, impartial, and confidential basis.

    Recent recognition of Wade’s service to Congress includes the 2024 Democracy Award for Lifetime Achievement by Congressional Staff and exceptional leadership and contributions, including through the development of the Comparative Print Suite for the U.S. House of Representatives. 

    Describe your background.

    I am from Roanoke, Virginia. During my youth I was active in sports, Scouting, and the YMCA. I earned a B.S. in forestry (industrial forestry operations with cooperative education certificate) from Virginia Tech in 1980. At Tech, I was active in Alpha Phi Omega. APO is the coed national service fraternity affiliated with Scouting. I met my wife in APO. We’ve been married for 41 years and have two married sons and two grandchildren. I am an Eagle Scout and have served as an adult leader in Scouting, both as cubmaster and scoutmaster.

    What is your academic/professional history?

    After Virginia Tech, I went to the University of Virginia School of Law and earned a J.D. in 1983. I joined the Office of the Legislative Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives in the fall of 1983, where I am presently employed. The Office is a non-partisan, career office responsible for drafting legislation for the House, its committees, members, and leadership. After completing training, during which I drafted federal law generally, I worked with foreign affairs legislation. Due to needs of the Office, in 1986, I moved into the areas of Native American issues (including health care and land claims), federal land issues (including natural resources, water reclamation and irrigation, public lands, and forestry), and intelligence, and later picked up parts of veteran’s affairs. In 1996, I changed to the tax team, again due to the needs of the Office. As a member of the team, I drafted in all areas of federal tax law, specializing in pensions, health care, bonds, and excise taxes. Alongside of tax, I have worked in public debt, ERISA, health care, and social security.

    I earned a graduate certificate in spiritual direction studies from Washington Theological Union in 2013 and a certificate in spiritual formation from the Avila Institute in 2015.

    In 2016, I was appointed the 8th Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives, effective August 1. During my time as the head of the Office, there has been significant change in both the House and the Office, including a 45% increase in the number of attorneys and a significant increase in demand for draft legislation. The Office now has some 90 personnel, including 68 attorneys. Some of the changes include improving the recruiting system and modifying the training methodology for new attorneys and transitioning the Office to a new Sharepoint site and digital leave management system.

    I have also been fortunate to be able to work with other institutions in the legislative branch, especially through participation in the Congressional Data Task Force. This includes:

    1. Partnering with the Clerk of the House and the Government Publishing Office to develop and update the Comparative Print Suite, a software tool that provides on-demand comparisons of how a bill changes law, how amendments change a bill, bill-to-bill differences, and a bill viewer; and

    2. Working to provide educational opportunities concerning the legislative process and drafting software applications.

    How would you describe your job to other people?

    My official job title is Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives. The fun way to describe my job is that I am responsible for producing paper for the House. This is a throwback to my forestry days where the job of a procurement forester is to ensure that the mill never runs out of timber.

    Additionally, I meet with members and staffs of parliaments around the world to discuss and share ideas for improvements in legislative process and drafting. These opportunities include working through the House Democratic Initiative, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute. I am an associate member of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel and a frequent speaker and contributor to webinars on improving legislative drafting organized by Bússola Tech, an international leader in this arena.

    What is your role in the development of Congress.gov?

    I do not think of this as a role, but I brought to the attention of Congress.gov various research and document needs that are useful to drafters. They developed features to meet those needs. It is interesting to me that most of my draft files are on Congress.gov in the form of bills and resolutions.

    What is your favorite feature of Congress.gov?

    Well, there are two features that I use a lot. Whenever a drafting request requires beginning with a public version of a bill or resolution (introduced, reported, passed, etc.), we begin with the version that is posted on Congress.gov in the XML format. So, the download feature that allows me to save this version on my computer system is a big hit for me. In addition, I use the tables of public laws and appropriations a lot. I will get to these either from links on the website or from searches and filters.

    What is the most interesting fact you’ve learned about the legislative process while working for Congress?

    Ha. The legislative process happens. Sometimes it is textbook. Sometimes it is a bit convoluted. Sometimes a bill is conferenced before it is introduced. But, the formal steps are acknowledged, even if it is by discharge or unanimous consent. So, it is important to know the ideal path to how a bill becomes law so that you can place a question in the context of this ideal.

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

    During high school and college, I was a member of forest fire fighting teams. Today we would call these wildland fire teams.

    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 Global: Candidate experience matters in elections, but not the way you think

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Charlie Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

    Previously holding political office is an obvious advantage for candidates seeking votes. SDI Productions/E+/Getty Images

    Ever since he was chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate back in July, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, has come under a level of scrutiny typical for a vice presidential candidate, including for some of his eyebrow-raising public statements made in the past or during the campaign.

    One line of critique has persisted through the news cycles: that his lack of political experience may make Vance less qualified than others, including his opponent, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, to be vice president.

    Do more politically experienced politicians have advantages in elections? And if they enjoyed such advantages in the past, do they still in such a polarized political moment?

    The answers are complicated, but political science offers some clues.

    Why experience should matter

    Previously holding political office, and for a longer period of time, is in some ways an obvious advantage for candidates making the case to potential voters. If you were applying for a job as an attorney, previous legal experience would be favorably looked upon by an employer. The same is true in elections: If you want to run for office, experience as an officeholder could help you perform better at the job you’re asking for.

    This approach has been taken by a number of high-profile politicians over the years. For example, in Hillary Clinton’s first campaign for president in 2008, the U.S. senator from New York and future secretary of state made “strength and experience” the centerpiece of her argument to the voters.

    Experience also might matter for the same reasons as incumbency – that is, when a candidate is currently holding the office they are seeking in an election. Incumbents typically have much higher name recognition than their challenger opponents, distinct fundraising advantages and, at least in theory, a record of policy achievement on which to base their campaigns. Even for nonincumbents, these advantages are more prevalent for previous officeholders rather than someone who is a newcomer to politics.

    Barack Obama and his family on Nov. 4, 2008, the day he won the presidential election, showing that a lack of political experience can be used as a benefit.
    Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images

    Inexperienced, or an ‘outsider’?

    But Hillary Clinton was, of course, unsuccessful in her first bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. She was beaten by a relatively inexperienced candidate named Barack Obama; like Vance, Obama had served less than a full term in the Senate before running for higher office.

    Obama’s 2008 win shows that a lack of political experience can be leveraged as a benefit.

    One of the few things Obama and Donald Trump have in common is that both benefited from an appeal to voters as a political “outsider” in elections in which Americans were frustrated with the political status quo. As outsiders, they appeared uniquely positioned to fix what voters believed was wrong with politics.

    Does experience equal ‘quality’?

    The “outsider” label isn’t always a ticket to victory.

    In 2020, for example, voters were frustrated with the chaos of having a political outsider in the White House and turned to Joe Biden – possibly the most experienced presidential candidate in modern history at that point, with eight years as vice president and several decades in the Senate under his belt. Voters were hungry for political normalcy in the White House and made that choice for Biden.

    Does U.S. Sen. JD Vance’s lack of political experience make him less qualified than his opponent, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, to be vice president?
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Political science has other important lessons about when experience matters and when it doesn’t. In Congress, electoral challengers – those running against incumbents – enjoy more of a boost from prior experience in places such as the state legislature. In fact, the typical indicator for challenger “quality” used in political science research is a simple marker of whether the challenger has prior political experience.

    But even this finding is more complicated than it seems: Political scientists such as Jeffrey Lazarus have found that high-quality – that is, politically experienced – challengers do better in part because they are more strategic in waiting for better opportunities to run in winnable races.

    Experience matters only sometimes – and maybe less than ever

    The usefulness of a lengthy political resume also depends on which stage of the election candidates are in.

    Research has found, for example, that a candidate’s experience matters much more in settings such as party primaries, where differences between the candidates on policy issues are typically much narrower. That leaves nonpolicy differences such as experience to play a bigger role.

    In the general election, voters supportive of one party are unlikely to factor candidate experience in that heavily, even, or especially, when the candidate they support lacks it.

    The political science phenomenon known as negative partisanship means that, more and more, voters are motivated not by positive attributes of their own party’s candidates but rather by the fear of losing to the other side. This has only been exacerbated as the two parties have polarized further.

    Voters are therefore more willing than ever to lower the standards they might have for their favored candidates’ resumes if it means beating the other side. Even if a Democrat is clearly more qualified than a Republican in terms of political experience, that advantage is unlikely to sway many Republican voters, and vice versa.

    What about 2024?

    In 2024, the experience factor is complicated. Trump, of course, has been president before – the ultimate prior experience for someone running for exactly that office.

    But he has continued to run as an outsider from the political establishment, casting Kamala Harris – who, as vice president, has little actual institutional power – as an incumbent who is responsible for the current state of the country. Since polls show consistently that a majority of Americans believe the country is not headed in the right direction, we can see why Trump might try to frame the race in this way.

    Whether Trump’s strategy ends up working will be more apparent after the election is over. For now, Trump and Harris can rest assured that most of their supporters don’t appear to care how much – or how little – experience they have.

    Charlie Hunt 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. Candidate experience matters in elections, but not the way you think – https://theconversation.com/candidate-experience-matters-in-elections-but-not-the-way-you-think-240191

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Color complexity in social media posts leads to more engagement, new research shows

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Vamsi Kanuri, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Notre Dame

    If you work in digital marketing, you don’t need to be told a picture’s worth a thousand words. More than half of content marketers say images are crucial for achieving their social media goals, and a staggering 70% of users prefer image-based posts over text, surveys have found.

    But which types of visuals work best? While anecdotal evidence abounds, systematic research on this topic is scarce.

    As a professor of business who knows the issues social media managers face while picking images for their posts – and who collected thousands of Facebook posts from two organizations in different industries – I saw an opportunity.

    Pigments and pixels

    Together with my colleagues Christian Hughes and Brady Hodges, I looked at what researchers call “color complexity.”

    Color complexity is similar to colorfulness, but it’s not quite the same: It’s measured as color variation across pixels in an image, and our brains process it subliminally. The more the brain has to decipher color variations across neighboring pixels, the harder it has to work.

    Fortunately, advanced computer vision technology makes it easier than ever to measure color complexity, and biometric eye-tracking makes it possible to see what images grab people’s attention in real time.

    We conducted four studies, looking at both real-world Facebook posts from two firms and experimental data using biometric eye-tracking. On the whole, we found that more complex images in social media posts tended to capture greater attention.

    However, there were some caveats.

    For instance, posts made later in the day and those with images that took up more screen space tended to benefit more from color complexity. This suggests that the timing and visual prominence of posts play a role in maximizing engagement.

    In addition, when images were paired with negative, feel-bad text, color complexity made less of a difference.

    We also found that pairing images with complex texts can actually strengthen the link between color complexity and user engagement. This surprising finding suggests that more intricate language might encourage people to pay more attention to the images.

    The complexities of color

    The importance of color in marketing, and its influence on everything from brand perception to purchase intentions, has long been well documented. Much less is known, however, about the role of color complexity in social media engagement. Our research is beginning to fill that gap.

    Overall, our findings underscore the importance of strategic image design in social media marketing. They suggest that a nuanced approach to image design, incorporating high color complexity where appropriate, can significantly enhance user engagement.

    For marketers and content creators, the implications are clear: Investing in the careful curation of social media images, especially those with high color complexity, can lead to better user engagement. Just be mindful of the timing and context, too.

    Vamsi Kanuri works for the University of Notre Dame.

    – ref. Color complexity in social media posts leads to more engagement, new research shows – https://theconversation.com/color-complexity-in-social-media-posts-leads-to-more-engagement-new-research-shows-240980

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Farms to fame: How China’s rural influencers are redefining country life

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mitchell Gallagher, Ph.D Candidate in Political Science, Wayne State University

    In the quiet backwaters of Yunnan, Dong Meihua – though her followers know her by the public alias Dianxi Xiaoge – has done something remarkable: She’s taken the pastoral simplicity of rural China and made it irresistible to millions. In her hands, a village kitchen becomes a stage, and the rhythms of farm life become a story as compelling as any novel. She is one of many rural influencers returning to their roots.

    In a digital revolution turning established narratives on their head, China’s countryside is emerging as an unlikely epicenter of viral content. Xiaoge is one of thousands of influencers redefining through social media how the countryside is perceived.

    Upending preconceptions of rural China as a hinterland of poverty and stagnation, this new breed of social media mavens is serving up a feast of bucolic bliss to millions of urbanites. It is a narrative shift encouraged by authorities; the Chinese government has given its blessing to influencers promoting picturesque rural images. Doing so helps downplay urban-rural chasms and stoke national pride. It also fits nicely with Beijing’s rural revitalization strategy.

    Hardship to revival

    To fully appreciate any phenomenon, it’s necessary to first consider the historical context. For decades, China’s countryside was synonymous with hardship and backwardness. The Great Leap Forward of the late 1950s and early 1960s – Communist China’s revered founder Mao Zedong’s disastrous attempt to industrialize a largely agrarian country – devastated rural communities and led to widespread famine that saw tens of millions die.

    The subsequent Cultural Revolution, in which Mao strengthened his grip on power through a broad purge of the nation’s intelligentsia, further disrupted customary rural life as educated youth were sent to the countryside for “reeducation.” These traumatic events inflicted deep scars on the rural psyche and economy.

    Meanwhile, the “hukou” system, which since the late 1950s has tied social benefits to a person’s birthplace and divided citizens into “agricultural ” and “nonagricultural” residency status, has created a stark divide between urban and rural citizens.

    The reform era of Mao’s successor, Deng Xiaoping, beginning in 1978, brought new challenges. As China’s cities boomed, the countryside lagged behind.

    Millions of rural Chinese have migrated to cities for better opportunities, abandoning aging populations and hollowed-out communities. In 1980, 19% of China’s population lived in urban areas. By 2023, that figure had risen to 66%.

    Government policies have since developed extensively toward rural areas. The abolition of agricultural taxes in 2006 heralded a major milestone, demonstrating a renewed commitment to rural prosperity. Most recently, President Xi Jinping’s “rural revitalization” has put countryside development at the forefront of national policy. The launch of the Internet Plus Agriculture initiative and investment in rural e-commerce platforms such as Taobao Villages allow isolated farming communities to connect to urban markets.

    Notwithstanding these efforts, China’s urban-rural income gap remains substantial, with the average annual per capita disposable income of rural households standing at 21,691 yuan (about US$3,100), approximately 40% of the amount for urban households.

    Enter the ‘new farmer’

    Digital-savvy farmers and countryside dwellers have used nostalgia and authenticity to win over Chinese social media. Stars such as Li Ziqi and Dianxi Xiaoge have racked up huge numbers of followers as they paint rural China as both an idyllic escape and a thriving cultural hub.

    The Chinese term for this social media phenomenon is “new farmer.” This encapsulates the rise of rural celebrities who use platforms such as Douyin and Weibo to document and commercialize their way of life. Take Sister Yu: With over 23 million followers, she showcases the rustic charm of northeast China as she pickles vegetables and cooks hearty meals. Or Peng Chuanming: a farmer in Fujian whose videos on crafting traditional teas and restoring his home have captivated millions.

    Since 2016, these platforms have turned rural life into digital gold. What began as simple documentation has evolved into a phenomenon commanding enormous audiences, fueled not just by nostalgia but also economic necessity. China’s post-COVID-19 economic downturn, marked by soaring youth unemployment and diminishing urban opportunities, has driven some to seek livelihoods in the countryside.

    In China’s megacities, where the air is thick with pollution and opportunity, there’s clearly a hunger for something real – something that doesn’t come shrink-wrapped or with a QR code. And rural influencers serve slices of a life many thought lost to China’s breakneck development.

    Compared with their urban counterparts, rural influencers carve out a unique niche in China’s vast social media landscape. Although fashion bloggers, gaming streamers and lifestyle gurus dominate platforms such as Weibo and Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, rural content creators tap into a different cultural romanticism and a yearning for connection to nature. In addition, their content capitalizes on the rising popularity of short video platforms such as Kuaishou and Pinduoduo, augmenting their reach across a wide demographic, from nostalgic retirees to eco-conscious millennials.

    But this is not simply digital escapism for the masses. Tourism is booming in once-forgotten villages. Traditional crafts are finding new markets. In 2020 alone, Taobao Villages reported a staggering 1.2 trillion yuan (around $169.36 billion) in sales.

    The Chinese government, never one to miss a PR opportunity, has spotted potential. Rural revitalization is now the buzzword among government officials. It’s a win-win: Villagers net economic opportunities, and the state polishes its reputation as a champion of traditional values. Government officials have leveraged platforms such as X to showcase China’s rural revitalization efforts to international audiences.

    Authenticity or illusion?

    As with all algorithms, there’s a catch to the new farmer movement. The more popular rural influencers become, the more pressure they face to perform “authenticity.” Or put another way: The more real it looks, the less real it might actually be.

    It raises another question: Who truly benefits? Are we witnessing rural empowerment or a commodification of rural life for urban consumption? With corporate sponsors and government initiatives piling in, the line between genuine representation and curated fantasy blurs.

    Local governments, recognizing the economic potential, have begun offering subsidies to rural content creators, causing skepticism about whether this content is truly grassroots or part of a bigger, state-led campaign to sanitize the countryside’s image.

    Yet, for all the conceivable pitfalls, the new farmer trend is an opportunity to challenge the urban-centric narrative that has dominated China’s development story for decades and rethink whether progress always means high-rises and highways, or if there’s value in preserving ways of life that have sustained communities for centuries.

    More importantly, it’s narrowing the cultural disconnect that has long separated China’s rural and urban populations. In a country where your hukou can determine your destiny, these viral videos foster understanding in ways that no government program ever could.

    Mitchell Gallagher 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. Farms to fame: How China’s rural influencers are redefining country life – https://theconversation.com/farms-to-fame-how-chinas-rural-influencers-are-redefining-country-life-239540

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Everything will be ArtCamp

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    First-year students of the Polytechnic University from different parts of the country went for the 13th time to the most colorful event of their new student life – ArtCamp, organized by the Student Club of the Directorate of Cultural Programs and Youth Creativity of SPbPU.

    Students came to the Svyazist base to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of creativity, self-realization and friendship. Fur hats and construction helmets, rabbit ears and red caps were scattered across the pine forest: such distinctive attributes of the teams were invented by the Student Council of the Dormitories, a co-organizer of ArtCamp.

    At the grand opening ceremony, 300 students loudly chanted as one: “Polytech! Polytech!” and greeted the organizers.

    You are at a wonderful celebration created for you by the Polytechnic University student club with the support of the university rectorate. I am convinced that during these few days, suns will light up in your hearts, which will shine for you and the people around you throughout your student years and in your future life, – Boris Kondin, the head of the Directorate of Cultural Programs and Youth Creativity, addressed the students.

    ArtCamp-2024 was dedicated to street culture: street art, hip-hop, graffiti and other elements of the youth movement accompanied all the activities of the trip. The first meeting point was the “Night Game” – a station quest, where the participants tried themselves in basketball and skateboarding, went through a wooden labyrinth, learned how to creatively tie shoelaces and learned hip-hop moves.

    The second day started with creative trainings: theater training from the Polytechnic Student Theater, dance training from the LPH Crew team of the PolyDance studio, and art-casting of clothes with paints on fabric. And in the evening, under the starry sky, the Polytechnicians gathered for a traditional joint dance accompanied by a song about the Student Club, specially recorded by the vocalists of the PolyVox studio.

    The main event was the traditional performance “Color Room” with an art installation and a dance number from the DJ studio Gate. The participants had great fun painting the white walls of the hall and white T-shirts in different colors.

    The event ended with a team game called “Capture,” in which students learned to defend their territory and stick together, and also used letters to form the slogan for the trip: “And remember: everything will be ArtCamp!”

    I met some fun guys, had a fantastic time, and was filled with positive emotions. It’s incredibly cool that Polytech is holding such an event for us, – said PhysMekh student Alisa Ryabtseva.

    ArtCamp is the best thing that has happened to me in recent times. Three days flew by in one breath. The trainings and games helped me get to know the other guys better, and most importantly, to discover my own creative side, said GI student Alisa Merkulova.

    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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/student_life/everything-will-artcamp/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Religious hate crimes in England and Wales are at a record high – but many still go unreported

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Hopkins, Professor of Social Geography, Newcastle University

    Shutterstock

    Religious hate crimes in England and Wales are at record levels. New Home Office statistics reveal that although hate crime overall saw an annual decrease of 5% in the year to March 2024, there was a 25% increase in religious hate crimes.

    Hate crimes against Jewish people more than doubled from the previous year, making up 33% of religion-based hate crime in the new figures. Those against Muslims rose by 13%, making up 38% of the total.

    There was a sharp increase in reported incidents against both Jewish and Muslim people after the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023. While the total number of offences has since declined, it is still higher than before the conflict began.

    These figures reflect police-recorded hate crime, but other organisations also track these incidents. The organisation Tell Mama, which tracks anti-Muslim hate, recorded a 335% increase in cases in the months after October 7 2023 compared to the year before. And the Community Security Trust tracked a 147% rise in anti-Jewish hate in 2023 compared to 2022. Of these incidents, 66% were on or after October 7.

    The October 7 attacks are an example of a trigger event that usually precedes a spike in hate crime. These events can “galvanise tensions and sentiments against the suspected perpetrators and groups associated with them”.

    Trigger events can be one-off events or last only a short period of time, but the continuing high levels of hate crime that the UK has seen over the past year is still likely due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

    These trends had been increasing worldwide, and not only since the latest conflict. A UN report in 2021 found that Islamophobia had reached “epidemic proportions”. Additionally, as my colleagues and I have found in our research, such racism is also experienced by a diverse range of ethnic groups and not only Muslims. A rise in antisemitism has been recorded around the world too.

    Unreported hate

    Not only are the latest statistics in the UK alarming, they are only the tip of the iceberg. As my work on the inquiry into Islamophobia in Scotland found, many incidents go unreported.

    We found that many did not report incidents due to concerns about institutional racism in the police and a lack of confidence in policing and in the criminal justice system. Added to this were worries about not having enough evidence, the incident not being “serious enough”, and fear of reprisal. Some even felt that it happened so often that there was “no point” in reporting it.

    Anti-Jewish hatred has risen in the UK since October 7 2023.
    Shutterstock

    The long-term impacts of hate crime are deeply concerning. Victims who experience constant discrimination are likely to experience poor health outcomes and premature ageing.

    The rising numbers also promote a culture of fear that can discourage members of ethnic or religious minority groups from participating fully in society.
    My colleagues and I have found in our research that Islamophobia and prejudice has stopped some Muslims from participating in politics and going out to socialise.

    Encouragingly, however, others chose to become more active in their communities in order to challenge stereotypes about Muslims.

    Making prejudice mainstream

    In addition to the trigger event of the Israel-Hamas war, there are a number of factors that contribute to rising hate crime, particularly against Muslims.

    First is the prevalence of organisations and individuals, including media outlets, online influencers, far-right think-tanks and political figures who promote anti-Muslim messaging and hatred.

    The rise of far-right politics around the world plays a role. The election of Donald Trump, as well as
    recent electoral gains by Marine Le Pen in France, the Freedom Party in Austria and Reform UK show how such politics are seeping into the mainstream.

    But even supposedly centrist politicians spread narratives that contribute to Islamophobia and racism. For example, former prime minister David Cameron decried the failure of multiculturalism and this message was repeated by Suella Braverman when she was home secretary.

    This perpetuates the idea that it is not possible for different ethnic and religious groups to live in harmony. I would argue this provides an ideal platform for the promotion of Islamophobia.

    Mainstream media outlets and social media also shape the narratives that contribute to a culture of fear around Muslims. High profile acts of religious hatred, such as the atrocities committed by Anders Breivik in Oslo in 2011 or by Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch in 2019, tend to be put down to a “lone wolf” or to be regarded as “fringe incidents”, rather than part of a wider problem to be addressed. Both Breivik and Tarrant promoted white supremacy and were explicitly anti-Muslim.

    The spread of inaccurate information on social media has stirred up Islamophobia, antisemitism and racism, and led to violence against migrants. This was seen in the far-right riots in summer 2024 following the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, near Liverpool.

    According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a false name and disinformation suggesting the attacker was Muslim reached around 1.7 billion people across several platforms.

    The long history of Islamophobia in Britain can be traced back to the response to the 9/11 terror attacks and the “war on terror”. The UK’s counter-terrorism programme Prevent has made life intolerable for Muslims by promoting the idea that all Muslims are potential terrorists and a threat to security.

    The obsession with this approach persists internationally despite the existence of several alternatives, yet it urgently needs to be replaced alongside the thinking that supports it.

    The result of all this is that Islamophobia has flourished in the UK without being called out by those in power. This must be challenged if we want to see a reduction in racially and religiously motivated hate crime.

    Peter Hopkins receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust.

    – ref. Religious hate crimes in England and Wales are at a record high – but many still go unreported – https://theconversation.com/religious-hate-crimes-in-england-and-wales-are-at-a-record-high-but-many-still-go-unreported-241071

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How profits from big pharma’s use of genetic information could revolutionise nature conservation

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eleanor Jane Milner-Gulland, Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity, University of Oxford

    The blood of rare horseshoe crabs is sometimes used in the development of vaccines. Sinhyu Photographer/Shutterstock

    The blue blood of threatened horseshoe crabs contains a chemical essential for testing the safety of vaccines. So these ancient creatures are highly sought after by pharmaceutical companies worldwide, contributing to declines in their populations.

    While species are disappearing at alarming rates, with a global biodiversity financing gap of US$600 billion to US$800 billion (£460 billion to £610 billion) annually, the genetic information of rare plants and animals is a commercially valuable resource.

    Advances in technology now allow the rapid sequencing and sharing of genetic data, bringing huge benefits (and profits) for biotechnology and medicine. However, it also opens the door to “biopiracy”: the unethical or unlawful appropriation of biological resources, typically from countries or Indigenous communities in developing countries.

    Even if genetic information is obtained and used appropriately and within the law, important ethical, legal and financial questions still arise: who owns the genetic data derived from nature, and how can we ensure fair sharing of the benefits derived from their use?

    A key debate at Cop16, the upcoming UN biodiversity conference, will be how best to channel funding into protecting valuable biological resources. If done properly, people can benefit from the genetic information that nature contains, while ensuring that those conserving these resources, particularly Indigenous people, are properly compensated financially for their efforts.

    Our recent paper argues that rules of fair allocation, which have been around since the time of Aristotle, offer a potential way forward.

    Genetic information extracted from living organisms can now be easily digitised and shared across borders. This practice, often referred to as digital sequence information (DSI), plays a pivotal role in advancing research in fields such as medicine, agriculture and environmental science.

    For example, the genome of the COVID-19 virus was digitally sequenced and shared globally, enabling researchers worldwide to use that DSI to develop vaccines quickly.

    Yet, this leads to ethical and legal challenges. The genetic codes of plants and animals from all over the world are stored in international databases, often without proper acknowledgement or compensation to the countries or communities where these sequences originated.

    Countries with rich biodiversity, particularly in developing countries, have raised concerns that their genetic resources are being used – and in some cases monetised and commercialised – without approval or fair compensation. Indigenous peoples and local communities have similar concerns.

    So, who owns genetic data? It depends.

    The ownership of genetic data derived from plants and animals has become a grey area. In theory, countries have sovereignty over their biodiversity, as stipulated in an international agreement adopted in 2010 called the Nagoya protocol. This mandates that countries sharing their biological resources should be compensated through access and benefit-sharing agreements.

    Genetic codes of rare plants aren’t currently owned by their country of origin.
    Polonio Video/Shutterstock

    However, the concept of DSI has complicated these agreements. When genetic data is transformed into a digital format and stored in databases, it is not always clear whether the original country still holds any rights over that data.

    Should the digital sequence information of a rare Amazonian plant, for example, belong to the country where it was found, or is it now part of a global commons available to any researcher or commercial entity? Currently, there is no universal agreement on DSI, and with companies and research institutions using genetic data freely, this opens the door to the next wave of biopiracy

    Biopiracy has been a historical problem, long before digital data entered the picture. For decades, pharmaceutical and agricultural companies have sourced plant and animal materials from the Amazon rainforest or African savannas. They patented products based on those materials and profited without compensating source countries or Indigenous peoples and local communities who may have used these species for generations.

    Now this issue extends beyond physical specimens. The real treasure lies in the genetic information itself. When genetic data is digitised and shared globally, it becomes challenging to trace its origins and hold companies accountable for unauthorised use.

    In the absence of benefit-sharing mechanisms (formal ways to share the monetary and non-monetary benefits of using biodiversity with those who bear the costs of conserving it), companies can patent discoveries derived from DSI, with profits flowing to corporations and research institutions in developed countries.

    Meanwhile, low-to-middle-income nations that are home to these resources and the communities that protect them do not benefit. We argue this is unjust and contributes towards the continued undervaluation and therefore degradation of biodiversity.

    A new genetic code

    At Cop16, a potential solution is up for a negotiation: a global system governing the exchange of DSI, including a multilateral fund into which companies which benefit from DSI would contribute.

    This fund would be used to pay for action to conserve biodiversity, with a specific priority given to funding for Indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth. As well as providing compensation for stewardship of the biodiverse ecosystems that contain these genetic resources, funding can be used for training and capacity-building (such as genetic research), which could start to compensate for longstanding inequalities of opportunity that are built into today’s research and commercialisation systems.

    Many questions remain as to how this fund would work. That will be negotiated at Cop16. One particular challenge is determining how to implement mechanisms to distribute this fund that are fair, enforceable, and do not overburden countries or companies.

    Proposed solutions are grounded in rules of fair allocation. Pharmaceutical companies using DSI could contribute in proportion to their profits or revenues. Beneficiaries could receive payment or other benefits according to criteria such as the levels of biodiversity conserved, threats to biodiversity and financial need.

    This multilateral fund could be a major contributor to conservation finance, and one which is directed at those who actually conserve biodiversity on the ground. It has been described as a potentially “historic breakthrough” by the executive secretary of the convention on biological diversity.

    But there are still major hurdles to overcome. Big pharma companies are resistant due to the potential financial implications. There has been limited engagement from the conservation community, perhaps because fair sharing of the benefits from genetic materials appears much less immediately pressing than the conservation of wild species and their habitats.

    If successful, this could represent a major step towards generating the finance that is desperately needed to support nature conservation. It would set a precedent for similar mechanisms to ensure that those benefiting from using nature pay for the cost of conserving or restoring it – just like bycatch taxes in commercial fisheries or pollution taxes on large agribusinesses.

    We believe that this proposal could be revolutionary if it succeeds in channelling large amounts of biodiversity finance to where it is most needed in a fair and equitable way. Genetic data should not only be seen as a resource that generates new drugs and technologies, but as a shared asset of humanity, with the rights and sovereignty of nature’s stewards properly respected and valued.


    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 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Eleanor Jane Milner-Gulland receives funding from UKRI, Research England Development Fund, Login5 Foundation, IKI, Defra, USFWS, Leverhulme Trust and the Leventis Foundation. She is a member of the UK government’s Defra Biodiversity Evidence Committee, chairs the Darwin Expert Committee, a member of IUCN-SSC, and the Nature Positive Initiative.

    Dale Squires was supported by an Oxford Martin School Visiting Fellowship.

    Hollie Booth receives funding from the UK Darwin Initiative. As well as University of Oxford she is affiliated with The Biodiversity Consultancy and Kebersamaan Untuk Lautan.

    – ref. How profits from big pharma’s use of genetic information could revolutionise nature conservation – https://theconversation.com/how-profits-from-big-pharmas-use-of-genetic-information-could-revolutionise-nature-conservation-240565

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We tend to keep away from midges and – even when in swarms – they tend to keep away from each other

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Dittrich, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Nottingham Trent University

    Shutterstock

    We’ve all found ourselves trying to avoid the swarms of midges that are so common in late summer. But as you try to avoid them, what you may not know is that they are equally keen to avoid each other.

    It’s strange behaviour for creatures that typically move around together. But physicist Andrew Reynolds from research centre Rothamsted Research recently investigated swarms of the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius, and found something very strange happening.

    While they may move around in swarms, they do so in a way that ensures they keep their distance from each other. And it might be why, paradoxically, they are so successful at breeding.

    Swarming, where animals form large and dense groups, is common in a lot of animals. A lot of us are familiar with the murmuration of starlings at sunset as they dance in the setting sun, for example. In water, animals form shoals, pods and schools. They may vary in their cohesiveness and the species that they contain, but are all essentially different types of swarms.

    It helps animals evade predators and gives them safety in numbers. Large numbers of animals in these aggregations make it difficult for predators to single out a target. This is known as the selfish herd effect where animals seek positions towards the centre of a herd, shoal or flock where there’s less risk of being attacked.

    Animals sometimes behave differently as part of a bigger system where the animal is interacting with it’s nearest neighbour. Fish for example align themselves and match speed with their nearest neighbour to shoal together and avoid collisions. Birds operate in a similar way.

    Social insects such as ants often swarm in the summer, in mate-finding nuptial flights. Locusts defoliate large patches of land before moving on. Some researchers suggest that this social aggregation behaviour is linked to elevated serotonin the locusts get from close contact.

    However, in the midge C. riparius we see something different.

    Reynold’s research showed that these midges maintain maximum distance from one another. In the lab based models of these midges he studied, the midges are almost, by equal measure attracted to the centre of a swarm, but also away from each other.

    Birds in a flock move in the same direction, staying close to one another (positive correlation). But C. riparius midges position themselves apart, so if one moves left, others tend to move right for example (maximal anticorrelation).

    The swarms of C. riparus are predominantly for reproductive purposes and they are made up of males. Midges maximise their potential to find a mate by collecting at the same time, in the same place. You could argue that’s how bars and pubs work for humans.

    When a female enters the swarm however, and is pursued by a male, the swarm maintains cohesion. The other members of the swarm are still drawn towards her. But this force of attraction is weaker than the negative “impulse” for the males to stay away from each other.

    Staying evenly spaced means there is less competition between males. Which means that, as a group, they spend less energy and have more overall mating success.

    The repellent effect also has other advantages. When midges are spaced apart in an organised and distributed way, the swarm can collectively respond to disruptions, such as changes in weather or predators, without losing its structure. Because each midge’s relative position to each other is defined by the maximal anticorrelation, a disturbance to one part of the swarm can quickly be compensated by the whole group.

    We might learn a thing or two from the midge. In social situations, let’s take a step back, wait our turn, and give each other some space. Don’t interrupt your friend in conversation, don’t barge in at the self-service checkouts in the supermarket… and certainly don’t flirt with your friend’s partner.

    Alex Dittrich 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. We tend to keep away from midges and – even when in swarms – they tend to keep away from each other – https://theconversation.com/we-tend-to-keep-away-from-midges-and-even-when-in-swarms-they-tend-to-keep-away-from-each-other-241055

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Salem’s Lot: a faithful but shallow adaptation of Stephen King’s classic vampire novel

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Dix, Senior Lecturer in American Literature and Film, Loughborough University

    The vampire story dwells among the undead of literary and cinematic genres, ever available for reanimation. This year alone has seen the publication of more than 30 vampire novels in the US (from Rachel Harrison’s So Thirsty to K. M. Enright’s Mistress of Lies), alongside the release of several vampire movies, including Abigail (with Nosferatu, rebooting the silent German classic, due at Christmas).

    Now comes Salem’s Lot. Written and directed by Gary Dauberman, it’s the first feature-film adaptation of the 1975 novel in which Stephen King set himself the thought experiment of transposing Bram Stoker’s Dracula to contemporary New England. The book has been adapted twice before, in 1979 and 2004, but each time as a TV miniseries.

    Of these precursors, the more interesting is the first, directed by Tobe Hooper. Made five years after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it signified Hooper’s move towards the mainstream, while retaining some gory scenes and choppy editing reminiscent of his old grindhouse aesthetic.

    The new Salem’s Lot begins with a series of maps that trace how the master vampire, concealed in a chest, has reached Maine. The film’s own passage, stalled for years by the calculations of marketers and schedulers, has been equally arduous. It arrives now rather belatedly and without blockbuster flourish. While UK King fans can enjoy it on the big screen, it is consumable in most other locations only via the streaming service Max.

    The trailer for Salem’s Lot.

    Literary and film scholar Robert Stam offers a profusion of terms to describe the work undertaken by screen adaptations. They may, for example, “rewrite”, “transmute” or even “critique” their source-texts. Indicating a gentler kind of process, however, Stam also allows that an adaptation can offer an “incarnation” or “performance” of the material it is adapting. Performing Salem’s Lot in this sense, responding in audio-visual form to King’s prompts and refusing major reinventions, appears to be Dauberman’s goal.

    King is a successor not only to Stoker and other horror writers such as H. P. Lovecraft, but to the late-19th century “local colorists” in New England, who attentively documented the sights and sounds of their region. On the page, Salem’s Lot is visually abundant. The new adaptation attempts to be similarly conscientious.

    Dauberman takes care in matters of colour and lighting. A church’s doors, shut against the vampiric menace, glow a vivid red. Two boys walk through a wood silhouetted at sunset, their bodies ominously already lacking substance against a sky that is turning from pink to black. There are other visual pleasures, too, representing a shift away from Hooper’s version, where the shots are rougher-edged and decidedly non-pictorial.

    The cast of this Salem’s Lot is likeable and struggles gamely, in the face of regular jump scares, to solicit audience engagement. Unlike Hammer’s Dracula adaptations, say, in which the monster has all the charisma, this is something of a democratic vampire film and devolves interest to members of the opposing force.

    A pleasing modification is also made to the overbearing whiteness of King’s narrative world, with two of the pluckiest vampire hunters reimagined as African American.

    Beyond the scare

    But if this latest adaptation of Salem’s Lot is easy enough on the eye, intellectually it is shallow. This matters, because the best vampire fictions prompt us not merely to be terrified, but to start interpreting – they generate meanings as well as scares.

    What, precisely, is signified by their monstrous protagonists? As expert in Victorian literature, Nina Auerbach, wrote in her still valuable book Our Vampires, Ourselves (1995): “No fear is only personal: it must steep itself in its political and ideological ambience, without which our solitary terrors have no contagious resonance.”

    Writing his novel in 1975, as the progressive dreams of the 1960s faded, King found in the vampire an apt image of power and cruelty in America. In his own words, from the afterword to Salem’s Lot: “I saw a metaphor for everything that was wrong with the society around me, where the rich got richer and the poor got welfare … if they were lucky.” When vampires strike in the book, there is therefore the sense of a nation at risk, not merely a few families or a handful of individuals.

    The new adaptation, by contrast, represses rather than invites such interpretive effort on our part. It carries across the novel’s mid-1970s setting, but is interested more in accurate period detailing – the right model of car, the appropriate hairstyle – than in substantive historical exploration. It also doesn’t use the category of the vampire movie to say something insightful about our own time: the post-COVID moment, for example, or the era of Donald Trump (a figure with rich vampiric possibilities).

    Dauberman’s version of Salem’s Lot is certainly respectful of its source-text (unsurprising, perhaps, with King himself listed among its executive producers). And it functions perfectly well as a showcase for the varied skills of props designer, prosthetic artist and special effects engineer. But, as a work of cultural and social inquiry, this latest vampire story is disappointingly de-fanged.


    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.

    Andrew Dix 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. Salem’s Lot: a faithful but shallow adaptation of Stephen King’s classic vampire novel – https://theconversation.com/salems-lot-a-faithful-but-shallow-adaptation-of-stephen-kings-classic-vampire-novel-241278

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Music and dementia: researchers are still making discoveries about how songs can help sufferers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rebecca Atkinson, Researcher in Music Therapy, Anglia Ruskin University

    Numerous studies have shown music therapy has many benefits for dementia patients. Unai Huizi Photography/ Shutterstock

    Music is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Whether it’s lifting our spirits, pushing us to run faster or soothing us to sleep, we can all recognise its power. So it’s no wonder it is increasingly being used in medical treatment.

    As well as proving very useful in cancer treatment, managing chronic pain and even helping the brain recover after a stroke, researchers have also been making great strides in using music to help patients with dementia.

    It reduces patients’ anxiety and depression, and improves wellbeing both for them and their carers by enhancing everyone’s ability to adapt and cope with adversity or stress.

    Music therapy in the form of playing, singing or listening to music can also have a positive effect on cognitive function – particularly for older adults either with dementia or memory issues.

    So why does music appear to have such a powerful effect for people with dementia?

    Music and the brain

    About a decade ago, researchers discovered that when people listened to music, multiple areas of the brain were involved in processing it. These included the limbic (which processes emotions and memory), cognitive (involved with perception, learning and reaction) and motor areas (responsible for voluntary movement). This challenged preconceptions that music was processed more narrowly in the brain – and helped explain why it has such a unique neurological impact.

    Not only that, research has shown that music might help regenerate the brain and its connections. Many causes of dementia centre around cell death in the brain, raising the possibility that music could help people with dementia by mending or strengthening damaged neural connections and cells.

    Many brain areas are activated when we listen to music.
    Toa55/ Shutterstock

    It’s not just any music that has a regenerative effect on the brain, though. Familiar and favourite music has been shown to have the biggest impact on the way we feel, and is closely linked with memory and emotions. This is because listening to our favourite songs releases feel-good hormones that give us a sense of pleasure. Curated music playlists of favourite music could be the key in helping us deal with the stress of everyday life.

    This is relevant to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia because researchers have discovered that parts of the brain linked with musical memories are less affected by these conditions than other areas of the brain. This explains why memories and experiences that are linked to favourite music are often preserved for people with such conditions.

    Listening to music can also help manage their experiences of distress, agitation and “sundowning” – where a person is more confused in the afternoon and evening.

    In a small study conducted by us and our colleagues at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, we showed just how great of an effect listening to music can have for people with dementia. We found that when people with dementia repeatedly listened to their favourite music, their heart rate and movements changed in direct response.

    This showed that people’s physical responses were affected by musical features like rhythm and arrangement. Their heart rate also changed when they sang along to music, or when they began reminiscing about old memories or stories while listening to a song or thinking about the music. These changes are important because they show how music affects movement, emotions and memory recall.

    Studies have also shown that during and after listening to music, people with dementia experienced less agitation, aggression and anxiety, and their general mood was improved. They even needed less medication when they had regular music sessions.



    Read more:
    Why researchers are turning to music as a possible treatment for stroke, brain injuries and even Parkinson’s

    Other researchers have even begun testing the effects of music training programmes to support cognition for people with dementia. Results have been promising so far – with adults in the study showing improved executive functioning (problem solving, emotion regulation and attention) compared to those who took part in just physical exercise.

    So, music is likely to continue to be a useful medical treatment for people with dementia. But based on what we know so far, it’s important that it comes from the patient’s own music collection – and is used alongside other management techniques such as using drugs that can slow the progression of dementia or help manage symptoms to support self-care and wellbeing.

    Dr. Rebecca Atkinson is affliated with Chiltern Music Therapy, non-profit organisation.

    Ming-Hung Hsu receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Innovate UK.

    – ref. Music and dementia: researchers are still making discoveries about how songs can help sufferers – https://theconversation.com/music-and-dementia-researchers-are-still-making-discoveries-about-how-songs-can-help-sufferers-239446

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Mimecast Appoints Technology Executive Amol Kulkarni to its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LEXINGTON, Mass., Oct. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mimecast, a leading global Human Risk Management platform, today announced the appointment of Amol Kulkarni to its Board of Directors effective October 1, 2024.

    Kulkarni is a long-time, esteemed technology executive and advisor who spent more than 20 years at industry giants Microsoft and most recently, CrowdStrike, where he served as chief product and engineering officer. During Kulkarni’s tenure the organization grew from under $10M in annual recurring revenue to $3B. In addition to his appointment to Mimecast’s board, Kulkarni is a senior advisor at Permira and serves on the board of directors at Dynatrace and JumpCloud.

    “Amol’s expertise and leadership has been a driving force behind the explosive growth of many global technology organizations. His counsel will be invaluable to Mimecast, and I couldn’t be prouder to count him among our board members,” said Mimecast CEO Marc van Zadelhoff. “We’ve entered a new era at Mimecast and Amol’s experience leading product innovation and implementation will make an indelible impact on our strategy to forge the future of Human Risk Management.”

    “I join the Mimecast Board of Directors with tremendous enthusiasm,” said Kulkarni. “The company has a history of innovation in cybersecurity and has made incredible strides at a rapid pace toward preventing the vulnerabilities that occur at the intersection of humans and technology. Between the launch of its connected Human Risk Management platform and three strategic acquisitions, Elevate, Code42 and Aware, Mimecast is helping to solve complex problems and setting standards of excellence in its approach to innovation in critical areas like artificial intelligence. I’m excited to work with the executive team to build on the company’s strong foundation, adding critical capabilities to its platform and further increasing its leadership position.”

    Kulkarni earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pune, a Master of Technology in Energy Systems Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

    To learn more about Mimecast visit here.

    About Mimecast
    Mimecast is a leading AI-powered, API-enabled connected Human Risk Management platform, purpose-built to protect organizations from the spectrum of cyber threats. Integrating cutting-edge technology with human-centric pathways, our platform enhances visibility and provides strategic insight that enables decisive action and empowers businesses to protect their collaborative environments, safeguard their critical data and actively engage employees in reducing risk and enhancing productivity. More than 45,000 businesses worldwide trust Mimecast to help them keep ahead of the ever-evolving threat landscape. From insider risk to external threats, with Mimecast customers get more. More visibility. More insight. More agility. More security.

    Mimecast and the Mimecast logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Mimecast Services Limited in the United States and/or other countries. All other third-party trademarks and logos contained in this press release are the property of their respective owners.

    Press Contacts
    Tim Hamilton
    Principal Public Relations Manager
    +1 603-918-6757
    thamilton@mimecast.com

    General inquiries
    press@mimecast.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/179d6304-292e-47e1-ab19-bfa049874a99

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: QuEra Computing announces investment from key strategic partner to accelerate development of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, Oct. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — QuEra Computing today announced an investment in QuEra by Google Quantum AI. The investment marks a significant milestone in QuEra’s journey to develop and make available useful, scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers and affirms the recent significant technical progress made by the company. The investment builds on a collaboration with Harvard and MIT, based on the groundbreaking research led by the laboratories of Mikhail Lukin, Vladan Vuletic, and Markus Greiner. Google Quantum AI’s investment in QuEra’s neutral atom technology adds to its portfolio of primary work in superconducting qubits.

    For QuEra, the investment will help to accelerate technology advancements in the neutral atom space, such as developing quantum error correction capabilities needed to deliver quantum computing solutions and delivering additional capabilities outlined in QuEra’s strategic roadmap, publicly announced in January 2024.

    “Google Quantum AI’s strategic investment in QuEra, which we recently closed, is a testament to the strength of our technology, our world-class team, and our long-term partnerships with Harvard and MIT. This investment from Google Quantum AI, coupled with an additional financing initiative to be announced in the coming weeks, allows us to execute on our vision and company strategy, and positions us as the recognized market leader for neutral atom-based quantum computing solutions,” said Andy Ory, Interim Chief Executive Officer of QuEra. “Google Quantum AI is a leader in quantum computing and this investment recognizes the potential of different quantum computing technologies, and specifically QuEra’s leading neutral-atom technology.”

    QuEra’s quantum solutions are being developed for use cases in important verticals such as Materials, Chemicals, Life Sciences/Pharma, Government, Financial Services, and other compute-intensive industries, and may be used to enable novel AI/Machine Learning capabilities. QuEra invites interested parties to learn more about our quantum computing initiatives or to contact us directly for partnership opportunities. For additional information, please visit http://www.quera.com.

    About QuEra
    QuEra Computing is the leader in developing and productizing quantum computers using neutral atoms, widely recognized as a highly promising quantum computing modality. Based in Boston and built on pioneering research from Harvard University and MIT, QuEra operates the world’s largest publicly accessible quantum computer, available over a major public cloud and for on-premises delivery. QuEra is developing useful, scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers to tackle classically intractable problems, becoming the partner of choice in the quantum field. Simply put, QuEra is the best way to quantum. For more information, visit us at quera.com and follow us on X or LinkedIn. 

    Media Contact 
    Merrill Freund 
    press@quera.com 
    +1-415-577-8637 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City celebrates unique green awards hat-trick

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Liverpool has scored a unique treble at a major international climate change awards ceremony.

    Liverpool City Council’s Urban GreenUP project, which was recently shortlisted for a world Green City Award, won big at the CIRIA 2024 Big Biodiversity Awards.

    Held in London, the city’s innovative nature-based solution programme secured awards in the following categories:

    • CIRIA Innovation Award
    • CIRIA Habitat Creation Project of the Year Award
    • CIRIA Biodiversity Overall Winner

    The EU-funded programme, which has introduced urban raingardens, green walls and pollinators posts around the city centre as well as a number of floating islands in the city’s docks and parks, was also Highly Commended in the ‘Living Green for Climate Change’ category at the World Green City Awards 2024 held in Utrecht.

    The accolades follow hot on the heels of the programme scooping a golden pineapple trophy for its Climate Resilience submission at the 2024 Festival of Place.

    Liverpool has also recently become the world’s first ‘Accelerator City’ for climate action, under UN Climate Change’s Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) programme.

    The title comes in recognition of Liverpool’s impressive commitment to innovation and smart regulation to rapidly decarbonise the live music and TV/Film production sectors – both vital parts of the city’s economy – following several years of developmental work by ACT 1.5, an artist-led research and action effort, and climate scientists from the  Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

    • Liverpool’s Urban GreenUP programme involves a collaboration between the Council, the Mersey Forest and the University of Liverpool. It has set a number of goals to mitigate climate change impact on the city, such as enhancing air quality, reducing flooding risks, improving water management, and increasing urban sustainability.

    For more information go to: https://www.urbangreenup.eu/cities/front-runners/liverpool/liverpool-uk-re-naturing-urban-plan-with-nbs.kl

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Oat Ready for Active Duty Against Crown Rust Disease

    Source: US Agriculture Research Service

    New Oat Ready for Active Duty Against Crown Rust Disease

    Contact: Jan Suszkiw
    Email: Jan.Suszkiw@usda.gov

    October 15,2024

    A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists has released two new oat germplasm lines to shore up the cereal crop’s defenses against its most devastating fungal disease, known as “crown rust.”

    The team specifically created the oat lines so that they can be crossed with elite commercial varieties to fortify them with new genetic sources of resistance to crown rust, which is caused by the fungus Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae. Crown rust is a plague of oat worldwide and can inflict grain yield losses of up to 50 percent in unprotected crops.

    The team announced its development of the resistant oat germplasm lines—dubbed CDL-111 and CDL-167—in the May 2024 issue of the Journal of Plant Registration, culminating more than 25 years of germplasm screening, plant genetic mapping, selective breeding and evaluation in greenhouse and field trials.

    “Currently, the majority of the oat varieties with rust resistance carry a gene or two for resistance (often referred to as seedling resistance) to a specific isolate of crown rust,” said Shahryar Kianian, a co-author on the journal paper and research leader of the ARS Cereal Diseases Laboratory in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    However, the crown rust fungus is a genetically diverse pathogen and highly adept at evolving into virulent new forms, called races. This can happen so quickly that the average productive life of an oat variety with seedling resistance is between three and five years, necessitating the use of chemical fungicides in conventional production systems.

    Unchecked, the fungus infects the lower leaves and sometimes the sheafs of vulnerable oat plants, forming round- to oval-shaped pustules packed with masses of orangish spores that can be carried away by wind or rain. Damage to leaves can diminish photosynthesis and disrupt the movement of sugars from the leaves to developing grain, shriveling it and reducing feed value.

    . ARS and university scientists have released two new lines of oat to better fortify this important grain crop’s defense against the fungus that causes “crown rust” disease.

    To even the odds in the oat plant’s favor, the team resorted to a plant breeding strategy called “gene stacking” (or “pyramiding”). A key part of that strategy involved making a series of crosses between a cultivated oat variety and wild relatives, one known as lopsided oat, which carry genes for “adult plant resistance.”

    “Adult plant resistance, sometimes referred to as ‘slow rusting,’ provides the oat plant some immunity—but not complete immunity,” Kianian said. “In this case, the selection pressure on the pathogen to change is reduced, and the plant is not damaged much so that it can still produce and yield grain for the growers.”

    All told, the team stacked offspring plants derived from crosses with three genes for adult plant resistance to crown rust. They then subjected the offspring plants to a trial by fire, of sorts, starting in 2020. In essence, this involved growing them in nursery plots of common buckthorn, a secondary host for crown rust and known source of outbreaks. In the plots, under intense pressure from the disease, two lines of offspring plants consistently fared better than the others, namely, CDL-111 and CDL-167.

    The sturdy oat lines have since been propagated for their seed, which is available for use in variety development programs under a material transfer agreement with ARS, Kianian said. This is to ensure the effectiveness of the gene-stacking strategy if the oat lines are crossed with commercial varieties—regardless of whether they already possess seedling resistance to crown rust.

    By adhering to this requirement, plant breeders can arm elite oat varieties adapted to particular production regions with a one-two punch against the crown rust fungus—a “jab” via seedling resistance and a “right hook” with adult plant resistance.

    “For this, we are also providing molecular markers linked to the three genes that can be used in selecting the lines that carry them,” added Kianian, who collaborated with Eric Nazareno and Kevin Smith—both with the University of Minnesota—Melanie Caffe (South Dakota State University), Roger Caspers (ARS), Howard Rines (ARS, deceased) and Marty Carson (ARS, deceased). Carson started some of the oat work 20 years ago, continuing much of it after retirement, Kianian noted.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Alzheimer’s disease may damage the brain in two phases

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release

    Tuesday, October 15, 2024

    NIH-funded brain mapping study uncovers which cell types may be harmed first.

    Alzheimer’s disease may damage the brain in two distinct phases, based on new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using sophisticated brain mapping tools. According to researchers who discovered this new view, the first, early phase happens slowly and silently — before people experience memory problems — harming just a few vulnerable cell types. In contrast, the second, late phase causes damage that is more widely destructive and coincides with the appearance of symptoms and the rapid accumulation of plaques, tangles, and other Alzheimer’s hallmarks.

    “One of the challenges to diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s is that much of the damage to the brain happens well before symptoms occur. The ability to detect these early changes means that, for the first time, we can see what is happening to a person’s brain during the earliest periods of the disease,” said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director, NIH National Institute on Aging. “The results fundamentally alter scientists’ understanding of how Alzheimer’s harms the brain and will guide the development of new treatments for this devastating disorder.”

    Scientists analyzed the brains of 84 people, and the results, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that damage to one type of cell, called an inhibitory neuron, during the early phase may trigger the neural circuit problems that underlie the disease. Additionally, the study confirmed previous findings about how Alzheimer’s damages the brain and identified many new changes that may happen during the disease.

    Specifically, the scientists used advanced genetic analysis tools to study the cells of the middle temporal gyrus, a part of the brain that controls language, memory and vision. The gyrus has been shown to be vulnerable to many of the changes traditionally seen during Alzheimer’s. It is also a part of the brain that researchers have thoroughly mapped for control donors. By comparing control donor data with that from people who had Alzheimer’s, the scientists created a genetic and cellular timeline of what happens throughout the disease.

    Traditionally, studies have suggested that the damage caused by Alzheimer’s happens in several stages characterized by increasing levels of cell death, inflammation and the accumulation of proteins in the form of plaques and tangles. In contrast, this study suggests that the disease changes the brain in two “epochs” — or phases — with many of the traditionally studied changes happening rapidly during the second phase. This coincides with the appearance of memory problems and other symptoms.

    The results also suggest that the earliest changes happen gradually and “quietly” in the first phase before any symptoms appear. These changes include slow accumulation of plaques, activation of the brain’s immune system, damage to the cellular insulation that helps neurons send signals and the death of cells called somatostatin (SST) inhibitory neurons.

    The last finding was surprising to the researchers. Traditionally, scientists have thought that Alzheimer’s primarily damages excitatory neurons, which send activating neural signals to other cells. Inhibitory neurons send calming signals to other cells. The paper’s authors hypothesized how loss of SST inhibitory neurons might trigger the changes to the brain’s neural circuitry that underlie the disease.

    Recently, a separate NIH-funded brain mapping study by researchers at MIT found that a gene called REELIN may be associated with the vulnerability of some neurons to Alzheimer’s. It also showed that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes may provide resilience to or resist the harm caused by the disease.

    Researchers analyzed brains that are part of the Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD), which is designed to create a highly detailed map of the brain damage that occurs during the disease. The project was led by Mariano I. Gabitto, Ph.D., and Kyle J. Travaglini, Ph.D., from the Allen Institute, Seattle. The scientists used tools — developed as part of the NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative – Cell Census Network (BICCN) — to study more than 3.4 million brain cells from donors who died at various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Tissue samples were obtained from the Adult Changes in Thought study and the University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

    “This research demonstrates how powerful new technologies provided by the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative are changing the way we understand diseases like Alzheimer’s. With these tools, scientists were able to detect the earliest cellular changes to the brain to create a more complete picture of what happens over the entire course of the disease,” said John Ngai, Ph.D., director of The BRAIN Initiative®. “The new knowledge provided by this study may help scientists and drug developers around the world develop diagnostics and treatments targeted to specific stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

    This study was funded by NIH grants: U19AG060909, P30AG066509, U19AG066567, U01AG006781. Additional funding was provided by the Nancy and Buster Alvord Endowment. The Rush University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Chicago, Il, shared donor metadata from the Religious Orders Memory/Memory and Aging Project.

    Researchers can obtain data from the SEA-AD study by going to the study’s website: https://portal.brain-map.org/explore/seattle-alzheimers-disease

    About the National Institute on Aging (NIA): NIA leads the U.S. federal government effort to conduct and support research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. Learn more about age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative diseases via NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center website. Visit the main NIA website for information about a range of aging topics, in English and Spanish, and stay connected.

    The BRAIN Initiative, a multidisciplinary collaboration across 10 NIH Institutes and Centers, is uniquely positioned for cross-cutting discoveries in neuroscience to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain. By accelerating the development and application of innovative neurotechnologies, The BRAIN Initiative® is enabling researchers to understand the brain at unprecedented levels of detail in both health and disease, improving how we treat, prevent, and cure brain disorders. The BRAIN Initiative involves a multidisciplinary network of federal and non-federal partners whose missions and current research portfolios complement the goals of The BRAIN Initiative.

    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 http://www.nih.gov.

    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    Reference

    Gabitto, M. I.; Travaglini, K. J.; et al. Integrated multimodal cell atlas of Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Neuroscience. 2024 October 15 doi: 10.1038/s41593-024-01774-5

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    MIL OSI USA News –