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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: From Seattle to Atlanta, new social housing programs seek to make homes permanently affordable for a range of incomes

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Susanne Schindler, Research Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard Kennedy School

    Activists in Seattle gather signatures to put a social housing initiative on the ballot. In early 2025, voters passed the measure, which implements a payroll tax on high incomes to fund the program. House Our Neighbors, CC BY-SA

    Seattle astounded housing advocates around the country in February 2025, when roughly two-thirds of voters approved a ballot initiative proposing a new 5% payroll tax on salaries in excess of US$1 million.

    The expected revenue – estimated to amount to $52 million dollars annually – would go toward funding a public development authority named Seattle Social Housing, which would then build and maintain permanently affordable homes.

    The city has experienced record high rents and home prices over the past two decades, attributed in part to the high incomes and relatively low taxes paid by tech firms like Amazon. Prior attempts to make these companies do their part to keep the city affordable have had mixed results.

    So despite nationwide, bipartisan skepticism of government and tax increases, Seattle’s voters showed that in light of a severe affordability crisis, a new role for the public sector and a new, dedicated fiscal revenue stream for housing were not only necessary, but possible.

    As a trained architect and urban historian, I study how capitalist societies have embraced – or rejected – housing that’s permanently shielded from market forces and what that means for architecture and urban design.

    To me, Seattle’s social housing initiative shows that the country’s traditional, “either-or” housing model – of unregulated, market-rate housing versus tightly regulated, income-restricted affordable housing – has reached its limits.

    Social housing promises a different path forward.

    The rise of the ‘two-tiered’ system

    After World War I, amid a similarly dire housing crisis, journalist Catherine Bauer traveled to Europe and learned about the continent’s social housing programs.

    She publicized her findings in the 1934 book “Modern Housing,” in which she advocated for housing that would be permanently shielded from the private real estate market. High-quality design was central to her argument. (The book was reissued in 2020, reflecting a renewed hunger for her ideas.)

    Early New Deal programs supported “limited-dividend,” or nonprofit, housing sponsored by civic organizations such as labor unions. The Carl Mackley Houses in Philadelphia exemplified this approach: The government provided low-interest loans to the American Federation of Full-Fashioned Hosiery Workers, which then constructed housing for its workers with rents set at affordable rates. The complex was built with community rooms and a swimming pool for its residents.

    Financed by $1.2 million in federal funds, the Carl Mackley Houses, completed in 1935, provided homes for union workers.
    Alfred Kastner papers, Collection No. 7350, Box 45, Record 12, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

    However, the 1937 U.S. Housing Act omitted this form of middle-income housing. Instead, the federal government chose to support public rental housing for low-income Americans and private homeownership, with little in between.

    Historian Gail Radford has aptly termed this a “two-tiered system,” and it was problematic from the start.

    Funding for public housing in the U.S. – as well as for its successor, private-sector-built affordable housing – has always been capped in ways that fall far short of demand, with access to the homes largely restricted to households with the lowest incomes. Private-sector-built affordable housing depends on dangling tax credits for private investors, and rent restrictions can expire.

    While the U.S. promoted this two-tiered system, cities like Vienna pursued a different path.

    In Austria’s culturally vibrant capital, today half of all dwellings are permanently removed from the private market. Roughly 80% of households qualify to live in them. The buildings take a range of forms, are located in all neighborhoods, and are built and operated as rental or cooperative housing either by the city or by nonprofit developers.

    Rents do not rise and fall according to household income, but are instead set to cover capital and operation expenses. These are kept low thanks to long-term, low-interest loans. These loans are funded through a nationwide 1% payroll tax, split evenly between employers and employees. Renters also make a down payment, priced in relation to the size and age of the apartment, which keeps monthly rents down. To guarantee access to low-cost land, the municipality has pursued an active land acquisition policy since the 1980s.

    Vienna’s Pilotengasse Housing Estate, a social housing development featuring low-rise buildings with abundant greenery, was completed in 1992 and serves a range of income groups.
    Viennaslide/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images

    Housing shielded from the private market

    The inequities created by the two-tiered system – along with the absence of viable options for moderate- and middle-income households – are what social housing advocates in the U.S. are trying to address today.

    In 2018, the think tank People’s Policy Project published what was likely the first 21st-century report advocating for social housing in the U.S., citing Vienna as a model.

    Across the U.S., social housing is being used to describe a range of programs, from limited equity cooperatives and community land trusts to public housing.

    They all share a few underlying principles, however.

    First and foremost, social housing calls for permanently shielding homes from the private real estate market, often referred to as “permanent affordability.” This usually means public investment in housing and public ownership of it. Second, unlike the ways in which public housing has traditionally operated in the U.S., most social housing programs aim to serve households across a broader range of incomes. The goal is to create housing that is both financially sustainable and appealing to broad swaths of the electorate. Third, social housing aspires to give residents more control over the governance of their homes.

    Social housing doesn’t all look the same. But thoughtful design is key to its success. It’s built to be owned and operated in the long-term, not for short-term financial gain. Construction quality matters, and developers realize it needs to be appealing to a range of tenants with different needs.

    Early successes

    In recent years, there have been significant wins for the social housing movement at the state and local levels.

    In 2023, Atlanta created a new quasi-public entity to co-develop mixed-income housing on city-owned land. In 2024, Rhode Island voters and the Massachusetts legislature funded pilot projects to test public investment in social housing. And 2025 has seen the the passage of Chicago’s Green Social Housing ordinance.

    Many of these programs were directly inspired by affordable housing initiatives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

    Since 2021, the county’s housing authority has used a $100 million housing fund to invest in new mixed-income developments. Through these investments, the county retains co-ownership and has been able to bring down the cost of development enough to offer 30% of homes at significantly below market rents, in perpetuity. If Vienna is the global paragon for social housing, Montgomery County has become its domestic counterpart.

    In Seattle, social housing will mean homes delivered and permanently owned by Seattle Social Housing, which is funded through the payroll tax on high incomes. The initiative envisions developments featuring a range of apartment sizes to meet the needs of different family sizes, built to high energy-efficiency standards. Homes will be available to households earning up to 120% of area median income, with residents paying no more than 30% of their income on rent. In Seattle, that means that a single-person household making up to $120,000 will qualify.

    Members of the New York City Council hold a rally with housing activists to promote social housing legislation in March 2023.
    William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit, CC BY-SA

    Ongoing debates

    Despite these successes, many Americans remain skeptical of social housing.

    Sign up for a webinar on the topic, and you’ll hear participants question the term itself. Isn’t it far too “socialist” to be broadly adopted in the U.S.? And isn’t this just “old wine in new bottles”?

    Join a housing task force, and established nonprofits will be the ones to push back, arguing that they already know how to build and manage housing, and that all they need is money.

    Some housing activists also question whether using scarce public dollars to pay for mixed-income housing will yet again shortchange those who most need governmental assistance – namely, the poor. Others point to the need to provide more ways to build intergenerational wealth, especially for racial minorities, who have historically faced barriers to homeownership.

    Urban planner Jonathan Tarleton has highlighted another important issue: the danger of social housing reverting over time to private ownership, as has been the case with some cooperatives in New York City. Tarleton stresses the need for “social maintenance” – the importance of telling and retelling the story of whom social housing is meant to serve.

    These debates raise important questions. Social housing may be a confusing term and an aspirational concept. But it is here to stay: It has galvanized organizers and policymakers around a new approach to the design, development and maintenance of housing.

    Social housing keeps prices down through long-term public investment, ensuring that future generations will still benefit. Developers can design and provide homes that respond to how people want to live. And in an increasingly polarized country, social housing will allow people of various backgrounds, incomes and ideological persuasions to live together again, rather than apart.

    Whether it’s the kind found in Seattle, in Maryland or somewhere in between, I believe social housing is needed more than ever before to address the country’s twin problems of affordability and a lack of political imagination.

    This article is part of a series centered on envisioning ways to deal with the housing crisis.

    Susanne Schindler receives funding from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

    – ref. From Seattle to Atlanta, new social housing programs seek to make homes permanently affordable for a range of incomes – https://theconversation.com/from-seattle-to-atlanta-new-social-housing-programs-seek-to-make-homes-permanently-affordable-for-a-range-of-incomes-255097

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What schools can learn from skate culture

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sander Hölsgens, Assistant Professor, Leiden Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University

    Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

    At a school in Malmö, Sweden, skateboarding is on the curriculum. John Dahlquist, vice principal of Bryggeriets High School, teaches skate classes and brings lessons from skateboarding into other subjects. By encouraging teenagers to have fun together through skating and beyond, he notices that they want to attend school. Writing in a recent book I co-edited on skateboarding and teaching, Dahlquist notes that he even sees students longing to be back in the classroom after the weekend.

    Skateboarding is creative, requiring ingenuity in adapting to new environments. It’s collaborative and social: skaters cheer each other on when they try to learn something new, acknowledging that everyone operates at a different level and faces a distinct challenge.

    When skateboarding is done well, individual growth takes place among a community of care and mutual support. And it requires a willingness to fail. There’s no way to master a trick without trying and failing, over and over again.

    My colleagues and I have researched the value of a skateboarding philosophy in schools, and how teachers can bring it into their classrooms.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Take Dahlquist’s teaching in Malmö. He notes that interweaving skate classes with other subjects has multiple noteworthy effects. The physical activity of skateboarding improves levels of concentration. Some students even say that they’d never been successful in any other learning environment. Elsewhere, they’d be unable to focus on the task at hand.

    What’s more, a skateboarding mindset – being prepared to learn difficult tricks in unfamiliar settings – equipped students with the capacity to master other kinds of new skills.

    Able to fail

    The process of overcoming the anxiety to fail is crucial. Skaters cannot be afraid to fall if they want to learn new tricks. The motivation to learn through repeated efforts helps skaters in other areas of life, too. Skaters at Bryggeriet aren’t worried as much about failing grades, precisely because they see it as an opportunity to learn and move forward.

    As Dahlquist says, “At the end of my classes, I usually have to throw my students out of the classroom. A lot of them beg for three more tries: ‘I’ve got this, just give me three more tries. I promise I will learn.‘”

    This mindset decreases grades as education’s cornerstone and, by extension, enhances students’ mental health. My colleague Esther Sayers, who conducted fieldwork at Bryggeriets, found another effect. Teachers help students to develop the skills to get motivated, to reach a point of feeling inspired – or what skaters call “stoke”.

    Skateboarding fosters a non-competitive learning culture.
    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A

    Bryggeriets High School isn’t the only place where skateboarding is helping teach people how to learn. Reaching beyond its historical status as a self-regulated street culture, skateboarding now plays an important role in building engaged learning communities across the globe. Berlin-based skate organisation Skateistan hosts skate classes, gives young people access to education and offers funds for young and upcoming community leaders.

    Concrete Jungle Foundation co-builds skateparks with young people in Peru, Morocco and Jamaica, in order to exchange knowledge and drive local ownership and apprenticeship. Similarly, the New York-based Harold Hunter Foundation runs skate workshops that also provide mentoring and career guidance.

    Colleagues Arianna Gil and Jessica Forsyth have studied working class black and Latin American skate crews, run by genderdiverse community organisers. They found that skate crews such as Brujas and Gang Corp mobilise skaters according to the “for us, by us” spirit.

    Challenging institutional models of authority, these skate crews develop services based on the hopes and aspirations of their communities – ranging from teach-ins to recreational programmes. This includes a talk on the history and meaning of hoodies, and modules on the power of storytelling and the danger of propaganda. The crux, here, is to learn about stuff you encounter in your daily lives.

    Skaters who experience poverty and oppression create their own ecosystem for learning from one another, from being out of an educational system that is organised in a top-down way. This means creating a grassroots school model where skate crews choose what and how they want to learn. Rather than grades and degrees, education here is structured around the process of learning from your peers – with the idea of passing on this knowledge in the near future.

    The effects of this approach are threefold. First, it centers mentorship and apprenticeship, resulting in intergenerational knowledge exchange. Second, skateboarding’s DIY spirit can help overcome access barriers. By embracing grassroots teaching practices and formats, education can be tailored to the specific needs and desires of a community, rather than following standardised learning objectives.

    Third, rather than focusing on memorising facts or learning for grades, this new ecosystem is structured around problem-based learning. Presented with worldly problems such as human rights violations and hostile architecture, skaters learn not just how to analyse their surroundings, but also how to cope with and engage oppressive societal structures.

    As formal education faces incremental budget cuts and deepened governmental influence, skateboarding shows us new ways to organise our learning spaces. Schools and teachers can engage their students by integrating aspects of a learning culture that decentres evaluations and assessments and celebrates attempts, rather than just successes.

    Sander Hölsgens received a ‘starting grant’ from OCW, The Netherlands. He is affiliated with Pushing Boarders, a platform tracing the social impact of skateboarding worldwide.

    – ref. What schools can learn from skate culture – https://theconversation.com/what-schools-can-learn-from-skate-culture-255239

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What people really want from their GP – it’s simpler than you might think

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Helen Atherton, Professor of Primary Care Research, University of Southampton

    Stephen Barnes/Shutterstock.com

    Booking a GP appointment is a routine task, yet for many people it’s a source of frustration. Long waits, confusing systems and impersonal processes have become all too familiar. While much attention has been paid to how difficult it is to get an appointment, less research has asked a more fundamental question: what do patients actually want from their general practice?

    To answer this, my colleagues and I reviewed 33 studies that were a mixture of study designs, and focused on patients’ expectations and preferences regarding access to their GP in England and Scotland.

    What people wanted was not complicated or cutting edge. People were looking for connection; a friendly receptionist and good communication from the practice about how they could expect to make an appointment. And they wanted a general practice in their own neighbourhood with clean, calm waiting rooms. So far, so simple.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    People wanted booking systems that were simple and user-friendly, without long automated phone menus (“press one for reception”). Preferences varied. Some patients valued the option to book appointments in person at the reception desk, while others preferred the convenience of online booking.

    Regardless of how they booked, patients wanted shorter waiting times or, at least, clear information about when they could expect an appointment or a callback.

    Ideally, general practice would be open on Saturdays and Sundays for those who cannot attend during the week.

    Remote consultations – by phone, video or email – have become more common since the pandemic, and many patients found them helpful. For those with caring responsibilities or mobility issues, they offered a convenient way to access care without needing to leave home.

    However, remote appointments weren’t suitable for everyone. Some patients lacked privacy at work, while others – particularly those with hearing impairments – found telephone consultations difficult or impossible to use.

    What patients consistently wanted was choice, particularly when it came to remote consultations. While in-person appointments were seen as the gold standard, many recognised that telephone or video consultations could be useful in certain situations. Preferences varied widely, which made the ability to choose the type of consultation especially important.

    Patients also wanted choice over who they saw, especially for non-urgent issues or when managing ongoing health conditions.

    In today’s general practice, care is often delivered by a range of professionals, including nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists. While many patients were open to seeing different healthcare professionals, older adults and people from minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to prefer seeing a GP.

    Overall, patients wanted the option to choose a GP over another healthcare professional – or at least be involved in that decision.

    Satisfaction at all-time low

    Unsurprisingly, what patients want from general practice varies, reflecting different lifestyles, needs and circumstances. But what was equally clear is that many people are not able to get what they want from the appointment system.

    According to a recent British Social Attitudes survey, patient satisfaction with general practice is at an all-time low, with just below one in three people reporting that they are very or quite satisfied with GP services.

    Some elements of the UK government’s recently announced ten-year plan for the NHS in England may address some of these concerns, but it remains far from certain. The emphasis on the NHS app as a “doctor in your pocket” does not align with what many patients are asking for: genuine choice over whether they access care online or in person.



    Read more:
    NHS ten-year plan for England: what’s in it and what’s needed to make it work

    Not everyone wants a doctor in their pocket.
    NHS/Shutterstock.com

    The proposal to open neighbourhood health centres on weekends could benefit those who need more flexible access. However, simply increasing the number of appointments misses the point: patients want more than just availability. They want care that is accessible, personalised and responsive to their individual needs.

    The evidence is clear and the solutions simple, yet patient satisfaction remains at an all-time low. The government must stop assuming technology is the answer and start listening to what patients are actually telling them. The cost of ignoring their voices is a healthcare system that serves no one well.

    Helen Atherton receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research and the Research Council of Norway.

    – ref. What people really want from their GP – it’s simpler than you might think – https://theconversation.com/what-people-really-want-from-their-gp-its-simpler-than-you-might-think-260520

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Georgia: how democracy is being eroded fast as government shifts towards Russia

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex

    Georgia was once considered a post-Soviet success story. After years of authoritarian rule, followed by independence which brought near state collapse, corruption and chaos, Georgia appeared to have transitioned to democracy.

    In a period after independence in 1991 and before 2020, elections were regularly held and were deemed mostly free and fair, the media and civil society were vibrant and corruption levels had diminished significantly.

    The “Rose revolution” in 2003 ushered in an era of unprecedented reform and suggested a move towards democracy and a closer relationship with the west. Georgians were full of hope for the country’s future, and prospects of joining the European Union – or at least moving closer to Europe.

    Fast forward two decades and Georgia has fully returned to authoritarianism. Six opposition leaders are in prison or facing charges and now thinktank leaders are being targeted with investigations that could land them in prison. Typically these charges centre around accepting foreign funding or criticising the government.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    In moves in line with other authoritarian regimes around the world, opposition organisations such as thinktanks are being told to produce financial documents in short timeframes, and accused of financial mismanagement and threatened with prosecution if they don’t.

    In May 2024, Georgia passed a Russian-inspired foreign agent law — which would require non-governmental organisations (NGOs) receiving foreign funding to register themselves and face restrictions. Protests erupted each time Georgia’s parliament debated this measure, but eventually the pro-RussianGeorgia Dream party prevailed. More than 90% of NGOs receive funding from abroad, so the new law cripples the efforts of some 26,000 of them.

    Many Georgians were outraged that the passage of the bill may end dreams of one day becoming a European Union candidate country. Regular surveys have found that about 80% of Georgians have aspirations for their country to join the EU.

    Though Georgia faces a host of economic problems, the Georgia Dream party has campaigned on delivering a return to traditional values. Like Russia they have also passed a series of laws in 2024 that target the LGBTQ+ community, such as banning content that features same-sex relationships and stripping same-sex couples of rights, such as adoption.

    Parallels with Russia?

    Georgia Dream also passed legislation making treason a criminal offence, a clear attempt to eliminate political opponents. Any insults of politicians online are also considered a criminal offence.

    Also, in June of this year civil society organisations in Georgia received court orders requiring them to disclose highly sensitive data. Meanwhile, members of the Georgia Dream party were accused of assaulting opposition party leader Giorgi Gakharia suffering a broken nose and a concussion, which they denied.

    In another effort to exercise greater control over the state, since the beginning of this year more than 800 civil servants have been dismissed. Similar to the purges that took place in Turkey — this is not being done in the name of efficiency, but to ensure that the bureaucracy is loyal to wishes of the Georgia Dream government.

    This hasn’t happened overnight, as the laws had already changed several times to weaken legal protections for civil servants.

    During its time in government, the Georgia Dream party has moved the country much closer to Russia, often by portraying the nation as locked in a cultural struggle against the west. Despite this, 69% of Georgians still see Russia as Georgia’s main enemy, up from 35% in 2012.

    Though the Georgia Dream party faces increasing public opposition to its rule, it gained nearly the same amount of votes in the 2024 elections as it did in 2012 – when it was at its peak of popularity. The election result in October 2024 may be partly explained by accusations of fraud and other irregularities.

    How did this happen?

    One of the first big threats to Georgia’s democracy came in August 2008 when Russia invaded the country to offer support for two breakaway regions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia which declared themselves independent from Georgia. The international community did little to censure Russia, giving Russian president Vladimir Putin the confidence to engage in further acts of aggression.

    Russia has maintained troops in South Ossetia, only about 30 miles from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, and continues to play an important role in Georgian politics, undermining democracy.

    Iran
    Infogram

    The next threat came from within. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili was elected prime minister of Georgia in 2012 as the leader of Georgia Dream. despite the fact that he officially stepped down from this position in 2013, he has wielded power behind the scenes and is still widely considered to be the de facto leader of Georgia.

    Though Georgia did not immediately slide towards autocracy under the Georgia Dream party, today there are few remnants of democracy left. The major opposition parties are banned, opposition politicians and journalists are spied on, and protests are repressed by the police.

    Cameras are now installed on the streets of Tbilisi as part of a crackdown on protest and fines for protesting have increased. Elections are no longer considered to be free and fair by the European Union and others as the Georgia Dream party uses its access to the state resources to dole out patronage to its supporters and intimidate voters.

    In just over two decades, Georgia has managed to plunge back to authoritarianism. Once hailed as a beacon of democratic reform, the country is now gripped by a Russian-influenced ruling party that has consolidated power through repression, surveillance and manipulation.

    But while the Georgia Dream party has tried to dismantle the country’s democratic institutions, support for resistance is high. According to a poll in 2025, more than 60% of respondents supported protests against the government and 45% identified as active supporters. And 82% feel Georgia is in crisis, with 78% blaming Georgian Dream.

    It appears that Russia may have succeeded in undermining democracy in Georgia, but not in shaping hearts and minds.

    Natasha Lindstaedt 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. Georgia: how democracy is being eroded fast as government shifts towards Russia – https://theconversation.com/georgia-how-democracy-is-being-eroded-fast-as-government-shifts-towards-russia-260430

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: US backs Nato’s latest pledge of support for Ukraine, but in reality seems to have abandoned its European partners

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    Recent news from Ukraine has generally been bad. Since the end of May, ever larger Russian air strikes have been documented against Ukrainian cities with devastating consequences for civilians, including in the country’s capital, Kyiv.

    Amid small and costly but steady gains along the almost 1,000km long frontline, Russia reportedly took full control of the Ukrainian region of Luhansk, part of which it had already occupied before the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

    And according to Dutch and German intelligence reports, some of Russia’s gains on the battlefield are enabled by the widespread use of chemical weapons.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    It was therefore something of a relief that Nato’s summit in The Hague produced a short joint declaration on June 25 in which Russia was clearly named as a “long-term threat … to Euro-Atlantic security”. Member states restated “their enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine”. While the summit declaration made no mention of future Nato membership for Ukraine, the fact that US president Donald Trump agreed to these two statements was widely seen as a success.

    Yet, within a week of the summit, Washington paused the delivery of critical weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot air defence missiles and long-range precision-strike rockets. The move was ostensibly in response to depleting US stockpiles.

    This despite the Pentagon’s own analysis, which suggested that the shipment – authorised by the former US president Joe Biden last year – posed no risk to US ammunition supplies.

    This was bad news for Ukraine. The halt in supplies weakens Kyiv’s ability to protect its large population centres and critical infrastructure against intensifying Russian airstrikes. It also puts limits on Ukraine’s ability to target Russian supply lines and logistics hubs behind the frontlines that have been enabling ground advances.

    Despite protests from Ukraine and an offer from Germany to buy Patriot missiles from the US for Ukraine, Trump has been in no rush to reverse the decision by the Pentagon.

    Russia is now claiming to have completed its occupation of the province of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
    Institute for the Study of War

    Another phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on July 3, failed to change Trump’s mind, even though he acknowledged his disappointment with the clear lack of willingness by the Kremlin to stop the fighting. What’s more, within hours of the call between the two presidents, Moscow launched the largest drone attack of the war against Kyiv.

    A day later, Trump spoke with Zelensky. And while the call between them was apparently productive, neither side gave any indication that US weapons shipments to Ukraine would resume quickly.

    Trump previously paused arms shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in March, 2025 after his acrimonious encounter with Zelensky in the Oval Office. But the US president reversed course after certain concessions had been agreed – whether that was an agreement by Ukraine to an unconditional ceasefire or a deal on the country’s minerals.

    It is not clear with the current disruption whether Trump is after yet more concessions from Ukraine. The timing is ominous, coming after what had appeared to be a productive Nato summit with a unified stance on Russia’s war of aggression. And it preceded Trump’s call with Putin.

    This could be read as a signal that Trump was still keen to accommodate at least some of the Russian president’s demands in exchange for the necessary concessions from the Kremlin to agree, finally, the ceasefire that Trump had once envisaged he could achieve in 24 hours.

    If this is indeed the case, the fact that Trump continues to misread the Russian position is deeply worrying. The Kremlin has clearly drawn its red lines on what it is after in any peace deal with Ukraine.

    These demands – virtually unchanged since the beginning of the war – include a lifting of sanctions against Russia and no Nato membership for Ukraine, while also insisting that Kyiv must accept limits on its future military forces and recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four regions on the Ukrainian mainland.

    This will not change as a result of US concessions to Russia but only through pressure on Putin. And Trump has so far been unwilling to apply pressure in a concrete and meaningful way beyond the occasional hints to the press or on social media.

    Coalition of the willing

    It is equally clear that Russia’s maximalist demands are unacceptable to Ukraine and its European allies. With little doubt that the US can no longer be relied upon to back the European and Ukrainian position, Kyiv and Europe need to accelerate their own defence efforts.

    A European coalition of the willing to do just that is slowly taking shape. It straddles the once more rigid boundaries of EU and Nato membership and non-membership, involving countries such as Moldova, Norway and the UK.
    and including non-European allies including Canada, Japan and South Korea.

    The European commission’s white paper on European defence is an obvious indication that the threat from Russia and the needs of Ukraine are being taken seriously and, crucially, acted upon. It mobilises some €800 billion (£690 billion) in defence spending and will enable deeper integration of the Ukrainian defence sector with that of the European Union.

    At the national level, key European allies, in particular Germany, have also committed to increased defence spending and stepped up their forward deployment of forces closer to the borders with Russia.

    US equivocation will not mean that Ukraine is now on the brink of losing the war against Russia. Nor will Europe discovering its spine on defence put Kyiv immediately in a position to defeat Moscow’s aggression.

    After decades of relying on the US and neglecting their own defence capabilities, these recent European efforts are a first step in the right direction. They will not turn Europe into a military heavyweight overnight. But they will buy time to do so.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. US backs Nato’s latest pledge of support for Ukraine, but in reality seems to have abandoned its European partners – https://theconversation.com/us-backs-natos-latest-pledge-of-support-for-ukraine-but-in-reality-seems-to-have-abandoned-its-european-partners-260334

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Nature-friendly farming budget swells in UK – but cuts elsewhere make recovery fraught

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nathalie Seddon, Professor of Biodiversity, Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and Department of Biology, University of Oxford

    Skylarks are a red-listed species, which means they are of high conservation concern in the UK. WildlifeWorld/Shutterstock

    Nature in the UK appeared to receive a rare funding boost in the June spending review, with the government setting a spending target of up to £2 billion a year for England’s environmental land management (ELM) scheme by 2028-29.

    By steering public funds toward farmers who restore hedgerows, soils and wetlands, England’s ELM programme is meant to renew landscapes that absorb carbon, support pollinators and keep water clean while helping rural businesses stay viable in a changing climate.

    If delivered in full, the package would elevate the UK’s post-Brexit model of investing public money in shared ecological care (rather than payments based on acreage) to one of the most generously funded in the world.

    Yet, scrutinise the details and a more complicated story emerges.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The review has trimmed the day-to-day budget of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in real terms. Defra now faces the unenviable task of signing and monitoring thousands of new ELM agreements with fewer staff and shrinking data resources. Without the capacity to check whether fields really have become richer in skylarks or streams clearer of fertiliser, large sums could be delayed or misdirected.

    Scale is another challenge. An independent analysis published in 2024 estimated that roughly £6 billion every year across the UK is needed to bring agriculture in line with the Environment Act targets for habitat restoration and net zero commitments.

    Even the full £2 billion promised for England would meet only about half of that evidence-based need. And the “up to” £400 million for trees and peatlands is not new money: it is funding that was first promised in 2024 and the payment schedule has still not been confirmed.

    Money could be paid to farmers for allowing woodlands to regenerate.
    Richard Hepworth, CC BY

    While the review earmarked £4.2 billion for flood and coastal defence, it does not specify how much of that will support nature-based measures such as floodplain restoration, or the creation of saltmarshes or riparian woodlands. The Environment Agency is consulting on a funding model that could embed such solutions, but the Treasury papers are silent on who will pay for that shift.

    Tech spending dwarfs habitat investment

    Contrast this with the sums heading to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

    Roughly £30 billion is earmarked for nuclear fission, fusion research and carbon-capture hubs. These projects are heavy on concrete and steel (materials with a hefty carbon cost) but have no immediate ecological benefit.

    While new low-carbon technologies are crucial, thriving and resilient soils, wetlands and woodlands nourish food systems, safeguard water and hold vast stores of carbon – benefits that deepen and become more cost-effective over time.

    Nature-based solutions can also revitalise local economies. The Office for National Statistics estimates that replacing the benefits flowing from the UK’s forests, rivers and soils – flood buffering, crop pollination, cleaner air, recreation and more – would cost about £1.8 trillion, a figure that only hints at their deeper, immeasurable value.

    Yet the review sets out no plan to safeguard these life-support systems, or to factor their decline into the Treasury’s green book (the rule book used to appraise public investments) or the Bank of England’s stress tests, which check how shocks could ripple through the financial system.

    This is also a matter of fairness and public health. Growing evidence shows that regular contact with nature lowers the risks of heart disease and anxiety, while improving children’s cognitive development. These are benefits with a value that defies any price tag.

    Yet the places with the fewest trees and parks tend to be the same post-industrial towns ministers want to “level up”. The review is silent on biodiversity net gain (the flagship policy meant to channel private finance into local habitats) and on a proposed national nature wealth fund that could blend public and private capital for large-scale restoration.

    Housing money could repeat past mistakes

    One line in the spending review could still shift the balance.

    The chancellor has earmarked £39 billion for building social and affordable housing over the next decade. If every development delivers at least a 10% net gain for biodiversity onsite, and if schemes build in climate-smart design (living roofs, shade-giving street trees, permeable surfaces) with local residents, Britain could pioneer the world’s first large-scale, nature-positive, net-zero housing programme.

    Without those safeguards, “levelling up” risks repeating old mistakes: sealing green space under concrete today and paying tomorrow to retrofit drainage, shade and parks.

    Green space is scarce on this new housing estate near Cardiff, Wales.
    Shutterstock

    That risk is heightened by the government’s planning and infrastructure bill, now before parliament. In an open letter to MPs, economists and ecologists warn that the bill would let developers “pay cash to trash” irreplaceable habitats by swapping onsite protection for a levy, a move they describe as a “licence to kill nature”.

    At the next UN climate summit, Cop30 in Brazil in November 2025, the UK will have to show the world that its domestic spending matches its international rhetoric.

    More than 150 UK researchers made that point in an open letter to the prime minister, urging him to put nature at the centre of the UK’s Cop30 stance. Converting the Treasury’s headline figures into habitat gains and locking robust rules into both the planning bill and the housing drive would give ministers credible proof of progress when they update the UK’s climate and nature pledges on the Cop30 stage.

    The spending review may have nudged farm policy in the right direction and set a new higher water mark for nature-positive agriculture. Yet amid the squeeze on Defra, the recycling rather than expansion of tree and peat budgets and the continued dominance of technology over habitat, nature still comes a distant second to hard infrastructure in the UK growth model.

    There is still time to change course. Guaranteeing Defra’s capacity, publishing a timetable for the tree-and-peat fund, reserving part of the flood budget for community-led nature-based solutions and hardwiring strong biodiversity net gain rules into housing and planning reforms would turn headline promises into projects that enrich daily life while stewarding public money wisely.

    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 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Nathalie Seddon receives funding from UKRI and the Leverhulme Trust and sits on the UK Climate Change Committee. She is also a trustee of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and is a non-executive director of the social venture, Nature-based Insights.

    – ref. Nature-friendly farming budget swells in UK – but cuts elsewhere make recovery fraught – https://theconversation.com/nature-friendly-farming-budget-swells-in-uk-but-cuts-elsewhere-make-recovery-fraught-259091

    MIL OSI –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic at INNOPROM-2025: Technologies of the Future Are Already Here

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On July 7, the INNOPROM-2025 exhibition opened in Yekaterinburg. This is the main industrial exhibition of Russia and one of the key platforms in Eurasia for presenting high-tech solutions, concluding international contracts and exchanging experience between industry leaders. INNOPROM-2025 will cover key industries, including automation, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, materials production, urban technologies and the IT sector.

    More than 1,000 companies from Russia, the Middle East, Europe and Asia will present their products on an exhibition area of 50 thousand square meters. In total, over 47 thousand participants from 60 countries are expected at INNOPROM-2025, including representatives of 11 thousand organizations and companies.

    “I am glad to welcome you to the anniversary XV International Industrial Exhibition INNOPROM! The main theme of INNOPROM-2025 — “Technological Leadership: Industrial Breakthrough” — is fully revealed in the business and exhibition program of the exhibition. And almost every thematic track of the exhibition — be it the development and application of advanced digital and production technologies or effective educational solutions for training a new generation of engineering personnel — corresponds to one or another scientific and technological or practice-oriented educational area of activity of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, — says Rector of SPbPU, Chairman of the SPbB RAS Andrey Rudskoy. — I am convinced that INNOPROM-2025 will become an effective platform for uniting sites for demonstration, interaction, as well as effective business communications with potential customers and investors. The stand of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is open for constructive dialogue and interaction with all interested participants and partners who are ready, like our university, to actively participate in the implementation of the action program to achieve technological leadership in Russia.”

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University presents more than ten advanced developments at the exhibition, which not only demonstrate the level of the engineering school of Russia, but are also ready for implementation in key areas of industry. These are not prototypes “for the future”, but ready-made solutions for the present.

    “Zhuchok” – a transport platform for wheelchairs

    A distinctive feature is that any wheelchair can enter the platform: both electric and mechanical. This allows the platform to be rented on popular tourist routes or beaches, increasing their accessibility for people with disabilities. Equipped with a unique rubber track, which has no analogues in Russia.

    Industrial cartridge – an effective barrier for protecting urban waters

    FOPS filters purify wastewater, turning sewer manholes into eco-stations. The development is entirely Russian and has already been tested in megacities. The solution is scalable and relevant for all urbanized areas. FOPS filters are not thrown away after cleaning, but are included in the composition of nutrient substrates. The new technology closes the ecological cycle, reduces waste and makes agriculture “greener”. The key idea: to use what others throw away.

    Lithium-ion module with smart balancing

    Module for electric vehicles and new generation equipment. Up to 1500 W/kg of power in a compact case. Most of the components are domestically produced, the rest can be replaced in the near future.

    “Nomad” – mobile laser welder

    Mobile laser cladding complex created in the Research Laboratory “LiAT” of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The Nomad is designed to restore and modify the surfaces of large-sized and special products using laser cladding. After transportation, the start-up and adjustment time is up to 30 minutes. The laboratory specialists designed the complex to carry out projects to repair components of domestic and imported gas turbine engines. This technology allows applying layers of material to a substrate or a finished product. Metal powders and wires can be used as raw materials. The main feature of the MK is its compactness and the ability to move to the work site, which is convenient for repairing large-sized products.

    Also on the stand you can see nozzle assemblies after restoration repairs using the laser gas-powder surfacing method, working and nozzle blades, welded joints formed using the laser and hybrid laser-arc welding method, and much more.

    New generation unmanned aerial vehicle “Snegir-2”

    The Snegir electric UAV family is a line of multifunctional unmanned vehicles developed by specialists from the Experimental Design Bureau of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”. In 2023, the Snegir-1 UAV was created on an initiative basis in just five months, and in 2024–2025, the Snegir-1.5 and Snegir-2 modifications with increased take-off weight and flight range were developed on its basis.

    The new generation UAV Snegir-2 presented at the Polytechnic stand has increased stability due to an improved control system, and is also equipped with an innovative modular system of interchangeable components, which allows the device to be quickly adapted to perform various tasks.

    The SPbPU stand showcased developments of the Polymer Composite Materials laboratory of the SPbPU Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering”, including demonstrators of overprinting and induction welding technologies for thermoplastic composite materials, as well as automated laying out of thermoplastic unidirectional prepregs. These solutions were highly praised by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko at the XI International Forum of Technological Development “Technoprom” in 2024.

    Innovative materials and products are presented for the first time: ASM PEEK C140UD toupreg for automated production of highly loaded composite structures, a bracket made of ASM PEEK-C285S-P based on a thermoplastic consolidated plate made of superstructural polyetheretherketone, as well as ASM PEEK-3K filament for 3D printing based on continuous carbon fiber. The production technologies of the materials were developed by engineers of the Polymer Composite Materials laboratory of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” of SPbPU in the interests of JSC Prepreg-SKM (part of Rosatom Composite Technologies), and samples of the materials were manufactured by an enterprise of the composite division of the State Corporation specifically for the INNOPROM-2025 exhibition.

    Oil products in water sensor

    The use of the sensor allows determining the concentration of impurities in real time. Analogues allow determining the presence and concentration of impurities only in samples taken at specified time intervals. When creating the sensor, digital design technologies, additive technologies, development of proprietary image processing algorithms, and microcontroller programming were used.

    “ARCitech” – industrial 3D metal printing

    An open-type installation designed for electric arc growing of large-sized metal products. The technological process allows achieving record high speeds of product production (for aluminum alloys (Al) — 2.2 kg/hour, for Fe — 6 kg/hour).

    “The Cable of Life” is a story that has become a symbol of heroism

    An exhibit from the SPbPU History Museum is an engineering solution that saved Leningrad during the siege. A fragment of a high-voltage cable that was laid along the bottom of Lake Ladoga to provide Leningrad during the siege with electricity from the restored Volkhov Hydroelectric Power Station. It is named by analogy with the “Road of Life”.

    There is also an active business program at the Polytechnic stand. On the first day of the exhibition, negotiations were held with representatives of the Industrial Cluster of the Republic of Tatarstan. They were attended by the Scientific Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov, Chairman of the Board of the Cluster Sergey Mayorov, Member of the Board Aidar Gimadeev, Member of the Board Pavel Loginov, Member of the Board Ilnar Zakirov.

    The Tatarstan Industrial Cluster is an association of enterprises and organizations created to develop industrial production and increase its competitiveness. Founded in 2010, the cluster today includes more than 1,000 enterprises operating in various industries. The goal of the cluster is to develop the republic’s economy through the development of production and increasing the competitiveness of industrial enterprises. The partners discussed promising options for cooperation that can be implemented in joint educational projects. They are aimed at improving production technologies, creating new products and services, and improving the qualifications of personnel.

    Another delegation represented the Moscow Government. The prospects for cooperation and interaction with the Polytechnic were discussed by the Scientific Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov, the Head of the Department for the Development of International Cooperation of the Department of Foreign Economic and International Relations of the City of Moscow Elena Tikhonova and the Head of the Department of International Relations Anastasia Sibileva. The discussion focused on joint events within the framework of the upcoming BRICS municipal forum.

    Ilya Kobykhno, Head of the Laboratory of Polymer Composite Materials of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”, spoke at the session “Thermoplasts – New Materials for Industry”, during which the participants discussed the prospects for the development of the thermoplastic composites market in key areas of industry, as well as the impact of new materials on the competitiveness of the final product.

    The speaker presented advanced developments created for the Rosatom State Corporation and Rostec enterprises, including demonstrators of overprinting and induction welding technologies for thermoplastic composite materials, as well as automated laying of thermoplastic unidirectional prepregs. Let us recall that these solutions were highly praised by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko at the XI International Technological Development Forum Technoprom in 2024.

    Ilya Kobykhno also spoke about the creation of innovative materials and products jointly with Prepreg-SKM JSC (part of Rosatom Composite Technologies) and BI PITRON LLC: ASM REEK C140UD toupreg for automated production of highly loaded structures, a bracket made of ASM REEK-C285S-P based on a thermoplastic consolidated plate made of superstructural polyetheretherketone, as well as ASM REEK-3K filament for 3D printing based on continuous carbon fiber. These exhibits are presented at the SPbPU stand as part of the INNOPROM exhibition program.

    In conclusion of his speech, the speaker emphasized that further development and application of the integrated technology for producing composite structures using the overprinting method for manufacturing products, including aviation equipment, will be carried out within the framework of the key scientific and technological development area of SPbPU “System Digital Engineering”.

    This was the first day of the Polytechnic University at the INNOPROM-2025 exhibition. Follow the work of SPbPU in Yekaterinburg on our website.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Architect’s Day

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Now Russian architects have their own professional holiday, which will be celebrated annually on July 7.

    The decree on including the holiday in the calendar of Russian significant dates was signed by the head of government Mikhail Mishustin in March of this year.

    Previously, Russia celebrated only World Architecture Day, established by the International Union of Architects in 1985 and celebrated on the first Monday of October. Now we have our own holiday, which will become another reason to celebrate the achievements and successes of Russian architects.

    We congratulate all current and future architects on this holiday! We wish you more inspiration, creative power and persistence to implement your projects!

    Read the interview with the head of the Department of Architectural Design, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of SPbGASU, published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta Andrey Surovenkov

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Architect’s Day

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Now Russian architects have their own professional holiday, which will be celebrated annually on July 7.

    The decree on including the holiday in the calendar of Russian significant dates was signed by the head of government Mikhail Mishustin in March of this year.

    Previously, Russia celebrated only World Architecture Day, established by the International Union of Architects in 1985 and celebrated on the first Monday of October. Now we have our own holiday, which will become another reason to celebrate the achievements and successes of Russian architects.

    We congratulate all current and future architects on this holiday! We wish you more inspiration, creative power and persistence to implement your projects!

    Read the interview with the head of the Department of Architectural Design, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of SPbGASU, published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta Andrey Surovenkov

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: iRhythm Technologies Announces Board Member Retirements and New Director Appointments

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iRhythm Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRTC) , a leading digital health care company focused on creating trusted solutions that detect, predict, and prevent disease, today announced the retirement of two long-serving board members, Mark Rubash and Ralph Snyderman, M.D., effective July 7, 2025. Concurrently, Karen McGinnis and Kevin O’Boyle have accepted appointments to the board of directors.

    Mark Rubash has served on the board since 2016, prior to the company’s initial public offering, bringing decades of experience in finance, accounting, and strategy at high-growth technology companies. Ralph Snyderman, M.D., who joined the board in 2017, brought unparalleled clinical expertise and was a driving force in leading iRhythm through complex digital technology challenges early in the company’s trajectory. The leaders decided to leave the board to pursue personal endeavors in their retirement.

    “It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve on the board of iRhythm during a period of tremendous growth and maturation,” said Mr. Rubash. “I’ve seen firsthand how this company continues to pioneer, evolve, and put its values into action. I leave with incredible confidence in management, the board, and the company’s bright future.”

    Dr. Snyderman added, “The eight years I’ve spent on the board of iRhythm have provided some of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. I’m extremely proud of what iRhythm has accomplished for the benefit of millions of patients globally and am excited to watch the company execute its long-range plan and innovate into the future.”

    iRhythm’s newly appointed board members bring deep financial expertise, business acumen, and strategic operational experience from within the medical and biotechnology industry. With their appointment to the board of directors, both Mr. O’Boyle and Ms. McGinnis have also been appointed to serve as members of the Company’s Audit Committee, and Mr. O’Boyle will serve as a member of the Nominating & Governance Committee.

    “We are profoundly grateful to Mark and Ralph for their service, wisdom, and steadfast leadership during the better part of a decade, playing crucial roles in the establishment of iRhythm as a pioneer in ambulatory cardiac monitoring and digital health innovation,” said Abhi Talwalkar, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Their guidance has helped navigate a period of substantial company maturation while also helping to shape iRhythm’s long-term vision. At the same time, we are thrilled to welcome Karen and Kevin, whose extensive experiences, global expertise, and unique insights at global medical companies will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth.”

    About Karen McGinnis

    Karen McGinnis is an accomplished senior executive and board member with over three decades of experience leading complex international companies across biotechnology, consumer electronics, semiconductor, and technology industries. She has demonstrated expertise in driving results for organizations ranging from under $100 million to over $5 billion in annual revenue, with a proven track record in both growth and turnaround situations. Her most recent executive role was Chief Accounting Officer at Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) from 2017 to 2021, where she led global accounting and tax operations for the genomics leader. Previously, she served as CEO, board member, and CFO of Mad Catz Interactive, a manufacturing gaming brand of interactive entertainment and computer products, where she successfully executed a global restructuring plan that reduced annual operating expenses and navigated complex liquidation proceedings across eight countries.

    Throughout her career, Ms. McGinnis has built a reputation as a hands-on leader focused on building quality teams, implementing key processes, and maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethics. Her extensive experience spans strategic planning, acquisitions and integrations, capital raises including IPOs, SEC reporting and compliance, and international operations. McGinnis currently serves on multiple public company boards, including as board member and Audit Committee Chair at Alphatec Holdings (NASDAQ: ATEC) and Absci Corporation (NASDAQ: ABSI), where she previously served as Lead Independent Director.

    Ms. McGinnis holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.

    About Kevin O’Boyle

    Kevin O’Boyle brings over 20 years of executive leadership experience, most notably as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at NuVasive, where he helped grow the company’s market capitalization from $100 million to $2 billion. Under his financial leadership, NuVasive met or exceeded Wall Street expectations for 23 consecutive quarters while achieving an average compound annual growth rate of over 45 percent and expanding Wall Street research coverage from four to 24 analysts. His executive experience also includes CFO and COO roles at Advanced BioHealing, ChromaVision Medical Systems, and Albert Fisher.

    Mr. O’Boyle has served on the boards of directors of multiple public companies over the past decade, notably as Chairman of GenMark Molecular Diagnostics (acquired by Roche) and Audit Committee Chair roles at Wright Medical Group (acquired by Stryker), ZELTIQ (acquired by Allergan), and Nevro (acquired by Globus Medical). He currently serves as Audit Committee Chair at Outset Medical (NASDAQ: OM) and Carlsmed.

    Mr. O’Boyle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rochester Institute of Technology and completed executive management studies at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

    About iRhythm Technologies
    iRhythm is a leading digital health care company that creates trusted solutions that detect, predict, and prevent disease. Combining wearable biosensors and cloud-based data analytics with powerful proprietary algorithms, iRhythm distills data from millions of heartbeats into clinically actionable information. Through a relentless focus on patient care, iRhythm’s vision is to deliver better data, better insights, and better health for all.

    Investor Contact
    Stephanie Zhadkevich
    investors@irhythmtech.com

    Media Contact
    Kassandra Perry
    irhythm@highwirepr.com

    The MIL Network –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese-developed robotic dog reaches speed of 10.3 m/s

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) — A Chinese-developed robot dog managed to reach a speed of 10.3 meters per second during a TV show on Sunday, matching the world’s best sprinters.

    During the race, the four-legged robot nicknamed “Heibao” /”Black Panther”/, weighing 38 kg and standing 0.63 m tall, broke the previous world speed record for such machines, which belonged to Boston Dynamics and their robot WildCat.

    A video broadcast by China Central Television shows Heibao reaching impressive speeds on a treadmill. Recall that Usain Bolt’s world record for the 100m is 9.58 seconds, which translates to a speed of 10.44 m/sec.

    Heibao was first unveiled in January of this year, when it demonstrated an astonishing step rate of 5 steps per second, making it one of the fastest quadrupedal robots in the world.

    The new development was made possible by a collaboration between Zhejiang University’s Innovation Institute, which specializes in humanoid robots, and Hangzhou-based startup Mirror Me.

    The newly upgraded Heibao now outsprints most humans, but still lags behind other recognized land-based sprinters such as cheetahs, ostriches, pronghorns, etc.

    In the future, it could be used for disaster relief and logistics. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • Tesla slides as Musk’s ‘America Party’ sparks investor worries

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Tesla shares fell nearly 7% in premarket trading on Monday after CEO Elon Musk’s plans to launch a new U.S. political party raised investor doubts about his focus on the electric automaker’s future.

    The former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unveiled the ‘America Party’ on Saturday, voicing his displeasure over President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’.

    This further escalates Musk’s feud with Trump even as Tesla posted a second straight drop in quarterly deliveries. Their discord over the tax bill erupted into an all-out social media brawl in early June, with Trump threatening to cut Musk’s government contracts and subsidies.

    “Investors are worried about two things – one is more Trump ire affecting subsidies and the other, more importantly, is a distracted Musk,” said Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets.

    Investors had in May cheered Musk’s decision to scale back political spending and remain Tesla CEO for another five years. He had spent nearly $300 million around Trump’s re-election campaign last year.

    “But now (they) are worried he’s going to (get) sucked back in and take his eye off Tesla,” Wilson said.

    The first signs of investor unease surfaced soon after Musk’s announcement, with investment firm Azoria Partners delaying the listing of a Tesla exchange-traded fund.

    Trump on Sunday called Musk’s plans to form the “America Party” “ridiculous”, saying the Musk ally he once named to lead NASA would have presented a conflict of interest given Musk’s business interests in space.

    TESLA BOARD MOVES

    Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, a Tesla bull, said many investors are feeling a “sense of exhaustion” over Musk’s insistence on immersing himself in politics.

    Azoria Partners CEO James Fishback posted several critical comments on X about Musk’s new party, and called for the Tesla board to clarify Musk’s political ambitions and evaluate if his political involvement is compatible with his obligations to Tesla as CEO.

    The new party undermines the confidence shareholders had that Musk would be focusing more on the company, Fishback said.

    Musk’s latest political move raises questions around Tesla board’s course of action. Its Chair Robyn Denholm in May denied a Wall Street Journal report that said board members were looking to replace the CEO.

    Tesla’s board, which has been criticized for failing to provide oversight of its combative, headline-making CEO, faces a dilemma managing him as he oversees five other companies and his personal political ambitions.

    “This is exactly the kind of thing a board of directors would curtail – removing the CEO if he refused to curtail these kinds of activities,” said Ann Lipton, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School and an expert in business law.

    “The Tesla board has been fairly supine; they have not, at least not in any demonstrable way, taken any action to force Musk to limit his outside ventures, and it’s difficult to imagine they would begin now.”

    Tensions with Trump, struggling sales and an aging vehicle line-up have hurt Tesla’s stock, even as the company bets on growth from autonomous vehicles.

    The stock, which soared to over $488 in December after Trump’s November re-election, has lost 35% since then and closed last week at $315.35.

    Tesla is the worst performing stock among “the Magnificent Seven” group of high-growth U.S. companies this year.

    (Reuters)

     

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Novel Digital Test Provides Revolutionary Tool to Assess Brain Chemistry

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For the first time, a study shows a digital assessment can provide a scientific measure of acetylcholine – a key brain chemical whose decline signals the progression of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The assessment (here) can be self-administered and completed in about three minutes on internet-connected devices — with big implications for cognitive aging and dementia. The assessment was developed by Posit Science, the maker of BrainHQ brain training exercises and assessments, and examined as part of an NIH-funded study in collaboration with researchers at McGill University.

    “Currently, it’s impossible for doctors to monitor this brain chemical despite its importance because it requires expensive imaging equipment and special expertise available at few research centers,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “This breakthrough shows a new path for routine monitoring of brain health by doctors and individuals.”

    The brain’s neuromodulatory system produces brain chemicals that impact mood, learning, attention, responsiveness, and memory. Brain scientists have known for decades that the system (and its subsystems that produce various brain chemicals) operate more sluggishly (downregulate) with aging and various health conditions.

    The assessment focuses on the cholinergic system — a subsystem that produces the brain chemical acetylcholine — sometimes called the “pay attention” chemical, because it is produced when you pay attention. The production of acetylcholine is known to down regulate with normal aging, and even more severely with pre-dementia and with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).

    Cholinergic function is recognized as a key biomarker of overall brain health, regulates the ability of the brain to change (“plasticity”), and is associated with stronger cognitive performance (in sensory processing, attention, learning, memory, and executive function). Poor cholinergic function is linked to the production of plaque and tangles associated with ADRD, as well deficits in other conditions.

    Currently there is no easily accessible way to measure cholinergic function. No standardized blood test to directly measure it exists. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging techniques can be used; however, this method is costly, requires specialized expertise, and exposes participants to radiation, limiting its use in clinical practice.

    “We developed a digital cognitive test to be a sensitive measure of brain health. To validate the test, we approached the researchers at The Neuro at McGill University, because it is one of a small number of places on the planet with the imaging technology to measure acetylcholine directly,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke. “In this study, they measured acetylcholine alongside cognitive performance using our assessment.”

    The imaging study enrolled 92 healthy older adults (average age 72). Each was measured using: a BrainHQ assessment (Double Decision); two other validated neuropsychological assessments; and a PET scan using tracer to evaluate cholinergic neurotransmission.

    The study showed better scores on the Double Decision assessment correlated with higher cholinergic function, indicating that the assessment could estimate cholinergic function without the complexity and risk of doing a PET scan. These results align with prior studies showing a significant relationship between cholinergic function and cognitive performance as measured by clinician-administered tools.

    The assessment was brief, taking an average of 3 minutes to complete, and demonstrated good usability with reasonable descriptive and psychometric properties. It was sensitive to age within the narrow band measured of 65-83 years and was not influenced by demographic factors such as years of education or gender.

    The researchers conclude: “The results support the adoption of this scalable form of biomarker-informed cognitive assessment available to individuals with an internet-connected device.”

    “These researchers also are looking at whether our brain exercises can upregulate acetylcholine, which would have a tremendous impact on cognitive aging and ADRD research,” Dr. Mahncke added. “We look forward to learning more.

    BrainHQ exercises have shown benefits in more than 300 studies. Such benefits include gains in cognition (attention, speed, memory, decision-making), in quality of life (depressive symptoms, confidence and control, health-related quality of life) and in real-world activities (health outcomes, balance, driving, workplace activities). BrainHQ is used by leading health and Medicare Advantage plans, by leading medical centers, clinics, and communities, and by elite athletes, the military, and other organizations focused on peak performance. Consumers can try a BrainHQ exercise for free daily at https://www.brainhq.com.

    This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R44AG039965 and 3R44AG039965-06S1. This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

    The MIL Network –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Are people at the South Pole upside down?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Abigail Bishop, Ph.D. Student in Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    At the South Pole, which way is up? Abigail Bishop

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.

    When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.

    I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.

    I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.

    As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from to . All the craters that I was used to seeing on the top of the Moon from Wisconsin were now on the bottom – because I was looking at the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere.

    How the Moon looks depends on your point of view.
    The Planetary Society, CC BY-SA

    After noticing this difference, I remembered something similar in the night skies of New Zealand, a country near Antarctica where my fellow travelers and I got our big red coats that kept us warm at the South Pole. I had looked for Orion, a constellation that in the Northern Hemisphere is viewed as a hunter holding a bow and drawing an arrow from his quiver. In the night sky of New Zealand, Orion looked like he was doing a handstand.

    Everything in the sky felt upside down and opposite, compared with what I was used to. A person who lives in the Southern Hemisphere might feel the same about visiting the Arctic or the North Pole.

    ‘The Big Blue Marble’ photo, taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17.
    NASA

    An out-of-this-world perspective

    To understand what’s happening, and why things are really different but also feel very much the same, it might be useful to back up a bit from Earth’s surface. Like into outer space. On space missions to the Moon, astronauts could see one side of the Earth’s sphere at once.

    If they had superhero vision, an astronaut would see the people at the South Pole and North Pole standing upside down from each other. And a person at the equator would look like they were sticking straight out the side of the planet. In fact, even though they might be standing on the equator, people in Colombia and Indonesia would also look like they were upside down from each other, because they would be sticking out from opposite sides of the Earth.

    Of course, if you asked each person, they would say, “My feet are on the ground, and the sky is up.”

    That’s because Earth is essentially a really big ball whose gravitational pull on every one of us points to the center of the planet. The direction that Earth pulls us in is what people call “down” all over the planet. Think about holding a baseball between your pointer fingers. From the perspective of your fingertips on the ball’s surface, both are pointing “down.” But from the perspective of a friend nearby, your fingers are pointing in different directions – though always toward the center of the ball.

    These relationships between people on the Earth’s surface are good for a little bit of fun, though. While I was at the South Pole, I pointed my body in the same direction as my friends in Wisconsin – by doing a handstand. But if you look at the picture the other way around, it looks like I’m holding up the entire planet, like Superman.

    This is the right way up: Abigail Bishop does a handstand at the ceremonial South Pole.
    Abigail Bishop

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Abigail Bishop receives funding from National Science Foundation Award 2013134 and has received funding from the Belgian American Education Foundation.

    – ref. Are people at the South Pole upside down? – https://theconversation.com/are-people-at-the-south-pole-upside-down-256754

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Are people at the South Pole upside down?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Abigail Bishop, Ph.D. Student in Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    At the South Pole, which way is up? Abigail Bishop

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.

    When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.

    I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.

    I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.

    As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from to . All the craters that I was used to seeing on the top of the Moon from Wisconsin were now on the bottom – because I was looking at the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere.

    How the Moon looks depends on your point of view.
    The Planetary Society, CC BY-SA

    After noticing this difference, I remembered something similar in the night skies of New Zealand, a country near Antarctica where my fellow travelers and I got our big red coats that kept us warm at the South Pole. I had looked for Orion, a constellation that in the Northern Hemisphere is viewed as a hunter holding a bow and drawing an arrow from his quiver. In the night sky of New Zealand, Orion looked like he was doing a handstand.

    Everything in the sky felt upside down and opposite, compared with what I was used to. A person who lives in the Southern Hemisphere might feel the same about visiting the Arctic or the North Pole.

    ‘The Big Blue Marble’ photo, taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17.
    NASA

    An out-of-this-world perspective

    To understand what’s happening, and why things are really different but also feel very much the same, it might be useful to back up a bit from Earth’s surface. Like into outer space. On space missions to the Moon, astronauts could see one side of the Earth’s sphere at once.

    If they had superhero vision, an astronaut would see the people at the South Pole and North Pole standing upside down from each other. And a person at the equator would look like they were sticking straight out the side of the planet. In fact, even though they might be standing on the equator, people in Colombia and Indonesia would also look like they were upside down from each other, because they would be sticking out from opposite sides of the Earth.

    Of course, if you asked each person, they would say, “My feet are on the ground, and the sky is up.”

    That’s because Earth is essentially a really big ball whose gravitational pull on every one of us points to the center of the planet. The direction that Earth pulls us in is what people call “down” all over the planet. Think about holding a baseball between your pointer fingers. From the perspective of your fingertips on the ball’s surface, both are pointing “down.” But from the perspective of a friend nearby, your fingers are pointing in different directions – though always toward the center of the ball.

    These relationships between people on the Earth’s surface are good for a little bit of fun, though. While I was at the South Pole, I pointed my body in the same direction as my friends in Wisconsin – by doing a handstand. But if you look at the picture the other way around, it looks like I’m holding up the entire planet, like Superman.

    This is the right way up: Abigail Bishop does a handstand at the ceremonial South Pole.
    Abigail Bishop

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Abigail Bishop receives funding from National Science Foundation Award 2013134 and has received funding from the Belgian American Education Foundation.

    – ref. Are people at the South Pole upside down? – https://theconversation.com/are-people-at-the-south-pole-upside-down-256754

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Are people at the South Pole upside down?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Abigail Bishop, Ph.D. Student in Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    At the South Pole, which way is up? Abigail Bishop

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.

    When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.

    I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.

    I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.

    As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from to . All the craters that I was used to seeing on the top of the Moon from Wisconsin were now on the bottom – because I was looking at the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere.

    How the Moon looks depends on your point of view.
    The Planetary Society, CC BY-SA

    After noticing this difference, I remembered something similar in the night skies of New Zealand, a country near Antarctica where my fellow travelers and I got our big red coats that kept us warm at the South Pole. I had looked for Orion, a constellation that in the Northern Hemisphere is viewed as a hunter holding a bow and drawing an arrow from his quiver. In the night sky of New Zealand, Orion looked like he was doing a handstand.

    Everything in the sky felt upside down and opposite, compared with what I was used to. A person who lives in the Southern Hemisphere might feel the same about visiting the Arctic or the North Pole.

    ‘The Big Blue Marble’ photo, taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17.
    NASA

    An out-of-this-world perspective

    To understand what’s happening, and why things are really different but also feel very much the same, it might be useful to back up a bit from Earth’s surface. Like into outer space. On space missions to the Moon, astronauts could see one side of the Earth’s sphere at once.

    If they had superhero vision, an astronaut would see the people at the South Pole and North Pole standing upside down from each other. And a person at the equator would look like they were sticking straight out the side of the planet. In fact, even though they might be standing on the equator, people in Colombia and Indonesia would also look like they were upside down from each other, because they would be sticking out from opposite sides of the Earth.

    Of course, if you asked each person, they would say, “My feet are on the ground, and the sky is up.”

    That’s because Earth is essentially a really big ball whose gravitational pull on every one of us points to the center of the planet. The direction that Earth pulls us in is what people call “down” all over the planet. Think about holding a baseball between your pointer fingers. From the perspective of your fingertips on the ball’s surface, both are pointing “down.” But from the perspective of a friend nearby, your fingers are pointing in different directions – though always toward the center of the ball.

    These relationships between people on the Earth’s surface are good for a little bit of fun, though. While I was at the South Pole, I pointed my body in the same direction as my friends in Wisconsin – by doing a handstand. But if you look at the picture the other way around, it looks like I’m holding up the entire planet, like Superman.

    This is the right way up: Abigail Bishop does a handstand at the ceremonial South Pole.
    Abigail Bishop

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Abigail Bishop receives funding from National Science Foundation Award 2013134 and has received funding from the Belgian American Education Foundation.

    – ref. Are people at the South Pole upside down? – https://theconversation.com/are-people-at-the-south-pole-upside-down-256754

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Are people at the South Pole upside down?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Abigail Bishop, Ph.D. Student in Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    At the South Pole, which way is up? Abigail Bishop

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.

    When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.

    I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.

    I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.

    As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from to . All the craters that I was used to seeing on the top of the Moon from Wisconsin were now on the bottom – because I was looking at the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere.

    How the Moon looks depends on your point of view.
    The Planetary Society, CC BY-SA

    After noticing this difference, I remembered something similar in the night skies of New Zealand, a country near Antarctica where my fellow travelers and I got our big red coats that kept us warm at the South Pole. I had looked for Orion, a constellation that in the Northern Hemisphere is viewed as a hunter holding a bow and drawing an arrow from his quiver. In the night sky of New Zealand, Orion looked like he was doing a handstand.

    Everything in the sky felt upside down and opposite, compared with what I was used to. A person who lives in the Southern Hemisphere might feel the same about visiting the Arctic or the North Pole.

    ‘The Big Blue Marble’ photo, taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17.
    NASA

    An out-of-this-world perspective

    To understand what’s happening, and why things are really different but also feel very much the same, it might be useful to back up a bit from Earth’s surface. Like into outer space. On space missions to the Moon, astronauts could see one side of the Earth’s sphere at once.

    If they had superhero vision, an astronaut would see the people at the South Pole and North Pole standing upside down from each other. And a person at the equator would look like they were sticking straight out the side of the planet. In fact, even though they might be standing on the equator, people in Colombia and Indonesia would also look like they were upside down from each other, because they would be sticking out from opposite sides of the Earth.

    Of course, if you asked each person, they would say, “My feet are on the ground, and the sky is up.”

    That’s because Earth is essentially a really big ball whose gravitational pull on every one of us points to the center of the planet. The direction that Earth pulls us in is what people call “down” all over the planet. Think about holding a baseball between your pointer fingers. From the perspective of your fingertips on the ball’s surface, both are pointing “down.” But from the perspective of a friend nearby, your fingers are pointing in different directions – though always toward the center of the ball.

    These relationships between people on the Earth’s surface are good for a little bit of fun, though. While I was at the South Pole, I pointed my body in the same direction as my friends in Wisconsin – by doing a handstand. But if you look at the picture the other way around, it looks like I’m holding up the entire planet, like Superman.

    This is the right way up: Abigail Bishop does a handstand at the ceremonial South Pole.
    Abigail Bishop

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Abigail Bishop receives funding from National Science Foundation Award 2013134 and has received funding from the Belgian American Education Foundation.

    – ref. Are people at the South Pole upside down? – https://theconversation.com/are-people-at-the-south-pole-upside-down-256754

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Are people at the South Pole upside down?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Abigail Bishop, Ph.D. Student in Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    At the South Pole, which way is up? Abigail Bishop

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.

    When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.

    I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.

    I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.

    As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from to . All the craters that I was used to seeing on the top of the Moon from Wisconsin were now on the bottom – because I was looking at the Moon from the Southern Hemisphere instead of the Northern Hemisphere.

    How the Moon looks depends on your point of view.
    The Planetary Society, CC BY-SA

    After noticing this difference, I remembered something similar in the night skies of New Zealand, a country near Antarctica where my fellow travelers and I got our big red coats that kept us warm at the South Pole. I had looked for Orion, a constellation that in the Northern Hemisphere is viewed as a hunter holding a bow and drawing an arrow from his quiver. In the night sky of New Zealand, Orion looked like he was doing a handstand.

    Everything in the sky felt upside down and opposite, compared with what I was used to. A person who lives in the Southern Hemisphere might feel the same about visiting the Arctic or the North Pole.

    ‘The Big Blue Marble’ photo, taken in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17.
    NASA

    An out-of-this-world perspective

    To understand what’s happening, and why things are really different but also feel very much the same, it might be useful to back up a bit from Earth’s surface. Like into outer space. On space missions to the Moon, astronauts could see one side of the Earth’s sphere at once.

    If they had superhero vision, an astronaut would see the people at the South Pole and North Pole standing upside down from each other. And a person at the equator would look like they were sticking straight out the side of the planet. In fact, even though they might be standing on the equator, people in Colombia and Indonesia would also look like they were upside down from each other, because they would be sticking out from opposite sides of the Earth.

    Of course, if you asked each person, they would say, “My feet are on the ground, and the sky is up.”

    That’s because Earth is essentially a really big ball whose gravitational pull on every one of us points to the center of the planet. The direction that Earth pulls us in is what people call “down” all over the planet. Think about holding a baseball between your pointer fingers. From the perspective of your fingertips on the ball’s surface, both are pointing “down.” But from the perspective of a friend nearby, your fingers are pointing in different directions – though always toward the center of the ball.

    These relationships between people on the Earth’s surface are good for a little bit of fun, though. While I was at the South Pole, I pointed my body in the same direction as my friends in Wisconsin – by doing a handstand. But if you look at the picture the other way around, it looks like I’m holding up the entire planet, like Superman.

    This is the right way up: Abigail Bishop does a handstand at the ceremonial South Pole.
    Abigail Bishop

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Abigail Bishop receives funding from National Science Foundation Award 2013134 and has received funding from the Belgian American Education Foundation.

    – ref. Are people at the South Pole upside down? – https://theconversation.com/are-people-at-the-south-pole-upside-down-256754

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE scientists propose creating a national climate adaptation system

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The site may not display correctly in older browser versions. For optimal site experience, we recommend using a modern browser.

    We use cookies to improve the HSE website and make it more convenient to use. More detailed information about the use of cookies can be foundHere, our rules for processing personal data are –Here. By continuing to use the site, you confirm that you have been informed of the use of cookies by the HSE website and agree with our rules for processing personal data. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.

    ABC ABC ABC A A A A A

    Regular version of the site

    Date

    July 7

    Headings

    The article mentions

    Persons

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Major scientific project of the State University of Management – intermediate results and prospects

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Official website of the State –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On July 7, 2025, a working meeting was held at the State University of Management on a major scientific project dedicated to ensuring food security based on the creation of software and hardware systems and intelligent platform digital solutions.

    Let us recall that research work on assignment from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation is being carried out by our scientists from 2024 to 2026.

    The meeting was attended by representatives of the consortium – teams from the State University of Management, Omsk Agricultural Research Center, Udmurt State University and the Federal Scientific Agricultural Engineering Center VIM. The project implementers discussed the interim results of the first half of 2025 and outlined plans for the coming months.

    The project manager, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Otari Didmanidze, gave a welcoming speech, he noted the strategic importance of the project for our country. “The solutions developed within the project will support the course on reducing losses, increasing efficiency throughout the production cycle, and ensuring sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex of Russia,” the academician noted. Colleagues from the OANC, Udmurt State University and VIM spoke about the implementation of tasks in accordance with the project schedule, as well as about preparations for testing of digital solutions for monitoring and managing the agro-industrial complex developed by the GUU team.

    Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina spoke about the project’s already achieved indicators, as well as about the unique competencies of our university’s team, which includes 7 doctors of science, 11 candidates of science, and more than half of the performers are young scientists. It was also announced that the first international scientific and practical conference on the profile of the scientific topic of the project will be held at the State University of Management with the involvement of co-performers, industrial partners and foreign scientific and educational organizations. The landmark event is expected to take place this fall.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 8, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Prison Governor for the States of Jersey Prison Service07 July 2025 A new Prison Governor has been appointed to lead the States of Jersey Prison Service. Following a detailed selection process, Paul Yates OBE, the current Prison Governor at HMP Nottingham, will take… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    07 July 2025

    A new Prison Governor has been appointed to lead the States of Jersey Prison Service.

    Following a detailed selection process, Paul Yates OBE, the current Prison Governor at HMP Nottingham, will take on the role from 1 September 2025, for a three-year term. 

    The selection process for the Prison Governor role was overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission and involved a familiarisation day for candidates with a tour of HMP La Moye and a stakeholder discussion panel. 

    HMP Nottingham is a men’s Reception and Resettlement prison in the Sherwood area of Nottingham which serves courts in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. 

    Mr Yates began his criminal justice career in 1988, undertaking street-based youth work in Nottingham, joining the Nottinghamshire Probation Area in 1993 as a Relief Hostel Worker. He attended Nottingham Trent University from 1993 to 1996, leaving with a BSc Hons in Social Work and qualifying as a Probation Officer in 1996. 

    Mr Yates continued to work for Nottinghamshire Probation Area as a Probation Officer and Senior Probation Officer, during which time he gained an MSc in Criminology from Loughborough University. He transferred to the Derbyshire Probation Area in 2001 as Senior Probation Officer and latterly was promoted to Assistant Chief Probation Officer in 2003. His portfolio included responsibility for Derby City and South Derbyshire, Courts and Prisons. 

    In 2008, Mr Yates joined HM Prison Service on the Senior Prison Manager Programme, following which he was Deputy Governor at both HMP Sudbury & HMP & YOI Nottingham. In 2013, he was promoted to Governing Governor of HMP North Sea Camp, HMP & YOI Lincoln in 2016 and HMP Nottingham in 2022, where he remains today. 

    He has delivered custodial innovations and improvements at HMP & YOI Lincoln, including The Departure Lounge, Inmates Call Centre, reduced self-harm and violence through new debt strategy, and effective outcomes through close partnership with local charities. HMP Lincoln received its highest ever HMIP inspection score in 2019/2020 under Paul’s leadership. 

    Mr Yates was mentioned in Her Majesty the Queen, Birthday Honours list in 2021 and awarded an Order of the British Empire, OBE, medal for Services to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Services, Reducing Reoffending and Public Protection. He received his OBE in 2022 at Windsor Castle from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Prince William.

    Speaking about his appointment, Mr Yates said: “I am very pleased to take on this role. My priority is to build on the excellent work already in train by the team at HMP La Moye and I am looking forward to serving the States of Jersey, and the people of Jersey. At HMP Nottinghamshire I have pursued a passion for building a rehabilitative culture, reducing re-offending and public protection. 

    “I look forward to building on the work happening at La Moye and combining my skills and experience with that of the senior team at La Moye to ensure the best outcomes for all prisoners.” 

    Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, Minister for Justice and Home Affairs said: “I welcome Paul to the Justice and Home Affairs family in this important senior leadership role and look forward to the skills and experience he has built in his diverse career benefitting the States of Jersey Prison Service. Paul was chosen from a very strong field of external candidates. 

    “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Artur Soliwoda for the excellent role he has played as Acting Governor, leading HMP La Moye and the States of Jersey Prison Service.”​​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Diplomats sharing global business expertise with British firms

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Diplomats sharing global business expertise with British firms

    Foreign Secretary dispatches top diplomats to all parts of the UK to boost regional ties and deliver economic growth under the Government’s Plan for Change.

    British diplomats are visiting every corner of the UK this summer to build connections with British businesses and champion their interests overseas.

    Ambassadors and High Commissioners are posted for long stints in other countries, and part of their brief is to get under the skin of the place where they are based. That includes getting to know the ins and outs of the business landscape, and spotting opportunities for British businesses.

    As part of a first-of-its-kind ‘domestic roadshow’, the Foreign Secretary has called some of the country’s top diplomats home to build relationships with mayors and regional businesses across all nations and regions of the UK so that they can represent them even better abroad.

    Over 10 visits have taken place so far, with more planned throughout the summer and into the autumn. The goal of the roadshows is to strengthen ties between British regions and the UK’s closest economic partners, to drive economic growth and deliver part of this Government’s Plan for Change. 

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

    Our Ambassadors and High Commissioners are the salesforce for the UK economy.

    Through this roadshow, my top diplomats are meeting mayors and regional businesses to discuss trade and investment opportunities and strike new partnerships, ultimately so they can champion the UK’s interests overseas and deliver growth.

    In this Government’s Plan for Change, the economic interests of British businesses sit at the heart of our foreign policy.

    The roadshow follows the launch of the Government’s landmark Modern Industrial Strategy, with each roadshow stop designed to target one of the eight growth sectors, including defence, clean energy, life sciences, digital tech, advanced manufacturing, and financial services.

    The senior diplomats, who include ambassadors to Italy, Spain, and South Korea, have been told to harness the expertise of regional entrepreneurs to unlock growth opportunities overseas.

    The UK’s Ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn was in South Yorkshire last Friday (4 July) where he visited steel manufacturer Marcegaglia, which announced a £50 million investment in Sheffield during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Italy last autumn. This investment will build a new clean steel electric arc furnace, supporting 50 new jobs directly and indirectly.

    Ambassador Llewellyn also toured the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham – visiting Italian steel manufacturer Danieli and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which is part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult network of research centres. 

    Ambassador to Italy Ed Llewellyn said:

    It’s exciting to be in South Yorkshire as part of this first-of-its-kind roadshow – going the extra mile to develop relationships that will help us supercharge growth to every corner of the UK.

    Sheffield has had a close affinity with Italy since the 19th century, when many Italian workers arrived in West Bar and played a vital role in the city’s economy.

    We’re hitting the road to speak directly to community leaders and businesses, so that not a single opportunity is missed to generate trade and investment wins overseas. 

    The UK Government’s Plan for Change is making Britain the best country to do business with, and I am looking forward to building on today’s roadshow discussions to showcase South Yorkshire on the international stage.

    South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:

    My job is growth – building not just a bigger economy, but a better one. But that kind of transformation doesn’t happen by accident. If we’re serious about creating an economy where everyone can stay near and go far, then we need to take our message to the world.

    That’s why having Ambassador Llewellyn right here in South Yorkshire is so vital. South Yorkshire is already home to world-leading companies and cutting-edge research, and we’re determined to grow our international footprint.

    By working directly with the UK’s diplomatic network, we can open new doors for local businesses, attract investment and build the partnerships that will power our economy for the future.

    Meanwhile Ambassador to Spain Alex Ellis was in Greater Manchester to attend a Business Roundtable with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and locally based businesses before meeting with the Leader of Manchester City Council, Councillor Bev Craig.

    Ambassador Ellis visited the University of Manchester for a meeting with Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean for the Faculty of Humanities.

    On 30 June, Ambassador to Belgium Anne Sherriff visited South Wales for a meeting with the Welsh Government’s Director for International Relations. She also visited CSA Catapult, a not-for-profit research and technology organisation based in Newport which supports start-ups, SMEs, large organisations, and academia to commercialise compound semiconductor technologies.

    The first roadshow kicked off on Wednesday 25 June, as Ambassador to South Korea, Colin Crooks, headed to the North East of England. The ambassador visited firms linked to clean energy with a tour of the Tees Works freeport and met with the UK CEO of SeAH Wind, a South Korean company constructing a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Teesside.

    The roadshow comes as the Government marks one year in office. It is part of a wider effort by the FCDO, under the Foreign Secretary’s leadership, to represent the interests of British businesses and consumers overseas and use its international networks to support in the delivery of the Plan for Change and a decade of national renewal.

    In a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce in March, the Foreign Secretary laid out a ‘new partnership’ between the Foreign Office and businesses to drive economic growth in the UK and ensure this Government is delivering for the British public.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

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    Published 7 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Scientists warn of urgent need to tackle changes impacting river deltas – UEA

    Source: University of East Anglia (UEA)

    New research identifies the key causes of changes affecting river deltas around the world and warns of an urgent need to tackle them through climate adaptation and policy.

    Deltas are low-lying areas that form as rivers and empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river.

    Some of the largest in the world, such as the Rhine, Mekong, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, and Nile, are threatened by climate change, facing rising sea levels and increasing frequency of extreme events.

    With approximately 500 million people today living within or adjacent to delta systems, this is a major issue.

    To address this, a team of international scientists has developed a new framework that identifies the 10 main drivers of change in deltas globally. These are: climate change, sea level rise, deforestation, intense agriculture, urbanisation, impoundments, land subsidence, ground water extraction, flood defences, and resources mining.

    Most local, human-induced causes show measurable impacts within years and the framework provides a clear basis for prioritising timely, locally grounded action with a deeper understanding of the systems that shape these complex and dynamic environments.

    Publishing their findings today in Nature Climate Change, the team includes scientists from the Universities of East Anglia (UEA), Southampton and Oxford in the UK, and Deltares, TU Delft, Wageningen University and Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

    “Deltas are the most complex coastal systems in the world and recognising these multiple drivers and how they operate in each delta is fundamental to finding solutions,” said co-author Prof Robert Nicholls, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA and the University of Southampton.

    Effective adaptation requires more than isolated measures, that often overlook an important step in deeper assessments of the system as a whole.

    The diagnostic framework links these drivers of change with their direct and indirect impacts across scales in time and space (divided in centuries, decades or temporal scales). It is intended to support policymakers, technocrats, engineers, and stakeholders in developing locally grounded adaptation strategies that are both realistic and resilient.

    It aims to help identify and understand the interconnectivities within the biophysical system, from source to sink, and how these link with local/regional/transboundary socio-economic structures.

    While climate change threatens the world’s deltas, anthropogenic drivers – largely reflected in sediment starvation and resource extraction, profound land-use change and hydrological regime shifts – can outpace climate change in the short to medium term.

    Nearly all local anthropogenic drivers result in measurable impacts within years or decades, emphasising the significance and relevance of local and regional causes for effective and timely climate adaptation and policy development.

    “If we want to give deltas a real chance at long-term climate resilience, we need collective comprehension of the human footprint and the underlying drivers of change,” said Dr Sepehr Eslami, lead author and coastal expert at Deltares.

    “By promoting system-level thinking, this framework encourages more critical and collaborative approaches to adaptation. It helps identify the solutions with the highest chance of being implemented successfully, especially when embedded in a longer-term vision.”

    The diagnostic framework can also foster constructive dialogue among stakeholders and ensure that adaptation efforts are both science-based and socially relevant.

    “Decision making in delta systems is extremely difficult due to all the complex interactions between different processes,” added Dr Amelie Paszkowski from the University of Oxford.

    “But this framework helps to disentangle these dynamics and diagnose the challenges in a delta, which is a fundamental first step in defining adaptation solutions that tackle the root causes of the impacts felt.”

    The research was inspired by the work of the Rise and Fall Project, a collaboration between Deltares and the Utrecht University, and also involved researchers from the University of Cologne and University of Padova.

    Over a period of nearly three years, the team combined decades of knowledge on vulnerabilities in deltas and adaptation efforts to develop a framework that can facilitate diagnosing the key processes and interactions shaping a delta system. The goal: to offer a holistic foundation for planning effective, context-sensitive adaptation strategies.

    ‘A systems perspective for climate adaptation in deltas’ is published in Nature Climate Change on July 7.

    Notes

    • The paper DOI is: 10.1038/s41558-025-02368-0.
    • Once published online, the paper will be available at the following URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02368-0
    • The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 25 university (Complete University Guide and HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey). It also ranks in the UK Top 20 for research quality (Times Higher Education REF2021 Analysis) and the UK Top 10 for impact on Sustainable Development Goals. Known for its world-leading research and good student experience, its 360-acre campus has won seven Green Flag awards in a row for its high environmental standards. The University is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. www.uea.ac.uk  

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Scientists warn of urgent need to tackle changes impacting river deltas – UEA

    Source: University of East Anglia (UEA)

    New research identifies the key causes of changes affecting river deltas around the world and warns of an urgent need to tackle them through climate adaptation and policy.

    Deltas are low-lying areas that form as rivers and empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river.

    Some of the largest in the world, such as the Rhine, Mekong, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, and Nile, are threatened by climate change, facing rising sea levels and increasing frequency of extreme events.

    With approximately 500 million people today living within or adjacent to delta systems, this is a major issue.

    To address this, a team of international scientists has developed a new framework that identifies the 10 main drivers of change in deltas globally. These are: climate change, sea level rise, deforestation, intense agriculture, urbanisation, impoundments, land subsidence, ground water extraction, flood defences, and resources mining.

    Most local, human-induced causes show measurable impacts within years and the framework provides a clear basis for prioritising timely, locally grounded action with a deeper understanding of the systems that shape these complex and dynamic environments.

    Publishing their findings today in Nature Climate Change, the team includes scientists from the Universities of East Anglia (UEA), Southampton and Oxford in the UK, and Deltares, TU Delft, Wageningen University and Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

    “Deltas are the most complex coastal systems in the world and recognising these multiple drivers and how they operate in each delta is fundamental to finding solutions,” said co-author Prof Robert Nicholls, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA and the University of Southampton.

    Effective adaptation requires more than isolated measures, that often overlook an important step in deeper assessments of the system as a whole.

    The diagnostic framework links these drivers of change with their direct and indirect impacts across scales in time and space (divided in centuries, decades or temporal scales). It is intended to support policymakers, technocrats, engineers, and stakeholders in developing locally grounded adaptation strategies that are both realistic and resilient.

    It aims to help identify and understand the interconnectivities within the biophysical system, from source to sink, and how these link with local/regional/transboundary socio-economic structures.

    While climate change threatens the world’s deltas, anthropogenic drivers – largely reflected in sediment starvation and resource extraction, profound land-use change and hydrological regime shifts – can outpace climate change in the short to medium term.

    Nearly all local anthropogenic drivers result in measurable impacts within years or decades, emphasising the significance and relevance of local and regional causes for effective and timely climate adaptation and policy development.

    “If we want to give deltas a real chance at long-term climate resilience, we need collective comprehension of the human footprint and the underlying drivers of change,” said Dr Sepehr Eslami, lead author and coastal expert at Deltares.

    “By promoting system-level thinking, this framework encourages more critical and collaborative approaches to adaptation. It helps identify the solutions with the highest chance of being implemented successfully, especially when embedded in a longer-term vision.”

    The diagnostic framework can also foster constructive dialogue among stakeholders and ensure that adaptation efforts are both science-based and socially relevant.

    “Decision making in delta systems is extremely difficult due to all the complex interactions between different processes,” added Dr Amelie Paszkowski from the University of Oxford.

    “But this framework helps to disentangle these dynamics and diagnose the challenges in a delta, which is a fundamental first step in defining adaptation solutions that tackle the root causes of the impacts felt.”

    The research was inspired by the work of the Rise and Fall Project, a collaboration between Deltares and the Utrecht University, and also involved researchers from the University of Cologne and University of Padova.

    Over a period of nearly three years, the team combined decades of knowledge on vulnerabilities in deltas and adaptation efforts to develop a framework that can facilitate diagnosing the key processes and interactions shaping a delta system. The goal: to offer a holistic foundation for planning effective, context-sensitive adaptation strategies.

    ‘A systems perspective for climate adaptation in deltas’ is published in Nature Climate Change on July 7.

    Notes

    • The paper DOI is: 10.1038/s41558-025-02368-0.
    • Once published online, the paper will be available at the following URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02368-0
    • The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 25 university (Complete University Guide and HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey). It also ranks in the UK Top 20 for research quality (Times Higher Education REF2021 Analysis) and the UK Top 10 for impact on Sustainable Development Goals. Known for its world-leading research and good student experience, its 360-acre campus has won seven Green Flag awards in a row for its high environmental standards. The University is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. www.uea.ac.uk  

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Leap Second: How the Chinese Dam Affects the Planet’s Rotation Speed

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The site may not display correctly in older browser versions. For optimal site experience, we recommend using a modern browser.

    We use cookies to improve the HSE website and make it more convenient to use. More detailed information about the use of cookies can be foundHere, our rules for processing personal data are –Here. By continuing to use the site, you confirm that you have been informed of the use of cookies by the HSE website and agree with our rules for processing personal data. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.

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    July 7

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    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Scope of health voucher to expand

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today that the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme will be extended to Foshan with two new service points, and expanded with an additional service point in Zhongshan and another one in Guangzhou.

     

    Starting July 9, Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Zhongshan and Guangdong Clifford Hospital in Guangzhou will be covered by the pilot scheme.

     

    From July 17, the First People’s Hospital of Foshan and the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, both in Foshan, will also be included in the scheme.

     

    Eligible Hong Kong senior citizens may use Elderly Health Care Vouchers (EHCVs) to pay for the outpatient healthcare services fee at designated departments. The service fees are denominated in renminbi.

     

    The Hong Kong SAR Government said the pilot scheme will be launched at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital for the first time, providing elderly people with additional choices in healthcare services.

     

    With the four additional service points, the number of service points in the Greater Bay Area where EHCVs can be used will increase to 15, benefitting more than 1.78 million eligible Hong Kong elderly people.

     

    EHCVs are applicable for outpatient healthcare services provided by 12 departments at Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 13 departments at Guangdong Clifford Hospital, 14 departments at the First People’s Hospital of Foshan, and 15 departments at the Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University.

     

    Users should register with eHealth before using EHCVs at GBA service points, the Hong Kong SAR Government added.

     

    Separately, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it is actively taking forward the implementation of the pilot scheme in six other medical institutions. It is expected that the arrangements will be launched gradually in the second half of this year.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cape Town’s sewage treatment isn’t coping: scientists are worried about what the city is telling the public

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Lesley Green, Professor of Earth Politics and Director: Environmental Humanities South, University of Cape Town

    Urban water bodies – rivers, lakes and oceans – are in trouble globally. Large sewage volumes damage the open environment, and new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds don’t break down on their own. When they are released into the open environment, they build up in living tissues all along the food chain, bringing with them multiple health risks.

    The city of Cape Town, South Africa, is no exception. It has 300km of coastline along two bays and a peninsula, as well as multiple rivers and wetlands. The city discharges more than 40 megalitres of raw sewage directly into the Atlantic Ocean every day. In addition, large volumes of poorly treated sewage and runoff from shack settlements enter rivers and from there into both the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.

    Over almost a decade, our multi-disciplinary team, and others, have studied contamination risks in Cape Town’s oceans, rivers, aquifers and lakes. Our goal has been to bring evidence of contaminants to the attention of officials responsible for a clean environment.

    Monitoring sewage levels in the city’s water bodies is essential because of the health risks posed by contaminated water to all citizens – farmers, surfers, and everybody eating fish and vegetables. Monitoring needs to be done scientifically and in a way that produces data that is trustworthy and not driven by vested interests. This is a challenge in cities where scientific findings are expected to support marketing of tourism or excellence of the political administration.

    Our research findings have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. We have also communicated with the public through articles in the media, a website and a documentary.

    Cape Town’s official municipal responses to independent studies and reports, however, have been hostile. Our work has been unjustifiably denounced by top city officials and politicians. We have been subject to attacks by fake social media avatars. Laboratory studies have even received a demand for an apology from the political party in charge of the city.

    These extraordinary responses – and many others – reflect the extent to which independent scientific inquiry has been under attack.

    We set about tracking the different kinds of denial and attacks on independent contaminant science in Cape Town over 11 years. Our recently published study describes 18 different types of science communication that have minimised or denied the problem of contamination. It builds on similar studies elsewhere.

    Our findings show the extent to which contaminant science in Cape Town is at risk of producing not public knowledge but public ignorance, reflecting similar patterns internationally where science communication sometimes obfuscates more than it informs. To address this risk, we argue that institutionalised conflicts of interest should be removed. There should also be changes to how city-funded testing is done and when data is released to citizens. After all, it is citizens’ rates and taxes that have paid for that testing, and the South African constitution guarantees the right to information.

    We also propose that the city’s political leaders take the courageous step of accepting that the current water treatment infrastructure is unworkable for a city of over 5 million people. Accepting this would open the door to an overhaul of the city’s approach to wastewater treatment.

    The way forward

    We divided our study of contaminant communication events into four sub-categories:

    • non-disclosure of data

    • misinformation that gives a partial or misleading account of a scientific finding

    • using city-funded science to bolster political authority

    • relying on point data collected fortnightly to prove “the truth” of bodies of water as if it never moves or changes, when in reality, water bodies move every second of every day.

    We found evidence of multiple instances of miscommunication. On the basis of these, we make specific recommendations.

    First: municipalities should address conflicts of interest that are built into their organisational structure. These arise when the people responsible for ensuring that water bodies are healthy are simultaneously contracting consultants to conduct research on water contaminants. This is particularly important because over the last two decades large consultancies have established themselves as providers of scientific certification. But they are profit-making ventures, which calls into question the independence of their findings.

    Second: the issue of data release needs to be addressed. Two particular problems stand out:

    • Real-time information. Water quality results for beaches are usually released a week or more after samples have been taken. But because water moves all the time every day, people living in the city need real-time information. Best-practice water contamination measures use water current models to predict where contaminated water will be, given each day’s different winds and temperatures.

    • Poor and incomplete data. When ocean contaminant data is released as a 12-month rolling average, all the very high values are smoothed out. The end result is a figure that does not communicate the reality of risks under different conditions.

    Third: Politicians should be accountable for their public statements on science. Independent and authoritative scientific bodies, such as the Academy of Science of South Africa, should be empowered to audit municipal science communications.

    Fourth: Reputational harm to the science community must stop. Government officials claiming that they alone know a scientific truth and denouncing independent scientists with other data closes down the culture of scientific inquiry. And it silences others.

    Fifth: The integrity of scientific findings needs to be protected. Many cities, including Cape Town, rely on corporate brand management and political reputation management. Nevertheless, cities, by their very nature, have to deal with sewage, wastes and runoff. Public science communication that is based on marketing strategies prioritises advancing a brand (whether of a political party or a tourist destination). The risk is that city-funded science is turned into advertising and is presented as unquestionable.

    Finally, Cape Town needs political leaders who are courageous enough to confront two evident realities. Current science communications in the city are not serving the public well, and wastewater treatment systems that use rivers and oceans as open sewers are a solution designed a century ago. Both urgently need to be reconfigured.

    Next steps

    As a team of independent contaminant researchers we have worked alongside communities where health, ecology, livestock and recreation have been profoundly harmed by ongoing contamination. We have documented these effects, only to hear the evidence denied by officials.

    We recognise and value the beginnings of some new steps to data transparency in Cape Town’s mayoral office, like rescinding the 2021 by-law that banned independent scientific testing of open water bodies, almost all of which are classified as nature reserves.

    We would welcome a dialogue on building strong and credible public science communications.

    This study is dedicated to the memory of Mpharu Hloyi, head of Scientific Services in the City of Cape Town, in acknowledgement of her dedication to the health of urban bodies of water. Her untimely passing was a loss for all.

    This article also drew on Masters theses written by Melissa Zackon and Amy Beukes.

    – Cape Town’s sewage treatment isn’t coping: scientists are worried about what the city is telling the public
    – https://theconversation.com/cape-towns-sewage-treatment-isnt-coping-scientists-are-worried-about-what-the-city-is-telling-the-public-260317

    MIL OSI Africa –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Robotic joint surgery introduced at N. I. Pirogov Clinic of St. Petersburg State University | Saint Petersburg State University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    News and Events News

    July 7, 2025 News

    Doctors at the N. I. Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St. Petersburg State University have made a breakthrough in orthopedics. For the first time in St. Petersburg, robotic surgery has appeared using the MAKO SmartRobotics system — an advanced platform for knee and hip joint replacement. Now patients can have total and partial endoprosthetics with pinpoint precision, unachievable by traditional methods.

    © Clinic of High Medical Technologies named after N. I. Pirogov, St. Petersburg State University

    N. I. Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies is part of the St. Petersburg University and regularly occupies a leading position among the best medical institutions both in Russia and abroad. Over the past year, specialists at the university clinic have performed more than 35,000 successful operations.

    New Bachelor’s Degree Program “Physical Rehabilitation” at St. Petersburg State University will prepare rehabilitation specialists for the high-tech branch of medicine.

    The day before the operation, the surgeon plans the installation of the implant down to the smallest detail, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient’s anatomy, based on 3D modeling data. Preoperative planning based on CT data is carried out using the MAKO digital ecosystem, which includes intraoperative navigation that visualizes the anatomy in real time, as well as a robotic arm.

    “This level of preoperative preparation and intraoperative control radically changes the standards of accuracy and predictability of results. During the intervention, the robot, like the hand of an experienced sculptor, limits the area of influence of the instruments and ensures maximum precision of resections with zero possibility of error,” the traumatologist-orthopedist emphasized. Clinics named after N. I. Pirogov of St. Petersburg State University Vadim Klimenko, who performed the first operation.

    MAKO SmartRobotics is the only robotic system in Russia officially registered for total hip replacement, as well as total and partial knee replacement.

    Unlike surgical navigation systems, which are visualization aids, MAKO has the ability to physically control the movement of instruments. Clinical studies demonstrate significant benefits of robotic surgery: a reduction in revision rates of up to 53%, improved soft tissue balance, shorter hospital stays, reduced need for analgesics, and faster rehabilitation.

    Subscribe to our channel inTelegram and to the official public VKontakteto keep up to date with the University’s activities.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Psychologist from St. Petersburg State University in the podcast “Heinrich Terahertz”: “Digital addiction – a new reality or a threat to thinking?” | St. Petersburg State University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Smartphones and social media create the illusion of productivity, but in reality they drain the psyche. Constant notifications, endless scrolling, and the fear of missing out lead to chronic anxiety and a decrease in intellectual abilities. Children, whose cognitive functions are formed in conditions of hyperconnectivity, are especially vulnerable – their thinking may never reach full maturity.

    Olga Shcherbakova explained why banning gadgets in schools (as in China, Australia and the EU) improves academic performance and socialization. Modern children, who are called “digital natives”, lose their deep thinking skills because their brains get used to working in conjunction with external devices. Even educational content is not always useful – it is important to be able to distinguish educational materials from “digital fast food”. A separate problem is “cognitive reserve”: if thinking is not trained in youth, this can lead to early cognitive impairments in the future.

    The world is not divided into those who are “dependent” and those who “control.” Most people simply do not realize how much their psyche has already merged with gadgets.

    Leading researcher of the Faculty of Psychology of St. Petersburg State University Olga Shcherbakova

    There is a way out: consciously limiting screen time, returning to analog forms of learning, and creating an environment where the brain is forced to work independently. But this requires efforts not only at the family level, but also at the level of the entire education system.

    She explained how to regain your attention and help children avoid digital degradation, and whether it is worth waiting for government regulation or starting with yourself. And why even adults who consider themselves “confident users” are actually susceptible to digital addiction.

    Listen to the podcast

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 7, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Aaisha Ali: From Marine Biology to the Artemis Control Room 

    Source: NASA

    As humanity prepares to return to the lunar surface, Aaisha Ali is behind the scenes ensuring mission readiness for astronauts set to orbit the Moon during Artemis II. 
    Ali is the Artemis ground control flight lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She makes sure her team has the resources needed for the next giant leap to the Moon and beyond. 

    Aaisha Ali
    Artemis Ground Control Flight Lead

    Ali received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston before beginning a career as a marine biologist. Her curiosity about science and communication eventually led her from studying marine life to sharing NASA’s mission with the public. With a robust skill set that includes public relations, media relations, and strategic communications, she went on to work at Space Center Houston and later at Johnson on the protocol and digital imagery teams.
    Today, Ali leads the ground control team supporting Artemis II, ensuring that systems, simulations, and procedures are ready for the mission. Her role includes developing flight rules, finalizing operations plans and leading training sessions – known as “network sims” – that prepare her team to respond quickly and effectively. 
    “Because I’ve had a multifaceted career path, it has given me a different outlook,” she said. “Diversity of mindsets helps us approach problems. Sometimes a different angle is exactly what we need.” 

    Her perspective was also shaped by visits to her grandmother in the Caribbean as a child. “She lived in the tropical forest in a small village in Trinidad,” Ali said. “I was fortunate enough to spend summers on the island and experience a different way of life, which has helped me grow into the person I am today.”  
    Communication, she explained, is just as critical as technical expertise. “When we report to the flight director, we are the experts in our system. But we have to be clear and concise. You don’t get a lot of time on the flight loop to explain.” 
    That clarity, humility, and sense of teamwork are values Ali says have shaped her journey. 

    Aaisha ali
    Artemis Ground Control Flight Lead

    Looking ahead, Ali is especially passionate about inspiring the Artemis Generation — those who will one day explore the Moon and Mars. She often shares advice with her nieces and nephews, including one determined nephew who has dreamed of becoming an astronaut since age 7. 
    “Do what you love, and NASA will find a place for you,” she said. “NASA is a big place. If you love the law, we have lawyers. If you love art, science, or technology, there’s a place for you. Passion is what we’re looking for.” 

    In her free time, Ali enjoys photography and connecting with nature by camping and visiting national parks. She also loves planning trips to Walt Disney World, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, and learning new things. 
    Even as her days are packed with simulations and mission prep, Ali knows landing astronauts on the lunar surface for Artemis III is not far behind. 
    “There’s a lot of uphill left to climb,” she said. “But we’re ready.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 7, 2025
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Twenty Twenty-Five

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