Category Archives: Progress

Last fall, a team of five senior undergraduate nuclear engineering students met once a week for dinners where they took turns cooking and debated how to tackle a particularly daunting challenge set forth in their programs capstone course, 22.033 (Nuclear Systems Design Project).

In past semesters, students had free reign to identify any real-world problem that interested them to solve through team-driven prototyping and design. This past fall worked a little differently. The team continued the trend of tackling daunting problems, but instead got an assignment to explore a particular design challenge on MITs campus. Rising to the challenge, the team spent the semester seeking a feasible way to introduce a highly coveted technology at MIT.

Housed inside a big blue dome is the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL). The reactor is used to conduct a wide range of science experiments, but in recent years, there have been multiple attempts to implement an instrument at the reactor that could probe the structure of materials, molecules, and devices. With this technology, researchers could model the structure of a wide range of materials and complex liquids made of polymers or containing nanoscale inhomogeneities that differ from the larger mass. On campus, researchers for the first time could conduct experiments to better understand the properties and functions of anything placed in front of a neutron beam emanating from the reactor core.

The impact of this would be immense. If the reactor could be adapted to conduct this advanced technique, known as small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), it would open up a whole new world of research at MIT.

It's essentially using the nuclear reactor as an incredibly high-performance camera that researchers from all over MIT would be very interested in using, including nuclear science and engineering, chemical engineering, biological engineering, and materials science, who currently use this tool at other institutions, says Zachary Hartwig, Nuclear Systems Design Project professor and the MIT Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor.

SANS instruments have been installed at fewer than 20 facilities worldwide, and MIT researchers have previously considered implementing the capability at the reactor to help MIT expand community-wide access to SANS. Last fall, this mission went from long-time campus dream to potential reality as it became the design challenge that Hartwigs students confronted. Despite having no experience with SANS, the team embraced the challenge, taking the first steps to figure out how to bring this technology to campus.

I really loved the idea that what we were doing could have a very real impact, says Zoe Fisher, Nuclear Systems Design Project team member and now graduate nuclear engineering student.

Each fall, Hartwig uses the course to introduce students to real-world challenges with strict constraints on solutions, and last falls project came with plenty of thorny design questions for students to tackle. First was the size limitation posed by the space available at MITs reactor. In SANS facilities around the world, the average length of the instrument is 30 meters, but at NRL, the space available is approximately 7.5 meters. Second, these instruments can cost up to $30 million, which is far outside NRLs proposed budget of $3 million. That meant not only did students need to design an instrument that would work in a smaller space, but also one that could be built for a tenth of the typical cost.

The challenge was not just implementing one of these instruments, Hartwig says. It was whether the students could significantly innovate beyond the traditional approach to doing SANS to meet the daunting constraints that we have at the MIT Reactor.

Because NRL actually wants to pursue this project, the students had to get creative, and their creative potential was precisely why the idea arose to get them involved, says Jacopo Buongiorno, the director of science and technology at NRL and Tokyo Electric Power Company Professor in Nuclear Engineering. Involvement in real-world projects that answer questions about feasibility and cost of new technology and capabilities is a key element of a successful undergraduate education at MIT, Buongiorno says.

Students say it would have been impossible to tackle the problem without the help of co-instructor Boris Khaykovich, a research scientist at NRL who specializes in neutron instrumentation.

Over the past two decades, Khaykovich has watched as SANS became the most popular technique for analyzing material structure. As the amount of available SANS beam time at the few facilities that exist became more competitive, access declined. Today only the experiments passing the most stringent review get access. What Khaykovich hopes to bring to MIT is improved access to SANS by designing an instrument that will be suitable for a majority of run-of-the-mill experiments, even if its not as powerful as state-of-the-art national SANS facilities. Such an instrument can still serve a wider range of researchers who currently have few opportunities to pursue SANS experiments.

In the U.S., we don't have a simple, small, day-to-day SANS instrument, Khaykovich says.

With Khaykovichs help, nuclear engineering undergraduate student Liam Hines says his team was able to go much further with their assessment than they wouldve starting from scratch, with no background in SANS. This project was unlike anything theyd ever been asked of as MIT students, and for students like Hines, who contributed to NRL research his entire time on campus, it was a project that hit close to home. We were imagining this thing that might be designed at MIT, Hines says.

Fisher and Hines were joined by undergraduate nuclear engineering student team members Francisco Arellano, Jovier Jimenez, and Brendan Vaughan. Together, they devised a design that surprised both Khaykovich and Hartwig, identifying creative solutions that overcame all limitations and significantly reduced cost.

Their teams final project featured an adaptation of a conical design that was recently experimentally tested in Japan, but not generally used. The conical design allowed them to maximize precision while working within the other constraints, resulting in an instrument design that exceeded Hartwigs expectations. The students also showed the feasibility of using an alternative type of glass-based low-cost neutron detector to calibrate the scattering data. By avoiding the need for a traditional detector based on helium-3, which is increasingly scarce and exorbitantly expensive, such a detector would dramatically reduce cost and increase availability. Their final presentation indicated the day-to-day SANS instrument could be built at only 4.5 meters long and with an estimated cost less than $1 million.

Khaykovich credited the students for their enthusiasm, bouncing ideas off each other and exploring as much terrain as possible by interviewing experts who implemented SANS at other facilities. They showed quite a perseverance and an ability to go deep into a very unfamiliar territory for them, Khaykovich says.

Hines says that Hartwig emphasized the importance of fielding expert opinions to more quickly discover optimal solutions. Fisher says that based on their research, if their design is funded, it would make SANS more accessible to research for the sake of knowledge, rather than dominated by industry research.

Hartwig and Khaykovich agreed the students final project results showed a baseline of how MIT could pursue SANS technology cheaply, and when NRL proceeds with its own design process, Hartwig says, The students work might actually change the cost of the feasibility of this at MIT in a way that if we hadn't run the class, we would never have thought about doing.

Buongiorno says as they move forward with the project, NRL staff will consult students findings.

Indeed, the students developed original technical approaches, which are now being further explored by the NRL staff and may ultimately lead to the deployment of this new important capability on the MIT campus," Buongiorno says.

Hartwig says its a goal of the Nuclear Systems Design Project course to empower students to learn how to lead teams and embrace challenges, so they can be effective leaders advancing novel solutions in research and industry. I think it helps teach people to be agile, to be flexible, to have confidence that they can actually go off and learn what they don't know and solve problems they may think are bigger than themselves, he says.

It's common for past classes of Nuclear Systems Design Project students to continue working on ideas beyond the course, and some students have even launched companies from their project research. Whats less common is for Hartwigs students to actively serve as engineers pointed to a particular campus problem thats expected to be resolved in the next few years.

In this case, they're actually working on something real, Hartwig says. Their ideas are going to very much influence what we hope will be a facility that gets built at the reactor.

For students, it was exciting to inform a major instrument proposal that will soon be submitted to federal funding agencies, and for Hines, it became a chance to make his mark at NRL.

This is a lab I've been contributing to my entire time at MIT, and then through this project, I finished my time at MIT contributing in a much larger sense, Hines says.

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Pursuing progress at the nanoscale | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News

Cte d'Ivoire planted more than 28 million trees for the purpose of forest regeneration. Ghana restored 9,488 ha of degraded forest and helped 4,302 farmers to register 50,344 forest trees;

Cocoa and chocolate companies distributed 11.3 million non-cocoa trees for the development of agroforestry in Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana and have reached a stable 72% traceability in their direct supply chains;

Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire have reached new milestones in traceability: The government of Cte d'Ivoire has mapped 1 million farmers with 3.2 million ha of cocoa farms. In Ghana a total of 515,762 farmers owning 845,635 farms have been registered in the national Cocoa Management System, accounting for 72 percent of the total cocoa area.

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The governments of Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana and 35 companies in the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI), including IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative and the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), today reported progress made towards ending deforestation in Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana in two joint public/private sector reports.

Actions in 2021 included more development of agroforestry with the distribution of 11.3 million non-cocoa trees by cocoa and chocolate companies in Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana. This brings the total number of multi-purpose trees supplied by the private sector since the launch of CFI to 21.7 million. In both countries, companies reached on average 72% traceability in their direct supply chains. Companies are also investing in large scale farmer training for better livelihoods and less incentive to encroach into forests.

Governments' efforts have focused on the further development of national cocoa traceability systems and forest monitoring. In Ghana, a total of 515,762 farmers have been enumerated into the Cocoa Management System, owning 845,635 farms in the Western South, Ashanti, and Central regions of Ghana. Cte d'Ivoire has mapped more than 1 million farmers 3.2 million ha of cocoa farms. The satellite forest monitoring tool IMAGES was adopted by the Ivorian CFI signatories. Based on IMAGES it was observed that in the cocoa belt forest cover disturbance almost halved compared to the previous year.

All signatories invest in reforestation. The government of Cte d'Ivoire, with the Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF) in the lead, has planted over 28 million trees in the past year, which accounts for almost one tree per capita. This includes the 3.5 million trees planted by Le Conseil Caf Cacao as part of its new program to achieve the planting of 60 million trees on cocoa farms by 2024. In Ghana, under the leadership of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MNLR), authorities were directly involved in the restoration of 9,488 ha of degraded forest and the distribution of 5.297.739 multi-purpose tree seedlings by both the public and private sector.

Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire are looking to accelerate public private collaboration to preserve primary forests and to foster reforestation in protected areas. This includes a further scaling of the public private partnerships for the preservation of selected primary and secondary forests in Cte d'Ivoire. This comes in addition to the Memoranda of Understanding which were signed between MINEF and cocoa companies, now bringing the area under public-private protocols for the conservation and restoration of category III classified forests to 666,081 ha. In Ghana, seven additional companies signed onto agreements in the collaboratively identified priority Hotspot Intervention Areas (HIA) landscapes of Asunafo, Bia-Juabeso, and Atwima.

Quote Ghana: "The story of CFI is an interesting one and a lot has been invested over the past years for its implementation. The Green Ghana Project I launched in 2021 will augment the effort of CFI to restore our degraded forest reserves and off-reserve landscapes."

Quote Cte d'Ivoire: "The observed decrease in deforestation in Cte d'Ivoire is a positive signal. The government does everything possible to completely end deforestation in the coming years. The slowing down of deforestation can be attributed to the many ongoing actions and programs, including the Cocoa & Forests Initiative."

Quote WCF:"We must continue to strive for complete provenance of all cocoa no matter where it is grown or by whom. It cannot be acceptable that any cocoa that is linked to deforestation finds its way to consumer countries.Additionally, farmers must be rewarded and benefit from the traceability protocols that make this possible. We look forward to the next phase of Cocoa & Forests Initiative that will bring us closer to this goal."

Quote IDH: "As we learn more about deforestation trends, we see that it is crucial that signatories maintain the current level of ambition and build on CFI's significant track record of public-private collaboration. Through our convening role, we look forward to contributing to key milestones such as the joint investments in forest preservation, the roll-out of the national traceability systems and assuring community engagement"

About the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) CFI is a joint partnership of the governments of Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana and 35 cocoa and chocolate companies facilitated by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative and the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BUZA), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Partnership for Forests (P4F) through the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Bank. Cocoa and chocolate companies and governments collaborate within the framework of CFI with other stakeholders such as NGOs, farmer organizations and civil society organizations on the development and implementation of business-driven solutions.

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Cocoa & Forests Initiative reports progress on traceability, agroforestry and forest protection in Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire - Yahoo Finance

With the MLB season hitting its midpoint, we thought it was a good time to look ahead and see where 11 of the games biggest stars were in terms of recovery, return, and what to expect when they get back on the field.

The Injury: stress reaction to scapula

Expected Return: late July

deGrom is almost ready for his season debut. During Spring Training he was diagnosed with a stress reaction to his scapula, which sits in the back of the shoulder. This is the latest in a string of injuries to his right side right lat inflammation, right flexor tendinitis, shoulder soreness and a partial UCL tear to the elbow. While the scapula should be healed, I remain concerned about his overall health. Until the root of his injuries is identified, hes going to continue to experience problems. Going forward the partial UCL tear is the most concerning as these often dont heal well without surgery. deGrom will make his third rehab start this Thursday and could be cleared to join the Mets rotation following the All Star break. I just dont see him making it through the year without another injury. He does currently come with an Above Average HPF, so he could pitch well, but we cant expect him to be the ace that he once was throughout the second half. Theres a reason he keeps getting hurt, and a thorough evaluation of his mechanics is necessary to finally put an end to his ongoing arm problems.

The Injury: surgery for left thumb fracture + partial UCL tear in elbow

Expected Return: late August

Harper was putting up MVP numbers through the first two months of the season despite receiving treatment for a torn UCL in his right elbow. Then he took a 97-mph fastball to the hand and underwent surgery to have three pins inserted in his left thumb. Surgical intervention is needed for a fracture when the bone is displaced and needs to be stabilized. Those pins help the bone to heal properly and more quickly. Harpers fracture should heal well, but it will take time. There was a 6-8 week recovery timeline reported, although realistically it will take him closer to 8 weeks to return and even longer to look like himself at the plate. Coming back from a hand injury leads to weakness when gripping the bat, and players typically need another month or so to get their power back.

The elbow further complicates things for Harper. He is undergoing regular scans to track his progress but has yet to pick up a baseball and resume throwing. At some point the Phillies medical staff could determine that Tommy John surgery is the best option. If thats the case, the sooner they can shut him down the better. Having surgery now means Harper has a good shot at being ready for Opening Day next season. Delaying surgery until after the season will make it tough to be healthy by next April. The Phillies could be faced with a tough decision if they are out of the playoff picture in August and that UCL still isnt healed. If Harper is able to make it back for the final month of the season, his HPF (Health Performance Factor a players projected performance based on health upon his return) will fall in the Below Average category. We cant expect the same slugger when he is cleared to return.

The Injury: surgery for left foot fracture

Expected Return: late August

Albies is on the 60-day IL after fouling a ball off of his left foot one month ago. He underwent surgery to address the fracture, but few details have been revealed on the injury. How much time he ends up missing will depend on which bone was fractured a Lisfranc injury or multiple fractures would lengthen his recovery.

Albies is still riding on a medical scooter, meaning he isnt putting weight on the foot. Once he is cleared to start walking again he can slowly resume baseball activities. The Inside Injuries algorithm is projecting an Above Average HPF in September for Albies, so he should contribute late in the season. The bone just needs a lot more time to heal.

The Injury: left wrist surgery for scaphoid fracture

Expected Return: mid August

An offseason motorcycle accident left Tatis with a fractured scaphoid bone in his left wrist. The injury went undiagnosed throughout the lockout, which delayed his surgery. Tatis is now about four months removed from surgery and he still isnt fully cleared. He has been fielding grounders and recently started swinging the bat again, but he isnt facing live pitching yet. Tatis believes he is close to being fully cleared. I wouldnt trust what he says, though. This slow recovery shouldnt come as a surprise as this bone is slow to heal due to poor blood supply. Tatis will eventually get there, but he needs more time.

The base case scenario for Tatis has him being cleared in the next week to swing the bat without restrictions. If that goes well he could start a rehab assignment by the end of the month, but I dont think we can expect him to make his season debut until mid August. When he returns he should be healthy enough to help the Padres, although he wont look like his old self right away.

The Injury: hamate fracture to right wrist

Expected Return: early September

Franco is expected to be sidelined for 5-8 weeks after suffering a fractured hamate bone over the weekend. He will need surgery. This is a pretty common injury for baseball players, and long-term it comes with a favorable outlook. The hamate is located at the base of the wrist and has a hook that is often damaged on a swing due to contact with the end of the bat. During surgery the hook is removed. Other MLB players to suffer the same injury include James McCann, Matt Olson, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton. 6-8 weeks is a realistic timeline to return, then it will take another 2-4 weeks to get back to full strength. That means Franco should return for the final month of the season, but his HPF will fall in the Below Average category at first with his power being affected. He could get back to Above Average before the season ends.

The Injury: surgery to repair torn UCL in left thumb

Expected Return: late August

Perez initially suffered a sprained UCL in his left thumb in May and landed on the IL. Soon after he returned he aggravated the injury, making the sprain (a.k.a. tear) severe enough that it required surgery. Now he is facing an eight week recovery. This is a realistic timeline to return, but it can be a tough injury to come back from. I dont expect Perez to experience a decline behind the plate, but his hitting will suffer when he first returns. We are seeing a lot of serious hand and wrist injuries around the league, which tend to sap power in the first few weeks back. Perez will eventually get back to 100%. It just might not be until the season is almost over.

The Injury: surgery for fractured right index finger

Expected Return: late August

Segura is on the 60-day IL due to a fractured right index finger that required surgery. His injury was likely a complex fracture where the bone breaks into multiple pieces. It comes with a 10-12 week expected recovery time, longer than some of the other hand injuries we have seen this season. Segura underwent a follow-up procedure last week to remove the pins that were inserted during the initial surgery. He remains on track to return by the end of August. Segura is cleared to resume some baseball activities, but picking up a bat will be the big test, and he isnt ready for that yet. Segura will come with an Above Average HPF by September. He should be healthy enough to provide a boost to the Phillies lineup as they make a playoff push in the final month of the season.

The Injury: high ankle sprain

Expected Return: late July

Haniger is on the 60-day IL as he recovers from a grade 2 high ankle sprain suffered in late April. He was injured when his cleat got stuck as he swung, a strange way to suffer such a serious ankle injury. This isnt your standard low ankle sprain. The high ankle is where the tibia and fibula (two lower leg bones) connect at the distal tibiofibular joint, which sits just above the ankle. These injuries tend to be much slower to heal and more challenging to come back from, hence the lengthy recovery time. Hanigers injury is a grade 2, which indicates partial tearing to the ligaments. Over the last few weeks he has made significant progress and could be back by the end of the month, although a return in August seems more realistic. Haniger has been sprinting every few days and is expected to significantly increase the intensity of his workouts next week. Lateral movements are the toughest with a high ankle sprain, so running the bases and chasing down a fly ball are key activities to reintroduce during the rehab process. Haniger will continue to come with a High Injury Risk throughout August due to the highly recurrent nature of the high ankle sprain, but his HPF will fall in the Above Average category.

The Injury: rib cage stress fracture

Expected Return: July 12

Sale made his season debut on Tuesday. He suffered a stress fracture on the right side of his rib cage during a throwing session in March. Now four months removed from the injury, the ribs should be fully healed. He has taken the appropriate amount of time to let the injury heal and then build up his arm strength, so I dont expect any lingering effects of the injury other than some potential rust to shake off early (which was not apparent in his first start back). He comes with an Elevated Injury Risk and an Above Average HPF.

Walker Buehler

The Injury: flexor strain + surgery to remove bone spur in elbow

Expected Return: September

Buehler was diagnosed with a flexor strain to his right forearm last month. The good news is the UCL appears to be undamaged, but this is still an injury that typically leads to a multi-month absence. Because of the lengthy recovery, Buehler went ahead and had surgery to address a bone spur in his ebow that had been bothering him for a while. This was a smart decision as he wasnt going to be allowed to pick up a baseball for over a month, so why not go ahead and address a problem that would come with a similar recovery time. Now Buehler is on the 60-day IL and is hoping to return sometime in August. From a fantasy perspective he wont have much (if any) value this season, but he could be healthy enough to help the Dodgers in the playoffs.

The Injury: right lat/shoulder strain

Expected Return: early August

Peralta suffered a strained teres major muscle nearly two months ago. This runs along the back of the shoulder near the scapula and is important for stability and internal rotation of the shoulder. It is closely connected to the lat muscles but technically is a different injury. Peralta is progressing through a throwing program and is expected to be cleared to throw live batting practice very soon. That puts him on track to go on a rehab assignment following the All Star break with a return to the rotation possible in early August. There is a High Risk of Re-Injury when coming back from a muscular strain like this, and we often see pitchers take additional time to look like their former selves on the mound. Peralta will come with a Below Average HPF in August, but his numbers should improve significantly in September if he can avoid a setback.

(Top photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports; Wander Franco photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

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Second-half injury look-ahead for MLBs hobbled stars: Timelines, progress and what to expect upon return - The Athletic

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the national protests that it triggered, many of the countrys largest corporations expressed solidarity and pledgedsupport for racial justice and racial and ethnic diversity, equity and inclusion. Some institutional investors also beefed up their proxy voting policies, demanding both greater transparency and more racial and ethnic diversity. One place that companies looked to implement their commitments to DEI was at the board level. Now, about two years after that horrific event, how much progress have companies made? Using the end of proxy season in 2020 as a starting point, ISS has some recent data. ISS concludes that, while substantial progress has been made in board racial and ethnic diversity, many boards still do not reflect the diversity of their customer base or the demographics of the broader society in which they operate.

S&P 500. ISS reports that, in 2022, all boards of companies in the S&P 500 had at least one director that identified as racially or ethnically diverse; in comparison, in 2020, 11% of boards in the S&P 500 had no racially or ethnically diverse directors. In addition, in 2022, 36% had three racially or ethnically diverse board members, compared to 22% in 2020. Similarly, in 2022, 31% had four racially or ethnically diverse board members, compared to only 7% in 2020an increase of 24 percentage points. The percentage of board seats held by racially or ethnically diverse directors grew from 19% in 2020 to 23% in 2022. There were, however, differences among different races and ethnicities. For example, persons identifying as Hispanic/Latin American constituted up 18.5% of the U.S. population (according to the April 1, 2020 census), but held only 4% of S&P 500 board seats in 2020 and only 5% in 2022. African-Americans held 9% in 2020 and 12% in 2022; Asians held 5% in 2020 and 6% in 2022.

Russell 3000. Since mid-2020, ISS reports significant increases in racial and ethnic diversity on boards of large- and mid-cap companies. In 2020, 38% of companies in the Russell 3000 had no racial or ethnically diverse board members; in 2022, that percentage declined to 10%. In addition, while the percentage of companies with one racially or ethnically diverse director increased by three percentage points from 2020 to 2022 (32% to 35%), the percentage of companies with two or more racially/ethnically diverse directors soared by 26 percentage points from 2020 to 2022 (29% to 55%). The percentage of board seats held by racially or ethnically diverse directors grew from 11% in 2020 to 16% in 2022. According to ISS, however, progress among the Russell 3000 lagged significantly behind their S&P 500 counterparts, and differences among races and ethnicities were also pronounced. In 2022, only 3% of directors identified asHispanic/Latin American, compared to just 2% in 2020. In contrast, 7% of directors identified as Asian in 2022, compared to 5% in 2020. African American directors occupied 6% of board seats in 2022, compared with 3% in 2020.

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Have we made much progress on board racial and ethnic diversity? - JD Supra

The Kevin Durant trade saga is stretching on by the day as the market finally looks to be accepting the fact that Durant won't be moved anytime soon considering Brooklyn has no intention of selling cheap on him. Three teams are staying heavily involved in trade talks for KD.

The teams still dealing in the Durant sweepstakes are the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and the Toronto Raptors.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the most aggressive pursuit of Durant is coming from the Heat, who need to find a third team to accept Bam Adebayo, as Brooklyn can't have both Adebayo and Ben Simmons due to contract rules. In addition, the Suns are also looking at a third team to get a deal done, and the Raptors are refusing to include Scottie Barnes in a trade.

"The Miami Heat have been one of the most determined teams trying to acquire Kevin Durant. They've talked to Brooklyn in Las Vegas. For Miami and Brooklyn to do a deal, they'll need a third team possibly a fourth team. There's no one-on-one deal they can do because Bam Adebayo and Ben Simmons can't be on the roster together."

"Brooklyn's asking price is steep. They keep talking to a number of teams in Vegas and are no closer to a deal for Kevin Durant. Teams like Miami and Phoenix need help because they don't have a 1-on-1 pathway."

"The Toronto Raptors, Scottie Barnes continues to be a non-starter in any Kevin Durant discussion. There's certainly been no progress there for Toronto."

Phoenix could be out of the race if Deandre Ayton is to walk as a free agent and the Suns lose him as a possible asset they could sign and trade for KD. The Heat don't have as many assets but can offer the best returning players in a young star in Tyler Herro and a DPOY contender in Bam Adebayo.

The Raptors have the best picks to offer and could easily make the trade if they give up Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, but they are intelligently keeping hold of him. Unless Brooklyn budges off their price, it seems these teams have already figured what's the best they can do for KD.

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The Heat, Suns, And Raptors Have Made No Progress On Figuring Out Trade Packages For Kevin Durant, According To Adrian Wojnarowski - Fadeaway World

In a world of ever-evolving cyberthreats, collaboration and knowledge exchange are vital for keeping an edge on attackers

Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of todays digital society, and progress and development in this field wouldnt be possible without collaboration and the sharing of information on the latest cyberthreats. Such information exchange between various stakeholders from the public and private sectors makes it possible to counter the continuous advance of cyber-enabled crime. On the other hand, the benefits of collaboration arent lost on cybercriminals either their sharing of knowledge and tools of their own plays a significant role in the evolution and sophistication of threats.

Perhaps youre recall theBrain Virus and the Morris Worm, two early examples of malicious code. The latter, dating back to 1988, was the firstcomputer wormto spread through the internet, ultimately leading to the creation of the first Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Ever since, each new emerging threat has necessitated countermeasures that stop potential similar attacks dead in their tracks. For each new technique or code developed by malicious actors, security practitioners have tried to find ways to mitigate the impact of these threats and to raise general awareness about them. This has led to the creation of a knowledge base that includes thousands of contributions made by researchers, organizations, security companies, and even regular users. They all have collectively helped lay the foundations for the development of new technologies and security measures.

The motivations behind early malicious code were not financial. Instead, their authors were driven by curiosity, peer recognition or the intent to cause damage. But over the years and along with the development of new technology, a cybercrime business modelemerged and quickly caught the eye of an increasing number of people.

These days, many threat groups operate like companies that have salaried employees with distinct job roles and even vacation days. These groups take advantage of networking opportunities and benefit from a generally high level of anonymity offered by the internets seedy recesses. Thedark web, for instance, has for years been a place where information, resources and services are marketedwith the aim of being deployed in future attacks.

In fact, oftentimes you dont even need to roam around the dark web. Some of the worlds most popular messaging apps, such as Telegram, are increasingly becoming hubs for cybercriminals who are looking to share knowledge and sell or buy stolen data and malware.

In little over a decade, cybersecurity has been transformed from a primarily technical domain centered on securing networks and technology to a major strategic topic of global importance, notes the World Economic Forum. Today, the world is concerned aboutattacks against nations critical infrastructure systems, with recent history offering several examples of such damaging attacks.

As the exchange of information on the criminal side has resulted in the development of new and more sophisticated attacks and threats, the cybersecurity sector has strengthened its capacity to exchange threat-related knowledge.

For example, disciplines such asthreat intelligence process vast amounts of data to enhance security processes, platforms and open source development, using contributions and information provided by users, companies, government agencies, as well as efforts such as theMITRE ATT&CK framework, a knowledge bases that facilitates the exchange of informationbetween organizations and researchers, and global conferences on cybersecurity that engage more and more people every year. All this has led to progress in the development of security technologies, as well as raised awareness about the importance of secure coding.

As long as cybersecurity keeps up with the latest trends and advances, we are undoubtedly on the right path, says Camilo Gutirrez, Head of ESETs lab in Latin America. All security-related fields, frameworks and collaboration areas are aligned with the need to develop technology in order to ensure its availability, data integrity and the confidentiality of user information. Given the current connectivity levels and the hyper-connectivity expectations for the future, it is inconceivable to think about technology without considering security.

On the other hand, Gutirrez thinks that the wide range of interconnected devices and systems sharing information represents one of the greatest cybersecurity challenges. Barely 10years ago, when talking about security, the conversation involved just a few operating systems and technologies. Today, theattack surface is considerably largerand will continue to grow. Therefore, the challenge in terms of cybersecurity consists in thinking holistically about new paradigms and technologies, rather than dealing with only certain systems or technologies.

Due to advances in technology, such as the blockchain or quantum computing, we embrace new paradigms to handle information. Therefore, thinking of these new solutions from the security point of view will allow us to have more robust technology; as the human factor may not be removed, what we can do is minimize its impact, adds Gutirrez.

Technology has allowed us to automate processes that contributed to the development and progress of humankind. Advances in machine learning as well as in artificial intelligence, which has been gaining relevance in recent years, will remain hot topics. Meanwhile, technological leaps make knowledge available to everyone, and collaboration and knowledge exchange allow us to evolve and stay ahead of cyberthreats, said Gutirrez.

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Collaboration and knowledge sharing key to progress in cybersecurity - We Live Security

By ELISE DALLEY

The Progress

Tending the farm stand at Hardy Farms are sibling team l to r Mark, Luke, Allie, John and Lizzy Nelson.

There are only a handful of agricultural producers left in the Moapa Valley. But they all pride themselves in the rich satisfaction that comes from hard work and seeing the abundance of their produce benefit their neighbors.

Moapa Valley farmers are delighted to share the produce they grow with local residents. Through local farm stands and markets, they sell their home grown crops to the public.

Quail Hollow FarmsLaura and Monte Bledsoe, owners of Quail Hollow Farm sell their produce in a little farmhouse out on their front yard. Selling homegrown vegetables is something the Bledsoes are well acquainted with, as theyve been doing it for 16 years now.

While vegetables are the bulk of their stock; preserves like pickles, jams, jellys and freeze-dried items can also be found in their farm stand as well.Our farm is organic and we try to stay organic, said Laura Bledsoe. That is what most of our customers want.

The Farm Stand at Quail Hollow Farms is built to look like a quaint farm house.

Bledsoe explained that the local farm stand isnt the farms only marketplace. The bulk of our produce goes to families that subscribe to community supported agriculture (CSA), she said. They sign into the harvest for a season and then we make deliveries or they can pick them up.

While the biggest part of their farmer is sold in CSA shares, there is usually additional produce and products for sale in the Quail Hollow Farm Stand.We always try to have something available to sell throughout the whole year, Bledsoe said.

MVHS Ag FarmKevin and Denise OToole also are involved in local agricultural production. The OTooles work alongside local FFA students on the MVHS Ag Farm. Tomatoes, lettuce, melons, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are among the many vegetables they produce and sell on the farm.

Much of the food produced at the Ag Farm is grown in a large greenhouse. When the produce ripens, much of it is stored in a refrigerator case in the front yard for members of the public to come and buy.Its an honors system farmers market, said Kevin OToole. People buy what they need and then drop the money in the safe.

The proceeds from these sales get put back into the program as funding for the farm and for the students.The AG farm also has an annual autumn sale of pumpkins and squash which are grown in the fields at the farm. The funds from that event goes into FFA funds to sustain that program.

OToole stressed the importance of farming and giving back to the community. This is our way to help the community and support our program, he said. We try to teach students how to work and how to become leaders of the future. We are doing this hands-on.

Hardy FarmsThe Hardy Farm in Logandale gives back to the community as well, through the sale of their delicious produce. Allie Nelson, 16, is one of the many farmers behind the scenes at the Hardy Farmstand. She said that she enjoys helping out on the farm.

I really like selling the food because I get to meet new people at the stand, and have interesting conversations and talk to them, Allie said. Its cool because its something that I enjoy doing and its something that my family has enjoyed doing for a long time.

The Hardy clan gets up at 6:00 every morning and spends their morning pulling weeds, picking vegetables and preparing the stock for the day. They sell corn and wheat in the summer along with tomatoes and zucchini. In the fall they sell watermelon, squash, corn and pumpkins.

The Hardys have provided this service to the local community for years. The farm has been the in Valley for four generations.Allies mom, Lauren Nelson explained that even though the farm work takes a lot of time, hard work, and early mornings, it is all worth it to be able to see the progress and good that it does. And it builds good relationships and fond memories, she said.

Lauren said that one of her favorite memories is of her grandpa Glen Hardy sharing the produce he had raised with neighbors and friends in the community.Allie Nelson agreed. He was like a Santa Claus! she said.I think growing and selling corn reminds me of Grandpa Glen, Lauren added. I love how Allie called him like a Santa Claus. It feels good to grow food and then share stories and memories with people when they come by and visit.

There are many stores, stands, and shops that sell vegetables and other produce. However, keeping an eye out for locally grown produce not only supports the farmers themselves, but gives back to the community. Becoming self-sustainable and self-supported is not only encouraged, it is also crucial to a functioning community.

To get to the Hardy Farm stand follow the signs near Moapa Valley Blvd and Waite Ave. in Logandale.

The MVHS Ag Farm is located on the west side of Moapa Valley Blvd., just about a quarter mile south of the Yamashita Bridge.

Quail Hollow Farms stand is located at 1395 N. Anderson Street, west of the Perkins Field Airport.

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Local Ag Producers Offer Local Farm Stands - The Progress - mvprogress

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. From the Spring Mount Percheron Draft Horse Hitch to the Miniature Horse Extravaganza, the Equine Experience atPenn States Ag Progress Dayshas something for everyone. During the three-day event, Aug. 911, visitors can attend demonstrations, interact with Penn State equine science faculty and staff, and learn about horse health and care.

The Equine Experience will once again allow people to see a variety of great horse demonstrations for a number of different horse breeds, said Danielle Smarsh, equine extension specialist and assistant professor of equine science in theCollege of Agricultural Sciences. Well also have plenty of educational exhibits inside the equine barn, covering topics from the care of horses, pasture management, and ways for both youths and adults to be involved with horses.

Located at the top of Main Street at the Ag Progress Days site, the Equine Arena and Equine Exhibits Building showcase the versatility of the horses and horse breeds, as well as University displays and handouts about forage, pasture management and stable facilities.

Penn State equine science faculty and staff, and members of the Pennsylvania Equine Council, will be available in the Equine Exhibits Building throughout the three-day show to answer questions and provide information on equine-related topics.

This years arena demonstrations cover various topics for every interest and horsemanship level. For the first time since 2019, a six-horse hitch will return to the Equine Experience. Spring Mount Percherons, owned and shown by David and Linda Hershey of Warriors Mark, will be on site all three days.

Learn more about horse logging and restorative forestry by attending one of the demonstrations by Bear Hill Horse Logging. Bear Hill specializes in low-impact timber management, selective harvests and wetlands logging.

Visitors can learn the basics of handling and training young horses in demonstrations with the Universitys Quarter Horses during all three days.

The popular Keystone Dressage and Combined Drill Team will return Wednesday to put its horses through their paces. Rick Shaffer, of R&S Paso Fino Stables in Somerset, also will return for two breed clinics and riding demonstrations.

On Wednesday, the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association Youth Ambassadors will show off their miniature horses in two demos.

The Wednesday evening extravaganza will include another demo from Spring Mount Percherons, as well as a Salute to America, followed by a fast-paced Mini Jumping Derby.

On both Tuesday and Thursday, 4-H Team Horse Power will host demonstrations. Spectators will learn the basics of hitching up and driving horses in Putting the Horse to Cart. The second demo, Why the Little Things Matter, will discuss the importance of body language and energy level when riding and communicating with your horse.

To wrap up Ag Progress Days, 4-H teams will challenge their peers in an equine knowledge competition at the annual Penn State Equine Science Horse Quiz Bowl Thursday.

Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m.5 p.m. Aug. 9; 9 a.m.7 p.m. Aug. 10; and 9 a.m.4 p.m. Aug. 11. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, visit the Ag Progress Dayswebsite. Twitter users can find and share information about the event by using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and Facebook users can find the event by searching @AgProgressDays.

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Hitch up the wagons for the Equine Experience at Ag Progress Days - Pennsylvania State University

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

Mesquite Senior Games (MSG) popular non-sanctioned pickleball tournament is scheduled for October 18-20 and registration is open now for anyone age 50 and over at http://www.mesquiteseniorgames.org.

The games will be held at the cities newest pickleball courts located at 49 West Old Mill Rd, across the street from the Mesquite Recreation Center.

All players wishing to register must first open an account on http://www.pickleballtournaments.com. Anyone can create an account and they are free of charge. The registration deadline is October 11, 2022.

Mens doubles will play Tuesday October 18, beginning at 8 am. Mixed doubles will play on Wednesday October 19 at 8 am. And womens doubles will take place on Thursday, October 20 at 8 am.The sports fee is $30 for registration and $20 for the event.

The MSG Pickleball Director, John Rosen reminds all interested parties that the Nevada Senior Games tournament is set for September 16-18 in Las Vegas. That tournament is a National Qualifier. Athletes can register at https://nevada.fusesport.com.

For more information about MSG registration call 435-602-9029 or 702-345-3347.

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MSG Fall Pickleball Signups Open - The Progress - mvprogress

By JESSICA PETERSON

The Progress

Local librarian Naomi Harris reads a book about monsters to kids attending the weekly reading hour at the Moapa Valley Library last week. PHOTO BY JESSICA PETERSON/The Progress

Children gathered at the Moapa Valley Library branch in Overton to participate in the librarys Storytime event on Wednesday morning, July 6. The library has been hosting weekly themed events for kids all through the summer as part of its Summer Challenge 2022. This weeks storytime theme was Monsters.

Around twenty kids with their mothers gathered in the Storytime Room at the library. A number of monster-themed books were on display at the head of the room. Chairs and benches were prepared for adults and most of the children sat on the floor in the front. At the back of the room, several tables were set up, covered with craft supplies.

Librarian and storyteller Naomi Harris, who is known by the kids as Miss Naomi, sat in the front of the room. She captivated the kids attention with a large blue and orange monster puppet. The monster enthusiastically greeted everyone and asked the kids if they liked monsters, to which most of them shook their heads or mumbled no.

Miss Naomi then played the song The Monster Mash to get the kids more excited and energetic.Once everyone sat back down, she read There was an Old Monster by Rebecca Emberley. In this book, the monster swallows a number of silly things. When the monster swallowed something, Miss Naomi had the kids wiggle as if they were being tickled.

Local librarian Naomi Harris helps kids create their own monster in a craft project completed during Reading Hour at the Overton Library last week. PHOTO BY JESSICA PETERSON/The Progress

She also read The Little Shop of Monsters by Marc Brown and R.L. Stine. In this book, the kids were shown a variety of different monsters and encouraged to choose their favorite before one of the monsters chose them!

After the books, Miss Naomi showed the kids how to make their very own monsters to take home. The kids decorated a latex glove with scary eyes, spooky mouths with sharp monster teeth. Then the glove was secured onto a paper cup with a rubber band. The kids pushed a straw into a pre-cut hole in the cup and, when blown into, the glove monster emerged from the cup.

The librarys summer challenge will continue through the end of July. Upcoming storytime themes include Birds on July 13 and Oceans on July 20. Other fun events include the Summer Shadow Puppet Show Tour on July 14, Crafternoon on July 19 and 26, and the Summer Challenge Finale Water Day on July 27. All events begin at 11:30 a.m.

For more information, contact the Moapa Valley Library at 702-397-2690 or visit LVCCLD.org/SummerChallenge.

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Kids' Monster Mash At Overton Library - The Progress - mvprogress