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Today's Topics:
1. Indonesia .. and Aukus (Stephen Loosley)
2. New BCI technology .. brain signals into speech with 97%
accuracy (Stephen Loosley)
3. O/t: WHO declares mpox outbreak in Africa a global health
emergency (Stephen Loosley)
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:24:09 +0000
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: link <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Indonesia .. and Aukus
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This Week in Asia Politics
Australia, Indonesia inch towards boost in security ties with upgraded defence
pact
Upgraded agreement is unlikely to evolve into a ?joint warfighting experience?
given Indonesia?s non-aligned foreign policy, analysts say
By Amy Sood
15 Aug 2024
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274559/australia-indonesia-inch-towards-boost-security-ties-upgraded-defence-pact
Australia and Indonesia are building on existing lines of cooperation as they
inch towards an upgrade in security ties, but both sides are still seen to be
far from establishing a formal military alliance or treaty.
While observers note that ties between Canberra and Jakarta have improved
through the decades, with the momentum expected to be maintained under incoming
Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto, the relationship should be viewed ?beyond
the lens? of the US-China rivalry.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles is set to visit Indonesia at the end
of this month to sign the upgraded agreement with Prabowo, according to a
report by Australia?s national broadcaster, ABC.
Prabowo ? who will be inaugurated as Indonesia?s president in October ? will
also be making a trip to Canberra in the next few weeks to meet Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
?I will welcome the Indonesian defence minister in the next fortnight, who is
coming to Canberra, and he?ll have meetings with my cabinet,? Albanese said in
an interview with ABC last Thursday. ?In a matter of weeks, I will attend his
inauguration. The cooperation that we have with Indonesia is very strong
indeed.?
When the upgraded agreement was first announced in February, Marles described
it as ?the deepest, most significant defence agreement between our two nations
in our respective histories?.
And while Marles called it a ?treaty-level? document, analysts say Indonesian
policymakers are likely to refrain from such a characterisation.
?Indonesia has made it clear that it will not be party to any formal
treaty-like defence arrangements,? said Natalie Sambhi, executive director of
independent think tank Verve Research and a lecturer at Deakin University,
Australian War College.
?However, this does not preclude Indonesia from deepening security cooperation
with a range of international partners,? she said.
Indonesia may establish security cooperation arrangements that functionally
resemble a ?close security relationship?, but Jakarta is unlikely to publicly
describe such arrangements using the terms ?treaty? or ?alliance?, according to
Sambhi.
Evan Laksmana, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia military modernisation at the
International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the upgraded defence
agreement, while not entirely ?groundbreaking?, did mark an improvement in the
two countries? security relationship.
?But I don?t think it implies strategic alignment more broadly, particularly
within the context of US-China competition,? he said. ?I also don?t think it
implies the immediate likelihood of joint war fighting or a mutual defence type
of treaty between Indonesia and Australia.?
Improving ties
Australia and Indonesia will commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations later
this year. While defence and broader bilateral ties have strengthened in recent
years, their relationship has weathered periodic challenges and tensions over
the decades.
Both countries signed a landmark security pact in 1995, but it was annulled
after four years when Australia led a peacekeeping mission to East Timor, after
violence broke out in the then-Indonesian province following a referendum for
independence.
The two countries later mended ties and in 2006 signed the Lombok Treaty to
work together in addressing common security threats.
The relationship was threatened in 2013 when it was uncovered that Australia
had wiretapped the phone calls of then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his
wife, and other senior officials. This led to public outrage in Indonesia, but
Yudhoyono ultimately prevented the diplomatic row from escalating further.
In 2017, Indonesia temporarily suspended military cooperation with Australia
after an Indonesian special forces instructor deemed training materials used
during an exchange programme to be disrespectful towards his country.
Things have largely improved since then, experts say, and the relationship has
received more momentum since Prabowo became defence minister in 2019.
Since 2022, Australia has participated in the annual Indonesia-US joint
military exercise known as Super Garuda Shield, alongside Japan and Singapore.
In May, the Royal Australian Air Force and Indonesian Air Force conducted joint
maritime surveillance training exercises.
?I think Prabowo has shown great support for deepening cooperation,? said
Sambhi, also noting efforts under his tenure to integrate Indonesian army
cadets into the Australian Royal Military College, with the inaugural batch
graduating last year.
As Indonesia and Australia prepare to sign this upgraded deal, the emphasis
will remain on people-to-people ties, and the ?soft-power elements of a defence
relationship?, according to Laksmana.
?This means engagement, exchanges, education, training exercises,? he said,
adding that it was unlikely to become a more ?mature defence relationship that
includes technological cooperation, defence industrial collaboration or joint
warfighting experience?.
However, Laksmana noted this new agreement could also address some of
Australia?s long-standing strategic concerns about potential threats from one
of its closest neighbours, Indonesia.
?Securing a closer defence agreement from Indonesia is part of the effort to
alleviate some of those concerns to make sure that Indonesia is on Australia?s
side.?
The Aukus question
According to Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute?s international
security programme, both countries might talk about the agreement differently.
?Traditionally, Indonesia has adhered to a non-aligned status ? they will be
keen to communicate that they maintain this status and this should not be
viewed in any way as an anti-China agreement.?
Beijing has also been pursuing closer defence ties with Indonesia, floating
offers for new submarines and weapons systems in recent months.
Chinese senior diplomats and military officials also held their first ?2+2?
talks with their Indonesian counterparts this week in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, over the past few months, president-elect Prabowo has met leaders
aligned with the West, as well as with China and Russia, which analysts have
suggested indicate his ?friends-to-all? foreign policy approach.
Analyst Sambhi said the agreement between Indonesia and Australia could be
viewed ?beyond just the lens of the US-China strategic competition?.
?Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia are looking at increasing
cooperation with Australia, particularly for Indonesia, given that we do share
a maritime boundary and we are inevitably neighbours.?
[Video Caption: Aukus will ?get done?, Biden tells Australia?s Albanese during
visit to Washington]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeHPihzsUM8
However, Australia?s entry into the Aukus alliance, established in 2021 with
Britain and the United States in response to growing Chinese influence in the
region, had ?made it harder to avoid Indonesia becoming ensnared in this great
power contest?, Roggeveen said.
Under the Aukus agreement, Australia will develop a fleet of nuclear-powered
submarines in order to strengthen its navy.
?Aukus has increased the chances that China will operate its navy in Southeast
Asia and through the Indonesian archipelago,? Roggeveen said.
There have been mixed feelings among Southeast Asian countries towards Aukus.
While Singapore has been receptive to the alliance, Indonesia and Malaysia had
raised concerns that Aukus signalled furthered militarisation in the region and
heightened risks of nuclear proliferation.
But the Indonesian government has since softened its stance on Aukus, with
incumbent leader Joko Widodo last year saying he would view Aukus as a partner,
not a competitor.
Laksmana said Australia might feel a ?sense of false optimism? that the
improvement in bilateral and defence ties implied that they would always be
?convergent on broader questions of regional order?.
?Australia is very much increasingly strategically wedded with the US,? he
said. ?And that?s something that Indonesia is unlikely to fully be a part of.?
Amy Sood
joined the SCMP in 2022, having previously worked at Agence France-Presse and
contributing to CNN and NBC News. Originally from India, Amy grew up in
Indonesia and spent a few years studying in New Zealand. She holds a master's
degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong.
--
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:57:23 +0930
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: "link" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] New BCI technology .. brain signals into speech with
97% accuracy
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
`
New brain tech turns paralyzed patient?s thoughts into speech with 97% accuracy
This innovation deciphers brain signals when a person attempts to speak,
converting them into text, which the computer then vocalizes.
By Srishti Gupta Published: Aug 14, 2024 04:02 PM EST
https://interestingengineering.com/health/uc-davis-brain-interface-helps-als-patient-speak
A new brain-computer interface (BCI) developed at UC Davis Health can translate
brain signals into speech with an impressive accuracy of up to 97%?claimed to
be the highest accuracy ever achieved by such a system.
?Our BCI technology helped a man with paralysis to communicate with friends,
families and caregivers,? said David Brandman, UC Davis neurosurgeon and
co-senior author of the study.
?Our paper demonstrates the most accurate speech neuroprosthesis (device) ever
reported.?
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig?s disease,
disrupts the functioning of nerve cells responsible for controlling bodily
movements.
As the condition progresses, individuals gradually lose their ability to stand,
walk, and use their hands. Additionally, it can impair the muscles required for
speech, eventually leading to a complete loss of clear communication.
A novel technology is being created to help individuals who are unable to speak
due to paralysis or neurological disorders like ALS.
This innovation deciphers brain signals when a person attempts to speak,
converting them into text, which the computer then vocalizes.
Functioning of the UC Davis BCI
When a user tries to articulate words, this advanced brain-computer interface
(BCI) device captures the corresponding brain signals and converts them into
text displayed on a screen. The computer subsequently reads the text aloud.
To refine this system, researchers enrolled Casey Harrell, a 45-year-old ALS
patient, in their clinical trial. At the time of participation, Harrell
exhibited significant weakness in both arms and legs (tetraparesis), and his
speech was so impaired (dysarthria) that he required assistance for
communication.
In July 2023, Dr. Brandman performed the implantation of the experimental BCI
device. He inserted four microelectrode arrays into the left precentral gyrus,
the brain region associated with speech coordination. These arrays are designed
to capture brain activity using 256 cortical electrodes.
?We?re really detecting their attempt to move their muscles and talk,?
explained neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky, co-principal investigator of the
study.
?We are recording from the part of the brain that?s trying to send these
commands to the muscles. And we are basically listening into that, and we?re
translating those patterns of brain activity into a phoneme ? like a syllable
or the unit of speech ? and then the words they?re trying to say.?
?Transformative?: 97% accurate speech interpretation
Harrell utilized the system in both guided and free-flowing conversations. In
each scenario, the device decoded his speech in real-time, with the system
continuously updating to maintain its precision.
The decoded words were displayed on a screen and impressively spoken aloud in a
voice resembling Harrell?s own, as it sounded before his ALS diagnosis. This
voice was synthesized using software that had been trained on audio recordings
of his voice from before the onset of the disease.
During the initial training session for speech data, the system achieved an
impressive 99.6% accuracy with a vocabulary of 50 words within just 30 minutes.
?The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was
trying to say correctly appeared on-screen. We all did,? Stavisky said in the
press release.
?At this point, we can decode what Casey is trying to say correctly about 97%
of the time, which is better than many commercially available smartphone
applications that try to interpret a person?s voice,? Brandman said.
?This technology is transformative because it provides hope for people who want
to speak but can?t. I hope that technology like this speech BCI will help
future patients speak with their family and friends.?
A study about this work was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Srishti Gupta Srishti studied English literature at the University of Delhi and
has since then realized it's not her cup of tea. She has been an editor in
every space and content type imaginable, from children's books to journal
articles. She enjoys popular culture, reading contemporary fiction and
nonfiction, crafts, and spending time with her cats. With a keen interest in
science, Srishti is particularly drawn to beats covering medicine,
sustainability, gene studies, and anything biology-related.
--
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 22:24:43 +0930
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: "link" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] O/t: WHO declares mpox outbreak in Africa a global
health emergency
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
WHO declares mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency
By Nicoletta Lanese published 17 hours ago
https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/breaking-who-declares-mpox-outbreak-in-africa-an-international-emergency
The World Health Organization says the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa requires
a coordinated international effort to subdue.
[Photo caption: The mpox virus (pictured) is related to the virus that causes
smallpox.]
The mounting mpox outbreak in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of
international concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Wednesday
(Aug. 14).
The declaration hinged on advice from an emergency committee that the WHO
assembled to discuss an unprecedented surge of mpox in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC), which has now spilled into adjacent countries.
Mpox cases were already rising in the DRC in 2023, but now they've skyrocketed
? more than 14,000 cases have been reported so far in 2024, exceeding last
year's total count.
"In the view of all members, it was unanimous that the current outbreak of mpox
is an extraordinary event," Dr. Dimie Ogoina, a physician-scientist and the
chair of the 15-member emergency committee, said during a virtual news
conference on Wednesday.
One big factor in the decision was that "we're having the highest number of
cases ever reported in the DRC," he said.
Based on the available data, children in the DRC have been the "worst impacted"
by the country's outbreak, Ogoina said.
That seems to be the case in Burundi, as well, but not in Nigeria and South
Africa, where so far young adults have been most impacted. That said, health
officials don't yet understand the full extent of the emergency in the DRC or
elsewhere in Africa.
Related: 'Mpox' is the new name for monkeypox, the WHO says
"What we have in Africa is actually the tip of the iceberg," Ogoina said,
citing major gaps in diagnostic testing. "We don't have the full picture of
this burden of mpox."
Mpox poses a particularly high risk in Africa due to the continent's high
burden of HIV infections, a percentage of which are undiagnosed or
undertreated. People living with HIV, and especially those with advanced
disease, face a higher risk of severe illness and death from mpox, Ogoina said.
Another factor in the committee's decision was the fact that a new branch of
the mpox virus family tree, called clade 1b, has emerged. It was first spotted
in the DRC last year and has since spread to bordering countries where mpox had
not previously been reported. These countries include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda
and Uganda.
"But we are not dealing with one outbreak of one clade," WHO Director-General
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening remarks to the emergency
committee. "We are dealing with several outbreaks of different clades in
different countries with different modes of transmission and different levels
of risk."
There are two major clades of mpox, known as clade 1 and clade 2, and the
former carries a higher risk of severe disease and death than the latter. Clade
1 viruses have never been detected beyond countries where mpox regularly
spreads. (The mpox outbreak that spread to many countries, including the U.S.,
in 2022 was driven by a clade 2 virus.)
This year, two offshoots of clade 1 ? called 1a and 1b ? have been circulating
in various African countries, and both are spreading in the DRC. In addition,
clade 2 viruses have been spreading in several countries, such as Cameroon,
Nigeria and South Africa.
The picture of how mpox is spreading is complex. The main mode of transmission
is through close physical contact, which drives spread in households, for
instance, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's acting interim director of
Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention (EPPP). The virus, and
especially clade 1b, is also spreading through sexual networks. To a lesser
extent, transmission from contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids
is also driving cases, she added.
In the DRC and Burundi, there's evidence that mpox is spreading through
community networks, Dr. Abou Salam Gueye, the emergency director for the WHO
African Region, said at the news conference. But in some other countries that
have reported fewer cases, such as Kenya, Uganda and C?te d?Ivoire, it's
suspected that these cases have been isolated events, he said.
The WHO is now working to increase the availability of mpox vaccines in Africa
by securing deals with manufacturers and donations from countries with existing
stockpiles. They're working with the makers of vaccines called MVA-BN (which is
marketed as Jynneos in the U.S.) and LC16, which is produced by the government
of Japan, according to Tim Nguyen, head of the Unit for High Impact Events
within the EPPP department.
"Vaccines are one intervention that can be utilized," Van Kerkhov said. But
there's also work that needs to be done around communicating people's risk of
mpox and precautions that can be taken to prevent the disease, she added.
In addition, more studies need to be undertaken to understand how the virus'
transmission dynamics differ in different settings and how illnesses from mpox
progress, and as Ogoina noted, gaps in testing need to be closed, she said.
Without swift action, mpox could spread to additional African countries and
also beyond the continent.
As such, "mpox requires a coordinated response, not only in Africa, but
globally," Ogoina said. "Collectively, all parties involved can work to improve
surveillance, diagnosis, and other public health responses that are needed to
nip this challenge in the bud."
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer
medical advice.
Nicoletta Lanese Channel Editor, Health
Nicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was
previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate
certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in
neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in
The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine
Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, she also remains heavily involved
in dance and performs in local choreographers' work.
------------------------------
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