Co-authored by Gavin Littleboy Challenges in Network Compliance Government agencies face significant challenges in maintaining network compliance due to the ever-increasing complexity of regulations. From NIST 800-53, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, to other security requirement guides like DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) for Department of Defense, comprehensive measures require configuring and maintaining networks to ensure they stay compliant and are secure against vulnerabilities and threats. Compounding this issue are the limited budgets and resources available within government entities, which can make it difficult to allocate sufficient personnel and tools to manage compliance effectively. Additionally, the need to integrate diverse technologies and…

Nursing homes already face serious staffing issues and researchers say health care worker shortages could get worse under Trump’s immigration policies. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images More than 1 million noncitizen immigrants — one-third of them without legal status — work as doctors, nurses, nursing home aides and in other essential and increasingly hard-to-fill health care jobs in the U.S., a new analysis shows. As a result, President Trump’s threatened mass deportations and tightened immigration restrictions, if carried out, could lead to bottlenecks, gridlock and compromised care throughout American hospitals, nursing…

International Girls in ICT Day is the ideal time to shine a spotlight on the technology industry and encourage and inspire girls and women of all ages to explore a wide range of career opportunities—those they may not have previously considered—in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This global initiative, led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will be held on April 24, 2025. It’s something I’m personally incredibly passionate about—let me tell you why! Girls in ICT for inclusive digital transformation Despite some progress, the gender gap in tech remains significant. Women represent only 25 percent of the tech workforce.…

Individual neurons are labeled with fluorescent proteins using the brainbow technique. In researching psychedelics and ketamine, researchers aim to understand how drugs like psychedelics and ketamine could increase the number of connections between neurons. Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Individual neurons are labeled with fluorescent proteins using the brainbow technique. In researching psychedelics and ketamine, researchers aim to understand how drugs like psychedelics and ketamine could increase the number of connections between neurons. Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images This week on NPR’s…

Food is one of the biggest industries in America. According to a report from CBS News Health Watch, it’s estimated that Americans spend a total of $1.7 trillion every year on food and beverages. However, there’s a big issue lurking underneath that most people don’t know. “American food companies keep secret much of what they put in their products,” the report indicated.1 For decades, food companies have taken advantage of a regulatory loophole known as the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) rule, which allows manufacturers to determine the safety of their own additives without requiring FDA (U.S. Food and Drug…

The traditional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have depended on rule-based or signature-based detection, which are challenged by evolving cyber threats. Through the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), real-time intrusion detection has become more dynamic and efficient. Today we’re going to discuss the various AI algorithms that can be investigated to identify what works best when it comes to identifying anomalies and threats in firewall security. Exploring AI Algorithms for Intrusion Detection Random Forest (RF) is a machine learning algorithm that generates several decision trees and aggregates their predictions in order to classify network traffic as malicious or normal. RF is extremely popular in IDS due to its fast processing, interpretability, and ability to remove false positives. RF-based firewalls can make data-driven security decisions at high speed without compromising accuracy. Support Vector Machines (SVM) operate by identifying the optimal hyperplane to differentiate between attack traffic and…

NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with Caitlin Rivers of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about long-term implications of measles outbreaks in West Texas, New Mexico and a dozen other states. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: It’s been 25 years since measles was officially eliminated from the United States. That’s a technical term. In public health, it means measles has not had a steady 12-month spread. Right now, there are measles cases in several states. The biggest number is in west Texas, where two kids have died. To find out whether the U.S. can get this under control, we called Dr. Caitlin…

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.1 In the U.S., it’s the leading cause of mortality, accounting for one in five deaths. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one person dies from this condition every 33 seconds.2 Your everyday habits play an important role in the state of your heart and overall health. One recent study confirms this — according to their findings, spending hours in front of the TV raises your risk of cardiovascular disease, and limiting your television time significantly reduces it. Too…

Working closely with customers who develop and deploy network automation, I’ve often heard the question: “Is the configured network service actually delivered according to customer expectations?” This is not just theoretical; it reflects a real-world challenge many service providers face. It can be difficult to get the right configuration in place in time for any vendor. But even once it’s done, you may realize the customer still hasn’t received the right service, though the network is correctly configured. For quite a while, heterogeneous service providers have relied on automation to help ensure the services provisioned are indeed the services delivered.…

Researchers and experts share safety tips to make your skin care and beauty regimen leaner and cleaner. Beck Harlan/NPR hide caption toggle caption Beck Harlan/NPR Do you know what’s in the lotions, creams and gels you use on your hair and skin every day? Research has shown that some of the ingredients found in personal care products may be harmful to your health. Phthalates and parabens, which can be found in everything from makeup to shampoo, are known hormone disruptors that have been linked to poor reproductive health. Chemical hair straightening and smoothing treatments often contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen,…