Russia's leaders fear public wrath more than Omicron

Significance A parallel bill requiring people to show electronic QR codes for train and air travel has been withdrawn. Both bills were halted by public opposition and President Vladimir Putin's call for a rethink. Meanwhile, 35 of Russia's 85 regions have relaxed their own restrictions ahead of the New Year holiday. Impacts Regional governments will have to face the new burden created by the Omicron variant, adding to the strain on their budgets. Substantial federal support for businesses affected by the new virus wave is unlikely. The Sputnik V booster will be introduced, although a mass roll-out is unlikely to occur before Omicron takes hold.

US election cybersecurity rises but distrust lingers

Significance Though researchers had identified vulnerabilities in the voting system for years prior to 2016, Russian influencer cybercampaigns during that election highlighted the urgency of federal support for state-led security upgrades. Yet only some states have been willing to receive support and guidance from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on this. Impacts Companies supplying electoral voting equipment face rising auditing and security requirements. Disinformation campaigns since 2016 have reduced overall public trust in the integrity of US elections. At the state and county-level, cybersecurity awareness will remain far lower than at the federal level, impeding action.

The Editor’s Note: A new day for young children?

Federal support for early education receives strong bipartisan support from parents and from voters in general, says Rafael Heller. However, such support in the past has not always led to concrete reforms. Will the COVID-19 crisis galvanize the public and policy makers to act?.

An Interview with Professor Jonathan King. Part I: on Social Responsibility and Activism in Academia

For nearly four decades, Prof. King has served as a faculty member in the Department of Biology at MIT. His work on protein folding and, importantly, misfolding as they relate to human disease and virus assembly has garnered numerous awards and honors: He was a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow, Jane Coffin Childs Fund Fellow, AAAS Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Merit Award. Additionally, Prof. King has taken critical roles at the intersection of science and public policy, including a tenure as President of the Biophysical Society in 1999. In 2003, he received the MIT Martin Luther King Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals who “embody the spirit of Dr. King’s work” [1] in their contributions to the MIT community. Prof. King’s recent efforts have focused on championing federal support for biomedical research as well as criticizing unrestrained defense spending. In part I of this interview, we examine the connections between science, activism, and policy through the lens of Prof. King’s diverse experiences as an academic and activist.

Manufacturing USA Institute Evaluation: Renewal Process and Performance Standards

The Manufacturing USA Program’s 2019 reauthorization allows the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to renew Manufacturing USA institute support, subject to a “rigorous merit review.” Following an initial five to seven-year cooperative agreement in which federal support must be cost-matched by at least a 1:1 match of non-federal co-investment over the performance period of the award, NIST-funded institutes are now eligible to apply for renewal of their support. This document describes the institute renewal process, with a focus on the performance standards for the merit review.

Government support for small and medium-sized businesses in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

Subject. This article explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium-sized businesses' activities. Objectives. The article aims to analyze the measures of regional and federal support for small and medium-sized businesses carried out in St. Petersburg. Methods. For the study, I used general research methods. Results. Considering the problem of survival of small and medium-sized businesses in St. Petersburg in the economic crisis, the article assesses the measures of State aid for economic actors. Conclusions. Despite certain effective measures of public support, the restrictions imposed do not guarantee successful overcoming of the occurred economic recession by small and medium-sized businesses. The most effective options are public selective or pin-point support efforts for small and medium-sized businesses and the variability of restrictive measures.

Party, Peace, and Caciquismo

This chapter identifies the processes by which Veracruz moved from violent political and social fragmentation to comparative stability and central discipline. It charts a new level of control by civilian politicians over the networks of soldiers and pistoleros who had previously taken over much of the state, and the emergence of a modus vivendi between weary peasant communities and landowners. Competitive elections declined precipitously, peasants were cut out of political posts at all levels and unions consolidated their control over the work force. Caciquismo endured, and remained as in the rest of Mexico key to political bargaining and central control. Yet while the state government remained incapable of efficient tax collection, this was compensated by dramatic economic growth, police professionalization and federal support for infrastructure and other public goods from the veracruzano camarilla in the national government.