Latest news with #Beckman
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Viruses and the Brain: New study uncovers links to neurodegeneration after viral infection
CHENNAI: Dr. Danielle Beckman is a neuroscientist whose passion for studying the brain is helping to reveal how viral infections—like COVID-19—can affect brain health and possibly lead to long-term neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr. Beckman dreamed of being a writer. But after taking a college physiology course, she became fascinated with the brain. Her interest turned personal when her grandmother developed dementia, pushing her to understand what happens inside the brain during these conditions. Working at UC Davis under expert guidance, Dr. Beckman and her team created new monkey models that mimic how viruses interact with the human brain. A new study published in Genomic Press Brain Medicine reveals that these models have shown viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (the virus behind COVID-19) can reach brain cells quickly—within just seven days—and cause inflammation, a key contributor to memory problems and brain fog. This is different from other viruses like HIV, which affect the brain more slowly. Dr Beckman's findings help explain why some people experience memory issues or 'brain fog' after recovering from viral infections like COVID-19. Using advanced microscopy (a way to take detailed pictures of brain cells), Dr. Beckman has identified how viruses damage brain regions related to memory and thinking. Long COVID Dr. Beckman is also active in the Long COVID community, supporting people who are still sick months after infection. She hopes her work will lead to real treatments, especially since there are currently no approved therapies for Long COVID-related brain symptoms. Alzheimer's & Beyond In addition to studying COVID-19, her team is working on better ways to study Alzheimer's disease. They've created new monkey models that more closely reflect how the disease develops in humans—something rodents (like mice) can't do as well. These models are helping scientists test new treatments more effectively. While the ultimate goal of this research is to find ways to prevent or reduce brain damage caused by viruses—both in conditions like Long COVID and in more traditional neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, it is also laying the foundation for future treatments that could help millions around the world.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Jamestown Police Department sergeant receives NDCPA's Medal of Honor
Jul. 2—JAMESTOWN — A sergeant with the Jamestown Police Department received the North Dakota Chiefs of Police Association's Medal of Honor for his actions in an officer-involved shooting in December in Jamestown. "It's quite the honor," Cory Beckman said. "It's a pretty prestigious award to get." Beckman, a Minot native, received the Medal of Honor on June 24 during the North Dakota Chiefs of Police Association Banquet. "I just thank the community too for all the support they gave me in the Police Department," he said. Beckman is a member of the James Valley Special Operations Team, a K-9 handler of Briggs and a department peer support team member. He began his career with the Jamestown Police Department on Dec. 1, 2019, and was promoted to sergeant in October 2023. "All of those responsibilities have helped prepare him for a situation like that," said Scott Edinger, Jamestown chief of police, referring to Beckman's actions during the officer-involved shooting in December. "That's training above and beyond what a normal officer would have received and I know that affected his decision making that night. Initially he could have fired at this guy while he was shooting at Cory, but he had innocent people as a backstop, so he switched positions and then tried to give the guy an opportunity to surrender again, and he started to point the gun at him again, and that's when Corey felt like he was safe to engage him and did." The Medal of Honor is the North Dakota Chiefs of Police Association's highest honor, according to the association's website. The medal is awarded to a sworn member who willingly and selflessly puts his or her life in the line of duty or distinguishes himself or herself with an act of courage involving risk or imminent danger to his or her life above and beyond the call of duty. "The member must render themselves conspicuous of an act so outstanding that it clearly distinguishes their courage from lesser form of recognizable bravery," the website says. The criteria for the award includes the recipient acting within the law and department policies and procedures, acting in the presence of extreme personal danger without hesitation or regard for his or her own well-being, and taking actions willingly and with full knowledge of the grave risk to his or her own personal safety. Beckman shot Devin Quinn Fontenot, 27, Jamestown, on Dec. 3 after he responded to a report of a man armed with a gun and knife standing in the parking lot behind Fred's Den, 113 1st Ave. S. Fontenot died from injuries he sustained from gunfire. Fontenot refused to comply with an order to drop his weapon, jeopardizing the safety of Beckman and others, Edinger said at the time. According to police, the Stutsman County Communications Center received a 911 call at 1:17 a.m. Dec. 3 of a male armed with a gun and a knife standing in the parking lot behind Fred's Den. The caller reported the male had been involved in a physical altercation inside the bar and had been removed. As officers responded, the 911 caller reported a man was shooting at a building, firing many rounds. When the first officer arrived on the scene, the man later identified as Fontenot was still firing rounds in the parking lot. Edinger, who nominated Beckman for the award, said Beckman turned on the emergency vehicle lights as he was arriving to the scene. He said Beckman intentionally drew Fontenot's attention away from innocent bystanders at the scene. "He was intentionally putting himself into a position where he could draw this person's fire and attention, knowing he had no idea where he was and he might not ever know that might be his last moments in order to save and protect the people that were there," Edinger said. " ... That says a lot about who he is. The unknown, the danger, all of that was going to be there either way, but he really did put himself in a bad position to protect everybody else." Beckman said he turned on his emergency vehicle lights to get the shooter to focus on him rather than potentially hurting or killing an innocent bystander. "My understanding to a shooter response is that you become the target," he said. " ... In the end, somebody did lose their life which is unfortunate. I think any JPD officer that would have been put in that position would have made the same decisions that I did." Edinger said every call a Jamestown police officer responds to involves some level of instinctive decision making. "It just varies as to what the risk level is or what the consequences are of that decision," he said. "This one had some pretty grave consequences no matter what he did. It's a terrible thing that somebody lost their life that night, but it's shocking to me that under the circumstances, he was the only one that died." Edinger said it was "absolutely textbook" the way Beckman handled every decision. He said Beckman had a lot on his mind because he was the only officer involved but was also the supervisor of that shift. "He directed all of the beginning of the investigation and preservation of the scene and that evidence," Edinger said. 'He directed all of the contacts that were made." Beckman graduated from Des Lacs-Burlington High School in 2011. He eventually moved to Jamestown in 2013 where he met his wife. He said his mother was a dispatcher for the Minot Police Department for 30 years and it was always his goal to work in law enforcement. He said his past jobs have helped him with his law enforcement career in building relationships. At the James Valley Youth for Christ, he said he built a rapport with youth and that helps to build relationships with adults. He said those skills translate to public relations with the community and communication with command staff.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans' tales of valor
Driving rain fell with the ferocity of machinegun fire while thunder bombarded the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force's rotunda as if it were distant air strike's. Yet, the elements could not overcome the power of the stories being told by World War II veteran airmen 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Beckman and Staff Sergeant Bruce Cook during the museum's 5th Annual WWII panel. Sean O'Dwyer, the museum's education program manager and panel moderator, said while all four panelists from last year's event were alive, Beckman, 102, and Cook, 99, were the only two who could make the trip. Beckman, originally from Northampton, Massachusetts, now hails from St. Petersburg, Florida. Cook lives in West Columbia, South Carolina. The two told stories about close calls, fellow crewmen's practical jokes and harrowing missions. They did so to the best of their recollections, which were much better than they let on, particularly Beckman's as many of his stories were accompanied by the exact date of the mission. The panel was one portion of Sunday's events, which were part of four days of Memorial Day events that the museum planned in honor of the 26,000 airmen of the Eighth Airforce who never returned from WWII. More of the museum's Flags for the Fallen events have been planned for Monday, May 26. O'Dwyer asked the two centenarians a series of questions, helping them call up long dormant moments from their pasts. He started by asking what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. Cook said he was 16 and standing in a doorway when someone came by saying that the Hawaiian naval station had been bombed. "And to me, that didn't mean a whole lot," he said because he had never heard of it before. Beckman actually resigned from the Naval Academy because his roommate's grandfather was a doctor with the with the Navy, and he had heard that a war with Japan was "just around the corner." So he signed up with the Army Air Corp in November of 1941. For him, Dec. 7 of that year started like any other day until about 4 p.m. when he heard what had happened at Pearl Harbor. Beckman went on to serve as a navigator within the 305th Bomb Group while Cook was a waist/ball gunner and toggler for the 379th. Beckman attributed his desire to be an aviator to his first flying experience when he was five years old. The manager of Northampton airport knew his father and invited Beckman for a ride in a two-seater airplane. During the war, he went on 48 missions over two tours. He signed up for a second tour after he decided he wanted to become a permanent officer. He flew with two U.S. presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Beckman described two close calls he had in service. One involved a German pilot who flew his Messerschmitt Me 262 "absolutely vertical" 20 feet off the right wing, so close Beckman could see he was blond with glasses and a white scarf. "I guess I saw him for all of a split second," he said, but he never forgot it. Another close call occurred when his crew's right wing engine had been hit and caught fire. He called that a death notice because a fire usually proceeded an explosion, which typically meant crew members had five to 10 seconds to grab a parachute and jump. In that moment, he secured his parachute and dangled his feet out the escape hatch and then he heard a copilot tell everyone the fire was out. He did not have to jump. Had he jumped he would have done so over enemy territory and undoubtedly been taken as a prisoner of war. Cook could not recall ever being scared beyond his first mission when he told a peer he could not get into the ball turret with his parachute on. The peer said that they could leave his parachute aside and if they got shot down maybe he could get up and grab it in time. Cook was then worried the whole four hours and fifteen minutes of that first, and likely his shortest, mission. Beyond that, he did not recall being scared very much in the air. He did remember a time when a plane ahead of his caught fire. The flames streamed behind it so much that a crewman on his plane thought their plane had caught fire and a miscommunication led another crewman to grab his chute and jump out over enemy territory. Cook told another story of how he shot at an approaching fighter, taking him out. Later the other gunner on the plane also claimed to have shot the enemy fighter down. When the crew got back to base they flipped a coin to see who would claim the hit. "Malone won," he said. Years later when he looked at the military records it only stated that a bomber shot down a fighter, giving no particular airman credit. Both Cook and Beckman flew dozens of missions throughout their tours of duty. Cook joked that officers and enlisted men such as himself did not always hang out during the war, but it was an honor to be speaking with Beckman about their experiences and the men they served with. Beckman and Cook, while grateful for the museum's recognition, deflected any praise heaped upon them. When asked to reflect on Memorial Day's meaning, Cook said he did not deserve the praise that the museum and community were giving him. To underscore the point of the holiday, he recollected one more story of a fellow airman who was less fortunate. During the war, a young man Cook referred to as Albert was moved to another plane to make way for Cook's return to his crew. Cook said on Albert's first mission with the new crew their plane was shot down. Albert and others bailed out over enemy territory while the crew's pilot went down with the plane. For Beckman, Memorial Day is an "opportunity for me to think about the fellows that didn't make it, they were the real heroes." He then paused before expressing that he was at a loss for words "to describe how wonderful life can be when the world is at peace." Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans
Eater
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
With a Michelin Star and James Beard Nomination, Mixtli Sets the Bar for Service in Texas Restaurants
Walking into Mixtli through its bar is walking into a wonderland. The room is designed to resemble a night sky, featuring a palette of deep purples and navy blues; fluffy, transparent clouds made from hand-blown glass hang from the ceiling. Reservations for the bar aren't required, but those who have one begin their expertly choreographed journey with bar manager Lauren Beckman. With an earpiece to communicate with her team and a clipboard in hand, Beckman sets diners up with a drink while they wait, and that's just the beginning of the show. Inside the bar, diners join Beckman in watching a live stream of the kitchen. Some might watch that stream in the same way fans would watch a live sporting event, closely trailing the staff's coordinated dance in the kitchen. Beckman, however, keeps a hawk-like eye on the drink pairings, ensuring each one accompanies the right course. This same level of attention to detail and service is threaded throughout the entire experience at Mixtli. The San Antonio tasting menu restaurant, which is also currently the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the city, first opened in 2013, showcasing Mexican foodways that have earned it two nominations from the James Beard Awards for Outstanding Restaurant. Its chefs have similarly received praise from the industry. One of its chefs and owners, Diego Galicia, was a semifinalist for Best Chef in America, Southwest in 2018, and its former pastry chef, Sofia Tejeda, was named a semifinalist for the Outstanding Pastry Chef category. More recently, though, all eyes have been on Mixtli's service, hospitality, and the level of research that's put into each menu. Sommelier Hailey Pruitt and Beckman took home Michelin's Service Award in Texas for 2024, and just this year, the restaurant earned its first nod for Outstanding Hospitality. The service at Mixtli is unlike any diners will find in any other restaurant in Texas currently. During my visit in late April 2025, Mixtli's tasting menu took on the theme 'Mexico 1848: The Treaty of Hildago,' a deeply researched exploration of the country's diverse food influences from the 1820s through 1848. This included pivotal moments during that era, including, most notably, the Mexican-American War, which introduced European styles of cooking and ingredients from the Spanish and French, as well as Native American cuisines that came from what would later become Texas. Such a menu is a labor of love from Mixtli's entire kitchen. Chef and co-owner Rico Torres, who serves on the board of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has bridged a relationship with the school that gives Mixtli full access to the library's Special Collections Department, home to nearly 3,000 Mexican cookbooks dating back to 1789. 'It is an amazing resource to read through these books and find recipes and history, but you have to be able to read between the lines to dig out the story,' Torres says. 'For example, who is a book written by? Who is being left out? What's going on at this time, at this place in the world?' Each season, Mixtli's team of chefs is tasked with researching the special collections archive to create dishes for the next menu. Then, they audition for Torres and chef and co-owner Diego Galicia, who choose the array of final dishes. Once the final menu is set, each individual chef makes their dish, night after night, and presents it, along with relevant history, to each table. 'The team needs to be storytellers,' Galicia, who is a native of Mexico, says. 'They're not servers, they're guides… Yes, there is food, but it comes with a big lesson in what Mexico is. We're trying to break stereotypes, and people leave with a better understanding of my home.' Chef de cuisine Alexana Cabrera Davis created an acorn mole that is served over root vegetables with amaranth, one of the recent menu's most striking dishes. A sous chef brings it to the table with a compelling story about Davis's experimentation with acorn in different flours for the mole and her intentional use of Indigenous cooking techniques to roast imperfect root vegetables. The dish presentation also details how European sauce-making influenced Mexicans and the Cherokee in Texas. The Mixtli chef's responsibility doesn't end once their dish is served. There isn't a set server for the table — it's a group effort, meaning every team member touches each table at least once. 'We have four stations, and the chefs are responsible from the moment the product comes in… until the moment they are placed on the table,' Galicia says. The completely open kitchen, housed inside the dining room, works twofold, Galicia says — diners get a front-row seat to the kitchen and its staff at work, and the chefs get a clear view of diners and their reactions to each plate. 'That is why they're watching, and they're looking for the instant gratification when people cry or nod their heads in approval.' This keen attentiveness was especially evident during my last dinner at Mixtli. My slick dress was in a constant battle with the restaurant's cloth napkins, resulting in a napkin falling off my lap at least four times. I was surprised when, each time, a chef stepped out of the kitchen to replace my napkin with a new one. Many of the steps of service at Mixtli are informed by the 12-seat train car at the Yard in Olmos Park, where Torres and Galicia opened the restaurant in 2013. Galicia says the tasting menu began because there wasn't enough space to serve and turn tables with an a la carte menu. The same for having an open kitchen as part of the dining room. The move to its new space, located in Southtown, in 2021 came with upgrades, such as custom tables with built-in drawers to store silverware for each course, providing front-of-the-house staff a way to assess where each table was in their meal. Galicia was inspired to have the tables handmade after eating at the now-closed Relæ in Copenhagen. 'You don't have to scramble walking around or open rolled silverware, which I think is tacky — like a Chili's,' says Galicia. Reaching Mixtli's level of service requires an eagle eye and the ability to accept criticism and improve, Torres reiterates. 'On day one, I try to put it into everyone's mind that they should work in the restaurant as if they are the only person here,' Torres says. 'Have that sense of urgency [and care] about everything that needs to be done.'
Campaign ME
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Lessons, learnings and lenses from the virtual Cannes Lions shortlist jury room
And that's a wrap, the Cannes Lions shortlist voting is done. Before we see the winners, feel the FOMO from social posts from rooftop receptions and creative roundtables, or ponder the inevitable edgy fashion choices, here are a few reflections from my first time as a PR shortlist jury member. Let's say at the outset, Cannes takes the judging process seriously. Jury president Tom 'the voice' Beckman set the tone for the role of the shortlist jury, as the curators to provide the best possible shortlist for the best campaigns that represent our time. Turns out it's not just the work at Cannes that sets the benchmark, it's also the Oscars of the judging process. We received a proper and in-depth judging briefing, grounded in criteria tailored to this year's festival themes. The portal itself was intuitive, the chat function encouraged meaningful debate and the scoring system was straightforward. Yes, there were more than 250 entries to review for each judge but when the experience is like this it makes such a more rewarding experience. More importantly, it encourages the best to rise to the top. It doesn't matter where the idea came from and as judges we didn't know because blind entries removed any potential bias of knowing the agency behind it. The two most important questions. Was the campaign able to survive in the real world (the jungle)? Is the idea moving the PR category forward by setting a new benchmark? Cannes Lions work: Micro-ESG, Macro-Impact For me some of the best work came from more grounded and authentic and less performative purpose work. Clever, useful and targeted solutions solving real problems. Crucially, the best work came from brands solving problems that were theirs to solve. One-off ideas parachuted in via an NGO partner for awards season are easy to spot. Also, big issues like climate change, blood donation, disease awareness or food poverty, while vitally important, now need to be truly original to cut through. There's a much higher creative bar for what qualifies as a new benchmark in these spaces. Emerging themes like mental health and social media impact on teenagers felt timely and areas where PR is playing a powerful and positive role. Shirts as a channel The football (soccer for our US friends) shirt is no longer just merchandise, it's now a media channel. With popularity comes saturation, and the ideas that rose above the rest were those that treated the shirt as more than just a logo backdrop. They earned attention beyond the football pitch. Some entries did this with clever subversion by using the shirt as a symbol of protest or solidarity. Others leveraged it as a blank canvas for community-led storytelling. More Middle East, please? As someone working in, and passionate about, the MENA region, I was disappointed by how few entries in the PR category I saw from this part of the world. Creativity exists here, I see it every day in pitches, brainstorms and campaigns, but we need to be braver in sharing our stories outside our region. We've now earned a seat at the table, but we have to show up better. Latin America delivered bold and some unexpected ideas rooted in culture and activism. I also saw some thoughtful and fresh thinking from parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. Another reminder that creativity doesn't have a postcode. The better entries brought local (and sometimes very niche) insights to life in ways that were understandable for a global jury. They didn't need over-explanation or cultural translation, they were smart, clear and emotionally resonant. Cannes Lions: The case for better cases And finally, a note for anyone entering in future years, your case video matters more than ever. In a category like PR, where storytelling is the discipline itself, the case video is your audition. Visual storytelling, sharp copy, and emotional pacing can make the difference. This is an area PR agencies traditionally under-index on. We need to invest in it much more. As Tom so rightly put it, our job was to walk away with new perspectives, fresh opinions and a shortlist of work that hopefully truly inspires the industry. The best PR ideas make us feel something, want to share and go beyond the creative industry. No doubt we'll read more about why PR agencies are not showing up better at Cannes but leaving egos at the door, let's be clear PR can't be badged as 'free media' any longer. We're not here to promote the advertising. It's now the advertising that promotes the PR. Let me hear you roar. By Peter Jacob, Managing Director, MENAT, Current Global
