Monthly Archives: May 2017

Liberty Silver Corp (LBSV) and Green Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB) Shares Moving The Tape in Session – BVN

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Shares ofLiberty Silver Corp (LBSV) aremoving on volatility today-72.00% or $-1.08 from the open.TheOTC listed companysaw a recent bid of $0.4200 and10000shares have traded hands in the session.

Deep diving into thetechnical levels forLiberty Silver Corp (LBSV), we note that the equitycurrently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -57.75. Active investors may choose to use this technical indicator as a stock evaluation tool. Used as a coincident indicator, the CCI reading above +100 would reflect strong price action which may signal an uptrend. On the flip side, a reading below -100 may signal a downtrend reflecting weak price action. Using the CCI as a leading indicator, technical analysts may use a +100 reading as an overbought signal and a -100 reading as an oversold indicator, suggesting a trend reversal.

Liberty Silver Corps Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R currently sits at -94.40. The Williams %R oscillates in a range from 0 to -100. A reading between 0 and -20 would point to an overbought situation. A reading from -80 to -100 would signal an oversold situation. The Williams %R was developed by Larry Williams. This is a momentum indicator that is the inverse of the Fast Stochastic Oscillator.

Currently, the 14-day ADX for Liberty Silver Corp (LBSV) is sitting at 35.25. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would identify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would lead to an extremely strong trend. ADX is used to gauge trend strength but not trend direction. Traders often add the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of a trend.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSIforLiberty Silver Corp (LBSV) is currently at 48.43, the 7-day stands at 44.63, and the 3-day is sitting at 35.48.

Market watchers diligently track the companies they think can do well to grow earnings. The goal is typically to discover stocks that are most likely to outperform in the future. Many investors like to keep tabs on sell-side analyst views. Following the direction estimates are trending may provide a deeper glimpse into the health of a company. Investors may need to follow a disciplined system which may help keep emotions in check when making investment decisions. On the other end, it may be necessary to craft a new strategy if the old system isnt providing the types of expected returns. It can also become very time-consuming to keep up with shorter-term trends and events. Managing the short-term plan with the long-term plan can be difficult given the existing economic climate.

Green Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB) shares are moving today onvolatility-68.29% or $-0.024 from the open.TheOTC listed companysaw a recent bid of $0.0111 and2500shares have traded hands in the session.

Deep diving into thetechnical levels forGreen Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB), we note that the equitycurrently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -85.01. Active investors may choose to use this technical indicator as a stock evaluation tool. Used as a coincident indicator, the CCI reading above +100 would reflect strong price action which may signal an uptrend. On the flip side, a reading below -100 may signal a downtrend reflecting weak price action. Using the CCI as a leading indicator, technical analysts may use a +100 reading as an overbought signal and a -100 reading as an oversold indicator, suggesting a trend reversal.

Green Planet Bioengineering Co Ltds Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R currently sits at -98.17. The Williams %R oscillates in a range from 0 to -100. A reading between 0 and -20 would point to an overbought situation. A reading from -80 to -100 would signal an oversold situation. The Williams %R was developed by Larry Williams. This is a momentum indicator that is the inverse of the Fast Stochastic Oscillator.

Currently, the 14-day ADX for Green Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB) is sitting at 30.34. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would identify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would lead to an extremely strong trend. ADX is used to gauge trend strength but not trend direction. Traders often add the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of a trend.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSIforGreen Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB) is currently at 45.22, the 7-day stands at 42.83, and the 3-day is sitting at 35.98.

Investors may be looking for the next positive catalyst to create a solid breakout. Some may be wondering when the party will end, and it remains to be seen if excess and profit-taking rotation may create any pullbacks in the upcoming quarter. Investors may have to make a decision whether to ease-up or stay aggressive. Investors may also be closely watching winners and losers, especially in the technology sector. Understanding and researching the space may be highly important when managing the investment portfolio. The key for investors will be to try and locate the winners in the space and find the companies that are either creating new technology or adapting to it rapidly.

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Liberty Silver Corp (LBSV) and Green Planet Bioengineering Co Ltd (GPLB) Shares Moving The Tape in Session - BVN

Faculty Recognized for Achievements at Awards Recognition … – Southern Miss Now

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University of Southern Mississippi faculty members were honored for achievements in teaching, research, service and leadership at the annual Faculty Awards Recognition Ceremony, held May 5 at the Trent Lott Center on the Hattiesburg campus. The event was sponsored by USMs Office of the Provost and Faculty Senate.

Faculty members and their awards/recognition include the following:

*Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) - Dr. Jiu Ding, Mathematics.

*Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professorship (2016-17) Dr. Allison Abra, History; Dr. Matthew Casey, History; Dr. Song Guo, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dr. Donald Sacco, Psychology.

*USM nominee, IHL Diversity Award for Excellence Dr. Mohamed Elasri, Biological Sciences.

*University Excellence Awards Tisha Zelner, Excellence in Service; Dr. Mac Alford, Excellence in Teaching.

*Grand Marshal Dr. David R. Davies, Mass Communication and Journalism.

*USM nominees, National Endowment for the Humanities Award Dr. Matthew Casey History, Dr. Andrew Ross, History.

*Faculty Senate Junior Faculty Awards Dr. Alexandra Valint, English (Teaching); Allen Chen, Psychology (Creative Activity); Dr. Donald Sacco, Psychology (Faculty Research). *Aubrey Keith and Ella Ginn Lucas Endowment for Faculty Excellence Awards Dr. Dan Capper, Religion; Dr. Matthew Casey, History; Dr. Westley Follett, History; Dr. Joshua Haynes, History; Dr. Mark Huff, Psychology; Dr. Shalid Karim, Biological Sciences; Dr. Lucas Keefer, Psychology; Dr. Webb Parker, Music; Dr. Ann Blankenship, Educational Research and Administration; Dr. Jonathon Pluskota, Mass Communication and Journalism; Dr. Stephanie Smith, Psychology; Dr. Timothy Tesh, Music; Dr. Kimberly Ward, Speech and Hearing Sciences; Dr. Matthew Ward, Anthropology and Sociology; Dr. Fei Xue, Mass Communication and Journalism.

*Summer Grants for Improvement of Instruction Dr. Hugh Broome, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dr. Max Grivno and Dr. Jill Abney, History; Dr. James Lambers, Mathematics; Cynthia Littlejohn and Melissa Gutierrez, Biological Sciences; Dr. Andrew Ross, History; Dr. Jeremy Scott, Physics and Astronomy; Dr. Katie Smith, Anthropology and Sociology; and Dr. Alan Thompson, Criminal Justice.

*Association for College and University Educators (ACUE) Faculty Development Institute Certificate in Active Learning Dr. Cindy Blackwell, Mass Communication and Journalism; Dr. Ann Blankenship, Educational Research and Administration; Dr. Hugh Broome, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dr. Nick Ciraldo, Music; Dr. Mike Davis, Biological Sciences; Haley Dozier, doctoral student, Mathematics; Dr. Mary Funk, Interdisciplinary Studies; Dr. Max Grivno, History; Melissa Gutierrez, Biological Sciences; Linda Hanson, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dr. Katie James, Anthropology and Sociology; Dr. Sungsoo Kim, Economic Development, Tourism and Sport Management; Cynthia Littlejohn, Biological Sciences; Dr. Courtney Luckhardt, History; Candice Mitchell, graduate student, Mathematics; Marlene Naquin, Mathematics; Dr. Rebecca Newton, Nursing; Dr. Jennifer Osborne, Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education; Dr. Jonathon Pluskota, Mass Communication and Journalism; Dr. Jennifer Regan, Biological Sciences; Renee Rupp, Nutrition and Food Systems; Dr, Gregory Smith, Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education; Dr. Katie Smith, Anthropology and Sociology; Corwin Stanford, Mathematics; Dr. Steven Stelk, Finance, Real Estate and Business Law; Dr. Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong, Marketing and Merchandising; Dr. Zhu Huiqing, Mathematics; Melissa Ziegler, Kinesiology.

*Innovation in Online Teaching Award Dr. James T. Fox, Educational Research and Administration.

*University Research Council Innovation Awards Dr. Donald Sacco, Psychology, Basic Research Award; Dr. Philip Bates, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Applied Research Award; Mark Rigsby, Art and Design; Creative Activities Award; Dr. Robson Storey, Polymers and High Performance Materials, Academic Partnership Award; Dr. Vijay Rangachari Chemistry and Biochemistry, Multidisciplinary Award; Dr. Marie Danforth, Anthropology and Sociology, Research Advocate Award; Khem Raj Budachetri, Biological Sciences, Graduate Student Award.

USM Faculty Senate Resolutions announced at the ceremony included those honoring recently deceased faculty members Dr. Stan Kuczaj, Psychology; Dr. Ed Nissan, Economics; and Dolly Loyd, Marketing.

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Faculty Recognized for Achievements at Awards Recognition ... - Southern Miss Now

Anatomy changes assessed for proton therapy – Medical Physics Web (subscription)

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Researchers in the Netherlands have developed a population-based statistical model that could improve proton treatment plans for lung cancer patients. The method assesses the daily anatomical variations of the thorax, and complements other methods that account for device uncertainty and respiratory motion (Radiother. Oncol. 123 99).

Proton therapy is similar to conventional radiotherapy in that it is used to destroy tumours, but in principle has a finite range that spares surrounding healthy tissue. Such precision, however, can be thwarted by a patient's changing anatomy during a treatment plan. To avoid missing the tumour, radiotherapists will sometimes expand the target of radiation over the course of treatment, but studies have shown this method to be insufficient for proton therapy, as it can still end up delivering too little radiation to the tumour and too much radiation to healthy tissue, worsening side effects. The problem is more acute for lung cancer patients, as the contrast in tissue density in the thorax is much greater.

Researchers have been developing methods to accurately estimate how the target should evolve in proton therapy, and have so far taken into account respiratory motion, as well as setup and range errors in the proton therapy itself. Until now, however, a method to estimate a patient's anatomical variations has been lacking.

To create such a method, Jan-Jakob Sonke of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam and colleagues collected scans acquired for treatment planning and daily image guidance for a large cohort of patients. For each scan they used deformable image registration to measure, for each voxel, the displacement between treatment planning and treatment delivery.

In the next step, the researchers transferred the displacements to a reference anatomy, and averaged over the first treatment week to characterize the systematic variations. Finally, they used a method known as principle component analysis to extract independent "modes" of variations that are commonly found in the population.

"Similar methods have been applied [to] other parts of the body, but for the thorax, only the respiratory motions have been studied," said lead author Yenny Szeto of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. "With this, we can make statistical predictions of the systematic variations for a new patient to be treated for lung cancer radiation therapy The planned dose will better predict the actual delivered dose."

Sonke, Szeto and colleagues are now planning to integrate their model into proton treatment plans. "[Our] model generates plausible instances of the geometric changes," says Szeto. "We can convert these changes into probability distributions of range uncertainties, which will be included in the probabilistic plan optimization."

Shrinkage predictions boost lung tumour dose Lung proton therapy demands robust plans Motion mitigation for scanned protons Motion analysis enhances predictive model

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The anatomy of a drug website: 5 pharma tactics to be wary of – HealthNewsReview.org

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Imagine you have an amazing office visit with Dr. Wunderbarwho offers the following:

Clearly, Dr. Wunderbar is wonderful.

Problem is there is no Dr. Wunderbar.

But there are plenty of drug websites that offer all this and more using the slickest of graphics, videos, and eye-catching statistics andwithout having to deal with that crowded waiting room, stodgydoctor, and ho-hum degrees on the wall.

Direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs was approved(New Zealand 1981, US 1997, and Brazil 2008 ) for the most part before the internet emerged as the most far-reachingmarketing tool of ourtime. After all, the internet isin our office, home, car, phone, andeven our wristwatch.

It has proven to be a target-rich venue for the pharmaceutical industry, and one they have capitalized on with techniques that are sometimes informative but can also be manipulative, misleading, and even potentially harmful.

Lets look at a few drug websites to see what sort of strategiesare commonly employed and how they can be hazardous to your health.

About a week ago I wrote a story about the only FDA-approved drug to treat a condition called pseudobulbar affect, or PBA. That drug is called Nuedexta and like so many new drugs that pharma companies are heavily invested in it has its own website: http://www.nuedexta.com.

The website is a virtual blueprint for the 5 marketing tools I see most commonly used to hook customers (pharma would likely counter they are 5 tools to educate). Here they are:

The primary goal of these websites is not hard to spot. Theyare clearly trying to expand the pool of people who are eligible tobe diagnosed with the condition their drug treats. The companies will counter that this is simply an attempt to identify the undiagnosed. But, it not only increases the demandfor their drug, but also runs the hugerisk of diagnosing people without the condition. For example, I took the Neudexta quiz and it looks like I may have pseudobulbar affect:

And here are the 7 questions, of which I answered occasionally to all 7 because thats my honest reply. Of note, had I answered rarely to all 7 questions Iwould have scored >13 and still been considered a possible candidate for PBA:

After convincing you that you may have a disease or that you need their medication for the condition youve already been diagnosed with its typical for drug websites to offer a helping hand in paying for their drug.

Ad for type 2 diabetes drug, Farixa (dapagliflozin)

Financial support tabs (or co-pay calculators) are on most drug websites and seem harmlessenough. ButAlan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria and a regular contributor toour blog, says thats not necessarily the case:

Co-pay or coupon programs have the veneer of charity and corporate philanthropy but they are only giving deals on marginal newer drugs, when there areoften cheaper and more effective generic drugs available like metformin instead of Farixa. Also, once a patient enters one of these programs they become a data point. Youve now established a direct line between the drug company and the patient. Patients can become dependent on that company for their supply of drugs. And the company can turn around and use your data for further marketing, patient reminders, gifts, and other types of largesse.

Cassels goes on to point out that most of these drugs are usually third line treatment options. In other words, clearly not the safest, most affordable, or most effective drugs available.

If a drug isnt worth taking, says Cassels, then making it cheaper doesnt make it any more attractive or worthwhile.

Andas veteran health care journalist Trudy Lieberman wrote on this blog, what on the surface may look like a win-win with patients paying less and drug companies gaining a loyalcustomer actually shieldsus from knowing the true price of the drugs. While a select few patients may see savings, the high cost of the drug will be shifted to someone else.

I cant tell whether this Allergan website for Chronic Dry Eye disease or CDE is incredibly sexy, bizarre, or ingenious.

Its called Eyepowerment and uses a video (soundtrack is the song Bette Davis Eyes popularized by Kim Karnes in 1981) featuring famous women to inform us that: Before We Had Our Voice, We Had Our Eyes. After a parade of recognizable faces were told: Burning, itchy, dry eyes may send the wrong message. These are symptoms of Chronic Dry Eyes.

Were led to believe this is a medical disease when its actually a symptomassociated with some very serious illnesses. Andit affects a lot of people. How many?

Well, in 2014, Allergan said20 million people were affected by CDE. In 2015, it was 25 million people. This year it jumped to 33 million people. And one ophthalmologist (who in 2015 made over $33,000 consulting for Allergan and other companies) claims over 60 million people worldwide may suffer from CDE.

Drug companies have a business to run. So whats the matter with using these 5 common strategies to reach consumers? Lets answer that question with these questions:

These websites are high budget and very sophisticated. They can be visually stunning and when you combine that with the effective tactics mentioned above they have tremendous potential to influence both medical opinion and health behavior. All the more reason that we as consumers need to stay wary of both their intent and content.

Why? Because these sites can be hazardous to your health just ask your doctor.

With the cost of medications approaching stratospheric levels, criticisms of the drug industry have been

In December the Chicago Tribune published an expos, the third in a three-part series on

Last week the FDA approved two more pricey new drugs labeled breakthroughs by some news

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The anatomy of a drug website: 5 pharma tactics to be wary of - HealthNewsReview.org

The curse of IT longevity – ComputerWeekly.com

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Lots has been written about the WannaCry ransomware by experts and non-experts alike. And with good reason. With so many organisations affected across the world, including high profile victims such as the NHS, its no wonder people have concentrated so much attention on the threat posed by WannaCry and other forms of ransomware.

Digital transformation is a phrase that means many things to many people but for it to have any real relevance to the channel then it needs to mean a chance to make money. This guide will share some of the recent developments in the channel and the latest thoughts about the issue.

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Amid all the outcry over WannaCry, one of the most persistent messages has been the condemnation of affected organisations for continuing to use an operating system (Windows XP) which, in IT terms, is damn near medieval. Its nearly 16 years old!

In an industry that takes great pride in the speed with which it evolves and innovates, thats a seriously long time. Many technologies have come and gone since Microsoft released XP to manufacturing in August 2001. And theres no doubt that Microsoft has been trying its hardest to wean customers away from the OS for several years now.

But XP users (and people looking in from the outside) might be forgiven for suspecting that the IT world views longevity as a curse rather than a sign of durability. And you can see why IT vendors might feel that way. Having to patch and maintain older products after they have moved onto the next big thing in our rapidly evolving industry is a burden that many IT vendors just dont want to have to shoulder if they can help it.

But while its understandable, it also serves to highlight the disadvantages of the industrys strategy of making a virtue of how fast moving it is. On one level, it shows that despite all the boasts, there are still plenty of bits of IT infrastructure that are vulnerable to attacks because they have been left behind as the industry has relentlessly pursued one next big thing after the other. XP is many next big things behind.

In addition, if vendors seek to implement rapid changes in technologies, there is less chance for any technology to enjoy the benefits of maturity where vendors and customers can finally enjoy a period of stability before the next disruptive phase begins.

Theres also a feeling that, despite all this talk of the fast pace of change, vendors have frequently indulged in change for changes sake to coerce customers into upgrading their IT equipment more often than they have to. This process of incessant change means the IT infrastructure of many organisations is threaded through with remnants of older technologies. Those technologies create vulnerabilities, although it could be argued they might be unsafe not because of their age but because of vendor indifference to their maintenance and preservation.

In other words, the rapid pace of evolution in IT creates an environment where vulnerabilities can flourish because vendors are able to move onto the next innovation before anyone can force them to shoulder full responsibility for their earlier technologies.

The industry has a habit of urging customers to upgrade for fear of falling behind but you could just as easily argue that theyre doing it for their own benefit. If customers dont upgrade quickly enough, vendors might have to spend more time supporting their existing product instead of replacing it with another one. Ironically, it is precisely because of this policy of permanent revolution that organisations are often left vulnerable to attack via their continued use of technologies that have never been properly maintained by the vendors.

After all, if youre constantly moving forwards, you never have to look back.

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The curse of IT longevity - ComputerWeekly.com

Duke Hosts Precision Medicine World Conference – Duke Today (blog)

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Hundreds of people representing a broad spectrum of healthcare, research and technology converged on Duke University on May 24 and 25 for the Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC). The gathering spotlighted the rapid growth of biomedical technologies spurring initiatives that enable the translation of precision medicine into direct improvements in healthcare.

The conference, co-hosted by Duke Health and Duke University, marked the first time the PMWC was held on the East Coast. This years theme was Translating the Power of Precision Technologies into Better Health Care. More than 30 sessions were held over the two days, featuring a total of more than 100 speakers from the healthcare and biotechnology sectors.

These types of conferences are critical for us to share information and harness the power of precision medicine to change health, said Mary Klotman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and vice chancellor for health affairs and dean-designate of the School of Medicine. This is an exciting revolution. Yet it also can be frustrating, because we know where were going eventually but its going take a lot of work and understanding of the science to get there.

Geoffrey Ginsburg, MD, PhD, director of Duke Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine and conference co-chair along with Chancellor Emeritus Ralph Snyderman, MD, said the meeting reflects a powerful convergence of important disciplines ranging from genome sciences and data sciences to information technology, tissue and genetic engineering, behavioral science, and immune and cancer biology.

That convergence is resulting in an unprecedented agenda that is driving precision medicine and research in ways that can impact both individual and population health, Ginsburg said.

Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), outlined NIHs All of Us precision medicine initiative to study the impact of genes and environment. The study hopes to enroll 32,000 volunteers by the end of 2017 and 1 million by 2022. The data it collects will be accessible to researchers.

This is a pretty exciting time to contemplate where we are in precision medicine and where we are going, said Collins. Collins later received a PMWC Luminary Award, which recognizes recent contributions of leaders who have accelerated personalized medicine into the clinical marketplace.

The conference was co-hostedby Ginsburg and Ralph Snyderman, MD, Chancellor Emeritus of Duke University and the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine.

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Duke Hosts Precision Medicine World Conference - Duke Today (blog)

American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences

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The American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences (AABSS) holds an annual conference that brings together scholars from around the U.S. and abroad in order to presentscholarship related to a wide variety of contexts, including theory, practice, empirical research, and conceptual advancement.It is a juried conference, meaning that presentation proposals undergo peer-review prior to potential acceptance for presentation. We are in the 21stannual year and expect a robust conference with ample opportunities to exchangetheoretical ideas, share research results, help advance practice,make collaborative connections, and learn from one anothers scholarship.

21st Annual American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Conference

February 2627, 2018

Call for Papers

We invite submissions for potential presentation at this years AABSS conference from a broad range of topics related to the social and behavioral sciences. Strands may include empirical or theoretical scholarship as well as research methodology evaluation, meta-analyses, critical literature reviews, and topics related to applied practice that are grounded in scholarship. Where possible, topics will be grouped together for presentation within similar tracks.

Submit a proposal that includes a title, an abstract of not more than 150 words, and a summary that does not exceed more than 600 words. If the proposal is accepted for presentation, then the title and abstract will be included in the conference program.

Proposal Submission Deadline is November 19, 2017.

All presented papers are eligible for submission to theJournal of Behavioral and Social Sciences(JBSS),and all submitted papers will be peer-reviewed forpotential publication.

Location

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American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences

The president's budget proposal threatens science – The Hill (blog)

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For decades, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have championed federal funding for research and development funding that provides incredible value for our nations health, economy, and security. Yet, the current White House is proposing a budget that would ignore R&Ds value, starve science, and hinder growth.

U.S. investments in scientific and engineering R&D have created millions of jobs in both the public and private sectors, improved state economies, and generated commercial growth. According to a Congressional Research Service report, scientists and engineers only account for about five percent of the nations workforce, but they still help create jobs across the rest of the workforce. Scientists discoveries and products extend far beyond the research laboratory, affecting people across the business sector from designers to builders to consumers.

We can be thankful that Congress understands the need to invest in biomedical research. Despite a proposal from the White House to cut the NIH budget by $1.23 billion for the remainder of 2017, Congress recently decided to invest an additional $2 billion in NIH programs.

When considering the 2018 budget proposal, Congress must continue to uphold and protect its bipartisan support for investment in basic and applied scientific research across all disciplines so that the U.S. can maintain its leadership.

Other countries recognize the enormous value of R&D and the foundation it lays for enhancing 21st century economic growth and global competitiveness. For example, from 2000-2013, Chinas investments in R&D grew 17 percent, South Koreas 8.3 percent, and Russias 8.2 percent, while the U.S. stagnated. There is a clear trend among global leaders that investing in R&D is a critical factor in determining a nations ability to grow its economy and help solve challenging problems.

For generations, U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have supported continued investment in basic and applied research because they witnessed and celebrated the profound and positive impacts that these investments have on our health, economy, and global leadership. Across every business industry and sector, investment in R&D provides clear opportunities for Americans and advances economic prosperity.

Because of federal funding for weather and environmental research, for example, business owners and farmers can make informed decisions that improve food security and benefit our agriculture sector. Funding for material and engineering sciences has improved energy sources, space exploration, and bridge and infrastructure, and enabled countless technologies and products now essential to modern lives. Social and behavioral science research has been critical to helping us respond effectively to disasters, enhance intelligence, and improve international relations.

Even our defense industry one of the few sectors to see increased investment under the White Houses budget proposal benefits tremendously from investments in science. Because of defense R&D, contractors can better supply our armed forces with technology and equipment that helps them deter emerging threats and protect our homeland. As an example, computer science R&D enables massive companies to solidify their cybersecurity infrastructures so that their business can flourish in an Internet economy.

Our country can explore and better understand the most efficient and effective ways to fight disease, expand agriculture, and foster economic prosperity, but we must continue to invest in science R&D to do so. We urge Congress not to sacrifice the nations future innovation, and to not cut R&D investments as the Presidents budget proposes. When government, science, and business sectors work together, millions of Americans and people around the world live healthier and more prosperous lives.

Rush Holt (D-N.J.) is the chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), executive publisher of the Science family of journals, and a former Congressman from New Jersey.

Elias Zerhouni is president of global research and development at the Sanofi pharmaceutical company and former director of the National Institutes of Health.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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The president's budget proposal threatens science - The Hill (blog)

How Biotech Will Make Us Live Longer – Let's Talk Anti-Aging – Labiotech.eu (blog)

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Last week, at our first Labiotech Hangout,Philip had a chat with James Peyer, a partner at Apollo Ventures, to ask a few questions about how biotech istackling the anti-aging space.

For a long time, the anti-aging field has not seen much innovation,both due to a lack of scientific know-how as well as a lack of confidence on the part of pharma and regulatory agencies. Yet, in the past years, the field has started to turn into one of the most hyped areas in biotech, marked by the launch of companieslike Unity Biotechnology, which recently raked in $116Mfrom big names like Jeff BezosorCalico, which was co-founded by Google in 2013.

James Peyer from Apollo Ventures, a VC that focuses on biotechs in the age-related disease space, talked to Philip abouthow biotech is trying to solve the challenges of anti-aging, where the field is moving and how the first anti-aging therapies could enter the clinic within the next two years.

Referring to a review article on the hallmarks of aging, Peyer explains thatWithin the last 5 years, our understanding has gone from theory and hypothesis-driven to really coalescinga strong data-driven knowledge base.While there is no drug out there yet that is approved as an anti-aging treatment, James comments that The geroscience space has at least 80 mutations or chemicals that have been shown with some level of conviction to extend the healthylife span of a mouse.

However, the challenge will be to bring these compounds into the clinic. Anti-aging therapies are preventative medicines, meaning that the treatment is given before the actual occurrence of age-related disease so how do you run a clinical trial for such medicines?

Peyer mentions a group of scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicinein New York that have been piloting such a preventative medicine study with a 7-year trial, totest whether the generic drug metformin can delay the onset of age-related conditions.This model of a 7-year clinical trial though, thats not really something that can be easily translated to a commercial model with a patented drug,he explains.

But whats gonna come out of those trials in the next 5-10 years are biomarkers that will give us a hint on whether or not adrug is working to reduce the risk of age-related diseases, and then that biomarker could be used in future trials,Peyer argues.

Apollo is following a slightly different path, though, as Peyer explains.The VC aims to go after geriatric syndromes, such as osteoarthritis, that are actually treatable medical conditions. Youll be really focussed on one indication thats a real clinical opportunity and move that towards the clinic just as you would with a traditional oncology drug or osteoarthritis drug.

Thats the opportunity that Apollo is really excited about and then, of course, there is the vision in the longer term that those two paths () will come together and create a world where we can actually do preventive clinical trials,Peyer adds.

Reflecting on who is buying in on that vision, Peyer says that the big players that are now coming into the area are technology players like Jeff Bezos or Google (). The internet space has attracted so much investment but the return profiles in this space actually look much worse compared to biopharma both in the US and the EU.

The biopharma space is actually just kicking ass right now! So when you see numbers like that and youre a tech investor it makes sense to make some moves.

Check out the video to hear more about which companies are leading the fieldandwhere Apollo is heading.

Shutterstock.com / BrunoWeltmann and Rustle

Merken

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How Biotech Will Make Us Live Longer - Let's Talk Anti-Aging - Labiotech.eu (blog)

ABC’s chemistry-lacking ‘Dirty Dancing’ has two left feet – Chicago Tribune

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You will not have the time of your life watching ABC's "Dirty Dancing" musical. It is neither good nor deliciously bad. It is a banal three-hour time-suck that manages to feel both rushed and drawn out.

"Dirty Dancing" was a box-office hit in 1987, and its enduring popularity has spawned a stage musical, a cheesy Cuba-based prequel and the adoration of multiple generations. "Dirty Dancing" oozes nostalgia, not least because it's an '80s movie set in the '60s. But a remake will always be a tall order.

The adaptation, which airs Wednesday, was pre-taped, unlike recent musicals such as Fox's "Grease" and NBC's "Hairspray Live." Abigail Breslin stars as Frances "Baby" Houseman, the bookish 18-year-old who falls in love with a suave dance instructor while vacationing with her family at a resort in the Catskills. Colt Prattes, who starred in the Las Vegas production of "Rock of Ages," plays Johnny Castle, the role made famous by Patrick Swayze.

Breslin nabbed an Oscar nomination at just 10 years of age for her assured performance in "Little Miss Sunshine," and Prattes is a gifted dancer. But they don't have a tenth of the chemistry that Swayze had with Jennifer Grey. That on-screen connection was the driving force of the original film. Stripped of that, Baby and Johnny appear to just be going through the motions.

Even Baby's close-knit relationship with her father, Jake (Bruce Greenwood), feels less authentic. To be fair, the late Jerry Orbach left big shoes to fill. But Baby's teary-eyed confrontation with her father over his judgment of working-class Johnny always made me sob. Here? Meh.

"Dirty Dancing" sticks pretty close to the script - the biggest twist merely provides an unnecessary justification for the movie's musical format, which includes cast renditions of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Do You Love Me," in addition to covers of "Hungry Eyes" (by Greyson Chance) and "Hey! Baby" (by Lady Antebellum). Johnny still gets falsely accused of stealing after blowing off "bungalow bunny" Vivian Pressman (Katey Sagal). And his dance partner Penny, played by singer and "X Factor" judge Nicole Scherzinger with an unplaceable tri-state-area accent, still gets an illegal abortion that puts her health in danger. The story line, controversial in the late 1980s, offers muted social commentary.

But in the sometimes-awkward tradition of network musicals, the TV movie makes ham-handed attempts to update the story in more overt, socially conscious ways. Baby and her sister, Lisa ("Modern Family's" Sarah Hyland), have an ongoing dialogue about whether women can have it all. This time around, Lisa is quicker to ditch Robbie (Shane Harper), the sleazy, Ivy League-bound waiter, leaving her free to pursue a forbidden romance with Marco ("Hamilton's" J. Quinton Johnson), a piano player in the Kellerman Lodge house band. Marco, who is black, is warned by bandleader Tito (Billy Dee Williams) to "leave the little white girls alone."

In the end, Lisa asks Marco to join her onstage at the end-of-the-summer talent show, where they sing a saccharine cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." (At least we're spared Lisa's shrill rendition of "Hula Hana.") The performance leaves Tito and Max, the lodge's owner, to muse that times are a changin' and that's a good thing! This must be what the musical's website means when it says that the remake tackles "social themes like race."

If there's anything to be savored here, it's Debra Messing's turn as Baby's mother, who isn't as content to be a housewife and challenges her husband's lack of attention. But the musical isn't about Marjorie Houseman (though maybe it should be). Ultimately, this "Dirty Dancing" remake amounts to an epic jumble of misused talents. Random musical outbursts only make it worse.

By the time Johnny bursts into the performance hall to proclaim that "nobody puts Baby in a corner," you might well wish that somebody had.

"Dirty Dancing" (three hours) airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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ABC's chemistry-lacking 'Dirty Dancing' has two left feet - Chicago Tribune

What is Team Chemistry in Professional Sports? – Blazer’s Edge

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One of the blessings of watching the NBA is the abundance of information we have available: every type of advanced statistic, insider reports tweeted to us by any media member we choose to follow, and a simple internet search that gets us in-depth analysis of any player or game in history. Its pretty stinking awesome. But while in the midst of this information boom, we forget that some things are incalculable. You can measure talent in stats, or physical tools, or shooting percentages, but to make a good team, talent is not always enough.

In the past few years weve watched a team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all in their primes, lose a best-of-seven series to a team whose second leading scorer was a 33-year-old Jason Terry. A team with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol finished a season with 45 wins (injuries be darned). And there are the Spurs who have won at least 50 games every year for 20 straight years. (I'm counting the lockout year) but most of those players would be middle of the pack or worse selections in an NBA pickup game.

Talent is very important, but one of the most important factors that determines if a team can reach or exceed its potential is chemistry.

What is Team Chemistry?

Team chemistry is an idea thrown around a lot but not many people other than players understand the actual impact. The old cliche is that good chemistry means the team is greater than the sum of its parts. This is a good start, but it runs much deeper than that.

The best way Ive ever been able to describe the chemistry is that its a cumulative team attitude. In other words, its the way the team, as a whole, feels about itself and its chances to succeed.

Confidence is a big part of it. Teams that have great chemistry also have a bit of a swagger, some cockiness, and some attitude. Each member goes into every game knowing exactly what their role is and what they they need to do. Even more importantly, they know that everyone else knows their role and will do their job.

The teams with the best chemistry can absorb some adversitythey trust themselves to be able to handle it.

Basketball is a team sport and it takes a combined effort to achieve success. If one person is feeling unhappy or unconfident, it brings down the entire teams cumulative attitude. If a player is not doing their job in accordance with the way the rest of the team needs them to, the whole team falters.

This applies not only to the game of basketball, but in any setting that involves people working together. When everyone carries their weight, your load becomes lighter. We all have that one person weve worked with at some point in our careers who brought in negative vibes and was lazy, making everyone elses job more difficult. The same thing is true on the basketball courtnegativity and lack of cooperation become burdens for everyone else to carry.

One big misconception is that team chemistry means that all of the players are friends both on and off the court. Some of my favorite teammates I never saw outside of basketball; there is a difference between friends and teammates. But basketball across the world is starting to put more value on high-character people.

You realize you can win championships with all good guys, an NBA scout told Bleacher Report. You dont need to have any knuckleheads on your team like previously thought to win games. I think teams are starting to appreciate good character and realize what that has to do with winning.

What Affects Team Chemistry?

When I describe the chemistry as a cumulative team attitude, I choose to say, team attitude and not player attitude for a reason. The cumulative team attitude is impacted by every person incolved with the organization, from the owner down, and that includes the fans and media. The players and coaches carry the biggest part of that burden, but the organization and the way it functions make a difference as well (Google New York Knicks for some negative examples).

I played on a team professionally in Europe that was always at least two months late on payments to our foreigner players and never less than four months late to the local players. It then came out that the president was caught stealing money from the team.

That same yearand on the same teamour coach was told he would be replaced and was asked to step down. It turns out the new coach didnt want the position and so the original coach was actually forced to return to finish the season at the risk of losing out on the rest of his contract. The whole season was just a big cluster of confusion. We were dealing with agents telling players to not practice until they got paid, we were getting lied to by the front office about our money, and our poor coach may as well have been John Coffey being followed around all season by Percy Wetmore.

As for the players, I couldnt come up with a single negative thing to say about their attitudes. We handled the situation with more class and professionalism than most would, but not even a talented team and multiple ex-NBA players on our roster mattered. The cumulative attitude of that organization was terrible and our play on the court remained a reflection of that.

We finished the season 10-27.

Every player wants to succeed on the court for their benefitand for their familys benefitand most want to succeed for their teammates, as well. But there is a distinct difference when a player wants to succeed not only for himself and his teammates, but for the whole organization.

I have played for teams that made me feel this way. I wanted to win because my coach wanted to win just as badly as I did. I wanted to win because my president did everything he possibly could to put our players in the best position to be successful. I wanted to win because the team volunteers spent 15 hours this week, of their own time, decorating the gym and making the atmosphere as electric as possible. I wanted to win for the fans who take time and pay money to come support us. I felt pride in my team, and it wouldve really hurt to let those people down. Feelings like that stayed with me on the court just as much as the negativity.

At the same time, I had teammates on those same teams who felt much differently about the club. At the end of the day, its the attitudes of the player that weighs the most.

What Role Does a Leader Have with a Teams Chemistry?

The team leader is the person or people who hold everybody else accountable for staying on track. The leader can be the coach, or the captain, or both. But the best leadership situations put responsibility on every player to be leaders. The leader of the team is the person setting the precedent for what is acceptable and what isnt. He has to balance between setting a tone for the way the team operates and keeping the respect of everyone else.

He also has to know how to talk to everyonewhat you can say to whom and when. It is the leaders job to know how the players are feeling and make sure the cumulative attitude stays positive. More than anything, if the leader expects everyone else to be able to put their personal agendas aside for the good of the team, he has to be able to set an example and do it himself.

One of my favorite examples of this was the 2016-17 Blazers. For a year and a half, they had two stars on their roster: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. But as soon as Jusuf Nurkic was traded to the Blazers, that dynamic backcourt started making sacrifices in order to help Nurk fit in.

The two guards would cross halfcourt yelling at Nurk to get on the block so he could post up and they could get him the ball. They knew that it may cost them shots, but they did what they had to in order to integrate a new teammate they thought could help them win more games. As it turns out, that is exactly what happened, and Nurkic was given a responsibility within the team. He then became more engaged, his confidence grew, and Blazers finished the season
with 17 wins in their final 23 games.

In contrast, a week after Nurkic was traded to the Blazers, a more talented big man, DeMarcus Cousins, was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans lost 10 of their 17 games with Cousins. The Blazers improved more by adding a player with less overall talent than Boogie. Nurks shortcomings with success have been well documented, but the Blazers leaders deserve a lot of credit for the way they were able to incorporate him.

Good leadership is part of the battle but everyone has to buy in for it to work. Good chemistry is not easy to come by. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort from everyone for it work. Other times, it just comes together on its own, and more often than not, chemistry never fully comes, so professional teams are now putting more emphasis on chemistry and high-character players than ever.

When watching the the NBA, were reminded time and time again that the best players do not always win.

But the best team always does.

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Winston, Jackson Developing Early Chemistry – Buccaneers.com

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When Jameis Winston drops back to pass this season, hell almost certainly know where No. 11 is on the field. While he and his new wide receiver, DeSean Jackson, arent familiar enough to read each others mind yet, the pair have succeeded in jumpstarting an on-field relationship that the Buccaneers believe could be instrumental in a push towards the postseason.

WATCH: WEDNESDAY'S OTA HIGHLIGHTS

Yeah, we already have that chemistry down pat now, Winston said during a press conference after the Buccaneers first OTA practice on Tuesday.

Getting on the same page with Jackson has been a priority of Winstons, and it appears just as important to the veteran wide receiver. OTAs are voluntary, and Jackson opted to skip out on the first two weeks of the Redskins workouts a year ago. But he was in the building for Day 1 with his new team.

Its going great, Jackson said of his budding relationship with Winston. Im excited about it. Its still early. We have still been getting some good work in, so Im looking forward to once training camp [starts] and July, August and getting ready for the season. That is what I look forward to.

Although the two hadnt been able to practice together at team facilities, Winston and Jackson have been in touch since Tampa Bay signed Jackson as a free agent. From what hes seen so far, Jackson has been impressed with the Bucs third-year quarterback.

READ: FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM TUESDAY'S PRACTICE

He has a strong mentality and hes a worker, Jackson said. Hes one of the guys out there, he is a big-time vocal guy. If someone is not doing something right, he is going to get at them. So, as that being your franchise quarterback, that is the first thing you would need in a quarterback. A vocal guy and someone that is not too shy to speak their mind and if you see a guy that is not doing something right, tell them about it. Its not like hes just barking and not showing. Hes out there actually barking and hes working.

Hes one of the first out there. Hes going to be running around from drill to drill. His excitement, his camaraderie with the team, its what you need in a quarterback. I think he has that and thats why this franchise has him as their starting quarterback.

The on-field results appear to echo what each player has said. Jackson ran a handful of deep routes against Vernon Hargreaves on Tuesday and caught a deep touchdown pass during Wednesday's workout. To watch his catch, click the video below.

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CPS High School Students Would Have To Take Chemistry, Physics To Graduate – DNAinfo

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Chemistry could become a requirement for graduation from CPS. View Full Caption

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CHICAGO To earn a high school diploma, Chicago high school students would have to take chemistry and physics in addition to biology, under a new proposal unveiled Tuesday by Chicago Public Schools officials.

Current students have to earn three science credits to meet the requirements for graduation, but only one must be from a biology class. The other two credits can now be earned by taking a combination of chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science and physics.

If the tougher requirements are approved as expected Wednesday by the Board of Education, students entering high school in the 2018-19 academic year would still have to earn at least three science credits but they would have to be in biology, chemistry and physics classes.

The new requirements are designed to ensure all students have "access to a rigorous science education" and "better prepare students for careers in science fields," officials said.

In addition, high school students will have to take a financial literacy class that prepares them "with the knowledge and skills to make empowered financial decisions."

The requirement will apply to students who enter high school in the fall, officials said. Schools will develop their own curriculum, and the class will be offered pass or fail, officials said.

In addition, the board is poised to adopt a new requirement that would prevent high school students from graduating unless they can prove they have plan in place for college, a trade school or a job.

Current freshmen who are set graduate in 2020 would be the first to be required to provide a plan. All students who graduate from CPS high schools are automatically granted admission to the City Colleges of Chicago.

Emanuel has said the current kindergarten through 12th grade model for education has not been relevant for nearly 20 years.

"We are moving to a pre-kindergarten through college model," Emanuel said.

However, Emanuel's plan was blasted by some who said it was irresponsible for the cash-strapped district to impose new requirements on schools and teachers when it is not providing adequate resources to meet students' minimum needs.

The proposal to toughen high school graduation requirements come a month after the Board of Education adopted a new requirement that will require all eighth-grade students to apply to high school rather than just enrolling at their neighborhood high school.

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CPS High School Students Would Have To Take Chemistry, Physics To Graduate - DNAinfo

Julius Thomas needs time to develop chemistry with Ryan Tannehill – NBCSports.com

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Julius Thomas needs time to develop chemistry with Ryan Tannehill
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Julius Thomas needs time to develop chemistry with Ryan Tannehill. Posted by Mike Florio on May 24, 2017, 3:58 PM EDT. AP. As tight end Julius Thomas gets ensconced with his third NFL team and, in turn, his third starting quarterback, he knows that ...

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Famous Scientist’s Legacy Gift Leaves Mark on Chemistry Students – Bethel University News

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May 24, 2017 | 2:30 p.m.

By Whitney Bak 15, content specialist

(l-r) Aeli Olson 17, Keenan Pearson 17, Alyssa Clements 17, and Jennifer Neufeld 17 are the first students to receive the Holman Scholarship.

This spring, Alyssa Clements 17, Jennifer Neufeld 17, Aeli Olson 17, and Keenan Pearson 17 will become the first Holman Scholars to graduatecarrying the legacy of renowned chemist Ralph T. Holman 37 to a new generation of scientists. Ive definitely felt his impact, Olson says of Holman, for whom Bethels chemistry laboratory is named.

The Ralph and Karla Holman Endowed Scholarship is one of the reasons Olson was able to major in chemistry. Olson declared a physics major in her first year at Bethel, but also took chemistry courses to keep her options open for pursuing a medical career. After working with her in class, Professor of Chemistry and Pre-Medical Advisor Wade Neiwert encouraged Olson to double major. Olson was moved by his enthusiasm, but had concerns about cost. However, immediately after taking Neiwerts advice and declaring a second major in chemistry, Olson was awarded the Holman Scholarship. It was affirmation and encouragement to keep pursuing both, she says.

Though Holman has made a huge impact on Bethels Department of Chemistry and its students, he was relatively unknown among members of the Bethel community for many years. Ralph Holman kind of came out of nowhere, Rollin King, department chair and professor of chemistry, says. After graduating from Bethel in 1937, Holman hadnt stayed engaged in the community. So, when he wrote a letter to the chemistry department detailing his donation plans in 1991, faculty were more than a little surprised. Holman and his wife, Karla, were making a large donation to Bethel, and had included an even larger donation for a Bethel chemistry endowment fund in their will.

In his letter, Holman explained that memories of his time as an undergraduate student had a powerful influence over his life and career. Without help from Bethel, I could not have earned an education which has brightened my life, he wrote. Without the guidance of a dedicated faculty and the support of such a Christian community, I may not have succeeded in finding my way to a place where I, in turn, could help others.

Holman came from humble beginnings and relied upon financial aid from Bethel to obtain his degree. In the years following, he studied and named the omega-3 fatty acids, and was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 1981. He was an avid researcherpublishing over 425 papersand a passionate Christian. His naming of the omega-3 fatty acids combined his biochemical and biblical knowledge, drawing inspiration from Revelation 1:8, I am the Alpha and the Omega to propose a new numbering system beginning with the terminal end of the fatty acid molecule, according to his biography on the National Academy of Sciences website.

At Homecoming in 1998, Bethel appointed Holman a distinguished alumnus, and he received many other national and international accolades during his lifetime. He lived to be 94, and attributed his longevity to his high consumption of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (and fish oil). Upon his death in 2012, Bethel became the beneficiary of the endowment fundsand the Holman Scholarship was born.

I think its wonderful for the students to have a real connectiona financial oneto a great Christian scientist who went before them and made this gift, King says. The Holman Scholarship is a need-based, renewable, $1,000 yearly scholarship that students can apply for online. Since fall 2013, the Bethel chemistry department has awarded four incoming students yearly. The 2016-2017 school year brought the first full roster of Holman scholars16 in all.

But the Holman scholars arent the only members of the chemistry department who feel the impact of Holmans donation. The funds that Holman and his wife first gave to Bethel in 1991 were placed in an endowment that has since been used to support students travel and expenses at the American Chemical Society National Meeting. This year, nine seniors traveled to San Francisco, where they attended lectures and presented their own research. [Holman] was constantly working with publications as well as setting up meetings for scientific collaborationhe was really passionate about that, Holman Scholar Pearson says. So thats fun that his money is going toward us being able to attend and learn from these meetings.

From being able to engage in scientific collaboration at the national meeting, to receiving individual financial support, both Pearson and Olson say Holman has made a difference in their lives. They also hope to give back in a similar way someday. Because of all the scholarships and financial aid that Ive received at Bethel, when Im older and have financial assets and am financially stable, I do want to give back and make scholarships, Olson says. I think that would be really awesome to help other students have the same experience. Pearson agrees, adding Id love to help someone else [learn from] the great professors who work here. In this way, Holmans gift is a legacy that will not only keep giving on its ownbut snowball as it inspires others.

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Trump budget decried as ‘devastating’ and an ‘assault on science’ – Chemistry World (subscription)

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Total US government spending on research would decline by nearly 17% under the final 2018 budget proposed by President Trump yesterday, according to a preliminary analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

If the White House budget plan were to become law, it would devastate Americas science and technology enterprise, said Rush Holt, the AAAS chief executive, during a teleconference with reporters. This severe and unjustifiably rapid cut comes at a time when our funding for science research is already far below what would be optimal we are nowhere close as a nation to investing what we should be investing in research and development, added Holt, a former congressman and physicist.

The Obama administration fell just short on its goal of increasing federal spending on R&D to more than 3% of GDP.

One aspect of Trumps budget that greatly concerns the AAAS, and other science organisations, is a 22% cut proposed for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During the teleconference, Research!America president Mary Woolley cited estimates that these cuts to the NIH alone in 2018 would mean the loss of nearly 90,000 jobs and $15 billion (12 billion) in economic activity, as well as 2000 fewer research grants.

Beyond slashing the NIH, the White House also seeks an 11% reduction in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 17% decrease for the Department of Energys (DOE) Office of Science and a 70% cut for the DOEs energy efficiency and renewable energy research programmes. The Trump proposal would also institute a 44% decrease in funding for the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) science and technology programmes.

Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and acting administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, publicly criticised the White House for proposing a 17% cut to the CDCs budget. Frieden tweeted that such a cut would bring the agency to its lowest level in more than 20 years. He went on to call the administrations budget an assault on science.

Although Trumps proposal would shrink the EPAs overall budget by 30% from current levels, the agency said increased resources will be provided to support its new responsibilities under the recently reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure that new and existing chemicals are evaluated in a timely manner. The EPA added that it will work aggressively to complete additional chemical risk assessments from the TSCA list of existing chemicals and meet its requirement to review all current pesticide registrations by 2022.

Among the most controversial aspects of the White Houses budget plan is its call to abolish the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which carries out independent investigations of industrial chemical accidents, and eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Arpa-E), which funds R&D for advanced energy technologies.

Norm Augustine, a former chief executive of Lockheed Martin best known for chairing the influential National Academy of Sciences committee whose 2005 report called for a 10% annual increase in government funding of basic research for seven years, is also sharply critical of Trumps budget. Augustine doesnt agree with the administrations proposal to do away with Arpa-E, although he says he can understand that one might incorrectly believe that industry will pick up the slack for that agency. However, Augustine argues that such a justification does not work when trying to shut down the CSB. That belief certainly cant apply to the safety board, he tells Chemistry World.

Back in March, when Trump had initially floated the idea in his blueprint budget to dissolve the $11 million CSB that has run for almost two decades, there was significant opposition.

Ultimately, it is Congress and not the White House that will determine science agency funding in 2018. In fact, earlier this month Congress reversed course on significant and immediate cuts slated for agencies like the NIH and NSF under Trumps budget reduction plan for 2017. The House and Senate rejected the presidents strategy and instead produced an omnibus spending package that increased federal R&D by 5%.

Congress has made it clear already this year, really in numerous ways, that they do not buy into this really harsh and abrupt approach to science funding, said Holt. They have not yet used the phrase dead on arrival, but it is pretty clear to me that they simply dont buy this philosophy and they understand the importance of investment.

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Trump budget decried as 'devastating' and an 'assault on science' - Chemistry World (subscription)

Puma Biotechnology FDA Live Blog – Forbes

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Puma Biotechnology FDA Live Blog
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This is a live blog of the meeting of the Food and Drug Administration's meeting regarding neratinib, a breast cancer drug being developed by Puma Biotechnology. The basic questions to be addressed, per my story from Monday. Puma's not applying to sell ...
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