New Developments In Science Research Articles

Sympathetic Nervous System Activation and Its Modulation: Role in Atrial Fibrillation.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has a significant influence on the structural integrity and electrical conductivity of the atria. Aberrant activation of the sympathetic nervous system can induce heterogeneous changes with arrhythmogenic potential which can result in atrial tachycardia, atrial tachyarrhythmias and atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods to modulate autonomic activity primarily through reduction of sympathetic outflow reduce the incidence of spontaneous or induced atrial arrhythmias in animal models and humans, suggestive of the potential application of such strategies in the management of AF. In this review we focus on the relationship between the ANS, sympathetic overdrive and the pathophysiology of AF, and the potential of sympathetic neuromodulation in the management of AF. We conclude that sympathetic activity plays an important role in the initiation and maintenance of AF, and modulating ANS function is an important therapeutic approach to improve the management of AF in selected categories of patients. Potential therapeutic applications include pharmacological inhibition with central and peripheral sympatholytic agents and various device based approaches. While the role of the sympathetic nervous system has long been recognized, new developments in science and technology in this field promise exciting prospects for the future.

Marxism and new developments in science: Artificial intelligence and deep learning

This article outlines some current technical developments in artificial intelligence (AI) research within its historical, scientific and political context. In particular, It highlights the way in w...

Foreword.

In 2011, when the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and our many partners joined forces to launch the Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive (Global Plan), the goal of an AIDS-free generation was still distant. Today, the outlook for millions of pregnant women living with HIV, their children, and families, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, has been dramatically transformed. In just 5 years under the framework of the Global Plan, 21 high-burden priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa reduced annual HIV infections among children by 60 percent. Across these countries, 1.2 million new HIV infections among children were averted, and over 2 million more pregnant women started receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy. Over the course of the Global Plan, 7 of the countries reduced new HIV infections among children by more than 70 percent (Uganda, 86 percent; Burundi, 84 percent; South Africa, 84 percent; Swaziland, 80 percent; Namibia, 79 percent; Mozambique, 75 percent; and Malawi, 71 percent). These are far more than just facts and figures; each infection averted and life saved means another child or mother who is healthy, thriving, and able to pursue their dreams. This did not happen automatically or easily. The Global Plan demonstrated that if we are ambitious, if we stay focused on the goal, and if we work together, we can make the impossible possible. The Global Plan's success depended on the extraordinary efforts and leadership of numerous partners across multiple sectors. Everyone played a critical role—host country governments and inspirational leaders, civil society and community organizations, faith-based organizations, health care providers, the private sector, women living with HIV, families and other loved ones, donors and technical agencies—and all were instrumental in what we achieved together. We are deeply grateful for, and profoundly humbled by, the countless contributions that so many have made—and continue to make—to this work. This diverse coalition of compassionate individuals brought us far closer to the day when no child is born with HIV, when every child who is already living with HIV receives lifesaving treatment, when every girl and boy can remain HIV-free throughout adolescence and young adulthood, and when every woman living with HIV—pregnant or not—receives the treatment and care that she needs and deserves. Yet, there is vital unfinished business and no time to waste. In a number of countries (Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria), progress has been slow, with less than a 40 percent reduction in new pediatric HIV infections over this same period. Every year, 110,000 children are still acquiring HIV in the 21 Global Plan priority countries, and 150,000 worldwide. More than half of new pediatric HIV infections occur during the breastfeeding period. Testing and treatment coverage among children remains too low. Alarming numbers of adolescent girls and young women are still being infected. That is why, in June 2016, PEPFAR and UNAIDS once again joined forces and launched Start Free Stay Free AIDS Free to accelerate the momentum driving this ambitious agenda, and bring even greater urgency and focus to the work ahead. The articles that comprise this Supplement trace the tremendous evolution and impact of the Global Plan across various domains, highlighting examples of bold leadership, innovation, and activism. They also capture the growth of a learning agenda, continually building on new developments in science, and translating these into lifesaving services. Together, they represent a living legacy of what has been done—and what must still be done—to reach our ultimate goals: controlling and then, finally, ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.

'The double helix proves the existence of God': art and science in dialogue with Salvador Dali's religious imagination

The later artistic work of Salvador Dali demonstrates a dialogue involving new developments in science in the 1940s and 1950s as metaphysical clues to inform his religious imagination and inspire a new era in Dali’s art: nuclear mysticism.

The Social Democrats of Scholarship: Austrian Imperial Peripheries and the Making of a Progressive Science of Nationality, 1885–1903

To what extent and in what ways did the intellectual climate of Austria’s often ethnolinguistically heterogeneous borderlands contribute to the formation, institutionalization and diffusion of emerging social scientific discourses during the final decades of the 19th century? Investigating the intellectual exchange between two early proponents of folklore studies (Volkskunde)—the Slavonian-German-Jewish Friedrich Salomon Krauss (1859–1938) and Bukovinian-German Raimund Friedrich Kaindl (1866–1930)—this paper argues that imperial peripheries, while traditionally overlooked as sites of knowledge production, in fact played a pivotal role in the development of an important brand of “progressive” social scientific research, one defined by a critical stance toward the prevailing historicist paradigms of the time. These self-described “social democrats of scholarship” collaborated, both formally and informally, on a number of related theoretical projects aimed at disrupting the exclusionary narratives of the academic establishment and re-focusing scholarly attention on the sociological, rather than historical, character of ethnonational difference. In this way, the nationalities question spurred, both in the center and at the margins of the monarchy, the development of new sciences of nationality intended to sustain Austria’s imperial structure.

ПОШИРЕННЯ ДОСТОВІРНОЇ ІНФОРМАЦІЇ ПРО ЛІКАРСЬКІ ЗАСОБИ - ВИМОГА НАЛЕЖНОЇ АПТЕЧНОЇ ПРАКТИКИ

<p>RELIABLE INFORMATION ON DRUGS DISTRIBUTION AS A REQUIREMENT OF GOOD PHARMACY PRACTICE<br />L. О. Gala<br />Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv<br />Summary: In a context of Good Pharmacy Practice principles implementing in Ukraine the improvement of knowledge of professionals is expedient. In the article the current information assets for pharmaceutical workers was analyzed. Single information resource for professionals lack was established whereas such experience is widely used by the professional pharmaceutical societies in the developed countries.<br />A draft of the national standard for Good Pharmacy Practice «Dissemination of reliable information on drugs and basic medical knowledge» was proposed, requirements of pharmaceutical workers were presented.<br />Keywords: Good Pharmacy Practice, pharmacy practice standards, reliable information on drugs.</p><p>Introduction. In developing national standards of good pharmacy practice according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine proposed to use the joint directive of the World Health Organization and the International Pharmaceutical Federation "Good Pharmaceutical Practice: Quality standards of pharmacy services," according to which one of the main roles of the pharmacist is to increase effectiveness of health systems and public health. Achieving of the task is possible by execution specialists of pharmacies a number of functions. One of them envisages distribution by pharmaceutical workers reliable information about medicines and different aspects of self-help. Given the above, it is expedient improvement of professional skill pharmacists on the stage of postgraduate training on rational use of medicines and providing pharmaceutical services. Purpose of work - to develop standards of good pharmaceutical practice "Dissemination of reliable information about drugs and medical bases of competence" for further use specialists of pharmacies in practice.<br />The objects of the study were the relevant sections the aforementioned of the Common Guidelines of good pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical practice guidelines around the world regarding the requirements for specialists drugstores spreading information about medicines and medical basics of literacy and informational materials protocols pharmacist (pharmacist) at issue without prescription drugs.<br />Methods. Methods were used systems analysis, analytical- comparative, organizational modeling and generalization.<br />Results and discussion. The results of European research on health literacy show that on average 47% of the population have difficulty in evaluation and managing health information that needs active participate in this process experts pharmacies. The basis of European politics "Health 2020" noted necessity of developing national health strengthening programs that are based on the principles of responsible participation of all stakeholders and expansion their opportunities, including enhancing medical and sanitary literacy and awareness of the population about their health, aspects of self-care and disease prevention. This requires reform of approaches to the systems of professional training specialists pharmacy. Analyzed the information funds which can be used by pharmaceutical workers to improve their competence in rendering advice to the population considering that every year increases the number of users of the Internet in search of information, in particular, and medical. Established the absence a centralized approach to raise awareness of pharmacy specialists about new developments in science and practice, which are widely used by professional pharmaceutical societies of developed countries for uninterrupted professional study, in particular on the issues of health education among visitors of drugstores and providing a high level prevention of certain diseases. On basis of generalization of the above materials a project of national standards of good pharmacy practice " Dissemination of reliable information about drugs and medical literacy basics" which discussed goal of adopting the standard, the necessary terms, sphere of use, the requirements of a pharmaceutical workers (four criteria with a set of indicators for monitoring of their execution), the list of information sources and bibliographic resources.<br />Conclusions. Introduction into practice the proposed standard Good Pharmacy Practice will improve the quality of pharmaceutical information needed by visitors drugstores and medical workers.</p>

TÜRKİYE’DE SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR GELİŞME İÇİN YENİLENEBİLİR ENERJİ KAYNAKLARININ EĞİTİMİ VE ÖĞRETİMİ

The existence of quality human resources is a necessity for each development process to continue successfully. This is also true for the use of renewable energy in the developing countries that largely lack the quality human resources. Learning science is the best way of starting quality careers. For meeting the need for the quality human resources in developing countries, providing various educational programs are necessary. This education should take the new developments in science and technology into account. For the effective planning and management of such programs, high quality technical personnel should be trained to be involved in decision-making process. Energy studies are considered as a new education method and energy is classified under two groups. One of them is focused on the developing energy profession and the other one aims establishment of a society with energy conscious by focusing on the university and further education after obligatory primary and secondary school education. The best way of finding solutions to such problems is to make use of the renewable energy resources. But, for this to happen, there is a need for dissemination of the information about the renewable energy and widespread provision of the renewable energy education across the country, encouraging the use of renewable energy systems to conduct better studies of renewable energy and implementing more effective systems. In this study, prospects and proposals on the development of proper education programs for every stage of education in developing countries and Turkey. Furthermore, the awareness programs for the public are presented.

Boosting new venture projects through incubator development programme

This article adopts a resource-based view to help understand why some of the incubators are more successful than others in supporting the development of new science and technology-based firms (NSTBFs). We provide this evidence using an original longitudinal data set collected from a decade-old public incubator programme funded after the passage of the 1999 French law on innovation and research.

Anlatma Becerileri Açısından “Türkçe Dersi Öğretim Programı (6, 7, 8. Sınıflar)”na Eleştirel Bir Bakış

Curriculums are certainly the one of the most essential elements of education process. Curriculum should guide students in acquiring abilities which can help them to maintain their lives successfully. A curriculum should predict the abilities which an individual must have at a short and also long term, and should present teacher the ways of acquiring these abilities. From this point of view, updating or making innovations at these curriculums according to the needs occurred in time or new developments in science can be mentioned. . In Turkey, new curriculums have been prepared and become valid since 2004. The Elementary Turkish Educational Curriculum and Guidebook (6, 7 and 8th grades); that has become valid in 2006, consists of learning domains such as speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Aims have been fixed for each learning domain and acquirements have been formed under aims title. In this study, Elementary Turkish Curriculum and Its Guidebook (6, 7 and 8th Grades) is examined according to speaking and writing abilities that are among explanation abilities. Acquirements formed for speaking and writing are evaluated in the curriculum. In the study, it is determined that some parts of acquirements don’t reflect the qualities of learning domains of speaking and writing enough, there are also some expressional mistakes in acquirements and some acquirements are very general , some of them are very detailed and some also cannot be measured and evaluated quite well.

A new stroboscopic technique for the observation of microscale fluorescent objects on a spinning platform in centrifugal microfluidics

Fluorescence microscopy has been greatly contributed to the development of new science and technology in the field of microfluidics. In the case of centrifugal microfluidics, a microscale fluidic system is constructed on a spinning disk-shaped substrate; however, while microscopic stroboscopes have been developed, fluorescence imaging has not yet been demonstrated. This paper reports on the development of the first imaging technique that can observe small (micrometer) fluorescent objects on a spinning fluidic system. This technology is based on the combination of a Xe bulb strobe, a coaxial optics microscope, and a fluorescent optical filter. The observation of small particles on a spinning disk was demonstrated at both the bright field setting and the fluorescence setting. The system successfully demonstrates the observation of fluorescence particles on a spinning disk (at 3,000 rpm) and the sedimentation of particles in a suspension flow.

Extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray imaging using compact laser-plasma sources based on a double stream gas-puff target

New developments in science and technology require imaging tools and techniques capable of imaging with increased contrast and high spatial resolution, such as an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) microscopy. In this paper, we report on our recent activities related to various imaging techniques in the EUV and SXR region of electromagnetic spectrum, employing a double stream gas-puff target source. Those techniques has been successfully used for studies of morphology of thin silicon membranes coated with NaCl crystals, samples composed of ZnO nanofibers and biological samples. Full Text: PDF References D. Attwood, Soft X-Rays and Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, 1999. CrossRef W. Chao, J. Kim, S. Rekawa, P. Fischer and E. H. Anderson, "Demonstration of 12 nm Resolution Fresnel Zone Plate Lens based Soft X-ray Microscopy", Opt. Express 17, 20, 17669 (2009) CrossRef G. Vaschenko, et al., "Sub- 38nm resolution tabletop microscopy with 13nm wavelength laser light", Opt.Lett. 31, 1214?1216 (2006) CrossRef C. A. Brewer, et al., "Single-shot extreme ultraviolet laser imaging of nanostructures with wavelength resolution", Opt. Lett. 33, 5, 518, (2008) CrossRef K. W. Kim, et al., "Compact soft x-ray transmission microscopy with sub-50 nm spatial resolution", Phys. Med. Biol. 51, N99-N107 (2006) CrossRef L. Juschkin, R. Freiberger, and K. Bergman, "EUV microscopy for defect inspection by dark-field mapping and zone plate zooming", J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 186, 012030 (2009) CrossRef P. W. Wachulak, A. Bartnik and H. Fiedorowicz, "Sub-70 nm resolution tabletop microscopy at 13.8 nm using a compact laser?plasma EUV source", Opt. Lett. 35, 14, 2337-2339 (2010) CrossRef P. W. Wachulak, A. Bartnik, H. Fiedorowicz, and J. Kostecki, "A 50nm spatial resolution EUV imaging?resolution dependence on object thickness and illumination bandwidth", Opt. Exp. 19, 10, 9541?9550 (2011) CrossRef P. W. Wachulak, et al., "A compact, quasi-monochromatic laser-plasma EUV source based on a double-stream gas-puff target at 13.8 nm wavelength", Applied Physics B 100, 3, 461-469, (2010) CrossRef R. L. Kelly, Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 16, supplement 1 (1987) DirectLink The ZP was fabricated by Zone Plates Ltd., using electron beam lithography in 220nm thick PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) layer spin- coated on top of a 50nm thick silicon nitride Si3N4 membrane. P. W. Wachulak, A. Bartnik, H. Fiedorowicz, D. Panek, P. Bruza, "Imaging of nanostructures with sub-100 nm spatial resolution using a desktop EUV microscope", Appl. Phys. B 109, 105-111 (2012) CrossRef P.W. Wachulak, et al., "Study of crystalline thin films and nanofibers by means of the laser?plasma EUV-source based microscopy", Radiation Physics and Chemistry 93, 54-58 (2013) CrossRef L.B. Da Silva, et al., "X-ray laser microscopy of rat sperm nuclei", Science 258, 269 (1992) CrossRef P. W. Wachulak, et al., "Water-window microscopy using a compact, laser-plasma SXR source based on a double-stream gas-puff target", Appl. Phys. B 111, 2, 239-247 (2013) CrossRef P. W. Wachulak, et al., "Sub 1-?m resolution ?water-window? microscopy using a compact, laser-plasma SXR source based on a double stream gas-puff target", Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 311, 42-46(2013) CrossRef H. Wolter, "Verallgemeinerte Schwarzschildsche Spiegelsysteme streifender Reflexion als Optiken für Röntgenstrahlen", Ann. Physik 10, 286 (1952) CrossRef

Recommended Standards and Procedures of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science Alcohol Test Committee

ABSTRACTThis version of the Recommended Standards and Procedures is in keeping with new developments in science, technology and the law. The ATC will continue to anticipate changes, monitor developments and act accordingly.

New Developments in Science and Technology - 60th Anniversary Special Issue, Beihang University (BUAA)

On this, the 60th anniversary of Beihang University (formerly known as the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, or BUAA), we visit some of the achievements of this prestigious Chinese institution in all manner of research fields related to air, land, sea, and space travel. Each of the schools featured in this booklet showcases their latest innovations, discoveries, and research in many and varied science and engineering disciplines. These scientists and engineers are particularly adept at generating designs that are biologically inspired, borrowing the best systems from nature and applying them to create more effective technologies for human use. From the nanoscale to the macroscale, advances being made at Beihang University are pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve, moving us toward what will be.

Evolution of the International Metric System of Units SI

Once the New SI is approved by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), all base units of the international metric system of units (SI) will be defined in terms of physical constants and atomic properties. In this paper, we consider the rationale and the direction of the possible further evolution of the SI. The idea is to define all base units exclusively in terms of fundamental physical constants, with no reference to specific phenomena, physical theories or properties of material entities (including properties of atoms and elementary particles), so that those definitions would not have to be altered or amended following advancement in our understanding of the structure of matter, emergence of new physical theories or due to the technological progress. New developments in science and technology would then aect only the mise en pratique (realization) of base units, rather than their definitions. Furthermore, we point out the need for including base units for the weak interaction and the strong interaction into the SI and propose a way to do it. The structure of the fundamental-constants-based system of units (the FC SI) is discussed and prerequisites for the implementation of the FC SI are considered. PACS: 06.20.fa

The Digital photogrammetry and Construction of the Digital Earth

With the rapid development of new sciences and technologies, especially computer technology, space technology and information technology, the mankind has entered into the information era. There is no doubt that aerial photogrammetry especially digital photometry are getting more popular than before. As a subject of surveying mapping, it has developed into a new information industry from the traditional photogrammetry, and according to the photogrammetry itself,it has developed into photogrammetry and computer vision. At the same time, photogrammetry, GPS, computer internet and virtual reality are closely related to the establishment of Digital Earth. Digital photogrammetry has been proved to be one of the most important technology for providing Digital GeoSpatial Data framework in construction of Digital Earth. Based on the development of the Digital Earth, especially, the function and status of digital photogrammetry in construction of the Digital GeoSpatial Data framework are described form the point of the advantage technique of digital photogrammetry. With the development of Digital Earth, the digital photogrammetry will play increasingly important role.

Water-initiated ordering around a copper ion of copper acetate confined in slit-shaped carbon micropores

Physical or chemical properties of hydrated ions confined in solid nanospaces are not substantially understood, although they are indispensable for the development of new science and technology. We study the local structure around a Cu2+ of copper acetate restricted in slit-shaped micropore of two kinds of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) technique. The results indicate that the highly dispersed copper acetate on the surface of ACFs can be partially dissolved after the adsorption of water. Also, when we adsorb water to copper acetate-deposited ACFs, the Cu–Cu distance of the dinuclear species of copper acetate becomes longer with the ordering of the Cu–Cu bond because of the reduction of the number of the bridging carboxylate inside the micropore. In addition, the results of EXAFS spectra suggest that water molecules can play an important role for the ordering of the specific dinuclear complex of copper acetate formed in the micropore even though the number of bridging carboxylate which can stabilize the dinuclear structure is decreased by the adsorption of water.

Getting geography into the media: understanding the dynamics of academic–media collaboration

On 5 August 2008, the UK’s BBC News at Ten began with a headline concerning a new map showing competing claims for territory in the Arctic Ocean developed by the International Boundaries Research Unit at Durham University (BBC 2008). Surely this was the Holy Grail of media impact? The highly visual item, itself the product of academic research, was being used on a primetime news television programme which generated a great deal of interest in both the subject matter (Dodds 2010) and the map itself. Environmental and geographical issues are gaining wider attention from the public, as many of the critical issues facing society today are embedded in this academic area. Whether people are concerned with climate change, recycling, urban expansion, new towns or preserving the countryside, geography and environmental science can make a contribution to the debate (e.g. Anderson et al. 2008; Wilson 2010; Hulme 2010; Davies 2008). Even in our homes and kitchens, as we consider what to eat and what to wear, we are making choices that affect food producers and factory workers throughout the world (e.g. EdwardsJones et al. 2009). Geography is well placed as a discipline to address these issues, from the science behind them to the social and economic issues arising from these developments. I have always been interested in public understanding of science, and the role that the media can play in reaching out to the public and informing them about the key scientific debates and developmentswhichwill affect their lives.This is particularly true with respect to rapidly changing debates concerning global and environmental issues. Universities teach undergraduates and postgraduates about these issues, but formal educational establishments can do comparatively little to reach out to those out of education. For many people, they stop studying science at school or university, in their teens or early twenties. However, for the remainder of their lives (easily 50–60 years) new developments in science and technology continue at great pace, and they are left grappling with the issues and complexities without much guidance. The media can play a role here, reaching out to people in their homes through radio, television, newspapers and magazines, to keep the public abreast of new issues. In addition to these traditional forms ofmedia, newmodes of engagement through the web via blogs and podcasts (see Maddrell 2010 for some geographical examples), as well as twitter, are increasingly playing a role. There has been a surge in geographical programmes on UK terrestrial television channels, with major series such asCoast (nowmaking its fifth series, and repeatedmore than any other programmes). Perhaps we should be asking who interprets the science into understandable, digestible and interesting packages to engage thewider public and make them aware of new developments and issues and how do geographers get into the position of making programmes? There is a growing number of papers concerning geography’s reach (Merriman 2010; Gardner et al. 2010) alongside wider debates about geography’s relevance (especially relating to its influence on policy; e.g. Maddrell 2010; Ward 2005; Dorling and Shaw 2002; Murphy et al. 2005; Massey 2001; Martin 2001). Increasing the public profile of geography as a discipline is a common goal. In the current context which promotes communication and dissemination of results and demonstration of ‘impact’, reaching beyond the academy is important. It may be unrealistic to predict the impact of research at its outset (Phillips 2010), but research councils, guided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, are seeking to quantify impact. This can include requesting information on media reporting, TV and radio interviews, as well as public engagement events The Geographical Journal, Vol. 177, No. 2, June 2011, pp. 155–159, doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2010.00396.x

Sugarcane Breeding and Biotechnology to Feed the Emergent Sugarcane Biorefinery Industry

This special issue of Tropical Plant Biology features review articles on issues emerging with the production, processing, and improvement of sugarcane, the world’s most industrialized tropical crop. The fundamental reason for large scale industrialization of sugarcane is that the plant has unique attributes contributing to high productivity with minimal inputs, across a range of tropical environments. Sugarcane produces the largest quantity of biomass of any annually harvested field crop making it a candidate crop on which to base a biorefinery industry. The 2008 FAO estimation was that 1.74 billion tonnes of sugarcane stalks were harvested and transported to local mills for crushing and processing. Production of large quantities of relatively inexpensive biomass, near mills capable of processing the material into a range of industrial feedstocks, has parallels to petroleum industry refineries except that petroleum hydrocarbon is not a renewable resource while sugarcane carbohydrate is. This difference in sustainability is driving the development of new science and technologies that are changing the sugarcane industry. The collection of papers in this issue begin with a brief 30 year history of Brazil’s bioethanol program and a perspective on the political, economic, sociological, and technology issues that have changed during this period to achieve success with ethanol and beyond, with greater sustainability in all areas (Arruda 2011). In addition to the ethanol derived from the sugar stored in the sugarcane stalk, additional energy is currently derived from burning the plant fiber to generate electricity. New technologies under development in partnerships between the sugarcane industry and large petroleum and biotechnology companies will allow for the use of sugarcane fiber as a feedstock for new industries producing advanced biofuels and products previously manufactured from petroleum. Currently, bioethanol replaces around 30% of the gasoline consumed in Brazil and the demand for bioethanol is projected to more than double in the next 10 years (Arruda 2011). This demand will be met with a comparable increase in the mass of sugarcane produced by breeding for greater productivity and expanding the area for sugarcane farming. Expansion of the sugarcane industry into areas not previously devoted to sugarcane cultivation will require new cultivars adapted to a wide range of poor environments. In other words, the industry will need cultivars having greater tolerance to abiotic stresses of toxic metals, drought, salinity, temperature, and soil nutrients (Azevedo et al. 2011; de Carvalho et al. 2011). Production of new stress-tolerant cultivars will depend on developing an increased understanding the biochemical and physiological responses of sugarcane to abiotic stresses (Azevedo et al. 2011) and modifying plant structure such as increasing the root functions of the plant (Matsuoka and Garcia 2011). Both of these areas have received little attention, yet the natural variation existing between the progenitor species (Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum) indicates that it should be possible to quickly develop environmentally adapted cultivars as the basis for sustainable agriculture and a second green revolution (Matsuoka and Garcia 2011). An additional area promising for minimizing the costs of production and to make Communicated by: Paulo Arruda

Letter from the President.

Personalized MedicineVol. 7, No. 5 News & ViewsFree AccessLetter from the PresidentEdward AbrahamsEdward Abrahams1225 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005, USA. Search for more papers by this authorEmail the corresponding author at eabrahams@personalizedmedicinecoalition.orgPublished Online:29 Sep 2010https://doi.org/10.2217/pme.10.59AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 2005 the Partners Healthcare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM) convened the first of what has become the pre-eminent annual conference on personalized medicine. That first conference sought to explore the promise and prospects of targeted therapeutics’ ability to transform modern medicine. Its vision and impetus came from Raju Kucherlapati, then Scientific Director of the Center. His organizing premise was that a broad array of stakeholders from different sectors should discuss and develop a common agenda, based on the assumption that one-size-fits-all, trial-and-error medicine represents a broken paradigm, good for neither patients nor society. Believing that the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, device, information technology, payer, provider, government, legal and academic communities each have a role to play and that interaction among and between them is essential for development and adoption of personalized medicine, he created a place where its issues could be explored and addressed at the Harvard Medical School in Boston (MA, USA).The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), then newly formed and sharing the governing assumption that changes were and are required in the legal, regulatory, and educational arenas if patients are going to benefit from the exciting new developments in science, began a collaboration with PCPGM that has become a vital partnership. The conference, which serves as an annual meeting for the coalition, informs our continuing efforts to stimulate investment in personalized medicine from both the private and public sectors, based on the assumption that personalized medicine offers a new platform for achieving individual and societal goals, namely better medical outcomes and lower costs in healthcare.The PMC also launched its annual Leadership Award in Personalized Medicine at that meeting, and will bestow its sixth award at the next conference on 17 November 2010 to an individual whose contributions in science, business, and/or policy have helped advance this new medical frontier.Since that first conference there have been significant, and even dramatic changes in the landscape of personalized medicine, which the conference carefully tracks and helps promote. There has been an explosion in the knowledge of how genes are implicated in common and rare diseases and this knowledge continues to increase at a rapid pace. The development and availability of new technologies that enable rapid and low-cost DNA sequencing has rapidly accelerated. The molecular diagnostics industry is developing apace led by the increased demand for what Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen calls ‘precision medicine’. Many major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are using the principles of personalized medicine as a cornerstone of their drug development efforts. The NIH and the US FDA are working closely to help guide the implementation of personalized medicine in the USA. Led by pharmacy benefit managers, the payer community also is increasingly interested in how personalized medicine can improve outcomes and decrease costs. What only a few years ago was considered to be a view of the future of healthcare is now regarded as a present reality with aspects already implemented and others soon to come.The conference, which the PMC is pleased and honored to sponsor, has become the premier event in the field, widely recognized because of the mix of participants and the depth, quality and distinction of its topics and content. Chaired by Kucherlapati, it brings together all of the stakeholders with an interest in personalized medicine for a day and half of thoughtful conversation. Four successive annual meetings have been held since the first one, each surpassing its predecessors in numbers of registrants. In 2006 Harvard Business School became a co-host of the annual conference, adding a distinctive perspective to the planning of the meetings. It also offers highly popular sessions at the conference featuring Harvard Business School professors who use interactive case studies to illustrate strategic problems and opportunities in personalized medicine.The sixth annual Personalized Medicine Conference will be held 17–18 November 2010, again at the Joseph B Martin Conference Center of Harvard Medical School. As Kucherlapati has noted, ‘The 2010 conference promises to be another engaging meeting highlighting the current impact of personalized medicine as it enters the healthcare delivery system and explores how recent experiences may guide and inform policies, plans and actions of key stakeholders.’FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 7, No. 5 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics History Published online 29 September 2010 Published in print September 2010 Information© Future Medicine LtdPDF download

When Natural Science Meets the Dismal Science

This article examines how the Supreme Court and appellate courts have taken into account developments in natural science and economics in evaluating Commerce Clause challenges to environmental laws, and applies this examination to the context of wetlands regulation. I present a descriptive claim: that courts, especially the Supreme Court, have already been incorporating new developments in science and economics in their Commerce Clause opinions; this use of developments in scientific and economic research, I contend, arises out of the empirical values embedded in the Constitution. I also argue that apparent doctrinal inconsistencies in Commerce Clause evaluations may arise from inconsistent but unstated commitments to different visions of the nature of science; accordingly, I urge courts to more expressly explore and acknowledge their underlying epistemological commitments in evaluating Commerce Clause challenges.