Billion For Research Research Articles

Stem cell research bill passes US House, but uphill battle ahead

Stem cell research bill passes US House, but uphill battle ahead

President's page: Who speaks for science?

The National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration look like winners in the Bush administration's proposed U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2004. However, NASA and several other science agencies fare more modestly. The overall $2.23‐trillion budget proposal now goes to Congress.The proposed FY04 budget, which relies on deficit spending, includes $122.7 billion for research and development, 6.7% increase over the administration's FY03 request. (As this issue of Eos went to press, Congress was still trying to reach agreement on the federal budget for FY03. This work had not been completed at the time Congress recessed for the Christmas holiday last year.)

Visions of Fact; Languages of Evidence: History, Memory, and the Trauma of Legal Research

Visions of Fact; Languages of Evidence: History, Memory, and the Trauma of Legal Research Bill Maurer AUSTIN SARAT AND THOMAS R. KEARNS, EDS. History, Memory, and the Law. Amherst Series in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999. Pp. 328. $57.50. 1. REASON AND FACT IN LAW’S COMMEMORATIONS In Catholic doctrine, St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and of authors. According to legend, Lucy lived in Syracuse under the reign of Diocletian in the fourth century A.D. In one story, her mother, afflicted by a flux of the blood, is miraculously cured after Lucy keeps vigil at the temple of St. Agatha. Once healed, her mother assents t o Lucy’s desire not to wed her pagan betrothed. Diocletian, however, learns of her faith and sends his army to capture her and force her into prostitution. When they attempt to do so, they find Lucy immovable, like a mountain, and immune even to fire and boiling oil. They are able to gouge out her eyes, however, and they rape her and slit her throat. During the rape, and before she dies, mute from her wound, she silently cries out to God, who causes her eyes to appear, whole and flawless, o n a metal plate nearby. T h e new eyes witness her martyrdom. In another story, Lucy gouges out her own eyes so that her suitor will not recognize her. The suitor betrays her to the army, and again, at her rape and martyrdom, her eyes miraculously reappear outside her body to bear witness. Bill Maurer is associate professor of anthropology, University of California, Irvine. I would like to thank Tom Boellstorff for his comments on earlier versions of this paper. I would also like to thank Diane Nelson, Richard Perry, Adriana Petryna, Hugh Raffles, and Suzana Sawyer for conversations that helped this paper take shape. 0 2001 American Bar Foundation. 0897-6546/01/2604-893$01 .OO

Science down under.

Science down under.

Projecting future drug expenditures--2000.

Drug cost projections for 2000 and factors that are likely to influence drug costs are discussed. The total increase in drug costs in 2000, assuming there are no major unforeseen events (e.g., Medicare coverage of outpatient prescriptions or important new drugs) can be anticipated to be 12-15% above that in 1999. Prescription drug expenditures are projected to increase an average of 11.2% annually between 1999 and 2001. Although there were fewer new drug approvals in the first half of 1999 than in 1998, we can expect that many new, important, and probably expensive agents will be coming to market in 2000. Analysts calculate that pharmaceutical companies invested approximately $24 billion in research and development in 1999, and there are predictions that mergers within the pharmaceutical industry will reduce the number of major pharmaceutical firms to 13. The introduction of pharmacogenomics is of great interest because of its potential to significantly affect drug therapy and the discovery of new agents. Sales of generic drugs are anticipated to increase from $12 billion in 1999 to $14 billion in 2000. Competition between the brand-name and generic drug industries is intensifying, but it remains unclear whether generic drug pricing will offset brand-name price increases. Internet pharmacy has become a reality and is under federal and state scrutiny. The pharmaceutical and drug distribution industries are changing dramatically, and there is concern that many new prescription drugs will not be readily available to patients because of their high cost. Should this occur, action by the federal government is a possibility.

Technology Readiness and Development Risks of the New Supersonic Transport

Realistic specifications for the new supersonic transport call for a 2.2 Mach, 270 passenger, 5,500 NM range aircraft, requiring $15–20 billion for research and development. Nonlinear aerodynamic analysis methods promise an enhanced lift-to-drag ratio of about 45% in subsonic cruise and 25% in supersonic cruise. Adequate sonic-boom suppression does not appear feasible. The resized increment in weight reduction due to the elimination of the droop nose is estimated at 4,500 kg. Considerable progress has been made in meeting FAR-36/Stage-3 noise requirements through the use of a mixed-flow turbofan with ejector or a mid-tandem fan variable cycle engine. A 5–15% lower specific fuel consumption is projected, while the dominant combustion philosophies are the lean-premixed-prevaporized and the rich-burn/quick-quench/lean-burn processes. Research is aimed at a nitrogen oxide emission index of 5, resulting in less than 1% annual ozone depletion. The estimated market needs of about 550 units by 2020 justify a satisfactory return on investment (~12%) for only one manufacturer. A well-structured international consortium could reduce development risks, time, and expenditures through technology transfer and the sharing minimization of nonrecurring costs. The date of entry-into-service can be placed between 2010 and 2015.

NIH Leery of Clinical Research Bill

NIH Leery of Clinical Research Bill

National Science Foundation

Considering the current budget crunch, NSF will see a large increase in fiscal year 1995. Its budget request is $3.2 billion, an increase of 6% over the 1994 level of $3.0 billion. The increase reflects the administration's emphasis on science and technology.This total includes $2.3 billion for Research and Related Activities, an increase of 8.3% over the 1995 level. These funds focus on strengthening the nation's scientific, mathematics, and engineering research enterprise. One of these activities, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which is funded by several federal agencies, will receive an increase of 46.2% from NSF, raising NSF%s 1995 contribution to this project to $207 million. The program received only $141.9 million from NSF in 1994. NSF's contribution to the High Performance Computing and Communications initiative, another multiagency program, increases by 25.4%, raising its contribution to $328 million.

Policies for science: The case of Sweden

A brief account is given of the Swedish research system and policies with a particular focus on the process for setting priorities in research, coordination of research, and science advice. A comparison is made between the Swedish model and the practices of several other OECD countries. Typical of Sweden is the separate granting of resources for research and for higher education. There are priority areas of research in Sweden, but resources for such areas are rather small compared to resource allocations for general basic research. The Prime Minister's Office coordinates research policy and plays an important role in preparing the Research Bill, which is presented to parliament every three years. The Research Advisory Board is a mechanism for science advice and a forum of informal consultation on scientific matters. It is argued that governments should rely on many sources for advice on priorities and that an essential role of governments is to create an S&T system which works satisfactorily. OECD reviews on S&T policies are helpful in this respect. Governments also have an important role to play in investments in large-scale facilities and in international cooperation. Evaluation of national and international research efforts is an important policy-making tool.

The future of AT&T Bell Labs and telecommunications research

Bell Labs is a costly development house, and the products designed and developed there do not appear competitive in price and features. Since divestiture it is no longer fair that AT&T foot most of the research bill for the US telecommunications industry as a whole. Everyone concerned would benefit from the creation of a national telecommunications research institute funded by a tax on the gross revenue of all service providers.

FY 1992 Budget committed to R&D

President's Bush's Fiscal Year 1992 budget for research and development is clear proof of his commitment to R&D as a long‐term investment for the next American century, according to D. Allan Bromley, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy. The FY 92 budget proposes to allocate $75.6 billion for research and development, an increase of $8.4billion, or 13% over the amount appropriated for FY 91. Calling it a “good budget,” Bromley revealed the specifics of research and development in the President's budget on February 4.Bromley believes that as a nation we are underinvesting in research and development,but sees the 1992 budget increases as concrete steps to address this problem. The newly organized and revitalized Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET)—an interagency forum of Cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries, and the heads of independent agencies that reviews, coordinates, and helps implement federal science and technology policy‐named three high‐priority cross—cutting areas of R&D and organized special interagency programs in these areas. The areas are high‐performance computing and communications, global change, and mathematics and science education.

Groundwater bills

U.S. lawmakers have become concerned about groundwater problems in the United States, and thus the contamination of groundwater is rapidly becoming one of the hottest issues of 1987 and probably for many years into the future. The 100th Congress has seen a proliferation of bills relating to various problems involving groundwater: need for more data, funding of research, and development of standards for groundwater quality. Because round 50% of the nation's drinking water is obtained from groundwater, the available support is dependent not only upon the available quantity but also on the quality of that supply.Because groundwater quality in general and groundwater contamination in particular provides such complex problems, final legislation probably will emphasize more research and more data collection. At present, a bill, the National Ground Water Contamination Research Act, has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D‐Conn.), and a companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. David Durenberger (R‐Minn.). These bills renew action on a groundwater research bill that passed the House but not the Senate near the end of the 99th Congress. The bills address not only research but also promote a national program for the assessment of groundwater quality and a national clearinghouse for groundwater information.

How Will Biosciences Fare under the New Budget?

C ontinuing the trend he began five years ago, President Reagan has proposed a fiscal 1987 budget that significantly increases defense spending while cutting back or eliminating many civilian programs. Also following his own precedent, Reagan has requested $62.5 billion for research and development, a 16% increase over current spending.' Nearly 70% of that total would go to defense research (up 25%); at the same time, funding for most civilian research remains stable or drops-another continuation of previous administration policy. What differs in the 1987 budget proposal are constraints imposed by the new Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, better known as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law. This law mandates a balanced federal budget by 1991 and sets specific limits for the federal deficit every year until then. Although a key provision of the act-one requiring automatic cuts throughout all agencies when annual deficit limits are exceeded-was ruled unconstitu-

NASA budget in Congress

The House of Representatives has authorized $161.7 million more than President Ronald Reagan proposed for the fiscal 1984 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget. The House NASA authorization bill (H.R. 2065) passed by voice vote on April 26. Five days earlier, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Technology Committee marked up S. 1096, the Senate's NASA authorization bill, and recommended $171.6 million more than the Reagan proposal. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in mid May, after which time a conference committee will iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions.President Reagan requested a total NASA budget of $7.1065 billion: $5.7085 billion for research and development, $150.5 million for construction of facilities, and $1.2475 billion for research and program management (Eos, February 15, 1983, p. 65).

Space shuttle given priority in NASA budget

At a recent hearing before a House subcommittee which concerns itself with appropriations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and independent agencies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) head Robert Frosch made it clear that the space shuttle has top priority in the hardpressed FY 198I NASA budget.The president's budget, as it originally appeared in January, called for the following amounts for the shuttle: $300 million in supplemental funding for FY 1980, $1.87 billion for research and development in FY 1981, and $10.1 million for construction of facilities in FY 1981. ‘These amounts…,’ Frosch said in a prepared statement, ‘are not being reduced in the current reexamination by the president.’

NIH Rebuffs Kennedy's Biomedical Research Bill

NIH Rebuffs Kennedy's Biomedical Research Bill

Biologists Oppose DNA Research Bills

Biologists Oppose DNA Research Bills

Congress Passes Manpower, Medical Research Bills

Congress Passes Manpower, Medical Research Bills

Federal support of research

One of Mr. Johnson's last official acts as President came at midmonth when he sent the federal budget for the coming fiscal year to Congress. As might be expected, the message accompanying it dwelt almost entirely on our present major preoccupations: inflation, defense, social insurance, welfare, education, manpower training, health care, housing, community and regional development. Mr. Johnson calls for outlays in fiscal 1970 of $195.3 billion. As we reported last week (page 11), he suggests federal obligations for R&D of $17.1 billion, with $5.5 billion of that sum for research. The $5.5 billion, if Congress allows that much, will be up from the $5.3 billion likely obligated in fiscal 1969. It will still be well below the $6.0 billion for research Mr. Johnson had originally requested in his fiscal 1969 budget message a year ago. In the period 1956-64, federal support of (for want of a better term) basic research grew 29% a year, ...

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bill

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bill