http://www.nap.edu/rss/new.xml?utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss The following titles from the National Academies Press catalog and backlist are now available online. The National Academies Press (NAP) was created by the National Academies to publish the reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, all operating under a charter granted by the Congress of the United States. NAP publishes over 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and health, capturing the most authoritative views on important issues in science and health policy. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12667&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>When Drakes Estero, which lies within the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) about 25 miles northwest of San Francisco, California, was designated by Congress in 1976 as Potential Wilderness, it contained a commercial shellfish mariculture operation. Oyster mariculture began in Drakes Estero with the introduction of the nonnative Pacific oyster in 1932, and has been conducted continuously from that date forward. Hence, the cultural history of oyster farming predates the designation of Point Reyes as a National Seashore in 1962. <br /> <br /> Nevertheless, with the approach of the 2012 expiration date of the current National Park Service (NPS) Reservation of Use and Occupancy (RUO) and Special Use Permit (SUP) that allows Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC) to operate within the estero, NPS has expressed concern over the scope and intensity of impacts of the shellfish culture operations on the estero's ecosystem. Public debate over whether scientific information justifies closing the oyster farm led to the request for this study to help clarify the scientific issues raised with regard to the shellfish mariculture activities in Drakes Estero.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12667&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12701&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>As civil space policies and programs have evolved, the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically. Although the U.S. space program was originally driven in large part by competition with the Soviet Union, the nation now finds itself in a post-Cold War world in which many nations have established, or are aspiring to develop, independent space capabilities. Furthermore discoveries from developments in the first 50 years of the space age have led to an explosion of scientific and engineering knowledge and practical applications of space technology. The private sector has also been developing, fielding, and expanding the commercial use of space-based technology and systems. <br /> <br /> Recognizing the new national and international context for space activities, <em>America's Future in Space</em> is meant to advise the nation on key goals and critical issues in 21st century U.S. civil space policy. <br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12701&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12519&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Early childhood mathematics is vitally important for young children's present and future educational success. Research has demonstrated that virtually all young children have the capability to learn and become competent in mathematics. Furthermore, young children enjoy their early informal experiences with mathematics. Unfortunately, many children's potential in mathematics is not fully realized, especially those children who are economically disadvantaged. This is due, in part, to a lack of opportunities to learn mathematics in early childhood settings or through everyday experiences in the home and in their communities. Improvements in early childhood mathematics education can provide young children with the foundation for school success.<br /> Relying on a comprehensive review of the research, <em>Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood </em>lays out the critical areas that should be the focus of young children's early mathematics education, explores the extent to which they are currently being incorporated in early childhood settings, and identifies the changes needed to improve the quality of mathematics experiences for young children. This book serves as a call to action to improve the state of early childhood mathematics. It will be especially useful for policy makers and practitioners-those who work directly with children and their families in shaping the policies that affect the education of young children.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12519&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12511&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>When policy makers and researchers consider potential solutions to the crisis of uninsurance in the United States, the question of whether health insurance matters to health is often an issue. This question is far more than an academic concern. It is crucial that U.S. health care policy be informed with current and valid evidence on the consequences of uninsurance for health care and health outcomes, especially for the 45.7 million individuals without health insurance.<br /> From 2001 to 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued six reports, which concluded that being uninsured was hazardous to people's health and recommended that the nation move quickly to implement a strategy to achieve health insurance coverage for all. <br /> The goal of this book is to inform the health reform policy debate--in 2009--with an up-to-date assessment of the research evidence. This report addresses three key questions: <br><br><ol> <li>What are the dynamics driving downward trends in health insurance coverage?</li> <li>Is being uninsured harmful to the health of children and adults?</li> <li>Are insured people affected by high rates of uninsurance in their communities?</li> </ol> <br> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12511&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12638&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>For the people of the United States, the 20th century was one of unprecedented population growth, economic development, and improved quality of life. The critical infrastructure systems-water, wastewater, power, transportation, and telecommunications-built in the 20th century have become so much a part of modern life that they are taken for granted. By 2030, 60 million more Americans will expect these systems to deliver essential services.<br /> <br /> Large segments and components of the nation's critical infrastructure systems are now 50 to 100 years old, and their performance and condition are deteriorating. Improvements are clearly necessary. However, approaching infrastructure renewal by continuing to use the same processes, practices, technologies, and materials that were developed in the 20th century will likely yield the same results: increasing instances of service disruptions, higher operating and repair costs, and the possibility of catastrophic, cascading failures. If the nation is to meet some of the important challenges of the 21st century, a new paradigm for the renewal of critical infrastructure systems is needed.<br /> <br /> This book discusses the essential components of this new paradigm, and outlines a framework to ensure that ongoing activities, knowledge, and technologies can be aligned and leveraged to help meet multiple national objectives. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12638&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12648&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Clinical research presents health care providers with information on the natural history and clinical presentations of disease as well as diagnostic and treatment options. Comparative effectiveness research (CER) identifies what works best for which patients under what circumstances. Congress, in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, tasked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to recommend national priorities for research questions to be addressed by CER and supported by ARRA funds. In its 2009 report, Initial National Priorities for Comparative Effectiveness Research, the authoring committee establishes a working definition of CER, develops a priority list of research topics, and identifies the necessary requirements to support a robust and sustainable CER enterprise. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12648&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12673&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The Department of Defense (DOD) spends over $300 billion each year to develop, produce, field and sustain weapons systems (the U.S. Air Force over $100 billion per year). DOD and Air Force acquisitions programs often experience large cost overruns and schedule delays leading to a loss in confidence in the defense acquisition system and the people who work in it. Part of the DOD and Air Force response to these problems has been to increase the number of program and technical reviews that acquisition programs must undergo. This book looks specifically at the reviews that U.S. Air Force acquisition programs are required to undergo and poses a key question: Can changes in the number, content, or sequence of reviews help Air Force program managers more successfully execute their programs? <br><br>This book concludes that, unless they do it better than they are now, Air Force and DOD attempts to address poor acquisition program performance with additional reviews will fail. This book makes five recommendations that together form a gold standard for conduct of reviews and if implemented and rigorously managed by Air Force and DOD acquisition executives can increase review effectiveness and efficiency. The bottom line is to help program managers successfully execute their programs. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12673&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12687&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>While governments throughout the world have different approaches to how they make their public sector information (PSI) available and the terms under which the information may be reused, there appears to be a broad recognition of the importance of digital networks and PSI to the economy and to society. However, despite the huge investments in PSI and the even larger estimated effects, surprisingly little is known about the costs and benefits of different information policies on the information society and the knowledge economy.<br /> <br /> By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the current assessment methods and their underlying criteria, it should be possible to improve and apply such tools to help rationalize the policies and to clarify the role of the internet in disseminating PSI. This in turn can help promote the efficiency and effectiveness of PSI investments and management, and to improve their downstream economic and social results. <br /> <br /> The workshop that is summarized in this volume was intended to review the state of the art in assessment methods and to improve the understanding of what is known and what needs to be known about the effects of PSI activities. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12687&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12632&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>WARNING: bad characters: The health and economic costs of tobacco use in military and veteran populations are high. In 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) make recommendations on how to reduce tobacco initiation and encourage cessation in both military and veteran populations. In its 2009 report Combating Tobacco in Military and Veteran Populations, the authoring committee concludes that to prevent tobacco initiation and encourage cessa<!--BAD CHARACTER--><!--BAD CHARACTER-->tion, both DoD and VA should implement comprehensive tobacco-control programs. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12632&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12623&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>In the United States, people living in low-income neighborhoods frequently do not have access to affordable healthy food venues, such as supermarkets. Instead, those living in "food deserts" must rely on convenience stores and small neighborhood stores that offer few, if any, healthy food choices, such as fruits and vegetables. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) convened a two-day workshop on January 26-27, 2009, to provide input into a Congressionally-mandated food deserts study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. The workshop, summarized in this volume, provided a forum in which to discuss the public health effects of food deserts. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12623&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12699&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>To improve screening of containerized cargo for nuclear and radiological material that might be entering the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to deploy new radiation detectors, called advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs). The ASPs are intended to replace some or all of the current system of radiation portal monitors (called PVT RPMs) used in conjunction with handheld radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs) to detect and identify radioactive material in cargo. The U.S. Congress required the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify that ASPs will provide a "significant increase in operational effectiveness" over continued use of the existing screening devices before DHS can proceed with full-scale procurement of ASPs for deployment. Congress also directed DHS to request this National Research Council study to advise the Secretary of Homeland Security about testing, analysis, costs, and benefits of the ASPs prior to the certification decision. <br /> <br /> This interim report is based on testing done before 2008; on plans for, observations of, and preliminary results from tests done in 2008; and on the agency's draft cost-benefit analysis as of October 2008. The book provides advice on how DHS' Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) can complete and make more rigorous its ASP evaluation for the Secretary and the nation.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12699&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12694&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Numerous countries and regions now have very active space programs, and the number is increasing. These maturing capabilities around the world create a plethora of potential partners for cooperative space endeavors, while at the same time heightening competitiveness in the international space arena. <br /> <br /> This book summarizes a public workshop held in November 2008 for the purpose of reviewing past and present cooperation, coordination, and competition mechanisms for space and Earth science research and space exploration; identifying significant lessons learned; and discussing how those lessons could best be applied in the future, particularly in the areas of cooperation and collaboration. <br /> <br /> Presentations and initial discussion focused on past and present experiences in international cooperation and competition to identify "lessons learned." Those lessons learned were then used as the starting point for subsequent discussions on the most effective ways for structuring future cooperation or coordination in space and Earth science research and space exploration. The goal of the workshop was not to develop a specific model for future cooperation or coordination, but rather to explore the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches and stimulate further deliberation on this important topic.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12694&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12503&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book is the seventh volume in the series <i>Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected</i> <i>Airborne Chemicals</i>, and includes AEGLs for acetone cyanohydrin, carbon disulfide, monochloroacetic acid, and phenol. <br><br>At the request of the Department of Defense, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for 12 new chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies such as accidental or intentional chemical releases in the community, the workplace, transportation, the military, and for the remediation of contaminated sites. <br><br>Three AEGLs are approved for each chemical, representing exposure levels that result in: 1) notable but reversible discomfort; 2) long-lasting health effects; and 3) life-threatening health impacts. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12503&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12543&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The Small Business Administration issued a policy directive in 2002, the effect of which has been to exclude innovative small firms in which venture capital firms have a controlling interest from the SBIR program. This book seeks to illuminate the consequences of the SBA ruling excluding majority-owned venture capital firms from participation in SBIR projects. <br><br>This book is part of the National Research Council's study to evaluate the SBIR program's quality of research and value to the missions of five government agencies. The other books in the series include: <br><br><ul> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11989">An Assessment of the SBIR Program (2008)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11929">An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Science Foundation (2007)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11964">An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the National Institutes of Health (2009)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12052">An Assessment of Small Business Innovation Research Program at the Department of Energy (2008)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12441">An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2009)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11963">An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the Department of Defense (2009)</a></li> </ul> <br> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12543&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12587&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Biomarkers can be defined as indicators of any biologic state, and they are central to the future of medicine. As the cost of developing drugs has risen in recent years, reducing the number of new drugs approved for use, biomarker development may be a way to cut costs, enhance safety, and provide a more focused and rational pathway to drug development. <br><br>On October 24, 2008, the IOM's Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation held "Assessing and Accelerating Development of Biomarkers for Drug Safety," a one-day workshop, summarized in this volume, on the value of biomarkers in helping to determine drug safety during development. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12587&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12647&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans and surrounding areas in August 2005, ranks as one of the nation's most devastating natural disasters. Shortly after the storm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers established a task force to assess the performance of the levees, floodwalls, and other structures comprising the area's hurricane protection system during Hurricane Katrina. This book provides an independent review of the task force's final draft report and identifies key lessons from the Katrina experience and their implications for future hurricane preparedness and planning in the region. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12647&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12578&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>A nuclear attack on a large U.S. city by terrorists--even with a low-yield improvised nuclear device (IND) of 10 kilotons or less--would cause a large number of deaths and severe injuries. The large number of injured from the detonation and radioactive fallout that would follow would be overwhelming for local emergency response and health care systems to rescue and treat, even assuming that these systems and their personnel were not themselves incapacitated by the event.<br /> <br /> The United States has been struggling for some time to address and plan for the threat of nuclear terrorism and other weapons of mass destruction that terrorists might obtain and use. The Department of Homeland Security recently contracted with the Institute of Medicine to hold a workshop, summarized in this volume, to assess medical preparedness for a nuclear detonation of up to 10 kilotons.<br /> <br /> This book provides a candid and sobering look at our current state of preparedness for an IND, and identifies several key areas in which we might begin to focus our national efforts in a way that will improve the overall level of preparedness.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12578&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12686&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12686&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12580&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>By the end of 2009, more than 60 percent of the global chemical weapons stockpile declared by signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention will have been destroyed, and of the 184 signatories, only three countries will possess chemical weapons-the United States, Russia, and Libya.<br /> In the United States, destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile began in 1990, when Congress mandated that the Army and its contractors destroy the stockpile while ensuring maximum safety for workers, the public, and the environment. The destruction program has proceeded without serious exposure of any worker or member of the public to chemical agents, and risk to the public from a storage incident involving the aging stockpile has been reduced by more than 90 percent from what it was at the time destruction began on Johnston Island and in the continental United States.<br /> At this time, safety at chemical agent disposal facilities is far better than the national average for all industries. Even so, the Army and its contractors are desirous of further improvement. To this end, the Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) asked the NRC to assist by reviewing CMA's existing safety and environmental metrics and making recommendations on which additional metrics might be developed to further improve its safety and environmental programs.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12580&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12500&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Advances and major investments in the field of neuroscience can enhance traditional behavioral science approaches to training, learning, and other applications of value to the Army. Neural-behavioral indicators offer new ways to evaluate how well an individual trainee has assimilated mission critical knowledge and skills, and can also be used to provide feedback on the readiness of soldiers for combat. Current methods for matching individual capabilities with the requirements for performing high-value Army assignments do not include neuropsychological, psychophysiological, neurochemical or neurogenetic components; simple neuropsychological testing could greatly improve training success rates for these assignments.<br /> <em>Opportunities in Neuroscience for Future Army Applications</em> makes 17 recommendations that focus on utilizing current scientific research and development initiatives to improve performance and efficiency, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to employ neuropharmaceuticals for general sustainment or enhancement of soldier performance, and improving cognitive and behavioral performance using interdisciplinary approaches and technological investments. An essential guide for the Army, this book will also be of interest to other branches of military, national security and intelligence agencies, academic and commercial researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and others interested in applying the rapid advances in neuroscience to the performance of individual and group tasks. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12500&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12619&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>A component in the America's Energy Future study, <em>Electricity from Renewable Resources</em> examines the technical potential for electric power generation with alternative sources such as wind, solar-photovoltaic, geothermal, solar-thermal, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources. The book focuses on those renewable sources that show the most promise for initial commercial deployment within 10 years and will lead to a substantial impact on the U.S. energy system.<br /> <br /> A quantitative characterization of technologies, this book lays out expectations of costs, performance, and impacts, as well as barriers and research and development needs. In addition to a principal focus on renewable energy technologies for power generation, the book addresses the challenges of incorporating such technologies into the power grid, as well as potential improvements in the national electricity grid that could enable better and more extensive utilization of wind, solar-thermal, solar photovoltaics, and other renewable technologies. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12619&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12693&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12693&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12565&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Depression is a widespread condition affecting approximately 7.5 million parents in the U.S. each year and may be putting at least 15 million children at risk for adverse health outcomes. Based on evidentiary studies, major depression in either parent can interfere with parenting quality and increase the risk of children developing mental, behavioral and social problems. <em>Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children</em> highlights disparities in the prevalence, identification, treatment, and prevention of parental depression among different sociodemographic populations. It also outlines strategies for effective intervention and identifies the need for a more interdisciplinary approach that takes biological, psychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and social contexts into consideration. <br><br>A major challenge to the effective management of parental depression is developing a treatment and prevention strategy that can be introduced within a two-generation framework, conducive for parents and their children. Thus far, both the federal and state response to the problem has been fragmented, poorly funded, and lacking proper oversight. This study examines options for widespread implementation of best practices as well as strategies that can be effective in diverse service settings for diverse populations of children and their families. <br><br>The delivery of adequate screening and successful detection and treatment of a depressive illness and prevention of its effects on parenting and the health of children is a formidable challenge to modern health care systems. This study offers seven solid recommendations designed to increase awareness about and remove barriers to care for both the depressed adult and prevention of effects in the child. The report will be of particular interest to federal health officers, mental and behavioral health providers in diverse parts of health care delivery systems, health policy staff, state legislators, and the general public. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12565&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12626&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Climate change will create a novel and dynamic decision environment that cannot be envisioned from past experience. Moreover, climatic changes will be superimposed on social and economic changes that are altering the climate vulnerability of different regions and sectors of society, as well as their ability to cope. Decision makers will need new kinds of information and new ways of thinking and learning to function effectively in a changing climate.<br /> <br /> Climate change also poses challenges for federal agencies and for the scientific community. Scientific priorities and practices need to change so that the scientific community can provide better support to decision makers in managing emerging climate risks. The information that is needed is not only about climate, but also about changes in social and economic conditions that interact with climate change.<br /> <br /> <em>Informing Decisions in a Changing Climate</em> provides a framework and a set of strategies and methods for organizing and evaluating decision support activities related to climate change. Based on basic knowledge of decision making; past experiences in other fields; experience with early efforts in the climate arena; and input from a range of decision makers, the book identifies six principles of effective decision support and recommends a strategy for implementing them in a national initiative to inform climate-related decisions.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12626&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12629&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Few countries have endured as many attacks of terrorism during the past two decades as has Russia. From bombings on the streets of a number of cities, to the disruption of pipelines in Dagestan, to the taking of hundreds of hostages at a cultural center in Moscow and at a school in Beslan, the Russian government has responded to many political and technical challenges to protect the population. The measures that have been undertaken to reduce vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks and to mitigate the consequences of attacks have been of widespread interest in many other countries as well. <br><br>In June 1999, the Presidents of the National Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences initiated an inter-academy program to jointly address common interests in the field of counter-terrorism. Four workshops were held from 2001 to 2007 and additional consultations were undertaken prior to and after the series of workshops. This report includes 35 of the Russian presentations during the workshop series. Collectively they provide a broad overview of activities that have been supported by Russian institutions. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12629&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12062&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]><i>Assessing Gender Differences in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty</i> presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation's top research universities. Much of this congressionally mandated book is based on two unique surveys of faculty and departments at major U.S. research universities in six fields: biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, and physics. A departmental survey collected information on departmental policies, recent tenure and promotion cases, and recent hires in almost 500 departments. A faculty survey gathered information from a stratified, random sample of about 1,800 faculty on demographic characteristics, employment experiences, the allocation of institutional resources such as laboratory space, professional activities, and scholarly productivity. <br><br>This book paints a timely picture of the status of female faculty at top universities, clarifies whether male and female faculty have similar opportunities to advance and succeed in academia, challenges some commonly held views, and poses several questions still in need of answers. This book will be of special interest to university administrators and faculty, graduate students, policy makers, professional and academic societies, federal funding agencies, and others concerned with the vitality of the U.S. research base and economy. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12062&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12641&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]><em>Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random-Source Dogs and Cats in Research </em>examines the value of random-source animals in biomedical research and the role of Class B dealers who acquire and resell live dogs and cats to research institutions. Findings include that, while some random-source dogs and cats may be necessary and desirable for National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research, there is no clear need to obtain those animals from Class B dealers. Several options for random-source animal acquisition already exist and additional options are recommended, which would further ensure the welfare of these animals and foster a positive public image for NIH.<br /> <br /> While the scientific community has recognized and responded to concerns for humane treatment of animals in research, government oversight has thus far been unable to fully enforce the Animal Welfare Act in regard to Class B dealers of live animals. Although the animals acquired by Class B dealers are destined for research--and NIH research in particular--the standard of care while in the possession of some Class B dealers requires an inordinate amount of government enforcement and is not commensurate with the policies of most NIH-funded research laboratories. This dichotomy of standards reflects poorly on public perceptions of NIH and jeopardizes animal welfare. <br /> <br /> This book will be crucial for NIH and other groups using random-source animals in research, including veterinary schools and research facilities. Animal welfare advocates, policy makers, and concerned pet owners will also find this a vital and informative work for reconciling the needs of research with the welfare of animals.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12641&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12584&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>As women of childbearing age have become heavier, the trade-off between maternal and child health created by variation in gestational weight gain has become more difficult to reconcile.<em> Weight Gain During Pregnancy </em>responds to the need for a reexamination of the 1990 Institute of Medicine guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. It builds on the conceptual framework that underscored the 1990 weight gain guidelines and addresses the need to update them through a comprehensive review of the literature and independent analyses of existing databases. The book explores relationships between weight gain during pregnancy and a variety of factors (e.g., the mother's weight and height before pregnancy) and places this in the context of the health of the infant and the mother, presenting specific, updated target ranges for weight gain during pregnancy and guidelines for proper measurement. New features of this book include a specific range of recommended gain for obese women.<br /> <br /> <em>Weight Gain During Pregnancy</em> is intended to assist practitioners who care for women of childbearing age, policy makers, educators, researchers, and the pregnant women themselves to understand the role of gestational weight gain and to provide them with the tools needed to promote optimal pregnancy outcomes.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12584&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12487&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Many economic models exist to estimate the cost and effectiveness of different policies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some approaches incorporate rich technological detail, others emphasize the aggregate behavior of the economy and energy system, and some focus on impacts for specific sectors. Understandably, different approaches may be better positioned to provide particular types of information and may yield differing results, at times rendering decisions on future climate change emissions and research and development (R&amp;D) policy difficult. Reliable estimates of the costs and benefits to the U.S. economy for various emissions reduction and adaptation strategies are critical to federal climate change R&amp;D portfolio planning and investment decisions. At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Academies organized a workshop to consider these issues. <br><br>The workshop, summarized in this volume, comprised three dimensions: policy, analysis, and economics. Discussions along these dimensions were meant to lead to constructive identification of gaps and opportunities. The workshop focused on (1) policymakers' informational needs; (2) models and other analytic approaches to meet these needs; (3) important economic considerations, including equity and discounting; and (4) opportunities to enhance analytical capabilities and better inform policy.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12487&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12569&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book is the product of a congressionally mandated study to examine the feasibility of eliminating the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU2) in reactor fuel, reactor targets, and medical isotope production facilities. The book focuses primarily on the use of HEU for the production of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), whose decay product, technetium-99m3 (Tc-99m), is used in the majority of medical diagnostic imaging procedures in the United States, and secondarily on the use of HEU for research and test reactor fuel. <br /> The supply of Mo-99 in the U.S. is likely to be unreliable until newer production sources come online. The reliability of the current supply system is an important medical isotope concern; this book concludes that achieving a cost difference of less than 10 percent in facilities that will need to convert from HEU- to LEU-based Mo-99 production is much less important than is reliability of supply. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12569&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12190&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological studies of learning.<br /> <br /> <em>Learning Science in Informal Environments</em> draws together disparate literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next generation of research on learning science in informal environments across a life span. Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines--research and evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have experience in a range of settings--museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical gardens.<br /> <br /> <em>Learning Science in Informal Environments</em> is an invaluable guide for program and exhibit designers, evaluators, staff of science-rich informal learning institutions and community-based organizations, scientists interested in educational outreach, federal science agency education staff, and K-12 science educators. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12190&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12603&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Beginning with the Manhattan Project and continuing through the Cold War, the United States government constructed and operated a massive industrial complex to produce and test nuclear weapons and related technologies. When the Cold War ended, most of this complex was shut down permanently or placed on standby, and the United States government began a costly, long-term effort to clean up the materials, wastes, and environmental contamination resulting from its nuclear materials production. <br /> <br /> In 1989, Congress created the Office of Environmental Management (EM) within the Department of Energy (DOE) to manage this cleanup effort. Although EM has already made substantial progress, the scope of EM's future cleanup work is enormous. <br /> <br /> <em>Advice on the Department of Energy's Cleanup Technology Roadmap: Gaps and Bridges</em> provides advice to support the development of a cleanup technology roadmap for EM. The book identifies existing technology gaps and their priorities, strategic opportunities to leverage needed research and development programs with other organizations, needed core capabilities, and infrastructure at national laboratories and EM sites that should be maintained, all of which are necessary to accomplish EM's mission.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12603&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12642&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The global health community has reached a critical juncture in that now, more than ever, the knowledge, innovative technologies, and proven tools to help millions of people in need are within reach. Despite demonstrated success in tackling certain health issues, a wide gap remains between what can be done with existing knowledge, and what is actually being done in disadvantaged communities.<br /> Neither the U.S. government nor any one U.S. organization can achieve global health acting alone, but only as part of a shared global endeavor/campaign. The U.S. Commitment to Global Health examines ways in which the United States could contribute to advances in global health, including the following four areas of action: <br><br><ol> <li>Generate and share knowledge to address problems endemic to poor countries.</li> <li>Invest in people, institutions, and capacity building in resource-poor settings.</li> <li>Increase both quantity and quality of U.S. financial commitments to global health.</li> <li>Be a respectful partner and leader.</li> </ol> <br><br>Addressing the vision for a renewed U.S. commitment to global health, this book communicates specific recommendations not just for the U.S. government, but also for several nongovernmental sectors, including foundations and philanthropies, academia, nonprofit organizations, and the commercial sector. <br> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12642&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12620&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The transportation sector cannot continue on its current path: The volatility of oil prices threatens the U.S. economy, the large proportion of oil importation threatens U.S. energy security, and the massive contribution of greenhouse gases threatens the environment. The development of domestic sources of alternative transportation fuels with lower greenhouse emissions is now a national imperative.<br /><br /> Coal and biomass are in abundant supply in the United States and can be converted to liquid fuels that can be combusted in existing and future vehicles. Their abundant supply makes them attractive candidates to provide non-oil-based liquid fuels to the U.S. transportation system. However, there are important questions about the economic viability, carbon impact, and technology status of these options.<br /> <br /> <i>Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass</i> provides a snapshot of the potential costs of liquid fuels from biomass by biochemical conversion and from biomass and coal by thermochemical conversion. Policy makers, investors, leaders in industry, the transportation sector, and others with a concern for the environment, economy, and energy security will look to this book as a roadmap to independence from foreign oil. With immediate action and sustained effort, alternative liquid fuels can be available in the 2020 time frame, if or when the nation needs them.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12620&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12533&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>A strong chemical workforce in the United States will be essential to the ability to address many issues of societal concern in the future, including demand for renewable energy, more advanced materials, and more sophisticated pharmaceuticals. High school chemistry teachers have a critical role to play in engaging and supporting the chemical workforce of the future, but they must be sufficiently knowledgeable and skilled to produce the levels of scientific literacy that students need to succeed.<br /> To identify key leverage points for improving high school chemistry education, the National Academies' Chemical Sciences Roundtable held a public workshop, summarized in this volume, that brought together representatives from government, industry, academia, scientific societies, and foundations involved in outreach programs for high school chemistry teachers. Presentations at the workshop, which was held in August 2008, addressed the current status of high school chemistry education; provided examples of public and private outreach programs for high school chemistry teachers; and explored ways to evaluate the success of these outreach programs.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12533&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12672&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Water is our most fundamental natural resource, a resource that is limited. Challenges to our nation's water resources continue to grow, driven by population growth, ecological needs, climate change, and other pressures. The nation needs more and improved water science and information to meet these challenges. <br /> <br /> Toward a Sustainable and Secure Water Future reviews the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Resource Discipline (WRD), one of the nation's foremost water science organizations. This book provides constructive advice to help the WRD meet the nation's water needs over the coming decades. Of interest primarily to the leadership of the USGS WRD, many findings and recommendations also target the USGS leadership and the Department of Interior (DOI), because their support is necessary for the WRD to respond to the water needs of the nation.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12672&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12573&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps portray the height and extent to which flooding is expected to occur, and they form the basis for setting flood insurance premiums and regulating development in the floodplain. As such, they are an important tool for individuals, businesses, communities, and government agencies to understand and deal with flood hazard and flood risk. Improving map accuracy is therefore not an academic question--better maps help everyone. <br><br>Making and maintaining an accurate flood map is neither simple nor inexpensive. Even after an investment of more than $1 billion to take flood maps into the digital world, only 21 percent of the population has maps that meet or exceed national flood hazard data quality thresholds. Even when floodplains are mapped with high accuracy, land development and natural changes to the landscape or hydrologic systems create the need for continuous map maintenance and updates. <br><br><em>Mapping the Zone</em> examines the factors that affect flood map accuracy, assesses the benefits and costs of more accurate flood maps, and recommends ways to improve flood mapping, communication, and management of flood-related data. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12573&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12643&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The adverse effects of extreme space weather on modern technology--power grid outages, high-frequency communication blackouts, spacecraft anomalies--are well known and well documented, and the physical processes underlying space weather are also generally well understood. Less well documented and understood, however, are the potential economic and societal impacts of the disruption of critical technological systems by severe space weather. <br><br>This volume, an extended four-color summary of the book, <a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12507">Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts</a>, addresses the questions of space weather risk assessment and management. <br><br>The workshop on which the books are based brought together representatives of industry, the government, and academia to consider both direct and collateral effects of severe space weather events, the current state of the space weather services infrastructure in the United States, the needs of users of space weather data and services, and the ramifications of future technological developments for contemporary society's vulnerability to space weather. The workshop concluded with a discussion of un- or underexplored topics that would yield the greatest benefits in space weather risk management. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12643&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12601&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>New discoveries in genomics--that is, the study of the entire human genome--are changing how we diagnose and treat diseases. As the trend shifts from genetic testing largely being undertaken for rare genetic disorders to, increasingly, individuals being screened for common diseases, general practitioners, pediatricians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and other providers need to be knowledgeable about and comfortable using genetic information to improve their patients' health. To address these changes, the Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health held the public workshop "Innovations in Service Delivery in the Age of Genomics" on July 27, 2008. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12601&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12594&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Legal regulations and manufacturers' monitoring practices have not been enough to prevent contamination of the national food supply and protect consumers from serious harm. In addressing food safety risks, regulators could perhaps better ensure the quality and safety of food by monitoring food production not just at a single point in production but all along the way, from farm to table. <br><br>Recognizing the troubled state of food safety, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food Forum met in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2008, to explore the management of food safety practices from the beginning of the supply chain to the marketplace. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12594&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12576&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>NASA maintains a planetary protection policy to avoid the forward biological contamination of other worlds by terrestrial organisms, and back biological contamination of Earth from the return of extraterrestrial materials by spaceflight missions. Forward-contamination issues related to Mars missions were addressed in a 2006 National Research Council (NRC) book, Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars. However, it has been more than 10 years since back-contamination issues were last examined. <br /> <br /> Driven by a renewed interest in Mars sample return missions, this book reviews, updates, and replaces the planetary protection conclusions and recommendations contained in the NRC's 1997 report Mars Sample Return: Issues and Recommendations. The specific issues addressed in this book include the following: <br><br><ul> <li>The potential for living entities to be included in samples returned from Mars;</li> <li>Scientific investigations that should be conducted to reduce uncertainty in the above assessment;</li> <li>The potential for large-scale effects on Earth's environment by any returned entity released to the environment;</li> <li>Criteria for intentional sample release, taking note of current and anticipated regulatory frameworks; and</li> <li>The status of technological measures that could be taken on a mission to prevent the inadvertent release of a returned sample into Earth's biosphere.</li> </ul> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12576&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12653&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Spacecraft require electrical energy. This energy must be available in the outer reaches of the solar system where sunlight is very faint. It must be available through lunar nights that last for 14 days, through long periods of dark and cold at the higher latitudes on Mars, and in high-radiation fields such as those around Jupiter. Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) are the only available power source that can operate unconstrained in these environments for the long periods of time needed to accomplish many missions, and plutonium-238 (238Pu) is the only practical isotope for fueling them. <br><br>Plutonium-238 does not occur in nature. The committee does not believe that there is any additional 238Pu (or any operational 238Pu production facilities) available anywhere in the world.The total amount of 238Pu available for NASA is fixed, and essentially all of it is already dedicated to support several pending missions--the Mars Science Laboratory, Discovery 12, the Outer Planets Flagship 1 (OPF 1), and (perhaps) a small number of additional missions with a very small demand for 238Pu. If the status quo persists, the United States will not be able to provide RPSs for any subsequent missions. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12653&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12627&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>On January 8 and 9, 2009, the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council, in response to a request from the Office of Naval Research, hosted the "Oceanography in 2025" workshop. The goal of the workshop was to bring together scientists, engineers, and technologists to explore future directions in oceanography, with an emphasis on physical processes. The focus centered on research and technology needs, trends, and barriers that may impact the field of oceanography over the next 16 years, and highlighted specific areas of interest: submesoscale processes, air-sea interactions, basic and applied research, instrumentation and vehicles, ocean infrastructure, and education. <br><br>To guide the white papers and drive discussions, four questions were posed to participants:<br /> What research questions could be answered?<br /> What will remain unanswered?<br /> What new technologies could be developed?<br /> How will research be conducted? http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12627&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12622&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The National Academies Keck <em>Futures Initiative</em> was launched in 2003 to stimulate new modes of scientific inquiry and break down the conceptual and institutional barriers to interdisciplinary research. At the Conference on Complex Systems, participants were divided into twelve interdisciplinary working groups. The groups spent nine hours over two days exploring diverse challenges at the interface of science, engineering, and medicine.<br /> <br /> The groups included researchers from science, engineering, and medicine, as well as representatives from private and public funding agencies, universities, businesses, journals, and the science media. The groups needed to address the challenge of communicating and working together from a diversity of expertise and perspectives as they attempted to solve complicated, interdisciplinary problems in a relatively short time. <br /> <br /> The summaries contained in this volume describe the problem and outline the approach taken, including what research needs to be done to understand the fundamental science behind the challenge, the proposed plan for engineering the application, the reasoning that went into it and the benefits to society of the problem solution. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12622&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12525&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The 2nd International Forum on Biosecurity, held in Budapest, Hungary on March 30 - April 2, 2008, represents the efforts of a number of individuals and organizations, over the last five years, to engage the international community of life scientists in addressing how to reduce the risk that the results of their work could be used for hostile purposes by terrorists and states.<br /> The participants who gathered in Budapest were already engaged in this challenging task, and, therefore, the focus of the meeting was on what had been accomplished and what challenges remained. There was no attempt to achieve consensus, since there exist real and important differences among those involved concerning the appropriate policies and actions to be undertaken. But there was a serious effort to identify a range of potential next steps, and also an effort to identify opportunities where international scientific organizations could make substantive contributions and offer their advice and expertise to policy discussions. The Forum's presentations, discussions, and results are summarized in this book.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12525&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12624&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12624&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12541&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Sustainable development--meeting human needs while nurturing and restoring the planet's life support systems--requires a continuous process of scientific innovation, new knowledge and learning, and collaborative approaches to implementing technologies and policies. To address these challenges, different stakeholder groups are increasingly seeking to ally themselves through partnership, in order to implement projects, deliver services, establish secure funding mechanisms, and achieve on the ground results. Advocates of this collaborative approach point to the failure of governmental regulations, international commitments, or business as usual. However, skeptics often question the effectiveness of partnerships at achieving sustainable development goals and, in the absence of demonstrated results, wonder where partnerships are adding value. <br /> A symposium held in June 2008 and summarized in this volume, attempted to advance the dialogue on partnerships for sustainability in order to catalyze existing knowledge and inform future efforts. Ideas that came out of discussions at the symposium will help leaders in government, the private sector, foundations and NGOs, and universities, both in the United States and internationally, as they develop and participate in new partnerships for sustainability. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12541&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12558&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Many voluntary health organizations fund translational research. An increasing number of these organizations are looking at venture philanthropy as a critical way to advance their missions of helping patients and working to cure disease. <br><br>A wide range of participants gathered on October 3, 2008 at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Science for a workshop titled "Venture Philanthropy Strategies Used by Patient Organizations to Support Translational Research." Participants with experience in venture philanthropy shared their experiences and lessons learned in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in translational research. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12558&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12567&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The national security controls that regulate access to and export of science and technology are broken. As currently structured, many of these controls undermine our national and homeland security and stifle American engagement in the global economy, and in science and technology. These unintended consequences arise from policies that were crafted for an earlier era. In the name of maintaining superiority, the U.S. now runs the risk of becoming less secure, less competitive and less prosperous. <br /> <br /> <em>Beyond "Fortress America"</em> provides an account of the costs associated with building walls that hamper our access to global science and technology that dampen our economic potential. The book also makes recommendations to reform the export control process, ensure scientific and technological competitiveness, and improve the non-immigrant visa system that regulates entry into the United States of foreign science and engineering students, scholars, and professionals. <br /> <br /> <em>Beyond "Fortress America" </em>contains vital information and action items for the President and policy makers that will affect the United States' ability to compete globally. Interested parties--including military personnel, engineers, scientists, professionals, industrialists, and scholars--will find this book a valuable tool for stemming a serious decline affecting broad areas of the nation's security and economy. <br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12567&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12651&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The US armed forces, among other intelligence agencies, are increasingly dependent on information and information technology for both civilian and military purposes. Although there is ample literature written on the potential impact of an offensive or defensive cyberattack on societal infrastructure, little has been written about the use of cyberattack as a national policy tool. This book focuses on the potential for the use of such attacks by the United States and its policy implications. <br /> Since the primary resource required for a cyberattack is technical expertise, these attacks can be implemented by terrorists, criminals, individuals and corporate actors. Cyberattacks can be used by U.S. adversaries against particular sectors of the U.S. economy and critical national infrastructure that depend on computer systems and networks. Conversely, they can be used by the U.S. intelligence community with adequate organizational structure and appropriate oversight.<br /> Focusing on the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. national policy, <em>Technology, Policy, Law and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities</em> explores the important characteristics of cyberattacks and why they are relatively ideal for covert action. Experts argue that the United States should establish a national policy for launching cyberattacks, whether for purposes of exploitation, offense or defense for all sectors of government. This book will be of special interest to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement, and the greater intelligence community. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12651&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12650&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12650&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12613&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) predicts that by 2020, there will be an 81 percent increase in people living with or surviving cancer, but only a 14 percent increase in the number of practicing oncologists. As a result, there may be too few oncologists to meet the population's need for cancer care. To help address the challenges in overcoming this potential crisis of cancer care, the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the workshop <i>Ensuring Quality Cancer Care through the Oncology Workforce: Sustaining Care in the 21st Century</i> in Washington, DC on October 20 and 21, 2008. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12613&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12660&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]><span id="body"><span><span id="body__ctl0__ctl0_loader__ctl0_content">In 1976, a small group of soldiers at Fort Dix were infected with a swine flu virus that was deemed similar to the virus responsible for the great 1918-19 world-wide flu pandemic. The U.S. government initiated an unprecedented effort to immunize every American against the disease. While a qualified success in terms of numbers reached-more than 40 million Americans received the vaccine-the disease never reappeared. The program was marked by controversy, delay, administrative troubles, legal complications, unforeseen side effects and a progressive loss of credibility for public health authorities. In the waning days of the flu season, the incoming Secretary of what was then the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Joseph Califano, asked Richard Neustadt and Harvey Fineberg to examine what happened and to extract lessons to help cope with similar situations in the future. The result was their report, <i>The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease</i></span></span></span> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12660&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12598&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Collaborations of physicians and researchers with industry can provide valuable benefits to society, particularly in the translation of basic scientific discoveries to new therapies and products. Recent reports and news stories have, however, documented disturbing examples of relationships and practices that put at risk the integrity of medical research, the objectivity of professional education, the quality of patient care, the soundness of clinical practice guidelines, and the public's trust in medicine. <br><br><em>Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice</em> provides a comprehensive look at conflict of interest in medicine. It offers principles to inform the design of policies to identify, limit, and manage conflicts of interest without damaging constructive collaboration with industry. It calls for both short-term actions and long-term commitments by institutions and individuals, including leaders of academic medical centers, professional societies, patient advocacy groups, government agencies, and drug, device, and pharmaceutical companies. Failure of the medical community to take convincing action on conflicts of interest invites additional legislative or regulatory measures that may be overly broad or unduly burdensome. <br><br><em>Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice</em> makes several recommendations for strengthening conflict of interest policies and curbing relationships that create risks with little benefit. The book will serve as an invaluable resource for individuals and organizations committed to high ethical standards in all realms of medicine.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12598&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12596&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>In response to a request from the U.S. Congress, this book examines how the unique experience and extensive capabilities of the Department of Defense (DOD) can be extended to reduce the threat of bioterrorism within developing countries outside the former Soviet Union (FSU). During the past 12 years, DOD has invested $800 million in reducing the risk from bioterrorism with roots in the states of the FSU. The program's accomplishments are many fold. The risk of bioterrorism in other countries is too great for DOD not to be among the leaders in addressing threats beyond the FSU. <br><br>Taking into account possible sensitivities about a U.S. military presence, DOD should engage interested governments in about ten developing countries outside the FSU in biological threat reduction programs during the next five years. Whenever possible, DOD should partner with other organizations that have well established humanitarian reputations in the countries of interest. For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization should be considered as potential partners. <br> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12596&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12508&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Medical residents in hospitals are often required to be on duty for long hours. In 2003 the organization overseeing graduate medical education adopted common program requirements to restrict resident workweeks, including limits to an average of 80 hours over 4 weeks and the longest consecutive period of work to 30 hours in order to protect patients and residents from unsafe conditions resulting from excessive fatigue. <br><br><i>Resident Duty Hours</i> provides a timely examination of how those requirements were implemented and their impact on safety, education, and the training institutions. An in-depth review of the evidence on sleep and human performance indicated a need to increase opportunities for sleep during residency training to prevent acute and chronic sleep deprivation and minimize the risk of fatigue-related errors. In addition to recommending opportunities for on-duty sleep during long duty periods and breaks for sleep of appropriate lengths between work periods, the committee also recommends enhancements of supervision, appropriate workload, and changes in the work environment to improve conditions for safety and learning. <br><br>All residents, medical educators, those involved with academic training institutions, specialty societies, professional groups, and consumer/patient safety organizations will find this book useful to advocate for an improved culture of safety.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12508&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12591&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]><em>TRB Special Report 296, Implementing the Results of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2): Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life </em>explores promising results expected from the SHRP 2 research and provides recommendations on how they could be most effectively implemented. The committee that developed the report believes that the widespread implementation of products developed by SHRP 2 is critical in order to address the nation's roadway safety, renewal, reliability, and capacity issues.<br /> <br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12591&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12482&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The Army's ability to meet public and congressional demands to destroy expeditiously all of the U.S. declared chemical weapons would be enhanced by the selection and acquisition of appropriate explosive destruction technologies (EDTs) to augment the main technologies to be used to destroy the chemical weapons currently at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Kentucky and the Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) in Colorado. The Army is considering four EDTs for the destruction of chemical weapons: three from private sector vendors, and a fourth, Army-developed explosive destruction system (EDS). <br /> <br /> This book updates earlier evaluations of these technologies, as well as any other viable detonation technologies, based on several considerations including process maturity, process efficacy, process throughput, process safety, public and regulatory acceptability, and secondary waste issues, among others. It also provides detailed information on each of the requirements at BGAD and PCD and rates each of the existing suitable EDTs plus the Army's EDS with respect to how well it satisfies these requirements. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12482&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12636&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Faculty in all disciplines must continually prioritize their time to reflect the many demands of their faculty obligations, but they must also prioritize their efforts in ways that will improve the prospects of career advancement. The current perception is that research contributions are the most important measure with respect to faculty promotion and tenure decisions, and that teaching effectiveness is less valued--regardless of the stated weighting of research, teaching and service. In addition, methods for assessing research accomplishments are well established, even though imperfect, whereas metrics for assessing teaching, learning, and instructional effectiveness are not as well defined or well established.<br /> <br /> <em>Developing Metrics for Assessing Engineering Instruction</em> provides a concise description of a process to develop and institute a valid and acceptable means of measuring teaching effectiveness in order to foster greater acceptance and rewards for faculty efforts to improve their performance of the teaching role that makes up a part of their faculty responsibility. Although the focus of this book is in the area of engineering, the concepts and approaches are applicable to all fields in higher education. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12636&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12194&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Recognizing that a capacity to innovate and commercialize new high-technology products is increasingly a key for the economic growth in the environment of tighter environmental and resource constraints, governments around the world have taken active steps to strengthen their national innovation systems.<br /> These steps underscore the belief of these governments that the rising costs and risks associated with new potentially high-payoff technologies, their spillover or externality-generating effects and the growing global competition, require national R&amp;D programs to support the innovations by new and existing high-technology firms within their borders.<br /> <br /> The National Research Council's Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) has embarked on a study of selected foreign innovation programs in comparison with major U.S. programs. The "21st Century Innovation Systems for the United States and Japan: Lessons from a Decade of Change" symposium reviewed government programs and initiatives to support the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, government-university- industry collaboration and consortia, and the impact of the intellectual property regime on innovation. This book brings together the papers presented at the conference and provides a historical context of the issues discussed at the symposium.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12194&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12640&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>For much of the past 60 years, the U.S. research community dominated the discovery of new crystalline materials and the growth of large single crystals, placing the country at the forefront of fundamental advances in condensed-matter sciences and fueling the development of many of the new technologies at the core of U.S. economic growth. The opportunities offered by future developments in this field remain as promising as the achievements of the past. However, the past 20 years have seen a substantial deterioration in the United States' capability to pursue those opportunities at a time when several European and Asian countries have significantly increased investments in developing their own capacities in these areas. This book seeks both to set out the challenges and opportunities facing those who discover new crystalline materials and grow large crystals and to chart a way for the United States to reinvigorate its efforts and thereby return to a position of leadership in this field. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12640&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12586&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Dr. Joshua Lederberg - scientist, Nobel laureate, visionary thinker, and friend of the Forum on Microbial Threats - died on February 2, 2008. It was in his honor that the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop on May 20-21, 2008, to examine Dr. Lederberg's scientific and policy contributions to the marketplace of ideas in the life sciences, medicine, and public policy. The resulting workshop summary, <em>Microbial Evolution and Co-Adaptation</em>, demonstrates the extent to which conceptual and technological developments have, within a few short years, advanced our collective understanding of the microbiome, microbial genetics, microbial communities, and microbe-host-environment interactions. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12586&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12474&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>There is great enthusiasm over the use of emerging interactive health information technologies-often referred to as eHealth-and the potential these technologies have to improve the quality, capacity, and efficiency of the health care system. However, many doctors, advocacy groups, policy makers and consumers are concerned that electronic health systems might help individuals and communities with greater resources while leaving behind those with limited access to technology. <br><br>In order to address this problem, the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Health Literacy held a workshop to explore the current status of communication technology, the challenges for its use in populations with low health literacy, and the strategies for increasing the benefit of these technologies for populations with low health literacy. The summary of the workshop, "Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First," includes participants' comments on these issues. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12474&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12475&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>It is the unique mission of the Health Hazard Evaluation Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to respond to requests to investigate potential occupational health hazards. In contrast to other NIOSH programs, the Health Hazard Evaluation Program is not primarily a research program. Rather, it investigates and provides advice to workplaces in response to requests from employers, employees and their representatives, and federal agencies.<br /> <br /> The National Research Council was charged with evaluating the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program and determining whether program activities resulted in improvements in workplace practices and decreases in hazardous exposures that cause occupational illnesses. The program was found to play a key role in addressing existing widespread or emerging occupational health issues. This book makes several recommendations that could improve a very strong program including more systematic use of surveillance data to facilitate priority setting, and greater interaction with a broader array of workers, industries, and other government agencies. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12475&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12441&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships. Founded in 1982, SBIR was designed to encourage small business to develop new processes and products and to provide quality research in support of the many missions of the U.S. government, including health, energy, the environment, and national defense. In response to a request from the U.S. Congress, the National Research Council assessed SBIR as administered by the five federal agencies that together make up 96 percent of program expenditures. <br /> This book, one of six in the series, reports on the SBIR program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and finds that the program is making significant progress in achieving the Congressional goals for the program. Keeping in mind NASA's unique mission and the recent significant changes to the program, the committee found the SBIR program to be sound in concept and effective in practice at NASA.. The book recommends programmatic changes that should make the SBIR program even more effective in achieving its legislative goals.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12441&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The scientific research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the results reported by others are valid. Society trusts that the results of research reflect an honest attempt by scientists to describe the world accurately and without bias. But this trust will endure only if the scientific community devotes itself to exemplifying and transmitting the values associated with ethical scientific conduct.<br /> <br /> <i>On Being a Scientist</i> was designed to supplement the informal lessons in ethics provided by research supervisors and mentors. The book describes the ethical foundations of scientific practices and some of the personal and professional issues that researchers encounter in their work. It applies to all forms of research--whether in academic, industrial, or governmental settings-and to all scientific disciplines. <br /> <br /> This third edition of <i>On Being a Scientist</i> reflects developments since the publication of the original edition in 1989 and a second edition in 1995. A continuing feature of this edition is the inclusion of a number of hypothetical scenarios offering guidance in thinking about and discussing these scenarios.<br /> <br /> <i>On Being a Scientist</i> is aimed primarily at graduate students and beginning researchers, but its lessons apply to all scientists at all stages of their scientific careers.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12192&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12595&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Climate change is one of the most important global environmental problems facing the world today. Policy decisions are already being made to limit or adapt to climate change and its impacts, but there is a need for greater integration between science and decision making. This book proposes six priorities for restructuring the United States' climate change research program to develop a more robust knowledge base and support informed responses: <br><br><ul> <li>Reorganize the Program Around Integrated Scientific-Societal Issues</li> <li>Establish a U.S. Climate Observing System</li> <li>Support a New Generation of Coupled Earth System Models</li> <li>Strengthen Research on Adaptation, Mitigation, and Vulnerability</li> <li>Initiate a National Assessment of the Risks and Costs of Climate Change Impacts and Options to Respond</li> <li>Coordinate Federal Efforts to Provide Climate Information, Tools, and Forecasts Routinely to Decision Makers</li> </ul> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12595&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12608&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Since the 1990s, the pace of discovery in the field of solar and space physics has accelerated, largely owing to NASA investments in its Heliophysics Great Observatory fleet of spacecraft. These enable researchers to investigate connections between events on the Sun and in the space environment by combining multiple points of view.<br /> <br /> Recognizing the importance of observations of the Sun-to-Earth system, the National Research Council produced a solar and space physics decadal survey in 2003, laying out the Integrated Research Strategy. This strategy provided a prioritized list of flight missions, plus theory and modeling programs, that would advance the relevant physical theories, incorporate those theories in models that describe a system of interactions between the Sun and the space environment, obtain data on the system, and analyze and test the adequacy of the theories and models.<br /> <br /> Five years later, this book measures NASA's progress toward the goals and priorities laid out in the 2003 study. Unfortunately, very little of the recommended priorities will be realized before 2013. Mission cost growth, reordering of survey mission priorities, and unrealized budget assumptions have delayed nearly all of the recommended NASA spacecraft missions. The resulting loss of synergistic capabilities in space will constitute a serious impediment to future progress.<br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12608&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12634&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12634&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12617&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the government agency responsible for ensuring the safety of America's supply of meat, poultry, and egg products. In an effort to improve its inspection system, FSIS has proposed to modify the allocation of its inspection resources by establishing criteria to rank, based on public health risk, slaughtering and processing establishments. Before implementing the proposed inspection system, FSIS asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to evaluate the system, particularly the criteria for ranking slaughtering and processing establishments. In its 2009 letter report <i>Review of the Use of Process Control Indicators in the FSIS Public Health Risk-Based Inspection System</i>, the IOM committee concurs with the use of the risk-based inspection system but makes several recommendations to improve the process. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12617&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12577&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Research experience is now known to be an extremely effective means for engaging students, especially in science and engineering, yet it is not used extensively to engage the most rapidly growing segment of the student population. The reasons for this phenomenon were examined in a September 13, 2007 National Academies workshop entitled, "Partnerships for Emerging Research Institutions" (ERIs). The workshop began by examining the impact of research experiences on students in ERIs. It then dissected the reasons why it is so difficult to cultivate a research climate in these institutions. The net result is that few ERI faculty pursue research, leaving most of our nation's students without access to the one experience that is the foundation of science and engineering disciplines.<br /> <br /> This book presents some creative solutions to both the teaching load and "administructural" problems that plague administrators and faculty dedicated to actively engaging their institutions in research. Many of these solutions involve partnerships with other institutions or organizations. The book encourages a serious re-examination of how to retool our institutions and the nation to provide one of the most powerful educational interventions to a large segment of the population.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12577&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12571&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The 2008 Rosenthal Lecture featured a talk on Prospects for Health Reform in 2009 and Beyond. The distinguished speaker was Julie Rovner, National Public Radio correspondent and health expert, with introduction by Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12571&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12526&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The use of animals in research adheres to scientific and ethical principles that promote humane care and practice. Scientific advances in our understanding of animal physiology and behavior often require theories to be revised and standards of practice to be updated to improve laboratory animal welfare. <br /> <br /> <em>Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals</em>, the second of two reports revising the 1992 publication <em>Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Laboratory Animals</em> from the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR), focuses on pain experienced by animals used in research. This book aims to educate laboratory animal veterinarians; students, researchers and investigators; Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee members; and animal care staff and animal welfare officers on the current scientific and ethical issues associated with pain in laboratory animals. It evaluates pertinent scientific literature to generate practical and pragmatic guidelines for recognizing and alleviating pain in laboratory animals, focusing specifically on the following areas: physiology of pain in commonly used laboratory species; pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic principles to control pain; identification of humane endpoints; and principles for minimizing pain associated with experimental procedures. Finally, the report identifies areas in which further scientific investigation is needed to improve laboratory animal welfare.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12526&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12174&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The U.S. information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) ecosystem was the envy of the world in 1995. However, this position of leadership is not a birthright, and it is now under pressure. In recent years, the rapid globalization of markets, labor pools, and capital flows have encouraged many strong national competitors. During the same period, national policies have not sufficiently buttressed the ecosystem, or have generated side effects that have reduced its effectiveness. As a result, the U.S. position in IT leadership today has materially eroded compared with that of prior decades, and the nation risks ceding IT leadership to other nations within a generation. <br /> <br /> <em>Assessing the Impacts of Changes in the Information Technology R&D Ecosystem</em> calls for a recommitment to providing the resources needed to fuel U.S. IT innovation, to removing important roadblocks that reduce the ecosystem's effectiveness in generating innovation and the fruits of innovation, and to becoming a lead innovator and user of IT. The book examines these issues and makes recommendations to strengthen the U.S. IT R&D ecosystem. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12174&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12530&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts construction-relevant research activities. From 1996 through 2005, the program focused on four research goals: <br><br><ul> <li>reducing traumatic injuries and fatalities;</li> <li>reducing exposure to health hazards;</li> <li>reducing major risks associated with musculoskeletal disorders;</li> <li>increasing the understanding of construction industry attributes and factors for improving health and safety outcomes.</li> </ul> <br><br><br /> In this book, the National Research Council evaluates the relevance and impact of the NIOSH Construction Research Program in terms of its research priorities and its connection to improvements in the protection of workers in the workplace. <br /> It also assesses the program' s identification and targeting of new research areas, to identify emerging research issues, and to provide advice on ways that the program might be strengthened. <br /> <br /> The book finds that the efforts of the Construction Research Program have made meaningful contributions to improving construction worker safety and health, and provides overreaching and specific recommendations for continuing progress. While NIOSH cannot set and enforce research-based standards on its own, the program can be expected to help reduce construction workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through its research, its research dissemination, and transfer into practice. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12530&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12564&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Since 1992, the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) has produced a book on principles and practices for a federal statistical agency, updating the document every 4 years to provide a current edition to newly appointed cabinet secretaries at the beginning of each presidential administration. <br /> <br /> This fourth edition presents and comments on four basic principles that statistical agencies must embody in order to carry out their mission fully: <br /> (1) They must produce objective data that are relevant to policy issues, <br /> (2) they must achieve and maintain credibility among data users, <br /> (3) they must achieve and maintain trust among data providers, and <br /> (4) they must achieve and maintain a strong position of independence from the appearance and reality of political control. <br /> <br /> The book also discusses 11 important practices that are means for statistical agencies to live up to the four principles. These practices include a commitment to quality and professional practice and an active program of methodological and substantive research. This fourth edition adds the principle that statistical agencies must operate from a strong position of independence and the practice that agencies must have ongoing internal and external evaluations of their programs.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12564&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10700&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>In April 2002, the U.S. National Academies hosted an interacademy workshop involving participants from the United States and Iran on the topic of Science and Ethics. The explicit purposes of the workshop were (a) to engage important members of the American and Iranian scientific communities in meaningful discussions of the topic of science and ethics and particularly differences in the approaches in the west and in Islamic countries in general and Iran in particular, (b) to encourage greater participation by Iranian scientists in international scientific discussions by exposing them to seasoned veterans in international meetings, and (c) to identify specific topics and approaches that could be carried out by the Academies in the two countries to contribute to international understanding of the importance of considering the ethical dimensions of scientific research and related activities. This report includes documents prepared by four breakout groups and a statement on priority areas for future interacademy cooperation developed at the final plenary session. Also included are background papers prepared by some participants prior to the workshop that were not previously published. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10700&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12532&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book presents an in-depth analysis of the investment in catalysis basic research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Catalysis Science Program. Catalysis is essential to our ability to control chemical reactions, including those involved in energy transformations. Catalysis is therefore integral to current and future energy solutions, such as the environmentally benign use of hydrocarbons and new energy sources (such as biomass and solar energy) and new efficient energy systems (such as fuel cells). <br /> <br /> <i>Catalysis for Energy</i> concludes that BES has done well with its investment in catalysis basic research. Its investment has led to a greater understanding of the fundamental catalytic processes that underlie energy applications, and it has contributed to meeting long-term national energy goals by focusing research on catalytic processes that reduce energy consumption or use alternative energy sources. In some areas the impact of the research has been dramatic, while in others, important advances in catalysis science are yet to be made. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12532&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12484&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book presents a scientific assessment of free-electron-laser technology for naval applications. The charge from the Office of Naval Research was to assess whether the desired performance capabilities are achievable or whether fundamental limitations will prevent them from being realized.<br /> The present study identifies the highest-priority scientific and technical issues that must be resolved along the development path to achieve a megawatt-class free-electron laser. In accordance with the charge, the committee considered (and briefly describes) trade-offs between free-electron lasers and other types of lasers and weapon systems to show the advantages free-electron lasers offer over other types of systems for naval applications as well as their drawbacks. <br /> The primary advantages of free-electron lasers are associated with their energy delivery at the speed of light, selectable wavelength, and all-electric nature, while the trade-offs for free-electron lasers are their size, complexity, and relative robustness. Also, Despite the significant technical progress made in the development of high-average-power free-electron lasers, difficult technical challenges remain to be addressed in order to advance from present capability to megawatt-class power levels. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12484&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12602&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>During the next ten years, colleges of agriculture will be challenged to transform their role in higher education and their relationship to the evolving global food and agricultural enterprise. If successful, agriculture colleges will emerge as an important venue for scholars and stakeholders to address some of the most complex and urgent problems facing society. <br><br>Such a transformation could reestablish and sustain the historical position of the college of agriculture as a cornerstone institution in academe, but for that to occur, a rapid and concerted effort by our higher education system is needed to shape their academic focus around the reality of issues that define the world's systems of food and agriculture and to refashion the way in which they foster knowledge of those complex systems in their students. Although there is no single approach to transforming agricultural education, a commitment to change is imperative. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12602&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12504&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book makes a strong case for taking advantage of the best of two disciplines--health care and operational systems engineering (a combination of science and mathematics to describe, analyze, plan, design, and integrate systems with complex interactions among people, processes, materials, equipment, and facilities)-to improve the efficiency and quality of health care delivery, as well as health care outcomes.<br /> <br /> Those most interested in pursuing this approach include leaders in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs, who are committed to finding ways of improving the quality of care for military personnel, veterans, and their families. Intrigued by the possibilities, DOD decided to sponsor a series of workshops to explore the potential of operational systems engineering principals and tools for military health care, beginning with the diagnosis and care of traumatic brain injury (TBI), one of the most prevalent, difficult and challenging injuries suffered by warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan. <br /> <br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12504&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12531&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Maintaining the capabilities of the nuclear weapons stockpile and performing the annual assessment for the stockpile's certification involves a wide range of processes, technologies, and expertise. An important and valuable framework helping to link those components is the quantification of margins and uncertainties (QMU) methodology.<br /> <br /> In this book, the National Research Council evaluates: <br><br><ul> <li>how the national security labs were using QMU, including any significant differences among the three labs</li> <li>its use in the annual assessment</li> <li>whether the applications of QMU to assess the proposed reliable replacement warhead (RRW) could reduce the likelihood of resuming underground nuclear testing</li> </ul> <br><br><br /> This book presents an assessment of each of these issues and includes findings and recommendations to help guide laboratory and NNSA implementation and development of the QMU framework. It also serves as a guide for congressional oversight of those activities.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12531&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11964&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The SBIR program allocates 2.5 percent of 11 federal agencies' extramural R&D budgets to fund R&D projects by small businesses, providing approximately $2 billion annually in competitive awards. At the request of Congress the National Academies conducted a comprehensive study of how the SBIR program has stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet federal research and development needs. <br><br>Drawing substantially on new data collection, this book examines the SBIR program at the National Institutes of Health and makes recommendations for improvements. Separate reports will assess the SBIR program at DOD, NSF, DOE, and NASA, respectively, along with a comprehensive report on the entire program. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11964&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12513&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) profoundly affects the lives of all Americans. Its agencies and programs protect against domestic and global health threats, assure the safety of food and drugs, advance the science of preventing and conquering disease, provide safeguards for America's vulnerable populations, and improve health for everyone. However, the department faces serious and complex obstacles, chief among them rising health care costs and a broadening range of health challenges. Over time, additional responsibilities have been layered onto the department, and other responsibilities removed, often without corresponding shifts in positions, procedures, structures, and resources. <br><br><br /> At the request of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, <em>HHS in the 21st Century</em> assesses whether HHS is "ideally organized" to meet the enduring and emerging health challenges facing our nation. The committee identifies many factors that affect the department's ability to address its range of responsibilities, including divergence in the missions and goals of the department's agencies, limited flexibility in spending, impending workforce shortages, difficulty in retaining skilled professionals, and challenges in effectively partnering with the private sector. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12513&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12502&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>To receive the greatest value for health care, it is important to focus on issues of quality and disparity, and the ability of individuals to make appropriate decisions based on basic health knowledge and services. The Forum on the Science of Health Care Quality Improvement and Implementation, the Roundtable on Health Disparities, and the Roundtable on Health Literacy jointly convened the workshop "Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement" to address these concerns. During this workshop, speakers and participants explored how equity in care delivered and a focus on patients could be improved. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12502&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12572&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Despite a strong commitment to delivering quality health care, persistent problems involving medical errors and ineffective treatment continue to plague the industry. Many of these problems are the consequence of poor information and technology (IT) capabilities, and most importantly, the lack cognitive IT support. Clinicians spend a great deal of time sifting through large amounts of raw data, when, ideally, IT systems would place raw data into context with current medical knowledge to provide clinicians with computer models that depict the health status of the patient.<br /> <br /> <em>Computational Technology for Effective Health Care</em> advocates re-balancing the portfolio of investments in health care IT to place a greater emphasis on providing cognitive support for health care providers, patients, and family caregivers; observing proven principles for success in designing and implementing IT; and accelerating research related to health care in the computer and social sciences and in health/biomedical informatics.<br /> <br /> Health care professionals, patient safety advocates, as well as IT specialists and engineers, will find this book a useful tool in preparation for crossing the health care IT chasm.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12572&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12505&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This book examines national security controls that oversee scientific and technological research, specifically the federal regulations governing which information or goods can be shared with citizens of other countries. These restrictions are designed to prevent the flow of information or technology out of the U.S. and into the hands of foreign competitors or those who may wish to use it for harm. The book looks at how the world has changed since these national security controls were enacted, identifies the effects they have had on scientific and technological research in the U.S., and makes recommendations on how the system should be restructured to strengthen both national security and economic competitiveness. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12505&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12458&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. <br><br>In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12458&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12209&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Risk assessment has become a dominant public policy tool for making choices, based on limited resources, to protect public health and the environment. It has been instrumental to the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal agencies in evaluating public health concerns, informing regulatory and technological decisions, prioritizing research needs and funding, and in developing approaches for cost-benefit analysis. <br><br>However, risk assessment is at a crossroads. Despite advances in the field, risk assessment faces a number of significant challenges including lengthy delays in making complex decisions; lack of data leading to significant uncertainty in risk assessments; and many chemicals in the marketplace that have not been evaluated and emerging agents requiring assessment. <br><br><i>Science and Decisions</i> makes practical scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges. This book is a complement to the widely used 1983 National Academies book, Risk Assessment in he Federal Government (also known as the Red Book). The earlier book established a framework for the concepts and conduct of risk assessment that has been adopted by numerous expert committees, regulatory agencies, and public health institutions. The new book embeds these concepts within a broader framework for risk-based decision-making. Together, these are essential references for those working in the regulatory and public health fields. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12209&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12604&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12604&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12606&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12606&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12219&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The process for developing new drug and biologic products is extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming. Although large pharmaceutical companies may be able to afford the cost of development because they can expect a large return on investment, organizations developing drugs to treat rare and neglected diseases are unable to rely on such returns. <br><br>On June 23, 2008, the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation held a public workshop, "Breakthrough Business Models: Drug Development for Rare and Neglected Diseases and Individualized Therapies," which sought to explore new and innovative strategies for developing drugs for rare and neglected diseases. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12219&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12607&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12607&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12589&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. <em>Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward</em> provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community.<br /> <br /> The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. <em>Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States</em> gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. <br /> <br /> While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12589&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12465&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. <br /> <br /> This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12465&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12559&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>This new book from the National Research Council finds serious weaknesses in the government's plan for research on the potential health and environmental risks posed by nanomaterials, which are increasingly being used in consumer goods and industry. An effective national plan for identifying and managing potential risks is essential to the successful development and public acceptance of nanotechnology-enabled products.<br /> <br /> The book recommends a robust national strategic plan for addressing nanotechnology-related EHS risks, which will need to focus on promoting research that can assist all stakeholders, including federal agencies, in planning, controlling, and optimizing the use of engineered nanomaterials while minimizing EHS effects of concern to society. Such a plan will ensure the timely development of engineered nanoscale materials that will bring about great improvements in the nation's health, its environmental quality, its economy, and its security.<br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12559&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12545&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>With effective climate change mitigation policies still under development, and with even the most aggressive proposals unable to halt climate change immediately, many decision makers are focusing unprecedented attention on the need for strategies to adapt to climate changes that are now unavoidable. The effects of climate change will touch every corner of the world's economies and societies; adaptation is inevitable. The remaining question is to what extent humans will anticipate and reduce undesired consequences of climate change, or postpone response until after climate change impacts have altered ecological and socioeconomic systems so significantly that opportunities for adaptation become limited. This book summarizes a National Research Council workshop at which presentations and discussion identified specific needs associated with this gap between the demand and supply of scientific information about climate change adaptation.<br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12545&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12534&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>Researchers, policymakers, sociologists and doctors have long asked how to best measure the health of a nation, yet the challenge persists. The nonprofit State of the USA, Inc. (SUSA) is taking on this challenge, demonstrating how to measure the health of the United States. The organization is developing a new website intended to provide reliable and objective facts about the U.S. in a number of key areas, including health, and to provide an interactive tool with which individuals can track the progress made in each of these areas. <br><br>In 2008, SUSA asked the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the State of the USA Health Indicators to provide guidance on 20 key indicators to be used on the organization's website that would be valuable in assessing health. Each indicator was required to demonstrate: <br><br><ul> <li>a clear importance to health or health care, </li> <li>the availability of reliable, high quality data to measure change in the indicators over time, </li> <li>the potential to be measured with federally collected data, and </li> <li>the capability to be broken down by geography, populations subgroups including race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.</li> </ul> <br><br>Taken together, the selected indicators reflect the overall health of the nation and the efficiency and efficacy of U.S. health systems. The complete list of 20 can be found in the report brief and book. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12534&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12560&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>The threat from the degradation of materials in the engineered products that drive our economy, keep our citizenry healthy, and keep us safe from terrorism and belligerent threats has been well documented over the years. And yet little effort appears to have been made to apply the nation's engineering community to developing a better understanding of corrosion and the mitigation of its effects.<br /> The engineering workforce must have a solid understanding of the physical and chemical bases of corrosion, as well as an understanding of the engineering issues surrounding corrosion and corrosion abatement. Nonetheless, corrosion engineering is not a required course in the curriculum of most bachelor degree programs in MSE and related engineering fields, and in many programs, the subject is not even available. As a result, most bachelor-level graduates of materials- and design-related programs have an inadequate background in corrosion engineering principles and practices.<br /> To combat this problem, the book makes a number of short- and long-term recommendations to industry and government agencies, educational institutions, and communities to increase education and awareness, and ultimately give the incoming workforce the knowledge they need.<br /> <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12560&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12554&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss ]]>In January 2004 NASA was given a new policy direction known as the Vision for Space Exploration. That plan, now renamed the United States Space Exploration Policy, called for sending human and robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. In 2005 NASA outlined how to conduct the first steps in implementing this policy and began the development of a new human-carrying spacecraft known as Orion, the lunar lander known as Altair, and the launch vehicles Ares I and Ares V.<br /> Collectively, these are called the Constellation System. In November 2007 NASA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to evaluate the potential for new science opportunities enabled by the Constellation System of rockets and spacecraft.<br /> <br /> The NRC committee evaluated a total of 17 mission concepts for future space science missions. Of those, the committee determined that 12 would benefit from the Constellation System and five would not. This book presents the committee's findings and recommendations, including cost estimates, a review of the technical feasibility of each mission, and identification of the missions most deserving of future study. <br /> http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12554&utm_source=feeds&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new_from_nap_rss