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Council Minutes - May 2010
The 110th Meeting
May 25–26, 2010
- REPORT: Task Force on Minority Aging Research
- REPORT: Working Group on Program
- INITIAL REPORT: Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Review
- PRESENTATION: Cures Acceleration Network
Attachment A: Roster of the National Advisory Council on Aging
Attachment B: Director's Status Report to Council
The 110th meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) was convened on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at 3 p.m. in Building 31, Conference Room 10, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Richard J. Hodes, Director, National Institute on Aging (NIA), presided.
In accordance with the provisions of Public Law 92–463, the meeting was closed to the public on Tuesday, May 25, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the review, discussion, and evaluation of grant applications in accordance with the provisions set forth in Sections 552(b)(c)(4) and 552(b)(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code and Section 10(d) of Public Law 92-463.1 The meeting was open to the public on Wednesday, May 26, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Council Participants:
Dr. Lisa Berkman
Dr. Dale Bredesen (May 25 only, by phone)
Dr. Robert Califf
Dr. Peggye Dilworth-Anderson
Dr. Hugh C. Hendrie
Dr. S. Michal Jazwinski
Dr. Sundeep Khosla
Dr. Andrea LaCroix
Dr. Victor Molinari
Dr. Lennart Mucke
Mr. Daniel P. Perry
Dr. Ronald C. Petersen
Ms. Orien Reid
Dr. Arlan G. Richardson
Ms. June Simmons
Dr. James P. Smith
Dr. Terrie F. Wetle
Dr. Susan L. Swain
Ex Officio Participants:
Dr. James F. Burris, Department of Veterans Affairs
Dr. Jane Tilly, Administration on Aging
Absent Ex Officio Participants:
Dr. Kenneth G. Pugh, National Naval Medical Center
The Council Roster, which gives titles, affiliations, and terms of appointment, is appended to these minutes as attachment A.
In Addition to NIA Staff, Other Federal Staff Present:
Dr. Mary Custer, Center for Scientific Review, NIH
Ms. Devon Drew, Committee Management Office, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Dr. Rene Etcheberrigaray, Center for Scientific Review, NIH
Ms. Ashley Fitzgibbons, Office of Extramural Research, NIH
Ms. Marnie Isabella, Center for Information Technology, NIH (contractor)
Dr. Michelle Washko, Administration on Aging
Mr. Pat White, Office of the Director, NIH
Members of the Public Present:
Ms. Linda Harootyan, Gerontological Society of America
Ms. Erica Froyd, Lewis-Burke Associates
Dr. Thomas Gill, Yale University School of Medicine
Dr. Jaime Grutzendler, Northwestern University
Dr. Leanne Jones, The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences
Dr. Rose M. Li, Rose Li and Associates, Inc.
Dr. Frances McFarland Horne, Rose Li and Associates, Inc.
Ms. Beth Roy, Social Scientific Systems, Inc.
Dr. Robert Willis, University of Michigan
This portion of the meeting was closed to the public, in accordance with the determination that it concerned matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under Sections 552(b)(c)(4) and 552(b)(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code and Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix).2
A total of 1,263 applications requesting $1,739,717,531 for all years underwent initial review. The Council recommended 818 awards for a total of $1,234,197,965 for all years. The actual funding of the awards recommended is determined by the availability of funds, percentile ranks, priority scores, and program relevance.
Dr. Hodes welcomed members to the open session of the 110th NACA meeting and called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.
Director's Status Report
Dr. Hodes began by providing an update on the NIA budget. He showed how overall NIH purchasing power had peaked in 2003 and that all subsequent adjustments to the budget have been subinflationary, resulting in an erosion in funds available to support research. Although the President's proposed budget includes an inflationary increase to NIH, there are concerns that this goal might not be achieved. An analysis published in the Congressional Quarterly points out that budget appropriations have not been released on time since 1996 for the 1997 fiscal year, and there is some speculation that the budget will be subject to yet another prolonged continuing resolution at FY2009 levels.
Council members were reminded that the recent health care legislation encouraged NIH, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and other Federal agencies to implement or augment comparative effectiveness research (CER) programs. The legislation also has established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a non-profit organization that will organize, fund, plan, and make recommendations from comparative effectiveness research to inform science application and practice. PCORI is charged with identifying national priorities, research gaps, new clinical evidence, relevance, standards, and economic correlates as it sets a research agenda. It is expected that PCORI will consult with NIH on research, training, and communications and that NIH will continue to conduct and support CER independently. PCORI will be funded initially by direct appropriations, then by a trust fund supported in part by capitation charges on enrollees in the health care system.
Dr. Hodes next discussed the establishment of the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN), which will aim to reduce the barriers between laboratory discoveries and clinical trials, thereby advancing the development of new cures and treatments for debilitating diseases. Situated in the NIH Office of the Director (OD), with an authorized FY2010 budget of $500 million, CAN will provide flexible funding mechanisms such as grant awards, partnership awards that require matching funds, and flexible research awards administered under "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-like authority." Dr. Hodes emphasized that a budget for CAN has been authorized, but not yet appropriated. He further noted that CAN will not be subsumed under the current NIH appropriation.
Dr. Hodes also reminded Council of the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB), which was established by the NIH Reform Act of 2006 in response to concerns that mechanisms creating new Institutes and Centers (ICs) were irrational and suboptimal. The SMRB, chaired by Norman Augustine a former member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, is comprised of 12 non-Federal members and no more than 9 NIH IC directors (including Dr. Hodes). The NIH Director serves as a nonvoting member. At its inaugural meeting in April 2009, the SMRB heard briefings on the NIH mission, structure, budget, and central services; the National Academies report on organizational change and enhancing the vitality of NIH; and testimony from former NIH Directors with regard to the science and structure of NIH. The Board established three working groups with the following charges:
- Deliberating Organizational Change (DOC) – to draft overarching principles of organization and criteria for contemplating change.
- Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction (SUAA) – to consider whether changes within NIH could further optimize research into substance use, abuse, and addiction, including the possibility of a merger or formal cooperation between the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse.
- Clinical Center/Intramural Research Program – to consider the challenges of fiscal viability and management for the Intramural Research Program and Clinical Centers, and whether the Clinical Center should be a national resource, rather than a resource restricted to the Intramural Program.
Dr. Hodes concluded his report by discussing The Big Think, a meeting held on May 7 that brought together researchers from outside NIH to identify areas in which the Common Fund might best be used. Meeting participants worked to generate a menu of bold, transformative, and cross-cutting yet specific ideas and to discuss general priorities without an actual vote. The Common Fund is now at about $500 million. Awards from the Common Fund are not intended for open-ended projects but rather to provide incubator space for 5 years, with an absolute maximum of 10 years. Three topics were identified as garnering enthusiastic support:
- High-throughput approaches, including technologies for single-cell biology; protein affinity reagents beyond monoclonal antibodies; generalizable methods for assessing gene function and the effects of allelic series; tissue-specific targeting of small molecules; emerging versus newly diagnosed infections; and more effective measures of environmental exposures.
- Translation, including the need for mouse models beyond knockouts; release and repurposing of "failed compounds" from the private sector; exploration of combination therapy approaches; systematic assessments of known genes and pathways involved in rare diseases; and process engineering to improve success rates of translation.
- The science of health reform, including studies of disease prevention and medical care delivery, assessments of the effects of systematic patient education, centers of excellence on chronic disease management, studies of social networking and health, and randomization of provider incentive models to assess effects on costs and outcomes.
Participants at The Big Think also discussed cross-cutting themes, including ways to encourage investigator independence at an earlier time point, a wish list of ideas scientists would like to pursue if they had the means, and a suggestion for a large, prospective cohort study in the United States, similar to one ongoing in the United Kingdom.
In response to questions from Dr. Wetle about the National Children's Study, Dr. Hodes acknowledged the importance of life course studies and including children in a large study like the one suggested by Big Think participants. He cautioned, however, that although such a goal is worthwhile, cost remains a concern.
Dr. Molinari noted the large role NIA-supported research could play in health care reform, for example, efforts to reduce the number of inappropriate prescriptions or hospitalizations. Dr. Hodes agreed and highlighted recent scientific initiatives in which NIA has played a leading role, including the Science of Behavior Change initiative and a focus on health economics under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). However, Dr. Hodes acknowledged that more needs to be done. Drs. Jonathan King and Richard Suzman answered further questions about the two initiatives highlighted by Dr. Hodes.
In response to questions from Dr. Khosla, Dr. Hodes noted that he had not seen any evidence that Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director, would make any radical moves to discontinue past initiatives. However, Dr. Hodes speculated that the evolution of these initiatives would be influenced by Dr. Collins' sense of direction, which encompasses highly powered, cutting edge research, biological and behavioral research, and translation of findings to real outcomes. Dr. Hodes further noted that Dr. Collins remains sensitive to the context of the health reform legislation and that he and the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program steering committee are exploring their contribution to the overall national research network. Council members further suggested a role for CTSAs in supporting population studies that will be made possible with the establishment of the electronic medical record. Dr. Wetle also suggested that the adoption of these records across the nation will require a re-examination of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is currently a barrier to researchers across institutions and systems.
After a round of introductions, Dr. Hodes circulated a binder containing media coverage of NIA-supported research.
Future Meeting Dates
September 21–22, 2010 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
January 25–26, 2011 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
May 24–25, 2011 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
September 20–21, 2011 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Consideration of Minutes of the Last Meeting
The minutes of the January 2010 meeting were considered. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to approve the minutes.
REPORT: Task Force on Minority Aging Research
Dr. Dilworth-Anderson reported on two presentations heard by the task force:
- Dr. Joan Levy Zlotnik (Director, Social Work Policy Institute, National Association of Social Workers Foundation) and Ms. Angela Sharpe (Deputy Director for Health Policy, Consortium of Social Science Associations) on how organizations can work together to identify standard workforce issues across disciplines. This presentation included overarching recommendations with respect to the recruitment, retention, and mentoring of underrepresented minorities; improving evaluation of diversity program outcomes; and building public support for a diverse scientific workforce. Dr. Levy Zlotnik and Ms. Sharpe also suggested next steps to facilitate development of a common data set. Dr. Dilworth-Anderson noted, for example, that several organizations, faced with the termination of the National Institute of Mental Health Minority Fellowship Program, found ways to standardize their own data to identify minority fellows in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering; enhance recruitment; collect data across organizations; and share best practices. The presentation closed with a detailed list of steps to enhance data standardization.
- Dr. David Weir on building a process and infrastructure for data collection to recruit and retain minority participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Representation of minority populations remains critical for HRS to support research on the causes, consequences, and trends in racial and ethnic health disparities at older ages. The HRS received ARRA funding to expand its minority sample by adding about 1,200 African- American and Hispanic respondents from the baby boom birth cohorts. Dr. Weir reported no racial or ethnic differences in recruitment into or retention in the study but some differences in cooperation with specific requests. He further reported that well-trained interviewers, and not their race or ethnicity, were the primary determinant of success in reducing disparities in cooperation. Dr. Weir also noted some complications in obtaining biomarker data from minority groups, perhaps related to general distrust among these groups with respect to DNA testing. He pointed out that race-matching appeared to matter more to whites than to blacks, which was surprising. Dr. Dilworth-Anderson informed Council that these findings will appear as part of a special issue to be published by the Gerontological Society of America, and acknowledged the role of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research in supporting this work.
Dr. Hendrie described the Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project, a large comprehensive study of 2,500 community-dwelling African Americans in Indianapolis or Yoruba in West Africa. African American ancestry can be traced to the Yoruba. Phase I focused on the epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia, and Phase II integrated a genetic component and focused on the mechanisms of disease. Planning for an integrated investigation of mechanisms in Phase III is under way.
Study results from Phase I indicated that the rates of AD and dementia were twice as high in African Americans as in the Yoruba and that the frequency of vascular risk factors associated with these diseases were all lower in the Yoruba. ApoE4 and education were large risk factors for African Americans but not as much for Yoruba. Individuals who migrated to the American South and had low education status were at highest risk for AD and stroke. Dr. Hendrie also noted that antihypertensives lowered the risk in African Americans and that assessing risk factors in Western populations might be more difficult now because of treatment effects.
Dr. Hendrie also shared some unpublished results from Phase II.
REPORT: Working Group on Program
Dr. Jazwinski reported the recommendations of the Working Group on Program:
A second Cognitive Aging Summit will be held in October 2010 as a follow-up to a Summit held in 2007. Coordinated by Dr. Molly Wagster of the Division of Neuroscience, the first Summit led to two requests for applications (RFAs) in 2008, with applications funded in 2009. The second Cognitive Aging Summit will review advances that have occurred in the field since the last meeting. It will feature 36 speakers, as opposed to the approximately 70 speakers who presented at the first Summit, and it will be followed by a meeting of grantees funded under the RFAs issued in 2008. Dr. Wagster reported to Council that NIA has been working with the Foundation for NIH and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation to organize these meetings. She also asked Council members interested in attending to contact her directly, as enthusiasm is overwhelming and slots are quickly filling up.
A motion to approve the Summit was forwarded and seconded by Council members. The motion passed unanimously.
Dr. John Williams, of the Division of Aging Biology (DAB), proposed an RFA concept on Mechanisms Mediating Change in Central Regulation of Bone Mass. This RFA will focus on neuroendocrine function, particularly the central role of brain leptin on bone mass. It will use the R01 mechanism, and DAB anticipates that five or six applications will be funded. During the previous day's discussion, the working group noted that this is an emerging and somewhat controversial field of research, but that it also is an important one that fits with the NIA mission.
In response to questions he had received the previous day, Dr. Williams described two studies suggesting that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) significantly increased the risk for bone fracture. He also discussed results of a PubMed search he had done on the involvement of follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH) in bone turnover. Dr. LaCroix clarified that when she had asked the questions, she had wanted to point out that the epidemiological evidence of a link between SSRIs, and bone fracture is somewhat weak. This observation was not to impugn the studies but to illustrate the still-controversial nature of the field. Dr. Khosla added that this was precisely the context in which RFAs are useful, because the central regulation of bone mass is an important development; and more study is needed by independent groups to address existing controversies.
A motion for the Council to approve the RFA concept was forwarded and seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The working group also discussed changes at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and throughout the NIH with respect to the peer-review process. The group noted that the reviews and summary statements are now a bulleted structure where strengths and weaknesses are listed. This format could be problematic because it encourages reviewers to raise issues without providing documentation or evidence that could help in revisions. The working group also noted that the five criteria could be problematic because reviewers do not understand uniformly what those criteria mean and applicants might be forced to try to "read reviewers' minds." These problems, combined with allowing applicants to submit only twice, place investigators in a position of aiming at a moving target. Dr. Mucke added that overall, the new review process is a vast improvement over the old one, but that useful elements of the old process have fallen through the cracks. He suggested a mechanism by which applicants could see a preliminary form of the review and have a short period of time to respond to it. Dr. Mucke concluded that improving peer review should be a continuing process and that his and other suggestions could be raised with CSR in a constructive way.
The working group concluded that the Council should draft a letter explaining its concerns to the CSR Director. A motion to establish a committee to draft a letter to CSR regarding the new format was forwarded and seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Dr. Mucke will lead this effort, which will include Ms. Simmons and Drs. Berkman, LaCroix, Khosla, Wetle, and Jazwinski. Other Council members were asked to submit ideas, suggestions, or other issues. A draft letter will be circulated for review by all Council members, and a final letter is expected to be sent in July 2010.
Council members also suggested that an agenda item be added to a future NACA meeting for appropriate representatives from CSR to present findings from its recent survey and hear the Council's concerns in person.
During the previous day's meeting of the working group, Dr. Hodes noted that the critical state of available funds at NIH has translated into a payline at the 8 percentile for research grant awards for NIA, among the lowest of the NIH institutes. Although NIA continues to emphasize supporting the best science, there are concerns that this low payline will influence talented investigators to submit their applications elsewhere and that interest in aging research will thus decline. NIA's average costs are higher than those for other ICs, but Dr. Hodes emphasized that NIA's research portfolio reflects scientific planning and priority setting. Other ICs have eliminated certain funding mechanisms, for example, P01 and centers programs, to ensure better paylines. However, NIA continues to see value in these programs. Suggestions from Council members for addressing the low payline included encouraging less-expensive applications over larger ones, setting differential paylines or caps, or simply continuing to support the best science without cost formulas.
Dr. Petersen agreed with a temporary imposition of caps, but expressed concerns that caps might be perceived as NIA pre-judging the value of the science. Dr. Mucke added that most of the working group appreciated the diversity of funding mechanisms and believed that it would be wise to maintain that diversity. Council members also acknowledged the value of having large groups focused on difficult problems, particularly in this age of interdisciplinary research, and the innovation arising from the Transformative R01 and Pioneer Awards. Some members acknowledged the value of large projects but suggested that NIA encourage smaller and shorter projects. Some suggested that NIA try to make the R03 and R21 mechanisms more attractive, as many high-priority projects could be initiated with relatively small amounts of money. Others suggested encouraging smaller and shorter R01s, because younger or newer investigators get a break in priority scores for the R01 mechanism that they do not get for R03s or R21s.
Dr. Jazwinski concluded his report by noting the State of the Science Report on the Prevalence of AD and Cognitive Decline. The report, presented by Dr. Neil Buckholtz, is now online and will be reviewed by Council at the September 2010 meeting.
INITIAL REPORT: Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Review
Dr. Khosla summarized the findings of the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Review (DGCG) review group, which was positive overall about the Division's accomplishments, especially in a constrained funding environment. The review group focused on four geriatrics goals, three gerontology goals, clinical trials, interfaces with clinical specialties, translational research, and career development.
- Goal 1: Geriatric disabilities, symptoms, and causes of activity limitation. The review group agreed that this goal was an important and appropriate goal within the purview of DGCG. However, the group expressed concerns that grants in this area might be difficult to fund because it is an emerging field.
- Goal 2: Disease outcomes in older individuals. The Division is examining how to prioritize specific diseases. There were some suggestions about interactions between the Division and relevant specialty societies.
- Goal 3: Multiple morbidities in older persons. The review group recognized that because many older people have more than one disease or condition, NIA and DGCG are unique in the research they support. The review group distinguished comorbidities, in which one disease is dominant, from multimorbidities, in which many diseases are equally dominant. The group noted that clinical trials include few individuals with more than one disease or disability and questioned whether results from these studies are generalizable. Group members also emphasized a need to understand underlying pathophyisology and disease interactions and the potential value of animal models; and they discussed opportunities for DGCG to interact more closely with DAB. In addition, the review group noted the need to educate study sections because of the intrinsic difficulties of performing studies of multimorbidities and comorbidities.
- Goal 4: Unrecognized pathology in older persons. DGCG is studying how to prioritize specific diseases in this regard.
- Goal 5: Physiologic changes across the lifespan. The review group pointed out that not all age-related changes are detrimental; in fact, some might be protective. Review group members noted the need to increase understanding of protective effects, particularly now in an era where there is a general push to treat age-related declines.
- Goal 6: Consequences of early-life events on aging-related changes. The review group acknowledged overall that these types of studies are intrinsically difficult and might be facilitated by more longitudinal studies and better surrogate markers of clinical outcomes. Group members specifically called for a focus on the impact of nutrition.
- Goal 7: Factors contributing to exceptional aging. The review group emphasized a balance between studying exceptional longevity and the rate of aging in the rest of the population. The impact of nutritional factors also was discussed.
- Clinical trials. The DGCG commitment to clinical trials has more than doubled since 2006 and now represents approximately a third of the DGCG budget at $46 million. The review group discussed the impact of this trend on other types of grants and was divided on whether it is appropriate. The group emphasized the need for clear strategic planning on which trials to support and platforms for other research priorities.
- Interfaces with clinical specialties. The review group suggested that DGCG find ways to leverage the resources (expertise, funding) of specialty societies. The Division also could ask a society or professional organization to list the top five research ideas it would like to see NIA pursue, then draw funding ideas from that list.
- Translational research. The review group discussed potential benefits of enhanced interactions with other NIA divisions and the Intramural Program. For example, DGCG could draw expertise from DAB on how to better translate basic studies to clinical studies, and it could tap into the data-sharing resources of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR). The review group also called for standardized outcomes for functional studies in older persons.
- Career development. The review group agreed that support for career development is at risk. Group members suggested ancillary studies to clinical trials and leveraging support from professional societies and foundations.
A more detailed report is forthcoming and will be voted on at the September Council meeting.
Dr. Hodes commended the DGCG review group on its effort to look at the entire program and analyze it both by topic and by research gaps or unanswered questions. He reminded the Council that although NIA presents initiatives to Council, it also values ideas and input from the Council and the research community at large.
Dr. Jazwinski also commended the review group and stressed that DGCG is unique in its study of comorbidities and multimorbidities and thus distinguishes NIA from other ICs that focus on specific organs. Dr. Peterson noted the increasing emphasis on collaboration among NIA divisions and suggested that NIA find ways to promote and enhance such collaboration.
PRESENTATION: Cures Acceleration Network
Mr. Pat White, Associate Director for Legislative Policy and Analysis in the NIH Office of the Director (OD), began his presentation by discussing the economic and political challenges facing NIH and by acknowledging the work of Senator Arlen Specter on NIH's behalf. He then summarized the historical and public policy context of the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN).
The idea for CAN was first proposed in 2003 by then-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman when he called for a $150 billion, 10-year Federal initiative to establish a National Institute of Cures, an entity separate from NIH that would attempt to bridge the "valley of death," or the translation of basic research discoveries into clinical application. In 2009, Senator Specter, spurred by the disastrous effects of the financial collapse on biotechnology companies and the notion of cures being held back by bureaucratic red tape, introduced legislation for an institute that would:
- Use a different set of reviewers, including patient advocates, venture capitalists, and venture philanthropists.
- Provide authorization for "X prize" funding as a follow-on to ARRA.
- Provide DARPA-like authority.
The language of this legislation changed, following input from the scientific community and was passed as part of health care reform.
CAN will be housed in OD with an authorized budget of $500 million for FY2010. None of the funding for CAN will come from existing IC budgets, and an allowance for "no-year" money will allow CAN to operate without a mandate to spend the money in one particular year. The CAN legislation creates three new award mechanisms to increase flexibility, and it establishes a review board that will advise the NIH Director on barriers to successful translation of scientific discovery and make recommendations about research proposals. In addition, the legislation will facilitate Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review for high-need cures funded by CAN and provide matching non-Federal funds. Support for CAN is wide and varied, coming from patient advocate groups, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, foundations, and philanthropies, as demonstrated by a letter to Congress with over 80 signatories.
Mr. White concluded his presentation by sharing media views on the state of biomedical research and its translation to cures. In an article in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell writes about a small biotechnology company pursuing cancer treatments and shows the difficulty in getting a compound or biologic through the FDA development and approval pipeline. Although the compounds discussed in this article failed testing, Mr. White noted that one of the greatest opportunities for CAN might involve obtaining failed or abandoned compounds, negotiating intellectual property rights, and aiming them at other targets. For example, Pfizer is collaborating with Washington University at St. Louis to provide investigators access to their drug candidates and allowing them to study other effective uses for those candidates. In another article published in Newsweek, Mary Carmichael and Sharon Begley present an indictment of the NIH research enterprise and the culture of academic research. Mr. White pointed out that the article summarizes a prevalent public view of NIH.
Dr. Berkman commented that even with the health care reform legislation, little attention has been paid to prevention, quality of life, health disparities, and the reasons why the United States is behind other developed countries in terms of health. Mr. White responded that CAN is designed to examine pharmaceuticals, compounds, and devices and imagined that an integrative proposal that includes prevention might qualify for CAN funding.
Mr. Daniel Perry remarked that the evolution among advocacy organizations from simply pushing for more funding to the NIH to now focusing on the ability of NIH, FDA, and other organizations to produce something of value to the organizations' constituents. Mr. Perry noted that the increasing emphasis on faster cures, the establishment of CAN, and the recent establishment of a partnership between NIH and FDA illustrate this evolution. He suggested that NIH continue to identify ways it can be part of this evolution.
The Council also discussed concerns that CAN will be funded at the expense of basic science. Council members agreed on the need for all stakeholders to recognize that basic research is critical and can be exploited by CAN. Mr. White noted ongoing efforts to educate Congress and the public about the value of basic science research and to present CAN as part of a continuum of NIH, rather than as an entity that supplants or usurps NIH.
Dr. Hendrie noted that non-pharmacological interventions, which often work just as well as new drugs, without the negative side effects that sometimes take years to become apparent, are not included in the legislation for CAN. He suggested that they be considered, particularly for older people. Mr. White and Dr. Khosla also discussed the need to manage expectations of what modern science and the pharmaceutical industry can do. Dr. Khosla noted that many in the public have high expectations without understanding the research process, and he expressed concern that the establishment of CAN might set the Federal government up for another indictment like the Newsweek article in the future. Mr. White again emphasized the importance of education and expressed frustration that many in the general public do not know where advances come from or how NIH has played a role in public health benefits now taken for granted. He agreed on the need to guard against overhyping or overpromising CAN.
Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology: Functional Trajectories in the Last Year of Life
Despite the importance of daily function among older persons and their families, little is known about the course of disability in key activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and walking at the end of life. Dr. Thomas Gill, of the Yale University School of Medicine, presented the results of a prospective, longitudinal study that aimed to identify distinct patterns of disability in the last year of life and to determine whether and how the distribution of these patterns differs according to the condition leading to death. The study followed 754 community-dwelling individuals, aged 70 years or older, living in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Gill and his colleagues conducted monthly telephone interviews and, for the 383 participants who died, evaluated the ability to complete essential activities of daily living (ADLs) during the last year of life.
Dr. Gill and his colleagues identified five distinct trajectories, ranging from no disability to most severe disability. Distribution among these trajectories was fairly even: 17 percent of participants had no disability; 19.8 percent had catastrophic disability, characterized by sudden onset of disability during the last few months of life; 17.5 percent had accelerated disability, characterized by the onset and gradual worsening of disability around 10 months before death; 23.8 percent had progressive disability, characterized by worsening disability during the entire year before death; and 21.9 percent had persistently severe disability throughout the entire last year of life. The most common condition leading to death was frailty, followed by organ failure, advanced dementia, and sudden death. The distribution of disability patterns varied across conditions leading to death, and the burden of disability during the last year of life was largest among participants who died from advanced dementia. A significant number of participants who died from cancer had no disability throughout the last year of life. On the basis of these results, Dr. Gill and colleagues concluded that the need for services to assist with essential ADLs at the end of life is at least as great for older persons dying from organ failure and frailty as it is for persons dying from cancer, but greater for older persons dying from advanced dementia. Dr. Gill noted, however, that for most decedents, there does not appear to be a predictable trajectory of disability based on condition leading to death. Thus allocation of resources for older persons' care at the end of life remains a challenge.
Most of the Council's questions focused on the technical aspects of Dr. Gill's work. However, Dr. Marie Bernard, NIA Deputy Director, asked how Dr. Gill's research could be translated in the context of health care reform and potential overuse of end-of-life benefits. In response, Dr. Gill emphasized the need to focus more attention and resources on functional disability and to move away from disease-specific criteria.
Division of Aging Biology: Aging-related Change to Stem Cells and Stem Cell Niche
Tissue homeostasis depends on stem cells and the correct balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation of daughter cells, which is achieved by cues from the stem cell microenvironment, or niche. However, tissue maintenance and repair declines during aging, suggesting that the integrity of stem cells, their niche, or both is compromised.
Dr. Leanne Jones, of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, presented work using the Drosophila testis as a model system to study how aging affects stem cell behavior. In this model, stem cells surround a cluster of somatic cells called the apical hub, and germline stem cells (GSCs) divide asymmetrically to produce a daughter stem cell and another cell that initiates differentiation to produce a cyst of 16 spermatogonia that ultimately develop into mature sperm. Another population of stem cells, somatic stem cells, produce cyst cells (which surround the developing germ cells and ensure differentiation) and cells that contribute to the hub. The apical hub is a critical component of the stem cell niche in the Drosophila testis. Hub cells secrete the cytokine-like molecule Unpaired (Upd), which activates the JAK-STAT pathway in adjacent stem cells to specify self-renewal and maintenance.
Dr. Jones and her colleagues have found that the average number of male GSCs declines with age, in part because of decreasing expression of upd within hub cells. These data indicate that the hub is not a static structure and suggest the existence of factors to maintain an active stem cell niche. Dr. Jones and colleagues also have identified IGF-II mRNA binding protein (Imp) as one factor that maintains niche function and GSCs over time by stabilizing upd. These studies suggest that genetic programs are in place to regulate maintenance of a functional stem cell niche. Therapeutic strategies devised to activate such pathways to manipulate the size and activity of stem cell niches will thus complement stem cell transplantation in regenerative medicine and the treatment of cancer.
In response to questions from Dr. Khosla, Dr. Jones noted that there is not a good way of measuring senescence in Drosophila and that she and her colleagues have not explored the role senescent cells could play in the stem cell niche. In response to questions from Dr. Hodes, she noted that there are human and mouse homologs of Imp.
Division of Behavioral and Social Research: Mental Retirement
Popular opinion suggests that people can stave off cognitive decline through mental exercises such as playing chess or completing crossword puzzles. Although the scholarly literature endorses this idea, the evidence for it is fairly weak. In a review published in 2006, Salthouse called mental-exercise more of an optimistic hope than an empirical reality. He pointed out that causal directions have not been established and that experiments thus far have involved small-scale stimuli and short-term follow-up.
Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE), and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) suggest that age-related deficiencies are moderated by age at retirement. In cognitive performance, as measured by immediate and delayed recall of 10 words, recall is lower among men aged 60 to 64 years, relative to the performance of men aged 50 to 54 years, in countries where men retire earlier. In a discussion of these data, Dr. Susann Rohwedder suggested that this evidence could be interpreted as causal because most of the cross-country variation in retirement arises from differences in incentives created by public pension, disability, and tax policies. Retirement policy does appear to influence behavior. In the United States, Sweden, and Japan, workers keep most of the extra income they earn, whereas in Belgium, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, extra income is taxed heavily, providing a disincentive to keep working. Dr. Rohwedder further wrote that these policies were unlikely to have been set in response to observed age-related patterns of cognitive change. Dr. Robert Willis, of the University of Michigan, presented work he and Dr. Rohwedder have done to explore the Mental Retirement Hypothesis, which posits that retirement has a causal effect on the cognitive status of older persons. They considered the theoretical basis for a mental retirement effect in cognitive psychology and human capital theory, and they used policy variation to identify causal effects of retirement on cognitive performance.
Fluid intelligence, or the "thinking part" of ability that includes abstract reasoning, short-term and working memory, and mental processes involved in planning and problem-solving, develops rapidly during childhood and peaks at 20 years, then slowly declines with age. On the other hand, crystallized intelligence, or the "knowing part" of ability that includes the accumulation of influence from education and lifetime experience, continues to accumulate well into an individual's 30s and remains steady throughout older age. Human capital theory proposes that human capital is the stock of skills and knowledge that is useful in the labor market, health, and other activities. This capital is produced by an investment process that closely resembles the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence, and incentive to invest is motivated by future returns. The significant negative impact of early retirement on the cognitive ability of men aged 60 to 64 years is consistent with research showing that fluid intelligence is affected by human capital.
Dr. Willis presented two hypotheses that might explain mental retirement. The Disengaged Lifestyle Hypothesis suggests that the work environment is more stimulating than the home environment and that removal of this stimulation by early retirement causes a decline in fluid intelligence. The On-the-Job Retirement Hypothesis suggests that human capital investment is needed to cope with technical changes, work reorganization, and other aspects of the job and that incentives to invest might be low for an individual who expects to work only a few more years, compared with one who might expect to work for much longer. Dr. Willis also noted evidence among Americans of reversal in a century-long trend toward early retirement, which he speculated might be advantageous not only for the fiscal balance of Social Security and Medicare, but also for the cognitive capacity of an aging nation.
Dr. Hendrie expressed concern about how these theories and data would be interpreted by the Federal government in terms of retirement policies, and he wondered whether programs could be implemented to stimulate happily retired individuals. Dr. Willis agreed with the need to keep older people mentally stimulated, and he also suggested that because many people's social life and happiness come from the workplace, institutional mechanisms should be found to make work transitions less abrupt. Council members also noted the importance of Dr. Willis' work, particularly at a time when the first of the baby boom generation is reaching the traditional retirement age.
Division of Neuroscience: Of Pipes and Vessels—Unclog or Perish
Cognitive decline often follows stroke and cardiac surgery, which affect larger blood vessels. Hypertension and diabetes, which involve microvascular pathology, increase the risk for dementia, suggesting that pathology in small vessels also contributes to cognitive decline. However, little is known about the biology of small vessels. Dr. Jaime Grutzendler, of Northwestern University, presented work exploring the size threshold for neurovascular damage, the effectiveness of hemodynamic forces and endogenous thrombolysis in clearing the microvasculature, the establishment of microvascular blood flow when known mechanisms fail, and the consequences of recanalization failure.
Using microscopy to follow fluorescent emboli injected into the terminal capillaries, Dr. Grutzendler has found that 50 percent of an injected clot is cleared within 2 days by fibrinolysis and blood pressure, but that these clearance mechanisms are inefficient at later time points. Localized hypoxia and a rapid decline in focal spine density are observed with persistent small occlusions; but focal spine density recovers completely after several weeks, suggesting a compensatory mechanism. Surprisingly, any blockage that is not cleared within the first 2 days extravasates within 7 days, regardless of the blockage's composition. The structure of the blood vessel is retained, and blood flow is completely re-established. To confirm these findings, Dr. Grutzendler and colleagues have performed electron microscopy and time-lapse photography and observed a membrane wrapped around the blockage and an opening in the vessel wall by day 3, with complete expulsion of the clot by day 5. Blood flow is re-established almost synchronously with extravasation. Proteins present in the tight junction are reduced in the area near the clot, whereas matrix metalloproteinases are selectively increased, suggesting that disruption of tight junctions is necessary for extravasation.
Dr. Grutzendler and colleagues have also examined what happens when blood vessels are occluded in aging mice. They have found a marked increase in hypoxia and evidence of permanent synapse damage. In addition, the rate at which extravasation fails is substantial; and the clot ultimately causes cell death, killing the vessel. Thus Dr. Grutzendler and his colleagues have identified a new cellular process, slower than fibrinolysis and blood pressure, that could be important for clearing the microvasculature. Failure to extravasate might represent a new mechanism of neurovascular degeneration, and the ability to clear smaller emboli thus has important implications for recovery following embolic events and stroke. Moreover, aging, AD, hypertension, and diabetes could exert effects on the ability of clots to extravasate.
In response to questions from Council, Dr. Grutzendler remarked that conventional neurobiological techniques would be unable to show the status of the microvasculature. Some studies have quantified the loss of microvasculature, but these studies have yielded conflicting results.
The open session of the 110th meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging adjourned at 1:30 p.m. on May 26, 2010. The next meeting is scheduled for September 21 and 22, 2010.
I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes and attachments are accurate and complete.3
Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Chairman, National Advisory Council on Aging
Director, National Institute on Aging
Prepared by Robin Barr, D.Phil.
With assistance by Rose Li and Associates, Inc.
- For the record, it is noted that members absented themselves from the meeting when the Council discussed applications (a) from their respective institutions or (b) in which a conflict of interest may have occurred. This procedure only applied to applications that were discussed individually, not to "en bloc" actions. (Back to text.)
- For the record, it is noted that members absented themselves from the meeting when the Council discussed applications (a) from their respective institutions or (b) in which a conflict of interest may have occurred. This procedure only applied to applications that were discussed individually, not to "en bloc" actions. (Back to text.)
- These minutes will be approved formally by Council at the next meeting on September 21-22, 2010, and correction or notations will be stated in the minutes of that meeting. (Back to text.)
Attachment A: Roster of the National Advisory Council on Aging
(Terms end December 31) (*WGoP Member)(**Provisional member whose appointment is not yet official)
Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Aging
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
*Lisa F. Berkman, Ph.D. (2012)
Director and Professor
Harvard School of Public Health
Dept of Society, Human Development, and Health, and Dept of Epidemiology
Cambridge, MA
Dale E. Bredesen, M.D. (2011)
Professor, Director & CEO
Buck Institute for Age Research
Novato, CA
Robert M. Califf, M.D. (2013)
Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research, Duke University
Director, Duke Translational Medicine Institute
Durham, NC
Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D. (2010)
Professor, Health Policy & Management
Associate Director, Aging and Diversity/ Institute on Aging
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Hendrie, Hugh C., MB, ChB, DSC (2013)
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine
Research Scientist, Regenstrief Institute, Inc.
Center Scientist, Indiana University Center for Aging Research
Indianapolis, IN
*S. Michal Jazwinski, Ph.D., (2010)
Department of Medicine
Tulane University Health Sciences Center
New Orleans, LA
*Sundeep Khosla, M.D. (2010)
Professor, Endocrine Research Unit
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Rochester, MN
Andrea Z. LaCroix, Ph.D., M.P.H. (2012)
Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center
Women's Health Initiative Clinical Coordinating Center
Seattle, WA
Victor Molinari, Ph.D. (2012)
University of South Florida
Department of Aging and Mental Health
Tampa, FL
*Lennart Mucke, M.D. (2012)
Director and Professor of Neuroscience
Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Perry, Daniel P. (2013)
President and CEO
Alliance for Aging Research
Washington, DC 20006
Petersen, Ronald C., M.D., Ph.D. (2013)
Professor of Neurology
Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research
Director, Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Director, Mayo Clinic Study of Aging
Rochester, MN
Orien Reid (2010)
Chairman, Alzheimer's Disease International
President, Consumer Connection
Laverock, PA
Richardson, Arlan G., Ph.D. (2013)
Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies
University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio, TX
June Simmons (2012)
Chief Executive Officer
Partners in Care Foundation
San Fernando, CA
James P. Smith, Ph.D. (2012)
Senior Economist
RAND Corporation
Department of Labor and Population
Santa Monica, CA
*Susan L. Swain, Ph.D. (2011)
Department of Pathology S2-137
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, MA 01655
Wetle, Terrie F., Ph.D. (2013)
Associate Dean and Professor
Program in Public Health
Division of Biology and Medicine
Brown University
Providence, RI
Kathleen Sebelius
Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
Washington, DC
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health
Public Health Service
Bethesda, MD
James F. Burris, M.D.
Chief Consultant
Geriatrics & Extended Care Strategic Healthcare Group
Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC
John Wren
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Management
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration on Aging
Washington, DC
Kenneth G. Pugh, M.D.
Commander, MC, U.S. Navy
U. S. Naval Hospital Rota
PSC 819 Box 18-74


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The praises of others may be of use in teaching us, not what we are, but what we ought to be.Augustus William Hare
What a person praises is perhaps a surer standard, even than what he condemns, of his own character, information and abilities.Augustus William Hare
A person should go out on the water on a fine day to a small distance from a beautiful coast, if he would see Nature really smile. Never does she look so delightful, as when the sun is brightly reflected by the water, while the waves are gently rippling, and the prospect receives life and animation from the glancing transit of an occasional row-boat, and the quieter motion of a few small vessels. But the land must be well in sight; not only for its own sake, but because the immensity and awfulness of a mere sea-view would ill accord with the other parts of the glittering and joyous sceneAugustus William Hare

subset: commoncrawl


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The three astronauts on board the International Space Station are getting a sneak peak of the latest "Star Trek" film just before people around the world get a chance to see it in theaters themselves.
"Star Trek Into Darkness" — the newest movie in the long-lasting science fiction franchise — is set for release in the United States on Thursday (May 16), but NASA is beaming up the movie to the space station before its official release date, officials with the space agency confirmed.
This movie screening is particularly significant for one of the members of the crew. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy is set to participate in a Google+ Hangout with director J.J. Abrams and some of the cast members from the new movie on Thursday at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). [See Photos from "Star Trek Into Darkness"]
"Cassidy will provide insights about life aboard the station," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "Crews conduct a variety of science experiments and perform station maintenance during their six-month stay on the outpost. Their life in weightlessness requires different approaches to everyday activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising."
Cast members taking part in the event include Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Alice Eve (Dr. Carol Marcus) and John Cho (Sulu).
You can watch the Google+ Hangout live on SPACE.com and you can take part in the event by submitting questions on YouTube, Google, Twitter and Facebook using the #askNASA hashtag.
"The deadline to submit video questions is 3 a.m. Wednesday, May 15," NASA officials wrote. "To be considered, video clips must be no longer than 30 seconds and uploaded to YouTube and tagged with #askNASA. Submitters should introduce themselves and mention their location before asking their question."
The first "Star Trek" film in the most recent iteration of the series was sent up to the orbiting laboratory when it was released in 2009. In 2005, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was sent up to entertain the space station crewmembers.
Astronauts have long been inspired by "Star Trek." The crew that launched aboard the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour recreated the poster from the 2009 "Star Trek" re-boot for their mission poster.
It's a busy week for the residents of the International Space Station, but they should get a little time to sit back and enjoy the movie before Cassidy's webcast on Thursday. Three crewmembers just returned to Earth after a five month stay, leaving Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin to man the station until three new astronauts fly up a the end of the month.
The $100 billion space station was built by five different space agencies that represent a total of 15 countries. Construction began in 1998 and the station has been occupied by crews of cosmonauts and astronauts continuously since 2000.
Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter and Google+. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.


text:
Jules Frazier
Movie Colony Pool -V
Print Only
- Museum quality, acid-free, artist-grade Premium Archival Matte paper with archival inks.
Acrylic Face-Mounted Print
- Our standard product is mounted on ⅛" Dibond backing and ⅛" Acrylic.
Chromaluxe Metal Print
- Comes with a black or white float frame. Frame: .625" face x 2".
For more info please visit our FAQ.
Gallery white, black or natural wood frames. Photographs are dry mounted behind scratch and UV resistant frame-grade acrylic. We include a dust cover back with wire or saw tooth hangers and bumpers for high quality yet simple hanging.
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Gallery White, Gallery Black, and Natural Wood Frames
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We do not give refunds however we stand by our products and want to ensure your satisfaction. All orders are custom printed so please consider carefully before ordering. Please contact us within 2 days if you receive a print that has been damaged in transit.
For more info please visit our FAQ.
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text:
Mother's Diet at Time of Conception May Alter Baby's DNA
A woman's diet at the time of conception might cause lasting changes in the DNA of her children, potentially influencing their development, researchers say.
In a new study, researchers analyzed the diets of women in rural parts of The Gambia, in western Africa, who experience major changes in their diets over the course of each year as the area goes through rainy seasons and dry seasons.
"The rainy season is often referred to as 'the hungry season,' and the dry season 'the harvest season,'" said study author Robert Waterland, a nutritional epigeneticist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "During the rainy season, villagers have a lot more farming labor to do, and they gradually run out of food collected from the previous harvest."
Yearlong staples of the women's diet include rice, a grain called millet, peanuts and cassava. But during the rainy season, they eat more leafy green vegetables similar to spinach, which are very high in folate, a nutrient that is especially important during pregnancy.
The scientists investigated the concentration of nutrients in the blood of 84 pregnant women who conceived at the peak of the rainy season and 83 women who conceived at the peak of the dry season. In addition, they analyzed the DNA of six specific genes in the women's infants when they were 2 to 8 months old. [7 Ways Pregnant Women Affect Babies]
The researchers found that in all six genes, the infants who were conceived during the rainy season had consistently higher rates of "methylation" in their DNA. A methylation is a change made to DNA — it's the addition of methyl groups to the DNA strand, a so-called epigenetic modification to DNA — and is a process that can silence the expression of a gene.
Methylation generally depends on nutrients such as folate, choline, methionine, and vitamins B2 and B6, the researchers said. In the study, methylation in the infants' genes was linked to various nutrient levels in the mother's blood.
"Our results represent the first demonstration in humans that a mother's nutritional well-being at the time of conception can change how her child's genes will be interpreted, with a lifelong impact," senior study author Branwen Hennig, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a statement.
Prior studies in animals had suggested that environmental influences before conception might lead to epigenetic changes in the offspring. For instance, a 2003 study revealed a female mouse's diet can alter the color of her offspring's coat by permanently modifying DNA methylation.
"These specific epigenetic marks on DNA are very stable — essentially permanent, as far as we know," Waterland said.
Past research suggested environmental influences could have epigenetic effects during development in humans as well. For instance, whether Dutch women suffered through post-World War II famines during pregnancy apparently influenced how skinny or fat their children were later in life.
However, there was little strong evidence that environmental factors could trigger permanent changes to DNA throughout the human body, Waterland said.
"It's also important to note that their diet wasn't the only thing that changed — there was more physical activity due to farm labor during the rainy season, which contributed to weight loss during the rainy season and regaining of weight during the dry season," Waterland said. "Such changes contribute to what nutrients are circulating within the women."
In the new study, a nearly identical epigenetic effect was found in both blood and hair-follicle DNA of the infants. "This suggests all the cells in these kids' bodies have the same mark associated with their season of conception," Waterland said.
The long-term consequences of these epigenetic effects in children remain unknown. "We want to develop a catalog of all regions in the human genome that can get altered epigenetically by diet," Waterland said. "This will help give us the ability to tell what the likely role such changes might have in disease, and what particular diseases might be most likely to have an epigenetic component."
"Our ultimate goal is to define an optimal diet for mothers-to-be that would prevent defects in the methylation process," study author Andrew Prentice, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a statement. "Preconceptional folic acid is already used to prevent defects in embryos. Now our research is pointing towards the need for a cocktail of nutrients, which could come from the diet or from supplements."
The scientists detailed their findings online today (April 29) in the journal Nature Communications.
Follow us @LiveScience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
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Emergency updates for Flash Player released Thursday fix a vulnerability that is actively exploited by attackers, but leave a separate one unpatched.
Adobe Systems released Flash Player 22.214.171.1247 for Windows and Mac, Flash Player 126.96.36.1998 for Linux and Flash Player Extended Support Release 18.104.22.1682. These updates address a vulnerability identified in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database as CVE-2015-0310.
Adobe is aware of an exploit for this vulnerability "in the wild" being used to attack older versions of Flash Player, the company said in a security advisory.
On Wednesday, a French malware researcher who uses the online alias Kafeine reported on his blog that cybercriminals using the Angler Exploit Kit are targeting an unpatched vulnerability in Flash Player. That vulnerability, it seems, is not CVE-2015-0310 and remains unpatched.
Kafeine has since updated his blog post to reflect that the Angler exploit seen yesterday also works against the newly released Flash Player 220.127.116.117 for Windows and Mac. Moreover, the attackers have since corrected an error in their implementation and are now also targeting Firefox users who have Flash Player installed in addition to Internet Explorer users.
"Any version of Internet Explorer or Firefox with any version of Windows will get owned if Flash up to 188.8.131.527 (included) is installed and enabled," Kafeine said. Google Chrome, where Flash Player runs under the browser's security sandbox, is not targeted.
"We are investigating reports that a separate exploit for Flash Player 18.104.22.1687 and earlier also exists in the wild," Adobe said.
Interestingly, the CVE-2015-0310 vulnerability that was patched Thursday was also used in attacks with the Angler Exploit Kit, but last week, according to Kafeine.
Attack tools like Angler exploit vulnerabilities in browser plug-ins to install malware on computers, but usually they target known vulnerabilities, for which patches have already been released. That's because the cybercriminals using these tools are satisfied with only targeting the many users who are not quick to update the software on their computers.
Zero-day exploits -- exploits for which the vendor doesn't have a patch -- do have a higher success rate, but they're also much more expensive to buy on the black market, especially those for widely used software like Flash Player. The use of two such exploits in a mass attack tool like Angler within a week is quite unusual, because it significantly increases the chance of those valuable exploits being discovered and burned.
Firefox users can enable the browser's click-to-play feature in order to avoid Flash content from executing automatically. However, security researchers advise that it's better to disable the Flash Player plug-in entirely from the browser until a patched version is released.


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Institutions of higher education are entrusted by society with great resources and commensurately great responsibilities for creation, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge. College and university business officers play a key role in assuring that high standards of ethical practice attend to the custody and use of these resources. The business officer's personal and professional conduct reflects on his or her institution, the collective profession, and the higher education enterprise at large. To guide business officers in setting and practicing high standards of ethical conduct, the Business Office of Albion College has implemented the following Code of Financial Ethics which are based upon those recommended by the National Association of College and University Business Officers . The Business Office embraces the values expressed in this Code and advocates their observance by all staff.
The business officer's conduct should be characterized by integrity and dignity, and he or she should expect and encourage such conduct by others.
The business officer should adopt and be faithful to personal values that:
The business officer should understand and support his or her institution's objectives and policies, should be capable of interpreting them within and beyond the institution, and should contribute constructively to their ongoing evaluation and reformation.
In discharging his or her duties in accordance with this Code of Financial Ethics, the business officer should enjoy the following rights:
the right to work in a professional and supportive environment;


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Pneumatic clamp cylinders are used for holding a workpiece in place while work is being done. Most pneumatic clamp cylinders are designed for weld spatter resistance for long life.
Pin clamp cylinder series C(L)KQ series was designed with 4 body types for a broad range of installation conditions. There are 55 types of guide pins available and an optional locking mechanism. C(L)KQ series has positioning and clamping at one time. Precision adjustment of clamping height is possible by choosing the with-shim type. Adjustment range: 0.5 to 3mm.
Swing clamp cylinder series MK-Z has a high allowable moment of inertia. The typical application for the MK-Z is to hold parts during a welding application. A short overall length means that the MK-Z series is versatile in mounting. Auto switches can be mounted on any of the 4 surfaces with no projection of the switch.
Combining compact cylinder size and rotating clamp cylinder, the MK2T cylinder is designed for heavy duty clamping applications, with an available integrated arm that swings out of the way when the cylinder is extended. 90 degree clockwise or counter clockwise is available, and clamping arms with adjustment screw are standard options. MK2T is available in 6 bore sizes from 20mm to 63mm and strokes from 10mm to 50mm.
Power clamp cylinder series CKZ2N conforms to the new NAAMS standard. The rounded cover design and release button with minimal protrusion, reduce weld spatter accumulation. The arm opening angle can be easily changed by replacing the stopper bolt. The CKZ2N is available in sizes equivalent to 50, 63, and 80mm bore with arm opening angles ranging from 30° to 135
Power clamp series CKZ3N conforms to the NAAMS standard. The improved design reduced weight by up to 39% with aluminum body. The rounded cover design and release button with minimal protrusion, reduce weld spatter accumulation. The arm opening angle range from 15° to 135° and can be easily changed by replacing the stopper body. Available in 50 and 63 bore sizes.
Power clamp cylinder series CKZ3T-X2734, was designed with metal switch cassette cover with reconfiguration for simple switch adjustment. Similar to the CKZ3T, the arm opening angle can be easily changed by replacing the stopper bolt.
Clamp cylinder series CK1-Z is available in two styles of clevis widths (16.5mm, 19.5mm). It is a non-lube, compact, lightweight cylinder with a built-in speed controller. The CK1-Z is available in 3 bore sizes with stroke lengths up to 150mm. Options include easy speed adjustments, rod attachments and auto switch capabilities.
Power clamp cylinder series CKZT, was designed with a rounded cover design and release button with minimal protrusion to reduce weld spatter accumulation. The arm opening angle can be easily changed by replacing the stopper bolt. Series CKZT is available with G or NPT threads and bore sizes equivalent to 25, 40, 50, 63 and 80mm.
Shot pin cylinder series CKZP is designed for both high precision and positioning repeatability. Also known as a locating pin cylinder, the configurations for the CKZP include bore sizes equivalent to 57mm and 71mm with strokes of either 25mm or 50mm. The proximity switch sensor and port thread type can also be selected. Widely used in automotive applications, the mounting is based on NAAMS standard (71mm bore)
The CKZM micro clamp cylinder allows for easy mounting and easy adjustment of clamping position during assembly. The dust resistant construction prevents dust from entering easily.
The WRF100 with its high clamping force makes it suitable for a broad range of applications. Standardized T-type and S-type arms allows the selection to meet certain specifications or applications. Also, has an optional spatter protective cover with easy assembly even after the cylinder is installed.
The W-R1 and W-R3 pallet lock cylinder offers post stoppage positioning and locking of carriers, line pallets, cars, and more. The design's wide arm opening angle prevents contact with the workpiece. The integration of the clamping unit and cylinder unit reduces design and assembly labor
The MACM Centering Unit can help align and position heavy work pieces on conveyors. This results in more compact conveyor lines.


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The devastating magnitude 7.0 quake that ripped through Haiti Tuesday, reportedly killing thousands, did not catch everyone by surprise.
In an interview last week for an unrelated story, Robert Yeats, a professor emeritus in geoscience at Oregon State University in Corvallis and co-author of a June 1989 article for Scientific American "Hidden Earthquakes," said that an imminent big west coast earthquake concerned him far less than a "big one" that might occur in Haiti, due to the large fault near the capital city of Port-au-Prince—and the poverty-driven low level of earthquake-preparedness there.
"If they have an earthquake on this fault that runs through Port-au-Prince," the death toll would be tremendous, he said January 6.
The fault, called the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault, runs some 16 kilometers from Port-au-Prince and is at the intersection of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates, which are slowly sliding past one another. This movement creates a strike-slip fault, the same kind as the San Andreas Fault in California, where the North American and Pacific plates are sliding in different directions. And like the San Andreas, the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault has been building up pressure.
"The fault has been more or less locked for 200 years," British Geological Survey seismologist Roger Musson explained to TIME. In this area, where the Caribbean plate is moving east against the North American Plate, plate movement is about seven millimeters per year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.
In fact, Michael Blanpied, an associate coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, explained in a podcast recorded hours after the quake, the two plates are "shearing the island, crushing it, grinding it." So although such a large earthquake has not shaken Haiti since the 18th century, "this is quite an earthquake-prone region," Blanpied said. And it is not the biggest quake to hit the Island of Hispaniola (which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic) in recent history. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake rocked the Dominican Republic in 1946, the Associated Press noted.
Yeats was not the only one to raise concern about a large earthquake in Haiti. Geologic groups have been monitoring the area for decades, and a University of Texas team has been keeping a close eye on the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault. Two years ago at the 2008 Caribbean Geological Conference, the Austin-based group asserted that there was enough stress built up to cause a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, Nature News reported (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group).
One reason the Tuesday quake, which subjected some three million people to "severe shaking," was so damaging is that it occurred at a relatively shallow depth, the fault having ruptured about 10 kilometers below the surface, Blanpied noted. It also occurred below relatively loose ground, Carrieann Bedwell, a USGS geophysicist, told LiveScience. "A mountainous and rocky setting is more characteristic of not as much ground shaking, opposed to abundant sediments…where there's a potential for higher ground shaking," he said. "Haiti would be a more sediment type, more severe ground-shaking geologic setting."
Although the earthquake has leveled countless buildings in the capital city of more than two million people—and triggered landslides throughout the heavily deforested region—it did not spur a tsunami as was initially feared for at sizeable Caribbean quake, and authorities canceled a tsunami watch two hours after the earthquake itself.
But magnitude and shake dynamics are not what really concerned Yeats and other seismologists. "It's really not the size of the earthquake that's the big concern," he noted last week, "it's its relationship to big cities." And an earthquake in this area was particularly worrisome, not just because of the tension-filled fault, but because "the infrastructure there is just terrible," said Yeats, who is also a senior consultant for geological hazards company, Earth Consultants International, and has studied earthquake preparedness around the world. In a book called Active Faults of the World that he is currently writing for Cambridge University Press, he estimated several months ago that "the poor state of construction in both [Haiti and the Dominican Republic], but especially Haiti, indicates that when the next large earthquakes strikes either [Port-au-Prince or Santo Domingo], it will be a catastrophe, in part because of the lack of a social-services network."
The Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault is one of dozens around the world that run through populous, but often poorly prepared, areas. Last week, Yeats also called the city of Tehran "a time bomb that is waiting to go off." The North Tehran Fault could unleash an earthquake similarly massive to the one anticipated to strike southern California in the coming decades. But in the Iranian capital, he says, despite advanced regional technology, many of the buildings are not shake-proof. Other worrisome locales, he notes, are Lima, Peru, and Karachi, Pakistan, as well as and much of Turkey, where many areas are either unsafely built due to corruption or poverty.
Whether last weekend's 6.5 magnitude temblor off the coast of Northern California's Humboldt County and the Haiti earthquake two days later are linked is yet to be determined. Seismologists now widely recognize that a large earthquake in one place can trigger another vulnerable fault thousands of miles away. Yeats calls it the "pulling the buttons off your shirt" idea—by releasing tension on one stressed point, the force shifts and can rupture another "locked" point. "You pull one button off," he said, "and the next one is ready to go." A paper published last October in Nature reported the large 2004 seismic events near the Indonesian island Sumatra that spurred the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami had an impact on the San Andreas fault in California.
In the meantime, seismologists will be watching Haiti closely, Blanpied noted in the USGS podcast, and they expect to see aftershocks for days to come. The largest aftershocks so far have already rumbled in at magnitude 5.9, and more could strike at any time.
And Yeats is not convinced that this latest quake at Haiti is the most severe one the Caribbean is likely to see in the near future. "It's not the big one," he said in a January 13 follow-up interview. He added he is now worried that a larger one could hit other cities in the region, such as Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic or Kingston, Jamaica. The Caribbean Plate, he noted, is "just sort of sitting there while the North American and South American plates move" west (due to sea floor spreading in the Atlantic). But the next big earthquake could be years or decades from now, he said. "We're good at placing these forecasts and probabilistic terms on a geological time scale, but we're not good at putting it at scales that matter to you and me." And even probability forecasts can turn out to be wrong. The southern San Andreas was pegged as likely to produce a major earthquake before this one was, he noted.
Read more about these hazards in ScientificAmerican.com's In-Depth Report on earthquakes.
Haiti Earthquake Disaster Little Surprise to Some Seismologists
Although seismic predictions work on geologic timescales and can miss big quakes by decades, one expert said last week that a temblor in Port-au-Prince was of greater concern than a San Andreas slip
The devastating magnitude 7.0 quake that ripped through Haiti Tuesday, reportedly killing thousands, did not catch everyone by surprise.


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I fully support Mothership HackerMoms (The first women's hackerspace) and was happy to donate to their Kickstarter campaign. Their goal was/is to construct a workshop with tools and equipment, and create a kids program and business incubator for moms. I think it's a great idea.
So who would be against this? Nobody, right? Well, actually, some people spoke out… see Anti-HackerMoms send hate mail, HackerMoms respond. Great responses from the women involved. Mothers are important to the world, and having a space where they can get their making fix should be viewed as a good thing. Here's another blurb:
We are a new kind of playground and workspace for creative mothers. Fun to us is not mani-pedis, but making, breaking, learning and hacking our bright ideas. HackerMoms model active creative lives for our kids who learn, explore and create as mini-makers alongside us. We offer members daily childcare. We also welcome dads.
I don't think they have any plan to be exclusionary, and they certainly aren't out to stop anyone else from doing their own thing. You want to start a hackerspace geared towards women who have chosen not to have kids, or for single dads, or for people who view their pets as their babies? Go for it. I'm sure they won't try to stop you.
And here's the thing… we all have/had mothers. (Well, unless you were created in some other way, I know some people were.) Imagine being a kid and having your mom take you to a hackerspace, and growing up in that sort of community and culture. I can't wait to see what the kids who frequent the Mothership HackerMoms space turn out like in 10 or 20 years.
If you believe in creative spaces like these, support them, and let others know how awesome it is.
One more thing… over at Milwaukee Makerspace we've talked about how to reach out to more people, men, women, robots, etc. We're interested mainly in maker, and less about gender, but you can bet that if a bunch of women (or mothers, or men, or cats) came to us asking for advice on how to start their own space, we'd help them out. In fact, we've already done that a bit for Spring City Launchpad. We're also hoping that our new space will be much more inviting to all kinds of people. I guess we'll find out how that goes in 2013!


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Economist warns of 'radical' climate change, millions at risk 04 апреля 2013, 10:46
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Professor Lord Nicholas Stern. ©REUTERS/Scanpix/Jens Norgaard Larsen
The author of an influential 2006 study on climate change warned Tuesday that the world could be headed toward warming even more catastrophic than expected but he voiced hope for political action, AFP reports.
Nicholas Stern, the British former chief economist for the World Bank, said that both emissions of greenhouse gas and the effects of climate change were taking place faster than he forecast seven years ago.
Without changes to emission trends, the planet has roughly a 50 percent chance that temperatures will soar to five degrees Celsius (nine degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages in a century, he said.
"We haven't been above five degrees Centigrade on this planet for about 30 million years. So you can see that this is radical change way outside human experience," Stern said in an address at the International Monetary Fund.
"When we were at three degrees Centigrade three million years ago, the sea levels were about 20 some meters (65 feet) above now. On sea level rise of just two meters, probably a couple of hundred million people would have to move," he said.
Stern said that other effects would come more quickly including the expansion of deserts and the melting of Himalayan snows that supply rivers on which up to two billion people depend.
Even if nations fulfill pledges made in 2010 at a UN-led conference in Cancun, Mexico, the world would be on track to warming of four degrees (7.2 Fahrenheit), he said.
Stern's 2006 study, considered a landmark in raising public attention on climate change, predicted that warming would shave at least five percent of gross domestic product per year.
Despite the slow progress in international negotiations, Stern saw signs for hope as a number of countries move to put a price on greenhouse gases.
"My own view is that 2013 is the best possible year to try to work and redouble our efforts to create the political will that hitherto has been much too weak," Stern said.
Stern said that French President Francois Hollande was keen for nations to meet their goal of sealing an accord in 2015 in Paris.
Stern also voiced hope that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, long a prominent voice on climate change, would become more active after this year's elections.
US President Barack Obama has vowed action on climate change after an earlier bid was thwarted by lawmakers of the rival Republican Party, many of whom reject the science behind climate change.
Emissions have risen sharply in recent years from emerging economies, particularly China.


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Ensure your young tennis star is outfitted for success. Here you'll find several great Adidas junior tennis shoe options that kids will love to lace up and sport as they hit the court. Browse our junior Adidas shoe collection today!


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I hope everyone had a blessed and healthy Christmas Day. I've been struck with the same flu that has been going around this household. Hopefully I'll be on the mend soon. With Joe off this week and the kids home from school, the house has been full. We've had snow and cold the past few days, perfect weather for some soups or stews. Thought I'd share recipes for a couple of our favorites this week!
1 T. vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions (chopped)
3 cloves garlic
5 c. homemade chicken broth
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
4 T. flour
1 medium head cauliflower (chopped)
1 medium bunch broccoli (chopped)
3 medium potatoes (diced)
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. grated extra sharp cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, heat the oil and add the onions and cook for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce and vegetables and simmer gently for approximately 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir flour with a little soup broth and add mixture along with the cream to the broth, stirring through. Add cheese a little at a time, stirring until completely melted. Enjoy with thick sliced bread.
3 cups cubed beef
1 onion
8 large cut potatoes
2 cups cut carrots
2 cups cut celery
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup margarine
Salt to taste
Brown beef and onion in flour. Put into pot. Heat on low for two hours. Add vegetables and 1 cup tomato juice. Continue cooking for one or two more hours


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More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the first increase in three weeks. Still, the broader trend points to a slowly healing jobs market.
The government says applications for unemployment benefits rose 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted 412,000 for the week ended April 9. That left applications at their highest point since mid-February.
Applications near 375,000 are consistent with a sustained increase in hiring. Applications peaked during the recession at 659,000.
The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, rose to 395,750. However, applications have dropped about 6 percent over the past two months. At the same time, businesses have stepped up hiring.
"The picture we still get ? even with this one-week pop ? is that the labor market is getting better," said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors. "The unemployment claims trend over an extended period of time is positive."
Companies added more than 200,000 jobs in March for the second straight month, the first time that has happened since 2006. The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent and has dropped a full percentage point since November.
However, a more sobering reason for the drop is that the number of people who are either working or seeking a job is surprisingly low for this stage of the recovery. People without jobs who aren't looking for one aren't counted as unemployed. Once they start looking again, they're classified as unemployed, and the unemployment rate can go back up.
The number of people collecting benefits fell to 3.68 million during the week ending April 2, one week behind the applications data. That's the lowest total since late September 2008.
But that doesn't include millions of people receiving aid under the emergency unemployment benefits programs put in place during the recession.
Overall, 8.5 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ending March 26, the latest data available. That's down slightly from the previous week.
Applications for unemployment benefits could rise further in the coming weeks due to disruptions from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota said last week that it will probably be forced to temporarily shut down all of its North American factories. Nissan and Ford Motor Co. have said several North American plants would be closed for some of April.
Businesses in February posted the largest number of job openings in more than two years, evidence that hiring is picking up. Employers advertised 3.1 million available jobs that month, the most since September 2008, the government reported Wednesday.
Google Inc, electronics store hhgregg Inc. and Kohl's Corp. are among the companies that have announced plans in recent weeks to increase hiring.
Source: The Associated Press.


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Preorder : Evening Sea Green Pure Tussar Silk Handloom Banarasi Shikargah Dupatta
Category – Pure Tussar Silk Handloom Banarasi Dupatta
Designed to suit the tastes of our modern customers and crafted to perfection, this Banarasi handloom attire is as stunning when draped as it looks in flat. The rich black color in pure Tussar silk is nothing less than captivating. Decorated with a border in rich gold brocade and gold motifs running throughout this beautiful piece, this attire encapsulates a simplistic charm that is both somber and sophisticated.
Fabric - Pure Tussar Silk
Tussar silk is an exquisite thread obtained from a wide-winged moth that is slightly yellowish-brown in color. Tussar is mainly valued for its texture, charm and natural gold color, which is unusually rich and deep. It is the primary kind in the silk which has a lustrous, bright, soft hand feel and has the highest wear resistance in the natural fabric.
Weave - Cutwork / Phekua
Note- There may be slight color variations due to photographic reasons.
This is a hand-woven product and any irregularities in the weaving or pattern should not be taken as a defect. These irregularities make every handloom piece unique.
Dupattas lengths can vary by .25 meter, please check with us before buying if you are very specific.


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OMSK, RUSSIA – Archaeologists have found a set of elongated skulls buried in Siberia. But this is not the first time these odd relics have been found.
Elongated skulls have been discovered across the globe in various cultures, dating back as far as 45,000 BC in what is now Iraq. The theory archaeologists have is called 'artificial cranial deformation', where a baby has its head bound to encourage specific skull growth.
Skulls were found as recently as this past January, in a dig in Siberia. Take a look at what they found:
However, there are still some unanswered questions. How did multiple cultures across the planet with no contact come to perform the same type of ancient "surgery"? What purpose did it serve?
Can we even be sure they are entirely human? Or are these important relics of secret human-alien connections? Ancient Egyptians often depicted the pharaoh Akhenaten and his family with extremely enlongated heads.
Is this evidence of the theory that Egyptian culture was influenced by aliens?
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The Ritual of Mehr - Medium Gift Set 2022
€ 28,84
€ 34,90 incl. btw
Artikelnummer: 8719134142020
Beschikbaarheid: Leverbaar
This energising gift set is the perfect present for a friend, family member or as a treat for yourself. The Ritual of Mehr collection was created to energise body, mind and soul. Infused with uplifting sweet orange and cedar wood, every product in this collection boosts your mood and fills your heart with happiness. Contains a foaming shower gel 200ml, body cream 100ml, body scrub 125g and parfum d'interieur 250ml. The origami design was inspired by the Japanese art of giving. In Japanese culture, gift wrapping can be just as important as the gift, where the gift is viewed as a form of communication between the giver and receiver. In a complimentary, re-usable, luxury storage box, you can give the gift box a second lease of life by keeping photographs, letters, or other cherished items in it.+ Toon de gehele inhoud - Toon minder
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