Science Education & Policy

An international team writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) say anthropogenic forcing could push the Earth’s climate system past critical thresholds, so that important components may “tip” into qualitatively different modes of operation. They say even small changes can have large long-term consequences on human and ecological systems. “Society may be lulled into a false sense of security by smooth projections of global change,“ the researchers around Timothy Lenton from the British University of East Anglia in Norwich and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from the Potsdam…

PARIS, February 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A Working Group of representatives from seven international health-care organizations call for improved blood pressure (BP) goal rate levels of patients with hypertension, the single most important cause of attributable mortality around the world. This has driven the working group to identify 5 specific concrete practical actions which are described in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension(1): Detect and Prevent high BP; Assess total cardiovascular risk; Form an active partnership with the patient; Treat hypertension to goal; Create a…

REDMOND, Washington, February 4 /PRNewswire/ -- - Sentencing signals the end of Taiwan-based operation, the largest known producer and distributor of fake Microsoft products in the world from 1997 to 2003. Prison sentences handed down to counterfeiters by a Taipei, Taiwan, court mark the end of a string of successful prosecutions by international law enforcement agencies, bringing a global software counterfeiting ring to a final halt. Between 1997 and 2003, Huang Jer-sheng, owner of the Taipei-based distributor Maximus Technology Inc, and his associates were responsible for the production…

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies has just released a new monograph that presents an alternative view of the character of warfare in the 21st Century. This new model argues that future conflicts will blur the distinction between war and peace, combatants and non-combatants. Rather than distinct modes of war, we will face “Hybrid Wars” that are a combination of traditional warfare mixed with terrorism and insurgency. Conflict in the 21st Century: The Rise of Hybrid Wars, by Research Fellow Frank Hoffman, summarizes the background and analysis of the changing character of warfare in…

LONDON, February 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has this week refused an application for restoration to the Register from a former Hertfordshire veterinary surgeon who was struck off a year ago for being unfit to practise. Miss Lesley Kay, of Cambridge Road, Sawbridgeworth, was removed from the Register in January 2007 following her multiple convictions for drink-driving offences, driving disqualification and four-month imprisonment. The original hearing was held in December 2006, but adjourned until January 2007 to allow time for…

Although food prices rose 4.8% last year, eating nutritiously is still well within reach of the American family, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics. Analysis done by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) indicates that families could, in fact, spend even less on food than what they currently spend and eat a healthier more nutritious diet. USDA’s Low-Cost Food Plan shows what a family on a budget can spend on food and still achieve a nutritious diet that meets current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For December 2007, USDA estimates…

The governments of the United States, Brazil and the European Union (EU) — the world’s major producers of biofuels — today released an analysis of current biofuel specifications to facilitate expanded trade of these renewable energy sources. Biofuels—derived from biological materials such as plants, plant oils, animal fat and microbial byproducts, are gaining popularity worldwide as both energy producers and users seek ways to move away from dependence on fossil fuels. One potential obstacle to achieving greater efficiency in the global biofuels market is confusion over differing, and…

LONDON, February 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The MS Society has responded to today's (Friday) sentencing of Robert Cook, who assisted the suicide of his wife, who was suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). Jayne Spink, Director of Policy and Research at the MS Society, said: "All too often people with MS at the end stages of their lives do not receive the levels of health and social care they need, reducing the choices open to them and their carers. "While there have been changes, we are concerned by the continued lack of palliative care at the early stages of a person's MS. Regardless of any…

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, February 1 /PRNewswire/ -- - Improved Medical Benefit Rating Granted for XIENCE V from French Health Authority Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that it has received reimbursement approval in France for its XIENCE(TM) V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, the first drug eluting stent to demonstrate clinical superiority over another drug eluting stent in a randomized clinical trial. Recognizing superior clinical results for XIENCE V compared to the TAXUS(R) paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system in the SPIRIT II and III randomized clinical trials, the French…

You can't pick up a newspaper or a magazine without someone discussing the obesity epidemic. According to the CDC, in 2006, only four states had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. It's no different in Europe. Last week, the UK health secretary declared an obesity epidemic, but does the evidence really stack up? Researchers in this week’s British Medical Journal debated the issue. Claims about an obesity epidemic often exceed the scientific evidence and mistakenly suggest an unjustified degree of certainty, argue Patrick Basham and John Luik. But Robert Jeffery and Nancy Sherwood argue…