UK science principles criticised

Scientists and campaigners have questioned how the UK government plans to engage with scientific advisers.

On Tuesday, the government published a set of principles to "clarify the relationship between advice and policy".

The independence of scientific advisers has been under question since the home secretary sacked former drugs adviser, Professor David Nutt.

But critics say that the principles are ambiguous and need clarification.

These guidelines, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Bis), sought to answer calls from MPs and scientists for ministers to uphold scientific independence.

Professor Colin Blakemore from Oxford University, former chief executive of the Medical Research Council said that, overall, he was pleased with what the government had done.

But he drew attention to one point in the guidelines, which said that the government and its scientific advisers "should work together to reach a shared position, and neither should act to undermine mutual trust".

"I do worry with the potential picture of advisers and civil servants, or ministers, sitting together... to cook up the evidence appropriately to support whatever line the government wants," he told BBC News.

"That isn't necessarily what the government wanted at all, but it might mean that some clarification is needed here. This is open to [an] interpretation that would contradict much of the rest of the document."

Tracey Brown, managing director of campaigning organisation Sense About Science, welcomed the publication of the new principles, but said she was "very concerned" about that same point.
   
Ministers rely on scientific advice to develop sound government policy
Lord Drayson

"It re-introduces the ambiguity that we thought we were all seeking to eliminate through the development of these principles," she said in a statement.

"How will advisers know whether, in answering a question at a lecture or from a journalist one morning, they might be undermining mutual trust with the government?"

But Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson, said that the principles would strengthen the important relationship between ministers and advisers.

"Ministers rely on scientific advice to develop sound government policy," he said. "[The principles] emphasise the importance of academic freedom, and the responsibilities of both scientists and ministers."

He added that they would now go out for consultation.

Culture clash

The government has assuaged some of the concerns that scientists raised in the wake of Professor Nutt's dismissal.

Some researchers said that there had been several examples of "news management" by Whitehall departments, when the government did not agree with the conclusions of a report.

The Bis principles have now made it clear that scientific advisers "have the right to engage with the media and public independently of the government".

Prior to their publication, the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee had recommended that if ministers did reject scientific advice, they should formally explain their decision.

The new principles do not go that far, but do suggest that, if government "is minded not to accept advice of a scientific advisory committee... the relevant minister will normally meet with the chair to discuss the issue before a final decision is made".

They also say that scientific advisers to the government must be "free to communicate in a professional capacity within their field of expertise, subject to normal confidentiality restrictions".

This point will aim to answer those scientists who criticised the Home Secretary Alan Johnson for dismissing Professor Nutt. Mr Johnson has said that Professor Nutt "crossed the line" in his role, by campaigning against government policy.

Timing is crucial

Scientists had also criticised the government's timing when it published its response to scientific advice.

Earlier this year, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its own climate projections on the same day as a scientific report that criticised them.

The new principles state: "The timing of the government's response to scientific advice will demonstrably allow for proper consideration of that advice."

The government says the principles were designed to cover "trust, respect, independence, transparency and openness".

They were agreed after a series of meetings, with input from scientific advisory committees, learned societies, science media representatives and Sense about Science.

NEWS BY:http://news.bbc.co.uk

UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency officials say they have selected a target lunar crater for an impact study to determine whether water ice exists at the moon's south pole.

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite is to travel nearly 6 million miles in a journey that will have included several Earth and moon orbits before it crashes into the Cabeus A crater at 7:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 9.

The experiment involves the satellite's spent upper-stage Centaur rocket impacting the permanently shadowed polar crater. LCROSS will then fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure its properties before it also collides with the lunar surface.

NASA scientists said they selected Cabeus A based on a set of conditions that included proper debris plume illumination for visibility from Earth, a high concentration of hydrogen, and mature crater features such as a flat floor, gentle slopes and the absence of large boulders.

Professional astronomers using many of the Earth's observatories will help maximize the scientific return from the experiment, NASA said, noting the telescopes will provide observations from different vantage points using different types of measurement techniques.

NASA said it was dedicating the mission to the memory of the late news anchor Walter Cronkite, who provided coverage of NASA's missions from the beginning of America's manned space program into the age of the space shuttle.

Early clinical trial of H1N1 vaccines good

BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. officials said they are encouraged by the progress of various clinical trials of H1N1 influenza vaccines.

"The early data from these trials indicate the H1N1 influenza vaccines are well tolerated and induce a strong immune response in most healthy adults when administered in a single unadjuvanted 15-microgram dose," said a statement by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIAID is also conducting clinical trials of H1N1 influenza vaccines, produced by Sanofi Pasteur and CSL Limited.

The NIAID trials are testing two different dosages -- 15 micrograms versus 30 micrograms -- and evaluating the immune response to one and two doses of these vaccines. More than 2,800 people are participating in ongoing NIAID trials of these vaccines.

Among healthy adults who received a single 15-microgram dose of the Sanofi Pasteur vaccine, a robust immune response was measured in 96 percent of adults age 18-64 and in 56 percent of adults age 65 and older.

Among healthy adults who received a single 15-microgram dose of the CSL Limited vaccine, a robust immune response was measured in 80 percent of adults age 18-64 and in 60 percent of adults age 65 and older, the statement said.

Flowering may move out of seasonal sync

CLAYTON, Australia, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Australian and U.K. scientists studying global warming say botanical calendars in many parts of the Earth may eventually move out of sync with the seasons.

The study into the impact of global warming on spring flowering was led by Malcolm Clark of Monash University and Professor Roy Thompson of the University of Edinburgh.

"Already there is a great deal of observational evidence of regional changes in climate associated with global warming," said Clark. "We have not only seen an earlier breakup of ice on rivers and melting glaciers, but also the early emergence of insects, egg laying by birds and the flowering of plants. This new model allows us to refine predictions of the future impact of warming on plant and animal life across much of the world."

Clark and Thompson predict likely changes in spring flowering in Scotland based on three potential global warming scenarios. For every 1-degree Celsius of climate warming, they predict spring flowering will begin approximately 11 days earlier.

Using their results, the scientists constructed a global map that demonstrates "desynchronization" of plant and animal life in the year 2080. The map shows maritime climates including Western Europe, the American Atlantic coast, New Zealand, Chile and North Africa will be the greatest affected as their botanical calendar moves strongly out of sync with the seasons.

The study is reported in the International Journal of Climatology.

Diabetes drug also kills cancer stem cells

BOSTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found that in human breast cancer cell tumors in mice, a diabetes drug worked better than chemotherapy in prolonging remission.

Researchers led by Harvard Medical School Professor Kevin Struhl said the mice appeared tumor-free for two months after treatment before the end of the experiment. The drug, metformin, appears to selectively kill cancer stem cells in culture dishes and in mice.

The scientists said their findings provide additional rationale for testing metformin in combination with chemotherapy in people with breast cancer and perhaps other cancers.

The scientists said their findings add to a growing body of preliminary evidence in cells, mice, and people that metformin may improve breast cancer outcomes in people. In the new study, the diabetes drug seemed to work independently of its ability to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar and insulin levels, all of which are also associated with better breast cancer outcomes, the researchers said.

NEWS BY:http://www.upi.com

UK students switch to US universities

Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the United States.

That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.

Dr Seldon, one of the UK's most prominent head teachers, says that ambitious teenagers are looking further afield than ever before in their university choices.

The lure of well-funded US universities, with more broad-based course options, is proving increasingly attractive to youngsters in the UK, he says.

At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40% claimed to want to go to US universities, with the expectation that many of these will actually go on to enrol.

This surge in academic wanderlust reflects the experience of the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational links between the US and UK.

The level of interest is "rising sharply" this year, says commission director Lauren Welch.

They were taken aback when 4,000 students turned up for a US university recruitment fair in London last month - double previous years.

When admissions figures are known in the new year, she expects a spike in applications.

The most recent figures, from this autumn's intake, saw big increases in applications from students in the UK to universities such as Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

Students wanting to apply to US universities can take the SAT common entrance test in the UK - and the College Board which runs the test reported a 30% increase in such UK candidates.

The introduction of higher tuition fees at UK universities, up to £9,000 per year, is pushing students to think much harder about their options. It's also changing the balance of what is affordable.

Dr Seldon says that universities in the UK are going to have to take more care about what they're offering in terms of contact hours, subject options and pastoral care. The competition is now global.

He says that for the price of UK fees, students are being offered courses in Hong Kong, with change for the air fares home. There are also pupils looking at universities in Canada, Australia, China, South Africa and in continental Europe, he says.
Budget Harvard

The headline price of US universities can be dauntingly high - the top bracket are above $50,000 (£32,000) per year - but this is often offset by high levels of means-tested financial support.

Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal says the university has seen growing numbers of students from the UK and that families with "low and middle incomes will likely pay no more to send their students to Harvard than to a UK university".

From next year, students at Harvard from families earning below $65,000 (£41,000) per year will not have to pay any tuition fees.

The most competitive US universities, hungry for the most talented students, recruit from around the world, with means-tested support available.

So what's it like to go from a school in England to an Ivy League institution?

Jason Parisi, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, has started this term at Yale and talks enthusiastically about his experiences.

He says he was drawn by the quality of the course on offer, and the belief that the international experience would give him an advantage in the jobs market when he returned, marking him out from the rest of the graduates.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15963688

City College students give Martlets a fundraising boost

Martlets Hospice had a £700 boost from City College Art & Design students recently when the proceeds from a 2011 charity fashion show was presented to Martlets Community Events Fundraiser Clem Hunnisett

Martlets Hospice had a £700 boost from City College Art & Design students recently when the proceeds from a 2011 charity fashion show was presented to Martlets Community Events Fundraiser Clem Hunnisett. In 'Rags to Riches', Fashion and Textile students from the Foundation and Extended Diploma Art and Design courses had taken unwanted charity shop garments which they then deconstructed and transformed into stunning fashion-wear. The students modelled their own garments, choreographed the show, and did their own make–up. The next Rags to Riches show will be at the College’s Main Hall on Pelham Street on Thursday February 9th at 3.30pm and students are currently busy working on their new creations.

"We're really struggling this year to raise the funds we need so it’s fantastic that a local college wants to support Marlets and it means everything to us", said Clem."I've seen the work-in-progress for the next Rags to Riches and I've been blown away by the students' talent and creativity so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything come to fruition on the big day."

For further information on Art & Design courses at City College

About City College Brighton and Hove: Situated in the heart of Brighton and graded ‘Outstanding’ in key areas by Ofsted in its June 2011 report, City College Brighton and Hove is an international centre of vocational excellence and one of the top performing Further Education Colleges in the country. Every year, 2,000 full-time, 7,000 part time, 400 Higher Education and 400 14-16 year old students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their place of further and higher education training. In addition, the College provides training to over 2,000 businesses via its 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employer training needs. Offering over 700 courses from basic level right through to business and postgraduate training, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.

NEWS BY:http://www.journalism.co.uk/press-releases/city-college-students-give-martlets-a-fundraising-boost/s66/a547595/