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The use of immune modulator therapeutics, a type of immunotherapy enhancing the body immune system response to cancer, was perceived as the beginning of a new era in cancer care. While still important and frequently used, some of these therapeutics produce uneven response rates, disease resistance, and serious side effects. The National Academies National Cancer Policy Forum, in collaboration with the Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation, hosted a public workshop to discuss challenges related to immunotherapy treatment resistance, as well as potential policy opportunities to improve the development of immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

A scientific workforce with cutting-edge skills is critical for the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to carry out its mission to protect human health by identifying environmental hazards, evaluating risks to public health and ecosystems, and formulating effective methods for pollution control and prevention. To aid in the selection and hiring of premier scientists and engineers, in 2006, EPA first sought the ability to directly recruit world-renowned scientists and engineers from academia, private industry, and other government agencies under Title 42, Section 209, of the U.S. Code. Title 42 authorizes federal agencies to appoint highly qualified scientists and engineers outside of standard civil service positions. Congress reauthorizes the EPA Title 42 authority in 5-year increments. To guide decisions about the future of the program, Congress asked the National Academies to review past and current EPA use of Title 42 hiring authority and how the program might be improved. The report finds that EPA has used its limited Title 42 authority effectively since 2006 and that Title 42 authority has enabled the hiring of effective scientific leadership and improved the scientific capability and capacity to support the Agency mission. Furthermore, the report finds that Title 42 can help the agency in addressing future environmental complexities. In continuing to enhance its scientific workforce and maintain a position at the forefront of evolving scientific knowledge, EPA would benefit from Congressional approval for permanent Title 42 authority.

Research supported by scientific ocean drilling has fundamentally transformed our understanding of the planet with key contributions to the discovery and theory of plate tectonics; the formation and destruction of ocean crust; the reconstruction of extreme greenhouse and icehouse climates; the identification of major extinctions; and the discovery of a diverse community of microbes living deep ocean seafloor. With the retirement in 2024 of the JOIDES Resolution-- the U.S. dedicated drilling vessel for deep sea research and the workhorse for the international scientific ocean drilling community-- the scientific ocean drilling landscape will change. At this critical juncture, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is looking to identify the most urgent research questions that can only be answered with scientific ocean drilling and what infrastructure is needed to progress those priorities. This interim report that is the first part of a broader study of decadal survey of ocean science provides a broad perspective of future research and associated infrastructure needs. The report concludes that the rapid pace of climate change, related extreme events, sea level rise, changes in ocean currents, chemistry threatening ocean ecosystems, and devastating natural hazards are among the greatest challenges facing society. By coring the past to inform the future, U.S. based scientific ocean drilling research continues to have unique and essential roles in addressing these vital and urgent challenges.

On March 14-15, 2023, the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop in Washington, DC to explore the use of data, research, and experiments to improve the processes for and outcomes of federal funding of scientific research. The workshop brought together researchers in the science of science funding and practitioners from government and the private sector with experience supporting or carrying out experimentation and evaluation to discuss illustrative examples of the use of experimentation from the United States and abroad; consider methods of evaluation; and foster relationships for future experimentation.

Increasing the number of Black men and Black women who enter the fields of science, engineering, and medicine (SEM) will benefit the social and economic health of the nation. On May 2-3, 2022 the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to highlight promising financial and supportive services and programs throughout various stages of career development. Sessions followed student progression through the major stages of education and career development, and identified policies and practices that aim to mitigate and alleviate long-standing barriers to the full participation of Black students in SEM at the K?12, undergraduate, and graduate and professional levels.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop series that gathered researchers, government officials, and other global leaders in nutrition research and policy. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), carefully considered meta-analysis methodologies that could in turn be used to advance nutrition research, develop policy, and inform regulatory decision-making.

Although much research has been conducted on community-level factors related to the risk of dementia in general, less is known about the factors that affect the ability of older adults with dementia to age in place successfully. Additional research could lead to a better understanding of the data and resources needed to support innovative approaches for adaptive housing, services, and supports so that people living with dementia can remain in their communities. To explore these needs and develop effective strategies for the future, the Committee on Population and Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop on aging in place with dementia on September 13-15, 2023. Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, this workshop highlighted the state of knowledge and identified research gaps to inform conceptual approaches to guide research on dementia-friendly communities in the U.S. context, building on existing approaches in the field.

In September 2023, the Committee on Population at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop, Developing an Agenda for Population Aging and Social Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The explicit goal of the workshop was to identify the most promising directions for behavioral and social research and data infrastructure investments for studying life-course health, aging, and Alzheimers disease and Alzheimers disease and related dementias in LMICs. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Amy Research Laboratory (ARL) focuses on cutting-edge scientific discovery, technological innovation, and transition of knowledge products that offer great potential to strengthen the U.S. Army. The mission of the ARL is to operationalize science for transformational overmatch in support of persistent Army modernization. At the request of the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, this report provides an assessment of the scientific and technical quality of the ARL, with findings and recommendations related to the quality of ARL research, development, and analysis programs.

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) are promising tools that can be used to develop algorithms to better understand and predict interactions between food- and nutrition-related data and health outcomes. Understanding that additional research is needed to identify areas where AI/ML is likely to have an impact, the National Academies Food and Nutrition Board hosted a public workshop in October 2023 to explore the future benefits and limitations of integrating big data and AI/ML tools into nutrition research. Participants also discussed issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, bias, and privacy and the appropriate use of evidence generated from these new methods.

The National Academies Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity hosted a virtual public workshop in July 2023 to discuss the premise, history, and development of race-based clinical algorithms and their contributions to health inequities. Examining ways to promote race-conscious medicine, participants explored the underlying assumptions of racial differences in physiology, and parameters for identifying instances when race and ethnicity as social constructs are legitimate considerations for improving health equity, such as when promoting outreach, screening, and community education and engagement.

The National Academies Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) hosted a hybrid public workshop in May 2023 to explore what is needed to better serve adult TBI patients who require follow-up care in support of their recovery at home. Speakers discussed when and how to follow up with less-severe TBI patients who have been discharged to their homes after a brief period of acute care, and the varied needs, issues, and considerations that relate to outpatient care and at-home symptom management during the approximately 6-month period following injury.This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

The National Academies Roundtable on Population Health Improvement hosted a virtual public workshop in June 2022 to explore the current state of population health funding and the challenges and opportunities encountered by organizations engaged in the work of assembling and deploying funding for population health improvement efforts. The workshop revisits topics explored in a 2014 workshop Financing Population Health Improvement. Speakers discussed changes to systems and sources of population health financing, and also challenges and exemplary practices that integrate community voice and are accountable to communities.

The National Academies Forum on Microbial Threats and Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders hosted a hybrid public workshop in June 2023 to explore opportunities to advance research and treatment of infection-associated chronic illnesses. The illnesses discussed in this workshop, including COVID-19, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), persistent or posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), share overlapping mechanisms and symptoms and have been inadequately researched. Recognizing these commonalities, speakers identified the need to advance research more comprehensively, translating to improved diagnostic and treatment options for patients across multiple conditions.

Protecting privacy and ensuring confidentiality in data is a critical component of modernizing our national data infrastructure. The use of blended data - combining previously collected data sources - presents new considerations for responsible data stewardship. Toward a 21st Century National Data Infrastructure: Managing Privacy and Confidentiality Risks with Blended Data provides a framework for managing disclosure risks that accounts for the unique attributes of blended data and poses a series of questions to guide considered decision-making. Technical approaches to manage disclosure risk have advanced. Recent federal legislation, regulation and guidance has described broadly the roles and responsibilities for stewardship of blended data. The report, drawing from the panel review of both technical and policy approaches, addresses these emerging opportunities and the new challenges and responsibilities they present. The report underscores that trade-offs in disclosure risks, disclosure harms, and data usefulness are unavoidable and are central considerations when planning data-release strategies, particularly for blended data.

Fisheries are essential to the global economy and feed billions around the world; they, support individuals and communities, and sustain cultural heritages and livelihoods. Although U.S. fisheries have been managed for commercial fishing historically, there has been an interest more recently in better accounting for and meeting the needs of the diverse individuals, groups, and communities that rely on and participate in fisheries, or aspire to do so. At the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service, this report considers information needs and data collection for assessing the distribution of fisheries management benefits. Assessing Equity in the Distribution of Fisheries Management Benefits identifies information needs, obstacles to collecting information, and potential methodologies for assessing where and to whom the primary benefits of commercial and for-hire fishery management accrue.

"This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. W911NF-13-D-0002-0001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Army."--Title page verso.

"Scientific research has enabled America to remain at the forefront of global competition for commercially viable technologies and other innovations. For more than 65 years, the United States has led the world in science and technology. Discoveries from scientific research have extended our understanding of the physical and natural world, the cosmos, society, and of humans - their minds, bodies, and economic and other social interactions. Through these discoveries, science has enabled longer and healthier lives, provided for a better-educated citizenry, enhanced the national economy, and strengthened America's position in the global economy. At a time of budget stringency, how can we foster scientific innovation to ensure America's unprecedented prosperity, security, and quality of life? Although many studies have investigated the impacts of research on society, Furthering America's Research Enterprise brings to bear a fresh approach informed by a more holistic understanding of the research enterprise as a complex, dynamic system. This understanding illuminates why America's research enterprise has historically been so successful; where attention should be focused to increase the societal benefits of research investments; and how those who make decisions on the allocation of funds for scientific research can best carry out their task. This report will be of special interest to policy makers who support or manage the research enterprise, to others in public and private institutions who fund research, to scholars of the research enterprise, and to scientists and engineers who seek to better understand the many pathways through which their research benefits society."--Publisher's description.

This overview includes chapters on child mortality, adult mortality, fertility, proximate determinants, marriage, internal migration, international migration, and the demographic impact of AIDS.

Spatial statistics is one of the most rapidly growing areas of statistics, rife with fascinating research opportunities. Yet many statisticians are unaware of those opportunities, and most students in the United States are never exposed to any course work in spatial statistics. Written to be accessible to the nonspecialist, this volume surveys the applications of spatial statistics to a wide range of areas, including image analysis, geosciences, physical chemistry, and ecology. The book describes the contributions of the mathematical sciences, summarizes the current state of knowledge, and identifies directions for research.

As more people live longer, the need for quality long-term care for the elderly will increase dramatically. This volume examines the current system of nursing home regulations, and proposes an overhaul to better provide for those confined to such facilities. It determines the need for regulations, and concludes that the present regulatory system is inadequate, stating that what is needed is not more regulation, but better regulation. This long-anticipated study provides a wealth of useful background information, in-depth study, and discussion for nursing home administrators, students, and teachers in the health care field; professionals involved in caring for the elderly; and geriatric specialists.

The information age is taking its toll on traditional office management techniques. According to Infosystems, "If you're cautious of 'experts' who claim to have all the answers, then you'll find comfort in the theme of 'unleashed creativity' that recurs throughout the 20 essays presented in this book....Organizations will have to devise a strategy for understanding how [a microcomputer's] performance can be monitored. Regardless of what may happen, this book provides managers with appropriate ammunition."

This volume documents the continuing growth of concentrated poverty in central cities of the United States and examines what is known about its causes and effects. With careful analyses of policy implications and alternative solutions to the problem, it presents: A statistical picture of people who live in areas of concentrated poverty. An analysis of 80 persistently poor inner-city neighborhoods over a 10-year period. Study results on the effects of growing up in a "bad" neighborhood. An evaluation of how the suburbanization of jobs has affected opportunities for inner-city blacks. A detailed examination of federal policies and programs on poverty. Inner-City Poverty in the United States will be a valuable tool for policymakers, program administrators, researchers studying urban poverty issues, faculty, and students.