Breeding, Bees, and the 4 Ps

"After suffering severe winter losses beginning in 2007, the honey bee population is making a comeback. Still, losses are high, which means beekeepers have to spend a lot of time and money replacing their bees.

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are responding, by using genetics to selectively breed honey bees to fight the primary perpetrators of the problem – what they call the “four Ps.” According to scientists with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research (HBBGPR) lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the main issues that honey bees contend with are parasites, pathogens, poor nutrition and pesticides.

Honey bees are important to ecosystems and the agriculture system. Honey bees are America’s primary commercial pollinator and more than 100 U.S.-grown crops rely on honey bees and other pollinators. In addition to their important role in maintaining food security, bees provide income to the entire food production industry from beekeepers and farmers to local retailers and international exporters.

The 5-year project at HBBGPR addresses the four Ps through breeding programs that refine selected genetic traits already present in honey bee populations.

“We are breeding honey bees that are more efficient at processing nutrients in their food and are more resistant to pests, pathogens and pesticides,” said Lanie Bilodeau, research leader at HBBGPR. “Developing healthier and more productive honey bee colonies will help ease the effects of disease and climate change, and improve the food supply at local, national and global scales.”

The project is already reaping positive results, including a comprehensive catalog of genetic variation of commercial and research honey bee populations in the country, and nutritional supplements for colony-wide pathogen treatment..."
Honey Bees 

The High Cost of Oral Disease

"Oral diseases cause pain and disability for millions of Americans. Proven interventions, like dental sealants and fluoridated water, can improve oral health and save money for communities.

Print

Oral diseases—like cavities and gum disease—cause pain and disability for millions of Americans and cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year.¹

Cavities (also known as caries or tooth decay) are one of the greatest unmet health treatment needs. Cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood,² and more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States have at least one untreated cavity.³

Gum disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the hard and soft structures that support the teeth⁴ and is a leading cause of tooth loss.⁵ Nearly half (46%) of all adults aged 30 or older show signs of gum disease, and severe gum disease affects about 9% of adults.⁶

Oral Diseases Cost Money and Lower Your Quality of Life

Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Left untreated, cavities and gum disease can lead to tooth loss. Tooth loss can affect a person’s self-esteem and contribute to social anxiety, lack of social connectedness, or depression.⁷ Severe tooth loss—having 8 or fewer teeth—makes it hard to chew food or have a healthy diet,⁸ which is important for overall health and preventing and controlling other chronic conditions.^9,10

Nearly 18% of working-age adults report that the appearance of their mouth and teeth affects their ability to interview for a job. For people with low incomes, the percentage increases to 29%.⁷

Treating oral disease also costs time and money. Regardless of age, income, or type of insurance, more people report financial barriers to dental care than to any other type of health care.¹¹ Over $45 billion is lost in productivity in the United States each year because of untreated oral disease,¹² and over 34 million school hours are lost each year because of unplanned urgent dental care.¹³ In 2017, there were 2.1 million emergency room visits for dental emergencies. Medicaid pays for about 69% of these visits for children and about 40% for adults.^.."
Oral Disease 

Cancer and Men

"Men have higher rates of getting and dying from cancer than women. You can lower your chance of getting certain kinds of cancer.

Most cancers take years to develop. Many things can affect your chance of getting cancer. Things that raise your chance of getting cancer are called risk factors.

You can’t control some risk factors, like getting older. But you can control many others. In fact, there are things you can do every day to avoid getting cancer. Two of the most important things you can do are making healthy choices and getting the screening tests that are right for you.

Healthy Choices

Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to lower your cancer risk. Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. If you don’t smoke, make sure you stay away from other people’s smoke.

The link between smoking and cancer is well-known. But you may be surprised by other things that can lead to cancer.

• Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or artificial sources like a tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp can cause skin cancer, the most common cancer.
• Drinking alcohol raises your risk of getting five kinds of cancer, including liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
• About 40% of all cancers are associated with overweight and obesity.
  

Screening Tests

Screening means checking your body for cancer before you have symptoms. All screening tests have benefits and harms. Screening is recommended when the benefits outweigh the harms.

Colorectal Cancer Screening

If you’re 45 to 75 years old, get screened regularly.

You should start getting screened for colorectal cancer soon after turning 45, and get screened regularly until you’re 75. Several screening tests are available. Some can be done at home, and others are done in a doctor’s office. Talk to your doctor about which test is right for you..."

Cancer & Men 

Sickle Cell Database

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to improve the lives of people with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder. Learn about CDC’s SCDC program, and find a suite of online resources that can help you or someone you know live healthy with SCD.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a blood disorder present at birth. People with SCD have sickle-shaped red blood cells that stick together and block blood and oxygen from reaching all parts of the body, leading to health problems such as pain, anemia, infections, and stroke. Approximately 100,000 Americans are affected by SCD. CDC is committed to studying SCD to improve the health and care of people with this condition.

The Sickle Cell Data Collection (SCDC) Program

The SCDC program works with teams in the shaded states on the map below to collect and link data from several sources.

The SCDC program, which has been ongoing since 2015, collects health information about people with SCD to study the long-term trends in diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare access for people with SCD in the United States. Currently, there are 11 states participating in the SCDC program. As more resources become available, CDC plans to expand the program to include additional states. The program will help inform policy and healthcare standards to improve and extend the lives of people with SCD.

Learn more about the SCDC program:

• SCDC Program Fact Sheet
• SCDC Surveillance Summary
• SCDC Program Data
• SCDC Publications
• SCDC Policy Memo: Understanding Sickle Cell Disease: CDC’s Role in Surveillance, Education, and Awareness
• The Bloodline Newsletter is a quarterly e-newsletter providing updates about the SCDC Program. Visit the webpage to subscribe..."
  Sickle Cell Collection 

Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Presidential Records and the Presidential Records Act

"Media Alert ·Friday, June 9, 2023

Washington, DC

Recent media reports have generated a large number of queries about Presidential records and the Presidential Records Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 2201-2209. The PRA requires that all records created by Presidents (and Vice-Presidents) be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at the end of their administrations. Below is additional information about how NARA carries out its responsibilities under the PRA. Please note that the PRA treats the records of the President and those of the Vice President in almost the same manner such that, in most cases below, President and Vice President can be used interchangeably. 

 

How much time do outgoing Presidents have to go through their papers to determine what to retain as personal documents?   

The Presidential Records Act (PRA) requires the President to separate personal documents from Presidential records before leaving office. 44 U.S.C. 2203(b). The PRA makes clear that, upon the conclusion of the President’s term in office, NARA assumes responsibility for the custody, control, preservation of, and access to the records of a President. 44 U.S.C. 2203(g)(1). The PRA makes the legal status of Presidential records clear and unambiguous, providing that the United States reserves and retains “complete ownership, possession, and control of Presidential records.” 44 U.S.C. 2202. There is no history, practice, or provision in law for presidents to take official records with them when they leave office to sort through, such as for a two-year period as described in some reports. If a former President or Vice President finds Presidential records among personal materials, he or she is expected to contact NARA in a timely manner to secure the transfer of those Presidential records to NARA. 

 

How does NARA store the records of an outgoing President after the end of an administration?

In the past, and in accordance with the Presidential Libraries Act (44 U.S.C. 2112), former Presidents would fund, build, endow, and donate to NARA a traditional Presidential Library (NARA-operated traditional Presidential Libraries exist from Presidents Hoover through George W. Bush). Accordingly, NARA would arrange to move the Presidential records to a temporary NARA facility near the designated location of the forthcoming Library – e.g., Hoffman Estates, IL, for the records of President Obama (who subsequently decided not to build a Presidential Library for NARA, see below); Dallas, TX, for President George W. Bush; Little Rock, AR, for President Clinton. In each case, the facility was modified to meet NARA requirements for records storage and security, NARA had physical and legal custody of the records from the end of the Administration, and the temporary facility was under the exclusive control of NARA.

NARA no longer expects to move Presidential records to a temporary facility outside of Washington, DC, given the relatively small volume of paper Presidential records created by recent administrations, as compared to the huge volume of electronic records and the strong interest in the digitization of paper records. In addition, the increased endowment requirements first applicable to President Obama under the Presidential Libraries Act may impact decisions by former Presidents concerning whether to build a traditional Presidential Library for NARA. 

Prior to the end of his administration, President Trump did not communicate any intent to NARA with regard to funding, building, endowing, and donating a Presidential Library to NARA under the Presidential Libraries Act. Accordingly, the Trump Presidential records have been and continue to be maintained by NARA in the Washington, DC, area, and there was no reason for NARA to consider a temporary facility in Florida or elsewhere..."
Presidential Records 

Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics

"What is the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The U.S. AQI is EPA’s index for reporting air quality.

How does the AQI work?

Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality

For each pollutant an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to an ambient air concentration that equals the level of the short-term national ambient air quality standard for protection of public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.

The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.

Daily AQI Color	Levels of Concern	Values of Index	Description of Air Quality
Green	Good	0 to 50	Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Yellow	Moderate	51 to 100	Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Orange	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	101 to 150	Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.
Red	Unhealthy	151 to 200	Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Purple	Very Unhealthy	201 to 300	Health alert: The risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
Maroon	Hazardous	301 and higher	Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.

See the Activity Guides to learn ways to protect your health when the AQI reaches unhealthy levels.

---

Five major pollutants

EPA establishes an AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act. Each of these pollutants has a national air quality standard set by EPA to protect public health:

• ground-level ozone
• particle pollution (also known as particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10)
• carbon monoxide
• sulfur dioxide
• nitrogen dioxide

Using the Air Quality Index
Technical Assistance Document for the Reporting of Daily Air Quality – the Air Quality Index.."

How to Prevent Measles

"Measles cases in the United States originate from unvaccinated international travelers.

If you plan to travel internationally, make sure you and your loved ones are protected against measles before departure, no matter where you are going.

Planning a trip outside the U.S.?

Find out if you need measles vaccine

Which travelers are at risk?

You are at risk of measles infection if you have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past and you travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading.

Before international travel: Make sure you’re protected against measles

The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from measles is by getting vaccinated. You should plan to be fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks before you depart. If your trip is less than 2 weeks away and you’re not protected against measles, you should still get a dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine protects against all 3 diseases.

• Two doses of MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against measles.
• One dose provides 93% protection.

Call your doctor, your local health department, or locate a pharmacy or clinic near you to schedule an appointment for a MMR vaccine. CDC does not recommend measles vaccine for infants younger than 6 months of age.

Infants under 12 months old who are traveling

• Get an early dose at 6 through 11 months
• Follow the recommended schedule and get another dose at 12 through 15 months and a final dose at 4 through 6 years

Children over 12 months old

• Get first dose immediately
• Get second dose 28 days after first dose

Teens and adults with no evidence of immunity*

• Get first dose immediately
• Get second dose 28 days after first dose

 

Acceptable evidence of immunity against measles includes at least one of the following:

• Written documentation of adequate vaccination
• Laboratory evidence of immunity
• Laboratory confirmation of measles, or
• Birth in the United States before 1957.."
  Measles 

Is That Climate Change? The Science of Extreme Event Attribution

"Climate change attribution is the study of whether, or to what degree, human influence may have contributed to extreme climate or weather events. Scientists can now estimate whether human activities have influenced extreme weather or climate events and changed how likely they are to occur. This is known as the science of climate change attribution.

Attributions of extreme weather to human-induced climate change may affect how policymakers, organizations, and individuals understand and manage associated risks, with the potential benefit of avoiding future costs. The interpretation and evaluation of attribution findings have been part of the discussion of policy on wildfires, heat waves, climate change, and disaster responses, among other issues. Understanding the attribution process and its uncertainties may be helpful in understanding the potential uses and limitations of climate attribution claims.

Before the development of extreme event attribution methods, there was a scientific consensus that, while attribution of global climate trends was possible, attribution of individual events was not possible. This changed with the development of statistical methods to determine the likelihood that human influence had changed the frequency or severity of extreme events, and a better understanding of the connections between components of the Earth’s climate system.

Several approaches to extreme event attribution have been developed, including a risk-based approach, which seeks to estimate human-influenced changes in the probability of an extreme event, and a storyline approach, which seeks to estimate the relative contribution of specific natural and human causes to an extreme event. The two approaches use many of the same analytic tools. Researchers may study different aspects of the same event, or use differing yet valid analytic methods and find results that seem inconsistent.

Numerous attribution studies have been completed on a wide range of extreme events, including heavy rainfall, heat waves, sea ice extent, consecutive dry days, droughts, and others. Results have included instances where changes in event probability were attributed to human influence, instances where evidence of human influence was not found, and instances where the results were inconclusive. For example, a study of record high May 2017 temperatures in South Korea found that the increased probability of such an event was due to human influence, while a study of a 2011 drought/heat wave in Texas did not find evidence of human influence. In recent years, domestic litigation has been brought by states and municipalities seeking compensation for damage caused by adverse climate impacts. Extreme event attribution may become important in this type of litigation in order to establish liability..."
Climate Change 

Anthrax: It’s Not Old News

"Learn how new anthrax research by CDC’s Division of Laboratory Sciences could save lives.

Anthrax may bring to mind the 2001 attack on America through letters contaminated with spores. However, anthrax is not old news. Many cases have occurred in humans and animals since the letter incidents.

For example, a dancer in New York became sick after working with a contaminated animal hide to make traditional African drums. His infection likely came from breathing in the spores that cause anthrax while working with the animal hide in a stuffy space.

Anthrax, which can occur naturally in soil, also has killed thousands of animals, from cattle in North Dakota to reindeer in Russia.

What Is Anthrax?

Anthrax is a serious disease caused by bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis, and has been documented as far back as 700 BC.

Animals can become infected from spores in contaminated soil, plants, or water. When animals die from anthrax, their bodies decay and leave spores in the area for decades.

People also can become sick with anthrax when spores get into their body. Then bacteria quickly multiply and release toxins, which attack and can ultimately kill the body if left untreated.

Recently, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied levels of anthrax toxins after anthrax inhalation in animals. They found three stages of anthrax toxins in the blood, matching the three stages of disease in people and animals—early, intermediate, and late. Comparing levels of the toxins in all the stages helped them understand anthrax better.

New Research Could Save Lives

CDC scientists collaborated with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and Battelle’s Biomedical Research Center in Ohio to learn new information about toxin levels during anthrax progression. Their joint study on “Comprehensive characterization of toxins during progression of inhalation anthrax in a non-human primate model” was recently published in PLoS Pathogens.

“This study provides new details of anthrax progression that have the potential to improve treatment and save lives,” says lead author Anne Boyer, PhD, a research chemist with CDC’s Division of Laboratory Sciences..."
Anthrax 

The Cllimate Explorer

"THE CLIMATE EXPLORER

Explore how climate is projected to change in any county in
the United States..."

Climate 

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Sound Recordings of the Supreme Court of the United States Now Fully Digitized

"The Moving Image and Sound Branch is pleased to announce that the sound recordings of RG 267: Records of the Supreme Court of the United States have been fully digitized and are available for listening and download through the National Archives Catalog. The audio recordings in Record Group 267 are organized into three series,  Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Black Series, October 1955 – December 1972, Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Red Series, December 1972 – June 27, 2005, and Sound Recordings of Oral Arguments – Gold Series, October 3, 2005 – May 31, 2020.

The Supreme Court of the United States did not start recording oral arguments until the 1955 October term. Cases heard prior to that date can sometimes have a related transcript, but they were not captured consistently and do not exist for all cases. If they exist, pre-1955 transcripts can be found in Appellate Jurisdiction Case Files, 1792-2017. Starting in October 1955, the Court captured all oral arguments for cases heard each term, as well as special proceedings such as memorial services and admissions to the bar. The recordings from these proceedings are organized chronologically by the date of the arguments. The judgments of the Court, which are called opinions, were not regularly recorded until the mid-1980s. If the opinion does exist, it can be found on the tape corresponding to the date the opinion was announced. 

Some well-known cases you can now listen to in the National Archives Catalog include Loving v. Virginia, Obergefell v. Hodges, Roe v. Wade, and Republic of Austria v. Altmann..."
Supreme Court Recordings