July 2016

Autonomous Vehicles

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Tesla Fatal Crash Reminds That Human Interface Remains Important
The first reported fatality in a self-driving vehicle is a chilling reminder that the evolving relationship with increasingly robotic motor vehicles needs to be a partnership, an undertaking with humans and machines managing the risks.
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Jul 30, 2016
The Mercury News
Shawn McKay

Biotechnology

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Can the Bioweapons Convention Survive Crispr?
Crispr is a biotechnology that's making genetic editing easier, cheaper, and far more accessible, but it has also been called a major security threat. Do such advances in biotechnology make the bioweapons convention obsolete?
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Jul 29, 2016
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Antimicrobial Resistance

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The Rio Olympics Are the Site of a Battle Against 'Super Bacteria'
Brazilian scientists detected drug-resistant bacteria growing off some of Rio de Janeiro's beaches, close to where it will host sailing and wind-surfing events, and in the lagoon where the rowing and canoeing events will take place.
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Jul 29, 2016
Medical Xpress
Jirka Taylor, Elta Smith
Intelligence Community

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Keeping Up with the Policymakers: The Unclassified Tearline
Unclassified tearlines could convey the bottom line and potential implications of a classified story in unclassified terms, while obscuring sensitive sources and methods. There are good reasons to build them into the business process and culture of intelligence agencies.
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Jul 28, 2016
War on the Rocks
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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NATO Decides to 'Troop the Colours' As Symbol of Deterrence in the Baltics
At its Warsaw summit in July, NATO agreed to establish a permanent rotating presence of its troops in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The decision may be interpreted as NATO's commitment to take its Baltic members' concerns seriously.
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Jul 28, 2016
European Geostrategy
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Nuclear Disarmament

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The End of Nuclear Proliferation?
As the last case of nuclear proliferation fades further into history, it may become politically difficult to allocate resources to preventing it, as other pressing threats, such as bio- and cyber-terrorism, continue to emerge.
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Jul 26, 2016
The National Interest
Todd C. Robinson
Schizophrenia

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Patients with Severe Schizophrenia Aren't Getting the Help They Need
Clozapine has proven effective for patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but the health system is poorly configured to provide it. The drug has possible side effects that require extra patient monitoring, but it saves costs by reducing hospitalizations.
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Jul 25, 2016
Health Affairs Blog
Adam J. Rose
International Diplomacy

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Judgment on the South China Sea: What's Next?
On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines' claims to maritime entitlements in the South China Sea. How China reacts could have far-reaching consequences for all nations that depend on a peaceful and integrated Southeast Asia.
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Jul 22, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Rafiq Dossani
Primary Care

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Can a Nurse Practitioner Replace a Physician?
The VA is considering expanding the role of nurse practitioners in order to provide veterans timely access to primary-care services. Research has shown that nurse practitioners working in collaborative settings can provide high-quality care.
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Jul 22, 2016
Slate
John N. Mafi, Bruce E. Landon
Terrorism Financing

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Cutting the Islamic State's Money Supply
Airstrikes have hit ISIL tanker trucks, oil fields, refineries, and banks, but it would be a mistake to view the group as a poor man's version of its old self. New steps are needed to counter its multi-million dollar taxation and extortion machine.
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Jul 21, 2016
The National Interest
Eric Robinson @RobinsonEricD
Teacher Effectiveness

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Inspiring Better Teacher Planning and Instruction or Just Adding Noise?
Teachers can and should have the freedom to select and develop at least some of their own instructional resources. But whether sites like Amazon Inspire will actually save teachers time and help them find high-quality resources is up for debate.
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Jul 20, 2016
The RAND Blog
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman
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A Spotlight on the Supreme Court, and Its Vacancy
More than four months have passed since President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. In a time of contentious politics, a clear majority of Americans want the court to have a full bench. But they appear unlikely to get it soon.
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Jul 19, 2016
The Hill
Geoffrey McGovern
Survey Research Methodology

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Points to Consider When Using Surveys of Cancer Patients
Patient surveys provide unique insights for improving cancer care quality and new opportunities for research. However, features of survey populations such as sampling and early mortality should be accounted for when analyzing the findings.
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Jul 19, 2016
Statistics Views
Catherine L. Saunders, Gary A. Abel
Intelligence Community

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The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Intelligence Agencies
The defense community has already begun a healthy dialogue about the ethics of AI in combat systems. The intelligence community should develop standards for AI risk assessments and assign responsibility for conducting them.
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Jul 18, 2016
The National Interest
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Military Families

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'In the Deployment Life Study, I Saw My Own Family'
RAND's Deployment Life Study was designed to examine how deployment affects the health and well-being of military families. M.M. Smith, an active-duty military spouse, offers her response to the study.
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Jul 18, 2016
SpouseBUZZ
M. M. Smith
Suicide

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Is America's Crisis 'System' in Crisis?
The United States has made life-saving progress on crisis support for veterans. Now other suicide prevention services need help. Progress made by the VA could provide a blueprint for improving suicide prevention services for all Americans.
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Jul 17, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand