In this week's episode of 'Good Vibes Only,' we're doubling up on the positive energy with two special guests: singer Kim Younggeun and singer-songwriter/producer NIve! Younggeun...

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[Economy] :
A large delegation representing Czech power authorities will make a two-week visit to South Korea for working-level negotiations ahead of the conclusion of a final contract for the Czech nuclear power plant project.  Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power(KHNP), which was selected in July as the preferred bidder ...

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[Economy] :
A state-run institute has revised down this year’s growth outlook by zero-point-three percentage point to two-point-two percent. In August, the Korea Development Institute(KDI) said it expected the economy to expand two-point-five percent in 2024. The institute said the economic recovery has weakened as ...

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[Economy] :
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo says the government will consult with the justice ministry and consider expanding the scope of the E-7 visa for professional workers, if the shipbuilding industry deems it necessary.  Han made the remark during a news conference on Wednesday when asked how the government plans ...

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Science Advisory Committee  British Geological Survey

Visit by Indonesian Embassy representatives to BGS  British Geological Survey

New appointments to BGS Science Advisory Committee  British Geological Survey

Following the work of Day & Hawthorne [Acta Cryst. (2022), A78, 212–233] and Day et al. [Acta Cryst. (2024), A80, 258–281], the program GraphT–T has been developed to embed graphical representations of observed and hypothetical chains of (SiO4)4− tetrahedra into 2D and 3D Euclidean space. During embedding, the distance between linked vertices (T–T distances) and the distance between unlinked vertices (T⋯T separations) in the resultant unit-distance graph are restrained to the average observed distance between linked Si tetrahedra (3.06±0.15 Å) and the minimum separation between unlinked vertices is restrained to be equal to or greater than the minimum distance between unlinked Si tetrahedra (3.713 Å) in silicate minerals. The notional interactions between vertices are described by a 3D spring-force algorithm in which the attractive forces between linked vertices behave according to Hooke's law and the repulsive forces between unlinked vertices behave according to Coulomb's law. Embedding parameters (i.e. spring coefficient, k, and Coulomb's constant, K) are iteratively refined during embedding to determine if it is possible to embed a given graph to produce a unit-distance graph with T–T distances and T⋯T separations that are compatible with the observed T–T distances and T⋯T separations in crystal structures. The resultant unit-distance graphs are denoted as compatible and may form crystal structures if and only if all distances between linked vertices (T–T distances) agree with the average observed distance between linked Si tetrahedra (3.06±0.15 Å) and the minimum separation between unlinked vertices is equal to or greater than the minimum distance between unlinked Si tetrahedra (3.713 Å) in silicate minerals. If the unit-distance graph does not satisfy these conditions, it is considered incompatible and the corresponding chain of tetrahedra is unlikely to form crystal structures. Using GraphT–T, Day et al. [Acta Cryst. (2024), A80, 258–281] have shown that several topological properties of chain graphs influence the flexibility (and rigidity) of the corresponding chains of Si tetrahedra and may explain why particular compatible chain arrangements (and the minerals in which they occur) are more common than others and/or why incompatible chain arrangements do not occur in crystals despite being topologically possible.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) plays important roles in cellular homeostasis and is a highly validated therapeutic target for multiple human ailments, including diabetes, obesity and breast cancer. However, much remains to be learned about how conformational changes may convey information through the structure of PTP1B to enable allosteric regulation by ligands or functional responses to mutations. High-resolution X-ray crystallography can offer unique windows into protein conformational ensembles, but comparison of even high-resolution structures is often complicated by differences between data sets, including non-isomorphism. Here, the highest resolution crystal structure of apo wild-type (WT) PTP1B to date is presented out of a total of ∼350 PTP1B structures in the PDB. This structure is in a crystal form that is rare for PTP1B, with two unique copies of the protein that exhibit distinct patterns of conformational heterogeneity, allowing a controlled comparison of local disorder across the two chains within the same asymmetric unit. The conformational differences between these chains are interrogated in the apo structure and between several recently reported high-resolution ligand-bound structures. Electron-density maps in a high-resolution structure of a recently reported activating double mutant are also examined, and unmodeled alternate conformations in the mutant structure are discovered that coincide with regions of enhanced conformational heterogeneity in the new WT structure. These results validate the notion that these mutations operate by enhancing local dynamics, and suggest a latent susceptibility to such changes in the WT enzyme. Together, these new data and analysis provide a detailed view of the conformational ensemble of PTP1B and highlight the utility of high-resolution crystallography for elucidating conformational heterogeneity with potential relevance for function.

Brucella ovis is an etiologic agent of ovine epididymitis and brucellosis that causes global devastation in sheep, rams, goats, small ruminants and deer. There are no cost-effective methods for the worldwide eradication of ovine brucellosis. B. ovis and other protein targets from various Brucella species are currently in the pipeline for high-throughput structural analysis at the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), with the aim of identifying new therapeutic targets. Furthermore, the wealth of structures generated are effective tools for teaching scientific communication, structural science and biochemistry. One of these structures, B. ovis leucine-, isoleucine-, valine-, threonine- and alanine-binding protein (BoLBP), is a putative periplasmic amino acid-binding protein. BoLBP shares less than 29% sequence identity with any other structure in the Protein Data Bank. The production, crystallization and high-resolution structures of BoLBP are reported. BoLBP is a prototypical bacterial periplasmic amino acid-binding protein with the characteristic Venus flytrap topology of two globular domains encapsulating a large central cavity containing the peptide-binding region. The central cavity contains small molecules usurped from the crystallization milieu. The reported structures reveal the conformational flexibility of the central cavity in the absence of bound peptides. The structural similarity to other LBPs can be exploited to accelerate drug repurposing.

This paper describes real-time statistical analysis of liquid jet images for SFX experiments at the European XFEL. This analysis forms one part of the automated jet re-alignment system for SFX experiments at the SPB/SFX instrument of European XFEL.

To characterize an electron beam, visible synchrotron light is often used and dedicated beamlines at synchrotron sources are becoming a more common feature as instruments and methods for the diagnostics are, along with the accelerators, further developed. At KARA (Karlsruhe Research Accelerator), such a beamline exists and is based on a typical infrared/visible-light configuration. From experience at such beamlines no significant radiation was expected (dose rates larger than 0.5 µSv h−1). This was found not to be the case and a higher dose was measured which fortunately could be shielded to an acceptable level with 0.3 mm of aluminium foil or 2.0 mm of Pyrex glass. The presence of this radiation led to further investigation by both experiment and calculation. A custom setup using a silicon drift detector for energy-dispersive spectroscopy (Ketek GmbH) and attenuation experiments showed the radiation to be predominantly copper K-shell fluorescence and is confirmed by calculation. The measurement of secondary radiation from scattering of synchrotron and other radiation, and its calculation, is important for radiation protection, and, although a lot of experience exists and methods for radiation protection are well established, changes in machine, beamlines and experiments mean a constant appraisal is needed.

The crystal structure of the salt calcium (2R,3R)-tar­trate tetra­hydrate {sys­tem­atic name: poly[[di­aqua­[μ4-(2R,3R)-2,3-di­hydroxy­butane­dioato]calcium(II)] di­hydrate]}, {[Ca(C4H8O8)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n, is reported. The absolute configuration of the crystal was established unambiguously using anomalous dispersion effects in the diffraction patterns. High-quality data also allowed the location and free refinement of all the H atoms, and therefore to a careful analysis of the hy­dro­gen-bond inter­actions.

The technique of time-resolved macromolecular crystallography (TR-MX) has recently been rejuvenated at synchrotrons, resulting in the design of dedicated beamlines. Using pump–probe schemes, this should make the mechanistic study of photoactive proteins and other suitable systems possible with time resolutions down to microseconds. In order to identify relevant time delays, time-resolved spectroscopic experiments directly performed on protein crystals are often desirable. To this end, an instrument has been built at the icOS Lab (in crystallo Optical Spectroscopy Laboratory) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility using reflective focusing objectives with a tuneable nanosecond laser as a pump and a microsecond xenon flash lamp as a probe, called the TR-icOS (time-resolved icOS) setup. Using this instrument, pump–probe spectra can rapidly be recorded from single crystals with time delays ranging from a few microseconds to seconds and beyond. This can be repeated at various laser pulse energies to track the potential presence of artefacts arising from two-photon absorption, which amounts to a power titration of a photoreaction. This approach has been applied to monitor the rise and decay of the M state in the photocycle of crystallized bacteriorhodopsin and showed that the photocycle is increasingly altered with laser pulses of peak fluence greater than 100 mJ cm−2, providing experimental laser and delay parameters for a successful TR-MX experiment.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has witnessed radical progress in the past decade, driven by developments in hardware and software. While current software packages include processing pipelines that simplify the image-processing workflow, they do not prioritize the in-depth analysis of crucial metadata, limiting troubleshooting for challenging data sets. The widely used RELION software package lacks a graphical native representation of the underlying metadata. Here, two web-based tools are introduced: relion_live.py, which offers real-time feedback on data collection, aiding swift decision-making during data acquisition, and relion_analyse.py, a graphical interface to represent RELION projects by plotting essential metadata including interactive data filtration and analysis. A useful script for estimating ice thickness and data quality during movie pre-processing is also presented. These tools empower researchers to analyse data efficiently and allow informed decisions during data collection and processing.

During the automatic processing of crystallographic diffraction experiments, beamstop shadows are often unaccounted for or only partially masked. As a result of this, outlier reflection intensities are integrated, which is a known issue. Traditional statistical diagnostics have only limited effectiveness in identifying these outliers, here termed Not-Excluded-unMasked-Outliers (NEMOs). The diagnostic tool AUSPEX allows visual inspection of NEMOs, where they form a typical pattern: clusters at the low-resolution end of the AUSPEX plots of intensities or amplitudes versus resolution. To automate NEMO detection, a new algorithm was developed by combining data statistics with a density-based clustering method. This approach demonstrates a promising performance in detecting NEMOs in merged data sets without disrupting existing data-reduction pipelines. Re-refinement results indicate that excluding the identified NEMOs can effectively enhance the quality of subsequent structure-determination steps. This method offers a prospective automated means to assess the efficacy of a beamstop mask, as well as highlighting the potential of modern pattern-recognition techniques for automating outlier exclusion during data processing, facilitating future adaptation to evolving experimental strategies.

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a pivotal technique for imaging macromolecular structures. However, despite extensive processing of large image sets collected in cryo-EM experiments to amplify the signal-to-noise ratio, the reconstructed 3D protein-density maps are often limited in quality due to residual noise, which in turn affects the accuracy of the macromolecular representation. Here, crefDenoiser is introduced, a denoising neural network model designed to enhance the signal in 3D cryo-EM maps produced with standard processing pipelines. The crefDenoiser model is trained without the need for `clean' ground-truth target maps. Instead, a custom dataset is employed, composed of real noisy protein half-maps sourced from the Electron Microscopy Data Bank repository. Competing with the current state-of-the-art, crefDenoiser is designed to optimize for the theoretical noise-free map during self-supervised training. We demonstrate that our model successfully amplifies the signal across a wide variety of protein maps, outperforming a classic map denoiser and following a network-based sharpening model. Without biasing the map, the proposed denoising method leads to improved visibility of protein structural features, including protein domains, secondary structure elements and modest high-resolution feature restoration.

The major principles and requirements of asymmetric and inclined double-crystal monochromators are re-examined and presented to guide their design and development for significantly reducing heat load density and gradient on the monochromators of fourth-generation synchrotron light sources and X-ray free-electron lasers.

The suitability of point focus X-ray beam and area detector techniques for the determination of the uniaxial symmetry axis (fibre texture) of the natural mineral satin spar is demonstrated. Among the various diffraction techniques used in this report, including powder diffraction, 2D pole figures, rocking curves looped on φ and 2D X-ray diffraction, a single simple symmetric 2D scan collecting the reciprocal plane perpendicular to the apparent fibre axis provided sufficient information to determine the crystallographic orientation of the fibre axis. A geometrical explanation of the `wing' feature formed by diffraction spots from the fibre-textured satin spar in 2D scans is provided. The technique of wide-range reciprocal space mapping restores the `wing' featured diffraction spots on the 2D detector back to reciprocal space layers, revealing the nature of the fibre-textured samples.

NdGa hydride and deuteride phases were prepared from high-quality NdGa samples and their structures characterized by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction. NdGa with the orthorhombic CrB-type structure absorbs hydrogen at hydrogen pressures ≤ 1 bar until reaching the composition NdGaH(D)1.1, which maintains a CrB-type structure. At elevated hydrogen pressure additional hydrogen is absorbed and the maximum composition recovered under standard temperature and pressure conditions is NdGaH(D)1.6 with the Cmcm LaGaH1.66-type structure. This structure is a threefold superstructure with respect to the CrB-type structure. The hydrogen atoms are ordered and distributed on three fully occupied Wyckoff positions corresponding to tetrahedral (4c, 8g) and trigonal–bipyramidal (8g) voids in the parent structure. The threefold superstructure is maintained in the H-deficient phases NaGaH(D)x until 1.6 ≥ x ≥ 1.2. At lower H concentrations, coinciding with the composition of the hydride obtained from hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure, the unit cell of the CrB-type structure is resumed. This phase can also display H deficiency, NdGaH(D)y (1.1 ≥ y ≥ 0.9), with H(D) exclusively situated in partially empty tetrahedral voids. The phase boundary between the threefold superstructure (LaGaH1.66 type) and the onefold structure (NdGaH1.1 type) is estimated on the basis of phase–composition isotherms and neutron powder diffraction to be x = 1.15.

Online courses and innovative teaching methods have triggered a trend in education, where the integration of multimedia, online resources and interactive tools is reshaping the view of both virtual and traditional classrooms. The use of interactive tools extends beyond the boundaries of the physical classroom, offering students the flexibility to access materials at their own speed and convenience and enhancing their learning experience. In the field of crystallography, there are a wide variety of free online resources such as web pages, interactive applets, databases and programs that can be implemented in fundamental crystallography courses for different academic levels and curricula. This paper discusses a variety of resources that can be helpful for crystallographic symmetry handling and visualization, discussing four specific resources in detail: the Bilbao Crystallographic Server, the Cambridge Structural Database, VESTA and Jmol. The utility of these resources is explained and shown by several illustrative examples.

Soft X-ray spectroscopy is an important technique for measuring the fundamental properties of materials. However, for measurements of samples in the sub-millimetre range, many experimental setups show limitations. Position drifts on the order of hundreds of micrometres during thermal stabilization of the system can last for hours of expensive beam time. To compensate for drifts, sample tracking and feedback systems must be used. However, in complex sample environments where sample access is very limited, many existing solutions cannot be applied. In this work, we apply a robust computer vision algorithm to automatically track and readjust the sample position in the dozens of micrometres range. Our approach is applied in a complex sample environment, where the sample is in an ultra-high vacuum chamber, surrounded by cooled thermal shields to reach sample temperatures down to 2.5 K and in the center of a superconducting split coil. Our implementation allows sample-position tracking and adjustment in the vertical direction since this is the dimension where drifts occur during sample temperature change in our setup. The approach can be easily extended to 2D. The algorithm enables a factor of ten improvement in the overlap of a series of X-ray absorption spectra in a sample with a vertical size down to 70 µm. This solution can be used in a variety of experimental stations, where optical access is available and sample access by other means is reduced.

UK-based USI Money has announced its...

Source: Streetwise Reports 11/07/2024

Drilling and field operations at Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd.'s (GCC:CSE; GCCFF:OTC; A0RLEP:WKN; 3TZ:FSE) past-producing Quesnelle project in British Columbia's Cariboo Gold District continue to find the yellow metal throughout the project, from visible gold in drill cores to mineralization in outcrop samples.

President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Callaghan told Streetwise Reports that despite the high level of experience on his team, several geologists had never seen visible gold before, and their first views of it were "priceless."

"It was on the outside of this piece of core," Callaghan said. "And then the core had split … and there was more gold on the inside of it, as well."

Callaghan said he's drilled "hundreds and hundreds" of holes, but he "can count on my hands how many times I've seen it (visible gold)."

He said the company is seeing the gold in "every drill hole," so they keep moving forward chasing the deposit and working at the site 24 hours a day.

And according to Callaghan, the structure of the mineralization is "thickening up" as they drill. The technical team has also recognized multiple types of quartz veins that can contain gold, a common feature in large gold deposits of similar nature.

Last month, the company announced it was even forced to stop drilling in a vein zone at the property due to proximity to Osisko Development Corp.'s nearby mineral claims. Drill hole QGQ24-17 was terminated at a depth of 477.32 meters, and the "only thing that stopped us from drilling further was the claim boundary with Osisko," Callaghan said at the time.

On Tuesday, the company announced rock sample results from its 2024 field campaign, which found up to 8.47 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) in one outcrop in the Halo zone and 1.13 g/t Au in another outcrop near the Pioneer showing.

"Although there is a lot of glacial cover on this project, our geologists still managed to find new gold-bearing outcrops in areas of great significance," Callaghan said in a release announcing the results. "We have now expanded the surface footprint of gold mineralization at the Halo zone to the northeast and increased the strike length of our gold trend. We're in a very large gold system that is being demonstrated by multiple, varied work programs."

Drilling 'Nonstop' and 'Underbudget'

Golden Cariboo, a Canadian explorer-developer, is targeting a potential multimillion-ounce gold resource at the 3,814-hectare Quesnelle project, where gold, silver, lead and zinc were produced historically, according to its Investor Presentation.

The company's neighbors in the mining district include Osisko's Cariboo Gold Project, Spanish Mountain Gold Ltd. (SPA:TSX.V) (Spanish Mountain deposit), Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. (OMM:TSX.V; OMMSF:OTCMKTS) (Wingdam mine) and Taseko Mines Ltd. (TKO:TSX; TGB:NYSE.MKT) (Gibraltar mine).

Callaghan began rediscovering the Cariboo Camp in the mid-1990s as Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. He and his then team discovered a gold deposit at Bonanza Ledge and advanced the project to production. He also assembled and developed the Cariboo Gold Project. Ultimately, Osisko Royalties acquired Barkerville and the assets in 2015 for US$338M. Osisko is about to restart mining operations in the camp.

Subsequently, in 2019, Callaghan acquired the Quesnelle Gold Quartz project, where he aims to repeat his previous successes, given the property's geology is similar to that of the other two projects.

Previously, the company reported observing multiple instances of visible gold in several holes earlier this fall and summer.

"Visible gold in current drilling indicates potential for high-grade assays from mineralized targets," Couloir Capital Senior Mining Analyst Ron Wortel wrote in a recent research report.

Given that Golden Cariboo is continuing its exploration program at Quesnelle throughout 2024, near-term catalysts include drill and assay results demonstrating significant grades or widths and better-defined mineralization controls and trends, according to Wortel.

Callaghan told Streetwise Reports that drilling continues to be "nonstop" and underbudget."

External catalysts include market transactions in the junior mining space involving projects or companies in the Cariboo region. Reports by Osisko Development of project advancements or production results relative to adjacent land also could boost Golden Cariboo's stock price.

The Catalyst: Index Also Confirms Bull Run for Junior Stocks

Experts agreed gold is in a bull market and expect it to go higher. However, after hitting a record high of US$2,790.15 per ounce last week, spot gold was down more than 3% to a three-week low on Wednesday morning as investors moved to the U.S. dollar after Donald Trump's election as U.S. president on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Market participants are also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Thursday for further clues on the bank's easing cycle, Reuters said.

"A clear presidential victory when the market has been pricing in a contested result, removal of an element of risk, Trump-trades include the dollar's strengthening this morning and the combination of the two has brought gold lower," StoneX analyst Rhona O'Connell said, according to Reuters.

Gold's rise has "resulted in big returns for the investors who bought in earlier this year," Angelica Leicht reported for CBS News last month. "For example, the investors who purchased gold in March when it hit US$2,160 per ounce have seen their gold values increase by nearly 27% in the time since. That's a huge uptick in value in a matter of months, especially on an asset that's known more for long-term growth."

Recently polled London Bullion Market Association members indicated they believe the gold price could reach US$2,940/oz during 2025, reported Stockhead on Oct. 28.[OWNERSHIP_CHART-11131]

"Combined with expectations of lower global interest rates, this further enhances gold's attractiveness as an investment," the article noted.

As for gold equities, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (SPCDNX) confirmed a bull run for junior, intermediate, and senior mining stocks when it closed above 1,000 recently, Stewart Thomson with 321Gold wrote. The index is a key indicator of the health of the general gold, silver, and mining stocks market.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Golden Cariboo, management and insiders own 30% of Golden Cariboo Resources. President and CEO Frank Callaghan owns 16.45% or 6.93 million shares; Elaine Callaghan has 0.97% or 0.41 million shares; Director Andrew Rees has 0.79% or 0.33 million shares; and Director Laurence Smoliak has 0.3% or 0.13 million shares.

Retail investors hold the remaining. There are no institutional investors.

The company said it has 50.3 million shares outstanding, 24.83 million warrants, and 3.8 million options.

Its market cap is CA$9.63 million. Over the past 52 weeks, Golden Cariboo has traded between CA$0.08 and CA$0.36 per share.

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Important Disclosures:

1. Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. is a billboard sponsor of Streetwise Reports and pays SWR a monthly sponsorship fee between US$4,000 and US$5,000.
2. Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. has a consulting relationship with Street Smart an affiliate of Streetwise Reports. Street Smart Clients pay a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000.
3. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. and Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.
4. Steve Sobek wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.
5. This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.

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( Companies Mentioned: GCC:CSE; GCCFF:OTC; A0RLEP:WKN;3TZ:FSE, )

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, leads some of the Biden administration's efforts to expand Medicaid access.; Credit: Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

The Biden administration is quietly engineering a series of expansions to Medicaid that may bolster protections for millions of low-income Americans and bring more people into the program.

Biden's efforts — which have been largely overshadowed by other economic and health initiatives — represent an abrupt reversal of the Trump administration's moves to scale back the safety-net program.

The changes could further boost Medicaid enrollment — which the pandemic has already pushed to a record 80.5 million. Some of the expansion is funded by the COVID-19 relief bill that passed in March, including coverage for new mothers.

Others who could also gain coverage under Biden are inmates and undocumented immigrants. At the same time, the administration is opening the door to new Medicaid-funded services such as food and housing that the government insurance plan hasn't traditionally offered.

"There is a paradigm change underway," said Jennifer Langer Jacobs, Medicaid director in New Jersey, one of a growing number of states trying to expand home-based Medicaid services to keep enrollees out of nursing homes and other institutions.

"We've had discussions at the federal level in the last 90 days that are completely different from where we've ever been before," Langer Jacobs said.

Taken together, the Medicaid moves represent some of the most substantive shifts in federal health policy undertaken by the new administration.

"They are taking very bold action," said Rutgers University political scientist Frank Thompson, an expert on Medicaid history, noting in particular the administration's swift reversal of Trump policies. "There really isn't a precedent."

The Biden administration seems unlikely to achieve what remains the holy grail for Medicaid advocates: getting 12 holdout states, including Texas and Florida, to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income working-age adults through the Affordable Care Act.

And while some of the recent expansions – including for new mothers -- were funded by close to $20 billion in new Medicaid funding in the COVID relief bill Biden signed in March, much of that new money will stop in a few years unless Congress appropriates additional money.

The White House strategy has risks. Medicaid, which swelled after enactment of the 2010 health law, has expanded further during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, pushing enrollment to a record 80.5 million, including those served by the related Children's Health Insurance Program. That's up from 70 million before the COVID crisis began.

The programs now cost taxpayers more than $600 billion a year. And although the federal government will cover most of the cost of the Biden-backed expansions, surging Medicaid spending is a growing burden on state budgets.

The costs of expansion are a frequent target of conservative critics, including Trump officials like Seema Verma, the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who frequently argued for enrollment restrictions and derided Medicaid as low-quality coverage.

But even less partisan experts warn that Medicaid, which was created to provide medical care to low-income Americans, can't make up for all the inadequacies in government housing, food and education programs.

"Focusing on the social drivers of health ... is critically important in improving the health and well-being of Medicaid beneficiaries. But that doesn't mean that Medicaid can or should be responsible for paying for all of those services," said Matt Salo, head of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, noting that the program's financing "is simply not capable of sustaining those investments."

Restoring federal support

However, after four years of Trump administration efforts to scale back coverage, Biden and his appointees appear intent on not only restoring federal support for Medicaid, but also boosting the program's reach.

"I think what we learned during the repeal-and-replace debate is just how much people in this country care about the Medicaid program and how it's a lifeline to millions," Biden's new Medicare and Medicaid administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, told KHN, calling the program a "backbone to our country."

The Biden administration has already withdrawn permission the Trump administration had granted Arkansas and New Hampshire to place work requirements on some Medicaid enrollees.

In April, Biden blocked a multibillion-dollar Trump administration initiative to prop up Texas hospitals that care for uninsured patients, a policy that many critics said effectively discouraged Texas from expanding Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the nation.

The moves have drawn criticism from Republicans, some of whom accuse the new administration of trampling states' rights to run their Medicaid programs as they choose.

"Biden is reasserting a larger federal role and not deferring to states," said Josh Archambault, a senior fellow at the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability.

But Biden's early initiatives have been widely hailed by patient advocates, public health experts and state officials in many blue states.

"It's a breath of fresh air," said Kim Bimestefer, head of Colorado's Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

Chuck Ingoglia, head of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, said: "To be in an environment where people are talking about expanding health care access has made an enormous difference."

Mounting evidence shows that expanded Medicaid coverage improves enrollees' health, as surveys and mortality data in recent years have identified greater health improvements in states that expanded Medicaid through the 2010 health law versus states that did not.

Broadening eligibility

In addition to removing Medicaid restrictions imposed by Trump administration officials, the Biden administration has backed a series of expansions to broaden eligibility and add services enrollees can receive.

Biden supported a provision in the COVID relief bill that gives states the option to extend Medicaid to new mothers for up to a year after they give birth. Many experts say such coverage could help reduce the U.S. maternal mortality rate, which is far higher than rates in other wealthy nations.

Several states, including Illinois and New Jersey, had sought permission from the Trump administration for such expanded coverage, but their requests languished.

The COVID relief bill — which passed without Republican support — also provides additional Medicaid money to states to set up mobile crisis services for people facing mental health or substance use emergencies, further broadening Medicaid's reach.

And states will get billions more to expand so-called home and community-based services such as help with cooking, bathing and other basic activities that can prevent Medicaid enrollees from having to be admitted to expensive nursing homes or other institutions.

Perhaps the most far-reaching Medicaid expansions being considered by the Biden administration would push the government health plan into covering services not traditionally considered health care, such as housing.

This reflects an emerging consensus among health policy experts that investments in some non-medical services can ultimately save Medicaid money by keeping patients out of the hospital.

In recent years, Medicaid officials in red and blue states — including Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland and Washington — have begun exploring ways to provide rental assistance to select Medicaid enrollees to prevent medical complications linked to homelessness.

The Trump administration took steps to support similar efforts, clearing Medicare Advantage health plans to offer some enrollees non-medical benefits such as food, housing aid and assistance with utilities.

But state officials across the country said the new administration has signaled more support for both expanding current home-based services and adding new ones.

That has made a big difference, said Kate McEvoy, who directs Connecticut's Medicaid program. "There was a lot of discussion in the Trump administration," she said, "but not the capital to do it."

Other states are looking to the new administration to back efforts to expand Medicaid to inmates with mental health conditions and drug addiction so they can connect more easily to treatment once released.

Kentucky health secretary Eric Friedlander said he is hopeful federal officials will sign off on his state's initiative.

Still other states, such as California, say they are getting a more receptive audience in Washington for proposals to expand coverage to immigrants who are in the country without authorization, a step public health experts say can help improve community health and slow the spread of communicable diseases.

"Covering all Californians is critical to our mission," said Jacey Cooper, director of California's Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. "We really feel like the new administration is helping us ensure that everyone has access."

The Trump administration moved to restrict even authorized immigrants' access to the health care safety net, including the "public charge" rule that allowed immigration authorities to deny green cards to applicants if they used public programs such as Medicaid. In March, Biden abandoned that rule.

KHN correspondent Julie Rovner contributed to this report.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

President Biden plans to visit the Champlain Towers condo collapse later this week.; Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP

The White House says President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Florida Thursday to view first hand the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium.

Asked by reporters if he planned to visit Surfside, Biden said, "Yes I hope so, as soon as we can. Maybe as early as Thursday." The White House issued a formal announcement of the trip shortly afterward.

The official death toll in the collapse has risen to 11, with some 150 people unaccounted for.

The Biden administration has responded to the disaster, dispatching FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to the scene earlier this week.

"[The agency] has deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team, as well as building science experts, structural engineers and geotechnical experts to support search-and-rescue operations, and a mobile command center," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

Psaki said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also providing technical assistance for debris removal. Two FEMA-supported search-and-rescue teams are also involved in the response to the collapse.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has praised FEMA and the Biden administration for "stepping up to the plate" in providing assistance in the search and recovery effort. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Biden's upcoming trip would be "an important reminder that our county, our state and our nation are giving everything we have to search for the victims of this tragedy and support the families in this incredibly devastating time."

Here's what we know about what led to the collapse. Follow more coverage on the aftermath here.

Florida Division of Emergency Management is urging people with information about loved ones who are either unaccounted for or known to be safe to call 305-614-1819.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Actor Dwayne Johnson (L) and Simone Alexandra Johnson attend the People's Choice Awards 2017 at Microsoft Theater on January 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Christopher Polk

When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson debuted his Hollywood persona in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003, he was two years removed from his first successful protagonist role in "The Scorpion King" and on the heels of more film success with roles in "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall." 

Little did anyone foresee that "Hollywood" Rock would buoy the overall representation for Asian and Pacific Islanders in popular film for the next 20 years.

Last week, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a report documenting the prevalence of Asian and Pacific Islanders both on-and off-screen across the top-grossing films each year from 2007 to 2019.  Of the 1,300 films examined, only 44 featured API actors playing lead roles, nearly a third of which were played by Johnson. 

The report offers more staggering statistics:

• In 2019, over a quarter of API characters in the top-grossing films died. Most died by drowning, explosions, stabbing or suicides

• Of the over 51,000 speaking characters in the 1,300 films examined, only 6% were Asian, Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders

• Only 50 of the 1,447 directors in the 1,300 films examined were of API heritage.

• In 2019, 67% of API characters played stereotyped roles

The release of this report comes at a time of rising anti-Asian hate crimes nationally, and the authors of the report believe the portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders in mass media contributes to that. Today on FilmWeek, we delve into the study's findings and discuss the history of API filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.

Guests: 

Nancy Wang Yuen, professor of sociology at Biola University in La Mirada; she is co-author of “The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders Across 1,300 Popular Films”; she tweets @nancywyeun

Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Fresh Air; he tweets @JustinCChang

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Brian Drum, one of the supervisors of the Catawba County 911 Communications Center, who has been called upon to increase his supervising duties over the past year and has a record of dedication to 911 dispatch that spans more than ten years, has been recognized by his peers in the North Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NC NENA) as Supervisor of the Year.

Beginning July 1, 2011, computer equipment and televisions will be banned from disposal in North Carolina landfills, under a law passed last year by the General Assembly. Catawba County will provide four one-day electronics recycling collection events in fiscal year 2011-2012, free of charge. All residents of Catawba County will have access to these electronics recycling events, including those who live in the cities and towns in the county.

Despite the importance of eyesight, millions of people grapple with undiagnosed or untreated vision impairments — ranging from mild conditions to total blindness — and eye and vision health remain relatively absent from national health priority lists, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposes updated revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to better align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and promote and support breast-feeding.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of State, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine expressed concern that a proposal to add supplemental questions for visa applicants.

Policymakers’ efforts to reduce threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) should include greater oversight of precursor chemicals sold at the retail level – especially over the Internet – that terrorists, violent extremists, or criminals use to make homemade explosives, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are launching a major initiative to more effectively enable their extensive body of work on climate science, impacts, and response options to inform the public and decision makers.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are launching an Academies-wide initiative to transform how the nation addresses the complex issues associated with environmental health—a field that examines how the environment affects human health.

Current federal safety regulations for small distribution systems used for propane and other liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs) should be improved for clarity, efficiency, enforceability, and applicability to risk, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Feb. 26 Symposium Will Explore How Scientific Research Should Evolve in Coming Decades

Symposium participants examine what climate change, obesity, and personalized medicine mean for nutrition in the future

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that, following a national search, Tina Bahadori will join the organization as the new executive director of its Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences on June 22, 2020.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today that, following a national search, Elizabeth Eide has been named executive director of its Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS).

To detect soreness in Tennessee walking horses, only veterinarians should administer inspections at shows, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly engulfed the nation and the world, a slower-moving crisis — but potentially even more damaging — has been unfolding for decades. The effects of climate change are already being felt by millions.

Monica Feit has been named executive director of the National Academies’ Health and Medicine Division, effective Nov. 1, 2021. She brings to the position a wealth of leadership experience in health policy, international health, and cross-Academies collaboration.

Using lessons learned from COVID-19, a new report outlines recommendations to strengthen the U.S. Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) to better protect the nation from future threats, and ensure it can deliver the vaccines, medicines, and personal protective equipment needed during a public health emergency.

Following a national search, Carlotta M. Arthur will join the National Academies as the new executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education on Feb. 14.

The description of practice below summarizes the development and implementation of a policy by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to prevent “passing the harasser,” a term that denotes a known harasser transitioning from one institution to another without (1) the new employer’s knowledge of previous violations of sexual harassment policy or ongoing investigations of such violations, and/or (2) facing disciplinary action.

Recidivism is an inadequate measurement of a person’s success after release from prison. Researchers should develop supplementary measures that evaluate multiple areas of a person’s life — including employment, housing, health, social support, and personal well-being — and that examine interactions with the criminal justice system with more nuance.

The CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine should create an effective and innovative quarantine station model to confront new challenges in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the U.S., and requires new investment and regulatory reforms to do so.

For decades the National Academies have provided objective, expert advice to help the nation understand issues related to maternal and reproductive health, unintended pregnancy, prenatal care, racial and ethnic disparities in health care, and abortion.

Hacktivism is nothing new, but the increasingly fuzzy lines between traditional hacktivism and state-backed operations make it a more potent threat