CCH Tax Day ReportThe IRS has released the applicable terminal charge and the Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) mileage rates for determining the value of noncommercial flights on employer-provided aircraft in effect for the second half of 2016 for purposes of the taxation of fringe benefits. The value of a flight is determined under the base aircraft valuation formula by multiplying the SIFL cents-per-mile rates applicable for the period during which the flight was taken by the appropriate aircraft multiple provided in Reg. §1.61-21(g)(7) and then adding the applicable terminal charge.For flights taken during the period from July 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016, the terminal charge is $37.68, and the SIFL rates are: $.2061 per mile for the first 500 miles, $.1572 per mile 501 through 1,500 miles, and $.1511 per mile over 1,500 miles.Rev. Rul. 2016-24, 2016FED ¶46,411Other References:Code Sec. 61CCH Reference – 2016FED ¶5907.04CCH Reference – 2016FED ¶5907.042CCH Reference – 2016FED ¶5907.50Tax Research ConsultantCCH Reference – TRC COMPEN: 33,202.10
Illinois issued reporting requirements for the IRC §965 foreign income repatriation enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) (P.L. 115-97).The guidance applies to all tax practitioners and businesses who file:Form IL-1120, corporation income and replacement tax returns;Form 1120-ST, small business corporation replacement tax returns;Form IL-1065, partnership replacement tax returns;Form IL-1041, fiduciary income and replacement tax returns ; andForm IL-990-T, exempt organization income and replacement tax returns.IRC §965 Income RepatriationIRC §965 requires taxpayers with untaxed foreign earnings and profits (E&P) to pay a tax as if that E&P had been repatriated to the United States. However, a deduction is allowed that reduces the tax rate on foreign E&P.Reporting IRC §965 Income in IllinoisTaxpayers with IRC §965 income must include a transition tax statement with their federal tax return. Due to the separate nature of the IRC §965 transition tax statement, the income is not included in federal taxable income. However, Illinois advises taxpayers IRC §965 income must be included when determining base income for Illinois tax.Illinois issued revised form instructions with information on how to report IRC §965 net income.For example, Illinois corporate taxpayers must report IRC §965 net income as an addition adjustment on Schedule M. The Illinois foreign dividends received deduction is computed on Schedule J. Taxpayers may include a portion of the IRC §965 net income in their foreign dividends received subtraction adjustment on Schedule M. The inclusion is based on the taxpayer’s ownership percentage in the foreign corporation.Include IRC §965 transition tax statementTaxpayers must attach a copy of the IRC §965 transition tax statement to their Illinois returns and computation schedules.Electronic filers may submit the statement by email to rev.BitSupplemental@illinois.gov as a PDF file. The filename and email subject line should be “965 Tax.” Taxpayers should also include their business name and FEIN.Taxpayers that already filed a 2017 Illinois income tax return and did not include IRC Section 965 net income must amend their return to report that income.Installment Payment and Other ElectionsIllinois does not follow the elections under IRC §965 to either:pay the tax liability in installments over eight years; ordefer payment of an S corporation shareholder’s tax liability until the tax year in which a triggering event occurs.Informational Bulletin FY 2018-23, Illinois Department of Revenue, March 21, 2018, ¶403-323Login to read more tax news on CCH® AnswerConnect or CCH® Intelliconnect®.Not a subscriber? Sign up for a free trial or contact us for a representative.
Owners of a pass-through entity could not claim a Maine personal income tax credit for taxes the entity’s business paid to New Hampshire. The credit for taxes paid to other jurisdictions is only allowed for taxes imposed on an individual taxpayer. It does not apply to taxes imposed on a business, even if the individual claiming the credit owns the business.Pass-Through Took Credit on Federal ReturnThe business paid both the New Hampshire business profits tax and business enterprise tax. On its federal return, the business deducted the New Hampshire taxes from its rental income. Thus, the taxpayers’ share of the business’ income on the Schedule K-1 was based on the reduced amount. This income was reflected on the taxpayer’s federal tax returns.When the taxpayers filed their Maine returns, they did not claim a credit for the New Hampshire taxes paid. The Maine returns relied on the federal AGI reported in federal returns. Therefore, their Maine income did not include income that the business received but then paid in New Hampshire taxes.Later, the taxpayers filed amended returns, claiming tax credits for their portion of the New Hampshire taxes paid by the business.Pass-Through Owners Denied Individual Maine CreditMaine residents may claim a personal income tax credit for “income tax imposed on that individual” by another state. The taxpayers claimed that the New Hampshire taxes imposed on the business were actually income taxes on the individual owners. This, they said, was because of the “flow-through” nature of income realized by a pass-through entity. However, the plain meaning of an “income tax imposed on [an] individual” excludes taxes imposed on, and paid by, businesses.In addition, the taxpayers did realize some tax benefit because the New Hampshire taxes were excluded from their federal AGI. If the tax credit was applied as the taxpayers suggested, it would result in a windfall for them. They would enjoy both:the deduction from their AGI for the New Hampshire taxes paid by the business, anda credit for a proportionate share of the New Hampshire taxes paid.Since tax credits must be construed narrowly, the credit cannot be interpreted to provide such a windfall to the taxpayers.No Commerce Clause ViolationIn addition, the Maine credit for taxes paid to other jurisdictions was not unconstitutional as applied to the taxpayers. The law did not:discriminate against interstate commerce, orfail to relate to the services provided by the state.Therefore, it did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause.Goggin v. State Tax Assessor, Maine Supreme Judicial Court, No. BCD-17-459, August 2, 2018, ¶200-898Login to read more tax news on CCH® AnswerConnect or CCH® Intelliconnect®.Not a subscriber? Sign up for a free trial or contact us for a
Does it make sense for an S corporation to convert to a C corporation in light of last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act? The Act provides a flat 21% tax rate for C corporations. It also changes some rules for S corporation to C corporation conversions. However, potential pitfalls remain.S Corp Conversion Changes Under the Tax Cuts ActThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes two changes that apply when an S corporation revokes its S election and becomes a C corporation. The TCJA changes:the adjustment period for changes of accounting method; andthe treatment of distributions from the C corporation.These changes apply to a C corporation when three conditions are met. The new C corporation:was an S corporation on December 21, 2017;revokes its S corporation election after December 21, 2017, but before December 22, 2019; andhas the same owners of stock in identical proportions on the date of revocation and on December 22, 2017.Six-year Adjustment PeriodThe corporation should report net adjustments attributable to revoking its S election over six years. The six-year adjustment period begins with the year of change. The six-year adjustment period is:required for terminated S corporations that must adopt accrual accounting because of the termination; andoptional for terminated S corporations that are permitted to continue to use the cash method but chose to change to the accrual method.Distributions by the C CorporationDistributions of cash after the post-termination transition period, which is generally one year, may be treated as coming proportionally out of the corporation’s:accumulated adjustments account; andaccumulated earnings and profits.As a result, part of the distributions will be non-dividend distributions from the C corporation. A shareholder with sufficient stock basis may not be subject to shareholder-level tax on these distributions.Disadvantages of S corporation to C corporation ConversionPotential disadvantages for S corporation to C corporation conversions remain.Double TaxationC corporations are still subject to double taxation. First, the corporation pays corporate tax on its earnings; then the shareholders are taxed on dividends. An S corporation does not pay corporate tax in most cases. Its income and losses are “passed through” to shareholders on their personal tax returns.Qualified Business Income Deduction Not AvailableThe TCJA not only lowers the corporate tax rate; it also provides owners a deduction of up to 20 percent of domestic qualified business income from a partnership, S corporation, or sole proprietorship. C corporation income does not qualify for this deduction.Potential Additional Tax if the Corporation Converts BackS corporations that were C corporations may be subject to:Built-in gains tax—this is a corporate-level tax on gain from certain property sales made after a C corporation elects to become an S corporation.Net passive investment income tax—this tax applies to S corporations with earnings and profits accumulated while a C corporation.Since there is no certainty that the lower corporate tax rate will remain, taxpayers and tax professionals should not overlook these potential additional taxes when considering conversion from S corporation to C corporation status. They should also review and consider other potential advantages and disadvantages of S corporation and C corporation status before making a decision.By Robert RecchiaLogin to read more on CCHAnswerConnect.Not a subscriber? Sign up for a free trial or contact us for a representative.
It’s not every day that a multi-platinum artist is in town looking to experience Philadelphia in a whole new way. So, when the opportunity comes knockin’, Philly 360⁰ is front and center! We spent an incredible day with R&B star Avant and showed him a side of Philly like no other—the Avenue of the Arts. While in town promoting the release of his new album entitled The Letter, we took Avant on what we call a Philly 360⁰ Music Legacy Tour to give him a taste of some of the prominent sites that are a part of Philly’s incomparable music legacy. The first stop on the tour was the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts—a home to legends such as John Coltrane and Nina Simone. We walked through the performance space and Avant was fascinated by its history. The next stop on the tour was the executive offices of Philadelphia International Records/Gamble-Huff Music, where Avant was completely in awe of the legendary gold records and original photos of artists such as Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, and The Intruders. Avant told us all about how much he loves the “Philly Sound,” and stated, “These songs mean something to people.” We couldn’t agree with him more. Our last trip with Avant was a walk along the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. We passed the bronze plaques for Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Teddy Pendergrass and many more. A perfect way to end our legacy tour! Philly 360⁰ Exclusive: A Day in Philly with Avant Avant at Philadelphia International Records(Courtesy of L. Whitaker for GPTMC)
But, it didn’t stop there. Philly 360⁰ hosted an exclusive album listening party at Gamble & Huff’s new performance venue, TSOP Experience, where fans were able to hear clips of Avant’s new album. He told us some entertaining stories behind his songs, and gave an intimate performance of his new single, Kiss Goodbye. Check out our video to see what you missed. And don’t forget to pick up Avant’s new album!
(AP) – A publicist for Luke Perry says the “Riverdale” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” star has died. He was 52.Publicist Arnold Robinson said that Perry died Monday after suffering a massive stroke.Robinson says Perry’s family and friends were with him when he died. Among them were his children, siblings, fiancee andáformer wife.The actor had been hospitalized since last week. Robinson said no further details would be released at this time.The publicist added that Perry’s family appreciates the support and prayers that were offered since Perry was hospitalized on Wednesday.
(AP) – Police say a semitrailer’s computer data says it was going above the speed limit when it slammed into a line of vehicles on an Indianapolis highway, killing a woman and her 18-month-old twin daughters.State police say Interstate 465 traffic was slowed for a construction zone when the crash happened Sunday. A preliminary probable cause affidavit filed in Marion County Court says the semitrailer was going 65 mph (105 kph) in a 45 mph (72 kph) zone.Police say the semi driver, 57-year-old Bruce Pollard of Sturgeon, Missouri, told investigators at various times that he was going 35 miles mph, was reaching for his iced tea and a car had cut him off.Pollard was jailed on preliminary charges including reckless homicide and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Keep your eyes on the Server Room for more Nehalem-EX news as it comes between now and launch. And visit the Intel booth at South Moscone Booth #1621 to learn more.Bryce Nehalem-EX has been in the news quite a bit over the past several months. First, in May, Intel described how Nehalem-EX will be at the heart of the next generation of intelligent and expandable high-end Intel server platforms, delivering a number of new technical advancements (Intel Nehalem Architecture, Quick Path Interconnects, 16 threads, 24MB cache, new RAS features like MCA-Recovery, 16 DIMM slots per socket, 128 threads on 8 Socket systems) and boost enterprise computing performance (the greatest gain in generational performance ever seen at Intel.)Next at IDF in September Intel described how Nehalem-EX would deliver a bigger generational performance improvement than that delivered by the Intel Xeon 5500 processor (including a 3X Nehalem-EX gain in database performance); a large shift in Xeon scalability with over 15 >8S systems anticipated and expandability for the most data demanding enterprise applications, the addition of about 20 RAS capabilities traditionally found in the Intel® Itanium processor family – along with a demonstration of MCA-Recovery. IBM announced their upcoming BladeCenter products that will support 4S Nehalem-EX blades and Super-Micro announced a 1U box, specifically targeted at HPC. Staying on the HPC theme, Mark Seager from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was also quoted with stating that “Nehalem-EX allows us to invest in science, not the computer science of porting and adapting software to new architectures, but real science. Nehalem EX is an innovative SMP on a chip solution that provides us access to a “super node” … The result is an astonishing new level of performance.”And Oracle Open World on October 13th, the drumbeat for Nehalem-EX continued. Michael Dell in his Oracle Open World Keynote today discussed how Nehalem-EX will provide a true leap in performance, with up to 9x the memory bandwidth and 3x the database performance vs. prior generation. And he mentioned that Dell’s unique implementation of the memory architecture will allow the most cost effective scaling, with 4S systems up to 1TB of DRAM (64 Dimms x 16GB Memory sticks) enabling customers to run their entire database in system memory. He also mentioned that standard based systems are driving new efficiencies with applications like Oracle, where Dell’s data shows Oracle apps run better on x86 vs. proprietary architectures, up to 200% better. Check out this short video from the keynote and watch what Michael Dell had to say. 
Enhanced patient interactions: Using a 2 in 1, healthcare providers could interact more naturally with patients without being distracted by paper files or having to turn their backs to access a stationary PC. Streamlined documentation and collaboration: Employees used their tablets to enter data in real time, reducing duplicate steps and avoiding transcription errors. The devices also allowed faster communication, allowing staff to answer questions and make decisions as issues arose. Workplace flexibility: Staff who used the tablets often moved between rooms and buildings all day. The mobile interface and keyboard/touchscreen combination of the 2 in 1 allowed them to work flexibly throughout the day, increasing efficiency and reducing crowding in central work areas. Be purposeful: Identify your main goal and pinpoint how technology can help you reach it. Pick the right device: Choose a device that fits your usability and workflow needs, confirm the device is consistent with your work environment, and make sure users have all necessary accessories. Provide training and support: Train staff thoroughly on use cases, tools, and applications. Customize training to fit different staff members’ jobs, and make ongoing support available to all. Broad Impacts of Mobile Healthcare IntegrationFront Porch’s mobile pilot included 15 participants representing a full range of users and use cases. Leaders selected Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet PCs with an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and Windows 8.1. These devices were chosen for their compatibility, physical size, performance, and flexibility. The team identified several benefits from integrating the tablets into their workflow: Skilled nursing and retirement communities are becoming fertile ground for technology innovation, as baby boomers retire and seek out nursing care. Front Porch, a nonprofit organization that supports a family of companies dedicated to serving retirees’ healthcare needs, is leading the charge by employing technology to support its mission. The organization conducted a highly successful pilot deploying 2 in 1s as part of a technology refresh strategy. Laptops and touch-screen kiosks on the walls were already in place, but mobile devices were the final piece.Building a Successful Mobile Pilot“If we’re going to be successful, we need to use technology in the best and most transformative ways possible,” says Kari Olson, chief innovation and technology officer at Front Porch. Leaders realized that 2 in 1s empowered staff to complete their work on the go while improving face-to-face patient care. So, Front Porch partnered with Intel on a pilot project exploring mobile adoption in healthcare.Project leaders had three main priorities for the tablet pilot:
“When you finish a pilot and users won’t give the devices back, that’s a successful pilot,” Olson says. The pilot participants loved their 2 in 1s, and the Front Porch team is moving on to a broader deployment. Touting the necessity of business evolution in a rapidly changing world, Olson sees the demand for mobile deployment across industries.“The key is to be very intentional about using mobile technologies as a way to empower your workforce,” she says. “Get ahead of the curve and manage the change.”For more on Front Porch’s mobile technologies, click here.Intel is dedicated to helping your business discover better ways to work. Click here to explore more solutions, and be sure to follow us on Twitter.
ConclusionAs research and application continue with deep learning training, Intel Omni-Path Architecture has proven to be an excellent interconnect solution for a scalable performance of multi-node training solutions. The world’s leading computing institutions use clusters built with Intel OPA combined with Intel Xeon Scalable and Intel Xeon Phi processors. Intel OPA is helping enable the convergence of AI and HPC on Intel architecture.Find out more at www.intel.com/omnipath.1 https://blog.surf.nl/en/imagenet-1k-training-on-intel-xeon-phi-in-less-than-40-minutes/Also see:https://www.bsc.es/user-support/mn4.php.http://portal.tacc.utexas.edu/user-guides/stampede2.Goyal, Priya, et al. “Accurate, Larg Minibatch SGD: Training ImagNetin 1 Hour.” arXiv preprint arXiv:1706.02677 (2017).Cho, Minsik, et al. “powerAI DDL.” arXiv preprint arXiv:1708.02.2 Intel® Xeon® Platinum 8170 processor, 2.10 GHz 26 cores, 64 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory per node. 52 ranks per node for message rate tests RHEL* 7.3, 3.10.0-514.el7.x86_64 kernel.Dual socket servers with one switch hop. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology enabled, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology enabled. OSU Microbenchmarks version 5.3. Benchmark processes pinned to the cores on the socket that is local to the PCIe adapter before using the remote socket. osu_mbw_mr source code adapted to measure bi-directional bandwidth. We can provide a description of the code modification if requested. EDR based on internal testing: Open MPI 2.1.1 built with hpcx-v1.8.0-gcc-MLNX_OFED_LINUX-4.0-1.0.1.0-redhat7.3-x86_64. Mellanox EDR ConnectX-4 Single Port Rev 3 MCX455A HCA. Mellanox SB7700 – 36 Port EDR InfiniBand switch. MLNX_OFED_LINUX-4.0-2.0.0.1. Tuned performance obtained with MXM_TLS=rc specification. FEC automatically disabled when using <=2M copper IB* cables. 2. Intel® OPA: Open MPI 1.10.4-hfi as packaged with IFS 10.3.1.0.22. Intel® Xeon® Platinum 8180 processor, 2.50 GHz, 28 cores, 64 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory per node for Message Rate.3 https://blog.surf.nl/en/imagenet-1k-training-on-intel-xeon-phi-in-less-than-40-minutes4 Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2697A v4 dual-socket servers with 2133 MHz DDR4 memory. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and Intel® Hyper Threading Technology enabled. BIOS: Early snoop disabled, Cluster on Die disabled, IOU non-posted prefetch disabled, Snoop hold-off timer=9. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.2 (Maipo). Intel® OPA testing performed with Intel Corporation Device 24f0 – Series 100 HFI ASIC (B0 silicon). OPA Switch: Series 100 Edge Switch – 48-port (B0 silicon). Intel® OPA host software 10.1 or newer using Open MPI 1.10.x contained within host software package. EDR IB* testing performed with Mellanox EDR ConnectX-4 Single Port Rev 3 MCX455A HCA. Mellanox SB7700 - 36 Port EDR InfiniBand switch. EDR tested with MLNX_OFED_Linux-3.2.x. OpenMPI 1.10.x contained within MLNX HPC-X. Message rate claim: Ohio State Micro Benchmarks v. 5.0. osu_mbw_mr, 8 B message (uni-directional), 32 MPI rank pairs. Maximum rank pair communication time used instead of average time, average timing introduced into Ohio State Micro Benchmarks as of v3.9 (2/28/13). Best of default, MXM_TLS=self, rc, and -mca pml yalla tunings. All measurements include one switch hop. Latency claim: HPCC 1.4.3 Random order ring latency using 16 nodes, 32 MPI ranks per node, 512 total MPI ranks. Application claim: GROMACS version 5.0.4 ion_channel benchmark. 16 nodes, 32 MPI ranks per node, 512 total MPI ranks. Intel® MPI Library 2017.0.064. Additional configuration details available upon request.5 https://blog.surf.nl/en/imagenet-1k-training-on-intel-xeon-phi-in-less-than-40-minutes/For more information:https://www.bsc.es/user-support/mn4.phphttp://portal.tacc.utexas.edu/user-guides/stampede2 BSC MareNostrum 4Convergence with Top1/5 > 74%/92%4 – 256 node runs: Batch size of 32 per node, 90% scaling efficiency, Total time to train: 70 MinutesHPC clusters are desirable resources for many businesses and research institutions to provide multiple users with sharable computing for simulation and high-performance data analytics. Over the last few years, many institutions have abandoned departmental resources in favor of sharable, ‘condo’ clusters to gain greater computing power for their projects. Now, they’re using those same condo clusters for AI, too.Why Intel Omni-Path Architecture for AIWhen we look at AI, and specifically deep learning training, we see many similarities to HPC applications and their need for high bandwidth, high message rates, and low latency. Models are trained in a recursive manner, requiring inter-node communication to proceed. Communication must be able to keep up with the requirements of the neural network calculations, or they are left waiting. This becomes more critical as more deep learning frameworks migrate to or make use of scale-out solutions to reduce the time to train.So, as more nodes participate, the HPC fabric becomes key to ensure calculations continue and the processor cores have data to work on. High message injection rate and consistently low latency are critical for iterative global weight updates and driving improved AI performance as node counts increase. The Intel OPA architecture is designed to ensure fast, efficient, and scalable performance.Intel OPA has only been in the market for about a year, yet it is sought after by institutions around the world for their latest HPC deployments. Intel’s fabric combines high bandwidth with deterministic low latency and very high message injection rate. Benchmarks have revealed:2Low Latency – 940 ns latency measured through a single switch.High Message Rate Injection – 249 million messages per second bi-directionally with one switch hop (157 Mmps uni-directionally).100Gb Bandwidth – 12.4 GB/s uni-directional bandwidth and 24.6 GB/s bi-directional bandwidth with one switch hop.Intel OPA integrates a rich set of features for reliability and performance to maximize the quality of service traversing the fabric and maintain link continuity even in the event of lane failures. Performance and reliability reduce time to train, such as ImageNet-1K training in less than 40 minutes with the Intel® Distribution of Caffe*,3 and delivering reduced communication latency compared to InfiniBand EDR*, including:4Up to 21% Higher Performance, lower latency at scale4Up to 53% higher messaging rate2Up to 9% higher application performance4As shown above, Intel OPA is part of the framework that delivers 90+% scalability. It also enables dramatic reductions in time to train.5Convergence of Simulation and AI on HPCBecause of the benefits of scale-out computing and existing HPC clusters resources, many disciplines are combining deep learning training with existing HPC installations for the following objectives:Using trained models to improve and augment input data for researchUsing trained models to identify and discard un-needed information captured by research equipment, or develop data when there are gaps or missing information from equipment in the fieldRunning traditional HPC simulations through a neural network to uncover additional patterns and insightsAligning many training results with HPC research and development scenariosSuch work is going on at world-renowned institutions. Below is a small sampling of organizations using AI/HPC convergence to further their research. Also seehttps://www.nextplatform.com/2017/02/17/japan-keeps-accelerating-tsubame-3-0-ai-supercomputer/https://insidehpc.com/2016/12/lenovo-marconi-supercomputer/https://www.nextplatform.com/2017/05/31/machine-learning-stampede2-supercomputer-bolsters-brain-research/https://www.psc.edu/2533-notelling Intel Omni-Path Architecture AdvantagesPrice/performance and features to meet all requirements• High-performance interconnectivity required to efficiently scale thousands of servers• Integrates IBM Spectrum Scale* (GPFS) file system in Lenovo GSS storage subsystem• Intel’s complete end-to-end solution with processors and fabric• Processor/ fabric integration for improved Total Cost of Ownership and optimization• Leadership price/performance—enabled purchase of a more robust cluster• High-performance fabric—100 Gbps with accelerated error detection and correction (no added latency)• Fast installation, seamless integration—applications “just run” TSUBAME 3.0MarconiStampede2Bridges TACC Stampede 297% scaling efficiency from 4 to 256 Intel Xeon Phi processor 7250 nodes interconnected with Intel OPAConvergence with Top1/5 > 74%/92%4 – 256 node runs: batch size of 16 per node, scaling efficiency of 97% in 63 minutes
InstituteTokyo Institute of Technology, a scientific research centerCineca, the largest super-computing center in ItalyTexas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)Pittsburgh Super-computing Center (PSC) SolutionIntel Xeon processor E5 v4 Family and Intel Omni-Path Architecture from SGI/HPE with GPUsIntel Xeon and Intel Xeon Phi processor-based nodes in Lenovo’s NeXtScale platform connected with Intel Omni-Path ArchitectureDell PowerEdge C6320P based on Intel Xeon Phi and Intel Xeon processors with Intel Omni-Path ArchitectureIntel Xeon processor-based nodes, variety of HPE server types and Intel Omni-Path Architecture WorkloadCombines AI with traditional HPC simulationEnables an AI system used for applications such as physics and precision medicinePairs machine learning and HPC to classify neuroimaging dataLiberatus, AI program beat the world’s top players at poker We’re beginning to see the acceleration of deep learning algorithms on HPC clusters through multi-node processing. Customers are using their HPC clusters for more than simulation and analytics. They’re running sophisticated deep learning training projects on them with incredible success. Customers who have now deployed clusters with the new Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors and Intel® Omni-Path Architecture (Intel® OPA), such as Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), are finding that the new processor along with Intel Omni-Path Architecture are a great platform for deep learning training across multiple nodes.The Benefits of Multi-Node TrainingTraining is getting more complex as data and computational scientists explore deeper into the field. Deep learning training is an intensive and repetitive computation. There are several factors driving this. Many operational neural networks are part of different applications; each neural network may be trained with domain-specific training sets; evolving input datasets drive the need for re-training. Another consideration is time to train—trimming from weeks to days to hours and minutes—to make AI much more viable across multiple verticals.As researchers drive for greater accuracy, they’re finding that bigger data sets help. But, more data demands greater computational resources to deliver results in a timely manner. Single-node workstation solutions are not able to keep up with the flood of data and the complexity of deep learning. That leaves either scaling up to larger and larger nodes or scaling out with more nodes.Scalability is what the Intel Xeon Scalable processor was designed for—delivering consistently powerful performance as the cluster expands. Scale out training solutions with Intel® architecture servers interconnected by a high-performance fabric are an excellent choice for improving performance and resource flexibility. Using Intel Omni-Path Architecture (OPA) to couple large numbers of nodes with data and model parallelism and smart node grouping makes near-linear scalability achievable:Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) on Stampede2 reached 97% scalability up to 256 Intel® Xeon Phi™ Processor servers with Intel OPA and Resnet-50.1BSC’s MareNostrum4, with Intel Xeon Scalable processors, delivered 90% efficiency.1
Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg has been awarded the first Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. The new award, worth $1 million, comes from the Zurich-based Jacobs Foundation, founded by chocolate magnate Klaus Jacobs. It’s designed to further “groundbreaking contributions to the improvement of the living conditions of young people.”Steinberg is well known for his research on adolescent brain development. He’s a former director of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. And he was one of the experts who wrote a U.S. Supreme Court brief arguing that 16- and 17-year-olds are too immature to be executed for capital crimes (Science, 30 July 2004, p. 596). In 2005, the court abolished the death penalty for these juveniles.Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*)
For some time now, the teams behind two rival megaprojects—the $1 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), led by the University of California, and the $700 million 24-meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), led by Carnegie Observatories—have been wooing prospective partners overseas to help secure the funding needed to build each of the behemoths. Last week, the TMT collaboration scored a victory in that competition for partnerships by getting India to come on board. The Indian government will enter the collaboration as an “observer,” which means that it will participate in the project without committing any funds—at least for now. But TMT officials hope that a funding commitment will come soon. “As an observer, we can now begin exploring the specific areas where India can contribute to the project and look forward to their becoming a full partner with a formal agreement and commitment for funding,” says Edward Stone, vice chair of the TMT board and a physics professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*) India’s participation is a coup for TMT, which last year got China on board as an observer and has secured funding commitments from Japan and Canada in addition to a $200 million pledge from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and a $100 million commitment from the University of California and Caltech. The GMT project, meanwhile, has raised over $200 million, including $80 million from the Carnegie Institution of Science and pledges of funding from Australia and South Korea. Both projects are also hoping for future funding from the National Science Foundation. If everything goes to plan, TMT will be built atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii by 2018; GMT is to be built on Las Campanas in Chile by 2019.
Is an earthquake the size of the 1811 New Madrid quake, the largest ever to hit the eastern United States, imminent in the next 3 years? Most seismologists believe that the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), which runs along the Mississippi River and stretches across eight states, has the potential to shift again but they can only predict a low probability of it doing so at any given time. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a request for information (RFI) to vendors last week for 140 million meals ready to eat (MREs) for a projected 7 million survivors in the event of an NMSZ earthquake. Then they pulled the request, saying it was a bureaucratic error. No harm in being prepared, of course, but the MRE specifications asked for meals with “36 months of remaining shelf life.” At about $10 per MRE, that’s a cost of $1.4 billion. So what’s the risk of this calamity in the next 3 years? Not much of one, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS’s) hazard map, which says that the risk of an earthquake the magnitude of New Madrid is 10% over the next 50 years nationwide and not just in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*) Supposedly, USGS informs FEMA’s earthquake predictions, and USGS senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards David Applegate, who works with FEMA officials on the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction, said he hadn’t heard anything about the meals order. He said the 3-year time wasn’t based on any USGS recommendations that upped the ante of earthquake recommendations; their 2008 hazard map is still current. The risk, he said, is “small, not negligible, but certainly not what you’d be buying meals for.” In an e-mail, FEMA officials stated that the RFI was “prematurely posted on FedBizOpps in an attempt to gather information from potential venders” but canceled a week after posting when they realized that the Defense Logistics Agency is responsible for providing these meals. Seismologist Seth Stein of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, author of a new book skeptical about the dangers posed by the NMSZ, said that such a purchase would be a “horrible waste of public money.” (Two related RFIs are still active, for 7 million emergency blankets and 550 million gallons of water in individual 1-liter plastic bottles.) Stein suggested that the posting was a part of the “PR blitz” for FEMA’s upcoming 2011 National Level Exercise, in which eight states will simulate a response to a magnitude 7+ earthquake on the bicentennial of the 1811 quake. “I think it’s great that [FEMA is] doing this exercise based on New Madrid because it does represent a huge coordination challenge,” Applegate said, adding that the Midwest states are not as aware of earthquake danger as states such as California. The damage caused by a sequence of magnitude 7+ earthquakes like the 1811-1812 series would top $300 billion, according to a FEMA-funded report from the Mid-America Earthquake Center published last year.
Have scientists put a controversial hypothesis for dinosaur extinction to rest? What really killed the members of the Franklin Expedition? And are new photographs proof that fish can use tools? Science’s Online News Editor David Grimm chats about these stories and more with Science’s Online Editor Stewart Wills. (Listen to the full Science podcast and more podcasts.)Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*)
Too few. The Aquarius mission, launched in June 2011, is one of NASA’s recent success stories. But a National Research Council report says that with many older missions failing, U.S. Earth-observing systems are facing a rapid decline. The ability of U.S. scientists to monitor changes in the planet’s climate, natural hazards, and land surface continues to deteriorate, warns a report from the U.S. National Academies’ National Research Council (NRC) that was released today. Aging satellites are being replaced too slowly, the report concludes, and by 2020 the country may have only 25% of its current observing capacity. The new panel was asked to review progress since the NRC’s decadal survey of NASA’s Earth-observing satellite missions was completed in 2007. That survey cautioned that the U.S. observation program was at risk. NASA has attempted to uphold the priorities outlined in the decadal survey, the committee notes. But the observation network has suffered as long-running missions end and new missions are lost, delayed, or canceled. NASA has had some notable successes in keeping with the vision, the report notes. The Ocean Surface Topography Mission, launched in 2008, measures sea surface heights to help understand ocean circulation, climate change, and sea level rise. The Aquarius mission, launched in June 2011, has produced its first monthly maps of global ocean salinity. In addition, the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, launched in October 2011 to improve short-term weather forecasts, is bridging a data gap until the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Joint Polar Satellite System program gets under way in 2016. Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*) “NASA headquarters has been doing a very good job with a difficult situation,” says oceanographer Antonio Busalacchi, director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a member of the NRC committee issuing the new report. “But given extenuating factors, the [vision of the] decadal survey will not be in place by 2020.” The biggest extenuating factor is a lack of money. The decadal survey had assumed that the administration’s Earth science budget would be restored to 2002 funding levels of $2 billion per year; instead, since 2007the budget has never risen above $1.5 billion. That shortfall has made it impossible to execute the recommended program, the report notes. But the network has also been weakened by lost satellites, failed launches, and a lack of medium-class launch vehicles to deliver the satellites to space. (The only currently produced medium-class launch vehicle, the Taurus rocket, failed in three of its last four launches, including the 2009 Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the 2011 Glory launches.) And “mission creep”—escalating costs as scientific requirements for missions expand during development—has also taken its toll. To bring mission costs down, the committee recommends considering mission cost caps. At the same time, the committee recommends considering missions as part of a total package, rather than considering the scientific benefits and costs of each mission in isolation. “Individual missions may have a reduction in science capability, but for the greater good,” Busalacchi says. The survey had also assumed that several environmental satellites managed by NOAA would have complemented the fleet operated by NASA. But, with NOAA facing its own budget cuts, those missions didn’t materialize. Rather than pointing the finger at NOAA, Busalacchi says, the committee is hoping that its report highlights the urgent need for an overarching national strategy of Earth observation. The responsibility for developing such a strategy, he adds, is “above NASA, and above NOAA. It’s at the [White House] Office of Science and Technology Policy level. The course we are on is obvious, and it’s not sustainable.” NASA 
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