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Many big banks in the United States have been urging the Federal Reserve to modify the methodology used in annual stress tests.

Annual stress tests are used by the Federal Reserve to determine the ability of banks to survive a recession and keep lending after being affected by potential economic shocks, such as a spike in unemployment or a crash in stock market.

The test requires lenders to project losses on various loans and operations using a standard index through which the resiliency of the entire financial system is judged. They were launched in 2011 under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill to gauge how much capital banks can use for dividends or stock buybacks.

Tyson Foods, one of the biggest meat suppliers in the country, is working closely with fast food chain McDonald's to reduce the use of antibiotics in the chicken supplied by the company. McDonald's has asked chicken suppliers to stop using antibiotics that are crucial for human health after reports that the higher use of antibiotics is leading to health issues and stronger infection outbreaks.

McDonald's announced on Wednesday that the company is planning to stop using chicken raised using antibiotics deemed important to human health.

The Federal Reserve has revealed that despite interruptions caused by extreme winter storms, the US economy has shown a growth at moderate pace through mid-February. The Fed said that out of the 12 regions, six have reported moderate growth with modest gains seen in most other areas. The Boston district reported that the businesses in its area remained up despite several huge snowstorms.

According to the Fed survey, the consumer spending rose in most of the districts, travel and tourism increased, and manufacturing has shown solid gains with San Francisco region's aerospace companies forecasting a record year.

Research team working on the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (A4) Study have been provided with an extra $8 million so that they can study additional aspects of the disease.

These funds will be helpful to support additional evaluations in a subset of A4 participants. Brain PET scans are the most important ones as they are intended to measure participants' burdens of tau protein deposits.

Researchers have been trying to use oxygen against cancer. A team of researchers have come one step closer in the experiment, which could lead to breakthrough treatment for cancer by boosting the immune sysmte.

As per the novel research, high-dose oxygen would be beneficial in stimulating immune system against cancer. The research, which was carried out on mice, has paved the way for the theory.

Susanna Greer, Director of clinical research and immunology for the American Cancer Society, was of the view that this is a simple approach, which can bring significant improvements and could make cancer therapies better.

According to University of BC scientists, they have figured out why a certain type of fungus is destroying poplar trees. It was found by the researchers that the fungus, Mycosphaerella populorum, makes use of extra genes to produce a toxin.

As per the researchers, this toxin can cause lethal lesions on the leaves, stems and branches of poplar trees. Through genome sequencing, the researchers were able to found the extra genes. The study has been published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.