499 research outputs found
Precis of Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature
The debate about the credentials of sociobiology has persisted because scholars have failed to distinguish the varieties of sociobiology and because too little attention has been paid to the details of the arguments that are supposed to support the provocative claims about human social behavior. I seek to remedy both dcfieieneies. After analysis of the relationships among different kinds of sociobiology and contemporary evolutionary theory, I attempt to show how some of the studies of the behavior of nonhuman animals meet the methodological standards appropriate to evolutionary research. I contend that the efforts of E. O. Wilson, Richard Alexander, Charles Lumsden, and others to generate conclusions about human nature are flawed, both because they apply evolutionary ideas in an unrigorous fashion and because they use dubious assumptions to connect their evolutionary analyses with their conclusions. This contention rests on analyses of many of the major sociobiological proposals about human social behavior, including: differences in sex roles, racial hostility, homosexuality, conflict between parents and adolescent offspring, incest avoidance, the avunculate, alliances in combat, female infanticide, and gene-culture coevolution. Vaulting Ambition thus seeks to identify what is good in sociobiology, to expose the errors of premature speculations about human nature, and to prepare the way for serious study of the evolution of human social behavior
A fatal case of oxygen embolism in a hospital
This case reports on a 68-year-old man who was found dead in hospital next to his bed. Before this, he had been treated with intravenous antibiotics for pneumonia. The body was found with a peripheral venous catheter connected to a nasal cannula delivering oxygen (O2) from the wall.
Extensive medico–legal examinations were performed, including post-mortem computed tomography (CT), complete conventional autopsy, histological and immunohistochemistry analysis, toxicological analysis and post-mortem chemistry. Additionally, CT-guided gas sampling was performed at multiple sites to collect samples for gas analysis.
During the external examination, massive subcutaneous emphysema was visible over the entire surface of the body. The CT scan revealed the presence of gas throughout the vascular system, and in the subcutaneous and muscular tissues. The autopsy confirmed the presence of lobar pneumonia and multiple gas bubbles in the vascular system.
The gas analysis results showed a subnormal concentration of oxygen, confirming the suspected pure O2 embolism. Moreover, the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the gas sample from the heart was elevated to a level similar to those found in scuba diving fatalities. This could come from degassing of dissolved CO2 that accumulated and was trapped in the cardiac cavity. Based on the results of the different exams performed, and especially the gas analysis results, it was concluded that the cause of death was O2 embolism
The phase transition in the localized ferromagnet EuO probed by muSR
We report results of muon spin rotation measurements performed on the
ferromagnetic semiconductor EuO, which is one of the best approximations to a
localized ferromagnet. We argue that implanted muons are sensitive to the
internal field primarily through a combination of hyperfine and Lorentz fields.
The temperature dependences of the internal field and the relaxation rate have
been measured and are compared with previous theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Magnetic properties of pure and Gd doped EuO probed by NMR
An Eu NMR study in the ferromagnetic phase of pure and Gd doped EuO was
performed. A complete description of the NMR lineshape of pure EuO allowed for
the influence of doping EuO with Gd impurities to be highlighted. The presence
of a temperature dependent static magnetic inhomogeneity in Gd doped EuO was
demonstrated by studying the temperature dependence of the lineshapes. The
results suggest that the inhomogeneity in 0.6% Gd doped EuO is linked to
colossal magnetoresistance. The measurement of the spin-lattice relaxation
times as a function of temperature led to the determination of the value of the
exchange integral J as a function of Gd doping. It was found that J is
temperature independent and spatially homogeneous for all the samples and that
its value increases abruptly with increasing Gd doping.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, to be published in Physical Review
Magnetic polarons and the metal-semiconductor transitions in (formula presented) and EuO: Raman scattering studies
We present inelastic light scattering measurements of EuO and (formula presented) (formula presented) 0.005, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05) as functions of doping, B isotope, magnetic field, and temperature. Our results reveal a variety of distinct regimes as a function of decreasing T: (a) a paramagnetic semimetal regime, which is characterized by a collision-dominated electronic scattering response whose scattering rate (formula presented) decreases with decreasing temperature; (b) a spin-disorder scattering regime, which is characterized by a collision-dominated electronic scattering response whose scattering rate (formula presented) scales with the magnetic susceptibility; (c) a magnetic polaron regime, in which the development of an (formula presented) spin-flip Raman response betrays the formation of magnetic polarons in a narrow temperature range above the Curie temperature (formula presented) and (d) a ferromagnetic metal regime, characterized by a flat electronic continuum response typical of other strongly correlated metals. By exploring the behavior of the Raman responses in these various regimes in response to changing external parameters, we are able to investigate the evolution of charge and spin degrees of freedom through various transitions in these materials. © 2001 The American Physical Society
Evolution of magnetic polarons and spin-carrier interactions through the metal-insulator transition in EuGdO
Raman scattering studies as functions of temperature, magnetic field, and
Gd-substitution are used to investigate the evolution of magnetic polarons and
spin-carrier interactions through the metal-insulator transition in
EuGdO. These studies reveal a greater richness of phase behavior
than have been previously observed using transport measurements: a
spin-fluctuation-dominated paramagnetic (PM) phase regime for T T
T, a two-phase regime for T T in which magnetic polarons
develop and coexist with a remnant of the PM phase, and an inhomogeneous
ferromagnetic phase regime for T T
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Labile Photo-Induced Free Radical in α-Ketoglutaric Acid: a Universal Endogenous Polarizing Agent for In Vivo Hyperpolarized 13 C Magnetic Resonance.
Hyperpolarized (HP) 13 C magnetic resonance enables non-invasive probing of metabolism in vivo. To date, only 13 C-molecules hyperpolarized with persistent trityl radicals have been injected in humans. We show here that the free radical photo-induced in alpha-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG) can be used to hyperpolarize photo-inactive 13 C-molecules such as [1-13 C]lactate. α-KG is an endogenous molecule with an exceptionally high radical yield under photo-irradiation, up to 50 %, and its breakdown product, succinic acid, is also endogenous. This radical precursor therefore exhibits an excellent safety profile for translation to human studies. The labile nature of the radical means that no filtration is required prior to injection while also offering the opportunity to extend the 13 C relaxation time in frozen HP 13 C-molecules for storage and transport. The potential for in vivo metabolic studies is demonstrated in the rat liver following the injection of a physiological dose of HP [1-13 C]lactate
Recommended from our members
Labile Photo-Induced Free Radical in α-Ketoglutaric Acid: a Universal Endogenous Polarizing Agent for In Vivo Hyperpolarized 13 C Magnetic Resonance.
Hyperpolarized (HP) 13 C magnetic resonance enables non-invasive probing of metabolism in vivo. To date, only 13 C-molecules hyperpolarized with persistent trityl radicals have been injected in humans. We show here that the free radical photo-induced in alpha-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG) can be used to hyperpolarize photo-inactive 13 C-molecules such as [1-13 C]lactate. α-KG is an endogenous molecule with an exceptionally high radical yield under photo-irradiation, up to 50 %, and its breakdown product, succinic acid, is also endogenous. This radical precursor therefore exhibits an excellent safety profile for translation to human studies. The labile nature of the radical means that no filtration is required prior to injection while also offering the opportunity to extend the 13 C relaxation time in frozen HP 13 C-molecules for storage and transport. The potential for in vivo metabolic studies is demonstrated in the rat liver following the injection of a physiological dose of HP [1-13 C]lactate
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