Dual consent? Donors' and recipients' views about involvement in decision-making on the use of embryos created by gamete donation in research

Background Reasonable disagreement about the role awarded to gamete donors in decision-making on the use of embryos created by gamete donation (EGDs) for research purposes emphasises the importance of considering the implementation of participatory, adaptive, and trustworthy policies and guidelines for consent procedures. However, the perspectives of gamete donors and recipients about decision-making regarding research with EGDs are still under-researched, which precludes the development of policies and guidelines informed by evidence. This study seeks to explore the views of donors and recipients about who should take part in consent processes for the use of EGDs in research. Methods From July 2017 to June 2018, 72 gamete donors and 175 recipients completed a self-report structured questionnaire at the Portuguese Public Bank of Gametes (response rate: 76%). Agreement with dual consent was defined as the belief that the use of EGDs in research should be consented by both donors and recipients. Results The majority of participants (74.6% of donors and 65.7% of recipients) were willing to donate embryos for research. Almost half of the donors (48.6%) and half of the recipients (46.9%) considered that a dual consent procedure is desirable. This view was more frequent among employed recipients (49.7%) than among non-employed (21.4%). Donors were less likely to believe that only recipients should be involved in giving consent for the use of EGDs in research (25.0% vs. 41.7% among recipients) and were more frequently favourable to the idea of exclusive donors' consent (26.4% vs. 11.4% among recipients). Conclusions Divergent views on dual consent among donors and recipients indicate the need to develop evidence-based and ethically sustainable policies and guidelines to protect well-being, autonomy and reproductive rights of both stakeholder groups. More empirical research and further theoretical normative analyses are needed to inform people-centred policy and guidelines for shared decision-making concerning the use of EGDs for research

Surface Tension in Unitary Fermi Gases with Population Imbalance

We study the effects of surface tension between normal and superfluid regions of a trapped Fermi gas at unitarity. We find that surface tension causes notable distortions in the shape of large aspect ratio clouds. Including these distortions in our theories resolves many of the apparent discrepancies among different experiments and between theory and experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Published versio

Birth size and breast cancer risk: Re-analysis of individual participant data from 32 studied

Background Birth size, perhaps a proxy for prenatal environment, might be a correlate of subsequent breast cancer risk, but findings from epidemiological studies have been inconsistent. We re-analysed individual participant data from published and unpublished studies to obtain more precise estimates of the magnitude and shape of the birth size–breast cancer association. Methods and Findings Studies were identified through computer-assisted and manual searches, and personal communication with investigators. Individual participant data from 32 studies, comprising 22,058 breast cancer cases, were obtained. Random effect models were used, if appropriate, to combine study-specific estimates of effect. Birth weight was positively associated with breast cancer risk in studies based on birth records (pooled relative risk [RR] per one standard deviation [SD] [= 0.5 kg] increment in birth weight: 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.09) and parental recall when the participants were children (1.02; 95% CI 0.99–1.05), but not in those based on adult self-reports, or maternal recall during the woman's adulthood (0.98; 95% CI 0.95–1.01) (p for heterogeneity between data sources = 0.003). Relative to women who weighed 3.000–3.499 kg, the risk was 0.96 (CI 0.80–1.16) in those who weighed < 2.500 kg, and 1.12 (95% CI 1.00–1.25) in those who weighed ≥ 4.000 kg (p for linear trend = 0.001) in birth record data. Birth length and head circumference from birth records were also positively associated with breast cancer risk (pooled RR per one SD increment: 1.06 [95% CI 1.03–1.10] and 1.09 [95% CI 1.03–1.15], respectively). Simultaneous adjustment for these three birth size variables showed that length was the strongest independent predictor of risk. The birth size effects did not appear to be confounded or mediated by established breast cancer risk factors and were not modified by age or menopausal status. The cumulative incidence of breast cancer per 100 women by age 80 y in the study populations was estimated to be 10.0, 10.0, 10.4, and 11.5 in those who were, respectively, in the bottom, second, third, and top fourths of the birth length distribution. Conclusions This pooled analysis of individual participant data is consistent with birth size, and in particular birth length, being an independent correlate of breast cancer risk in adulthood

Profiles of near-resonant population-imbalanced trapped Fermi gases

We investigate the density profiles of a partially polarized trapped Fermi gas in the BCS-BEC crossover region using mean field theory within the local density approximation. Within this approximation the gas is phase separated into concentric shells. We describe how the structure of these shells depends upon the polarization and the interaction strength. A Comparison with experiments yields insight into the possibility of a polarized superfluid phase.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Figures, Published versio

Dynamically generated dimension reduction and crossover in a spin orbital model

We study a spin orbital model in which the spin-spin interaction couples linearly to the orbital isospin. Fluctuations drive the transition from paramagnetic state to C type ordered state into a strongly first order one, as observed in $V_2O_3$. At T=0, there is a FOCS to FOGS transition. Close to the transition point, the system shows dynamically generated dimension reduction and crossover, resulting in one or more spin reentrant transitions.Comment: Submitted to PRL. 4 pages and one figur

Efficiency of an E-Commerce Web Application with MERN Stack and Modern Tools

The majority of people in today's generation use technology to manage their life and take care of their basic necessities. Many of us in our generation shop for clothing, groceries, and electronics and even fancy items via e-commerce websites.  We created a single chocolatier e-commerce web application utilizing the MERN stack, which consists of the MongoDB database, the Express.JS framework, the React.JS library, and the Node.JS platform. This program has several views for users and administrators, is fully functioning with 8 main functions.   Depending on the interests of the consumer, we can purchase many chocolate types and brands through this website. In this project, we have the option to add and remove, edit, and save various products. For the website, we have created administrative features including login and logout options, admin dashboard, category and brand management for customers, payment method options for carts, review, and promotion management. Customers could search, sort, filter, and add goods to the cart. The customer can pay and purchase the things when the bills are created based on the cart contents. On the other hand, we have used the modern tools which are necessary to improve the functional and non-functional requirements of the application

The flow field induced by a flat plate aerofoil with simulated battle damage

This investigation looks into the induced surface pressure field and flow field of a 2-D flat plate aerofoil with simulated battle damage. Enhancing survivability is a major design criteria for military aircraft designers, and the aerodynamic effects of battle damage has recently come to the fore as an area that warrants further attention. The current investigation is in effect a continuation of the battle damage research initiated at Loughborough University by Irwin, with the ultimate aim of enabling quick and accurate CFD studies to assess the aerodynamic impact of battle damage on a lifting surface. [Continues.