The embryo as moral work object: PGD/IVF staff views and experiences

Copyright @ 2008 the authors. This article is available in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed, Attribution 2.5, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/deed.en_CA.We report on one aspect of a study that explored the views and experiences of practitioners and scientists on social, ethical and clinical dilemmas encountered when working in the field of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for serious genetic disorders. The study produced an ethnography based on observation, interviews and ethics discussion groups with staff from two PGD/IVF Units in the UK. We focus here on staff perceptions of work with embryos that entails disposing of ‘affected’ or ‘spare’ embryos or using them for research. A variety of views were expressed on the ‘embryo question’ in contrast to polarised media debates. We argue that the prevailing policy acceptance of destroying affected embryos, and allowing research on embryos up to 14 days leaves some staff with rarely reported, ambivalent feelings. Staff views are under-researched in this area and we focus on how they may reconcile their personal moral views with the ethical framework in their field. Staff construct embryos in a variety of ways as ‘moral work objects’. This allows them to shift attention between micro-level and overarching institutional work goals, building on Casper's concept of ‘work objects’ and focusing on negotiation of the social order in a morally contested field.The Wellcome Trust Biomedical Ethics Programme, who funded the projects‘Facilitating choice, framing choice: the experience of staff working in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis’ (no: 074935), and ‘Ethical Frameworks for Embryo Donation:the views and practices of IVF/PGD staff’ (no: 081414)

Measurement of the W(+/-)Z production cross section and limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This Letter presents a measurement of W(+/-)Z production in 1.02 fb(-1) of pp collision data at root s = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2011. Doubly leptonic decay events are selected with electrons, muons and missing transverse momentum in the final state. In total 71 candidates are observed, with a background expectation of 12.1 +/- 1.4(stat.)(-2.0)(+4.1)(syst.) events. The total cross section for W(+/-)Z production for Z/gamma* masses within the range 66 GeV to 116 GeV is determined to be sigma(tot)(WZ) = 20.5(-2.8)(+3.1)(stat.)(-1.3)(+1.4)(syst)(-0.8)(+0.9)(lumi.) pb, which is consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 17.3(0.8)(+1.3) pb. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are extracted. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. RI Doyle, Anthony/C-5889-2009; Pina, Joao /C-4391-2012; Li, Xuefei/C-3861-2012; Fazio, Salvatore /G-5156-2010; Smirnova, Lidia/D-8089-2012; Sivoklokov, Sergey/D-8150-2012; Smirnov, Sergei/F-1014-2011; Gladilin, Leonid/B-5226-2011; Barreiro, Fernando/D-9808-2012; Kramarenko, Victor/E-1781-2012; Prokoshin, Fedor/E-2795-2012; valente, paolo/A-6640-2010; Alexa, Calin/F-6345-2010; Gutierrez, Phillip/C-1161-2011; Pacheco Pages, Andres/C-5353-2011; Moorhead, Gareth/B-6634-2009; Livan, Michele/D-7531-2012; Takai, Helio/C-3301-2012; Petrucci, Fabrizio/G-8348-2012; Wemans, Andre/A-6738-2012; Jones, Roger/H-5578-2011; Fabbri, Laura/H-3442-2012; Kurashige, Hisaya/H-4916-2012; Villa, Mauro/C-9883-2009; Delmastro, Marco/I-5599-201