Ethical Considerations at the Various Stages in the Development, Production, and Consumption of GM Crops

The aim of this paper is to clarify the ethical issuessurrounding GM crops by examining the various stages or levels intheir development, production, and consumption. Previous workabout the acceptability or non-acceptability of GM crops hastended to conflate these various levels, partly as a result ofwhich GM crops are all-too-often simply said to be ``good' or``bad.' There are, though, various problems with such a binarycategorization. I look in particular at the duties of scientists,companies, regulatory systems, farmers, retailers, and consumers.     

Low or absent unconjugated estriol in pregnancy: an indicator for steroid sulfatase deficiency detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization and biochemical analysis

It has been previously reported that a low or absent maternal serum unconjugated estriol (uE3) level is associated with placental steroid sulfatase (STS) deficiency. Here we report a correlation between patients who present with a very low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a deletion of the STS gene as assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We studied nine prenatal cases that presented to the clinical laboratory with an abnormal triple screen, specifically low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a 46,XY karyotype. FISH analysis showed complete deletion of a probe containing the STS gene in six cases and one case had a partial deletion (reduced but not absent signal). The remaining two cases were not deleted for the STS probe. All mothers tested whose fetus showed a deletion were shown to be STS deletion carriers using FISH. Biochemical analysis was performed on 7/9 prenatal specimens. All fetuses deleted for the STS probe were also found to be deficient for STS by biochemical analysis of cultured amniotic fluid (5/5). Of the two fetuses not deleted for the STS probe, one was deficient for STS activity, while the other had a normal result. The abnormal result of enzyme deficiency by biochemical analysis in a non-deletion case likely represents a mutation in the STS gene, not detectable by this FISH assay. Postnatal FISH confirmation of the STS deletion was performed in 1/7 cases. Clinical follow-up was available for 4/9 cases following birth. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

巴伊盆地平原区地下水水化学特征及污染源识别

为探明新疆巴伊盆地平原区地下水水化学特征及形成机制并解析污染源,综合运用数理统计、图解法和PCA-APCS-MLR模型等方法,对2022年8月采集的4组泉水样、 20组潜水样和11组承压水样的测试结果进行分析.结果表明,研究区地下水化学类型复杂多样,泉水以HCO₃·SO₄-Na·Ca型地下水为主,潜水以HCO₃·SO₄-Na·Ca型和HCO₃·SO₄-Ca型地下水为主,承压水水化学类型主要为HCO₃·SO₄-Na·Ca型和HCO₃·Cl·SO₄-Na·Ca型;未利用地承压水水化学类型单一(Cl·SO₄-Na·Ca型),耕地及城乡居民用地承压水水化学类型复杂,表明地下水受到人类活动影响;地下水演化过程主要受到水岩相互作用与阳离子交换作用的影响,从泉水至潜水至承压水阳离子交换作用逐渐增强,石膏及硬石膏的风化溶解作用逐渐减弱、岩盐的风化溶解作用逐渐加强;...     

Increased nuchal translucency in euploid fetuses—what should we be telling the parents?

Nuchal translucency (NT) measurement between 11 and 14 weeks' gestation is an undisputed marker for aneuploidies. When conventional karyotyping is normal, enlarged NT is a strong marker for adverse pregnancy outcome, associated with miscarriage, intrauterine death, congenital heart defects, and numerous other structural defects and genetic syndromes. The risk of adverse outcome is proportional to the degree of NT enlargement. Although the majority of structural anomalies are amenable to ultrasound detection, unspecified genetic syndromes involving developmental delay may only emerge after birth. Concern over these prenatally undetectable conditions is a heavy burden for parents. However, following detection of enlarged NT the majority of babies with normal detailed ultrasound examination and echocardiography will have an uneventful outcome with no increased risk for developmental delay when compared to the general population. Counseling should emphasize this to help parents restore hope in normal pregnancy outcome and infant development. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

城市道路交通应急警力配置模型研究

为实现区域性的紧急交通事件的快速疏导与救援,进行科学合理的调度警力,提出应急警力配置模型。该模型基于图论原理构建原始问题的拓扑结构,利用遗传算法求解。通过该模型的求解可以得出应急警力布点的最优配置,以满足在给定警力数量的情况下应急警力能够在指定时间内到达辖区内可能发生交通事件的任意应急点,并结合算例对该模型进行验证。结果表明:在满足模型要求的假设条件下,利用MATLAB软件结合遗传算法,可以最终获得优化的警力配置方案。因此,基于图论与遗传算法相结合构建的城市道路交通应急警力配置模型,可以实现公安警力救援的优化调度,进一步实现科学而高效率的救援。     

基于遗传-BP算法的煤矿安全监控系统测试研究

针对煤矿监控系统的测试要求,提出了一种自动生成测试用例数据的方法用于煤矿监控系统的测试任务。该方法利用遗传算法和BP算法对要测试的功能模块和逻辑结构进行分析解读,通过全局寻优得出最佳测试路径和测试数据,对于提高测试的精准性和有效性有很大优势,而且相对与人工测试更加安全。新的测试用例生成算法结合遗传算法和BP算法,能充分发挥遗传算法的全局寻优能力和BP算法学习能力强的优势,使得数据生成更快捷可靠。选取煤矿监控系统的部分功能测试作为实验材料,与人工测试方法和利用遗传该算法生成测试数据进行了比较。结果表明,该新方法能够更好的检测出煤矿监控系统中的错误,发现错误的数量和时间都较人工测试要好,对于提高煤矿安全监控系统的准确性和稳定性有较好的帮助。