(NH4)2S, a highly reactive molecular precursor for low temperature anion exchange reactions in nanoparticles.

Ammonium sulfide ((NH4)2S) exhibits high reactivity as a sulfide reagent in anion exchange reactions that transform CoO to cobalt sulfide nanoparticles (NPs). The faster diffusion of Co(2+) and O(2-) than the incoming S(2-) during the anion exchange causes a significant expansion of the NP voids. The low temperature (70 °C) anion exchange reaction produces amorphous cobalt sulfide NPs with Co : S ratio of ca.

Exploiting core-shell and core-alloy interfaces for asymmetric growth of nanoparticles.

The alloy phase behavior of nanoparticle (NP) interfaces has been used to tailor asymmetric growth. Using either Au-Pd core-shell or Au-Au(x)Pd(1-x) core-alloy NP starting materials, the deposition of Ag resulted in asymmetric and symmetric growth respectively. The phase segregation of the interface was confirmed by TEM and electrocatalytic activity.

Attenuating surface plasmon resonance via core/alloy architectures.

The layer-by-layer processing of Au/Au(x)Pd(1-x) core/alloy nanoparticles via microwave irradiation (MWI) based hydrothermal heating is described. Alloy shell growth was monitored by the attenuation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as a function of shell thickness and composition. Discrete dipole approximation (DDA) correlated the SPR to particle morphology.

Compelled organ donation.

Along with ethical considerations, compelling an individual to donate organs, tissues, or bodily fluids brings several legal doctrines into conflict. The privacy of one's body is generally considered sacrosanct by American courts, which have upheld a competent adult's right to refuse medical procedures, even in cases when they are necessary to save the life of another. Although medical and legal communities stress "respect for the individual" as being paramount under American jurisprudential principles, the doctrine of "substituted judgment" permits a court to act (for example, by consenting to organ donation) on behalf of an incompetent individual or child.

A brave new beef: The US Food and Drug Administration's review of the safety of cloned animal products.

To meet its public mandate, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collected studies on the potential health hazards of eating or drinking cloned food products. Based on an earlier National Academy of Sciences study that, on closer analysis, was not nearly as sanguine, the FDA's report found no evidence of a health risk from the public's ingestion of cloned food products. This article analyzes the risks the FDA considered, and concludes that there is a disconnect between the risks the FDA assessed in these studies and the risks that might arise from cloned food products.

Cognitive enhancements in human beings.

In the area of genometry-the nascent field of science and technology that proposes to apply enhanced understanding of the human genetic code to reshaping our individual and collective destinies-research and development directed toward improving the function of the human brain has not advanced at the same rate as studies focused on physical enhancement. This article describes developments in the area of cognitive enhancement, including the rise in nonmedical uses of prescription drugs. As those without medical ailments continue to take prescription drugs for their cognitive-enhancing side effects, social policy questions about the fairness of such actions will arise.

Physical enhancement of human performance: is law keeping pace with science?

In the area of genometry-the nascent field of science and technology that proposes to apply enhanced understanding of the human genetic code to reshaping our individual and collective destinies-no topic has generated more interest among the general public, as well as in the athletic community, than the potential for physical enhancement of the human body and its performance. Genometric experiments have produced physically enhanced mice, and the production of similarly enhanced humans may not be far off. Although it is not the objective of most genometric research, the day will come when gene-based "treatments" will enable individuals to build muscle or increase endurance faster than is possible through conventional methods.

Reshaped destinies: confronting our human future the need for and promise of an interdisciplinary colloquium.

The genomic revolution is bringing with it simultaneous needs for both scientists and nonscientists to understand and assess, in an unvarnished and nonjudgmental way, the implications of genometry. This is the field of science and technology that is taking the genetic code and what we have learned from its secrets, and reshaping our individual and collective human destinies. Together with the editor-in-chief of Gender Medicine, the authors propose an interdisciplinary group-populated by those in science, law, ethics, social policy, and the interested public-to observe, understand, and disseminate information about what is occurring in the fields of biology and chemistry that is the driving force of the genomic revolution.

The weaker sex: is being male a legally cognizable defect, impairment, or disability?

Compared with women, men die from cancer and coronary artery disease in disproportionately higher numbers and are more susceptible to a host of emotional and developmental disorders. The authors of this article consider what scientific proof or evidence would be required to legally recognize "being male" as a disability, based on the overwhelming number of physical deficiencies to which males are genetically predisposed. The article summarizes major scientific findings on male health problems and explores various laws and policies that might be implicated by treatment of males as a special category recognized by the law.

Embryonic stem cells in science and medicine, part II: law, ethics, and the continuing need for dialogue.

Just as our first article, "Embryonic Stem Cells in Science and Medicine: An Invitation for Dialogue," in the December 2007 issue of Gender Medicine went to press, two groups of researchers had just announced that adult human somatic cells had been reprogrammed to behave like pluripotent stem cells, and that the reprogrammed cells were able to differentiate into cell types of the 3 germ layers in vitro and in a mouse model. A third group has since done so. Because the reprogrammed cells were not embryonic in origin, the announcements were heralded as "stunning" and "leaps forward," because, it was argued, the ability to generate stem cells, without destroying embryos in the process, would avoid the difficult ethical questions raised by human embryonic stem (hES) cell research.

Impact of the US Patent System on the promise of personalized medicine.

The biotechnology revolution promises unfathomable future scientific discovery. One of the potential benefits is the accelerated introduction of new diagnostics and treatments to the general public. The right medication for the right patient is the goal of personalized medicine, which directly benefits from many of biotechnology's biggest and most recent advances.

Male versus female genital alteration: differences in legal, medical, and socioethical responses.

The different legal, social, and medical approaches to ritually based male and female genital circumcision in the United States are highlighted in this article. The religious and historical origins of these practices are briefly examined, as well as the effect of changing policy statements by American medical associations on the number of circumcisions performed. Currently, no state or federal laws single out male circumcision for regulation.