The different social institutions involved in the development and distribution of science and technology tend to promote, primarily, commercial and private interests, even in situations with high social stakes. Acknowledging how these interests interplay with social and epistemic values is fundamental for understanding the role of values in science today. To show this, I use the global pandemic and the race to develop and distribute vaccines against COVID-19 as an example. I argue that a mere circumstantial alignment of values across the social institutions of science is not enough and that instead we need a more substantive alignment.

Gender bias is a recalcitrant problem in academia and society. However, dissent has been created on this issue. We focus on dissenting studies by Stephen J. Ceci and Wendy M. Williams, arguing that they reach conclusions that are unwarranted on the basis of the available evidence and that they ignore fundamental objections to their methodological decisions. Drawing on discussions from other contexts, particularly on manufactured dissent concerning anthropogenic climate change, we conclude that dissent on gender bias substantially contributes to (a) the exacerbation of biases in society and (b) an increasing number of attacks on researchers, making it both epistemically and socially problematic.

The article examines the idea that commercialized science is a central factor in the erosion of trust in science. I claim that commercial interests have a negative impact on the trustworthiness of science by leading the public to mistakenly trust or distrust scientific results. I identify two mechanisms. First, commercial interests can directly encourage the production of consensus or dissent that is industry friendly but not epistemically reliable. Second, commercial interests support a narrow understanding of trustworthiness that allows the industry to claim that their research is reliable when it is not. A more fine-grained analysis is needed.

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) consists of small fragments of DNA that circulate freely in the bloodstream. In cancer patients, a fraction of cfDNA is derived from tumour cells, therefore containing the same genetic and epigenetic alterations, and is termed circulating cell-free tumour DNA. The potential use of cfDNA, the so-called ‘liquid biopsy’, as a non-invasive cancer biomarker has recently received a lot of attention. The present review will focus on studies concerning the potential clinical applications of cfDNA in ovarian cancer patients.

The article examines the process of niche standardization in medical research as an example of democratizing strategies implemented in industry-funded science. I argue that niche standardization can lead to undesirable epistemic and ethical consequences, if the various goals of research are not properly aligned. I examine two examples: the case of Sarafem, approved for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women, and the case of BiDil, approved for exclusive use in African Americans for the treatment of congestive heart failure. I conclude by cautioning against the unqualified support of democratizing strategies in industry-funded research.

The evolution of internal stresses in oxide scales growing on polycrystalline Fe3Al alloy in atmospheric air at 700 °C was determined using in situ energy-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Ex situ texture analyses were performed after 5 h of oxidation at 700 °C. Under these conditions, the oxide-scale thickness, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, lies between 80 and 100 nm. The main phase present in the oxide scales is α-Al2O3, with minor quantities of metastable θ-Al2O3 detected in the first minutes of oxidation, as well as α-Fe2O3. α-Al2O3 grows with a weak (0001) fiber texture in the normal direction. During the initial stages of oxidation the scale develops, increasing levels of compressive stresses which later evolve to a steady state condition situated around −300 MPa.

We describe the digenean fauna of one of the dominant intertidal hosts, the common cockle Cerastoderma edule, in terms of biomass, off north-eastern Atlantic shores. Using published and unpublished literature we have prepared an identification key and provide an up-date of the large-scale distributional patterns of digenean species of the common cockle. At least sixteen digenean species, belonging to seven families, use cockles as intermediate host. Among these species two utilize cockles as first intermediate host only, whereas two species utilize cockles as both first and second intermediate host. The remaining eleven species have cockles as their second intermediate host. Water birds and fish are the definitive hosts to twelve and four species, respectively.

Cockles are infected with digeneans along the latitudinal gradient from southern Morocco to the western region of the Barents Sea often with high infection levels. Whereas some of these digenean species occur along most of the latitudinal gradient others show a more restricted northern or southern distribution mostly caused by an underlying latitudinal gradient of host species.

Knowledge of digenean species and their large-scale distribution pattern may serve as a baseline for future studies dealing with the effects of climate change on parasite–host systems. For such studies the cockle and its digenean community could be an ideal model system.

We report a case of right aortic arch and isolation of the left brachiocephalic artery. Stenosis of the left pulmonary artery, ventricular septal defect and left superior caval vein draining to the right atrium via the coronary sinus were also present in a 13-month-old asymptomatic girl with Down's syndrome. To our knowledge, this association of lesions has not previously been described.

Introduction. Tendral type muskmelon is a winter melon fruit having a dark green skinslightly netted and crisp and a white sweet flesh with a long storage life. Materials and methods.The senescence of the mesocarp of the winter melon Cucumis melo L. (Inodorus Group) Tendral,stored at 12 °C and ca. 75% relative humidity, was investigated during 100 d after harvest.Results. During storage, starch and sucrose become increasingly hydrolysed while the levels ofreducing sugars increased. In this period the firmness and titratable acidity decreased, but an increasewas found for protein and lipoperoxide concentrations. The colour parameters L, a and b were alsoaffected, b showing the largest increase after harvest. Ethylene concentration remained minimal but theproduction of carbon dioxide varied significantly. The activities of catalase and glutathione reductaseincreased whereas ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were inhibited. Discussion. Thesenescence of winter melon Tendral is coupled to starch and sucrose consumption and to the synthesis oforganic acids required for the respiratory metabolism. Hydrogen peroxide and superoxide also seem toaccumulate, triggering the lipoperoxidation of cellular membranes at a low rate.

The Portuguese healthcare system is often portrayed as a NationalHealth Service (NHS) model, characterized by universal coverage, comprehensive benefits, nearly free services, national tax financing, andpublic ownership or control of the factors of production. However, inreality the system fails to accomplish these features in a completeway. There coexist a number of occupation-related healthinsurance schemes that were originally intended to be integrated intothe NHS. In addition, in key areas the NHS does not provide the widerange of services it promises. The public sector has a predominantrole in the provision of hospital stays and general practitionerconsultations, but the private sector provides a major portion ofspecialist consultations, dental consultations, and diagnosticservices. Major problems in the system led to health reforms in the1990s. New reform proposals include some specific steps concerninghealth technology, including standards for medical equipment based onquality, geographic distribution, sustainability, andcost-effectiveness. A new National Plan of Health Equipment wascompleted in 1998, aimed at improving the distribution of equipment.Despite reforms, healthcare expenditures continue to rise. There is general agreement that gains in efficiency could be made. Thissituation is beginning to encourage interest in healthtechnology assessment (HTA) in Portugal, although these activitiesare not yet very developed. Recently, legislation requiring presentation of economic evaluations for new pharmaceutical productswas enacted. Present plans also call for the creation in the future of a national agency for HTA.