Sex-selective abortions: no simple solution

Sex Selective Abortions and Gender Balance

We examine the implications of parental choice regarding the gender of their child in a context where boys are valued more than girls. In the absence of a bride price system, parental choice may reduce gender bias, but has an adverse e¤ect on welfare since it results in a sex ratio that is biased against girls. Bride prices can ensure e¢ cient outcomes with a balanced sex ratio if markets are W...

Conservation of the Baiji: no simple solution.

DING WANG,∗†† XIANFENG ZHANG,∗ KEXIONG WANG,∗ ZHUO WEI,∗ BERND WÜRSIG,† GILLIAN T. BRAULIK,‡ AND SUSIE ELLIS§ ∗Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China †Texas A&M University, 4700 Avenue U, Building 303, Galveston, TX 77551, U.S.A. ‡Downstream Research Group, 3950 S. Fletcher Avenue, Amelia Island, FL 32034, U.S.A. §Conservation International, 1919 M Street, S...

The selective funding problem: abortions and religious schools.

No slave to sex.

Fully asexual lineages cannot purge accumulating mutations from their genome through recombination. In ancient asexuals that have persisted without sex for millions of years, this should lead to high allelic divergences (the 'Meselson effect') as has been shown for bdelloid rotifers. Homogenizing mechanisms can counter this effect, resulting in low genetic diversity within and between individua...

Selective decontamination: no oracle needed

We read with interest the study by Cuthbertson and colleagues [1] in a recent issue of Critical Care, and we appreciate their attempts to support studies regarding selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD). However, we have some concerns. The argument supporting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for the evaluation of SDD is ambiguous. The Delphi method embraces ‘quasi-anonymity’,...