A Marriage By Any Other Name: Why Civil Unions Should Receive Federal Recognition

The federal government now recognizes same-sex marriages as triggering rights and responsibilities under federal law. However, it still generally refuses to recognize alternative legal statuses—civil unions and domestic partnerships—that were created by states to serve as functional marriages. Even though all the states that created such alternative statuses now permit same-sex couples to marry, this misguided policy causes ongoing harms. Some same-sex couples who entered into alternative relationships when marriage was not an option may now lack the capacity to marry. Couples who have since married may also be hurt by the federal government’s refusal to recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships retroactively, even in situations where it is now recognizing same-sex marriages retroactively. This Article argues that the current federal policy is based on a mindlessly literalist approach to statutory interpretation that should be repudiated. Federal law generally looks to state law to determine valid marriages, and the state laws that created these alternative statuses defined them to be fully equivalent to marriages in all respects. Couples who enter into such unions thus make exactly the same legal commitments to each other that couples who marry make to each other. Just as the federal government routinely recognizes foreign marriages, even when called something other than “marriage,” it should recognize state civil unions or domestic partnerships that are likewise legally indistinguishable from (other) marriages

A Marriage By Any Other Name: Why Civil Unions Should Receive Federal Recognition

The federal government now recognizes same-sex marriages as triggering rights and responsibilities under federal law. However, it still generally refuses to recognize alternative legal statuses—civil unions and domestic partnerships—that were created by states to serve as functional marriages. Even though all the states that created such alternative statuses now permit same-sex couples to marry, this misguided policy causes ongoing harms. Some same-sex couples who entered into alternative relationships when marriage was not an option may now lack the capacity to marry. Couples who have since married may also be hurt by the federal government’s refusal to recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships retroactively, even in situations where it is now recognizing same-sex marriages retroactively. This Article argues that the current federal policy is based on a mindlessly literalist approach to statutory interpretation that should be repudiated. Federal law generally looks to state law to determine valid marriages, and the state laws that created these alternative statuses defined them to be fully equivalent to marriages in all respects. Couples who enter into such unions thus make exactly the same legal commitments to each other that couples who marry make to each other. Just as the federal government routinely recognizes foreign marriages, even when called something other than “marriage,” it should recognize state civil unions or domestic partnerships that are likewise legally indistinguishable from (other) marriages

Origin of the system of globular clusters in the Milky Way

Context. The assembly history experienced by the Milky Way is currently being unveiled thanks to the data provided by the Gaia mission. It is likely that the globular cluster system of our Galaxy has followed a similarly intricate formation path. Aims. To constrain this formation path, we explore the link between the globular clusters and the known merging events that the Milky Way has experienced. Methods. To this end, we combined the kinematic information provided by Gaia for almost all Galactic clusters, with the largest sample of cluster ages available after carefully correcting for systematic errors. To identify clusters with a common origin we analysed their dynamical properties, particularly in the space of integrals of motion. Results. We find that about 40% of the clusters likely formed in situ. A similarly large fraction, 35%, appear to be possibly associated to known merger events, in particular to Gaia-Enceladus (19%), the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy (5%), the progenitor of the Helmi streams (6%), and to the Sequoia galaxy (5%), although some uncertainty remains due to the degree of overlap in their dynamical characteristics. Of the remaining clusters, 16% are tentatively associated to a group with high binding energy, while the rest are all on loosely bound orbits and likely have a more heterogeneous origin. The resulting age–metallicity relations are remarkably tight and differ in their detailed properties depending on the progenitor, providing further confidence on the associations made. Conclusions. We provide a table listing the likely associations. Improved kinematic data by future Gaia data releases and especially a larger, systematic error-free sample of cluster ages would help to further solidify our conclusions

Addressing social disconnection among frequent users of community hospital emergency departments: A statewide implementation evaluation

We conducted a qualitative exploration and implementation evaluation of a Massachusetts policy initiative, the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation (CHART) investment program, to examine how CHART innovations aimed at reducing unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits also addressed patients’ social disconnection problems according to a social connection framework (structural, functional, quality or multilevel). We performed interviews with 236 stakeholders (hospital managers, CHART providers, staff, and community partners) one-year post CHART implementation. Interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Data were then mapped to levels of the social connection framework. Our results support that social disconnection, described as “loneliness” and “social isolation” by stakeholders, met the definition of a structural social connection problem according to our framework. These structural problems led patients to the ED for reasons not always related to their physical health. CHART innovations involving home visit programs, elder services interventions, work flow changes in the ED, and regular telephone follow-ups provided functional level emotional and tangible support to meet these structural problems. We did not find substantive support for mapping interview data to the quality and multi-level dimensions of the framework. Innovations to address high ED use, according to stakeholders, provided functional level emotional and tangible support to address structural level problems of social disconnection. Future work should examine the sustainability of innovations in a value-based healthcare climate, and the effectiveness of these programs on reducing ED utilization. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Policy & Measurement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Characterization of IgG and IgE Binding to Parvalbumin Derived from Commercially Important Fish Species

Rationale: Parvalbumin is recognized as pan-allergen in fish and frog. However, previous studies demonstrated that the IgE- and IgG-binding patterns to parvalbumins vary depending on the fish species. We aimed to use 3 anti-parvalbumin IgG and human IgE to investigate the contributing factors for the binding differences. Methods: Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and IgG immunoblotting were used to determine the reactivity of the polyclonal anti-cod parvalbumin antibody and the commercially available, monoclonal anti-frog and anti-carp parvalbumin antibodies against raw muscle extracts of 25 fish species. Additionally, sera from 46 individuals with clinical history of fish allergy were analyzed for IgE reactivity to parvalbumin using indirect ELISA. Inhibition ELISAwas performed to determine the effects of heating and calcium on IgG-binding to parvalbumin. Results: The 3 IgG antibodies demonstrated varying specificity for different fish species. Polyclonal anti-cod parvalbumin antibody showed reactivity to a wider range of species, whereas the monoclonal anti-frog parvalbumin antibody showed the least cross-reactivity. The binding of the 3 IgG antibodies to parvalbumin was unaffected by heating, but the absence of calcium abolished the binding. IgE reactivity to cod parvalbumin or cod extracts were observed in \u3e 50% of individuals’ sera, whereas \u3c 0.1% of the sera showed reactivity to tuna and swordfish extracts. Both IgG and IgE antibodies showed low reactivity to tuna and swordfish that are apparently deficient in parvalbumin. Conclusions: These results suggested that the antibodies’ specificity to parvalbumins in various fish species is associated with the parvalbumin expression, its structural conformation, and the primary structure of antigenic determinations on parvalbumin

Identification and Analysis of the IgE Binding by Parvalbumin and Other Potential Allergens in Different Fish and Frog Species

Rationale: Serological cross-reactivity to different fish and frog species is common among fish-allergic individuals.We examined the intra- and inter-individual diversity in IgE responses of fish-allergic subjects to various fish and frog species and identified novel allergens besides parvalbumin. Methods: Sera from 38 subjects with a clinical history of fish allergy were analyzed for IgE-binding profiles to crude extracts of 26 raw fish and frog species, and purified cod and carp parvalbumin using IgE-immunoblotting. Sera of 7 subjects showing similar IgE-binding profiles in the IgEimmmunoblotting were pooled to identify potential allergens in pilchard, herring, cod, cusk, and rainbow trout using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D) combined with IgE-immunoblotting and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: IgE-immunoblotting demonstrated great diversity among the fish-allergic individuals with respect to the IgE-binding to the parvalbumins and non-parvalbumin proteins in fish and frog species. Of the 38 individuals, 26 (68%) and 21 (55%) reacted to cod and carp parvalbumin, respectively. However, low IgE reactivity to parvalbumin from frog, mahi-mahi, and swordfish was observed. The pooled sera showed IgE-binding to parvalbumin and its corresponding isoforms separated by 2D in all 5 species. The IgE from pooled sera also recognized several novel fish allergens, including alpha actin, enolase, creatine kinase, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and fast myosin light chain proteins. Conclusions: The variation in IgE-binding depended on the individuals and fish species analyzed. The results suggested parvalbumin as the major cross-reactive allergens among fish species. Further characterization of the novel fish allergens is warranted at the molecular level using sera from additional fish-allergic subjects

The central role of IL-33/IL-1RL1 pathway in asthma:From pathogenesis to intervention

Interleukin-33 (IL-33), a member of the IL-1 family, and its cognate receptor, Interleukin-1 receptor like-1 (IL-1RL1 or ST2), are susceptibility genes for childhood asthma. In response to cellular damage, IL-33 is released from barrier tissues as an & lsquo;alarmin & rsquo; to activate the innate immune response. IL-33 drives type 2 responses by inducing signalling through its receptor IL-1RL1 in several immune and structural cells, thereby leading to type 2 cytokine and chemokine production. IL-1RL1 gene transcript encodes different isoforms generated through alternative splicing. Its soluble isoform, IL-1RL1-a or sST2, acts as a decoy receptor by sequestering IL-33, thereby inhibiting IL1RL1-b/IL-33 signalling. IL-33 and its receptor IL-1RL1 are therefore considered as putative biomarkers or targets for pharmacological intervention in asthma. This review will provide an overview of the genetics and biology of the IL-33/IL-1RL1 pathway in the context of asthma pathogenesis. It will discuss the potential and complexities of targeting the cytokine or its receptor, how genetics or biomarkers may inform precision medicine for asthma targeting this pathway, and the possible positioning of therapeutics targeting IL-33 or its receptor in the expanding landscape of novel biologicals applied in asthma management. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Substructure in the stellar halo near the Sun:I. Data-driven clustering in integrals-of-motion space

Aims: Develop a data-driven and statistically based method for finding such clumps in Integrals of Motion space for nearby halo stars and evaluating their significance robustly. Methods: We use data from Gaia EDR3 extended with radial velocities from ground-based spectroscopic surveys to construct a sample of halo stars within 2.5 kpc from the Sun. We apply a hierarchical clustering method that uses the single linkage algorithm in a 3D space defined by the commonly used integrals of motion energy $E$, together with two components of the angular momentum, $L_z$ and $L_\perp$. To evaluate the statistical significance of the clusters found, we compare the density within an ellipsoidal region centered on the cluster to that of random sets with similar global dynamical properties. We pick out the signal at the location of their maximum statistical significance in the hierarchical tree. We estimate the proximity of a star to the cluster center using the Mahalanobis distance. We also apply the HDBSCAN clustering algorithm in velocity space. Results: Our procedure identifies 67 highly significant clusters ($> 3\sigma$), containing 12\% of the sources in our halo set, and in total 232 subgroups or individual streams in velocity space. In total, 13.8\% of the stars in our data set can be confidently associated to a significant cluster based on their Mahalanobis distance. Inspection of our data set reveals a complex web of relationships between the significant clusters, suggesting that they can be tentatively grouped into at least 6 main structures, many of which can be associated to previously identified halo substructures, and a number of independent substructures. This preliminary conclusion is further explored in an accompanying paper by Ruiz-Lara et al., where we also characterize the substructures in terms of their stellar populations. Conclusions: We find... (abridged version)Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A. This is the first in a series of papers, the second (Ruiz-Lara et al.) can be found in https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022arXiv220102405R/abstract Code of the clustering algorithm can be found in https://github.com/SofieLovdal/IOM_clusterin

Evaluation and Comparison of the Species-Specificity of 3 Antiparvalbumin IgG Antibodies

Parvalbumin is a pan-allergen in fish and frogs that triggers IgE-mediated reactions in fish-allergic individuals. Previous studies demonstrated that antibodies raised against fish and frog parvalbumins displayed varying specificity for different fish species, and thus, the applicability of these antibodies for potential use in immunoassays to detect fish residues were limited. We aimed to determine the specificity of 3 IgG antibodies for various fish species. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and IgG-immunoblotting were used to compare the reactivity of the polyclonal anticod parvalbumin antibody and the commercially available, monoclonal antifrog and monoclonal anticarp parvalbumin antibodies against raw muscle extracts of 29 fish species. All antibodies demonstrated varying specificities for different fish species. Of the 3 antibodies, the polyclonal anticod parvalbumin antibody is the most suitable for the detection of fish parvalbumins, as it showed reactivity to the widest range of species, including herring, pilchard, carp, pike, cod, pollock, haddock, cusk, hake, bluegill, tilapia, bass, grouper, trout, catfish, and perch, although detection was still limited for several key fish species