Seeking Redress for Gender-Based Bias Crimes- Charting New Ground in Familiar Legal Territory

This Essay will analyze how courts have defined gender-motivation, focusing on the Civil Rights Remedy cases decided before the law was struck down, in an attempt to cull from those cases the standards federal courts have used to assess gender-motivation. The article will first provide an overview of existing and proposed laws that offer some form of redress for gender-motivated crimes. It will then analyze cases decided under the Civil Rights Remedy, focusing on two key issues that have arisen as policymakers struggle with whether and how gender-based bias crimes fit in the rubric of hate crimes legislation. The first of these issues is how courts have assessed whether claims of domestic violence reflect discriminatory motivation, and what type of evidence they have found useful in that context. The second issue is how courts treated VAWA civil rights claims based on allegations of sexual assault, and what, if any, evidence, in addition to allegations of sexual assault, they found to indicate gender-motivation

Library for the future

Thesis (S.B. in Art and Design)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2002.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 26).The library is intended to be an egalitarian institution for the dissemination of knowledge to the public. With the advent of the internet, information has been further democratized and the status of the library has been questioned. However, its status as a symbol of the city's vitality has not lessened. While the internet can speedily distribute kernels of information, books provide the means of realization. As an important cultural center of the city, the library takes on various roles in the quest to create a culture that fosters education. Thus, it is more important than ever to create a space that challenges the identity of the library as it is today and provides a forum for the interactions of the city. The work of this thesis examines the library's influence on the reader, the community, and the world at large. The importance of occupying a library building rather than "remotely accessing" it must be understood. Finding factoids online is a solitary activity. Speed replaces the communal activities of searching, understanding and realizing, often replacing accuracy as well. The internet cannot simulate the feeling of the book, its weight, feel, and smell. Even the taboo food stains and pencil markings in the margins of a book trace the presence of the body, the mind, and the evolution of knowledge. The history of the book can be seen not only through the printed words, but within the markings left behind and the dates stamped in the back cover. Space, materiality, and activity must be emphasized in the library to underline the difference between information of the mind and understanding of the whole. The need for interaction among patrons has lead to a broadening of the term "library" and its uses. This word now refers to a cultural center intended for the spread of knowledge of all sorts. What once housed the source of man's cumulative education written for posterity in books, now also serves as a source of understanding between people. This "secular cathedral" has merged the museum, the concert hall, and the community center, validating their lessons: What we know is not only fact, but feeling. The library touches our senses as much as our mind. The library has become a site of sharing experiences learned from study and learned from the World, brought together in one building. It is a physical manifestation of enlightenment. The library is often considered figuratively to be the container of all knowledge. Though this is impossible, the library still remains the symbol of enlightenment in a city. Thus, the stacks can become a jewel box, displaying the books as an enticement for the public. Whether this takes the form of a transparent glass cube or a isolated, self-contained capsule, the stacks can be a beacon, guiding people towards education. The journey through the library to reach the books is important, as is the method of threshold through which they are revealed. This project seeks to set an example for what a community building can be to a city by examining a site at the corner of Massachusetts and Western Avenues in Central Square, the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This site, however, is vital for the municipality and would demonstrate the city's dedication to the education of all its citizens. Several bus stops begin at that very corner and the Central Square T-stop is just a block away. The transportation and governmental infrastructure is present near the site and make it ideal for a community library. The City of Cambridge currently has plans to expand its central library, located near Harvard Square. There is also a small branch library a short distance off of Massachusetts Avenue. Central Square is a vital front on which the library could expand it readership. Currently this area of Cambridge is populated with what one might call "undesirables." However, the creation of the library is an opportunity to attract these people to the joys of reading. Perhaps it begins as a warm place to rest, but the library should ultimately entice its occupants into the pursuit of knowledge within its walls, as well as outside of them. The library must relate to its urban context in order to draw people in. Although Central Square appears to be very disordered, there is in fact a regular pattern of parcels which extends perpendicularly from Massachusetts Avenue. In addition, each block has two "fronts" which also create an axis. The library responds to the overlapping of these two perpendicular systems, allowing one of the grid areas to remain open as a plaza. The building is also striated by function, according to the fabric of the land.by Julie Hui-Guang Kaufman.S.B.in Art and Desig

Distinct features of nucleolus-associated domains in mouse embryonic stem cells [preprint]

Background Heterochromatin in eukaryotic interphase cells frequently localizes to the nucleolar periphery (nucleolus-associated domains, NADs) and the nuclear lamina (lamina-associated domains, LADs). Gene expression in somatic cell NADs is generally low, but NADs have not been characterized in mammalian stem cells. Results Here, we generated the first genome-wide map of NADs in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) via deep sequencing of chromatin associated with biochemically-purified nucleoli. As we had observed in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), the large Type I subset of NADs overlaps with constitutive LADs and is enriched for features of constitutive heterochromatin, including late replication timing and low gene density and expression levels. Conversely, the Type II NAD subset overlaps with loci that are not lamina-associated, but in mESCs, Type II NADs are much less abundant than in MEFs. mESC NADs are also much less enriched in H3K27me3 modified regions than are NADs in MEFs. Additionally, comparision of MEF and mESC NADs revealed enrichment of developmentally regulated genes in cell type-specific NADs. Together, these data indicate that NADs are a developmentally dynamic component of heterochromatin. Conclusions These studies implicate association with the nucleolar periphery as a mechanism for developmentally-regulated gene silencing, and will facilitate future studies of NADs during mESC differentiation

Secondary Sex Ratio among Women Exposed to Diethylstilbestrol in Utero

BACKGROUND. Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen widely prescribed to pregnant women during the mid-1900s, is a potent endocrine disruptor. Previous studies have suggested an association between endocrine-disrupting compounds and secondary sex ratio. METHODS. Data were provided by women participating in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) DES Combined Cohort Study. We used generalized estimating equations to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relation of in utero DES exposure to sex ratio (proportion of male births). Models were adjusted for maternal age, child's birth year, parity, and cohort, and accounted for clustering among women with multiple pregnancies. RESULTS. The OR for having a male birth comparing DES-exposed to unexposed women was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.95-1.17). For exposed women with complete data on cumulative DES dose and timing (33%), those first exposed to DES earlier in gestation and to higher doses had the highest odds of having a male birth. The ORs were 0.91 (95% C, 0.65-1.27) for first exposure at ≥ 13 weeks gestation to < 5 g DES; 0.95 (95% CI, 0.71-1.27) for first exposure at ≥ 13 weeks to ≥ 5 g; 1.16 (95% CI, 0.96-1.41) for first exposure at < 13 weeks to < 5 g; and 1.24 (95% CI, 1.04-1.48) for first exposure at < 13 weeks to ≥ 5 g compared with no exposure. Results did not vary appreciably by maternal age, parity, cohort, or infertility history. CONCLUSIONS. Overall, no association was observed between in utero DES exposure and secondary sex ratio, but a significant increase in the proportion of male births was found among women first exposed to DES earlier in gestation and to a higher cumulative dose.National Cancer Institute (N01-CP-21168, N01-CP-51017, N01-CP-01289

Facial Emotion and Identity Processing Development in 5- to 15-Year-Old Children

Most developmental studies of emotional face processing to date have focused on infants and very young children. Additionally, studies that examine emotional face processing in older children do not distinguish development in emotion and identity face processing from more generic age-related cognitive improvement. In this study, we developed a paradigm that measures processing of facial expression in comparison to facial identity and complex visual stimuli. The three matching tasks were developed (i.e., facial emotion matching, facial identity matching, and butterfly wing matching) to include stimuli of similar level of discriminability and to be equated for task difficulty in earlier samples of young adults. Ninety-two children aged 5–15 years and a new group of 24 young adults completed these three matching tasks. Young children were highly adept at the butterfly wing task relative to their performance on both face-related tasks. More importantly, in older children, development of facial emotion discrimination ability lagged behind that of facial identity discrimination

Prospectus, October 26, 1983

LEARNING LAB IS A LIFE SAVER; News Digest; What to do about childhood stress; Braille room fills needs of the blind; PC Happenings; Did you know that?; How to reorganize homemaking chores; TV results; Pumpkin Contest; Health Information; C.A.A.R.; WPCD quizzes high schools; Register for spring semester; Apples remain fave fruit; Be cool in case of fire; Rural Illinois growth increases; Cowboy Brock programs sports; Pulitzer winner visits C-U; Quality circles solve problems; Oktoberfest is today; Around Parkland; The truth behind Halloween is haunting; Brighten a Soldier\u27s Christmas; Interesting story ideas brighten series; Passion at Krannert; Zelig restores Allen\u27s stature; Classified; Krannert adds on; Fast Freddy statistics; Fast Freddy Contest; Bowling scoreshttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1983/1007/thumbnail.jp

Ki-67 Contributes To Normal Cell Cycle Progression And Inactive X Heterochromatin In p21 Checkpoint-Proficient Human Cells [preprint]

Ki-67 protein is widely used as a tumor proliferation marker. However, whether Ki-67 affects cell cycle progression has been controversial. Here, we demonstrate that depletion of Ki-67 in human hTERT-RPE1, WI-38, IMR90, hTERT-BJ cell lines and primary fibroblast cells slowed entry into S phase and coordinately downregulated genes related to DNA replication. Some gene expression changes were partially relieved in Ki-67-depleted hTERT-RPE1 cells by co-depletion of the Rb checkpoint protein, but more thorough suppression of the transcriptional and cell cycle defects was observed upon depletion of cell cycle inhibitor p21. Notably, induction of p21 upon depletion of Ki-67 was a consistent hallmark of cell types in which transcription and cell cycle distribution were sensitive to Ki-67; these responses were absent in cells that did not induce p21. Furthermore, upon Ki-67 depletion, a subset of inactive X (Xi) chromosomes in female hTERT-RPE1 cells displayed several features of compromised heterochromatin maintenance, including decreased H3K27me3 and H4K20me1 labeling. These chromatin alterations were limited to Xi chromosomes localized away from the nuclear lamina and were not observed in checkpoint-deficient 293T cells. Altogether, our results indicate that Ki-67 integrates normal S phase progression and Xi heterochromatin maintenance in p21 checkpoint-proficient human cells

The chromatin-binding domain of Ki-67 together with p53 protects human chromosomes from mitotic damage [preprint]

Vertebrate mammals express a protein called Ki-67 which is most widely known as a clinically useful marker of highly proliferative cells. Previous studies of human cells indicated that acute depletion of Ki-67 can elicit a delay at the G1/S boundary of the cell cycle, dependent on induction of the checkpoint protein p21. Consistent with those observations, we show here that acute Ki-67 depletion causes hallmarks of DNA damage, and the damage occurs even in the absence of checkpoint signaling. This damage is not observed in cells traversing S phase but is instead robustly detected in mitotic cells. The C-terminal chromatin binding domain of Ki-67 is necessary and sufficient to protect cells from this damage. We also observe synergistic effects when Ki-67 and p53 are simultaneously depleted, resulting in increased levels of chromosome bridges at anaphase, followed by the appearance of micronuclei. Therefore, these studies identify the C-terminus of Ki-67 as an important module for genome stability

Assessing the discordance rate between local and central HER2 testing in women with locally determined HER2-negative breast cancer.

BackgroundThe importance of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) as a prognostic and predictive marker in invasive breast cancer is well established. Accurate assessment of HER2 status is essential to determine optimal treatment options.MethodsBreast cancer tumor tissue samples from the VIRGO observational cohort tissue substudy that were locally HER2-negative were retested centrally with both US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays, using FDA-approved assay cutoffs; results were compared.ResultsOf the 552 unique patient samples centrally retested with local HER2-negative results recorded, tumor samples from 22 (4.0%) patients were determined to be HER2-positive (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.5%-5.7%). Of these, 18 had been tested locally by only one testing methodology; 15 of 18 were HER2-positive after the central retesting, based on the testing methodology not performed locally. Compared with the 530 patients with centrally confirmed HER2-negative tumors, the 22 patients with centrally determined HER2-positive tumors were younger (median age 56.5 versus 60.0 years) and more likely to have ER/PR-negative tumors (27.3% versus 22.3%). These patients also had shorter median progression-free survival (6.4 months [95% CI = 3.8-15.9 months] versus 9.1 months [95% CI = 8.3-10.3 months]) and overall survival (25.9 months [95% CI = 13.8-not estimable] versus 27.9 months [95% CI = 25.0-32.9 months]).ConclusionsThis study highlights the limitations of employing just one HER2 testing methodology in current clinical practice. It identifies a cohort of patients who did not receive potentially efficacious therapy because their tumor HER2-positivity was not determined by the test initially used. Because of inherent limitations in testing methodologies, it is inadvisable to rely on a single test to rule out potential benefit from HER2-targeted therapy

Two Contrasting Classes of Nucleolus-Associated Domains in Mouse Fibroblast Heterochromatin [preprint]

In interphase eukaryotic cells, almost all heterochromatin is located adjacent to the nucleolus or to the nuclear lamina, thus defining Nucleolus Associated Domains (NADs) and Lamina Associated Domains (LADs), respectively. Here, we determined the first genome-scale map of murine NADs in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via deep sequencing of chromatin associated with purified nucleoli. We developed a Bioconductor package called NADfinder and demonstrated that it identifies NADs more accurately than other peak-calling tools, due to its critical feature of chromosome-level local baseline correction. We detected two distinct classes of NADs. Type I NADs associate frequently with both the nucleolar periphery and with the nuclear lamina, and generally display characteristics of constitutive heterochromatin, including late DNA replication, enrichment of H3K9me3 and little gene expression. In contrast, Type II NADs associate with nucleoli but do not overlap with LADs. Type II NADs tend to replicate earlier, display greater gene expression, and are more often enriched in H3K27me3 than Type I NADs. The nucleolar associations of both classes of NADs were confirmed via DNA-FISH, which also detected Type I but not Type II probes enriched at the nuclear lamina. Interestingly, Type II NADs are enriched in distinct gene classes, notably factors important for differentiation and development. In keeping with this, we observed that a Type II NAD is developmentally regulated, present in MEFs but not in undifferentiated embryonic stem (ES) cells