Preimplantation Genetic Testing: A Fundamental Right

Unlike many European countries of similar economic, social, scientific, and political advancement, there is virtually no regulation of preimplantation genetic testing in the United States. This Note will explore preimplantation genetic testing and demonstrate that potential parents in the United States have a right to conduct said testing under the umbrella of the fundamental right to privacy. This Note will demonstrate the need for the regulation for preimplantation genetic testing that will comply with the Undue Burden Test set out in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, while acknowledging and supporting the fundamental right of potential parents to conduct testing. This Note will also address how potential regulations, or lack thereof, of preimplantation genetic testing may affect disabled people and their rights

Positronium collisions with rare-gas atoms

We calculate elastic scattering of positronium (Ps) by the Xe atom using the recently developed pseudopotential method [I. I. Fabrikant and G. F. Gribakin, Phys. Rev. A 90, 052717 (2014)] and review general features of Ps scattering from heavier rare-gas atoms: Ar, Kr, and Xe. The total scattering cross section is dominated by two contributions: elastic scattering and Ps ionization (breakup). To calculate the Ps ionization cross sections we use the binary-encounter method for Ps collisions with an atomic target. Our results for the ionization cross section agree well with previous calculations carried out in the impulse approximation. Our total Ps-Xe cross section, when plotted as a function of the projectile velocity, exhibits similarity with the electron-Xe cross section for the collision velocities higher than 0.8 a.u., and agrees very well with the measurements at Ps velocities above 0.5 a.u.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Phys.

Potentials for hyper-Kahler metrics with torsion

We prove that locally any hyper-K\"ahler metric with torsion admits an HKT potential.Comment: 9 page

Cadherin-5: a biomarker for metastatic breast cancer with optimum efficacy in oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancers with vascular invasion

Background: A glycoproteomic study has previously shown cadherin-5 (CDH5) to be a serological marker of metastatic breast cancer when both protein levels and glycosylation status were assessed. In this study we aimed to further validate the utility of CDH5 as a biomarker for breast cancer progression. Methods: A nested case–control study of serum samples from breast cancer patients, of which n=52 had developed a distant metastatic recurrence within 5 years post-diagnosis and n=60 had remained recurrence-free. ELISAs were used to quantify patient serum CDH5 levels and assess glycosylation by Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) binding. Clinicopathological, treatment and lifestyle factors associated with metastasis and elevated biomarker levels were identified. Results: Elevated CDH5 levels (P=0.028) and ratios of CDH5:HPA binding (P=0.007) distinguished patients with metastatic disease from those that remained metastasis-free. Multivariate analysis showed that the association between CDH5:HPA ratio and the formation of distant metastases was driven by patients with oestrogen receptor (ER+) positive cancer with vascular invasion (VI+). Conclusions: CDH5 levels and the CDH5 glycosylation represent biomarker tests that distinguish patients with metastatic breast cancer from those that remain metastasis-free. The test reached optimal sensitivity and specificity in ER-positive cancers with vascular invasion

Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission Spectrometry in Archaeology

Proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) spectrometry is fast developing a reputation as a powerful analytical tool in the study of a range of ancient materials, including bronze, iron, gold, glass, faience, and smelting slag. PIXE data allows determination of the primary constituents which would indicate their recipe of production and determine their bulk physical properties (e.g., color of a glass, brittleness in a metal), and of a wide range of trace elements which may indicate the source of raw material s from which an artifact was constituted. Over the past seven years, PIXE spectrometry\u27s primary advantage over other recognized methods now being applied in archaeological research (particularly, xrf spectrometry and SEM/EDAX) - -that protons induce very little bremsstrahlung and therefore contribute very little to spectrum background during analysis has been much enhanced through the use of various kinds of selective filters in the detection system that heavily suppress the x-ray signal of dominant element(s) in the artifact\u27s matrix (Cu in bronze, Si and Ca in glass, etc.). PIXE detection limits are kept exceptionally low (usually in the 10 ppm to 100 ppm range), because the selective filters almost entirely eliminate secondary background effects arising from response inertia in the detection system\u27s electronics. Archaeological applications of the PIXE method, as reviewed here, now cover both the Old World, the New World, ancient Asia and Polynesia, and a time-span of the 5th millennium B.C. through to the 19th century A.D

Observations of the temporal variation in chemical content of decomposition fluid: A preliminary study using pigs as a model system

In this paper we report the results of our preliminary studies into short chain fatty acids that have the potential to show reproducible patterns over certain postmortem intervals during decomposition in the absence of a soil matrix. Additional compounds that were detected, including several long chain fatty acids, were also investigated for their potential in estimating postmortem interval. Analysis of data was conducted to establish any distinct relationship between the levels of particular compounds produced with respect to time and temperature. Pork rashers (belly pork), whole stillborn piglets and whole adult pig (Sus scrofa) carcasses were used to model the human decomposition process in two separate locations, Western Australia (Perth) and Southern Canada (Oshawa). Thisenabled a comparison of components to be carried out under significantly different climatic conditions. Compounds were identified after analysis with gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry. Preliminary observations indicate that both short-chain and long-chain acids followed an apparent cyclic trend. All trials showed differences with respect to rate of decomposition, both between trials and between subjects in the same trial; however, the identity of the compounds detected for the pork rasher trial (Perth) and the pig trial (Canada) remained very similar

Analytical separations of mammalian decomposition products for forensic science: A review

The study of mammalian soft tissue decomposition is an emerging area in forensic science, with a major focus of the research being the use of various chemical and biological methods to study the fate of human remains in the environment. Decomposition of mammalian soft tissue is a postmortem process that, depending on environmental conditions and physiological factors, will proceed until complete disintegration of the tissue. The major stages of decomposition involve complex reactions which result in the chemical breakdown of the body's main constituents; lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. The first step to understanding this chemistry is identifying the compounds present in decomposition fluids and determining when they are produced. This paper provides an overview of decomposition chemistry andreviews recent advances in this area utilising analytical separation science

Application of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for assessing biogenic silica sample purity in geochemical analyses and palaeoenvironmental research

The development of a rapid and non-destructive method to assess purity levels in samples of biogenic silica prior to geochemical/isotope analysis remains a key objective in improving both the quality and use of such data in environmental and palaeoclimatic research. Here a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) mass-balance method is demonstrated for calculating levels of contamination in cleaned sediment core diatom samples from Lake Baikal, Russia. Following the selection of end-members representative of diatoms and contaminants in the analysed samples, a mass-balance model is generated to simulate the expected FTIR spectra for a given level of contamination. By fitting the sample FTIR spectra to the modelled FTIR spectra and calculating the residual spectra, the optimum best-fit model and level of contamination is obtained. When compared to X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) the FTIR method portrays the main changes in sample contamination through the core sequence, permitting its use in instances where other, destructive, techniques are not appropriate. The ability to analyse samples of <1 mg enables, for the first time, routine analyses of small sized samples. Discrepancies between FTIR and XRF measurements can be attributed to FTIR end-members not fully representing all contaminants and problems in using XRF to detect organic matter external to the diatom frustule. By analysing samples with both FTIR and XRF, these limitations can be eliminated to accurately identify contaminated samples. Future, routine use of these techniques in palaeoenvironmental research will therefore significantly reduce the number of erroneous measurements and so improve the accuracy of biogenic silica/diatom based climate reconstructions