Putting the Restroom Debate to Rest: Addressing Title IX and Equal Protection in G.G. ex rel. Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board

Courts, legislatures, and citizens have been debating whether transgender students should use the restroom that corresponds to their biological sex, or whether they can choose to use the facilities which align with their gender identity. The Fourth Circuit decided that Title IX required the latter in G.G. ex. rel. Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, but that didn\u27t settle the issue. To complicate things, the Trump Administration revoked the guidance that the Fourth Circuit had relied on. This Note argues that a court should resolve this once and for all by finding that a school policy that requires students to use the restroom that matches their biological sex and disregards their gender identity is both a violation of Title IX and of the Equal Protection Clause

Mechanical Response of He- Implanted Amorphous SiOC/ Crystalline Fe Nanolaminates

This study investigates the microstructural evolution and mechanical response of sputter-deposited amorphous silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)/crystalline Fe nanolaminates, a single layer SiOC film, and a single layer Fe film subjected to ion implantation at room temperature to obtain a maximum He concentration of 5 at. %. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicated no evidence of implantation-induced phase transformation or layer breakdown in the nanolaminates. Implantation resulted in the formation of He bubbles and an increase in the average size of the Fe grains in the individual Fe layers of the nanolaminates and the single layer Fe film, but the bubble density and grain size were found to be smaller in the former. By reducing the thicknesses of individual layers in the nanolaminates, bubble density and grain size were further decreased. No He bubbles were observed in the SiOC layers of the nanolaminates and the single layer SiOC film. Nanoindentation and scanning probe microscopy revealed an increase in the hardness of both single layer SiOC and Fe films after implantation. For the nanolaminates, changes in hardness were found to depend on the thicknesses of the individual layers, where reducing the layer thickness to 14 nm resulted in mitigation of implantation-induced hardening

Do Repugnant Scents Increase Survival of Ground Nests? A Test with Artificial and Natural Duck Nests

Ground-nesting birds typically experience high predation rates on their nests, often by mammalian predators. As such, researchers and wildlife managers have employed numerous techniques to mitigate nest predation. We investigated the use of scents as repellents to deter predators from both artificial and natural ground nests. Survival rates of artificial nests did not differ among six groups of substances (Wald ?2 df = 5 = 4.53, P < 0.48); however the chronology of predation among groups differed. A commercial Coyote urine based deterrent (DEER-D-TERTM), human hair, and Worcestershire sauce were depredated faster than the control (F4,5 = 40.3, P < 0.001). Nest survival of natural nests differed among those groups tested (Wald ?2 df = 2 = 11.8, P < 0.005); the eight mothball treatment decreased survival (Wald ?2 df = 1 = 11.5, P < 0.005), which indicated that novel smells may attract predators or result in duck nest abandonment when coupled with natural duck scent. Chronologies of predation events among treatment groups were not different for natural nests (F2,3 = 1.9, P = 0.22). These findings indicate an interaction between novel scents and predator olfactory cues

The Effects of Higher and Lower CO2 Levels in the Atmosphere on the Photosynthetic Rates and Stomatal Conductance of Malosma laurina in The Santa Monica Mountains

We hypothesize that higher CO2 levels will lead to a change in photosynthetic performance in the Malosma laurina population of the Santa Monica Mountains. We used one Malosma laurina that is across the street from university’s theme tower. We chose this specific plant because it was in the sun and it was in a well irrigated area. We selected a plant that is in non-shaded areas at 12:00 pm and then dark adapt them for 20 minutes. We selected an adult plant that was between four and six feet tall. We took the measurements from the upper leaves of the plant. We measured the photosynthetic rates of the plant, which will be exposed to the unaltered CO2 levels of the natural environment in the Santa Monica Mountains. Then, we used the LICOR (Li- 6400) system to create create three separate environments that we will then impose on the same plant but using different leaves. These simulated environments will have CO2 levels of 280ppm (past atmospheric level of CO2 before the industrial revolution), 400ppm (current atmospheric level of CO2), and 800ppm (expected atmospheric level of CO2 by 2100)

Evaluation of a School Campaign to Reduce Hatred

Combating violent extremism can involve organizing Peer-to-Peer (P2P) preventing violent extremism (PVE) programs and campaigns. In recent years, hundreds of school campaigns have been launched around the world but very few have been evaluated. In this manuscript, we present the results of the evaluation of one of these initiatives.  Study objectives consisted of: 1) Assessing the impact of the campaign in increasing students’ exposure to messages of acceptance and decreasing exposure to hate messages in the school environment, 2) Assess the impact of the campaign in improving students’ attitudes towards ethnocultural diversity. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with control groups. The study was implemented in Utah in schools of 8th and 9th-grade levels. Two schools were identified as campaign implementation sites, and two schools of similar socio-economic and ethnocultural characteristics were identified as the control sites.  We utilized univariate and multivariate regression analysis to assess changes in students’ exposure to hate messages and attitudes towards ethnocultural diversity. Our study findings can be useful for the development of future campaigns and educational programs as they highlight the importance of ethnocultural empathic awareness in improving students’ attitudes regarding ethnocultural diversity

Slow acid production by butter cultures

Butter cultures sometimes fail to develop acid at a normal rate, and such slow growth has probably been encountered wherever butter cultures are used. One characteristic of certain types of abnormally slow growth in butter cultures is the sudden manner in which the defect often occurs. A culture may appear satisfactory at the time it is used for inoculation and then fail to bring about the desired changes in the product being manufactured. Such an occurrence greatly interferes with general plant routine. If additional time is allowed for the formation of acid, a defective product may result. Sometimes acid development is so slow and the defects in the product being manufactured so serious that the finished material is unsalable. There are various causes of slow acid production by butter cultures. Some of these are easily determined by investigation of the methods used in propagation or by direct microscopic examination of the cultures. In other cases such methods fail to disclose the cause or causes of the abnormally slow growth, and the rather unusual aspects of such cases have motivated the work herein reported

Small General Aviation Airport Emergency Preparedness and the Perceived Risks of Very Light Jet Operations

Advances in aircraft design have facilitated to the development of relatively low cost, high performance, light weight jet aircraft known as very light jets (VLJs). The Federal Aviation Administration\u27s prediction of 4,500 VLJs flying by 2016 suggests that this concept may become a major contributing factor for gridlock in the National Airspace System WAS) (Robinson and Planzer, 2005). With this added burden, the need for effective emergency response at general aviation airports will continue to increase. This study investigated the level of emergency response preparedness of small general aviation airports in the state of Indiana that may service very light jets and measured attitudes of airport managers regarding the perceived risks of VLJ operations. Findings suggest that airport managers believe smaller airports are prepared to handle the growth in VLJ traffic and generally are not concerned with increasing the level of emergency response planning. This study concludes with recommendations for emergency enhancements at smaller airports not certified under Part 139