Victim Protection or Revictimization: Should College Disciplinary Boards Handle Sexual Assault Claims?

Colleges and universities that receive federal funding are legally required to respond to all sexual assault complaints on their campuses. Numerous laws and guidance documents address the specific obligations of higher education institutions in their responses to complaints; however, many colleges and universities have failed to meet these obligations. This Note examines the requirements colleges and universities must comply with when responding to sexual assault complaints. It then highlights three high-profile mishandlings of sexual assault cases by colleges and universities and analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of allowing campus disciplinary committees to independently respond to sexual assaults. This Note then suggests that law enforcement should be integrated into the campus response procedures, specifies particular procedural changes that are necessary in campus disciplinary proceedings, and suggests alternative penalties to ensure institution compliance. Finally, this Note addresses proposed legislation aimed at improving the response of institutions to sexual assault on college and university campuses

Judging Gender Norms in \u3cem\u3eEEOC v. Boh Bros. Construction Co.\u3c/em\u3e: Why the Subjective Approach Is Necessary When Evaluating Claims of Sex Discrimination Based on Gender Stereotyping

On September 27, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, held in favor of Kerry Woods, a heterosexual male construction worker who claimed sex discrimination based on gender stereotyping by Chuck Wolfe, his heterosexual male supervisor. In EEOC v. Boh Bros. Construction Co., the majority based its analysis on Wolfe’s subjective view of Woods’ non-conformance with gender stereotyping in holding there was discrimination. The use of a subjective test ensures that victims of severe or pervasive sex discrimination have a remedy even if they visibly conform to gender stereotypes. Additionally, the majority correctly protected all employees who experience severe or pervasive sex discrimination irrespective of their environments by concluding that the inherently vulgar context of the construction site did not automatically invalidate the claim. The dissenting judges’ emphasis on using an objective standard when analyzing claims of sex discrimination based on gender stereotyping would improperly deny victims of severe or pervasive harassment a remedy simply because they appear to comply with the judges’ opinions of gender norms

Organ aging signatures in the plasma proteome track health and disease.

Animal studies show aging varies between individuals as well as between organs within an individual1-4, but whether this is true in humans and its effect on age-related diseases is unknown. We utilized levels of human blood plasma proteins originating from specific organs to measure organ-specific aging differences in living individuals. Using machine learning models, we analysed aging in 11 major organs and estimated organ age reproducibly in five independent cohorts encompassing 5,676 adults across the human lifespan. We discovered nearly 20% of the population show strongly accelerated age in one organ and 1.7% are multi-organ agers. Accelerated organ aging confers 20-50% higher mortality risk, and organ-specific diseases relate to faster aging of those organs. We find individuals with accelerated heart aging have a 250% increased heart failure risk and accelerated brain and vascular aging predict Alzheimers disease (AD) progression independently from and as strongly as plasma pTau-181 (ref. 5), the current best blood-based biomarker for AD. Our models link vascular calcification, extracellular matrix alterations and synaptic protein shedding to early cognitive decline. We introduce a simple and interpretable method to study organ aging using plasma proteomics data, predicting diseases and aging effects

APOE Genotype Modulates Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Metabolites in the Aging Brain

BACKGROUND: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) studies on healthy aging have reported inconsistent findings and have not systematically taken into account the possible modulatory effect of APOE genotype. We aimed to quantify brain metabolite changes in healthy subjects in relation to age and the presence of the APOE E4 genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, we examined these measures in relation to cognition. METHODS: We studied a cohort of 112 normal adults between 50 and 86 years old who were genotyped for APOE genetic polymorphism. Measurements of (1)H-MRS metabolites were obtained in the posterior cingulate and precuneus region. Measures of general cognitive functioning, memory, executive function, semantic fluency, and speed of processing were also obtained. RESULTS: General linear model analysis demonstrated that older APOE E4 carriers had significantly higher choline/creatine and myoinositol/creatine ratios than APOE E3 homozygotes. Structural equation modeling resulted in a model with an excellent goodness of fit and in which the APOE × age interaction and APOE status each had a significant effect on (1)H-MRS metabolites (choline/creatine and myo-inositol/creatine). Furthermore, the APOE × age variable modulation of cognition was mediated by (1)H-MRS metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: In a healthy aging normal population, choline/creatine and myo-inositol/creatine ratios were significantly increased in APOE E4 carriers, suggesting the presence of neuroinflammatory processes and greater membrane turnover in older carriers. Structural equation modeling analysis confirmed these possible neurodegenerative markers and also indicated the mediator role of these metabolites on cognitive performance among older APOE E4 carriers