Are Campus Sexual Assault Tribunals Fair?: The Need for Judicial Review and Additional Due Process Protections in Light of New Case Law

The pervasiveness of sexual assault on college and university campuses and the schools’ failures to take sexual assault seriously have resulted in recent reforms to college campus disciplinary proceedings. The federal government has largely prompted this wave of reform through Title IX, requiring schools to employ particular policies and procedures for investigating and adjudicating sexual assault as a condition of receiving federal funds. Although the federal government’s mandates may be properly motivated, these reforms are criticized because they encourage schools to enact procedures that are heavily stacked against those accused of sexual assault. Consequently, students alleging that they have been wrongfully held responsible for sexual assault violations due to flawed disciplinary procedures have brought lawsuits against their schools. Recent case law demonstrates that some schools, in an attempt to comply with Title IX, have employed procedures that are fundamentally unfair to accused students. This Note considers the interests involved in campus investigatory and adjudicatory systems through an analysis of recent cases and the procedural flaws that have emerged. It further evaluates procedural protections that would strike a better balance between the interests of the accusers, the accused, and the schools. In conclusion, this Note argues that in light of the recent case law, more meaningful judicial review and additional due process protections are necessary for accused students

Ray optical light trapping in silicon microwires: exceeding the 2n^2 intensity limit

We develop a ray optics model of a silicon wire array geometry in an attempt to understand the very strong absorption previously observed experimentally in these arrays. Our model successfully reproduces the n^2 ergodic limit for wire arrays in free space. Applying this model to a wire array on a Lambertian back reflector, we find an asymptotic increase in light trapping for low filling fractions. In this case, the Lambertian back reflector is acting as a wide acceptance angle concentrator, allowing the array to exceed the ergodic limit in the ray optics regime. While this leads to increased power per volume of silicon, it gives reduced power per unit area of wire array, owing to reduced silicon volume at low filling fractions. Upon comparison with silicon microwire experimental data, our ray optics model gives reasonable agreement with large wire arrays (4 μm radius), but poor agreement with small wire arrays (1 μm radius). This suggests that the very strong absorption observed in small wire arrays, which is not observed in large wire arrays, may be significantly due to wave optical effects

Targeted Mutagenesis of the Oligopeptide Repeat Domain of the Yeast Prion Sup35

The formation of prions in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is determined by amino acid composition rather than the primary sequence of amino acids. The infectious amyloid proteins known as prions undergo nucleation and propagation, two distinct activities critical for prion formation. The ability for prions to be transferred from cell to cell, or propagate, is of interest not only in yeast prions but also in prion diseases such as the mammalian spongiform encephalopathies. Prion formation has been widely studied in yeast prions, however, the fundamental mechanisms behind the specific process of propagation of prions from cell to cell are not yet understood. In the most well-studied yeast prion, the prion form [PSI+] of Sup35, a domain of 5 ½ degenerate oligopeptide repeats called the oligopeptide repeat domain (ORD) has been shown to be important for prion propagation and to have a distinct amino acid composition as compared to the nucleation domain region. A library mutagenesis experiment has identified amino acids that favor or disfavor prion propagation in yeast cells. To confirm the results of the random library mutagenesis experiment, we generated several clones in which a portion of the ORD (the fourth oligopeptide repeat) was replaced with defined sequences expected to propagate or fail to propagate

Lead X-Ray Vests: Pros and Cons in Dental Radiography and Patient Education on Radiographic Technology

Problem: There is a greater need to emphasize and educate patients and providers about radiologic advancements and patient exposure. The tradition of placing lead x-ray vests on patients for all radiographs is no longer a necessity. Without the explanation of why lead aprons are no longer needed, unnecessary steps for the provider and potential harm to the patient could be caused. Methods: This review of literature was assembled by analyzing data from primary and secondary sources through online databases. The most recent research on the risks and benefits of the use of lead x-ray vests towards patients in the dental office was examined. Articles included in this review were published within the last five years. Major Findings: Studies show the use of lead x-ray vests is widely obsolete with most new types of radiographic technology. Conclusions: Collimation and new digital radiographic devices have dramatically decreased patient radiation exposure by limiting the beam to a confined space on the patient\u27s oral cavity. There is also a risk that vests may pose a lead exposure hazard if not taken care of properly. The general patient population is widely unaware of these advancements in x-ray technology and of the ineffectiveness of lead aprons.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/denh_student/1020/thumbnail.jp

Should Dogs and Cats be Given as Gifts?

Policies that state pets should not be adopted as gifts are prevalent at animal welfare organizations, despite the fact that this belief is unfounded. Denying adopters who intend to give the animals as gifts may unnecessarily impede the overarching goal of increasing adoptions of pets from our nations' shelter system. We found that receiving a dog or cat as a gift was not associated with impact on self-perceived love/attachment, or whether the dog or cat was still in the home. These results suggest there is no increased risk of relinquishment for dogs and cats received as a gift

Monitoring cancer prognosis, diagnosis and treatment efficacy using metabolomics and lipidomics

Introduction: Cellular metabolism is altered during cancer initiation and progression, which allows cancer cells to increase anabolic synthesis, avoid apoptosis and adapt to low nutrient and oxygen availability. The metabolic nature of cancer enables patient cancer status to be monitored by metabolomics and lipidomics. Additionally, monitoring metabolic status of patients or biological models can be used to greater understand the action of anticancer therapeutics. Objectives: Discuss how metabolomics and lipidomics can be used to (i) identify metabolic biomarkers of cancer and (ii) understand the mechanism-of-action of anticancer therapies. Discuss considerations that can maximize the clinical value of metabolic cancer biomarkers including case–control, prognostic and longitudinal study designs. Methods: A literature search of the current relevant primary research was performed. Results: Metabolomics and lipidomics can identify metabolic signatures that associate with cancer diagnosis, prognosis and disease progression. Discriminatory metabolites were most commonly linked to lipid or energy metabolism. Case–control studies outnumbered prognostic and longitudinal approaches. Prognostic studies were able to correlate metabolic features with future cancer risk, whereas longitudinal studies were most effective for studying cancer progression. Metabolomics and lipidomics can help to understand the mechanism-of-action of anticancer therapeutics and mechanisms of drug resistance. Conclusion: Metabolomics and lipidomics can be used to identify biomarkers associated with cancer and to better understand anticancer therapies

Poverty, Opportunity, and Well-Being in the United States

Economic opportunity varies dramatically across the United States. In this study the Opportunity to Flourish Index (OFI) is created to determine the level of opportunity United States cities afford those at the bottom of the income distribution. Indicators within the index measure disposable income, access to financial services, diet, educational attainment, unemployment, physical well-being, and family structure. The OFI’s relationship with standard measures of economic growth and economic mobility is also evaluated. The OFI is not correlated with measures of income and population growth, suggesting, that in the short-run growth and opportunity are not necessarily complementary. The OFI is strongly correlated with intergenerational economic mobility. Individuals that live in cities which have higher levels of opportunity are more likely to have children that move up the income distribution. The OFI provides stakeholders in poverty alleviation a means to evaluate and promote equality of opportunity in United States cities