An Exploration of Sexual Victimization and Academic Performance Among College Women

The literature has documented the widespread nature of sexual assault victimization among college women. While the aftermath of violence against university women has also received focus, that is, documenting trauma-related sequelae; risk factors; reporting patterns; and legal interventions, the impact on academic performance has not received adequate attention in the literature. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the association of rape and sexual assault with academic performance among college women. Its specific aims included the following: to compare high school and college sexual assault experiences with collegiate grade point averages (GPAs) at key points in time; to examine any differences in GPA by type of sexual assault; to urge researchers studying retention and persistence patterns or sexual assault among college students to ensure that the relationship between the two is included in research designs; and to recommend that academic institutions expand programming on retention to include rape and sexual assault among the risk factors associated with a lack of persistence

Individual Differences in Personality Predict Externalizing Versus Internalizing Outcomes Following Sexual Assault

For some women, the experience of being sexually assaulted leads to increases in externalizing behaviors, such as problem drinking and drug use; for other women, the experience of being assaulted leads to increases in internalizing distress, such as depression or anxiety. It is possible that preassault personality traits interact with sexual assault to predict externalizing or internalizing distress. We tested whether concurrent relationships among personality, sexual assault, and distress were consistent with such a model. We surveyed 750 women just prior to their freshman year at a large public university. Consistent with our hypotheses, at low levels of negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed), sexual assault exposure had little relationship to problem drinking and drug use. At high levels of negative urgency, being sexually assaulted was highly associated with those externalizing behaviors. At low levels of internalizing personality traits, being assaulted had little relationship to depression and anxiety symptoms; at high levels of the traits, assault experience was highly related to those symptoms. Personality assessment could lead to more person-specific postassault interventions

Teachers Learn About ADHD on the Web: An Online Graduate Special Education Course

This is the publisher's version, also found here: www.sped.orgDescribes several possibilities for using Internet-based applications to enhance teacher preparation to better serve students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Features of the Web-enhanced course, The Learner with ADHD which offers a general introduction to characteristics, treatment and education of students with ADHD. INSETS: Perspectives on distance learning; WebCT-an online course tool

EXPRESSIVE ARTS AS A MEANS OF INCREASING WELL-BEING IN CHILDREN

The purpose of this research is to discover the extent to which expressive arts increase well-being in children. Expressive arts are being defined here as theatre, dance, art, and creative writing. Well-being is defined as self-efficacy and self-worth. The project was carried out in a four-week expressive arts program designed to teach fifth grade elementary school students a variety of artistic disciplines (i.e. theatre, dance, art, and creative writing). Both before and after the workshop, the students completed measures of self-worth and self-efficacy; these measures were used to identify changes in students from the beginning of the program to the end. Although we found no statistically significant differences between the pretest and the posttest on these measures, the qualitative results are promising. Students rated this experience as highly enjoyable, with no rate less than a seven out of ten, and a mean rate of 9.36 out of ten. Students also communicated their enjoyment through written answers about how the program made them feel and what they thought of the experience

Use of Redox Probes for Characterization of Layer-by-Layer Gold Nanoparticle-Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrodes

The electrochemical characteristics of bare and surface-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) were compared using voltammetric responses of common redox probes to determine the potential role of nanomaterials in previously documented signal enhancement. SPCEs modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic adsorption were previously reported to exhibit an increase in voltammetric signal for Fe(CN)63−/4− that corresponds to an improvement of 102% in electroactive surface area over bare SPCEs. AuNP-modified SPCEs prepared by the same LbL strategy using the polycation poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) here were found to provide no beneficial increase in electroactive surface area over bare SPCEs. Though similar improvement in voltammetric signal of Fe(CN)63−/4− was found for AuNP/PDDA-modified compared to bare SPCEs in these studies, results with other redox couples ferrocene methanol (FcMeOH/FcMeOH+) and Ru(NH3)63+/2+ indicated no difference between the electroactive surface areas of modified and bare SPCEs. Furthermore, gold present on AuNP/PDDA-modified SPCEs accounted for only 62 (±12)% of the electroactive surface area. The previously reported improvement in electroactive surface area that was attributed to the inclusion of AuNPs on the SPCE surface appears to have resulted from a misinterpretation of the non-ideal behavior of Fe(CN)63− as a redox probe for bare SPCEs

Ternatin and improved synthetic variants kill cancer cells by targeting the elongation factor-1A ternary complex.

Cyclic peptide natural products have evolved to exploit diverse protein targets, many of which control essential cellular processes. Inspired by a series of cyclic peptides with partially elucidated structures, we designed synthetic variants of ternatin, a cytotoxic and anti-adipogenic natural product whose molecular mode of action was unknown. The new ternatin variants are cytotoxic toward cancer cells, with up to 500-fold greater potency than ternatin itself. Using a ternatin photo-affinity probe, we identify the translation elongation factor-1A ternary complex (eEF1A·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA) as a specific target and demonstrate competitive binding by the unrelated natural products, didemnin and cytotrienin. Mutations in domain III of eEF1A prevent ternatin binding and confer resistance to its cytotoxic effects, implicating the adjacent hydrophobic surface as a functional hot spot for eEF1A modulation. We conclude that the eukaryotic elongation factor-1A and its ternary complex with GTP and aminoacyl-tRNA are common targets for the evolution of cytotoxic natural products

Evaluation of Content and Accessibility of Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship Websites

Background: Residents frequently use the internet to find material on fellowship programs. The Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) website serves as a central hub for information on an orthopaedic trauma fellowship (OTF). This study aims to evaluate the accessibility, content, and perceived importance of OTF websites. Methods: We reviewed the 49 OTFs accredited by the OTA fellowship database as of January 2014. We searched for corresponding OTF websites by using the provided OTA hyperlinks and conducting a separate Google search of program location and institution. Links to websites of general orthopaedic programs were not counted. Content of OTF websites was analyzed by noting the presence or absence of specific items in fellow education (11 items) and recruitment (5 items). Results: Of 49 OTFs, a total of 39 (80%) websites specific to the fellowship were identified by searching the OTA database and Google browser. Seven (14%) programs listed on the OTA database provided links directly to fellowship programs. Most programs (28; 57%) did not provide links to specific OTFs or provided non-functional links on the OTA website. Of the 39 accessible OTF websites, a total of 24 (61%) had complete information regarding recruitment and 14 (36%) provided complete details on education. Conclusions: Most accredited OTFs do not adequately use the internet to provide easily accessible and complete information. Further details (especially regarding the role, education, and schedule) would help prospective candidates in thoroughly evaluating programs. The discrepancy in content and accessibility can hinder prospective fellows from appropriately investigating fellowship programs