Cracks in the Ivory Tower: How the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act Can Protect Students from Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem on college campuses, yet colleges and universities are frequently criticized for their failure to address it. As a result, Congress passed the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (“Campus SaVE Act”) in 2013. The Campus SaVE Act aims to address the unique needs of victims of sexual assault on college campuses by adding much needed protections for students, such as mandating increased reporting of crime statistics. Moreover, the Act helps students by requiring schools to create plans to prevent this violence, to educate victims on their rights and resources, and to detail processes that are taken after a report of sexual assault is made. This Comment analyzes the Campus SaVE Act and makes suggestions for improving its effectiveness in reducing sexual violence on college campuses

The Rights of Muslim Women in the Middle East: A Pathfinder

This annotated pathfinder is designed to serve as a guide for those who wish to learn about the legal and social situation of Muslim women in the region of the Middle East, but who do not have a great amount of advanced knowledge concerning the topic. It is meant to serve as an organized starting point from which to begin further research, and to provide a context for the current status of Muslim women’s rights in the Middle East. A wide variety of types of materials are included, from books to reports to treaties

THE EFFECTS OF MATURATION ON ACL LOADING, MUSCLE COORDINATION, AND METABOLIC COST IN ADOLESCENT FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries remain a significant, season-ending injury in youth soccer, with young female athletes exhibiting higher incidence rates compared to young male athletes. ACL injury rates increase with older ages, with female soccer players 15 years or older being at an almost twofold increased rate of injury compared to young female soccer players. Several biomechanical and neuromuscular changes occur during the maturation process, becoming more prevalent in young females, that can place them at an increased risk for ACL injury. These biomechanical and neuromuscular changes can affect how efficient young females are when completing high-risk, dynamic tasks where injuries are prone to happen. Musculoskeletal modeling can provide researchers detailed information about how elements in the musculoskeletal system interact to produce movement and assist in identifying causal relationships between movement strategies and abnormal biomechanics. Specifically, this method offers an approach to estimate ACL loading, understand how individual muscles contribute to whole-body center of mass acceleration during risky movements, and analyze individual muscle energy consumption during dynamic tasks. Understanding how lower extremity musculature and maturation status affects ACL loading and movement efficiency during high-risk movements in young female soccer athletes can aid researchers and clinicians in creating improved injury prevention programs at the musculature level that may better target those who are at an increased of injury during high-risk tasks. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of maturation on ACL loading, muscle coordination, and movement efficiency during unanticipated sidestep cutting and drop vertical jump in young female soccer players

The Rights of Muslim Women in the Middle East: A Pathfinder

This annotated pathfinder is designed to serve as a guide for those who wish to learn about the legal and social situation of Muslim women in the region of the Middle East, but who do not have a great amount of advanced knowledge concerning the topic. It is meant to serve as an organized starting point from which to begin further research, and to provide a context for the current status of Muslim women’s rights in the Middle East. A wide variety of types of materials are included, from books to reports to treaties

Effects of a Raised Surface on Lower Extremity Kinematics, Kinetics, and Muscle Activation During a Sidecut in Recreational Female Softball Players

Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common sports-related injury. “High-risk” dynamic movements, such as a sidecut, have been associated with increasing the risk of noncontact ACL injury. Certain biomechanical abnormalities, specifically at the hip and knee, and neuromuscular abnormalities, such as unbalanced quadriceps-to-hamstrings activation ratios and certain activation patterns prior to initial contact and after initial contact, have also been associated with an increased likelihood of noncontact ACL injuries occurring. Approximately 78% of all NCAA Division I softball game-day injuries are classified as noncontact where there is no direct contact to a player. Internal derangement of the knee accounted for 221 game day injuries, and 31% of these injuries were noncontact ACL injuries. The base runner was at the greatest risk of injury, with 28.8% of athletes base running at the time of injury. Additionally, 9% of base runners, or 187 athletes, were injured while contacting the base. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a raised surface on lower extremity kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activation patterns during a sidecut, simulating rounding first base. Participants completed two base conditions – with a base present (WB) and no base (NB) present with a controlled entrance and exit speed. Results indicated the only biomechanical difference between base conditions was greater peak knee adduction moments in the NB condition compared to the WB condition. These findings suggest that the body may be in a better position when a raised surface is present during a sidecut and decrease the risk of noncontact ACL injury. Therefore, examining movement patterns at the ankle may provide a better explanation for noncontact ACL injuries that occur during this time. Regarding muscle activation, there was significantly greater quadriceps activation post-contact compared to pre-contact. Significantly greater quadriceps activation creates a large anterior shear force on the ACL, increasing risk of injury

Child Maltreatment, Exposure to Violence, and Adolescent Weapon Carrying

This study examined associations between child maltreatment, violence exposure, and gender in predicting subsequent adolescent weapon carrying. Data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well- Being, a nationally representative longitudinal study of families in contact with the child welfare system, were used. Participants included 821 youth who were followed over five years. Results from a logistic regression suggested that male youth who reported physical abuse at baseline were less likely to report carrying a weapon any time across the follow up period, while physical abuse did not predict weapon carrying in females. These counterintuitive findings demonstrated a complex relationship between violence exposure and subsequent risk behaviors among a vulnerable population of youth

Evaluating News Bias in Agriculture: The Salmonella Outbreak of 2008

Although the United States is considered to have one of the safest food supplies in the world, consumers have become increasingly alarmed with the subject of food safety as each crisis-related outbreak is scrutinized. With the onset of an agricultural-related food crisis, the media plays a vital role in publicizing both facts and opinions. Because of the relationship between agricultural risk communication and the media, it is essential to study the level of bias in the news reporting of these agricultural risk-associated events. The purpose of this study was to analyze the coverage and level of bias of the Salmonella outbreak associated with tomatoes in associated press (AP) newswires during a six-month period in 2008 through a descriptive content analysis. A comprehensive search yielded 57 usable articles written during a six-month period surrounding the outbreak; these articles were analyzed using the Hayakawa-Lowry News Bias categories. A total of 1,444 sentences were coded into nine categories: (a) report attributed, (b) report unattributed, (c) inference labeled, (d) inference unlabeled, (e) judgment attributed favorable, (f) judgment attributed unfavorable, (g) judgment unattributed favorable, (h) judgment unattributed favorable, and (i) other. Data indicated a significantly higher number of report sentences as compared to judgment sentences. Report sentences are considered both verifiable and factual. Thus, data indicated a low level of bias. Additionally, although journalists were objectively reporting information regarding the Salmonella outbreak, per capita tomato consumption for 2008 decreased. In the wake of a crisis, objective reporting is crucial. Journalists have an obligation to report information that is objective, factual, and verifiable. Understanding how the media tells agriculture‘s story can help bridge the gap between the industry and those reporting the issues

Characterizing the Evolutionary Path(s) to Early Homo

Numerous studies suggest that the transition from Australopithecus to Homo was characterized by evolutionary innovation, resulting in the emergence and coexistence of a diversity of forms. However, the evolutionary processes necessary to drive such a transition have not been examined. Here, we apply statistical tests developed from quantitative evolutionary theory to assess whether morphological differences among late australopith and early Homo species in Africa have been shaped by natural selection. Where selection is demonstrated, we identify aspects of morphology that were most likely under selective pressure, and determine the nature (type, rate) of that selection. Results demonstrate that selection must be invoked to explain an Au. africanus -- Au. sediba -- Homo transition, while transitions from late australopiths to various early Homo species that exclude Au. sediba can be achieved through drift alone. Rate tests indicate that selection is largely directional, acting to rapidly differentiate these taxa. Reconstructions of patterns of directional selection needed to drive the Au. africanus -- Au. sediba -- Homo transition suggest that selection would have affected all regions of the skull. These results may indicate that an evolutionary path to Homo without Au. sediba is the simpler path and/or provide evidence that this pathway involved more reliance on cultural adaptations to cope with environmental change

Development of helical, fish-inspired cross-step filter for collecting harmful algae

A new filter was developed to collect harmful algae colonies by adapting the cross-step filtration structures and mechanisms discovered recently in filter-feeding fish. Extending beyond previously published models that closely emulated the basic morphology of the fish, the new cross-step filter\u27s major innovations are helical slots, radial symmetry, and rotation as an active anti-clogging mechanism. These innovations enable the transport of concentrated particles to the downstream end of the filter. This advance was made possible by recognizing that biologically imposed constraints such as bilateral symmetry do not apply to human-made filters. The use of helical slots was developed in a series of iterative tests that used water-tracing dye and algae-sized microspheres. The major products of the iterative tests were refinements in the helical design and an understanding of how varying the major structural parameters qualitatively influenced fluid flow and filter performance. Following the iterative tests, the clogging behavior of select filters was quantified at high particle concentrations. Vortices in the helical filter were effective at reducing clogging in the center of the slots. By considering the design space that is free of the biological constraints on the system and exploring the effects of variations in major structural parameters, our work has identified promising new directions for cross-step filtration and provided key insights into the biological system