Naming Neda: Digital Discourse and the Rhetorics of Association

This article analyzes several online discourses centering on the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian shot and killed during Iran's post-election protests in the summer of 2009. Hours after the tragic event, cell phone footage of Agha Soltan dying on camera was posted online by an anonymous citizen-journalist. Immediately, media users began juxtaposing images sampled from the footage with words, texts, photographs, drawings, and music. All sorts of competing and complimentary discourses emerged as media makers attempted to define the significance of the life and death of a young woman who became known to millions as simply, Neda.     

Childhood abuse,adult interpersonal abuse,and depression in individuals with extreme obesity

This study sought to examine (a) a mediational model of childhood abuse, adult interpersonal abuse, and depressive symptoms and (b) the impact of weight-related teasing on rates and correlates of childhood abuse. Charts of 187 extremely obese individuals seeking psychological clearance for bariatric (weight-loss) surgery were retrospectively examined. Among the participants, 61% reported a history of childhood abuse, 30.5% reported adult interpersonal abuse, and 15% reported clinically significant depressive symptoms. Initially, the relationship between childhood abuse and current depressive symptoms was significant (p < .001). However, the introduction of adult interpersonal abuse as a mediator in the model reduced the magnitude of its significance (Sobel's test p = .01). The associations between childhood abuse and adult interpersonal abuse and between adult interpersonal abuse and depressive symptoms were significant (p < .001 and p = .002, respectively), and the model showed a good fit across multiple indices. Finally, weight-related teasing was a significant moderator in the relationship between childhood and adult interpersonal abuse. Bariatric surgery patients report elevated rates of childhood abuse that are comparable to rates in psychiatric populations (e.g., eating disorders, depression), and higher than those in community samples and other medical populations. The relationship between child abuse and depressive symptomatology may be partially explained by the presence of adult interpersonal abuse; additionally, the relationship between childhood and adult interpersonal abuse was stronger for those who did not endure weight-related teasing than for those who did.     

Licensing Digital Content: A Practical Guide for Librarians. 2nd ed. Harris,Lesley Ellen

Abstract

Advances in technology create dramatic changes within libraries. The complex issues surrounding this new electronic, end-user environment have major ramifications and require expert knowledge. Electronic services librarians and electronic resources librarians are two specialized titles that have recently emerged within the field of librarian-ship to fill this niche. Job advertisements listed in American Libraries from January 1989 to December 1998 were examined to identify responsibilities, qualifications, organizational and salary information relating to the newly emerging role of electronic librarian.     

Testing the Predictive Validity of the GRE Exam on Communication Graduate Student Success: A Case Study at University at Buffalo

GRE scores for entering M.A. and Ph.D. students in Communication at University at Buffalo from 1990 to 2001 were used to predict graduate student success. Graduate student success was measured in two ways: grade point average (GGPA) and graduation rates. Preliminary analyses on Master's students (M.A.) revealed that international students, compared to domestic students, earned lower GRE verbal (GRE-V) scores, higher GRE quantitative (GRE-Q) scores, had higher undergraduate grade point averages and were more likely to graduate from the program (82% vs. 49%). Only GRE scores were different for International vs. Domestic students when examining doctoral students. For M.A. students, GRE-V was positively correlated with GGPA and GRE-Q was positively related to earning the M.A. degree. Regression analyses controlling for several factors, including domestic student status, found only undergraduate GPA to predict GGPA and graduation for M.A. students. GGPA and GRE-V predicted graduation rates for M.A. students when GGPA was included in logistic regression analysis. GRE, GPA, and GGPA failed to predict Ph.D. success when examined together.     

Choosing a secondary school for young people on the autism spectrum: a multi-informant study

Deciding on a secondary school for children with autism is notoriously difficult for parents. While current UK legislation emphasises the choice that parents of children with special educational needs should have in educational decision-making, there is a dearth of research in this area, which means that little is known about how parents come to make decisions about secondary school placements and the types of support, if any, they receive from professionals. The present study aimed to determine the factors that immediately influence secondary school choice for young people with autism in one London local authority from the perspectives of multiple informants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children with autism (n?=?7), young people themselves prior to secondary school entry (n?=?6), parent advisors (n?=?5) and secondary school professionals (n?=?5). Parents emphasised the anxiety and burden of the decision-making process. There was, however, substantial agreement among adult groups on the factors necessary for a successful secondary school placement: a nurturing, flexible and inclusive environment that emphasised both academic and life skills. Few adults, however, mentioned the importance of children's social relationships – a factor that featured prominently in the reports of young people. These findings highlight both the different perceptions of those involved in making decisions about the educational placements of children with autism and the challenges associated with weighing up these potentially conflicting perspectives. More work is needed to ensure both that information is transparent and accessible to all parents and that young people are actively involved in decisions that ultimately affect their lives.     

An analysis of the role of the mentor in professional education: a comparative study

This article explores the process of mentoring in the context of the professional education of teachers and youth and community workers. Mentors and mentees from each professional group were interviewed in depth about their perceptions of the role of mentoring in work‐base learning. Analysis of the data indicates that effective mentoring should involve negotiation between mentors and mentees rather than the imposition of a ‘top‐down’ model of knowledge transfer.