Child maltreatment in the "Children of the Nineties:" deprivation,class, and social networks in a UK sample

AIM: To determine risk factors for child maltreatment within the socio-economic environment of a contemporary UK child population. METHODS: The research is based on a large cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Out of 14256 children participating in the study, 115 have been identified as having been placed on local child protection registers prior to their 6th birthday. Data on the socio-economic environment of the families have been obtained from a series of questionnaires administered during pregnancy and the first 3 years of life. Risk factors have been analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Four indicators of deprivation all showed significant relationships with registration. Adjusted odds ratios were 2.33 for paternal unemployment; 7.65 for council housing; 2.16 for overcrowding; and 2.33 for car ownership. There was a strong relationship between the number of indicators of deprivation and the risk of maltreatment. In a second model, maternal unemployment, high mobility (> 3 house moves in the previous 5 years) and a poor social network were also significant with odds ratios of 2.82, 2.81, and 3.09, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of social factors in the etiology of child maltreatment. Social deprivation is an important determinant of child maltreatment, and encompasses a number of different aspects, including financial security, housing situation and material benefits; in addition, the job situation of the parents and the stability and richness of their social networks all have a significant impact on risk of maltreatment. Interventions at both an individual and a community level are important to support families and reduce the risk of maltreatment.     

Kindergarten prevention of dyslexia: does training in phonological awareness work for everybody?

This study examined the effects of training in phonological awareness on kindergarten children. Comparisons of children at risk (i.e., children with initially low levels of metalinguistic ability) with initially average and advanced children revealed that training gains were similar for all of these groups. Furthermore, training had comparable long-term effects on reading and spelling in Grades 1 and 2 for each group. In fact, the trained children at risk showed better reading and spelling performance than a randomly selected control group. Although considerable individual differences in training effectiveness were found Within the group of at-risk children, there was clear evidence that the training program substantially reduced the risk of becoming dyslexic in school.     

工科本科开设“科学研究专题”课程的分析

作为专题教育的实际案例,在工科本科第三学期开设了"科学研究专题"的跨学科课程。在该课程中,学生在一个专题小组内经由导师的指导,合作完成跨学科的学习任务。"科学研究专题"课程着眼于现实中相关的专业性问题及其解决,以培养对专业工程师而言很重要的六类技能。     

Internet in the workplace: censorship, liability, and freedom of speech

Most hospital medical libraries are supported by private, corporate funds and thus fall under the corporation's policies in regard to discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment. With the free flow of information available on the Internet and through e-mail, it is mandatory to create a corporate policy for appropriate use and review of materials. Access to "questionable" or inappropriate Internet sites is not a freedom of speech issue in a private corporation; it is a potential liability for the corporation, the library, and the librarian. It is also a misuse of company resources.     

2000年的图书馆:采用文献传递、需求评估和网络化资源的转型中的图书馆

１９９７年美国图书馆协会年会期间,本刊与Ｃｏｌｅｇｅ＆ＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈＬｉ－ｂｒａｒｉｅｓ杂志达成协议,互相对等发表各自登载的文章,以加强中美大学图书馆之间的学术与业务交流。这里刊载的即是第一篇,它反映了美国大学图书馆面向２１世纪进行变革的一个侧面,其思路和做法很值得我们借鉴。在此我们要感谢文章的两位原作者ＪａｎｅＫｌｅｉｎｅｒ和ＣｈａｒｌｅｓＨａｍａｋｅｒ,也要感谢译者张沙丽女士     

The virtual library, information visions and WHCLIS (White House Conference on Library and Information Services)

Why should librarians, including those in hospitals and corporations, build virtual libraries and create information visions? This question is explored in relation to the three themes of the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services-Democracy, Productivity, and Literacy.