Girls Get Digital: A Critical View of Cyberfeminism

As the Internet and digital technologies become ever more pervasive in the lives of young people, there should be a movement to engage critically with these technologies to determine how they are working as players in shaping and changing certain paradigms of society. At the onset of the digital culture, a group of women called VNS Matrix got together to talk about a new type of consciousness called Cyberfeminism. This article takes the basic tenants and theory behind their concept and applies it to some of the forms of “online feminism” which are flourishing today. The article looks at problematic issues of disembodiment, lack of accessibility, and anti-intellectualism which are being found in the digital world; while, also focusing on the many positive and constructive uses of the Internet in building feminism communities. As a location full of complexities, this article recognizes the Internet as an overwhelmingly important factor in the lives and consciousnesses of young people and yet the dangers behind its uncritical use. The author calls for a new type of engagement with cyberspace that seeks to remedy the areas where it is lacking and move into the future with a clear understanding of how it is an actor in shaping knowledge production

Assessment of Library Service Quality at University of The Bahamas Libraries: A Comparison of the 2008 and 2018 LibQual Surveys

The 21st-century learner has changed the way that libraries are being used. Academic libraries must demonstrate their value to university governing boards, therefore, libraries must understand current user perceptions to be prepared for the future. Continuous assessment of library collections, space, and services provides data needed to understand and demonstrate the impact of libraries in academia. University of The Bahamas Libraries administered the web-based LibQUAL+® survey twice, first in 2008 and 10 years later in 2018, to assess users’ perceptions and to measure service quality. The survey designed by the Association of Research Libraries and Texas A&M University has been used globally by libraries to gain insight from their user communities. In the survey findings, library users highlighted a need for more computers, printers, and updated equipment, along with more current books and journals. The survey results also revealed that University Libraries had helpful staff who provided efficient service. Users perceived that the libraries’ information literacy sessions helped them gain skills allowing them to become more efficient in their academic pursuits. With the opening of two new library buildings during this period, the onsite use of resources increased significantly for both the Harry C. Moore Library and UB North Campus Library. Overall, the general satisfaction level of users increased in 2018

A Comparison of Athletic Identity and Career Maturity of Female Student-Athletes at Different Levels of Competition

This study explored the relationship between the athletic identity and career maturity of women’s basketball student-athletes. Differences in athletic identity and career maturity were also investigated based on a women’s basketball student-athlete’s level of competition, race, year in school, socioeconomic status, and professional athletic career aspirations. In order to examine the relationship between these variables, a convenience sample of 209 women’s basketball student-athletes from NCAA Division I (n = 62), NCAA Division II (n = 40), NCAA Division III (n = 50), and NAIA (n = 57) institutions located in the southeastern region of the United States participated in the study. Participants completed the Career Maturity Inventory-Revised Attitude Scale, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. From the analyses, it was found that for women’s basketball student-athletes, stronger identification with the athletic role is associated with lower levels of career maturity. It was also found that NCAA Division I student-athletes had significantly higher levels of athletic identity and significantly lower levels of career maturity than Division II student-athletes. Likewise, student-athletes that planned to pursue a professional basketball career (n = 76) displayed significantly higher levels of athletic identity and significantly lower levels of career maturity than those that do not (n = 133). However, study results did not find any statistically significant differences in athletic identity or career maturity based on a women’s basketball student-athlete’s race, year in school, or socioeconomic status. Future research should explore an interaction of psychological variables that may affect the relationship of athletic identity and career maturity of women’s basketball student-athletes as well as investigate the athletic identity and career maturity of female student-athletes from other sports where there is a potential to compete professionally

Barriers That Influence the Underuse of Mental Health Services by African Americans Diagnosed With Schizophrenia

African Americans diagnosed with schizophrenia have longer wait times to be treated by mental health care professionals, resulting in their underuse of mental health services. This problem has motivated medical professionals to reexamine the ways in which services are rendered and then make appropriate improvements. The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of African Americans diagnosed with schizophrenia and identify the reasons for their underuse of mental health services. A phenomenological research design was used to understand and explore the participants’ lived experiences of the phenomenon. Participants were recruited from an independent living facility. Purposive sampling was used to recruit the sample of 3 African American men and 3 African American women who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Semistructured interviews were conducted using field notes and a digital voice recorder. Results of the content analysis supported the 5 themes related to the barriers that African Americans face when seeking treatment for schizophrenia: lacking transportation; feeling misunderstood by their doctors; perceiving themselves as being different, which they saw as a gift; trying to keep their illness hidden from others; and questioning whether they really needed to take medication. The 5 themes that emerged highlighted important aspects of the barriers that African Americans face when seeking treatment for schizophrenia. The results of this study will contribute to social change by informing health care workers of the reasons that African Americans do not seek treatment for schizophrenia and by exposing the need for increased awareness within health care organizations

Neurogenic switching: a hypothesis for a mechanism for shifting the site of inflammation in allergy and chemical sensitivity.

Neurogenic switching is proposed as a hypothesis for a mechanism by which a stimulus at one site can lead to inflammation at a distant site. Neurogenic inflammation occurs when substance P and other neuropeptides released from sensory neurons produce an inflammatory response, whereas immunogenic inflammation results from the binding of antigen to antibody or leukocyte receptors. There is a crossover mechanism between these two forms of inflammation. Neurogenic switching is proposed to result when a sensory impulse from a site of activation is rerouted via the central nervous system to a distant location to produce neurogenic inflammation at the second location. Neurogenic switching is a possible explanation for systemic anaphylaxis, in which inoculation of the skin or gut with antigen produces systemic symptoms involving the respiratory and circulatory systems, and an experimental model of anaphylaxis is consistent with this hypothesis. Food-allergy-iducing asthma, urticaria, arthritis, and fibromyalgia are other possible examples of neurogenic switching. Neurogenic switching provides a mechanism to explain how allergens, infectious agents, irritants, and possibly emotional stress can exacerbate conditions such as migraine, asthma, and arthritis. Because neurogenic inflammation is known to be triggered by chemical exposures, it may play a role in the sick building syndrome and the multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome. Thus neurogenic switching would explain how the respiratory irritants lead to symptoms at other sites in these disorders