An Approach to Corpus-based Discourse Analysis: The Move Analysis as Example

This post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of the article submitted to IUPUI ScholarWorks as part of the OASIS Project. Article reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Permission granted through posted policies on copyright owner’s website or through direct contact with copyright owner.This article presents a seven-step corpus-based approach to discourse analysis that starts with a detailed analysis of each individual text in a corpus that can then be generalized across all texts of a corpus, providing a description of typical patterns of discourse organization that hold for the entire corpus. This approach is applied specifically to a methodology that is used to analyze texts in terms of the functional/communicative structures that typically make up texts in a genre: move analysis. The resulting corpus-based approach for conducting a move analysis significantly enhances the value of this often used (and misused) methodology, while at the same time providing badly needed guidelines for a methodology that lacks them. A corpus of ‘birthmother letters’ is used to illustrate the approach

A “Swiss paradox” in the United States? Level of spatial aggregation changes the association between income inequality and morbidity for older Americans

Although a preponderance of research indicates that increased income inequality negatively impacts population health, several international studies found that a greater income inequality was associated with better population health when measured on a fine geographic level of aggregation. This finding is known as a “Swiss paradox”. To date, no studies have examined variability in the associations between income inequality and health outcomes by spatial aggregation level in the US. Therefore, this study examined associations between income inequality (Gini index, GI) and population health by geographic level using a large, nationally representative dataset of older adults. We geographically linked respondents’ county data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to 2012 American Community Survey data. Using generalized linear models, we estimated the association between GI decile on the state and county levels and five population health outcomes (diabetes, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and self-rated health), accounting for confounders and complex sampling. Although state-level GI was not significantly associated with obesity rates (b = − 0.245, 95% CI − 0.497, 0.008), there was a significant, negative association between county-level GI and obesity rates (b = − 0.416, 95% CI − 0.629, − 0.202). State-level GI also associated with an increased diabetes rate (b = 0.304, 95% CI 0.063, 0.546), but the association was not significant for county-level GI and diabetes rate (b = − 0.101, 95% CI − 0.305, 0.104). Associations between both county-level GI and state-level GI and current smoking status were also not significant. These findings show the associations between income inequality and health vary by spatial aggregation level and challenge the preponderance of evidence suggesting that income inequality is consistently associated with worse health. Further research is needed to understand the nuances behind these observed associations to design informed policies and programs designed to reduce socioeconomic health inequities among older adults

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Spring 2000, Vol. 7, No. 1

ContentsPresident's Message by Wendy D. PuriefoyStandards-Based Reform: The Power of External Change Agents by Kris KurtenbachSnapshot of Standards Implementation in Action by Melissa SilversteinCommunicating with Parents about Educational Standards by Christine NeviusA Hard Look at Assessments in the Boston Public Schools by Mary Ann CohenSix Points of Effective Partnerships by Philip C. McCullu

A facility for high resolution spectroscopy: Laboratory and ground based observations in support of upper atmospheric research

This research task consists of operating a facility for making spectroscopic observations in support of upper atmospheric research. The facility responds to the needs and interests of the visiting investigators. Therefore, the research objectives are not predetermined except in broad outline. The emphasis is on studies that take advantage of the particular strengths of the Fourier Transform Spectrometer on Kitt Peak: high spectral resolution combined with wide spectral range and low noise

Reading problems of the bottom third: grades one through six

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit