Homemade home : creating in the face of the nostalgic impulse

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 12, 2008)Vita.Thesis (M.F.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.Nostalgia is a pervasive and widely accepted form of dishonesty. Throughout American history, people have made and collected objects, upheld traditions, and revered styles and forms of past eras with the aim of recreating or re-experiencing some past good, but omitting large portions of the history surrounding the sentimentalized object or idea. That nostalgia is an ongoing and thoroughgoing fixture of American life is not surprising, considering the comfort that many of its practitioners claim it yields. The promise of comfort in the face of the difficulty and isolation of individualism may even seem so appealing as to elicit a potent pang of nostalgia that is nearly compulsory. This initial nostalgic experience, if indulged, can become a practice of reliance on the familiar and denial of the unknown, for the sake of comfort. The cost of this perceived comfort, however, is the honesty required for self-creation. Idealization of the past, faulty remembering, and the blind acceptance of traditions all create the illusion of comfort and prevent an understanding of reality. A large number of contemporary artists address issues related to the experience of nostalgia, such as idealization, memory, tradition, and the meaning embedded in found objects. The artwork discussed in this document, including that of the author, deals specifically with what will be termed "The Problems of Nostalgia," and contains commentary on the aforementioned issues.Includes bibliographical reference

Falam Immigrants In America: Motivations For Language Use, Maintenance, And Shift

Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, I explore immigrants\u27 individual motivations for language use, language shift and language maintenance. I met with 25 immigrants to the US who are native speakers of Falam, a language from Myanmar, to learn their reasons for Falam and English usage as well as their desires for Falam usage in the US. I used the Perceived Benefit Model of Language Shift\u27s taxonomy of motivations to classify each motivation expressed. Among Falam immigrants to America, I found that solidarity-related and communicative motivations are behind language maintenance while economic and communicative motivations are behind language shift. I conclude with a discussion on the role motivations play in forecasting ethnolinguistic vitality and initiating language development, suggesting the use of a wider framework such as Lewis and Simon\u27s Sustainable Use Model to account for factors such as changing societal values and varying strengths of motivations

Bioinformatic Extraction of Functional Genetic Diversity from Heterogeneous Germplasm Collections for Crop Improvement

Efficient utilization of genetic variation in plant germplasm collections is impeded by large collection size, uneven characterization of traits, and unpredictable apportionment of allelic diversity among heterogeneous accessions. Distributing compact subsets of the complete collection that contain maximum allelic diversity at functional loci of interest could streamline conventional and precision breeding. Using heterogeneous population samples from Arabidopsis, Populus and sorghum, we show that genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data permits the capture of 3–78 fold more haplotypic diversity in subsets than geographic or environmental data, which are commonly used surrogate predictors of genetic diversity. Using a large genomewide SNP data set from landrace sorghum, we demonstrate three bioinformatic approaches to extract functional genetic diversity. First, in a “candidate gene” approach, we assembled subsets that maximized haplotypic diversity at 135 putative lignin biosynthetic loci, relevant to biomass breeding programs. Secondly, we applied a keyword search against the Gene Ontology to identify 1040 regulatory loci and assembled subsets capturing genomewide regulatory gene diversity, a general source of phenotypic variation. Third, we developed a machine-learning approach to rank semantic similarity between Gene Ontology term definitions and the textual content of scientific publications on crop adaptation to climate, a complex breeding objective. We identified 505 sorghum loci whose defined function is semantically-related to climate adaptation concepts. The assembled subsets could be used to address climatic pressures on sorghum production. To face impending agricultural challenges and foster rapid extraction and use of novel genetic diversity resident in heterogeneous germplasm collections, whole genome resequencing efforts should be prioritized

Teacher Retention in Refugee and Emergency Settings: The State of the Literature

Teacher quality is recognized as a primary driver of variation in student learning outcomes, particularly in refugee and emergency settings, but few studies have examined the factors that motivate or demotivate teachers in these contexts. In this article we use secondary source materials from academic experts and gray literature from United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations to identify seven key areas that affect teacher retention in such contexts: teacher recruitment, selection, and deployment; the teaching environment; certification; professional development; incentives; management structures; and status and social recognition. Further, we identify critical gaps in the literature surrounding refugee teachers and their retention and suggest specific areas for further research

Underresourced, Undervalued, and Underutilized: Making the Case for Teachers in Refugee and Emergency Contexts

Teachers are a critical resource for children in refugee and emergency settings. Yet few studies have examined what motivates or demotivates teachers, especially in refugee and emergency contexts. In this article we explore the key findings from field research conducted in Algeria and Ethiopia by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) as part of a study for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  The findings are organized according to seven critical factors: teacher recruitment, selection, and deployment; the teaching environment; certification; professional development; incentives; management structures; and, status and social recognition

“You Never Know” Work and Precarity in Las Vegas Before and During COVID-19

In this brief we examine work and work-based policies in Las Vegas, Nevada – a theme that emerged strongly from focus group data collected in the fall of 2019. The middle-class Americans we talked with were concerned about upward mobility, the changing landscape of work as a result of automation and skills training, scheduling uncertainty, and employee benefits like time off and paid leave. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated these pre-existing issues for many workers. Much of the policy agenda in the last year has been understandably reactionary, as policymakers addressed immediate issues such as unemployment insurance, keeping workers safe, and emergency economic relief. More than a year later, it’s helpful to return to the concerns that were bubbling to the surface in 2019 – and reflect on what’s left to do, structurally, to strengthen our system, support workers, and move forward from the pandemic. To this end, we suggest several policy solutions – such as raising the minimum wage, investing in workers’ skills and education, providing paid leave, and encouraging flexibility

Pneumococcal vaccination coverage among children with sickle cell anemia, sickle cell trait, and normal hemoglobin

BackgroundChildren with sickle cell anemia and sickle cell trait are at an increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease compared to children with normal hemoglobin. We assessed and compared pneumococcal vaccination status among these three groups.ProcedureChildren with sickle cell anemia and sickle cell trait were identified using Michigan newborn screening records (1997–2014); each child was matched to four children with normal hemoglobin based on age, Medicaid enrollment (at least 1 year from 2012–2014), race, and census tract. Vaccination records were obtained from the state’s immunization system. Pneumococcal vaccine coverage (PCV7 or PCV13 depending on date of administration) was assessed at milestone ages of 3, 5, 7, and 16 months. The proportion of children with vaccine coverage at each milestone was calculated overall and compared among children with sickle cell anemia, sickle cell trait, and normal hemoglobin using chi‐square tests.ResultsThe study population consisted of 355 children with sickle cell anemia, 17,319 with sickle cell trait, and 70,757 with normal hemoglobin. The proportion of children with age‐appropriate pneumococcal vaccination coverage was low at each milestone and generally decreased over time. Children with sickle cell anemia were more likely to be covered compared to children with sickle cell trait or normal hemoglobin.ConclusionsDespite higher pneumococcal vaccination coverage among children with sickle cell anemia, opportunities for improvement exist among all children. Targeted interventions will benefit from mechanisms to identify children with increased risks such as sickle cell anemia or trait to improve pneumococcal vaccination coverage among these groups.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145560/1/pbc27282.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145560/2/pbc27282_am.pd

Hydroxyurea use among children with sickle cell anemia

This study describes hydroxyurea use among children ages 1 to 17 with sickle cell anemia (SCA) enrolled in at least one year of Medicaid in six states from 2005 to 2012. Administrative claims were used to summarize the number of days’ supply of hydroxyurea dispensed by state and year. A total of 7963 children with SCA contributed 22 424 person‐years. Among person‐years with greater than 30 days of hydroxyurea, only 18% received at least 300 days of hydroxyurea, which varied by state. Following updated recommendations for all children with SCA to be offered hydroxyurea, strategies to increase hydroxyurea adherence among this population are needed.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149259/1/pbc27721_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149259/2/pbc27721.pd