Between Third Reich and American Way: Transatlantic Migration and the Politics of Belonging, 1919-1939

Historians consider the years between World War I and World War II to be a period of decline for German America. This dissertation complicates that argument by applying a transnational framework to the history of German immigration to the United States, particularly the period between 1919 and 1939. The author argues that contrary to previous accounts of that period, German migrants continued to be invested in the homeland through a variety of public and private relationships that changed the ways in which they thought about themselves as Germans and Americans. By looking at migration through a transnational lens, the author also moves beyond older conventions that merely saw Germanness in language and culture. Instead, the author suggests a framework that investigates race, class, consumerism, gender and citizenship and finds evidence that German migrants not only utilized their heritage to define their Americanness but that German immigrant values, views and norms did indeed fundamentally shape American national identity

Identifying Barriers to Effective Private Schooling for the Marginalized: A Case Study on Language Practices and Education Quality in Low-Cost Private Community Schools in Kibera, Nairobi

A growing sector of low-cost private schools is providing basic education to some of the poorest people in the world, mainly living in urban slums and underdeveloped rural communities. There is concern about the life conditions of slum dwellers, while education is seen as a key motor for development. As more and more countries have made at least primary education free of fees in compliance with the Education for All agenda, these poorest communities do not seem to benefit from this policy and opt for low-cost private schools instead. At the same time, there is concern about the quality of education that these schools are able to deliver. Many operate below the radar of government control and have access to very few resources. Furthermore there is apprehension that these schools take advantage of the lack of public education delivery by the government, taking money from poor households and giving little in return. In Kenyan slums, education is seen as one of very few ways to escape a life in poverty. Parents want their children to enjoy a good quality education in order to provide them with opportunities to live a better life and escape the slums. The gaps between rich and poor are increasing despite considerable national economic growth, and the current education system seems to reproduce and exacerbate inequality. The purchase of educational services from private operators is traditionally seen as a mechanism that provides the privileged with a better quality education than the public schools can offer. The international development community is concerned about the low levels of literacy in the sub-Saharan African region. The longstanding focus on increasing access to educational opportunities for all is now complemented by the focus on increasing the quality of education, in order to provide learners in primary school with basic literacy and numeracy skills. This thesis argues that a focus on quality and literacy in the African context must involve a critical examination of the use of European languages in education. English is the official language in Kenya and is broadly used in education, but it is hardly spoken in slum environments where Kiswahili functions as the lingua franca. Language is not only a tool of human communication but also a carrier of symbolic, social and cultural capital. This study sets out to critically examine the quality of education and language use in low-cost private schools in Kenya s largest slum Kibera, found in the western part of the capital Nairobi. It applies a qualitative multiple case study of three low-cost private schools in different parts of Kibera, centring on local community members. The study found that in general, the main barriers to quality education are caused by policy, financial constraints and the community environment. Multiple reasons were also found for why parents enrol their children in low-cost private schools instead of no-fee public schools, the most important being a recognition of a higher level of education quality and more accountable teachers in low-cost private schools. It is argued that parents of low socio-economic households choose to enrol their children in low-cost primary schools for practical and quality reasons alike. The study found similar teaching practices in all three schools. In examining the use of languages in schools, a disconnection was found between the natural use of languages among inhabitants of the Kibera slum and the language policy and practice in the three schools. Classroom observation revealed a coping strategy of code switching, especially when teachers applied English as the language of instruction. The amount of code switching was compared between the different core subjects. Another important finding was the influence of the national examination system on curriculum and pedagogy, including the choice of language of instruction

Data from: Feeding preference as a main determinant of microscale patchiness among terrestrial nematodes

Soil biota are responsible for essential ecosystem services such as carbon storage, nutrient cycling and water retention. However, assessment of the condition of soil biota is hampered by an overwhelming level of diversity. With representatives in all trophic levels of the food web, nematode communities can be used as bio-indicators. Accurate assessment of nematode assemblages requires insight in the distribution of specimens with distinct food preferences. With the availability of taxon-specific quantitative-PCR assays, distribution patterns of multiple nematode groups can be investigated simultaneously. Here, microscale patchiness of 45 nematode taxa was studied on 12 sampling sites (each with four adjacent microplots) located on arable fields or semi-natural grasslands (‘system’), and on marine-, river clay or sandy soils (‘soil type’). From each microplot five composite samples were collected. Contrary to our expectations, an increase of the number of cores per composite sample did not result in more accurate measurements, and apparently the levels of microscale patchiness of the taxa are low compared to what has been reported for oligophagous plant-parasites. System and soil type did not affect microscale distribution. To investigate the level of patchiness in more detail, detection probability (DP) and variability of abundances were calculated. Common and widespread bacterivorous and fungivorous taxa had DP ≥ 90%, confirming low level of microscale patchiness. With DPs of 40-70%, predators and most omnivores showed degrees of local clustering. An overview of mean variabilities of abundances is presented that offers insight in how feeding preferences impact the microscale distribution both between and within trophic groups

Layer-specific cholinergic control of human and mouse cortical synaptic plasticity

Individual cortical layers have distinct roles in information processing. All layers receive cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain (BF), which is crucial for cognition. Acetylcholinergic receptors are differentially distributed across cortical layers, and recent evidence suggests that different populations of BF cholinergic neurons may target specific prefrontal cortical (PFC) layers, raising the question of whether cholinergic control of the PFC is layer dependent. Here we address this issue and reveal dendritic mechanisms by which endogenous cholinergic modulation of synaptic plasticity is opposite in superficial and deep layers of both mouse and human neocortex. Our results show that in different cortical layers, spike timing-dependent plasticity is oppositely regulated by the activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) either located on dendrites of principal neurons or on GABAergic interneurons. Thus, layer-specific nAChR expression allows functional layer-specific control of cortical processing and plasticity by the BF cholinergic system, which is evolutionarily conserved from mice to humans

S. mansoni-derived omega-1 prevents OVA-specific allergic airway inflammation via hampering of cDC2 migration

Chronic infection with Schistosoma mansoni parasites is associated with reduced allergic sensitization in humans, while schistosome eggs protects against allergic airway inflammation (AAI) in mice. One of the main secretory/excretory molecules from schistosome eggs is the glycosylated T2-RNAse Omega-1 (omega 1). We hypothesized that omega 1 induces protection against AAI during infection. Peritoneal administration of omega 1 prior to sensitization with Ovalbumin (OVA) reduced airway eosinophilia and pathology, and OVA-specific Th2 responses upon challenge, independent from changes in regulatory T cells. omega 1 was taken up by monocyte-derived dendritic cells, mannose receptor (CD206)-positive conventional type 2 dendritic cells (CD206(+) cDC2), and by recruited peritoneal macrophages. Additionally, omega 1 impaired CCR7, F-actin, and costimulatory molecule expression on myeloid cells and cDC2 migration in and ex vivo, as evidenced by reduced OVA+ CD206(+) cDC2 in the draining mediastinal lymph nodes (medLn) and retainment in the peritoneal cavity, while antigen processing and presentation in cDC2 were not affected by omega 1 treatment. Importantly, RNAse mutant omega 1 was unable to reduce AAI or affect DC migration, indicating that omega 1 effects are dependent on its RNAse activity. Altogether, omega 1 hampers migration of OVA(+) cDC2 to the draining medLn in mice, elucidating how omega 1 prevents allergic airway inflammation in the OVA/alum mouse model