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A New Pentecost: Vatican II in the Archdiocese of Boston.
No full textThe reforms instituted in the Archdiocese of Boston following the Second Vatican Council transformed Catholic life for the area's clergy and laity during the 1960’s. Over a tumultuous ten-year period from the start of the Council, the Church’s hierarchy would enact reforms in the Archdiocese which often led to confusion and disorientation, but eventually resulted in the birth of a new type of Catholicism more fully aligned with the surrounding American culture
Exploring the Low and High MassExtremes in the Distant Universe.
No full textBy studying galaxies at different redshifts, .i.e. periods of cosmic time, astronomers can combine observations and simulations to piece together the whole story. Because it is easier to find more massive, brighter sources farther away, there is an inherent bias in our observations. TheHubbleSpace Telescope combined with the gravitational lensing power of six massive galaxy clusters, known as theHubbleFrontier Fields (HFF) Campaign, has been able to uncover the faintest and least massive known galaxies at great distances.The work I present here calculates and corrects for the lensing magnifications for sources observed in the HFF catalogs. Additionally, I will examine the most massive (M∗[M]≥1011) galaxies at 2≤z≤6 from the extensive, multi-wavelength UltraVISTA survey. By studying both the lowest and highest mass objects in the distant universe, we can further study galaxy evolution as a function of galactic mass
Producing Macroscopic Behaviors of the Free Electron Model Using N-Body Random Walks.
No full textThe electrical resistivity of a substance deviates from the intrinsic bulk resistivity given by the free electron model as its physical dimensions approach nanometer scales. In this paper, we produce these results given by the Fuchs/Sondheimer and the free electron random point scattering models of electron conduction using a classical Python simulation of electrons moving throughout and interacting with a thin metal crystal lattice with an applied electric field. We reproduced the theoretical relationships between changes in resistivity from the expected bulk value and characteristic scattering time, crystal thickness, surface scattering probability, and surface scatterer density for both uniform and ordered distribution of scatterers. We also examine the heat transfer by the electrons, as well as how temperature dependence of scattering affects the electron distribution during equilibration processes
The Impact of Downstream Buyer Power and Reputation Sensitivity on Factory Price and Compliance Choices: A Theoretical Approach.
No full textThe global apparel industry is largely characterized by its highly competitive manufacturing base, with a large number of factories located in developing countries, and the existence of significantly fewer downstream buyers with larger commercial capabilities. This dynamic creates a power asymmetry in the industry that favors buyers, which is frequently cited as a cause of dropping prices and worsening conditions for workers in the factories. There has been a rise of “reputation-sensitive” buyers that have attempted to improve factory working conditions to avoid bad publicity. Currently, the impact of these reputation-sensitive buyers on the actions of factories is unclear. This thesis uses game theory to model buyer power and reputation sensitivity and how these factors mitigate a factory’s decision between being price-competitive and compliant with labor standards. Three different buyer types are identified based on their degree of reputation sensitivity. Each type’s behavior is impacted by the buyer’s level of power. However, the power of these buyers to manipulate factories may be limited, especially in the case of inducing lower prices. Buyer power also largely does not impact the behavior of the factory, which is instead dictated by factors such as the density of high-efficiency factories in the market
Examining the Relationship between Drug Overdose Rates and Homeless Population Size in Individual Counties in the United States in 2016.
No full textThis thesis will explore the association between overdose deaths and size of homeless population in United States counties. The overarching aim is to identify potential factors that relate to the disproportionate rates of substance misuse and overdose fatalities in the United States’ homeless population. By exploring the mechanism of the potential relationships between overdose deaths and homeless population size, this thesis will provide evidence to inform substance use disorder interventions among homeless populations. Specifically, this thesis will examine potential policy effects (e.g. Emergency Department availability and the existence of Substance Abuse Treatment Centers) to explore the necessity of expanding access to emergency overdose reversal as well as examining the impact of various sociodemographic factors and their implications
Investigating best practices of district-wide physical activity programmatic efforts in US schools- a mixed-methods approach.
No full textBackground: The majority of US children do not meet physical activity recommendations. Schools are an important environment for promoting physical activity in children, yet most school districts do not offer enough physical activity opportunities to meet recommendations. This study aimed to identify school districts across the country that demonstrated exemplary efforts to provide students with many physical activity opportunities and to understand the factors that facilitated their programmatic success.Keywords: Physical activity, Schools, Best practices, Policies and programs.Springer Open
Restoring Angiogenic Balance in Diabetes: Advanced Molecular Therapeutics for Non-Healing Diabetic Wounds and Cellular Medicines for Diabetic Retinopathy
No full textAbstract: The microvascular complications of diabetes are associated with a tremendous degree of morbidity and mortality. Indeed, type I and type II diabetes are leading causes of adult-onset retinal damage and blindness, non-healing foot ulcers that may require amputation, and end-stage renal disease around the world. Intriguingly, while these debilitating conditions arise from long-standing, hyperglycemia-driven inflammation and vascular insult, diabetic microangiopathies have strikingly tissue-specific manifestations: chronic wounds in the extremities of diabetic patients are hallmarked by their impairments in vascular growth and matrix turnover after injury, whereas retinopathy is characterized by florid vascular overgrowth that has long been ascribed to the loss of microvascular pericytes from the retinal circulation. The work performed in our laboratory and center aims to further elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of angiogenesis, in order to better understand the pathogenesis of these diabetes-associated vasculopathies and develop advanced molecular and cellular therapeutics for these conditions. Linked to these goals, our investigations of cell-matrix interactions in angiogenesis and wound healing have resulted in the creation of several bioactive, matrix-derived peptides that induce cellular migration, proliferation and morphogenesis necessary for tissue repair. And, at the same time, our studies of pericyte-endothelial interactions reveal that subtle alterations in pericyte chemo-mechanics - rather than their frank disappearance - may be sufficient to permit endothelial cell cycle re-entry and angiogenesis. Herein, we demonstrate that bioactive matrix- and plasma-derived peptides significantly increase re-epithelialization and angiogenesis in diabetic porcine wounds through upregulation of multiple reparative growth factors and cytokines, especially matrix metalloproteinases and inhibitors that may aid in reversing the proteolytic imbalance characteristic of chronically inflamed non-healing wounds. Additionally, we reveal that Santyl® collagenase induces post-debridement wound healing through the liberation of bioactive matrix-derived peptides within the wound bed, and that a "combinatorial" peptide created from some of the individual matrix domains fosters wound healing in vivo at a dose equivalent to that of Santyl®. Finally, as an extension of our studies of RhoGTPase in the regulation of pericyte chemo-mechanical control of angiogenesis, we show that key perturbations in the downstream pericyte RhoGTPase effectors, LIM-kinases and cofilin, promote endothelial cell cycle re-entry that may contribute to the development of vascular proliferative lesions in diabetic retinopathy. Overall, our findings should inform the development of next-generation molecular and cellular therapeutics capable of repairing difficult-to-heal wounds and abrogating or ameliorating pathologic neovascularization in diabetic retinopathy.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Cellular & Molecular Physiology.Advisor: Ira Herman.Committee: Brent Cochran, Guofu Hu, and Harold Dvorak.Keywords: Medicine, Biology, and Surgery
The role of nutrition, intimate partner violence and social support in prenatal depressive symptoms in rural Ethiopia: community based birth cohort study.
No full textBackground: Depression during pregnancy has far-reaching adverse consequences on mothers, children and the whole family. The magnitude and determinants of prenatal depressive symptoms in low-resource countries are not well established. This study aims to describe the prevalence of prenatal depressive symptoms and whether it is associated with maternal nutrition, intimate partner violence and social support among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia.Keywords: Prenatal depression, Household food insecurity, Anaemia, Intimate partner violence, Social support, PHQ-9, Ethiopia.Springer Open
When to look at maps in navigation: metacognitive control in environment learning.
No full textAbstract: People learn environments through direct experience with the environment and/or through map study. Further, the different perspectives taken while learning an environment influence the knowledge acquired. After all, different information about an environment is readily available through route (e.g. by navigation) and survey (e.g. with maps) perspectives. Having a choice between direct experience and map use, or between different perspectives, suggests a role of metacognitive control in environment learning. That is, when in a new environment, learners may exercise metacognitive control by selectively choosing and implementing specific learning strategies, such as switching between perspectives. Strategy choice may depend on specific constraints, such as perspective, range of view, or amount of time to learn (to name a few). For example, people may check a map (e.g. on smartphones or GPS devices) to complement developing route knowledge. The present review discusses the role of metacognition in environment learning and outlines new directions for research to bridge these fields by examining how strategic metacognitive control over perspective switching affects environment learning. Such explorations can inform real-world environment learning and navigational aids design.Keywords: Environment learning, Perspective switching, Metacognitive control.Springer Open
Hemodialysis Patient Experience and the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) Survey: An In-depth Evaluation of Survey Response and Clinical Outcomes
No full textAbstract: Background The In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) survey is the only patient-reported outcome measure currently used to evaluate patient experience across all in-center hemodialysis facilities in the US. Since mandatory implementation in 2014, response rates have been very low while the financial and public reporting importance of this measure has been increasing. Despite this, there has been no real-world evaluation of non-response or factors associated with better reported experience. Methods All Dialysis Clinic Inc. (DCI) patients nationally who met eligibility for the survey were included. Patient-level demographic, clinical and treatment related characteristics were obtained from DCI's electronic medical record. These data were merged with patient-level survey response status and survey scores. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate characteristics associated with non-response. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate survey response status and long-term clinical outcomes. Lastly, multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate characteristics associated with higher experience scores within six domains. Results Non-responders to the ICH CAHPS survey were generally younger, non-white, male sex, more socio-economically disadvantaged, sicker, and less adherent to dialysis treatments. Survey responders had a lower risk of dying or being hospitalized and had a higher likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant. Older age and telephone administration of the survey were consistently associated with higher experience scores while other characteristics varied depending on the ICH CAHPS patient experience domain being evaluated. Conclusions Current ICH CAHPS survey results are generated from a select group of patients with more favorable long-term clinical outcomes and therefore lack generalizability. Certain demographic, clinical and treatment related characteristics are associated with higher scores. Further qualitative research is needed to understand the drivers of survey response and better patient experience before survey results can be used for quality improvement.Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Clinical & Translational Science.Advisor: Daniel Weiner.Keyword: Health care management