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Decolonizing "Interfaith" Work and the "World Religions" Model: The Politics of Inclusion for Minoritized Religious Communities in the Boston Area
No full textPoster design for the Summer Scholars 2018 poster session on October 19.Ann-Marie Lee (they/she pronouns) for Tufts Summer Scholars 2018 / Faculty advisor: Dr. Elana Jefferson-Tatum / Tufts Department of Religion Submitted in partial fulfillment of the grant requirement of the Tufts Summer Scholars Program
Roles of Sirtuin 1 Activity and Tomato Carotenoids in the Development of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma
No full textAbstract: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is positively associated with the obesity epidemic and the risks for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the second most cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a NAD+-dependent deacetylase that has emerged as a key metabolic sensor that links environmental signals to metabolic homeostasis, NAFLD, and to metabolic syndrome-associated HCC. Previous studies have shown that supplementation of tomato carotenoids, such as apo-10ʼ-lycopenoic acid (ALA) which is an oxidized metabolite of apo-10ʼ-lycopenal through lycopene cleavage by beta-carotene-9ʼ, 10ʼ-oxygenase, can increase the expression and activity of SIRT1 and impede the development of NAFLD and HCC. However, whether tomato carotenoids protect against NAFLD and HCC dependent on SIRT1 signaling is enigmatic, and the causality between SIRT1 activity and the pathogenesis of NAFLD and HCC remains unknown. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the causal role of systemic SIRT1 activity in the development of NAFLD and HCC, and whether dietary tomato and tomato carotenoids, such as ALA, protect against NAFLD and HCC in a SIRT1-dependent manner. In the 1st project, by utilizing SIRT1 homozygous mutation mice ablated of the catalytic activity of SIRT1 (MT) and their corresponding wild type (WT) littermates, we showed that SIRT1 loss-of-function aggravated high fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD progression, intriguingly, by promoting the mobility of free fatty acid (FFA) from mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) to the liver. This study revealed a critical role of SIRT1 in preventing NAFLD, and addressed the underlying mechanism that people without ʽbelly fatʼ still develop fatty liver when SIRTt1 activity decreases due to certain factors such as aging, unhealthy diet, or stress. In the 2nd project, both WT and MT mice were treated with hepatic carcinogen diethylnitrosamine, followed by HFD feeding with or without tomato powder (TP, representative of whole tomato) for 34 weeks. Results revealed that TP supplementation significantly reduced liver steatosis in both WT and MT mice through different molecular mechanisms. The protective effect of TP in WT mice was mediated by increasing SIRT1 protein expression and activity, and decreasing hepatic fatty acid binding protein 1 expression and FFA uptake. While in MT mice, TP decreased hepatic fatty acid synthesis through inactivating hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase mediated by AMPK phosphorylation, independent of SIRT1. Additionally, TP lowered il-6 mRNA expression in MAT and IL-6 concentration in plasma, as compared with MT mice without TP. In WT mice, dietary TP decreased caspase-1 mediated IL-1β maturation. However, we did not detect significant hepatic inflammatory cell infiltration in both WT and MT mice. Neither the mutation of SIRT1 activity nor TP supplementation altered incidence or multiplicity of HCC in both WT and MT mice. This could be due to the lack of inflammation as a target of TP protection or limited efficacy of SIRT1 in ameliorating HCC development in this mouse model. Our final project demonstrated that ALA supplementation at 10 mg/kg diet in WT and MT mice for 34 weeks achieved a comparable effect against NAFLD between WT and MT mice. Unexpectedly, MT mice developed less hepatic tumor multiplicity, as compared with WT mice fed the same dose of ALA. Interestingly, the ablation of SIRT1 activity resulted in increased expression of hepatic nuclear receptors (rxrα, lxrα, pparγ) and vitamin A transporter cd36, and hepatic retinol concentration, but decreased cyclin D1 protein levels, suggesting potential contribution of these nuclear receptors and retinol as well as cell cycle arrest to the reduction of hepatic tumor multiplicity. This study demonstrated that ALA protects against NAFLD and HCC independent of SIRT1 activity and the lack of SIRT1 activity reduced the progression of HCC in mice given HFD and ALA supplementation. In summary, through this thesis work, we first demonstrated the causal role of absence of SIRT1 activity in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, which underscores the key role of SIRT1 in ameliorating NAFLD progression through involving multiple organs. Secondly by exploring an efficient dietary strategy against NAFLD, we demonstrated that dietary TP as a whole food approach acts as an effective disease prevention strategy against NAFLD independent of SIRT1 activity. Lastly, we demonstrated that lack of SIRT1 activity inhibited HCC development in mice given HFD and ALA supplementation, highlighting the complex regulation of SIRT1 in hepatic tumorigenesis with paradoxical functions as tumor suppressor or tumor promoter.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2017.Submitted to the Dept. of Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition.Advisor: Xiang-dong Wang.Committee: Lynne Ausman, Andrew Greenberg, and Dayong Wu.Keywords: Nutrition, and Molecular biology
Relationship between muscle strength and dyslipidemia, serum 25(OH)D, and weight status among diverse schoolchildren: a cross-sectional analysis.
No full textBackground: The relationship between muscle strength and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth, and the potential influence of vitamin D status on this relationship, is not well understood. This study examined associations between muscle strength and dyslipidemia, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and weight status in diverse schoolchildren.Keywords: Grip strength, BMI z-score, 25(OH)D, Blood lipids, Cardiometabolic risk factors.Springer Open
Intact β-Cryptoxanthin Prevention of Cigarette Smoke-Induced Inflammatory Lung Lesions Independent of Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes and Mechanistic Understanding of Sirtuin 1 Activity
No full textAbstract: Cigarette smoke (CS) inhalation remains a major public health problem. Chronic inflammation induced by CS is known to be the underlying mechanism for many diseases. Inflammation from CS-exposure has been shown to lead to bronchitis and emphysema, which together, chronically, lead to irreversible damage and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD remains a leading cause of hospitalization and is expected to become the third most common cause of death by 2020. Currently, therapeutic interventions for COPD only help with the symptoms of the disease, but no cure exits. Therefore, the need for the discovery of dietary preventative agents is necessary. Several epidemiological studies, including the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Seven Cohorts Studies, have shown an increase in the plasma levels of carotenoids was associated with lower risk of chronic lung disease. Specifically, β-cryptoxanthin (BCX), a pro-vitamin A carotenoid abundantly found in butternut squash, pumpkin, citrus fruits, papaya, and sweet red peppers, was the only carotenoid for which intake was associated with a lower risk of lung disease, such as lung cancer, in current smokers. However, the protective effect of BCX against other lung diseases, such as emphysema as a result from CS-induced inflammation has not been investigated. Moreover, the biologically active effects of intact BCX, without the generation of vitamin A or apo-10'-carotenoids, via β-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (BCO1) and β-carotene-9',10'-oxygenase (BCO2), respectively, has not been investigated. BCO1/BCO2 polymorphism has been associated with alterations in human and animal carotenoid level status, consequently impacting the generation of vitamin A and apo-carotenoids generated by BCO1/BCO2, which possess strong, well-known biological activities. However, whether the presence of BCO1/BCO2 polymorphisms in the human population has implications in carotenoid metabolism and function remains unclear. In this thesis work, we investigated whether BCX possesses anti-inflammatory biological activity to prevent CS-induced inflammation and lung lesion development and the potential mechanism(s) involved, and whether this biological activity is independent of, or dependent on, carotenoid cleavage enzymes, BCO1/BCO2. In the first part of this study, we examined the preventative effects of biologically active, intact BCX supplementation (20 mg/kg diet), against two weeks of CS-exposure in both wild type (WT) and BCO1/BCO2 double knock out (DKO, BCO1-/-/BCO2-/- which both BCO1 and BCO2 cleavage enzymes have been knocked out) mouse model, including males and females. We observed that BCX supplementation was able to significantly reduce CS-induced inflammation and emphysema in both DKO and WT mice in the same manner, as measured by inflammatory cell infiltration and the average distance between alveolated membranes (Lm) and hyperplastic bronchiolars, respectively, therefore no genotype effect was revealed. This response was associated with HPLC analysis of the liver, which demonstrated a significant accumulation of BCX in both mouse genotypes, with less accumulation in the WT mice. Moreover, as expected, WT mice showed a significant increase in retinol generation when fed BCX, whereas DKO did not show any change in retinol levels. Thus, indicating a protective effect of BCX due to the activities of intact BCX. Molecularly, the pathological findings of intact BCX biological activities were consistent with reduced the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL6 and TNFα) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), related to inflammation and inflammatory lung lesion development. No sex differences were observed. This part of the thesis provides the first in vivo evidence that intact BCX possesses its own anti-inflammatory activity, and has protective effects against CS-induced lung lesions, independent of the generation of vitamin A or apo-10'-carotenoids. In the second part of this thesis work, we aimed to examine the underlying mechanism by which inflammatory lung lesions develop in response to CS. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase, known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging activity, has been introduced as a potential target of CS due to its sensitivity to redox status and inflammation. Moreover, decreased levels of SIRT1 protein have been found in patients suffering from COPD, however much controversy exists over the implications of SIRT1 protein levels versus its activity, therefore SIRT1 protein levels alone cannot be used to reflect its deacetylase activity. To address this question, we conducted a CS-exposure study using both male and female mice which have been genetically modified so that they do not have whole body SIRT1 enzymatic activity (Sirt1y/y), or have partial SIRT1 enzymatic activity (Sirt1+/y), compared to wild type (WT) mice with fully functioning SIRT1 enzymatic activity (Sirt1+/+). Following CS-exposure for six weeks, Sirt1+/+ and Sirt1+/y mice had a significant inflammation response compared to Sirt1+/+ mice not exposed to CS. To our surprise, Sirt1y/y mice exposed to CS produced a weak inflammatory response, but did have an exacerbation of emphysema, compared to Sirt1+/+ and Sirt1+/y mice. We investigated this novel finding molecularly and discovered a significant decrease in transcription factors related to cell cycle progression and a significant increase in markers of cellular senescence in the lungs of both Sirt1+/y and Sirt1y/y mice. Specifically, we discovered a CS-induced decrease in transcription factor, p53, which is related to the regulation of cell cycle progression. Consistent with these findings, we revealed a decrease in cell cycle progression (cyclin-dependent kinase 1, CDK1) and an increase in biomarkers for cell arrest/cellular senescence (p21 and p16), which is likely the underlying mechanism for emphysema development, independent of inflammation. We did not observe sex differences. The second part of this thesis presents evidence that the whole-body loss of SIRT1 enzymatic activity results in the exacerbation CS-induced emphysema with much less of an inflammatory response, as compared with WT mice. This study lays the groundwork for further investigation of SIRT1 enzymatic activity's role in CS-induced cell arrest and senescence as the underlying mechanism for emphysema development. Taken together, using two genetically modified mouse models, this thesis work demonstrates that, first, intact BCX, independent of carotenoid cleavage enzymes is a strong anti-inflammatory agent against CS-induced inflammation and lung lesions without sex differences; and, secondly, SIRT1 enzymatic activity plays a major role in the underlying mechanism of emphysema induction due to cell arrest and senescence, without sex differences.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition.Advisor: Xiang-Dong Wang.Committee: Dayong Wu, Irfan Rahman, and Virendar Kaushik.Keywords: Biochemistry, Nutrition, and Molecular biology
Manager and consumer perspectives on fruit and vegetable availability and purchasing at Navajo Nation small stores
No full textAbstract: The Navajo Nation (NN) is the largest federally recognized tribe in the U.S. More than half of Navajo residents live below the poverty line, 42% are unemployed, and one-third lack plumbing and electricity. In addition, the Navajo people have some of the highest rates of childhood obesity and food insecurity reported for a U.S. population. To reverse these public health challenges, the food environment must provide opportunities for healthy eating at affordable prices. The food environment challenges identified in urban, non-Native communities are structurally different from those faced in NN, so there is a specific need to develop approaches appropriate to local conditions. Convenience stores are the food outlets closest to 70% of Navajo communities, yet these small stores vary in their availability of healthy options. Little is known about the challenges and possible facilitators to supplying fruits and vegetables (F&V) to the most remote regions in NN. The research objectives addressed were to 1) determine F&V availability at all small stores in communities without grocery stores in NN, 2) document customer perspectives on barriers to and facilitators of purchasing F&V at these stores and, 3) understand store owner and manager views on stocking F&V. In Aim 1, we used a modified Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) in stores to document all fresh, frozen and canned F&V at the 71 small stores in Navajo Nation communities without grocery stores. We also compared the fresh F&V offerings available at independently operated stores and regional and national chains. We found that nine stores had no fresh fruits and twelve stores had no fresh vegetables available. The overall median number of canned, fresh, and frozen F&V types offered across all stores were nine, eight and three, respectively. There were more fresh fruit and vegetable offerings at independently owned stores compared to regional or national chain stores (p < 0.05). Aim 2 explored perspectives on food availability and shopping preferences of 72 customers outside of 9 small stores in remote NN. Four individuals (5.6%) purchased some F&V at the small store the day s/he was interviewed and 32% had purchased some in the previous week. Most participants (64%) shopped primarily at super center stores outside of their communities, yet about half shopped at the small store at least twice per week. This suggests that the small stores are important spaces to encourage healthful food purchasing. Shoppers would be more inclined to purchase F&V if a greater variety were available at affordable prices. For Aim 3, interviews with six owners and 16 managers of 22 small stores in NN revealed that management would like to offer more fresh F&V. However, barriers exist, such as perceived low demand, limited F&V offerings from distributors and for some managers, minimal authority over product selection. Participants were interested in purchasing products from local farmers however few relationships exist and there was concern with food safety requirements. These findings document that increasing availability and purchasing of F&V in remote NN is complex and must address both supply and demand challenges. There are opportunities for increased dialogue among customers and management to encourage augmentation of product offerings. There is also need to explore creative sourcing, such as pooled purchasing among multiple locations, which could help stores increase variety while decreasing cost to customers. Given current product selection and varying levels of decision making autonomy, it will be necessary to pursue different strategies when looking to partner with independently owned stores compared to those that are part of regional or national chains. Study results will inform local programmatic and advocacy efforts to increase healthy food access in remote NN.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Environment.Advisor: Tim Griffin.Committee: Robert Houser, and Sonya Shin.Keyword: Nutrition, and Public health
Satellite-based monitoring of crop yields and yield gaps: methods and applications across spatial scales
No full textAbstract: Background Meeting the food needs of growing populations consuming more resource-intensive diets will require increasing the magnitude and stability of crop yields. Better data is needed in order to understand the determinants and indicators of crop yields, and to target efforts for yield improvement. Satellite remote sensing imagery has substantial potential for creating low-cost geospatial crop monitoring datasets for research and decision making. This dissertation asks if innovative yield mapping methods with satellite imagery are suitable for three crop monitoring applications: crop yield gap (potential minus actual yield) analysis across farm size groups, yield mapping to inform precision agriculture practices, and in-field characterization of plant traits in advanced crop breeding experiments. Methods This project used remote sensing imagery, socio-environmental datasets, and a mixture of biophysical and statistical modeling tools to predict and then analyze crop yields. Objective 1 was to assess variation in Brazilian soybean yields and yield gaps with respect to farm size, using remote sensing imagery to estimate yields and characterize parcel-level features. Objective 2 employed a crop yield prediction algorithm combining remote sensing imagery with crop simulation models to predict mean maize yields at 10 m resolution in Nebraska, USA, and then validated the predictions with harvester yield monitor records. Objective 3 built on the methods and site data in Objective 3 to develop and test a yield prediction algorithm for mapping sub-field maize yields across rainfed and irrigated fields. Results Yield gaps in Brazilian soybean production systems were mapped with satellite imagery, revealing significant variations across farms of different size (ranging 20-50,000 ha). Farm size was positively related with soy yield, and inversely related to yield gap size. Objective 2 found that a crop yield prediction model which required no in situ data collection was successful in mapping mean maize yields at 10 m resolution (R2 0.68, RMSE = 0.99 mt ha-1). Objective 3 showed that single-season maize yield prediction accuracy varied with irrigation status, remote sensing imagery source, and algorithm parameters, explaining up to 22.2% of the variation in sub-field yields. Implications Crop yield monitoring with satellites and modeling tools has significant potential for applications across scales. Mapping crop yield gaps across Brazil highlights regions and farm types with the highest potential for yield improvement. The methods developed in Objectives 2 and 3 can be applied to lower the cost and increase the availability of sub-field yield maps to support site-specific field management, which can increase farm input use efficiency. The results here suggest that remote sensing will play an important role in identifying pathways leading to higher yielding and more resilient cropping systems.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Environment.Advisor: Timothy Griffin.Committee: David Fleisher, Magaly Koch, and Elena Naumova.Keywords: Agriculture, Remote sensing, and Sustainability
Commanders as Negotiators: The Marine Corps and Marine Infantry Battalion Commanders in Helmand, Afghanistan 2008-2014
No full textAbstract: This dissertation examines the use of negotiation by U.S. Marine infantry battalion commanders deployed to Helmand province, Afghanistan from 2008-2014. The study utilized an inductive approach with both historical and ethnographic methods to identify and explain a clear pattern in negotiations in armed conflict and inform negotiation theory. It built on interviews with over forty Marine infantry battalion commanders who served in Helmand, and integrated additional primary and secondary sources. The study serves as a significant work in establishing U.S. Marine Corps history in Helmand province from 2008-2014. The study consists of nine chapters. In addition to the literature review and methodology chapters, the study includes a chapter on the formations of the U.S. Marine Corps as well as a chapter on the multiple factors that led to the entry and then expansion of U.S. Marine Corps forces into Helmand in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The next three chapters consist of Marine negotiations during three phases of operations including Clearing, Holding, and Transitioning. The study integrates an analytical framework of institutional factors, conflict analysis and stakeholders, negotiation role, and levers of influence across the three chapters. The final chapter integrates cross-phase analysis of each component of the analytical framework. By looking at one military organization (the U.S. Marine Corps) in one Afghan province (Helmand) over a multi-year period, the study finds that institutional factors that are outside the control of battalion commanders such as doctrine, command structures, organizational temperament, and recruiting practices, all heavily shape their use of negotiation throughout different phases of a conflict. Similarly, battalion commanders function as an interlinked bargainer when they balance the broader mission with the characteristics of the local conflict and the expectations of their subordinates. These insights indicate that when assessing the use of negotiation over time by multiple agents from one organization, military or civilian, an institutional perspective is warranted. In addition, from a historical perspective, because Helmand does not neatly fit the self-image of the U.S. Marine Corps, the lessons learned there are unlikely to be integrated into Marine training and education in the future.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2017.Submitted to the Dept. of Diplomacy, History, and Politics.Advisor: Eileen Babbitt.Committee: Nadim Rouhana, and Abigail Linnington.Keyword: International relations
Fabrication of silk reservoir implants for sustained drug delivery and other applications
No full textAbstract: In the modern era of medicine there exist numerous approaches to safe, efficacious drug delivery. Implantable systems containing reservoirs of drug offer several advantages over traditional oral regimens, including improved drug bioavailability, limited systemic toxic effects of potent therapeutics through local implantation, modulated and multi-phase release, and reduced dosing frequencies allowing for enhanced patient compliance. Furthermore, sustained delivery implants have the ability to secrete drug at a near-constant release rate over long periods, providing even more robust alternatives to chronic oral medications. The materials used to construct these systems, however, can exhibit several shortcomings; they are often not bioresorbable and thus require a secondary surgery to remove from the body, and can sometimes only be generated by fabrication processes that require harsh chemical solvents. Here, a novel fabrication process to create biodegradable drug reservoir systems made from regenerated silk fibroin protein solution (23% w/v) is demonstrated. Loadable systems (inner diameter 3.0 mm; wall thickness < 250µm) were developed in a reproducible manner using an all-aqueous solution-gel-solid phase transition curing process, and released two different clinically-relevant therapeutics at a near-constant rate for 30 days (> 100µg / day). Systems were analyzed for both their chemical and mechanical characteristics - analysis of crystalized protein secondary structure revealed the systems to be of similar composition compared to previously-generated solid silk materials, while radial compression (1mm / min) testing of unloaded systems suggests they have a range of Young's modulus values similar to cancellous (spongy) bone (100 - 250 MPa), which is relevant when considering potential implantation sites of functional systems. These silk reservoirs demonstrated a degree of compliance when placed under cyclic compression (12.5mHz up to 17.5% strain), and are the first solid silk materials to be generated as "complex" shapes (hollow cylinders) via an additive molding manufacturing process. Therefore, this fabrication approach has the potential to be leveraged for applications outside of drug delivery including in the areas of tissue engineering and diagnostic sensing.Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.Advisor: Chris Rogers.Committee: David Kaplan, and Jeffrey Guasto.Keywords: Biomedical engineering, Biomechanics, and Materials Science
COUPLING THERMAL TREATMENT AND MICROBIAL REDUCTIVE DECHLORINATION FOR THE ENHANCED REMEDIATION OF CHLORINATED ETHENES
No full textAbstract: The targeted, synergistic implementation of in situ thermal treatment (ISTT) with microbial reductive dechlorination (MRD) has potential to enhance biodegradation of tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), and their chlorinated daughter products, while reducing remedial costs and cleanup time relative to conventional in situ remediation technologies. Growth rates and activity of reductively dechlorinating bacteria have been shown to increase during or following field-scale ISTT, but the causal mechanisms are poorly understood. Two of the most likely mechanisms were investigated: 1) increased availability of bioavailable substrates in the aqueous phase and 2) direct temperature stimulation of the microbial community. Through a series of laboratory-scale batch reactor and 1-D column studies, electron donors and fermentable precursors released from porous media during thermal treatment were identified, quantified, and evaluated for their ability to promote the complete microbial reductive dechlorination of PCE to non-toxic ethene. Column studies were also completed to elucidate the impacts of temperature on the growth and activity of a dechlorinating consortium under continuous flow conditions. Results indicate that compounds released from soil organic matter during thermal treatment can represent a substantial source of bioavailable reducing equivalents, capable of sustaining bacterial ethene formation even in the absence of an external electron donor source. Sustained ethene formation was also demonstrated at elevated temperatures previously believed to inactivate key reductively dechlorinating bacteria. Collectively, results reaffirm the argument for the coupled implementation of ISTT and microbial reductive dechlorination technologies, and underscore the potential to improve contaminant degradation rates.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Civil Engineering.Advisors: Natalie Capiro, and Kurt Pennell.Committee: Frank Loffler, and Ayse Asatekin.Keyword: Environmental engineering
Melinda and Her Sisters: Reconsidering a Suffrage Operetta as Pageantry
No full textAbstract: This thesis claims that the sui generis classification of Belmont and Maxwell's Melinda and Her Sisters as a suffrage operetta is to blame for the lack of extant scholarship on the work. In its place, I offer the analytical framework of pageantry. Relying on contemporaneous press and practical guides and recent histories of each genre, I reconstruct the commercial and critical atmosphere in the year the work was created, 1916. I also draw on suffrage propaganda, government documents, and court cases to convey the sociopolitical tension of the historical moment. By placing the two genres in dialogue, I reveal a chiasmus of gender and class coding attendant to each. I conclude that it was the relatively high cultural capital of "suffrage operetta," and not its aptness of description, that ultimately led the creators to market their work as such. As a genre case study, this thesis comments on the impact that ontology has on reception.Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2018.Submitted to the Dept. of Music.Advisor: Stephan Pennington.Committee: Melinda Latour, and Barbara Wallace-Grossman.Keywords: Music, and Theater history