ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the years 1980-2000 as a sociologically transformative period in Boston's history. The guiding research question is how organized politics and the policies that emerged responded to racial conflict, inequality and economic development, and wholesale change in the city's economic base during this period. The policies of the three governing regimes--the end of Kevin H. White's sixteen-year term, Raymond L. Flynn's nine years in office, and the beginning of Thomas M. Menino's twenty-year mayoralty--are analyzed in the content of these domains to identify the outcomes of several policy agendas that have helped shape life in Boston today. This analysis is in the context of urbanization and urbanism, viewed through the lenses of urban regime, growth machine coalition, progressive city, and government communalism theories. The study utilizes retrospective autoethnography linked with interviews and archival data research. The study found that during the end of the mayoral administration of Kevin White, Boston was in turmoil politically and racially. Political contests centered on growing poverty and inequality and racial unrest in the city. The election of 1983 was a "critical election" both because an African American was in the final runoff and because the two finalists repudiated the growth machine coalition and the racial politics of the past. Flynn's election began the populist transformation of economic policies in Boston to heal racial divisions. After he resigned to become Ambassador to the Vatican, the urban regime of Thomas Menino left intact many of the redistributive policies Flynn enacted; however, it also gradually returned to the growth machine coalition model of economic development, fueling the greatest class and income inequality in Boston's history. In the final analysis, both the policies of each urban regime and the activities of the religious, cultural, business, and neighborhood organizations that comprise city life changed the city in sociologically significant ways. This is the story of Boston 1980-2000, the role of its three mayors during that period, and how the city entered the twenty-first century with its physical decline in part reversed but with issues of race and class remaining significant touchstones.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / Rufus Matthew Jones, 1863-1948, was one of the most influential Quakers of the past century. As an editor, a teacher of philosophy, a founder and chairman of the American Friends Service Committee, a historian of mysticism and Quakerism, an active and dynamic leader in the Society of Friends and in Protestantism, he achieved a place of leading rank in the contemporary church and society. Studies of his thought have to date dealt only in part with his ethics. The present study therefore attempts: (1) to reconstruct his Christian ethics; (2) to seek the nature and extent of general and especially of Biblical influences; (3) to draw conclusions on the nature of his ethical position in relation to the Bible; and finally, (4) to contribute toward an evaluation of his position in relation to Quakerism and to the ecumenical church. Though Jones taught both general and Biblical ethics, he did not publish a complete ethical system. Thus it has been necessary to read, analyze, and correlate Jones's voluminous published and unpublished works as a foundation for the reconstruction of his ethics. This empirical method required an inductive search for and subsequent correlation of categories and principles which could serve coherently though arbitrarily as the basis for relevant findings. [TRUNCATED]

Charles Chauncy remains an important transitionary figure between eighteenth century Puritan orthodoxy and nineteenth century liberal Congregationalism. Many historians imagined Chauncy as a figure caught between the revelatory experiences of the Great Awakening and the rational social ethos of the Revolutionary War. This framework has helped historians harmonize Chauncy’s traditional Calvinism and his progressive Universalism, especially as they understand Chauncy’s publications on Universalism: The Mystery Hid From Ages, The Benevolence of the Deity, and Five Dissertations. Read together, these three works comprise a Universalism canon that portrays Chauncy as a theologian compromising between two extremes: reason and revelation. Read separately, however, demands a more nuanced view of Chauncy beyond portrayals of him as a religious innovator or an indecisive theologian. Chauncy’s strict adherence to scripture complicates this paradigm. On the surface, Chauncy’s biblicism illustrates his adherence to Puritan methods of epistemology. A deeper analysis of scriptural authority’s shifting role in Chauncy’s canon demonstrates an individual negotiating his abiblical environment with the texts of scripture . While historians have demonstrated the ways in which hermeneutical decisions arise from the social and political situations faced by individuals like Chauncy, few have investigated the ways in which scripture also facilitates religious transitions, at times even the decline of its influence in social and political contexts. Chauncy’s inclusion and omissions of scripture in his publications demonstrated the ways in which eighteenth century biblical canon struggled to adapt to an eighteenth century context. Recognizing this, Chauncy grounded his Universalism on scripture by appropriating John Taylor’s exegetical approaches to rebut the abiblical Universalism of John Murray or the rationalist of deists like Thomas Paine. But by the nineteenth century, New England Congregationalism demonstrated the fruits of a Chauncy’s labors: a steep decline in reliance upon biblical authority. While Chauncy had demonstrated the possibility of a biblical foundation for his Universalism, he may have also inadvertently diminished the need for it as he compromised on biblical authority in his works on Universalism. These compromises foreshadowed the challenges to scriptural authority in the nineteenth century.

INTRODUCTION: Infants who have dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) are often recommended thickened oral liquids, which can be easier to swallow and allow infants to continue feeding orally. In the last decade, a xanthan gum thickener, SimplyThick®, was commonly used in preterm infants with dysphagia because of its ability to thicken breast milk. In 2011, the FDA cautioned against the use of SimplyThick in preterm infants, because of case reports of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a condition where the bowel becomes inflamed and can lead to intestinal perforation or necrosis, systemic infection, the failure of multiple organs and death (Moore, 2016; Press Announcements, 2011). However, since the FDA warning, there have been no studies examining the prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis in infants who consume SimplyThick. AIMS: Among infants at BCH who used SimplyThick and other thickeners at <1-year old between October 1st, 2012- December 31st, 2015 to 1) describe the patients’ clinical characteristics, including indications for SimplyThick and other thickeners and 2) determine the prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis and adverse effects. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review in infants who had been seen at Boston Children’s Hospital, and prescribed or recommended SimplyThick thickener under the age of 1 (defined as from 0 up to and including 12 months) from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015. We collected information from electronic medical records and an existing quality improvement database of infants who had an abnormal modified barium swallow study. We collected information regarding clinical variables (e.g. patient age, patient sex, patient weight, gestational age at birth, clinical indications), nutritional information, and outcomes (presence of NEC or other adverse effects). These data were entered into a REDCap database and analyzed using SAS statistical software. RESULTS: We identified 20 cases of infants meeting our inclusion criteria. The duration of follow-up ranged from 6 months to 9.3 months. This follow up was either until the case turned 12 months of age or 6 months after the use of SimplyThick if the age started SimplyThick was greater than 6 months old. Mean corrected age at the time that SimplyThick was started was 6.2 months (range, 2.7 to 10.6 months), and 6 (30%) were born preterm at a gestational age ranging from 24.7 to 36.5 weeks. In cases that eventually stopped using SimplyThick (14 cases, 70%), SimplyThick was continued for a mean duration of 42.1 weeks (range 1.1 to 117.1 weeks). The most common indications for SimplyThick were aspiration documented on a modified barium swallow test, dysphagia and GERD. The most common reasons for discontinuation of SimplyThick were no longer requiring thickened feeds, or needing to stop oral feeding. No cases of necrotizing enterocolitis were reported among the 20 subjects. No adverse effects of SimplyThick were reported. CONCLUSION: Among 20 infants started on SimplyThick at 6.2 months and followed for up to 6 to 9.3 months, there were no cases of necrotizing enterocolitis. Further data collection is required to confirm these findings. / 2019-07-11T00:00:00Z

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity and alcohol consumption are prevalent and have health consequences among people living with HIV infection or AIDS (PLWHA). Food insecurity could be associated with unhealthy alcohol use via hunger or other mechanisms. However, it is not well-known whether the two (food insecurity and unhealthy alcohol use) are associated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine an association between food insecurity and unhealthy alcohol use in people with HIV/AIDS and substance use disorder. It was hypothesized that food insecurity, compared to food security, would be associated with unhealthy alcohol use in this population. METHODS: This study is a cross sectional analysis of data collected from adults with HIV infection and current alcohol or other drug dependence or ever injection drug use, who were participants in a cohort study known as the Boston Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (ARCH) study. Food insecurity, the independent variable, was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Assessment Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire (defined as a dichotomized measure of food insecure (mild, moderate, severe) versus food secure). Unhealthy alcohol use, the dependent variable, was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire (defined as a score greater than 3 in males and a score greater than 2 in females). Participants were assessed at two time points 12 months apart. In generalized estimating equations, we studied the association between food insecurity and unhealthy alcohol use at each time point. Covariates adjusted for included age, sex, race, HIV viral load, CD4 cell count, physical health, mental health, number of people the individual spent time with who were heavy or problem drinkers, homelessness, if the participant had someone to turn to in a time of need, and drug dependence. RESULTS: Of the 250 participants enrolled in the Boston ARCH cohort, 233 completed the HFIAS and the AUDIT-C questionnaires at either or both time points. There were 100 participants who completed the questionnaires at time point 1 only, 67 at time point 2 only, and 66 at both time points resulting in a total of 299 data points. The mean age of our sample was in the 6th decade and the majority were Black/African American and identified as male. The majority (80%) had an HIV viral load under 200 and over half of the sample also had a CD4 cell count greater than or equal to 500. Unhealthy alcohol use was common (40%) and 44% had food insecurity. In unadjusted analysis, food insecurity was associated (p=0.08) with unhealthy alcohol use [OR=1.58 (CI 95%: 0.95, 2.62)]; however, this association disappeared in adjusted analysis [OR: 1.06 (CI 95%: 0.59, 1.87), p=0.85]. / 2018-07-11T00:00:00Z

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / The Earlab Project at Boston University Hearing Research Center (HRC), http://earlab.bu.edu, is a computational simulation system created by the HRC to allow researchers to run simulations efficiently, using software representations of physiological pathways. The existing complexity of Earlab presents difficulty for users who may wish to adjust the parameters necessary to change from models of the ear to models that simulate other physiological pathways. To address this difficulty, several approaches were explored to assist in formulating a new framework for editing files associated with Earlab. XML, a mark-up language, was used to derive a series of prototype XML based documents as replacements for existing Earlab files. Microsoft Visual Studio and C# was then used to create a prototype of a graphical user interface that is capable of displaying an XML based document in a visual manner. The resulting framework shows the process of the intake of an XML document of an sample Earlab model, the presentation of the model in a graphical framework and the ability to edit the model and receive feedback on the suitability of values in the model.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-203). / In order to support the development of improved methods for departure operations, the flow constraints and their causalities --primarily responsible for inefficiencies and delays-- need to be identified. This thesis is an effort to identify such flow constraints and gain a deep understanding of the departure process underlying dynamics based on field observations and analysis conducted at Boston Logan International Airport. It was observed that the departure process forms a complex interactive queuing system and is highly controlled by the air traffic controllers. Therefore, Flow constraints were identified with airport resources (runways, taxiways, ramp and gates) and with air traffic controllers due to their workload and control strategies. While departure delays were observed in all airport components, flow constraints manifested mainly at the runway system, where the longest delays and queues concentrated. Major delays and inefficiencies were also observed due to flow constraints at National Air Space locations downstream of the airport, which propagate back and block the departure flow from the airport. The air traffic controllers' main strategies in managing the traffic and dealing with the flow constraints were also identified. / (cont.) Based on these observations, a core departure process abstraction was posed consisting of a queuing element (representing the delays) and a control element (representing the air traffic controller actions). The control element represents blocking the aircraft flow, to maintain safe airport operation according to Air Traffic Control procedures and to regulate the outbound flow to constrained downstream resources. Based on this physical abstraction, an analytical queuing framework was developed and used to analyze the departure process dynamics under three different scenarios: the overall process between pushback and takeoff, departure sub-processes between controller/pilot communication events and under downstream restrictions. Passing which results mainly from aircraft sequencing and their suspension under special circumstances (such as downstream restrictions) was used as a manifestation of the control behavior. It was observed that Logan Airport exhibits high uncertainty and limited sequencing, hindering the air traffic controllers' ability to efficiently manage the traffic and comply with restrictions. In conclusion, implications for improved methods for departure operations are inferred from the observations and analysis. / by Husni Rifat Idris. / Ph.D.

This dissertation examines how the urban landscape of mid-19th-century Boston's North End was constructed and understood—physically, socially, and culturally—by the city's different social groups. Over the course of the 19th century, Boston's North End gained a reputation as a "slum" characterized by its deteriorating buildings, overcrowded housing, and immoral immigrant population—a stereotype that did not reflect the reality of the neighborhood's working-class residents. The dissertation identifies specific experiences, practices, and perceptions that created different understandings of the same physical space. This study makes a significant contribution to the understanding of urban landscapes by incorporating tangible artifacts excavated from domestic contexts in analyzing intangible social processes by employing a practice theory-based framework that interweaves archaeological and historical data to address social structures on multiple spatial scales: Boston as a macro-scale landscape; the medium-scale North End neighborhood; and micro-scale individual actions. The archaeological data analyzed for viii the study originated from two ca. 1850–1880 privy deposits associated with working-class North End households: a brothel/tenement at 27–29 Endicott Street and a boardinghouse at 19–21 North Square. To interpret these data within their historical and cultural context, city directory and census records are cross-referenced with Boston Valuation List tax records to compile a database of residential and commercial activity between 1850 and 1880 on the blocks surrounding these sites. The research shows how the conceptualization of the North End as a "slum" was constructed by middle-class and elite observers to assign personal responsibility to the poor for the structural poverty endemic to a capitalist economy and also to facilitate the development of their own class identities. Archaeological analysis reveals that North End residents constructed their neighborhood landscape by enacting household practices in public spaces, creating a sense of familiarity and control. They re-appropriated objects usually associated with middle-class culture by using them in unintended ways, creating new symbols and values that helped form a distinct working-class culture. By dressing and behaving in public in ways that subverted dominant social norms, working-class Bostonians used their bodies to create an urban landscape in which they and their culture could thrive.