Thesis advisor: Matthew S. Rutledge / This paper finds that musicians have more variable work schedules than comparable gig occupations and they are typically more disadvantaged in finding suitable employment opportunities. They are more likely to be self-employed and face the challenges that come with that status, and typically have less financial freedom. They also often work part-time due to the nature of the profession or take on multiple jobs to financially sustain themselves and their families financially. The pandemic has caused already-low hours for musicians to decrease further, still not fully recovering due to all live events being canceled, without the same ability to work remotely as similar gig occupations. These economic detriments have been accumulating for years as a result of the unstable music industry and the effects have multiplied after the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving musicians searching for a way forward within a broken system. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

No description available.

Travel has been one of the sectors most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries have taken urgent and aggressive action to contain the spread of the virus by implementing measures such as travel bans, border closures, and lockdowns. This thesis theorizes the relationship between self-making, ethics, and travel at a time when movement has become restricted and morally questionable. It traces important ethical tensions generated by the pandemic and grounds them in different conceptualizations of uncertainty, risk, responsibility, and mobility. Through the examination of the historical and global forces that led to the globalization of movement, capital, bodies, and viruses, this work explores the new parameters of travel as produced by the pandemic and its ensuing restrictions. It argues that COVID-19 blurs the distinctions between local and global infrastructures, bodies, and forms of knowledge, rendering them increasingly difficult to maintain. By examining the unfolding of the global crisis and its effects on the practice of travel, this thesis unravels new and innovative patterns of consumption and envisions alternative futures for the tourism industry.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is provoking a global public health crisis. Even though the academic world is intensively pursuing new therapies, there is still no “game changer” in the management of COVID 19. The Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is an ancient signaling system that has been proposed as a molecular tool used by coronaviruses and other RNA and DNA viruses in order to replicate and persist in the host cell. In recent years, Intermittent Fasting (IF), a practice consisting on a strict calorie restriction during a prolonged period of time during the day, has gained popularity due to its potential benefits in multiple health systems and in regulating inflammation. IF inhibits the mTOR pathway which is similar to the effects of Rapamycin in some animal models. mTOR inhibition and promotion of autophagy could potentially be the link between the possible direct benefits of IF in COVID-19 due to the interruption of the viral cycle (protein synthesis). Besides, IF has shown to be a strong anti-inflammatory in multiple prior studies, and may play a role in attenuating COVID -19 severity. This review hypothesizes the possible intersection between viral, immunological, and metabolic pathways related to mTOR and the potential mechanisms through which IF may improve clinical outcomes. Future prospective randomized controlled clinical trials to evaluate intermittent fasting (IF) regimens in order to prevent and treat moderate to severe forms of COVID-19 in humans are needed. / Revisión por pares

Prisoner rights in Canada have historically been met with disrespect and disregard. Advocates have continuously fought for better protections of prisoner rights and legislation that bans the harmful treatment of prisoners. However, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic concerns arose about how prisoners’ rights were affected. Therefore, the question guiding this research is: How have the human rights of prisoners and (anti) carceral advocacy for their rights been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this question, a document analysis was conducted, using documents from academics who work in the field, government departments, and advocates working in a variety of areas. This thesis fills the gap in scholarly inquiry that the pandemic has created as the circumstances and the effects of the pandemic are unknown. The government reacted to the pandemic by implementing protocols that suited them with little regard for how prisoner rights could be affected, and neglected advocates recommendations for change. Advocates reacted by shifting their strategies to ensure they could continue advocating during the pandemic. The thesis revealed that during a crisis, both positive and negative reactions can co-occur. The pandemic created a state of exception within the penal system; therefore, an increase in rights violations occurred. However, an opportunity for positive change also emerged. Advocates used this opportunity to change their strategies and maintain their advocacy. By contrast, the government did not seize the same opportunity, as is evidenced by how the recommendations that advocates had been supporting were not implemented properly to protect prisoners.

Can you feel the groove? Hip-Hop has the rhythmic power to connect individuals while providing an outlet for creative expression. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruption in our day-to-day lives, causing a sense of disconnect between each other. The implementation of government protocols such as mask mandates, social distancing, and the transition to virtual learning has caused challenges for teachers in the dance community. I am curious to phenomenologically inquire into the experience of pedagogical connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can we connect in a time of disconnection? The purpose of this Motion-Sensing Phenomenological study is to understand the interactive experiences of connection through Hip-Hop dance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants of this study were three Hip-Hop dance teachers who taught consistently, in-person or online through interactive technology during the pandemic. By actively immersing myself in the pedagogical connection, I observed, moved, and sensed this phenomenon in action. I conducted semi-structured motion-sensing phenomenological interviews with teacher to elaborate on their meaningful and connective experiences. Drawing from my participatory sensations and observations, I used the Interactive Function to Flow Model (Lloyd & Smith, 2022) to form my research questions: What connective postures showed when a participant was ready to groove? What connective gestures drew out the moments of connection? What qualities of timing and force cultivated feelings of a connection, and what kinaesthetic sensations were experienced when connections were felt? By stepping into these motion-sensing experiences, pedagogical connective moments emerged between participants, revealing somatic connective meanings in Hip-Hop dance. A deeper understanding of the intricate relation between Hip-Hop, movement, and its connective power within a global pandemic was found tethered within three contexts: a cypher, a partnered dance activity, and beyond a four walled computer screen. From relational positions of teacher and students, connective gestures shaped moments of collective synergies cultivated interactive flow. Despite the barriers of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can feel the groove, and it is clear with HIP-HOP, WE DON’T STOP.

As stay-at-home mandates were put in place to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the extent to which today's youth has been affected by such efforts has gone largely under examined. Through a collaborative qualitative study with Big Thought, a Dallas-based nonprofit geared towards empowering youth, we sought to answer how the social interactions and socioemotional wellbeing of their 2021 summer program participants were impacted, as well as how Big Thought was able to exhibit organizational resilience. Methods used for this study included digital and in-person ethnography, interviewing, and interactive media projects. Findings showcased noticeable adverse effects to the socioemotional wellbeing of youth (particularly among older cohorts), shifts in communication, gaps in learned practices of socialization, and coping through digital device use. Despite Big Thought's ability to display organization resilience, there is a clear need for additional concerted efforts to be practiced in reacclimating and guiding youth back into social environments and providing them with the resources and support to get there.

Background: Despite the overwhelming evidence that medication abortion care can be delivered safely and effectively through telemedicine services, Canadian abortion care providers have historically underutilized this modality of service delivery. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health measures designed to flatten the curve both exacerbated existing inequities in access and prompted service delivery innovations in abortion care. -- Objectives: This project aimed to explore the experiences of women, transgender men, non-binary folks, gender non-conforming, and Two-Spirit individuals with the capacity for pregnancy (womxn) with telemedicine abortion care. By understanding facilitators and barriers to telemedicine use as well as abortion seekers' satisfaction with remote interactions, we aimed to identify ways of improving and fortifying the abortion care system in Ontario. -- Methods: Using a multi-modal recruitment strategy, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with womxn who obtained a telemedicine abortion in Ontario after March 15, 2020. We used inductive and deductive techniques to analyze these data for content and themes. -- Results: The two Ontarian womxn that we interviewed were highly satisfied with the telemedicine abortion care they received and would recommend this service delivery modality with others. -- Conclusions: The results from our pilot align with a growing body of research calling for the demedicalization of medication abortion care in Canada. Future research that expands on these findings can have both policy and service delivery implications.

Yes / This qualitative study was designed to understand the impact of social distancing measures on people with dementia and carers living in the community in England and Wales during a period of social restrictions before the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with people with dementia aged 50-88 years, living alone or with a partner, and 10 carers aged 61-78 years, all living with the person with dementia. Three of the interviews were with dyads. Participants were recruited during November and December 2020. We used framework analysis to identify themes and elicit suggestions for potential solutions. We identified three interrelated themes. People with dementia experienced a fear of decline in capabilities or mood and attempted to mitigate this. Carers noticed changes in the person with dementia and increased caring responsibilities, and for some, a change in the relationship. Subsequently, reduced confidence in capabilities to navigate a new and hostile environment created a cyclical dilemma of re-engaging where an inability to access usual activities made things worse. People with dementia and carers experienced neglect and being alone in their struggle, alongside feeling socially excluded during the pandemic, and there was little optimism associated with the upcoming vaccine programme. People found their own solutions to reduce the effects of isolation by keeping busy and being socially active, and practising skills deemed to help reduce the progression of dementia. This and some limited local public initiatives for the general public facilitated feelings of social inclusion. This study adds understanding to existing evidence about the longer-term experience of social isolation several months into the pandemic. It highlights the importance of health and community groups and suggests how services can find ways to support, include, and interact with people with dementia and carers during and after social restrictions. / Economic and Social Research Council. Grant Numbers: ES/V004964/1, L001853, V004964. National Institute for Health and Care Research. Grant Number: ES/L001853/2. Department of Health. UK Research and Innovation. Health and Care Research Wales

The second pandemic persisted for 500 years throughout Europe and some regions of Africa and Asia and far surpasses the first and third pandemics in terms of temporal and spatial breadth. It is still unclear what mechanisms facilitated the long-term maintenance and continued disease reintroductions experienced during the second pandemic. Many researchers believe it was the spread of plague infected Rattus spp. via trade routes, while others are beginning to support a model that reflects modern plague ecology such that plague was maintained in local rodent reservoirs in the Mediterranean region or Europe following its 14th century introduction. This study accumulated a list of rodent species known to host plague and analyzed host characteristics to determine what traits allow rodents to function as successful reservoir species. In addition, this study analyzed the ancient DNA within rodent remains in search of Yersinia pestis to add to the history of the pathogen. The results of this study demonstrate that there are 45 non-Rattus rodent species known to host plague within a modern context. Although ancient Y. pestis DNA was not identified from zooarchaeological remains within this study, it is clear that rodent reservoirs were key players in past plague pandemics. When viewed through the lens of a single model (i.e. trade routes or human-ectoparasites), several questions about past plague maintenance remain unanswered. This study shows that a more complex composite model is best fit to describe the 500-year reign of the second pandemic and the quiescent periods that extended between the cyclical disease reintroductions. This study presents the first comprehensive, interactive, and publicly available online database of rodent reservoirs to aid in future research and emphasizes the need to investigate a multi-mechanism model of plague maintenance and reintroduction in the past. With this research we facilitated a starting point for future studies, expanded the current knowledge on rodent reservoirs of plague, and contributed a valuable discussion to the field of plague studies on regions that have thus far gone underserved in plague studies, such as the Mediterranean littoral. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)