Dissertations and Theses (1964-2011)

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In 2018 BU Libraries began a retrospective digitization project for BU theses and dissertations dating from 1964-2011. If you cannot locate your thesis or dissertation in OpenBU, it may not have been digitized yet. If you have any questions about this collection, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu.

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A literary history of the Atlantic Monthly magazine: 1909-1929
(Boston University, 1978) Sedgwick III, Ellery
[The first purpose of this work is to present a literary history of the Atlantic Monthly between 1909 and 1929. The second is to observe the decline of the genteel tradition in American intellectual life. In 1909 Ellery Sedgwick began his twenty-eight year editorship of the magazine and gradually but thoroughly remade its editorial policy, emphasizing current affairs and supplementing belles-lettres with less formal narratives of personal experience. Sedgwick's literary tastes were relatively conservative and those of his readers, who included vieilles filles of both sexes, more so. But the magazine continued to attract serious writers. During Sedgwick's first decade he published fiction and essays by Edith Wharton, J.J. Chapman, Owen Wister, H.L. Mencken, Agnes Repplier, Gamaliel Bradford, John Galsworthy, Laurence Binyon, F.L. Lucas, John Buchan, Edward Garnett, Havelock Ellis, John Masefield, H.G. Wells and Bertrand Russell. The traditional English literary influence remained strong.]
Kala Ramnath and the Hindustani violin: status and strategy in the Hindustani musical world
(Boston University, 2009) Desai-Stephens, Anaar Iris
This work is concerned with the ways m which status is manifested, determined and altered within the Hindustani musical world of North India. This enquiry is undertaken by investigating two seemingly distinct, yet profoundly intertwined parts of North Indian classical music - the Hindustani violin and the significance of gender distinctions within Hindustani music. The 'stories' of both the Hindustani violin and of women as public performers of Hindustani classical music are inextricably tied to the larger paths of colonialism and nationalism, as they have manifested in India over the past century. At the same time, a deeper understanding of these two subjects is found in an engagement with the individuals who, through their personal actions and endeavors, have sought to shift their status within Hindustani music, thereby changing the Hindustani musical world in the process. This work is therefore grounded in the musical and social knowledge of the Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath. Kala-ji's innovative violin technique, insights into gender differentiation within the Hindustani musical world, and articulated identity as a female Hindustani instrumentalist provide new understandings of how music, words, and personal action can affect a performer's relationship with the sociomusical world that she inhabits.
A study of the Neolithic architecture of Thessaly, Greece
(Boston University, 1982) Elia, Ricardo J.
All available evidence for architecture of the Neolithic Period in Thessaly, Greece, is assembled and synthesized. The traditional house-type concept used in previous studies is reviewed and shown to contain a number of theoretical and methodological weaknesses. A new theoretical approach is developed, which treats Neolithic architecture as an integral component of the overall cultural system, reflecting climatic conditions, building technology, social organization, household structure, religion and ideology. The existence of a separate Aceramic phase in Thessaly is questioned; the "pithouse" architecture of that phase is rejected for lack of evidence. The earliest Early Neolithic architecture appears to be a local development of rectilinear houses of wood and clay; pise, mud brick, and stone foundations were also used. Evidence for Middle Neolithic architecture is more abundant, and takes the form of house remains and clay house models. MN settlements consist of detached but closely grouped houses separated by lanes and common courts. Houses are typically small, one-room structures of square or slightly elongated plan. Mud brick on stone foundations, and pitched roofs, are typical. Households probably consisted of nuclear families. The so-called "megara" of the MN period are shown to be locally developed parched houses. The identification of the "Tsangli houses" with similar structures from Can Hasan 2B in Anatolia, and the posited migration from there into Thessaly, are rejected on the basis of an archaeological comparison of the architecture of the two sites. Limited data for the LN period suggest a shift to smaller, more nucleated settlements. Houses seem to be larger now than in the MN period; this may reflect either occupation by extended families or the existence of status distinctions. The traditional interpretation of LN Dimini as the fortified palace of a king is reconsidered in light of a discussion of the ''Homeric model" implicit in the original excavator's reasoning, and on the basis of recent excavations at that site. Remains of the Final Neolithic are extremely limited; the existence of an apsidal house at Rakhmani suggests affinities with the architecture of the early phases of the Early Bronze Age in the region.
The executable model approach: synergistic strategies for maintaining the correctness and efficiency of computer networks
(Boston University, 1989) Zinky, John Arthur
The Executable Model Approach offers an effective way to integrate performance modeling into the entire development cycle of computer networks. An executable performance model is created early in the development cycle and continues to be refined in parallel with network software. The model has special system requirements that make it a fast, inexpensive, and accurate predictor of network behavior. This predictive capability enhances Capacity Management tasks for both the design and operation of networks. The Executable Model Approach is a set of strategies that use an executable performance model to increase the correctness and efficiency of networks. The model can be used as a testbed to confirm hypotheses about network behavior and to speed up the process of troubleshooting performance faults. The model also represents an independently developed encoding of network algorithms and can be used in the fashion of N-Version programming to increase the reliability of network software. Finally, the model is instrumented with finer detail than the operational network and can be used to enhance the understanding of network behavior. Executable models have different properties than models traditionally used to design networks. Executable models are optimized for fast turn-around time and their functionality is limited to modeling a specific operational context, whereas design models have flexible functionality that allows them to explore a wide range of hypothetical networks. The mechanisms needed to create and run executable performance models were not available until the recent advances in expert systems, supercomputers, and hybrid-modeling. The feasibility of creating executable models is demonstrated by the development of an automated tool for troubleshooting performance faults. Also, the potential benefit of using executable models is analyzed in terms of increased software reliability and troubleshooting speed. The Executable Model Approach is effective because it exploits the characteristics of both computer networks and executable models. Computer networks are large, complex, and expensive systems. Methods are needed to analyze their behavior in a general and global way. Executable models automatically generate a representation of network behavior from network stimulus. They are easy to use and combine with other tools.
Reproductive limitation in coastal ospreys (Pandion haliaetus): an ecological and an evolutionary perspective
(Boston University, 1984) Poole, Alan Forsyth
Field studies of breeding ospreys were conducted in coastal regions of Massachusetts, New York, and south Florida from 1978-1983 to determine: ( i) the proximate control that local food supply exerts on reproductive performance in these populations; (ii) how food limitation has ultimately shaped life-history patterns in this species, especially clutch-size and laying date. Reduced food delivery to nests increased nestling loss. Reproductive loss was especially high in Florida where latitude and season restricted daylight foraging time for the providing male parent. Starvation of smaller, later-hatching chicks within broods was the primary cause of nestling death. Sibling aggression accounted for the preferential feeding of older nestmates, but only in food-stressed colonies. Food consumption and weight gain were measured for 18 female ospreys prior to egg-laying. Females gained little weight during this courtship period, and rates of food intake had no strong relationship to clutch or egg size in these birds. Females that laid early were better fed than those laying late, but the ages and breeding experience of pairs explained most of the variability in their laying dates. Reproductive success within local populations of ospreys declined steadily as the breeding season progressed. This pattern could not be explained by changes in clutch size or food availability and was only partially explained by changes in the age and experience of pairs. Reduced reproductive effort is discussed as an alternative explanation. Females laying modal 3-egg clutches fledged nearly as many young as those laying 4 eggs. Pairs with 4-egg clutches showed more yearly variability in reproductive success than those with clutches of 3 eggs; rarely did pairs fledge 4 young. Males in pairs given enlarged broods (5 young) increased food delivery to their nests, but the amount of food available per chick was still less than in normal 3-young broods. Females in pairs given enlarged broods ate less food and suffered potentially drastic weight loss.
A study of dynamical vortices in the Abelian-Higgs and Chern-Simons models
(Boston University, 1994) Strilka, Richard John
Vortices are common to many physical systems. Most people, for example, are familiar with eddies that form in streams and rivers. They usually have an energy density per unit length which is "localized" and, consequently, their crosssections may be thought of as "particles" in two dimensions. Theories which support stable vortex solutions are highly non-linear; and therefore, their study has relied heavily upon computer simulations. In this dissertation, I numerically explore the dynamical interactions of vortices in the (3 + 1) Abelian Higgs and (2 + 1) ChernSimons theories. Both of these models involve a complex scalar field coupled to a U (l) gauge field. I present the results of computer simulations which involve parallel vortices and anti-vortices for a wide range of parameters. For example, I show that when critically-coupled vortices collide, the scattering results are approximately velocity independent until β ∼ 0.3 and the collisions are approximately elastic until β ∼ 0.3. This implies that the higher-order modes, which can in general be excited from a collision, "decouple" from the dynamics when β ≤ 0.3. I use these results to study the metric on the moduli space M_2, calculating the metric from its field-kinetic definition. The scattering angles, calculated directly from the metric components, are shown to agree with the numerical simulations. The non-trivial form of the components are discussed in relation to the scattering results. I also discuss vortices as to their application to cosmology and numerically study a cosmic string loop collapsing under its own tension. I also study the dynamics of non-topological vortices in the (2 + 1) nonlinear gauged Schroedinger equation. For several parameters, I perform simulations of two colliding vortices, finding the scattering to be peaked in the forward direction after a vortex/vortex head-on collision. I also find that the vortices do not retain their radially symmetric shape after the collision. This suggests that the vortices are not solitons and that the collisions are inelastic. Moreover, the scattering results for collisions with non-zero impact parameters b are not symmetrical under the reflection b → −b.
The Black magazine since World War II and its background
(Boston University, 1977) Saunders, Doris E.
[This study attempts to show the growth and development of The Black magazine from its early history as an organ of protest and a repository of cultural and educational attainment on the part of free Blacks to a political propaganda tool used to enlighten and persuade a disillusioned and frightened people of their right to full and unequivocal citizenship and civil rights. The struggle for the control of the mind of the mass of Black Americans was waged in the Black newspaper and periodical press. Examination of the use of magazines such as THE VOICE OF THE NEGRO, THE HORIZON and THE CRISIS to counteract the non-resistant passivity and emphasis on materialism that was characteristic of the Booker T. Washington school of thought provides a large segment of the media's historical development. The emergence since 1945, or the end of World War II, of a periodical press that is less an initiator of protest than it is a reflection of the tastes and habits and the social and political points 6f view as expressed by a complex and multifaceted sub-culture, provide the major portion of this study. It focuses on John H. Johnson, the president and publisher of EBONY Magazine, the largest circulation general publication in the history of the periodical press. EBONY, founded in 1947, has a guaranteed circulation of 1,300~000 copies monthly. Brief sketches are given of other Black-oriented magazines published since 1945, a description given of the Black consumer market and a content analysis of 12 .consecutive issues of EBONY.]
A methodological investigation of alternative analytical models for the purpose direct marketing prospect identification and evaluation
(ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1992) Lix, Thomas Steven
Direct response, and more specifically direct mail, is frequently positioned as the vehicle of the 90's for media targeting and individual level micro-marketing. The efficiency of direct mail however, faced with increased competition and mail box clutter, as well as escalating postage, printing and paper costs, is in serious jeopardy. The ability to better target individual prospects (current non-customers) who have both interest in a product and the propensity to purchase through the mail has seen little refinement beyond subjective or experientially based judgements. Perhaps the richest source of data on individual consumers has traditionally come from projectable sample surveys. Yet, surveys, by definition, provide information on only a small sample (often 1500 people or less) of prospects and, therefore, have not been utilized for purposes of list selection. On the other hand, increased availability of commercial databases, with both extensive population coverage and exponentially accumulating data, is seen as an under realized opportunity for targeting guidance. Coupling these databases with sample surveys presents a unique and potentially powerful solution to the dilemma of declining direct mail efficiency. A successful linkage of such attitudinal and behavioral intention information, from sample based survey research to readily available national databases, allows for the quantitative assessment and subsequent ranking of direct mail prospects. The obvious benefits of such ranking includes both increased efficiency and effectiveness of direct marketing efforts, with ultimate benefits to bottom line profitability. With applications for a variety of marketing efforts, testing environments include target group membership identification, direct response purchase propensity and alternate positioning affinities. The project outlines a systematic approach to the mathematical linkage of survey results to available demographic databases, and the subsequent development of procedures for individual level identification and evaluation of direct mail prospects for specific marketing objectives. Alternative analytic procedures for both model selection and strategies for overcoming the limits and problems associated with missing values are explored.
Male gender role as a function of father absence, nurturance and race
(Boston University, 1985) Washington, James D.
Ninety-one male subjects were used in this study of sex role behavior among blacks and whites. All subjects were administered and rated themselves on the California Personality Abstract and the Ban Sex role Inventory. The study examined several dimensions in the development of masculine behavior in black and white males including father absence or presence, surrogate models, nurturance and cultural influences. The five main hypothesis explored in the study were that (1) father present males identify themselves as more masculine than father absent males, (2) father present and nurtured males identify themselves as more masculine than father present and nonnurtured males, (3) father absent males with a nurturing surrogate identify themselves as more masculine than father absent males without a surrogate or father present and nonnurtured males, (4) black males identify themselves as more masculine than white males, (5) black males identify themselves as more feminine than white males . Hypotheses 2 & 4 were confirmed, while Hypothesis 5 showed a trend in the hypothesized direction. Hypothesis l&3 were not confirmed. A correlation between the California Personality Inventory femininity scale and the Ban Sex Role Inventory femininity scale showed a significantly positive correlation for white males, while only showing a slight correlation for black males. Further, the significance of nurturance and a positive family system was evaluated. The significance of these results as well as others not directly related to the formal hypotheses are discussed. Cultural implications and suggestions for future research conclude.
State and church in Haiti, 1915-1986
(Boston University, 2002) Michel, David
[In 1804 Haiti became independent and has experienced since a troubled political life, which has seen the state and the churches. Catholic and Protestant, interact according to their mutual interests. Since the American Occupation (1915-1934) up to the mideighties, the state has carefully orchestrated the manipulation of the church’ to further its own objectives. Ultimately, the Catholic Church will contribute to topple President-for- Life Jean Claude Duvalier (1971-1986) with a belated but insignificant support from the Protestant churches. I want to propose that in the twentieth century the church allowed itself to be domesticated because it was mainly looking for institutional survival as defined by the foreign parent groups. The Haitian Catholic Church, influenced by the Holy See, was subservient to the state because it was in its interest to do so. In the 1980s, facing the competition and success of Protestant groups, and as directed by the Holy See, the Catholic Church, concerned for its survival, denounced the abuses of the government and heavily contributed to the overthrow of Jean Claude Duvalier. The Protestant churches caved in to the state because its theology and finances were derived from conservative British and American groups and also because remaining quiet guaranteed is survival as a conversionistic group. Using a sociological model, the Political Process Model, I will conclude that the Catholic Church became the motivating force and social movement behind the overthrow of Duvalier because it took advantage of political opportunities, shared an insurgent consciousness, developed organizational strength while the Protestant churches were severely handicapped by a lack of insurgent consciousness and organizational strength.]
Historical reconstruction and psychoanalysis
(Boston University, 1968) Ringelheim, Joan
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the application of psychoanalysis to historical reconstructions; to explore the similarities between psychoanalysis and history; to illustrate how these similarities make plausible the claim the psychoanalytic theory could a valuable tool for historians; and to present and analyze certain methodological problems which arise in the use of psychoanalysis in history and to suggest ways in which these problems may be resolved. History and psychoanalysis are analogous in some important and interesting respects. Both disciplines attempt to understand and explain human affairs by an investigation into the reasons and underlying motivations of human conduct. Both depend upon the reconstruction the human past as part of their method and theory. Thus, the history-taking of the psychoanalyst is relevant to the history-taking of the biographer; that is to say, the historian-as-biographer is to his subject as the psychoanalyst-as-history-taler is to his patient. It is therefore plausible to claim that since psychoanalytic theory is concerned with the emotional life of the individual, it could be a valuable tool for historical biography. Beyond reconstruction, both historian and psychoanalyst, in various degrees, attempt to cure men of the domination of the past. The psychoanalyst tries to cure his patient of the present domination of unconscious memories. The historian, at least in one of his functions, tries to cure his reader of similar kinds of tyranny the past seems to hod over human societies. In this respect, the therapeutic aims of psychoanalysis are related to what may be characterized as social therapist is to his reader as psychoanalyst-as-individual - therapist is to his patient. Since psychoanalysis is characterized as biographical in nature, biography can serve as the paradigm case for the use psychoanalysis in history. Biography, however, is not the strongest case for psychoanalytic history. Most historian do not write biographies, and the argument for psychoanalytic biography becomes a weak argument for psychoanalytic history. Nevertheless, historian often is biographical even if they do not write biographies. Psychoanalysis is thus applicable to history which is at the intersection between biography and the reconstruction of historical events; namely, events in which individuals, about whom we do not need or want a biography, play roles; but individuals about whose motivations we do need of want an explanation. The use of psychoanalysis in history does present certain methodological problems: (1) To what extent is the data needed to make psychoanalytic interpretations available in history?; (2) How can a theory and technique meant to be used in live confrontation be used to help reconstruct and understand the past of an historical person?; (3) How is validation of psychoanalytic hypotheses possible if the immediateness of the clinical encounter is missing?; (4) To what extent is the proffered psychoanalytic explanation more useful than ordinary historical explanation? The historian can derive hypotheses of a psychoanalytic sort from the kind and amount of data which is available: diaries, memoirs of his own and others, recordings, photographs, movies, etc. He may learn to develop ways of reading his data so that he can indicate and interpret psychoanalytically relevant statements and validate these interpretations in terms of the recurrence of similar patterns of behavior, as the therapist does in his observation of transference patterns. There is good reason to suspect that just as the therapist ‘reads ’between the lines of his patient’s utterances and behavior to construct his diagnoses and interpretations, the historian with psychoanalytic knowledge can also ‘read’ between the lines of his evidence to construct an appraisal about his subject. The concepts used in the appraisal of live patients are applicable in the appraisal of historical figures as indices of sets of tendencies which should be looked for in the historical evidence. The historian must be careful about claims made concerning the internal experiences of a subject because he is unable to ask questions of the subject directly. He must make guesses. However, these guesses are suggested by the evidence. The plausibility of conclusions or explanatory hypotheses arrived at must be weighed in terms of the configuration of evidence which can be amassed their favor. To validate interpretations suggested by the evidence in one context, the historian can appeal to new historical materials from another context. Just as the therapist gets independent check as the analysis proceeds, the historian gets independent checks as the analysis proceeds, the historian gets independent checks as his historical research broadens and intensifies. A study of Sir Henry Clinton by Frederick Wyatt and William Willcox serves to show how these methodological problems can be handled and how psychoanalytic theory can be helpful. They indicate that the psychoanalytic assumption of the existence of unconscious processes provides a more illuminating explanation of Clinton’s behavior than the usual assumption of historians which says that people behave on the basis their intentions with self-consciousness. As Charles Pierce said, “it is the beliefs men betray and not what they parade which has to be studied.”
The Requiem masses of Juan de Herrera (c. 1670-1738), chapelmaster and composer at the Cathedral of Santa Fe de Bogota
(Boston University, 1992) Restrepo, Margarita
This thesis examines the three Requiem Masses for five, eight and nine voices of Juan de Herrera (c. 1670-1738), chapelmaster of the Santa Fe de Bogota Cathedral from 1703 until his death. I present biographical data on Herrera, who seems to have been the most prolific and talented colonial musician born in Bogota and also review his musical output, consisting mostly of sacred villancicos, Vespers settings, Lamentations and Masses. I offer a modern edition of Herrera's Requiem Masses and provide a musical analysis of these, as well as a study of the relevant manuscripts, which date from the 1740s to 1770s. I also look into the history of mus1c-mak1ng at the cathedral, wh1ch was an 1mportant center for the performance and composition of European sacred music during colonial times, and include a list of the cathedral's music collection, considered one of the richest in sacred Spanish music in the New World. The manuscripts of Herrera's Requiem Masses show some musical and textual errors, as well as numerous copying inconsistencies. I believe these peculiarities are the result of the carelessness and lack of education of the copyists employed at the cathedral during the 1740s to 1770s, a period during which the level of music had begun to decline. The Requiem Masses display versatility and sophistication in the use of multiple choruses, but too often lack formal and tonal coherence. I believe Herrera's limitations are the result of a lack of formal musical training. He was a self-taught composer who spent his life in Bogota, a small and isolated city in colonial Spanish America.
A latitudinal comparison of growth and development in the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus, with implications for geographic variation in adult morphology
(Boston University, 1986) Fujita, Martha Sayuri
Postnatal growth and development in the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus, was characterized for two latitudinally separated populations to examine effects of the length of the growing season . Bats from New Hampshire (43°N) and bats experiencing a shorter and colder growing season in Alberta (54°N), were compared with respect to birth size and growth rate (as measured by forearm length and body mass), flight development, ontogeny of thermoregulation, body composition, and the allometric growth of body parts. Alberta bats were shown to grow more slowly, and flight development was somewhat delayed. However, Alberta bats were born larger, suggesting that when growth is slowed by colder growing conditions, selection favors greater prenatal investment allowing Alberta juveniles to reach the size required to survive the first hibernal period. Thermoregulatory development is delayed in Alberta juveniles, indicating that these bats defer investment in thermogenesis until a critical point in postnatal growth . A model 1s presented defining this critical point by relating thermogenic ability and conductance to the timing of onset of homeothermy. Analysis of body composition revealed that differences between the two populations were primarily manifested in the proportions of lean dry mass and water. Fat contributed more to energy density among New Hampshire bats, suggesting that Alberta bats allocate more energy to structural development than energy storage during early growth. These results, coupled with evidence of delayed reproduction in Alberta bats, indicate that growth 1s constrained by the shorter, colder Alberta growing season. Geographic variation 1n adult size and sexual dimorphism was investigated in light of the differences in offspring development. Adult skull and wing variables indicate that this species conforms to Bergmann's rule in that Alberta bats are larger. While sexual dimorphism is not pronounced in New Hampshire, it is evident in Alberta bats. The most striking result 1s the larger wing size of Alberta females. Much of the variation in M. lucifugus adults can be explained by selection for larger offspring which affects female morphology. A new hypothesis incorporating the effects of selection during offspring development is advanced to explain patterns of geographic variation 1n size and sexual dimorphism among birds and mammals with broad latitudinal distributions.
A history of the stability problem in celestial mechanics, from Newton to Laplace (1642-1787)
(Boston University, 1996) Suzuki, Jeff A.
Newton's system of universal gravitation did not provide for long-term stability of the solar system, and gave rise to two versions of the stability question. The first was instability through resistance. During the first half of the eighteenth century, neo-Cartesians and others suggested the existence of an interplanetary medium to eliminate Newton's "occult" action at a distance. Though Cartesian vortices were finally eliminated at mid-century by the success of the strictly Newtonian theories of Clairaut and Euler, the interplanetary medium remained, supported by the secular acceleration of the Moon and discrepancies in the motions of Jupiter and Saturn. This evidence was questionable, however, and led Lagrange to argue that the remaining discrepancies in the motions of the Moon and planets were due to gravitation alone. Lagrange first argued for the periodicity of the variations in the Moon's motion, then, in 1776, he demonstrated that gravitation could cause only periodic variations in the major axes of the planets. Laplace, using methods Lagrange pioneered, extended the proof to cover all the important orbital elements, providing the classical proof of the stability of the solar system.
An assessment of seven accredited colleges of the National Baptist Convention of the United States of America, Incorporated
(Boston University, 1968) Thompson, Harold Leonarde
PROBLEM. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine in their historical context the seven accredited colleges of the National Baptist Convention of the United States of America, Inc., in order to assess their present programs , status, responsibilities, and opportunities, and to suggest appropriate directions for their future. The seven colleges are: Benedict College, Bishop College, Florida Normal College, Morehouse College, Shaw University, Spelman College, and Virginia Union University. PROCEDURE. The problem is developed in four stages : First a description of the rise and development of the National Baptist Convention of the United States of America, Inc., in its historical and cultural setting; second, a study of the rise and development of the seven accredited colleges; third, an assessment of their present programs, status, responsibilities and opportunities; and fourth, suggested appropriate directions for the future. Data were gathered through historical research, and through questionnaires, interviews , and several on-campus personal investigations at each college. FINDINGS. The seven colleges were founded by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War, not by the National Baptist Convention of the Uni tad States of America, Inc., as commonly claimed. Religion constituted the core of the curricula as the schools were initially training centers ministers and Christian workers. The academic programs were gradually expanded to train teachers and provide pre- professional training :for doctors, dentists, and lawyers. All were to work primarily with Negroes in a stratified society. Accreditation became synonornous with survival for these colleges between 1932 and 1951. During this period all the schools were approved by the (then) Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. They became quantitatively accredited by 1961, and qualitatively accredited by 1965. Due to the struggle for accreditation, they emerged as four-year liberal arts colleges, largely exhibiting a sameness of format. Their original purpose has been redefined. They recognize their moral responsibility to prepare for academic excellence and social responsibility, an educationally and culturally deprived minority who would normally be denied a college education by most institutions of higher learning. RECOMMENDATIONS. These colleges can become pace-setters among the predominantly Negro institutions of higher learning, in producing qualified, socially responsible citizens who can be assimilated into, and develop responsible roles in American society. To that end the following recommendations are made : 1. Qualified and competent administrators and faculties should be employed, representing a racial, geographical, and international cross- section. The student body body should be integrated in the near future. 2. Boards of Trustees should represent a concerned cross-section of society. They should be knowledgeable regarding the special needs of the schools, with terms of office extended to five years. J . Management of the colleges should be organized on a more democratic basis, with policy making a cooperative venture among all vested interests. 4. Curricula should be re-designed to bridge the existing cultural and educational gaps. Crash remedial programs should be abandoned. The regular four-year college program should be extended to five years for those in serious need of remedial work, allowing for a comprehensive program encompassing English, speech, reading , mathematics, and the humanities during the remedial program in the first year. 5. Guidance, counseling, and placement services should be made more effective, preparing heretofore disadvantaged youth for new opportunities. 6. Physical facilities should be expanded and improved to accomodate increased enrollments. Science, audio- visual, and language laboratories, reading and speech clinics should be established. 7. Students should be admitted on a heterogenous basis. Admission standards should remain at the present level for a short time, to help students who would normaly be denied admission to most other colleges. 8. Faculty and student exchange programs should be expanded to involve greater number s and a wider cultural range.
Princess of martyrs: Zaynab bint'Ali ibn Talib and the model of martyrdom in Imami Shi'ism
(Boston University, 2008) Shaher-Bano, Yousuf
In Imami Shi'ism, no position is more desirable than that of a martyr. Martyrdom plays a significant role in Islam but is particularly salient in the Shi'i tradition which deems Husayn ibn 'Ali, the third Imam, as the personification of struggle and death in the way of God. This thesis will argue that his sister, Zaynab, also qualifies as a martyr according to dominant theories on martyrdom in Shi'ism. Martyrdom is the spiritual reward for the physical actions of defending truth and constructing a model for others to emulate. Through delivering testimony, safeguarding the Imamate, and perpetuating Husayn's model of martyrdom for generations to come, Zaynab establishes an alternative but legitimate paradigm of martyrdom. How Zaynab died is under contention, but whether she was killed or died naturally, she meets the criteria of a martyr in Shi'i thought. Popular verbal discourse often affirms Zaynab's martyrdom while written works, although crediting her as Husayn's greatest supporter and partner, do not readily afford her the honor. This thesis wi II argue that Zaynab undoubtedly attains the station of martyrdom through her actions following Husayn's death at the Battle of Karbala. Recognizing Zaynab as a martyr will not only enrich the meaning of martyrdom, but present it as a station that is attainable for all who wish to struggle and die in the way of God, whether in the manner of Zaynab or in the manner of Husayn.
Catholic women in campus ministry: an emerging ministry for women in the Catholic Church
(Boston University, 1975) Kelley, Ann Elizabeth
This dissertation studies one of the new ministries for women in the Catholic Church that developed after the Second Vatican Council. It is a historical, critical, descriptive, and evaluative study. While professional roles for women in the Church had become limited and privatized through the centuries, there are precedents in the early Church and even in the Middle Ages for more public and official roles for women. Vatican II renewed and broadened the definitions of "minister" and of "ministry" and called upon all Christians to participate actively in the work of the Church. We have sought to discover the degree. to which women have been able to achieve a professional ministerial role for themselves in campus ministry. Many primary sources were available to answer this question, the most important being the testimony of the women themselves. One chapter of the dissertation traces the history of women's roles in the Catholic Church. Another follows the history of Catholic campus ministry and shows why this was a ministry open to women more than many others in the Church. A third chapter traces the efforts of women in the American Catholic Church as a whole as they made a transition from being assistants of priest chaplains to chaplains themselves, a movement requiring changes in concepts of ministry and of minister held by the women themselves as well as those held by their colleagues and constituencies. The women, numbering nearly three hundred by 1972 were able, within limits, to win the title chaplain, to prove their value as ministers in individual situations, and to increase their own self-confidence as ministers. Their experiences give insights into job descriptions, models, procedures, and criteria that have developed over a twelve-year period. The fourth, and longest, chapter is in effect a case study of the larger movement as it developed in the Archdiocese of Boston. This diocese was chosen as a case study because of its comprehensive and varied academic community and because of the representative character of the 18 women chaplains who have served within its boundaries. Conclusions of the study are: 1. Since 1962 campus ministry has provided a situation in which Catholic women have been able to realize a ministerial identity and reveal the potentialities of women as ministers. 2. Experiences of the women have varied from very positive to very negative. Factors contributing to negative experiences were: a. Women, denied the sacramental-cultic forms of ministry, are marginal to a ministry that has itself been marginal to both the Church and the university. b. Catholic ministry was so identified with priestly functions that women had no models to follow. c. The changes in attitudes and practices in the Catholic Church after Vatican II often left the women anxious and without adequate support systems. Factors contributing to positive experiences were: a. The personal character of the individual woman. b. Effective team-work situations. c. Support from Church officials, colleagues, and religious communities. 3. Issues related to the positive or negative experiences of women are a woman's feminist consciousness, the attitudes of people toward women as public ministers, and the question of ordination of women in the Catholic Church. 4. Even when and where women are accepted and find success as campus ministers, two other problems arise: the relationship of women religious to their communities, and the prejudices lay women encounter. The broad significance of the experience of these women lies in the way attention has been called to women's capacities, when given a chance, to exercise ministry and to their unequal position in the Church. A direction has been set by women campus ministers that will not easily be reversed. These women may be creating models that recall the origins of Christian ministry as well as suggest its future.
Overdependency in epileptic girls
(Boston University, 1975) Meier, Robert M.
This study was an attempt to better understand the antecedents of epileptic children's overdependency. To provide a conceptual and empirical basis for investigation of the problem, the general problem of overdependency in children was examined in some detail. Then this general discussion was applied to the specific problem of epileptic children's overdependency. The following hypotheses were developed for the study: Overdependency in epileptic children will be: 1) directly related to the severity of the child's seizures; 2) inversely related to the age of onset of seizures; and 3) directly related to the degree of maternal overrestrictiveness and overprotectiveness. To test these hypotheses, 40 8-11 year old female subjects were randomly selected from the Seizure Unit of Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Boston. To measure instrumental dependency (ID) - i.e., the seeking out of another individual as a means toward the attainment of some other goal , e .g. , being fed - the Anchor Referral technique (Mostofsky, 1972) was used . This is an interactional measure whereby the subject is afforded an opportunity to ask t he experimenter for help on a color comparison task . To measure emotional dependency (ED) - i. e., the seeking out of another individual as a goal in itself, e. g., for affection and praise - the Children ' s Dependency Scale (Golightly, et al., 1971) was employed. This is a 65- item self-report pencil-and- paper measure developed for latency age children. Maternal child-rearing attitudes were measured by the Parental Attitude Research Instrument (Schaefer & Bell , 1958), a 110- item survey of a wide range of child-rearing attitudes. Both seizure severity and frequency were measured by ad hoc scales developed for the study; age of onset of seizures was expressed in months . Data analysis employed the Pearson r and chi-square. Results were that none of the hypotheses was confirmed f or the total sample . However , after breaking down the sample into 2 Age Groups , a number of significant relationships appeared following an exploratory look at the data . These relationships are best summarized in terms of three patterns: 1) Age Group differences : Whereas both maternal attitudes and seizure parameters were related to degree of dependency among the older Ss, only seizure parameters were so related in the younger group . 2) Significant relationships of different form or in different direction from prediction: Maternal overrestrictiveness and type and onset age of seizures covaried significantly with dependency; however, relationships obtained were either negative Pearson r's or chi-squares, as opposed to the predicted positive Pearson r's. 3) ED-ID differences: ID was significantly related to all of the independent variables (maternal attitudes,seizure severity, onset age) in some way; ED was only related somewhat to seizure parameters, and almost not at all to maternal attitudes. Results were discussed in terms of the variables hypothetically antecedent to children's overdependency. Specifically, two such variables - latency age counterdependency and preadolescent sex-typing of dependency - seem to contribute more to overdependency than do two of those variables which were originally hypothesized to be major contributors (i.e., oral fixation and regression fostered by maternal child rearing attitudes). In the discussion it was also suggested that seizure parameters, including onset age, type of seizures, and frequency of seizures, do in fact influence the degree of epileptic children's overdependency. However, the nature of this influence is not as simple as was hypothesized. Each parameter has a different effect, and each effect in turn is influenced by the age of the individual. Further discussion dealt with causative processes in emotional vs instrumental dependency; implications of the study for further research; and the clinical implications of the study.
Coping and injury attribution in head-injured adults
(Boston University, 1991) Solet, Jo M.
The purpose of this study was to examine the coping styles, beliefs, and symptoms of head-injured adults during long term recovery. Twenty-eight head-injured and thirty-two control subjects suffering from non-neurological illnesses or injuries participated. Subjects completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and two questionnaires developed for this study: the "Why Me?" Questionnaire assessed subjects' causal attributions and beliefs about responsibility and the Head-Injury Symptom List provided self-report of the severity of symptoms of head-injury. The coping and belief profiles of the two groups were compared. Head-injured subjects were more likely to place responsibility for their injury on others and to undertake personal efforts to effect their recovery. Various relations between injury attributions and coping styles were obtained. Among both head-injured and control subjects those who endorsed beliefs of retribution were more likely to cope by wishing they could change their situation. Responses to the Head-Injury Symptom List identified tiredness as the most pervasive symptom. Greater symptomatology was related both to a coping style characterized by lack of ability or willingness to engage in social activity or to seek social support and to beliefs that the injury had occurred to serve a meaningful purpose. Consistent with these quantitative results, interviews with head-injured subjects revealed themes of both loss and enhancement. A majority compared their recovery favorably with that of other individuals. In support of cognitive coping theory, this research demonstrates the feasibility of studying the coping capacities of head-injured individuals and shows that they have distinctive coping styles and beliefs which are related to each other. This knowledge should aid those trying to support the recovery of head-injured individuals by adding to the framework upon which interventions are based.
Vasoactive amine mediation of endothelial cell movement and barrier function in vitro
(Boston University, 1986) Bottaro, Donald Paul
Investigations were conducted to characterize endothelial cell (EC) movement and barrier function in vitro and to investigate their potential interrelationship. Specifically, the mediation of EC movement and barrier function by vasoactive amines, and the relevance of this mediation to a potential mechanism by which blood platelets may help maintain microvascular integrity, was examined. The effects of the platelet constituents serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) and the effects of histamine on bovine aortic endothelial cell (BAEC) and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) movement were quantitated using a phagokinetic tracking assay. BAEC movement was significantly reduced by 5-HT, NE, and histamine, while VSMC motility was significantly enhanced by 5-HT and histamine, but reduced by NE. The use of specific receptor antagonists revealed that the 5-HT- and NE-associated inhibition of BAEC movement may be mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors, and the histamine-associated inhibition may be partially mediated by H-1 receptors. An assay to measure the passage of a trypan blue dye-bovine serum albumin conjugate (TB-BSA) across cells grown on microcarriers was used to compare the barriers provided by EC and other cell types. VSMC or 3T3 fibroblasts impeded TB-BSA diffusion significantly less than BAEC, suggesting that barrier formation may be an EC-specific phenomenon. Treatment of BAEC with 5-HT or NE significantly impeded TB-BSA diffusion relative to untreated controls. In contrast, histamine treatment significantly increased TB-BSA diffusion. The amine-associated effects were dose-dependent and cell-specific, and in some cases appeared to be receptor-mediated. BAEC and pulmonary microvessel EC (PMEC) barriers were quantitatively comparable, but significantly more permeable than that observed for cerebral microvessel EC (CMEC). Glutaraldehyde fixation and low temperature reduced TB-BSA passage across BAEC by <30%, indicating that the bulk of tracer movement occurred via intercellular diffusion. Treatment with cytochalasin resulted in significant BAEC and CMEC barrier loss, suggesting that microfilament bundles are involved EC junctional maintenance. Collectively, the results suggest a dynamic model of vascular permeability in which intercellular macromolecular diffusion may be regulated by EC junctional apposition, and responsive to physiologic -agents that affect EC movement.

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