Gravity

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1985.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Transferred to 1/2 in VHS videotape from 8 mm film.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-57).Film is composed of tiny photographs which, when projected, sometimes look very much like people and things in the real world. Film, too, cannot be separated from its tools. Aesthetic criticism was, and still is, weighted towards consideration of the life-like tiny photographs. This thesis traces the evolution of film technology in order to establish the point where non- fiction ideology (aesthetics) lost pace with technical innovation - a derailment, so to speak, with nefarious implications for the present-day filmmaker. The emphasis is on lenses - the provocative "camera eye" - and sound recording equipment - which proved to be the rate-limiter of technical advance. This thesis considers two filmmaking solutions to the present malaise; the Standard TV Documentary, and the single-person shooting methodology of former MIT filmmakers, Jeff Kreines and Joel DeMott - both of which, in turn , will be compared to my own response - in the form of a movie, Gravity, which is about the members of an MIT experimental astrophysics laboratory trying to discover gravity waves. A videotape copy of the movie. is included with the thesis paper.by Mary Jane Doherty.M.S.V.S

Infrared spectroscopy of HII regions and starburst galaxies

This thesis is concerned with testing models of the infrared Hel 2.058^m/Br7 ratio as a function of effective temperature in HII regions. This ratio is known to be sensitive to effective temperatures in the range Te //=32-38,000K. Near-infrared observational data from ultracompact (UC) HII regions, compact HII regions and giant HII regions or the nuclei of starburst galaxies is presented and analysed for this purpose.Observations of UCHII regions show that HII region models with an electron densities of ne = 104cm-3, electron temperatures in the range Te=5,000-10,000K and a Galactic helium abundance can reproduce the observed Hel 2.058 /im/Br7 ratios in these objects, subject to one condition. As the electron temperature is increased from Te=5,000K, microturbulence is incorporated into the model which counteracts the increase in the Hel 2.058 /¿m/Br7 ratio with electron temperature. Microturbulent velocities of the order ~20kms_1 are required at Te=10,000K, in agreement with observed radio recombination line and high resolution Hel and HI measurements.Lower Hel 2.058/xm/Br7 ratios are generally found in larger objects classed as com­pact HII regions, consistent with lower electron densities or lower stellar effective tem­peratures, or a combination of both effects in such objects. Alternative electron densities have been calculated from radio continuum measurements and provide evidence to sug­gest that electron densities are slightly lower in most of the compact HII regions than in the UCHII regions.Detailed density gradient modelling of the Hel 2.058/rm/Br7 ratio has been per­formed, which reveals the need for realistic density distributions and explicit integration over the volume of the source when attempting to model specific HII regions. Accurate integrated electron densities or density gradients act as an alternative to microturbu­lence to bring theoretical Ilel 2.058/xm/Br7 ratios into agreement with observations for electron temperature models higher than Te=5,000K.Finally, a large sample of starburst galaxies ale analysed. The Hel 2.058 /xm/Br7 ratios are much lower than found in compact or UCHII regions consistent with the proposal that the integrated Hel 2.058¿mr/Br7 emission is generally dominated by low density giant HII regions present in these galaxies. Effective temperatures derived from the Hel 2.058/rm/Bry ratio are consistent with those estimated from FIR fine structure lines. From consideration of new models of the Hel 2.058¿¿m/Bry ratio, the combination of optical HeI/H/3 data with Hel 2.058 /¿m/Bry observations extends the sensitivity of these model ratios to a wider range of effective temperatures

Supplementary reading exercises to improve comprehension in grade two based on the community

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1949. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Comparison of ten standardized tests with the new Work-play books

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1948. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

An analysis of pupils' wishes and emotional needs.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

A study of the functioning of the juvenile court in relation to the community: New London County, Connecticut

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University, 1944. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Optimized strategy for real-time qPCR detection of Onchocerca volvulus DNA in pooled Simulium sp. blackfly vectors

BACKGROUND: Onchocerca volvulus is a filarial parasite that is a major cause of dermatitis and blindness in endemic regions primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Widespread efforts to control the disease caused by O. volvulus infection (onchocerciasis) began in 1974 and in recent years, following successful elimination of transmission in much of the Americas, the focus of efforts in Africa has moved from control to the more challenging goal of elimination of transmission in all endemic countries. Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin has reached more than 150 million people and elimination of transmission has been confirmed in four South American countries, with at least two African countries having now stopped MDA as they approach verification of elimination. It is essential that accurate data for active transmission are used to assist in making the critical decision to stop MDA, since missing low levels of transmission and infection can lead to continued spread or recrudescence of the disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Current World Health Organization guidelines for MDA stopping decisions and post-treatment surveillance include screening pools of the Simulium blackfly vector for the presence of O. volvulus larvae using a PCR-ELISA-based molecular technique. In this study, we address the potential of an updated, practical, standardized molecular diagnostic tool with increased sensitivity and species-specificity by comparing several candidate qPCR assays. When paired with heat-stable reagents, a qPCR assay with a mitochondrial DNA target (OvND5) was found to be more sensitive and species-specific than an O150 qPCR, which targets a non-protein coding repetitive DNA sequence. The OvND5 assay detected 19/20 pools of 100 blackfly heads spiked with a single L3, compared to 16/20 for the O150 qPCR assay. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Given the improved sensitivity, species-specificity and resistance to PCR inhibitors, we identified OvND5 as the optimal target for field sample detection. All reagents for this assay can be shipped at room temperature with no loss of activity. The qPCR protocol we propose is also simpler, faster, and more cost-effective than the current end-point molecular assays