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1
Fewings, Melanie Rinn. "Cross-shelf circulation and momentum and heat balances over the inner continental shelf near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42066.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-267).
The water circulation and evolution of water temperature over the inner continental shelf are investigated using observations of water velocity, temperature, density, and bottom pressure; surface gravity waves; wind stress; and heat flux between the ocean and atmosphere during 2001-2007. When waves are small, cross-shelf wind stress is the dominant mechanism driving cross-shelf circulation. The along-shelf wind stress does not drive a substantial cross-shelf circulation. The response to a given wind stress is stronger in summer than winter. The cross-shelf transport in the surface layer during winter agrees with a two-dimensional, unstratified model. During large waves and onshore winds the crossshelf velocity is nearly vertically uniform, because the wind- and wave-driven shears cancel. During large waves and offshore winds the velocity is strongly vertically sheared because the wind- and wave-driven shears have the same sign. The subtidal, depth-average cross-shelf momentum balance is a combination of geostrophic balance and a coastal set-up and set-down balance driven by the cross-shelf wind stress. The estimated wave radiation stress gradient is also large. The dominant along-shelf momentum balance is between the wind stress and pressure gradient, but the bottom stress, acceleration, Coriolis, Hasselmann wave stress, and nonlinear advection are not negligible. The fluctuating along-shelf pressure gradient is a local sea level response to wind forcing, not a remotely generated pressure gradient. In summer, the water is persistently cooled due to a mean upwelling circulation. The cross-shelf heat flux nearly balances the strong surface heating throughout mid-summer, so the water temperature is almost constant. The along-shelf heat flux divergence is apparently small. In winter, the change in water temperature is closer to that expected due to the surface cooling. Heat transport due to surface gravity waves is substantial.
by Melanie Rinn Fewings.
Ph.D.
2
Pilkington, Christopher. "The architecture of the unwanted : crisis in the implementation of the community-scale institution case study: mental health facilities in Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/88805.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1985.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Bibliography: p. [120]
by Christopher Pilkington.
M.S.
3
Bello, Susan M. "Characterization of resistance to halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons in a population of Fundulus heteroclitus from a marine superfund site." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84930.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-210).
by Susan M. Bello.
Ph.D.
4
Carruthers, Emily A. "Quantifying overwash flux in barrier systems : an example from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/69471.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-74).
Coastal barriers are particularly susceptible to the predicted effects of accelerated of sea-level rise and the potential for increased impacts of intense storms. Over centennial scales, barriers are maintained via overtopping during storms, causing deposition of washover fans on their landward sides. This study examines three washover fans on the south shore of Martha's Vineyard using a suite of data including vibracores, ground penetrating radar, high resolution dGPS, and LiDAR data. From these data, the volumes of the deposits were determined and range from 2.1-2.4 x 10⁴ m³. Two overwashes occurred during Hurricane Bob in 1991. The water levels produced by this storm have a return interval of ~28 years, resulting in an onshore sediment flux of 2.4-3.4 m³/m/yr. The third washover was deposited by a nor'easter in January 1997, which has a water level return interval of ~6 years, resulting in a flux of 8.5 m³/m/yr. These fluxes are smaller than the flux of sediment needed to maintain a geometrically stable barrier estimated from shoreline retreat rates, suggesting that the barrier is not in long-term equilibrium, a result supported by the thinning of the barrier over this time interval.
by Emily A. Carruthers.
S.M.
5
Canovas, Peter A. "The redox and iron-sulfide geochemistry of Salt Pond and the thermodynamic constraints on native magnetotactic bacteria." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38202.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-68).
Salt pond is a meromictic system with an outlet to the sea allowing denser seawater to occupy the monimolimnion while the mixolimnion has relatively low salinity and is the site of greater mixing and microbial activity. The density contrast between the two layers allows for a unique geochemical environment characterized by steep redox gradients at the interface. This chemocline is a habitat for magnetotactic bacteria (MB), and the spatial and temporal distribution of MB in the system along with geochemical (Fe2+, H2S, pH, 02 (aq), etc.) profiles have been analyzed from 2002 - 2005. It has been previously observed that magnetite-producing cocci occupy the top of the chemocline and greigite-producing MB occur at the base of the chemocline and in the sulfidic hypolimnion. This distribution may be attributed to analyte profiles within the pond; depth profiles show a sudden drop of dissolved oxygen (DO) at the chemocline associated with an increase in dissolved Fe (II) concentrations that peak where both 02 and H2S are low. In the sulfidic hypolimnion, Fe (II) concentrations decrease, suggesting buffering of Fe(II) by sulfide phases.
(cont.) Maximum concentrations of iron (II) and sulfide are 3 1 gM and 3 mM, respectively. Stability diagrams of magnetite and greigite within EH/pH space and measured voltammetric data verify fields of incomplete oxidation resulting in the production of elemental sulfur, thiosulfate and polysulfides. Calculations of the Gibbs free energy in the Salt Pond chemocline for potential microbial redox reaction involving iron and sulfur species indicate abundent potential energy available for metabolic growth. Oxidation of ferrous iron to ferrihydrite in the upper region of the chemocline consistantly has a yield of over -250 kJ/mol 02 (aq), - 12.5 times the proposed 20 kJ/mol minimum proposed by Schink (1997) necessary to sustain metabolic growth. This translates into biomass yields of ~ 0.056 mg dry mass per liter of upper chemocline water. If these numbers are applied to the dominant bacteria of the chemocline (MB that are 3% dry weight iron) then there could be up to ~ 1.68 mg of iron per liter of upper chemocline water just in the MB.
(cont.) This iron can be permanently sequestered by MB into the sediments after death because the organelles containing the iron phases are resistant to degredation. Geochemical and microbial processes relating to the cycling of iron heavily impact this system and perhaps others containing a chemocline that divides the water column into oxic and anoxic zones.
by Peter A. Canovas, III.
S.M.
6
Gutierrez, Benjamin Thomas. "Relative sea-level rise and the development of channel-fill and shallow-water sequences on Cape Cod, Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55058.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-63).
Channel-fill sediments located in shallow-water off the south shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, provide a record of the late-Pleistocene and Holocene geological evolution in a post-glacial setting. Though conventionally difficult to sample adequately and anticipated to have low preservation potential, channel-fill sequences record in some detail differing relative sea-level and sedimentation processes. Two distinct channel-fill sequences record differing sequence stratigraphies, and hence different origins and post glacial histories. These sequences have accumulated in channels eroded into two different late-Pleistocene glacial units. The first fill-type was encountered in channels on the upper portions of the channel network in northern half of the study site. Channels in this portion of the channel system were incised into the late-Pleistocene glacial outwash substrate by spring sapping Uchupi and Oldale, 1994. The channel-fill sequences are comprised of a transgressive systems tract composed of a consistent sequence of coastal embayment and shoreline facies that have succeeded one another in response to Holocene relative sea-level rise. As relative sea-level flooded these paleo-channels, marsh environments were established in response to rising relative sea-level. With continued sea-level rise, the marsh environments migrated farther up channel. The exposed paleo-channels continued to flood, accommodating quiet water coastal embayments, likely protected from wave action by barrier beaches located more seaward. As relative sea-level rise continued, the coastline was driven landward over regions within the paleo-channels that formerly accommodated marsh and embayment sedimentation. The landward migration of the coastline was indicated by beach and barrier facies that covered the fine grained coastal embayment sediments. With further relative sea-level rise, beach and barrier settings were eroded as the shoreface migrated farther landward and nearshore marine deposition by wave and tidal flows ensued. Sedimentary environments similar to those recorded in the channels are found in modern coastal embayments on the south shore of Cape Cod. The second channel-fill type, which forms part of the southern and western portion of the channel network is more difficult to relate to the previously described sequence. The channels that contain fill were not adequately defined in this survey but were probably incised during the late-Pleistocene in response to ice melting and retreat. The sediments that make up this channel-fill are composed mainly of late-Pleistocene glaciolacustrine silts and clays. Sediments that make up the Holocene transgressive systems tract are limited to the upper meter of this channel sequence. They are composed of two sand units that reflect Holocene beach and nearshore sedimentation. The absence of coastal embayment and other paralic facies from the systems tract suggests that these channels did not accommodate protected embayments or that these sediments were not well preserved during the submergence of this region. Changes in the channel orientation or in the rate of relative sea-level rise may have contributed to this difference in sediment fill.
by Benjamin Thomas Gutierrez.
M.S.
7
Greaves, Robert J. "Seismic scattering of low-grazing-angle acoustic waves incident on the seafloor." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53039.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1998.Includes bibliographical references (v. 2, leaves 423-433).
The goal of this thesis is to develop a methodology to interpret sound scattered from the seafloor in terms of seafloor structure and subseafloor geological properties. Specifically, this work has been directed towards the interpretation of matched-filtered, beam-formed monostatic acoustic reverberation data acquired on the west flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge when the seafloor is insonified by a band-limited, lowgrazing- angle acoustic pulse. This research is based on the hypothesis that observed backscatter signals are produced by a combination.of seafloor (interface) scattering and subseafloor (volume) scattering from structure having variations at scale lengths similar to the wavelength of the insonifying acoustic field. Analysis of monostatic reverberation data acquired during the Site A experiment (Run 1) of the Acoustic Reverberation Special Research Program 1993 Acoustics Cruise suggests that the scattered signals cannot be accounted for quantitatively in terms of large-scale slope, even though a strong correspondence between high intensity backscatter and seafloor ridges is observed. In order to investigate and quantify the actual sources of seafloor scattering, a numerical modeling study of seafloor models is undertaken using a finitedifference solution to the elastic wave equation. Geological data available at Site A and published reports describing geological properties of similar deep ocean crustal regions are used to develop a realistic seafloor model for the study area with realistic constraints on elastic parameters. Wavelength-scale heterogeneity in each model, in the form of seafloor roughness and subseafloor volume heterogeneity is defined using stochastic distributions with Gaussian autocorrelations. These distributions are quantified by their correlation lengths and standard deviation in amplitude. In order to incorporate all seafloor structure in a single parameterization of seafloor scattering, large-scale slope and wavelength-scale seafloor spatial parameters (rms height and correlation length), are included, along with the acoustic beam grazing-angle relative to a horizontal seafloor, in the definition of an 'effective grazing angle'. The Rayleigh roughness parameter, which depends on grazing angle of the insonification, is then redefined using the effective grazing angle and calculated for a variety of seafloor models. Scattering strengths are shown to vary systematically but nonlinearly with the 'effective Rayleigh roughness parameters' of horizontal rough seafloor models. This leads to an approximate interpretation scheme for backscatter intensity. In general, variation in backscattering is found to be dominated by the scattering from rough seafloor. If the seafloor is smooth or very low velocity (e.g., sediment), then scattering from volume heterogeneity becomes an important factor in the backscattered field. Both wavelength-scale seafloor roughness and volume heterogeneity are shown to be capable of producing the levels of variation in intensity observed in monostatic reverberation experiments. Variations in large-scale seafloor slope and subseafloor average velocity are shown to influence the backscatter response of seafloor models.
by Robert John Greaves.
Ph.D.
8
Hassler, Deborah Renee 1961. "Plume-lithosphere interaction : geochemical evidence from upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths from the Kerguelen Islands." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54434.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.Includes bibliographical references.
This study is a geochemical investigation of the evolution of the Kerguelen plume, on the basis of upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths. Ultramafic xenoliths include harzburgites predominant, a lherzolite, dunites and pyroxenites, whereas lower crustal xenoliths are cumulate gabbros recrystallized under granulite facies conditions. On the basis of the whole rock major element characteristics and trace element abundance patterns in clinopyroxenes, the harzburgites were found to be residues of extensive melting at high pressures within the Kerguelen plume. These were then recrystallized at low pressures and metasomatized by plume generated melts. Details of the metasomatic process were determined from trace element variations in clinopyroxene in connection to texture. This demonstrated that meltrock reaction and the precipitation of new clinopyroxenes occurred by metasomatic carbonatitic melts. It was also found that some of the harzburgites had distinctly unradiogenic Os isotopic compositions and were identified as originating from the sub-Gondwanaland lithosphere. On the basis of major and trace element compositions, the granulite xenoliths were found to be originally gabbroic cumulates formed from plume-derived basaltic melts emplaced at the base of the crust by underplating and subsequently recrystallized isobarically under granulite conditions. The Sr, Nd and Os isotopic compositions of the peridotite and granulite xenoliths demonstrate that the Kerguelen plume is isotopically heterogeneous and displays a temporal progression toward more enriched Sr and Nd isotopic compositions from the Ninetyeast Ridge to granulite xenoliths to Kerguelen basalts and Heard Island basalts.
by Deborah Renee Hassler.
Ph.D.
9
Orescanin, Mara S. M. (Mara Ssphia Morgenstern). "Hydrodynamics of a multiple tidal inlet system : Katama Bay, Martha's Vineyard, MA." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101536.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-92).
Observations, theoretical models, and a numerical model (ADCIRC) are used to investigate the effects of tides, waves, bay bathymetry, and changing inlet geometry on the hydrodynamics of the multiple-inlet Katama system, Martha's Vineyard, MA. Momentum fluxes from breaking waves drive water into the inlet, nearly stopping the 2 m/s ebb currents during a hurricane. The evolving morphology of Katama Inlet has a dominant effect on tidal distortion and bay circulation. As Katama inlet lengthened, narrowed, and shoaled between 2011 and 2014, the relative effects of friction (observed and simulated) increased greatly, resulting in reduced circulation energy, an increase in the M6 tidal constituent, and changes in velocity asymmetries that are consistent with an evolution from flood to ebb dominance. The effects of changing inlet parameters (e.g., inlet geometry, bay bathymetry, friction, tidal forcing) are quantified via a lumped element model that accounts for the presence of a shallow flood shoal that limits flow from the ocean into the bay. As the difference in depth between inlet and flood shoal increases, the amplitude and phase of the incoming tide are increasingly modified from predictions without a flood shoal, and flows into the bay are further hindered.
by Mara S. M. Orescanin.
Ph. D.
10
Aluwihare, Lihini Indira. "High molecular weight (HMW) dissolved organic matter (DOM) in seawater : chemical structure, dources and cycling." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53038.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.Includes bibliographical references.
The goal of this thesis was to use high resolution analytical techniques coupled with molecular level analyses to chemically characterize high molecular weight (> 1 k Da (HMW)) dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from seawater in an attempt to provide new insights in to the cycling of DOM in the ocean. While a variety of sites spanning different environments (fluvial, coastal and oceanic) and ocean basins were examined, the chemical structure of the isolated HMW DOM varied little at both the polymer and monomer levels. All samples show similar ratios of carbohydrate:acetate:lipid carbon (80±4:10±2:9±4) indicating that these biochemicals are present within a family of related polymers. The carbohydrate fraction shows a characteristic distribution of seven major neutral monosaccharides: rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose and galactose; and additionally contains Nacetylated amino sugars as seen by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR). This family of compounds, consisting of a specifically linked polysaccharide backbone that is acylated at several positions, has been termed acylated polysaccharides (APS) by our laboratory. APS accounts for 50% of the carbon in HMW DOM isolated from the surface ocean and 20% of the carbon in HMW DOM isolated from the deep ocean. In order to identify a possible source for APS three species of phytoplankton, Thalassiossira weissflogii, Emiliania huxleyi and Phaeocystis, were cultured in seawater and their HMW DOM exudates examined by variety of analytical techniques. Both the T. weissflogii and E. huxleyi exudates contain compounds that resemble APS indicating that phytoplankton are indeed a source of APS to the marine environment. Furthermore, the degradation of the T. weissflogii exudate by a natural assemblage of microorganisms indicates that the component resembling APS is more resistant to microbial degradation compared to other polysaccharides present in the culture. Molecular level analyses show the distribution of monosaccharides to be conservative in surface and deep waters suggesting that APS is present throughout the water column. In order to determine the mechanism by which APS is delivered to the deep ocean the [delta]14C value of APS in the deep ocean was compared to the A14C value of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) at the same depth. If the formation of deep water is the dominant mode of transport then both the DIC and APS will have similar [delta]14C values. However, if APS is injected into the deep ocean from particles or marine snow then the [delta]14C value of APS will be higher than the DIC at the same depth. Our results indicate that APS in the deep Pacific Ocean carries a modem [delta]14C value and is substantially enriched in 14C relative to the total HMW DOM and the DIC at that depth. Thus, particle dissolution appears to be the most important pathway for the delivery of APS to the deep ocean.
by Lihini I. Aluwihare.
Ph.D.
11
Haupert, Christie Lynn 1976. "Nutrient limitation dynamics of a coastal Cape Cod pond : seasonal trends in alkaline phosphatase activity." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55335.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), February 2001.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-149).
A bi-weekly seasonal study was conducted in Ashumet Pond (Cape Cod, Massachusetts). The Redfield Ratio (106C:16N:1P) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) were utilized in tandem as nutrient deficiency indicators (NDIs) for phytoplankton. The study objective was to evaluate the limiting nutrient status of the pond throughout the growing season. The development of a high throughput method for fluorometrically measuring APA allowed for a large quantity of pond-water samples to be analyzed. The new method utilized a cytofluor, a fluorescence multi-well plate reader, which increased sample throughput by 75% compared to a standard filter fluorometer method. The detection limit, capability to measure APA at different time intervals, and performance at sea were tested. APA measurements made using the cytofluor were comparable to those made using a standard filter fluorometer, thus indicating that the cytofluor is a suitable and preferred replacement to the fluorometer for APA measurements. The presence of alkaline phosphatase, an inducible phospho-hydrolytic enzyme, is commonly used as an NDI diagnostic for phosphate limitation. A nutrient enrichment incubation re-affirmed the use of APA as a robust indicator of phosphate limitation in phytoplankton. APA data indicate that the system experienced episodic periods of phosphate-deficiency, implying that the limiting nutrient regime was not static, but was changeable throughout the growing season. Seasonal trends in dissolved N:P and particulate C:P ratios often contradict the APA results, however, suggesting that the Redfield Ratio is an unreliable indicator of the overall nutrient limitation regime of the pond. The observed discrepancies between C:N:P and APA can be reconciled by taking into account seasonal changes in species composition, which played an important role in driving seasonal APA trends.
by Christie Lynn Haupert.
M.S.
12
Kalnejais, Linda H. "Mechanisms of metal release from contaminated coastal sediments." Thesis, Online version, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1912/1715.
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Reynolds, Elisabeth B. "Institutions, public policy and the product life cycle : the globalization of biomanufacturing and implications for Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58380.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2010."February 2010." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-209).
Globalization has brought about a major shift in our understanding of how companies organize themselves and how they compete. The fragmentation of firms in their scope and structure, the vertical disintegration of firms through greater outsourcing, and the rise of global supply and value chains has led to new visions for companies ("metanational companies") and new models of production ("modular production networks") that "break free" from geography. In this global economy, many believe that manufacturing has little future in a high-skilled, high-wage region, given competition from lower cost countries. High-tech regions like Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128 need to focus on design and innovation, and "let others produce what Americans think up." Proponents of this vision dismiss classic models like product life cycle theory (Vernon 1966), which explain the location of manufacturing through the timing of innovation and the maturity of products. To these critics, this model no longer holds because of the ubiquitous nature of innovation, the growth of advanced markets in emerging economies, and the ability to move manufacturing offshore before a product is even standardized. In this view, it is almost inevitable that manufacturing beyond prototypes cannot survive in high-wage countries like the U.S. This attitude, however, presents a false dichotomy between innovation and manufacturing.
(cont.) This thesis argues that in advanced manufacturing industries such as biotech manufacturing, it is precisely innovation that brings this complex manufacturing activity to high-skilled, high-wage, technologically advanced regions of the world. This research examines the geographic evolution of biomanufacturing and finds that product life cycle theory provides an excellent model for understanding the dynamics of the industry, albeit with some twists which add to the richness of the literature. These twists are first, the role that institutions, specifically regulation, play in shaping the product life cycle by providing patents that slow the entry of competition. Second, public policy, specifically competitive international tax policy, has become a new differentiator between countries that are seeking to attract high value-added, high-wage manufacturing through the use of tax incentives. Tax-Advantaged Locations (TALs) have become the new low cost destination for advanced manufacturing despite their high wages and costs. Through interviews with 47 biomanufacturing executives and analysis of the geography of biomanufacturing investments made by 96 companies between 2002 and 2013, I find that technologically advanced regions such as Massachusetts retain the most innovative aspects of the industry, including early stage manufacturing as well as the first stage of commercial manufacturing. Massachusetts has a significant opportunity to retain and grow the industry, though the economic development impact is not in a large number of jobs, but in the building of a "regional system of innovation" based in human capital and companies that can usher in new technologies and emerging industries.
by Elisabeth B. Reynolds.
Ph.D.
14
Cherok, Jessica A. "Explaining Education: Case Studies on the Development of Public Education Institutions." Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1275426868.
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Sternlieb, Joseph D. (Joseph David). "Why low-income communities need their own development financial institutions : a case study of Upham's Corner, Dorchester, Massachusetts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70231.
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Schneiderman, Noah Rubin 1976. "Real estate development opportunities in the context of an institutional mission : Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32237.
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Thesis (S.M. and M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-153).
The Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA) is a state agency that develops and renovates revenue producing facilities, such as residence and dining halls, for the nine state colleges in Massachusetts. The MSCBA sets rents and user fees, makes certain that revenues are adequate to maintain the system and pay debt service at the lowest possible cost to students. Outside of these official roles, the Authority assists the colleges in fulfilling their missions through prudent capital improvement programs, long-range campus planning, and more recently, entrepreneurial real estate ventures. The Massachusetts College of Art (MassArt), the sole Boston-based campus of the state colleges, is the only publicly supported independent college of art and design in the United States. While it is considered one of the premiere art institutions in the country, it is constrained by its existing facilities and the requirements of State funding and centralized decision-making. These factors inhibit it from realizing its overall mission and from competing with peer private art institutions. MSCBA and MassArt have recently initiated a conceptual master planning process in an effort to consolidate the college's space and improve the quality and efficiency of life on campus. In addition, MassArt has identified an annual funding gap, which if filled, would allow it to spend more money per student and protect itself from abrupt declines in state funding. Concurrent with these discussions, the College and the Authority has started to realize the value of its well located, and urban economically underutilized, institutional land. The purpose of this thesis is to define entrepreneurial real estate development opportunities for MassArt that will allow it to fund both the various spatial moves outlined by the planning process, as well as the identified annual revenue shortfall, all while enhancing its institutional mission. In addition to outlining real estate ventures for MassArt in particular, the key questions that this research attempts to answer are: -- What types of real estate development can public colleges undertake that can provide them with a level of independence that allows them to pursue their missions more effectively? -- What are the best forms of procurement alternatives for these ventures that align incentives and balance risk, responsibilities, and rewards between the parties involved? -- Is there an appropriate tradeoff between enhancing an institutional mission and pursuing entrepreneurial real estate activities?
by Noah Rubin Schneiderman.
S.M.and M.C.P.
17
Madigan, Corinne James. "The "M" Word: An Analysis of Gay Marriage in the United States." Thesis, Boston College, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/698.
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Thesis advisor: Donald HafnerThere is perhaps no issue more controversial in the so-called American culture war than that of gay marriage. In the last five years, four states have legalized same-sex marriages and several more appear poised to follow suit. This paper creates an analytical framework with which to evaluate the chances of successful gay marriage initiatives in any given state. Demographics, political institutions, and state-specific variables make up the three parts of the framework, which is then applied to three case studies in which gay marriage has already been addressed: Massachusetts, Vermont, and California. A fourth case, Maine, serves as a prediction state to test the validity of the framework. The paper’s conclusions indicate that, in the current political and cultural domain, there is a set of factors that tend to promote the legalization of gay marriage. The demographics of a population need to be such that they qualify as a “tolerant citizenry,” people who are hesitatingly accepting of gay marriage and can be persuaded to support that legalization. On the political side, a positive evaluation of gay marriage by the state supreme court that then passes on responsibility to the state legislature is the most conducive to legalization. The court provides the constitutional and legal grounds for gay marriage, while the legislature acts as an intermediary between the justices and the wider population. Finally, states in which the constitutions are difficult to amend, and which amendment procedures are controlled by the legislature, are the most likely to legalize gay marriage. The application of the framework to the three case studies illustrates this complex process
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Political Science Honors Program
Discipline: Political Science
18
Patrick, Steve W. "Exploration of Factors Related to Institutional Misconduct for Male Youth in a Juvenile Detention Center Located within an Appalachian County: using the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument 2nd Edition." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1428048998.
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Hagan, Elsina E. "A Multidisciplinary Approach to Food Safety Evaluation: Hummus Spoilage and Microbial Analysis of Kitchen Surfaces in Residential Child Care Institutions (rcci) in Massachusetts, U.S.A." 2011. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/612.
Full textAbstract:
Food borne illnesses continues to be a public health challenge in the United States (U.S.); an estimated 9.4 million incident cases occurred in 2011. In view of this challenge we conducted two food safety studies; 1) related to product formulation (hummus spoilage challenge study) and 2) evaluating the microbial safety of domestic kitchen surfaces in Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCI pilot study).
Hummus is of Mediterranean origin but is currently eaten globally. This challenge study evaluates a variety of industrial hummus formulations (four in total, differing in pH and/or addition of a preservative (natamycin). Two batches were setup: batch 1; aseptically inoculated hummus with 100 CFU/g fungal isolates and batch 2; uninoculated hummus. Samples of both hummus batches were stored at both 20oC (10 days accelerated testing) and 4oC (84 days recommended temperature testing). Inoculated samples were analyzed for fungus, whiles both fungi and bacteria (standard plate count (SPC) and Lactococci) counts were done for uninoculated samples. Results indicate that accelerated testing inaccurately predicts fungal growth at 4oC in hummus, also fungal growth inhibition requires a pH ≤ 4.0 ± 0.2 and refrigeration.
Limited studies have specifically evaluated the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in domestic kitchens in the U.S, for this reason we assessed the microbial safety of 6 RCCI locations in MA. Fifteen key food contact surfaces and dish washing sponges, if available at each RCCI facility were assessed for SPC, yeast and molds, total coliform and E. coli, Listeria sp and Salmonella sp. Microbiological assessments were conducted preceding and after a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) food safety training and implementation at each location. Microbial growth varied by surface for each type of microorganism, wet surfaces had higher most probable number (MPN) counts. Compared to dry surfaces, wet surfaces had significantly higher mean total coliform counts. For both E. coli and total coliform, microbial load differed significantly by surfaces sampled (P = 0.0323 and 0.014) respectively. The surface and training interaction effect was highly significant for only E. coli (P = 0.0089). Training overall had no significant effect on reducing the microbial load on kitchen surfaces.