Using Data to Guide and Evaluate Responses to the Opioid Crisis: Rhode Island\u27s Drug Overdose Dashboard

The rapidly evolving nature of the nation’s overdose epidemic necessitates the dissemination of timely information to inform effective public health responses. Unfortunately, many overdose surveillance systems suffer from delays in reporting and other logistical challenges. In this webinar, Dr. Brandon Marshall from the Brown University School of Public Health will discuss Rhode Island’s drug overdose information and surveillance “dashboard”, PreventOverdoseRI.org. Participants will learn how the timely analysis and public dissemination of data being used to guide and evaluate policy and public health response to the overdose crisis in Rhode Island. Learning Objectives: Participant will: Learn about national and state surveillance systems to track the overdose epidemic Learn about strategies to improve the collection, analysis, and dissemination of overdose surveillance data Discuss best practices for the communication of overdose-related public health informatio

An examination of the environments impacted by high-mass stars and their formation

This work presents four studies on the environments where massive stars evolve and how these stars influence their surroundings as they age. The first two studies investigate properties associated with high-mass stars themselves and the signatures of their own formation. The theory of mass accretion via a circumstellar disk is a leading hypothesis for the formation of high-mass stars. We used infrared surveys to identify massive stars and spectroscopic observations of our sample to search for remnant accretion disks. We also study the Lyman excess phenomenon in ultra-compact \hydro regions to determine if these anomalies can be explained via astrophysical processes or if there is an inherent shortcoming of the modeling of high-mass stars in these compact environments. The final two studies observed how high-mass stars influence environments from a distance. We explore regions in which high-mass stars may be the progenitor of future generations of stars in both a low-mass, isolated cometary cloud and as an integral part an enormous molecular cloud. We used young stellar object populations to quantify how well these molecular clouds turn their material into stars by determining star formation efficiencies in these regions. By studying these stars at different timescales of their evolution, we can achieve a more complete picture of the evolutionary process of OB stars. In our first study, we collected spectra of a selection of candidate OB stars believed to be the stars powering infrared bubble/\hydro regions. We obtained optical and infrared spectra using the \emph{Wyoming Infrared Observatory} and the \emph{Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrometer}, respectively. Chief among our findings was that the O8.5~V type star VES~735, shows Br$\gamma$ emission and double peaked H$\alpha$ emission that has been sustained for more than 15 years. This long-lived emission of H$\alpha$ suggests that this may come from the outer layers of a circumstellar disk, rather than being due to episodic mass-loss events, as seen in $\zeta$ Oph. \emph{A portion of this work has been submitted to the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.} The second study is an investigation of a large number (67) of compact/ultra-compact H{\scriptsize II} regions recently identified in the CORNISH catalog. These regions were determined to be powered by a Lyman continuum flux in excess of what was expected given their corresponding luminosity. We attempted to reasonably explain away this Lyman excess phenomenon in as many of the 67 H{\scriptsize II} regions as possible through a variety of observational and astrophysical means. We calculated new luminosities, performed new \textit{Herschel} photometry, determined new distances, used different models for dust and ionized gas covering factors, and used different stellar calibrations. This phenomenon has been observed before; however, the objects shown to exhibit this behavior have decidedly different physical properties than the regions in our sample, and thus the origin of the excess is not the same. Though the exact mechanism producing the excess is still uncertain, we found that a scaled up magnetospheric accretion model, often used to explain similar emission from T Tauri stars, is unable to match our observations. We found that the excess can be reproduced using OB stellar atmosphere models that have been slightly modified in the extreme ultraviolet. Our results suggest that the Lyman excess may be associated with younger \hydro regions and that it is more commonly found in early B-type stars. Our refined sample of 24 Lyman excess \hydro regions provides an ideal sample for comparative studies with regular H{\scriptsize II} regions and can act as the basis for the further detailed study of individual regions. \emph{This work was accepted for publication in The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in May, 2018.} The third study reports the first high-resolution \co and \coiso observations of the bright outer Galaxy \hydro region CTB~102 (KR 1), using the Taeduk Radio Astronomy Observatory (TRAO). CTB~102 is one of the largest H{\scriptsize II} regions/bubble structures in the Milky Way, but had not been previously observed in the two main high-resolution FCRAO CO surveys: the Outer Galaxy Survey (OGS) and the Galactic Ring Survey (GRS). With the first look at the molecular gas along this line of sight, we determined the sites of ongoing star formation associated with CTB~102 using \WISE and \emph{2MASS} archival data. Using the high-resolution CO observations, we also determined the molecular cloud mass using multiple techniques, concluding that it is between $\sim10^{4.8} - 10^{5.0}$ M\textsubscript{$\odot$}. Applying color-color cuts, SED fitting, and spectral index classification, we found that the YSO population seems to be grouped into separate pockets of star formation within the giant cloud. \WISE sensitivities prevent us from observing YSOs at masses $\lesssim 1-2$ M\textsubscript{$\odot$}, but, by adopting a Salpeter IMF, we estimated star cluster masses for the pockets of star formation as well as for the entire cloud. We found an interesting region within the molecular cloud that has an unusually high star formation efficiency, but the cloud as a whole is only slightly higher than an average GMC. \emph{This study has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal.} We conclude with one final study on how high-mass stars influence their environment by examining a cometary molecular/atomic cloud in Cepheus. This cloud is believed to have had its appearance sculpted by the presence of the Cep~OB3 association, located $\sim$70 pc from the head of the cloud. We were able to make mass estimates based on \co observations and determined that the mass of the head of the molecular cloud is between 200 -- 300 M$_{\odot}$. This molecular cloud is much closer than CTB~102, only 750 pc away, meaning that \WISE is sensitive down to sub-solar YSOs in this case. We then used the properties of the entire sample of identified YSOs, as determined by SED fitting, to approximate the stellar cluster mass, and determined that the star formation efficiency is $\sim2.75-4$\%. We also explore the possibility that the star formation activity was triggered by an ionization/shock front from Cep~OB3, causing the cloud to implode. \emph{This study is in preparation for submission to The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

A Mediterranean Connection: French Ambassadors, the Republic of Venice, and the Construction of the Louisquatorzien State, 1662-1702

Abstract Historians of Louis XIV’s reign have debated evolutions in the king’s administration. Such studies, despite heterogenous conclusions, better define our understanding of absolutist authority in the ancien régime as manifested through a process of so-called bureaucratic centralization. Scholars debate to what extent the monarchy achieved centralization amid the interests of individuals and corporations suspended in traditional hierarchies and socio-cultural expectations. Recently, scholars have posited that Louis’s government accommodated the concerns of its ministers through gratifications and social advancement compelling obedience to the Bourbon dynastic state. This dissertation considers for the first time how a politics of accommodation characterized the Crown’s rapport with a selection of diplomats in the years of Louis XIV’s personal rule. Specifically, I examine five ambassadors serving Louis XIV in the Republic of Venice. Focusing on French ambassadors in Venice accomplishes three tasks. First, ambassadors’ stories highlight how dynasticism perfused the personal ambitions of diplomats as much as it did those of the Crown. The dynastic imperative informed the choices of individuals within the diplomatic corps, and a desire to advance personal fortune and family honor fueled their participation in Louis’s foreign ministry. Secondly, diplomats’ correspondence from Venice elucidates French politics with Venice, other Italian states, and within the commercial and maritime spheres of the Mediterranean Sea. I consider how centralization facilitated or impeded Louis’s hegemonic strategies in Italy and in the sea. Finally, I argue that the Venetians maintained diplomatic relevance for the French until 1702. Traditional narratives claim that Venice “declined” on the international stage by the mid-seventeenth century, but I underscore that Louis XIV viewed Venice as a robust polity critical to the success of dynastic politics throughout most of his reign

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe widespread use of genomic information to improve clinical care has long been a goal of clinicians, researchers, and policy-makers. With the completion of the Human Genome Project over a decade ago, the feasibility of attaining this goal on a widespread basis is becoming a greater reality. In fact, new genome sequencing technologies are bringing the cost of obtaining a patient's genomic information within reach of the general population. While this is an exciting prospect to health care, many barriers still remain to effectively use genomic information in a clinically meaningful way. These barriers, if not overcome, will limit the ability of genomic information to provide a significant impact on health care. Nevertheless, clinical decision support (CDS), which entails the provision of patient-specific knowledge to clinicians at appropriate times to enhance health care, offers a feasible solution. As such, this body of work represents an effort to develop a functional CDS solution capable of leveraging whole genome sequence information on a widespread basis. Many considerations were made in the design of the CDS solution in order to overcome the complexities of genomic information while aligning with common health information technology approaches and standards. This work represents an important advancement in the capabilities of integrating actionable genomic information within the clinical workflow using health informatics approaches

Growth and dispersal patterns of Tribolium castaneum in different size habitats

Citation: Hall, B. (2017). Growth and dispersal patterns of Tribolium castaneum in different size habitats . 1st Annual Undergraduate Research Experience in Entomology Symposium, November 16, 2016. Manhattam, KS.Competition for space, resources, and mates plays an important role in the survivorship of many organisms (Sbilordo et al. 2011). Understanding how competition affects a population is a crucial component in ensuring the survival of threatened and endangered species (Halliday et al. 2015). But what affect does an organism’s habitat size have on its ability to grow in population? Habitat size and competition have an inverse relationship. As the habitat decreases in size, there is an increase in intraspecific competition. In this experiment, we tested this relationship. We found that Tribolium castaneum produced less offspring in smaller containers compared to larger ones. They also had larger distances between individuals in larger containers. This research helps support the hypothesis that habitat destruction can negatively affect the growth of a population (Van Allen et al. 2016)

Analiza studium przypadku choroby Parkinsona

Young onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) is defined as idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPPD) affecting people between the ages of 21 and 40 years old; it makes up approx. 5% of all Parkinson’s Disease patients. The quicker onset of motor complications is what makes YOPD different than the later onset of Parkinson’s Disease. The quicker onset of the motor complications and progression of the disease are what make this disease have a very high morbidity rate. Technology and research have provided the ability to improve motor complications dramatically and extend the ability to maintain function and live a meaningful life. Due to the specificity of the progression of YOPD, nurses and medical staff need to base the care and treatment of the patient on the patient rather than follow a standard protocol for everyone. The University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) symptom management theory and the theory implication for persons with neurological disorders/diseases can provide the basis on how to effectively develop a care plan for these patients. Nurses can have a significant impact on how the disease can affect the patient on the long-term through education, support and advocacy. This case history documents the course of a YOPD patient with unusually severe motor complications. This case study is presenting a 38-year-old male patient that has developed rhabdomyolysis due to dyskinesia. This article aims to help provide context and information pertaining to the usage of simulations when educating both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. (JNNN 2021;10(2):71–76)Choroba Parkinsona o początku w młodym wieku (YOPD) jest definiowana jako idiopatyczna choroba Parkinsona (IPPD) dotykająca ludzi w wieku od 21 do 40 lat; stanowi około 5% wszystkich pacjentów z chorobą Parkinsona. Szybszy początek powikłań ruchowych sprawia, że YOPD różni się od późniejszego wystąpienia choroby Parkinsona. Szybszy początek powikłań ruchowych i progresja choroby sprawiają, że schorzenie to ma bardzo wysoki wskaźnik zachorowalności. Technologia i badania pozwoliły radykalnie poprawić występujące komplikacje ruchowe i wydłużyć zdolność do zachowania funkcji i prowadzenia „sensownego” życia. Ze względu na specyfikę progresji YOPD pielęgniarki i personel medyczny musi dostosować opiekę i leczenie do danego pacjenta, a nie postępować zgodnie ze standardowym protokołem dla wszystkich. Teoria zarządzania objawami i implikacje teoretyczne dla osób z zaburzeniami/chorobami neurologicznymi Uniwersytetu Kalifornijskiego w San Francisco (UCSF) mogą stanowić podstawę skutecznego opracowania planu opieki dla tych pacjentów. Pielęgniarki mogą mieć znaczący wpływ na długofalowe oddziaływanie choroby na pacjenta poprzez edukację, wsparcie i poradnictwo. Przedstawiona historia przypadku dokumentuje przebieg pacjenta z YOPD z niezwykle ciężkimi powikłaniami ruchowymi. Niniejsze studium przypadku przedstawia 38-letniego mężczyznę, u którego rozwinęła się rabdomioliza z powodu dyskinezy. Celem tego artykułu jest przedstawienie kontekstu i informacji dotyczących wykorzystania symulacji podczas kształcenia zarówno studentów studiów licencjackich, jak i magisterskich z zakresu pielęgniarstwa. (PNN 2021;10(2):71–76

Long-Term Monitoring of the Oe Star VES 735: Ope! Not So Quiet After All

Only 3-4 per cent of galactic O stars are observed to display the emission features representative of the OBe phenomenon, compared to galactic B stars, which display these characteristics in 25-35 per cent of B0 and B1 stars. We present new observations of the high-mass O star, VES 735, which confirms its classification as one of these rare emission-line stars. These are its first recorded observations that display strong spectroscopic variations in nearly 30 years of monitoring, with the H$\alpha$ profile exhibiting a tenfold increase in emission compared to observations taken between 1996 and 2014 and having variations which show episodes of inflowing and outflowing material. These observations, coupled with photometric variations in the visible and infrared, show behavior that is consistent with the mass reservoir effect for viscous decretion discs. We propose that in 2015 VES 735 began an approximately three year event in which mass was being injected into the circumstellar environment followed by re-accretion towards the star. We also find evidence that the re-accretion may have been interrupted with another, smaller, mass-injection event based on observations in 2022 and 2023. Observational cadences ranging from hours to months show no evidence that VES 735 is part of a binary system, making it an ideal candidate for future observations to further investigate the evolution of high-mass stars and the OBe phenomenon as it pertains to their circumstellar environment.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure

Environmental Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using Naturalistic Drive Cycles and Vehicle Travel Patterns: A Michigan Case Study

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) use grid electricity as well as on-board gasoline for motive force. These multiple energy sources make prediction of PHEV energy consumption challenging and also complicate evaluation of their environmental impacts. This thesis introduces a novel PHEV energy consumption modeling approach and compares it to a second approach from the literature, each using actual trip patterns from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The first approach applies distance-dependent fuel efficiency and on-road electricity consumption rates based on naturalistic or real world, driving information to determine gasoline and electricity consumption. The second uses consumption rates derived in accordance with government certification testing. Both approaches are applied in the context of a location-specific case study that focuses on the state of Michigan. The two PHEV models show agreement in electricity demand due to vehicle charging, gasoline consumption, and life cycle environmental impacts for this case study. The naturalistic drive cycle approach is explored as a means of extending location-specific driving data to supplement existing PHEV impact assessments methods.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106542/1/MarshallThesis.pd