Bioluminescent Jellyfish

Undergraduate 3-

MEDICAL CANNABIS USE AMONG CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH PRESCRIPTION OPIOID USE: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Medical cannabis is increasingly used as a treatment for chronic pain, and there is initial evidence that medical cannabis may lead to a subsequent decrease in prescription opioid use. The objective of the current study was to conduct a retrospective, naturalistic examination of medical cannabis use (i.e., dose, frequency, type) and subsequent changes in prescription opioid use among a sample of treatment-seeking chronic (non-cancer-related) pain patients (N =277). Data from the electronic medical record (EMR) was paired with information from the State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and collected at time of initial certification and at six months post-certification. Results indicated that 91% of patients used their certification to buy medical cannabis at least once within the first six months. Heterogeneity in purchase patterns was observed (range of total doses purchased = 5 to 417, mean = 64.5, SD = 67). High THC:low CBD and vaporization-based products were the most common formulations purchased. A total of 37% of all patients who purchased medical cannabis at least once evinced a clinically significant reduction (i.e., ≥ 30% MME) in prescription opioid use by six months post-certification

Output tracking via sliding modes in causal systems with time delay modeled by higher order pade approximations

Output tracking in a SISO causal uncertain nonlinear system with an output subject to a time delay is considered using sliding mode control. A higher order Pade approximation to a delay function with a known time delay is used to construct a model of a transformed system without a time delayed output and is employed in a feedback sliding mode control. This model functions as a predictor of the plant states and the plant output, but is of nonminimum phase due to the application of the Pade approximation. The method of the stable system center is used to stabilize the internal dynamics of this plant model, and a control is developed using a sliding surface to allow the plant to track an arbitrary reference profile given by an exogenous system with a known characteristic equation. Simulations of the system are performed for the plant model using a first, second and third order Pade approximations and a controller in plant feedback mode. Numerical examples for Pade approximations of increasing order are considered and compare

Quantifying tree response to alterations in pollution deposition and climate change in the northeastern US

Understanding tree physiological responses to climate change is critical for quantifying forest carbon, predicting species\u27 range change, and forecasting growth trajectories. Continued increases in temperature could push trees into conditions to which they are ill adapted -- such as decreased depth of winter snow cover, altered water regimes, and a lengthened effective growing season. A complicating factor is that in the northeastern United States, climate change is occurring on a backdrop of acid deposition and land-use change. In this dissertation, I used three studies to investigate the spatiotemporal nuances of resultant tree and sapling physiology to environmental change. First, I compared annual growth of co-occurring tree species (sugar maple, red spruce, red maple, yellow birch, and balsam fir) along an elevational gradient on Vermont\u27s tallest peak: Mt. Mansfield. I found baseline differences in growth among species, and many annual variations were associated with species-specific events. Yet, protracted growth patterns, such as recent increases for red spruce and red maple, were correlated with increased temperature and cooling degree days (a heat index). For most species, temperature was positively associated with current growth, but negatively associated with growth the following year. This work demonstrated species\u27 differences in response to change and the complex relationships between growth and temperature. Next, I analyzed how climate, environmental parameters, and site and tree factors related to recent, regional increases in red spruce growth. While there was variability in response to climate and acid deposition by elevation and location, site and tree factors did not adequately explain growth. Higher temperatures outside the traditional growing season were positively related to growth, while nitrogen deposition was strongly negative. However, if nitrogen inputs decline as projected then the strength of this relationship may decrease over time. These results suggest continued favorable conditions for red spruce in the near term as acid deposition declines and temperatures increase, provided precipitation remains adequate to support growth. Lastly, I used a replicated micro-catchment study to examine how four species of tree saplings (paper birch, quaking aspen, American chestnut and black cherry) responded to experimentally elevated temperature (2-4C above control) and reduced early winter snow (first six weeks of winter), depending on soil type. Soil and species characteristics strongly influenced sapling response. However, natural weather patterns during the treatment period were highly variable and muted or exacerbated results. Heating increased the potential photosynthetic period in the fall, causing an overall increase in leaf area. Many two- and three-way interactions of treatment factors were also detected. These outcomes demonstrate the variability in sapling response to a changing climate, as well as the complex interactions that occur among soil, species, and weather parameters

Performance characteristics of high-school age wheelchair athletes

Includes bibliographical references.Wheelchair athletics have become increasingly popular for individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI&D). Although popularity has increased, there is limited research in the development of specialized exercise programs for wheelchair athletes with SCI&D. As preliminary research, this study examined two high-school age wheelchair athletes with SCI&Ds. The study consisted of (1) a baseline evaluation ofthe subject's upper extremity strength and flexibility, trunk strength and flexibility, and sitting balance, (2) an observation of a wheelchair basketball practice, and (3) a comparison of performance characteristics to a previous study. Results of this study have helped develop a better understanding of SCI&D and wheelchair athletics, and also may be beneficial in the development of specialized exercise programs for individuals with SCI&D to increase overall health, athleticism, and injury prevention.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

On the relaxation of integral functionals depending on the symmetrized gradient

We prove results on the relaxation and weak* lower semicontinuity of integral functionals of the form $$\mathcal{F}[u] := \int_{\Omega} f \bigg( \frac{1}{2} \bigl( \nabla u(x) + \nabla u(x)^T \bigr) \bigg)\,\mathrm{d} x, \qquad u : \Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^d \to \mathbb{R}^d,$$ over the space $\mathrm{BD}(\Omega)$ of functions of bounded deformation or over the Temam-Strang space $$\mathrm{U}(\Omega):=\bigl\{u\in \mathrm{BD}(\Omega): \ \mathrm{div} \ u\in \mathrm{L}^2(\Omega)\bigr\},$$ depending on the growth and shape of the integrand $f$. Such functionals are interesting for example in the study of Hencky plasticity and related models.Comment: 30 page

Dynamical poroplasticity model with mixed boundary conditions - theory for LM-type nonlinearity

We investigate the existence theory to the non-coercive fully dynamic model of poroplasticity with nonhomogeneous mixed boundary condition and constitutive equation which belongs to the class LM. Existence of the solution to this model is proved by using the coercive and Yosida approximations under the lowest possible assumptions about LM-type nonlinearity of non-gradient type. Under higher assumptions about the constitutive equation and boundary conditions (see Section 7) we obtain uniqueness and higher regularity of the solutions