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Motor learning is the process of improving task execution according to some measure of performance. This can be divided into skill learning, a model-free process, and adaptation, a model-based process. Prior studies have indicated that adaptation results from two complementary learning systems with parallel organization. This report attempted to answer the question of whether a similar interaction leads to savings, a model-free process that is described as faster relearning when experiencing something familiar. This was tested in a two-week reaching task conducted on a robotic arm capable of perturbing movements. The task was designed so that the two sessions differed in their history of errors. By measuring the change in the learning rate, the savings was determined at various points. The results showed that the history of errors successfully modulated savings. Thus, this supports the notion that the two complementary systems interact to develop savings. Additionally, this report was part of a larger study that will explore the organizational structure of the complementary systems as well as the neural basis of this motor learning.
In an effort to address the lack of literature in on-campus active travel, this study aims to investigate the following primary questions:<br/>• What are the modes that students use to travel on campus?<br/>• What are the motivations that underlie the mode choice of students on campus?<br/>My first stage of research involved a series of qualitative investigations. I held one-on-one virtual interviews with students in which I asked them questions about the mode they use and why they feel that their chosen mode works best for them. These interviews served two functions. First, they provided me with insight into the various motivations underlying student mode choice. Second, they provided me with an indication of what explanatory variables should be included in a model of mode choice on campus.<br/>The first half of the research project informed a quantitative survey that was released via the Honors Digest to attract student respondents. Data was gathered on travel behavior as well as relevant explanatory variables.<br/>My analysis involved developing a logit model to predict student mode choice on campus and presenting the model estimation in conjunction with a discussion of student travel motivations based on the qualitative interviews. I use this information to make a recommendation on how campus infrastructure could be modified to better support the needs of the student population.
This analysis explores what the time needed to harden, and time needed to degrade is of a PLGA bead, as well as whether the size of the needle injecting the bead and the addition of a drug (Vismodegib) may affect these variables. Polymer degradation and hardening are critical to understand for the polymer’s use in clinical settings, as these factors help determine the patients’ and healthcare providers’ use of the drug and estimated treatment time. Based on the literature, it is expected that the natural logarithmic polymer mass degradation forms a linear relationship to time. Polymer hardening was tested by taking video recordings of gelatin plates as they are injected with microneedles and performing RGB analysis on the polymer “beads” created. Our results for the polymer degradation experiments showed that the polymer hardened for all solutions and trials within approximately 1 minute, presenting a small amount of time in which the patient would have to remain motionless in the affected area. Both polymer bead size and drug concentration may have had a modest impact on the hardening time experiments, while bead size may affect the time required for the polymer to degrade. Based on the results, the polymer degradation is expected to last multiple weeks, which may allow for the polymer to be used as a long-term drug delivery system in treatment of basal cell carcinoma.