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Brook Trout and Fish Community Use of Spring Ponds Within the Plover River System, Wisconsin
No full textProtecting refugia that provide suitable thermal habitat could be crucial for the persistence of sensitive fish species amid variable and warming climates and anthropogenic habitat alterations. For instance, Wisconsin has thousands of miles of thermally suitable habitat for brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and other coldwater species that is threatened by changing climate and habitat. Spring ponds may serve as refugia during droughts and periods of extreme weather events because of consistent groundwater input and depth that maintain cold water. However, there is limited knowledge of how brook trout and other fishes use the spring ponds and what pond characteristics support connectivity, demographics, and community compositions. Additionally, spring ponds may meet the definition of small natural features (SNFs), that is, habitats with ecological importance disproportionate to their size. Spring ponds, however, continually fill in with sediment and organic matter as they transition to a wetland, and for example, alteration of riparian habitats and groundwater levels could negatively influence their habitats. This study focused on spring ponds in the Plover River system and spanned from fall 2022 to summer 2024. The Plover River system in central Wisconsin and its spring ponds support a naturally reproducing brook trout population in middle and upstream reaches and high species richness. The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine if brook trout population demographics varied with season, spring pond characteristics, and river reaches and spring ponds, 2) if brook trout use of spring ponds varied by season and water temperature, and if connectivity existed among spring ponds and river reaches, and 3) evaluate community assemblages in spring ponds and whether they are influenced by season, river reach, or pond characteristics. Electrofishing occurred in three focal spring ponds in fall 2022, and spring, summer, fall 2023, and in seven other spring ponds and river sites in summer 2023. Brook trout were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and community data were recorded by counting individuals of other species. Brook trout movement was monitored at the three focal ponds with PIT arrays. Brook trout moved between the Plover River and focal ponds, and on a few occasions between ponds, and brook trout demographics varied seasonally but no clear trend was found. Movement into ponds increased in late spring, electrofishing mean catch per hour (CPE) of brook trout was highest in summer (20.2 / h), and brook trout were larger in focal ponds (mean = 185 mm, SD = 66.1) than in adjacent river reaches (mean = 104 mm, SD = 61.1). Spring pond median depth (P = 0.0081, r2 = 0.60) and mean depth (P = 0.0154, r2 = 0.53) were negatively related to summer CPE, and surface area (negatively) and max depth (positively) were related (P = 0.0038, r2 = 0.79) to proportional size distribution (PSD) of brook trout. In addition to electrofishing, environmental DNA (eDNA) was used to assess community compositions of the ten spring ponds in spring, summer, and fall 2023. Sixteen species were detected in spring ponds using eDNA, prominently brook stickleback Culaea inconstans (71.5%) and white sucker Catostomus commersonii (11.5%), while electrofishing detected 22 species, prominently white sucker (38.3%) and brook trout (14.1%). Depth standard deviation, maximum depth, mean depth, median depth, outlet length, wood density, river reach, volume, surface area, and dredging were related to significant differences in presence/absence and relative abundance (sequencing reads and catch per hour). Community composition was significantly related to waterbody but not season. This study provides information on spring pond fish communities and indicates eDNA is likely to be useful for sampling spring ponds after refinement and that spring ponds fit the SNF definition. Additionally, brook trout appear to use spring ponds as a summer thermal refuge and some individuals throughout the year. Ensuring spring pond habitat quality and connectivity to streams may help coldwater species persist in a warmer environment
Bridging the Gap: Responsive Learning Solutions That Support the Professional Development Needs of Home-Based Child Care Providers
No full textPlan BChild care is essential for many families, making it possible for parents and guardians to
work or go to school, while also nurturing young children’s growth and development.
Home-based child care (HBCC) refers to care provided to young children in a home
setting by someone other than their parent or primary caregiver. It is often a family’s
preferred choice for care and represents a critical component of early care and education
system. While HBCC is widely utilized and valued by families, its distinct characteristics
and needs are not always fully addressed within state systems. Providers often face
challenges such as professional isolation, the blending of caregiving and business
operations, and limited access to professional development that aligns with their specific
needs. This study examines the characteristics and challenges of HBCC, evaluates current
professional development models, and offers recommendations for designing and
implementing accessible, high-quality training tailored to this workforce. Strengthening
support for HBCC providers is essential to promoting positive outcomes for both children
and families. Findings from this study can inform efforts to build more inclusive
professional development systems and strengthen the early childhood workforce
Employee Wellness Program
No full textPlan BThis paper explores the design of a mature wellness program in a midwestern university to gain a
deeper understanding of “best practices” to inform Company XYZ’s wellness program
knowledge, to assess workplace practices, identify employee needs, and determine strategic
recommendations for future development. Company XYZ does not currently offer a structured
wellness program, and the leadership wants to understand what employees value and how to
position itself for a successful wellness program design and implementation. The method of
inquiry was through an employee survey. The study sought to review employee well-being
concerns and level of engagement. Company XYZ desires to implement a wellness program to
enhance morale, reduce unplanned absences, and identify opportunities to improve employee
health status as well as organizational improvement. The analysis was informed by current
research and practices commonly applied in workplace health promotion. Key findings
highlighted the importance of leadership support, consistent communication, and tailored
planning. Survey results revealed moderate employee engagement and areas for improvement,
such as communications by the organization about the wellness program benefits and offerings.
Based on the findings, recommendations were proposed to enhance the effectiveness of
employee wellness programs. This included implementing a clear communication strategy to
raise awareness of available resources, regularly assessing employee needs to ensure program
relevance, and actively involving leadership in promoting and modeling healthy behaviors.
Sustained organizational commitment and continuous employee feedback are essential to
building a supportive workplace that promotes long-term workforce health and productivity
Juvenile muskellunge escapement and movement in an aging Wisconsin reservoir.
No full textMuskellunge (Esox masquinongy) fisheries are popular throughout the Midwest,
including Wisconsin where stocking efforts to provide angling opportunities are
common. Since 2006, over 20,000 Muskellunge have been stocked into Neshonoc Lake,
an impoundment of the La Crosse River. Relatively few have been recaptured in the
reservoir during standardized surveys and individuals are thought to escape downstream
to the river. My objectives were to: (1) delineate the reservoir bathymetry using side scan
sonar, (2) describe movement behaviors and spatial patterns of stocked Muskellunge in
the reservoir, and (3) quantify escapement for one year after stocking. Thirty juvenile
Muskellunge were implanted with acoustic tags (Innovasea, V9-1x) to monitor their
movements using four stationary receivers and were regularly located using a directional
hydrophone during three movement periods (i.e., post-stocking, fall, spring). More than
50% of the lake was < 1 m deep with a max of 4 m, a result of recent dredging efforts and
there was little substrate variability or cover structure. Muskellunge were most often
detected near shore, in relatively shallow water (1-2 m), and moved greater distances in
fall than spring. No juveniles escaped during the lifespan of the tags, suggesting that
escapement does not occur at this life stage
Particulate Matter 2.5 in Beloit, Wisconsin : Collaboration Against Environmental Injustice : Analyzing and Comparing Purpleair Monitor Trends from 2024 to 2025
No full textColor poster with text, images, charts, maps, and graphs.Environmental stability is vital to achieving overall health within communities. Where families reside is an important factor in determining whether they can prosper in other aspects of health, such as education, nutrition, and disease prevention. To fulfill communities' needs for a stable, healthy atmosphere, environmental justice must be addressed to provide these essential health requirements. The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of current environmental health challenges faced by community members in Beloit, Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire students will analyze particulate matter 2.5 reported through PurpleAir Monitors distributed throughout Beloit to help facilitate the awareness needed for positive change. The collaborative process involves meeting with Beloit air quality advocates from the Stateline Clean Air Coalition and the Midwest Environmental Health Advocates group, as well as working alongside past researchers who analyzed similar data. Using PurpleAir Monitors will give researchers access to PM 2.5 trends from 2023 to the present, helping to establish a timeline of possible effects correlated with particulate matter. By analyzing PM 2.5, we can identify key trends that future advocacy groups can use to drive positive change for families in Beloit, Wisconsin.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Evaluating the performance of PATMOS-x in global and regional analyses of clouds as they relate to Earth’s planetary albedo
No full textIn 2023, the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System - Energy Balanced and Filled (CERES-EBAF) dataset revealed a record low planetary albedo. Due to the dominant role of clouds in Earth’s albedo, we hypothesize that the negative anomaly identified in 2023 is mostlikely a consequence of a similar anomaly in cloud fraction and, subsequently, effective reflectance. Since the CERES-EBAF dataset cannot be used for in-depth analyses of cloud behavior, as it is limited by a narrow selection of cloud property variables, the visible reflectance parameter featured in the Pathfinder Atmospheres-Extended (PATMOS-x) v6.0 dataset – a 1980-present global satellite record with a primary focus on cloud properties – is proposed as asupplement for investigating the relative contribution of clouds to the 2023 albedo anomaly.However, because PATMOS-x incorporates data from Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRRs) flown on sixteen separate satellite platforms, each of which has its own set of calibration coefficients, local overpass times, and degrees of orbital drift, synthesizing a stable, long-term record of global visible reflectance is not possible without radiometric normalization and frequent updates to the intercalibration.
Presented here is a novel approach to validating the most recent PATMOS-x v6.0 visible reflectance calibration, wherein tropical deep convective clouds (DCCs) are used as climatologically predictable targets to evaluate reflective stability over time and develop a solar zenith angle-dependent normalization method for handling the impacts of orbital drift and local overpass time discrepancies. While a robust validation of the record’s visible intercalibration is obtained in a strictly-controlled context, the normalization methodology applied to DCCs in the Tropics does not necessarily handle orbital drift and local overpass time discrepancies to an adequate extent when it is applied (a) to a broader array of cloud types, (b) on a global scale, and (c) for the entire duration of the record. Alternatively, in a case study of the Central Indian Ocean,the PATMOS-x record demonstrates a reasonable capacity to produce accurate ocean-based regional analyses of cloud effective reflectance between 2000 and 2023. Impacts owed to orbital drift and local overpass differences are better-resolved by the solar zenith angle normalization when analysis is centered over a relatively localized oceanic region; it is, thus, more feasible to draw conclusive results of cloud fraction and, consequently, effective reflectance under this circumstance. It is ultimately determined that, over the Central Indian Ocean, the local planetary albedo anomaly in 2023 is the result of a pronounced negative anomaly in upper-level cloud fraction, primarily contributed to by clouds in the 3.6-23 range of optical depth and ~30-45% range of mean reflectance
Ponatinib suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation in primary microglia
No full textSenior Dual Honors Thesis, Departments of Neurobiology and Psychology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting 6.9 million people in the United States. AD pathology is characterized by extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tau tangles (NFTs) in the brain. Although some amyloid-targeting therapies have been FDA-approved, clinical trial results remain inconsistent, necessitating additional novel treatment approaches. The nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in microglia, the brain’s immune cell, contributes to neuroinflammation and drives AD pathology. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based screen, we found that Ponatinib, an FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor, decreases NLRP3 activation in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and primary microglia. We utilized dose curves and cytotoxicity assays to further characterize Ponatinib’s NLRP3 inhibitory activity in microglia. This work positions Ponatinib as a promising, potential therapeutic for AD
Effects of Squirrel Gut Microbiota Transfer on Fat Accumulation in Outbred Mice
No full textObesity has been defined as buildup of adipose tissue, but adipose tissue itself is not the cause
of the effects associated with obesity. By examining the microbiota of the digestive tract in
hibernating animals, it was found TNF-a and IL-6 were present in higher concentrations in obese
animals. Gut microbes from the ileum and proximal colon of post-hibernation thirteen-lined ground
squirrels (13LGS) were extracted and placed via gavage into DO and CD-1 mice. Mice were euthanized,
and ileum, colon, and white adipose tissue (WAT) was collected. Sandwich ELISAs were used to
analyze levels of cytokines present in the tissue. Microbiota from 13LGS awake for 48 hours after
hibernation allowed for the highest amount of adiposity gain per mouse per week. DO mice were more
responsive to microbiota transfer
How does a child's chronological age correlate with the likelihood of them receiving a reading intervention in elementary school?
No full textThis study aimed to determine if the youngest students in a grade level are more likely to
receive a reading intervention due to low test scores. Due to the current conflicting research on
the topic of redshirting and retention, the study examined whether students that were receiving
a reading intervention based on scoring at or below the 40th percentile on the STAR Reading
Assessment and/or at or below the 25th percentile on the AIMSwebPlus Reading Assessment
were the youngest among the grade level or had summer birthdays. Specifically, the study
examined the links between Kindergarten through fourth grade girls and boys, the qualification
across both of the tests and those scoring in the 10th percentile and below and their
corresponding birthdates. The study did not find any significant results leading towards this
claim, outside of 44% of the first-grade boys receiving an intervention having summer birthdays.
Limitations include small sample size of predominantly white communities, other factors not
addressed such as socioeconomic factors, race and disabilities. A push for additional research
to determine the main causes for the vast amount of struggling readers in the state of Wisconsin
is emphasized
Investigating Climate Change Effects on Early Spring Plant-Pollinator Networks : The Start of a Long-Term Monitoring Study
No full textColor poster with text, images, charts, and photographs.For early spring wildflowers in Wisconsin, global climate change may lead to warmer, drier climates with more day-to-day variability, which in turn can impact flower and pollinator phenology, plant-pollinator network structure, and reproductive security for plants and pollinators. Inter-annual changes to plant-pollinator interactions are often only noticeable with long-term data sets. Here, we present our goal to establish a multi-year study monitoring plant-pollinator interactions in early spring wildflowers in Putnam Park. We will use AutoPollS (Autonomous Pollinator Samplers) camera traps with temperature sensors to record flower visitors to early spring wildflowers. We will deploy six camera traps with four cameras from the start of bloom through mid-May, aiming to document all flowering species. After we collect images of flower visitors, we will filter out images with insects and use BeeMachine to identify flower visitors. To analyze our data, we will use bipartite plots to evaluate network dynamics and complexity and link temperature with pollinator activity and wildflower phenology. Over time, we will evaluate multi-year patterns and evidence of climate change-mediated shifts to plant-pollinator interactions. We expect as the climate warms, spring wildflowers will bloom earlier, bloom duration will decrease, and pollinators will shift their dietary preferences in response.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program