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Yoga Therapy Affects Changes in NSSI and Eating Disorder Symptoms
No full textColor poster with text and charts.Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorders (ED) require a disregard for one’s body to engage in them. Previous literature has shown that a lack of self-compassion and body appreciation are associated with greater NSSI and ED symptoms, but could be mitigated through therapies like yoga, which emphasize the union between body and mind. Our study aimed to investigate if body appreciation and self-compassion act as mediators between participation in an integrative yoga therapy and changes in NSSI urges and ED behaviors. To date, 37 participants have completed the study (Mage = 31.23, SD = 12.2; 45.9% cisgender female, 46.8% white/European). Linear regression mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (model 4) in SPSS. The full model was not significant for either outcome (ps = .34 - .42) and there were no observed indirect effects. Aligned with prior literature, self-compassion had a significant direct relationship with changes in NSSI urges (b = -0.31) and body appreciation had a direct effect on changes in ED symptoms (b = -0.56). The non-significant effects could be due to having a limited amount of preliminary data. Additional data is being collected. At the time of the conference, updated analyses and results will be presented.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Traffic Control based on CARMA Platform for Maximal Traffic Mobility and Safety
No full textThis project developed and evaluated an online adaptive platoon control framework for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) that simultaneously enhances mobility and safety through integration with digital infrastructure based on the CARMA platform. The proposed Physics Enhanced Residual Learning (PERL) framework combines a physics-based centralized controller, which models vehicle dynamics to ensure stability, with a neural network-based residual learning module that adaptively corrects unmodeled dynamics in real time. PERL can contribute to CARMA’s platooning plugin as a tactical-level cooperative longitudinal control component, enabling adaptive gap regulation and disturbance mitigation. High-fidelity simulations and scaled robot car experiments were conducted to assess performance under diverse traffic and disturbance scenarios. Results show that the PERL framework significantly improves position and speed tracking accuracy, achieves rapid convergence following external disturbances, and maintains robust platoon stability compared to purely physics-based or purely learning-based approaches. These findings demonstrate that the PERL framework can reduce the conventional safety–mobility trade-off in CAV platooning and support deployment within Transportation System Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies. Transportation agencies and system developers may apply this approach to improve cooperative driving efficiency, enhance roadway throughput, and inform future standards for adaptive platoon control systems.This project developed and evaluated an online adaptive platoon control framework for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) to improve mobility and safety in dynamic traffic environments. The proposed Physics Enhanced Residual Learning (PERL) framework integrates a physics-based centralized controller, which models vehicle dynamics to ensure stability and interpretability, with a neural network residual module that adaptively corrects unmodeled dynamics and disturbances in real time. Our work can contribute to the U.S. DOT CARMA Platform by serving as a tactical-level cooperative longitudinal control component within the platooning plugin. In this role, PERL has the potential to enhance CARMA’s mobility operations layer by enabling real-time gap regulation, adaptive disturbance mitigation, and improved string stability under heterogeneous and mixed traffic scenarios. By providing a flexible yet interpretable control approach, PERL could support CARMA’s cooperative driving automation objectives and facilitate smoother integration of platooning strategies into broader transportation system management and operations. High-fidelity simulations and scaled platform experiments demonstrated that PERL outperforms both pure physics-based and pure learning-based controllers, reducing cumulative position and speed errors by more than 50% in simulation and up to 99% in scaled platform tests. These results suggest that the proposed framework could strengthen CARMA’s cooperative driving capabilities, improve the resilience of platoon control, and support the deployment of safe, efficient, and adaptive CAV platooning in real-world operations.U.S. Department of Transportation
Center for Connected and Automated Transportation
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institut
Elevated Anti-Mullerian Hormone, Inhibitor of Oocyte Maturation?
No full textAnti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a dimeric glycoprotein and a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β super family. AMH comprises a 110 kDa disulfide linked N-terminal dimer and a 25kDa biologically active C-terminal dimer. Circulating levels of AMH in women mostly originate from the granulosa cells of growing ovarian follicles, and thus not surprisingly, positively correlate with the numbers of antral follicles (2-9mm diameter) in both ovaries combined determined by ultrasonography. Previous studies have shown AMH to be expressed during folliculogenesis within each follicle until dominant follicle selection (~10 mm diameter) or atresia. The function of this glycoprotein is strongly associated with the inhibition of both follicle development and recruitment of follicles into the growing follicle pool and enhancement of follicle survival. AMH protein expression in dominant follicles is much reduced and its remaining function unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of AMH in the cumulus and mural granulosa cells of dominant, pre-ovulatory follicles. Cumulus and mural granulosa cells were aspirated from pre-ovulatory follicles of healthy women and women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at oocyte retrieval after ovarian gonadotropic hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Rt-qPCR and Western blots using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were used to identify AMH mRNA and protein expression, respectively, in aspirated cell lysates. This study suggests that both AMH gene and protein expression remains within dominant pre-ovulatory follicles and may play a physiological role in late stage follicle and oocyte development
Piracy on the Niobrara : A Geomorphic Examination of Waterway Banditry
No full textColor poster with text, images, maps, photographs, and graphs.Our research is focused on the geomorphic history of the Niobrara River, located in northern Nebraska. This river exhibits noteworthy landforms, including a large number of terraces. The goal is to determine what event(s) may have taken place to cause these formations. Through analyzing the terraces, it’s apparent that it has drastically aggraded and degraded to form a complex series of terraces. The Niobrara is located just north of the Nebraska Sand Hills, which is a crucial aspect of the landscape that contributes to the river’s geologic history. To understand what happened, we mapped all the terraces within the Niobrara Scenic River Corridor. We utilized ArcGIS Pro to digitize each terrace, then calculated their average height above the river. Once completed, we classified the terrace heights into categories to reveal geographic patterns. We hypothesize that there was a river piracy event that caused the Niobrara to reroute towards the Keya Paha River, a tributary to the Niobrara, and abandon the ancestral course that is now the Elkhorn River. A possible explanation includes the transport of sediment from the Sand Hills to create a sand dam on the river, which would have formed an overflowing lake, spilling over the dam boundaries.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Effects of Captivity on Roosting Behavior in the Endangered Whooping Crane (Grus Americana)
No full textA primary source of mortality in the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) of whooping
cranes (Grus americana) is predation, which inhibits the establishment of a
self-sustaining population as required by the species recovery plan. Previously, birds
released from captive rearing programs have shown variation in roost habitat choice,
with some birds’ choices putting them at an increased risk of predation and
human-wildlife conflict. This study aimed to answer if whooping crane chicks
preferentially use water versus dry areas during roosting periods while in human care,
and the impact of rearing in captivity on roost site selection after release into the EMP.
Trail camera imagery was collected during the 2023 and 2024 chick rearing seasons
(May-October) at the International Crane Foundation to assess how often the chicks
utilized water for roosting at night. In addition to water use, sleeping behaviors were
observed. All whooping crane chicks were observed roosting in water during the study,
with the highest proportion of observations of chicks in water around 0100. After the
2024 release, roost sites of the release cohort at Horicon Marsh (n = 4) and White River
Marsh State Wildlife Area (n = 1) were selected from Platform Terminal Transmitter (PTT)
GPS data for the first 10 days after release. These roosting locations were assessed for
water and vegetation cover to evaluate roost habitat quality. The juveniles released at
Horicon Marsh selected sites with 100percent water cover, with most sites having 0percent
vegetation. The juvenile at White River Marsh first selected sites that had low water
coverage with high vegetation cover, and eventually used sites that were a matrix of
100percent water and varying levels of vegetation cover. Thus, the data from this study
suggest that whooping cranes reared in environments with ponds will behave as
management would expect after release into the wild. The impacts of differences in
logistics across rearing facilities as well as release locations on reintroduction success are
still unknown
Engineered and Biomimetic Caviar Analogs as a Sustainable Food Source
No full textColor poster with text, charts, photographs, and graphs.Caviar refers to processed salted roe obtained from large fish, and it often requires the sacrifice of a pregnant female. With the increasing global human population, the demand for caviar is rapidly growing, threatening wildlife fish populations everywhere. While many improved versions of caviar analogs have been created, they are unable to mimic natural caviar color, texture, structure, popping (while chewing), and taste. The goal of this project is to develop a scalable method for developing caviar analogs using engineering techniques. For this study, we investigated the use of sodium alginate and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) in the production of engineered caviar analogs that replicate the texture, appearance, and sensory characteristics of natural caviar. Alginate solutions of different concentrations (1-5%) and needles of different gauges were calibrated to achieve structural integrity and mimicry of caviar analog size. Furthermore, CaCl₂ was frozen in liquid nitrogen before soaking in a bath of alginate to form caviar analogs with an outer crusty shell and a softer center, to re-create the popping-effect. Future work will include incorporating our findings within a microfluidic device for a scalable way of producing engineered caviar analogs, furthering the broader pursuit of sustainable food design.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Revealing Galactic Structure with Simulation Based Inference
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-MadisonThe structure of the Milky Way is poorly constrained. There is strong evidence that the Milky Way has spiral features, but the location and morphology of these features are largely unknown and rarely constrained quantitatively. We develop a simplistic probabilistic model of a multi-armed, log-spiral Galaxy that predicts the Galactic longitude, latitude, and LSR velocities of massive star forming regions associated with spiral arms. The likelihood distribution for this model is intractable since it is marginalized over the unknown Galactocentric azimuths (i.e., distances) of the nebulae. We therefore train a neural network to predict the likelihood distribution through a machine learning technique known as simulation based inference (SBI). With the learned likelihood distribution, we infer the model parameters using Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods. We demonstrate the accuracy of the learned likelihood distribution and the success of our SBI+MCMC procedure in recovering the “true" model parameters for a synthetic, four-armed, log-spiral Galaxy. Preliminary attempts to infer the model parameters from the latest Galactic HII region data reveal model degeneracies. SBI is a viable tool to test sophisticated models of Galactic structure on position-velocity data
Plant Functional Community Assembly in Grasslands and Wetlands : Effects of Moisture Stress
No full textColor poster with text, charts, and graphs.We investigated how stress (low moisture and mineral nutrients) influences how functional community assembly differs from random drift assembly. Plant strategy theory suggests that stressful habitats should be dominated by short species with adaptations for conserving resources. The “stress-dominance hypothesis” suggests that stressful habitats should have low functional diversity, and both have been confirmed in European grasslands. We sampled plants at 19 locations along well-known moisture gradients from dry prairies to wet sedge meadows. At each location, three nested sample plots were established using three grain sizes (0.1 m^2, 1.0 m^2, 10 m^2). Four functional traits (two size traits and two leaf economics traits) were measured in every instance of each plant species. We used Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the standardized effect size of abundance-weighted mean and functional diversity using the observed species. Results for weighted mean traits were consistent with strategy theory in terms of size traits only. Results for functional diversity were consistent with the stress-dominance hypothesis in terms of leaf economics traits, while the results for plant height were opposite of theory. We know of no other study that has observed these alternative patterns across the two main axes of plant functional traits.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
AI in GI : Reducing Colonoscopy Report Review Time and Cognitive Burden for Clinicians and Patients
No full textColor poster with text and images.This project aims to standardize follow-up recommendations for colonoscopies by leveraging Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze colonoscopy and pathology reports. Current follow-up guidelines vary based on multiple factors, including polyp type, size, number, and patient history, often leading to inconsistencies in clinical recommendations. The AI system processes unstructured text from medical reports, extracting key diagnostic details and cross-referencing them with established guidelines to generate personalized return date recommendations. By automating this process, the project enhances accuracy, reduces variability in clinical decision-making, and improves workflow efficiency for healthcare providers. The standardized recommendations ensure that patients receive appropriate follow-up care, minimizing the risk of delayed or unnecessary procedures. This initiative demonstrates the potential of AI in streamlining medical decision-making, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes and more consistent adherence to evidence-based guidelines in gastroenterology.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
The Relationship Between Within-day Work Breaks and Job Satisfaction Amongst Montessori Guides
No full textIn the realm of education, the well-being of teachers profoundly impacts both their own
experiences and the quality of learning for students. This literature review delves into the
complex dynamics surrounding teacher stress, burnout, job satisfaction, and the learning
environment. The Montessori philosophy provides a theoretical framework emphasizing the
holistic development of educators and its impact on the learning environment. A survey targeting
Montessori guides investigates the relationship between within-day work breaks and job
satisfaction, highlighting prevalent issues of overwork and diverse break cultures. Our findings
indicate that breaks have a substantial positive influence on stress management, focus, and job
satisfaction. Educators who receive breaks report better energy management, reduced stress and
burnout, and a more stable sense of accomplishment compared to those who do not receive
breaks