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Provenience, Provenance, and Place-Based Education: An Examination of the Milwaukee County Archaeology Surface Collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum
No full textThis thesis contextualizes and documents 436 catalog numbers representing 1,257 archaeological artifacts recovered from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; these are a subset of a larger collection of 816 cultural items that comprise the Milwaukee County Archaeological Surface Collection (MCASC), currently housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). The MCASC contains 83 accessions, accounting for artifacts accumulated from 69 individual donors between 1889 and 2000. This collection is classified as ‘surface collected’ due in part to the fact that these artifacts were found, often by locals, as Milwaukee County developed and became increasingly industrialized. As a result, precise information about the find locations and associated context is often lacking, fragmentary, or incomplete. However, museum registration files and historical archives helped to determine more specific provenance and provenience. Connections are made between this collection and the changing landscape of Milwaukee County, with discussion on urbanization, avocational archaeological collecting practices, and museums as educational collaborators. Accession donor biographies and collection statistics are included. This thesis concludes with a discussion of potential uses and applications of these data and the associated artifacts for Wisconsin Act 31 curricula development, research, exhibits, and future museum planning. Attention is called to the important role that consultation and collaboration with Indigenous source communities can play in collections of this kind
Officer Perception and Behavior Associated with COVID-19 Regulations : Analyzing Police Perception and Attitudes Prior, During, and Post Pandemic
No full textColor poster with text, charts, and graphs.Everyday policing during the pandemic was both critical and challenging. A handful of studies focus on COVID-19 in relationship to the change of police officer’s perceptions toward police performance and departmental change. This study attempts to identify perceived differences between pre-COVID and post-COVID policing. This research utilizes four domains: Normal Policing, COVID-19 Policing, Protective Measures, as well as, Gender Roles and Social Ostracization, to distinguish key differences in policing. To achieve the objective, this qualitative research conducted a semi-structured interview process with local front-line officers in the State of Wisconsin. Preliminary results indicated substantial changes between normal policing and COVID-19 policing. Moreover, police officers perceived differences in how protective measures were being enforced differently at the departmental level and at the individual level. Officers expressed changes in shift structure resulted in animosity between day and night scheduled officers. Finally, police officers sensed how gender roles and social ostracization could affect the atmosphere of departments and police performance. Future work should investigate if these departmental changes are generalizable.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
EXPLORING FACULTY MIX, STUDENT SATISFACTION AND SALARIES IN ACCREDITED GRADUATE HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
No full textBackground: The demand for healthcare administration jobs is projected to grow by 28% by 2030. Specifically, Graduate Healthcare Management Education programs are growing at an exponential rate to meet this workforce need. Currently, there are 511 universities in the United States offering Health Management/Administration Master’s (MHA) degrees. In 2025, The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accredited 153 academic programs. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research exploring how accredited programs differ. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of faculty majority groupings to student satisfaction and post-graduation salaries within the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accredited Healthcare Management Education programs. Methods: This secondary data analysis examined a de-identified database of CAHME’s 147 accredited programs from academic year 2023-2024 using the Plan-Do-Study-Act quality and continuous improvement framework. Using Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics 29 software, the data were first analyzed to group individual faculty types into three categories: Professor (29%), Adjunct (61%), and Instructor (10%). These faculty groupings were then compared to measures of student satisfaction and post-graduation salaries by way of descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis test, pairwise comparisons, and One-way ANOVA. Results: Aggregated program data demonstrated trends in institution type, program mode, types of degrees awarded, and faculty distributions. Faculty groupings did not reveal significant differences to the outcomes of student satisfaction and post-graduation salaries. Discussion: Results of this study inform the current state of CAHME-accredited programs and contribute to the limited research body on graduate accredited Healthcare Management Education. Conclusion: Findings recommend further expansion of research to improve metrics that advance the evidence base for ensuring program quality within this growing graduate field.2026-05-2
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF CYTOKINES AND REGULATORY T CELLS IN A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE USING EXOSOMES FROM ACTIVATED MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-MadisonThe development of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) is a significant complication in the treatment of leukemia, wherein the graft of transplanted hematopoietic tissues from a donor (allo-HCT) attacks the recipient cells of the patient. The primary challenge in developing a treatment for GVHD is to establish a treatment that prevents GVHD while maintaining graft-vs-leukemia (GVL) activity. Previously, our lab has identified a T regulatory cell (Treg) population that is correlated with the prevention of GVHD. We have also developed a novel treatment involving exosomes collected from mesenchymal stromal cells stimulated with the lipid A analog CRX-527 to form immunosuppressive CRX-exosomes (CRX-exos) that limit GVHD without inhibiting GVL activity in an animal model. Here, I hypothesized that CRX-exos stimulate the expression of cytokine IL-6, which then induces Treg activation required for the prevention of xeno-GVHD. I tested this hypothesis by quantifying Tregs and their cytokine expression followed by blocking IL-6 receptors in both an in-vitro and in-vivo model. I found that blocking IL-6 receptors did not significantly reduce Tregs in both models, suggesting that IL-6 is not the main molecular mechanism by which CRX-exos induce Treg activation. Interestingly, blocking IL-6 receptors did increase CD4/CD8 double positive T cells (DPTs) and appeared to confer some protection from GVHD in the xenogeneic transplant model
Supply chain strategies and optimization between the USA and Latin America
No full textAn Educational Project presented to the graduate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science - Integrated Supply Chain ManagementTrade between developed and developing countries presents significant opportunities, but
also important challenges due to differences in infrastructure, regulations, culture, and business
practices. This paper seeks to conduct a comparative analysis of logistics processes in the United
States vs. Latin America to understand how logistics strategies vary between these regions and
explore how these differences affect trade efficiency and business negotiations. This paper
argues that U.S.–Latin America supply chain inefficiencies stem primarily from infrastructure
and regulatory disparities, and proposes practical solutions based on successful corporate case
studies. It examines solutions to these challenges through case studies of companies that have
succeeded or struggled due to logistical differences. Based on these insights, the research offers
practical recommendations to improve logistics and strengthen trade between both regions
Wrong Tree: Adventures in Wildlife, Loon Stories to Lake Education
No full textWrong Tree: Adventures in Wildlife, Loon Stories to Lake Educatio
The Molecular, Physiological, and Morphological Impacts of Carbon Dot Surface Functionalization on Interactions with Plants Microalgae
No full textNanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly utilized in numerous industries, including cosmetics, medicine, and agriculture. However, the diverse nature of nanoparticles makes classifying their interactions with biological systems difficult. This work aims to identify the role of surface functionalization, especially charge, in mediating interactions between nanoparticles, microalgae, and plants. Carbon dots (CDs), which are small, carbon-based nanoparticles with high biocompatibility, were differentially functionalized and used as model particles in this work. First, the microalgae Raphidocelis subcapitata, a model in ecotoxicological studies, was exposed to three CDs with varying surface charges--cationic polyethylenimine (PEI) CDs, anionic carboxylated polyethylenimine (CP) CDs, and near-neutral polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) CDs. These experiments were carried out with the aim of understanding how varying nanoparticle surface charge impacts interactions with, and toxicity to, microalgae. Along with traditional toxicology measurements, high-content fluorescence imaging was utilized to screen the treatments for sublethal morphological changes to the algae. The results of this study found that only cationic PEI-CDs were toxic to R. subcapitata, with an EC50 of 42.306 μg/L. Anionic and near-neutral CP and PVP-CDs did not induce toxicity, but did cause sublethal morphological changes to the cell. These included increasing triacylglycerol (TAG) content in the cell and modifying cell area. The findings of this initial project led to the planning of the second chapter of this study. Here, the mechanisms of CP-CD and PEI-CD interactions with microalgae were further studied. To do so, CD exposed cells were morphologically compared to known treatments to identify similarities. The known treatments used were selected to match hypothesized mechanisms of action of the CDs and included exposure to only the polymer used for CD functionalization, growth in low nitrogen conditions, and growth in low light conditions. Hierarchical clustering and random forest classification unveiled that CP-CDs impact cells in a similar manner to nitrogen deprivation. This is likely due to electrostatic interactions between the negative CP-CDs and ammonium present in the media, limiting nitrogen availability to the cell. The PEI-CD treatment was similar to PEI polymer alone. However, it also showed key differences. For example, TAG content was increased in the PEI-CD treatment, but not in the polymer exposure. This suggests that increasing TAG lipid droplet (LD) content may be a nanoparticle specific effect. Finally, the third part of this study aimed to determine if CDs would have a similar effect on terrestrial plants as they did on microalgae. Therefore, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds were vacuum infiltrated with CP-CDs and grown for three weeks. Then, phenotypic traits were measured, and samples collected for RNA sequencing. Measurements of shoot biomass showed no changes despite CP-CD treatment, indicating high biocompatibility consistent with that seen in algal studies. Transcriptomics unveiled an upregulation of genes related to plant biotic stress response, including increased ethylene signaling and expression of parthenogenesis genes. These findings suggest that CP-CDs may also have applications in agriculture, especially in priming plants to be more resilient to biotic stress. The results of this project provide insight into the impacts of nanoparticle functionalization on their interactions with plants. From an ecotoxicological perspective, the findings indicate that cationic NPs pose the greatest risk to microalgae, which are critical primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Potential applications of CDs to increase lipid content in microalgae are also suggested by this work’s findings. As algae with high TAG content are needed to produce algal biofuels, the evidence that PEI-CDs can increase TAG content in a nanoparticle-specific manner suggests that NPs could play a role in sustainable biofuel production. Finally, CP-CDs were found to be highly biocompatible in both tomato and algae. Their molecular impacts on tomato can inform sustainable design of NPs to increase crop resilience, especially as climate change challenges our global food supply. In summary, this project shows that nanoparticle surface charge impacts their environmental safety and application potential in plants. Future work should investigate additional aspects of nanoparticle surface functionalization, such as charge density, to further enable sustainable nanoparticle design.2026-05-2
COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF MANUFACTURING THROUGH CAREER CAPITAL WAYS OF KNOWING
No full textThis study explored the career perceptions of urban community college students enrolled in a manufacturing program and the factors informing their career choices. Employing a qualitative methodology through semistructured interviews with 15 students enrolled in manufacturing coursework, the study found participants had optimistic perceptions of manufacturing careers. Past studies have pointed to widespread negative perceptions contributing to a workforce shortage across the industry, with about 2.4 million U.S. manufacturing jobs expected to remain unfilled through 2030 and enrollment challenges in manufacturing education programs (Bosman et al., 2020; Brown, 2019; Gamer, 2017; Schanzenbach & Turner, 2022). Yet, the positive perceptions found in this study reflect more recent reports that interest in manufacturing careers may be improving (Wellener et al., 2022). The study was framed through a lens of career capital ways of knowing (D’Amico et al., 2012; DeFillippi & Arthur, 1994), addressing a gap in the career development research by presenting voices of community college students receiving education relevant to labor market demand (D’Amico et al., 2012, 2019; Gauthier, 2024). The findings aligned with past research identifying the importance of social influences on career choices, improved career awareness through hands-on learning, and career purpose shaped by aspirations of self-development and learning, motivated by factors beyond strictly pay. The role of place and timing on career decision making also emerged as considerations not included in D’Amico et al.’s (2012) conceptualization of career capital among community college students