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Upward Body Comparisons, Body Appreciation, and Intentions to Use Body-Changing Behaviors
No full textThe current standard of female beauty encompasses ideals of unattainable thinness that bombard women with ample opportunity to engage in upward body comparison. These comparisons have been shown to impede on women’s body satisfaction, but little is known about their behavioral consequences (Bould et al., 2016; Brown & Tiggemann, 2018; Fardouly et al., 2021). The current study aimed to investigate the impact of upward body comparisons (UBC) on college women’s body appreciation and intentions to use both healthy and unhealthy body change behaviors. In an experiment, women were randomly assigned to an experimental condition, where they were asked to compare their bodies to ten images of ‘ideal’ female bodies or a control condition, where they were asked to compare their home to ten images of landscapes. All participants completed a pre-comparison measure of state body appreciation as well as some additional measures investigating other body-related behaviors and perceptions. Following exposure to the images, participants completed a post-comparison measure of state body appreciation as well as measures assessing their intentions to use body-change behaviors in the future. We hypothesized that women who were exposed to the bodies would show a decrease in state body appreciation after image exposure and a report greater intention to engage in body-change behaviors, relative to the control group. However, we found that in the UBC group, state body appreciation increased relative to the control group and there were no differences in behavioral intentions between conditions. Additionally, strong associations were found between individual factors (i.e., eating disorder risk, upward comparison tendency, appearance investment, health orientation) and the primary outcome variables of body appreciation and body-change intentions. These findings suggest a more complex relationship between upward body comparisons and their body-related consequences. Continued research should examine the influence of comparison context and motivation on psychological outcomes as well as the interplay of individual differences as risk or protective factors in the relationship between upward body comparisons and body appreciation
A Deeper Look into Attributes for Diabetes Prediction : Understanding the Role of Social Determinants in Diabetes Prediction
No full textColor poster with text, charts, and graphs.Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic condition affecting millions worldwide, associated with factors like age, body mass index, blood pressure, and social determinants such as income level, education, and healthcare access. This study uses a mix of these factors derived from a public health survey to train machine learners for diabetes prediction. The data includes 29 features and 223,022 records. A key goal here is to investigate levels of feature importance in risk factors to assess the impact of social determinants on diabetes. We employ six machine learning models, including XGBoost, AdaBoost, LightGBM, Random Forest, Naive Bayes, and Logistic Regression, and utilize SHapley Additive exPlanations to measure feature importance. Predictive performance metrics include accuracy, precision, recall, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Empirical results show that five out of six models achieved 85% accuracy, with blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, weekly alcohol consumption, and time since the last checkup being the most significant predictive attributes. These initial findings highlight the potential of machine learners to predict diabetes and contribute to early monitoring of the identified risk factors. In related future research, a planned work will investigate whether identifying and incorporating other factors would improve overall predictive performance.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Professional Advancement Through Collaboration and Knowledge Between Nursing and Packaging Students : The PACK Initiative
No full textColor poster with text, images, photographs, and graphs.Nursing and packaging professionals play a central role in patient safety. Little is known about how undergraduate students learn about the respective disciplines. Objective: The project aims to promote cross-industry education between packaging and nursing students to contribute to patient safety and improve medical device usability. Nursing student researchers created educational videos for packaging students to be included in a medical packaging course. The videos focused on 1) Nursing competencies, ethics, and principles related to medical packaging in the acute care setting; and 2) Demonstration of nursing sterile and clean procedures. Methods: The Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice, guided the project (World Health Organization, 2010). The videos will be presented in a medical packaging course. Voluntary and anonymous pre and post survey design will be used to determine if changes in packaging student knowledge and confidence occurred. The instrument includes 9 Likert scale questions and one additional open-ended question on the post-test. Likert scale questions will be analyzed with paired samples t-test. Qualitative analysis will be used for the open-ended question. Results: Results will be analyzed in spring 2025. Conclusions: Preliminary work has been promising. It is anticipated that results will show an increase in knowledge and confidence.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Experience-dependent Selection of Purkinje Cell Targets
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonNeuroplasticity refers to the formation of new neuronal connections and the reorganization of existing ones based on experiences and environmental demands. While plasticity in the visual cortex is well studied, its role in the cerebellum remains unclear. Our study investigates how sensory experience influences Purkinje cell target selection in the cerebellum, a key brain region responsible for motor coordination and learning. Purkinje cells, which generate cerebellar output, selectively innervate targets, but its dependence on sensory experience was previously unclear. Using larval zebrafish, an ideal model due to their transparent exterior and ease of genetic manipulability, we examined how developmental conditions influence Purkinje cell innervation. We chemogenetically activated Purkinje cells and exposed zebrafish to either constant flow or a static water environment early during development. Light sheet microscopy and image analysis revealed that both flow exposure and Purkinje cell activation promoted preferential innervation of a putative brainstem flow center at the expense of other targets. Furthermore, we identified a developmental critical period during which sensory experience strongly influences Purkinje cell target selection. This research provides novel insights into experience-dependent plasticity in the cerebellum and may inform predictions about behavioral and neuronal outcomes based on the timing of developmental disruptions
3D-Printed Transdermal Microneedles for Allergen Immunotherapy
No full textColor poster with text, images, charts, and graphs.Allergen immunotherapy or “allergy shots” are delivered as fast-acting intravenous (IV) injections given to patients suffering from chronic allergies. However, in rural settings, patients must travel long distances for a single injection, significantly adding to patient costs, and costs to an already over-burdened health-care system. We hypothesized that minimally invasive, painless, self-administered 3D (three-dimensional) printed microneedles could be a better alternative in these scenarios and could be provided in conjunction with tele-medicine. For this study, 3D printed microneedles were printed using Formlabs stereolithography (SLA) printers and clear V4 material. Different parameters were calibrated including layer thickness, size, shape, material, and needle orientation, to enable dermal puncture with minimal breakage. Our results show that a Pyramid Needle Model (needle array: 1(L)x1(W)x0.5(H) cm; needle dimensions: 200(L)x200(W)x800(H) µm; 500µm (spacing); 1µm (tip diameter); 45° angle; 0.025mm layer-thickness) was the best microneedle model produced through our experiments. Microscopy and porcine skin puncture testing confirmed the functionality of these needles in the laboratory. Taken together, our results showcase the feasibility of fabrication of transdermal microneedles through 3D printing, providing a fast and effective solution for self-administered painless drug delivery. Future work will focus on improving microneedle design to enable allergy-drug loading and delivery.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Hog Heaven: A Comparison of Death in Human and Non-Human Animals
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMy senior honors thesis in philosophy investigates questions of how we ought to assess the harmfulness (or lack thereof) of death for those who have died. Specifically, I consider two hypothetical yet plausible case studies. One involves the death of a cow and the other the death of a human. I first establish that for the dead cow, being dead cannot be harmful to her. I next argue in favor of the claim that the same assessment holds for the dead human in the second case study. I argue against human exceptionalism insofar as it could provide an explanation of how the death of the cow in the first case study and the death of the human in the second case study amount to one individual being harmed by their own death while the other is not. In doing so, I end up defending an Epicurean, anti-speciesist account of death. In closing, I evaluate how the conclusions reached via the two case studies could inform real-world decisions regarding how we treat individuals in life-or-death situations. I particularly emphasize the importance of my findings in the context of caring for non-human animals
Connection between metastatic breast cancer and megakaryocytes in bone marrow
No full textBreast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.
Approximately 13% of women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and rates
continue to rise. Megakaryocytes produce platelets and have primarily been shown to
help the spread of breast tumors. When these tumor cells break off, they are more likely
to spread to the bone more than other organs of the body. However, current literature
suggests that megakaryocytes may help prevent the spread of breast cancer metastasis. To
bridge this knowledge gap, we attempt to determine if breast cancer influences
megakaryocytes ability to mature and grow. A key characteristic of this maturation is
megakaryocytes ability to adhere. We believe there is ‘something’ being released from
either osteoblasts or breast cancer cells that affects megakaryocyte proliferation or
maturation. Conditioned media from an invasive breast cancer cell line (BT549) and
osteoblast cell line (MC3T3-E1) were collected and used in proliferation and adhesion
assays. Results show that megakaryocytes exposed to BT549 and double conditioned
media have a significantly lower level of adhesion compared to control media. Despite
there being a change in adhesion, proliferation remains relatively the same, suggesting
that breast cancer releasates expel ‘something’ into their environment affecting
megakaryocyte maturation. What’s causing this change remains unknown and future
studies are currently being conducted to answer this question
Monitoring 25 Years of Change : Long-Term Patterns in Coral Reef Fish Assemblage Structure and Shifting Reef Environments
No full textColor poster with text, maps, charts, photographs, and graphs.This study explored patterns of spatial and temporal variability in the structure of coral reef fish assemblages around San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. For 25 years, students from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire have conducted reef surveys, generating a long-term dataset that provides a unique opportunity to assess reef fish community changes in response to ecological disturbances. Surveys across six reefs were conducted in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014, and 2025, generating quantitative presence-absence data. These surveys captured the effects of two major stressors: the invasion of Pterois volitans (lionfish) in 2007 and a severe coral bleaching event in 2023. The six reefs varied in size, depth, and visitation patterns, enabling comparisons of fish assemblages across different environmental conditions. All observed fish species were recorded during snorkeling surveys, and multivariate analyses were applied to assess changes in fish community composition over time and across reef sites. Coral bleaching was quantified using a standardized assessment protocol. By examining how reef fish communities respond to disturbances, this study enhances our understanding of reef resilience and ecosystem shifts.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
The Effects of Stellar Winds on The Orbits of Planets Around Massive Stars
No full textColor poster with text, images, and charts.Our project aims to discover the effects that solar winds have on the orbital pathways of planets around massive stars. This will allow us to understand why some planets survive in the habitable zone while others are terminated. With the usage of the computer program MESA, we have been able to closely model the mass loss rates of stars while simultaneously tracking the evolution of test planet orbits. This newly discovered knowledge will allow us to develop a deeper understanding about the life and development of star systems outside our solar system.National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2238851; University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Nursing Care Strategies for Adults with Heart Failure: A Literature Review of SGLT-2 Inhibitors : An Honors Nursing Project
No full textColor poster with text, images, and graphs.The research question guiding this review is, in adults with heart failure, how does the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors (Canagliflozin, Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin, Ertugliflozin) impact nursing care, disease management, and patient education? Heart failure (HF) is a complex disease, with treatments evolving continuously to improve patient outcomes. One such treatment approved in 2022 is SGLT-2 inhibitors, originally used for type 2 diabetes; these drugs have been found to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death of patients with HF. With changes in practice, nurses and healthcare teams need to be updated on information regarding the provision of effective and safe patient care. An integrative literature review was conducted through the EBSCO databases and PubMed using identified key terms. Inclusion criteria were human population, English language, and publication within the last 5 years ensuring inclusion of relevant information. This search strategy identified 136 results with 47 duplicates, resulting in the screening of 89 titles/abstracts. The review is ongoing, and characteristics of included publications will be extracted. Results will provide guidance to nurses on education. We expect topics related to additional monitoring for kidney disease and management in the context of multiple chronic conditions.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program