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Wonderful Waters of Wisconsin – Tools to Protect Healthy Watersheds & High-Quality Waters
No full textWonderful Waters of Wisconsin – Tools to Protect Healthy Watersheds & High-Quality Water
Spectral Shift of 32S vs. 34S within the C-S Bond : Analyzing the Shift of Sulfur Within Isocyanate as a Coordinating Ligand to Copper (II)
No full textColor poster with text, maps, charts, and graphs.Distinguishing peaks in the fingerprint region of an infrared spectra can be extremely difficult and is often ignored due to the large number of overlapping peaks from various molecular vibrations. The specific peak associated with the carbon sulfur bond within a thiocyanate ligand is located in the fingerprint region. To determine the spectral shift, two copper containing compounds were synthesized and isolated. The metal centers were coordinated to two varied thiocyanate complexes, one containing natural abundance sulfur and one with isotopically labeled sulfur. The individual vibrations were analyzed using a Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy and the small chemical shift was identified within the fingerprint region a spectral subtraction was completed. The unit cell structure and space groups were found using X-ray crystallography.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program
Culture Shock in Higher Education: Experiences of Transfer Students
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonTransfer students often experience a temporary drop in grades that recovers over the course of their first year at a new school, suggesting that they encounter transition-related challenges. These challenges may be related to unfamiliarity with academic structures, a new social environment, or difficulties with living arrangements. While past research has primarily focused on the experiences of freshmen and their transition into college, there is a lack of research investigating the experiences of transfer students. The present research investigates, through the perspectives of social and cultural psychology, the stressors specific to the transfer transition which have a negative effect on a student’s academic performance. We analyze data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, which collected detailed information about academics, social networks, students’ use of time, housing, finances, and close social relationships from students both prior to college and at the end of every semester, and. We found that transfer students (n = 127) do not experience greater academic or housing-related stressors compared to non-transfer students (n = 3293), but socially engage with peers less frequently in leisure activities and group study. We propose that fostering social connections will aid transfer students’ adjustment and improve academic performance
Development of a Massively Parallel In-House Lattice Boltzmann Solver for Patient-Specific Vasculature: Hemodynamic Analysis of Treatment Response and Rupture Risk with FSI-Based Structural Assessment
No full textAbstract Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are closely linked to complex hemodynamic patterns that influence disease progression and treatment outcomes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become an essential tool for investigating blood flow dynamics, offering detailed insights into critical hemodynamic parameters such as wall shear stress (WSS), time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), and oscillatory shear index (OSI). These parameters are indispensable for understanding aneurysm instability, optimizing surgical interventions, and improving vascular implant designs. CFD is particularly well-suited for accurately characterizing hemodynamic conditions within complex vascular geometries, making it the primary tool for evaluating blood flow dynamics in this study.Complementing CFD analysis, Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations using finite element method (FEM) are employed to independently evaluate the biomechanical response of vascular walls, including von Mises stress distribution and vessel displacement under physiological loads. This structural analysis is critical for assessing how mechanical stresses influence vascular integrity and treatment outcomes, particularly for scenarios involving wall deformation such as aneurysmal expansion or stent deployment. Thus, this study establishes a two-pronged framework: CFD for hemodynamic analysis and FSI for structural analysis, both contributing independently to understanding and predicting aneurysm behavior. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between pre-treatment hemodynamic conditions and graft stenting outcomes, as well as pre-treatment structural characteristics and graft stenting outcomes. Additionally, this study aims to explore the predictive potential of these factors for assessing rupture risk in untreated cases. A critical focus is identifying optimal timing for intervention, based on the insight that favorable hemodynamic and structural conditions may not persist indefinitely, especially when endothelial cells remain intact. Two groups of patients were analyzed to achieve these objectives. The first group consisted of four patients with pre-treatment hemodynamic data and known post-treatment outcomes following graft stenting. The CFD analysis revealed correlations between WSS, TAWSS, and OSI with treatment efficacy. Specifically, patients with higher WSS, higher TAWSS, and lower OSI were more likely to experience favorable outcomes, such as aneurysm shrinkage or stabilization. In contrast, patients with lower WSS, lower TAWSS, and higher OSI exhibited poorer treatment outcomes. Structural analysis using FSI simulations revealed that lower von Mises stress and minimal vessel displacement were associated with positive treatment outcomes, whereas higher stress and significant displacement were linked to poor outcomes. The second group consisted of six patients with known aneurysm rupture status. For this group, CFD analysis demonstrated that aneurysms that remained stable were associated with higher WSS, higher TAWSS, and lower OSI — characteristics consistent with successful graft stenting outcomes observed in the first group. Conversely, aneurysms that eventually ruptured exhibited lower WSS, lower TAWSS, and higher OSI. Structural analysis of this group revealed that higher von Mises stress and significant vessel displacement were consistently associated with ruptured aneurysms, while stable aneurysms displayed lower stress and minimal displacement. Crucially, the investigation of rupture risk serves not only to predict the likelihood of aneurysm failure but also to inform treatment response prediction and optimal timing for intervention. Aneurysms with higher WSS, higher TAWSS, and lower OSI remain stable and respond positively to treatment; however, their stability at the time of assessment does not guarantee continued stability. The critical insight from this study is that while these conditions are favorable now, they may deteriorate over time if left untreated. Therefore, intervening during this phase, when WSS and TAWSS are high and OSI is low, offers the highest chance of successful treatment before adverse changes occur. The same principle applies to structural analysis: regions with lower von Mises stress and minimal displacement are stable now but may degrade over time if mechanical stresses increase. By identifying these favorable windows for intervention, clinicians can optimize treatment timing to improve patient outcomes while endothelial cells remain intact. The findings from both hemodynamic and structural analyses provide valuable insights for determining the optimal timing for intervention. By combining CFD-derived hemodynamic indicators and FSI-derived structural metrics, this study offers a comprehensive framework for predicting both rupture risk and treatment efficacy. This approach enhances clinical decision-making by identifying conditions under which interventions are most likely to succeed. graphical abstract of the research The above figure illustrates the flow of work for the Multiphysics Aneurysm Analysis Framework, integrating CFD (hemodynamic analysis) and FSI (structural analysis) using patient-specific data and validation models.2027-05-1
AFFORDANCES AND GROUNDING WITHIN CONCRETENESS FADING WHEN LEARNING PROOF IN STEM’S GEOMETRY
No full textFrom a learning sciences perspective, this paper explores concreteness fading (Fyfe & Nathan, 2018) as a theory of instruction designed for facilitating cognitive grounding (Glenberg, de Vega, & Graesser, 2008) in academic domains. Originally devised by Bruner in 1966, concreteness fading is now considered an exemplary learning intervention for operationalizing the theoretical framework of Grounded and Embodied Cognition (Barsalou, 2008). The empirical study rendered for this paper examines concreteness fading in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) domain of geometry, aiming to develop a conceptual understanding among postsecondary school learners (N = 8) of the Deductive Proof Scheme Class (Harel & Sowder, 2007) for the Centroid Theorem of Triangles (Clapham & Nicholson, 2014). In the study, concreteness fading is investigated according to four variations of instructional design, each implementing a different combination of what Bruner labels mode of knowledge representation (1966), which refers to the form that a representation can take for communicating information about a domain of knowledge. The enactive mode of knowledge representation utilizes tangible geometric object-shapes that learners physically manipulate. The iconic mode utilizes visual images of geometric object-shapes that learners physically draw. The symbolic mode utilizes numbers that learners physically write in formulas pertaining to geometric object-shapes. Each variation of instructional design combines the modes of knowledge representation differently, yet all designs follow the same concreteness fading (Fyfe & Nathan, 2018) delivery sequence, defined as presenting external knowledge representations to
learners that transition from less idealized instantiations toward more idealized instantiations. Specifically, the variations of instructional design are arranged as: condition 1 (n = 2) combines an enactive-iconic-symbolic delivery sequence; condition 2 (n = 2) combines an enactive- symbolic sequence; condition 3 (n = 2) combines an iconic-symbolic sequence; and condition 4 (n = 2) is a symbolic-only delivery. Unlike much of the current literature that compares concreteness fading to other presentations of knowledge representations, for example comparison to a concreteness introduction sequence or to a focus on concrete only and idealized only representations, this qualitative study is primarily interested in the influence engendered by each distinct mode of knowledge representation within the concreteness fading sequence.
In this paper I ask the question, how do learners’ manipulation of less idealized objects, or drawing of more idealized icons, or writing of still more idealized symbols, uniquely contribute to cognitive grounding, within a concreteness fading instructional design in the STEM domain of geometry? And I answer that question through qualitatively coding participants’ formulation of mathematical proof, revealed in their written products and video recorded think- aloud protocols, on post training assessments of learning outcomes and of near transfer outcomes.
The paper is organized into five main sections. In the first section, the motivation, I situate the study of mathematical proof as important for STEM domains, I spell out how the concept of cognitive grounding to real-world referents is crucial for learning proof, and I identify a formalisms first (Nathan, 2012) instructional approach as an impediment to students’ development of conceptual understanding. In the second section, the framing, I elucidate the theories of affordances (Gibson, 2015) and cognitive grounding (Barsalou, 1999) that underlie Grounded and Embodied Learning (Nathan, 2022), which is a framework used to guide my
incorporation of embodiment into the materials and activities created for the concreteness fading instructional design in this study. Section two also includes a detailed exposition of five prominent quantitative concreteness fading studies, to provide a brief overview of the existing literature and to point out the value that qualitative studies may potentially offer, such as the one presented in this paper. In addition, I explain the concept of cognitive offloading (Wilson, 2002), which in educational settings refers to students’ use of resources in the material environment to aid their cognitive processing during problem solving; and I explain two ways students can demonstrate offloading, specifically through pragmatic actions (Kirsh & Maglio, 1994) that are attempts to execute a planful goal to directly solve the academic problem, and through epistemic actions (Kirsh & Maglio, 1994) that are attempts to gain a better understanding of the academic problem. In the third section, the methods, I illustrate the unique way that embodiment has been designed into the materials and activities of this study, I share demographic information about participants, lay out the experimental design and procedures, and present the performance measures and qualitative coding scheme. In the fourth section, the results, I share: a) an analysis of mean performance by condition on mathematical proof for the centroid theorem of triangles, calculated by comparing percent-correct-scores on pre-test, post-test, and novel test; b) an analysis of individual performance by participant on conceptual understanding of the deductive proof scheme class, calculated by comparing the evidence utilized for “ascertaining and persuading” (Harel & Sowder, 2007, p. 6) on pre-test, post-test, and novel test; c) an analysis of two case studies that reveal the fascinating way participants employed pragmatic and epistemic actions to access affordances provided by particular modes of knowledge representation in their cognitive offloading while formulating a proof, which they demonstrated in four meaning making strategies described as an exploration phase, a guided search phase, a mooring phase,
and a problem-solving phase. In the fifth section, the discussion, I revisit the findings in relation to my initial hypotheses established prior to beginning this exploratory study, and I highlight the way participants utilized the mooring phase to cognitively ground their conceptual understanding of the deductive proof scheme class for the centroid theorem of triangles when presented with a novel geometric shape. The substance of the paper starts in the following section where I begin the story of my inquiry inspired by a belief in the importance for students to learn proof as preparation for the challenges of our rapidly evolving 21st century
Applying CLIL to college English for normal universities in China
No full textA seminar paper presented to the graduate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science – English EducationCollege English is an important compulsory course for university students in China.
However, relevant studies show that many College English students lack motivation. Content
and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), with its dual focus on language and content, can be
adopted to address this problem. This paper provides a review of the definitions, benefits,
applications, and challenges of CLIL. Based on the review, a framework for the application of
CLIL to College English for normal universities in China has been proposed. In this framework,
College English should be integrated with Education, Psychology, and Pedagogy, the three
content areas required for all future teachers. A new name and more credits are needed for this
integrated course. Finally, the paper argues that College English teachers can be ideal instructors
for this integrated course, given their previous educational background in Education,
Psychology, and Pedagogy, but they should be provided with additional training for a smooth
transition from language teachers to CLIL teachers
Unraveling the knotweed complex: It Was Bohemian All Along
No full textUnraveling the knotweed complex: It Was Bohemian All Alon
“Seeing (with -DI) is believing”: The acquisition of evidentiality by L1 English L2 Turkish learners
No full textSenior Honors Thesis, Department of English, University of Wisconsin-MadisonSlobin’s Thinking-for-Speaking hypothesis suggests that language users’ first language (L1) channels their attention in certain ways when speaking in a second language (L2). In particular, speakers’ attention may be channeled away from grammatical structures that exist in their L2 but not in their L1. For L1 English L2 Turkish learners, one such structure is evidentiality, which refers to an utterance’s source of information. Turkish grammaticalizes a two-way evidential distinction in past-tense utterances: The direct evidential -DI refers to occurrences that a speaker witnessed firsthand, while the indirect evidential -mIş is utilized for non-witnessed events.
This study empirically examines how L1 English L2 Turkish learners, compared to L1 Turkish counterparts, judge the evidential distinction in two offline acceptability judgment tasks. These experiments manipulated Speaker Involvement and Evidential Type in a 2x2 factorial design. L1 Turkish speakers (n=37) and L1 English L2 Turkish learners (n=18) were asked to complete a contextualized Likert-scale acceptability judgment task. Ten L1 Turkish speakers were also recruited for a contextualized forced-choice acceptability judgment task.
Results suggest that L2 Turkish learners’ judgments were influenced by their L1 English, as L1 English L2 Turkish learners behaved in a slightly non-target-like way. That said, results from the L1 Turkish-speaking group also suggest that functional bilingualism may explain non-target-like judgments: L1 Turkish speakers residing abroad, most of whom lived in a predominantly English-speaking country, expressed different judgment patterns from L1 Turkish speakers residing in Türkiye. This suggests that their L2 English influenced their judgment patterns in their L1 Turkish
What Can the Little Fish in the Shallows Say About Our Lakes
No full textWhat Can the Little Fish in the Shallows Say About Our Lake
ASTRA: The McNair Scholars' Journal, 2025
No full textColor PDF with 65 pages.The 2025 issue of ASTRA: The McNair Scholars' Journal. Contents: Sherlyn Alam + Crispin H. Pierce: Procedures and Challenges to Achieving WELL Certification: Water Quality Testing at the UW-Eau Claire Sonnentag Center -- Madeline Blong + Allison Beemer: Decoding Communities Among Indigenous Beaders on Instagram -- Olivia Philippon + Peter Hart-Brinson: Give & Take: The Business Mindset and Social Capital Exchange for the Unhoused -- Tia Ravara + Jennifer Smith: Analyzing Behavior Patterns During Multiple Predation Events by the California Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) -- Chao Vang, Nga-Wing Anjela Wong: HMoob Patriarchy: HMoob Women's Education