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The article "RACING TO PROSPERITY: How a Mid-Century Road Race was an Economic Engine for One Wisconsin Town" by Holly Beretto explores how Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, transformed from a struggling village into a racing powerhouse in the 1950s. The road race, organized by the Sports Car Club of America, attracted car enthusiasts and professional drivers from across the country, leading to the establishment of Road America in 1955. Today, Road America continues to be a premier closed circuit road race course, generating significant economic impact for Sheboygan County and the state of Wisconsin. The village of Elkhart Lake embraces its racing heritage, with residents and business owners fully supportive of the road races in the area. [Extracted from the article]

Utricularia purpurea (Purple Bladderwort) has had sporadic population explosions in some northern Wisconsin lakes within the last 20 years. It can form dense floating, nonflowering masses that impede recreational activities on the affected lakes. Three lakes in which this weediness was noted are soft water, low-nutrient, seepage lakes that experience widely fluctuating water levels and recent nutrient runoff. Excessive weediness has not been described in nearby Minnesota nor Michigan, although the plant is sporadically locally abundant. U. purpurea is listed as "Endangered" in Minnesota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Populations of Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis have declined across their native range in North America due to a combination of habitat loss, exploitation, and introductions of nonnative salmonids. Brown Trout Salmo trutta have been widely introduced into streams across Brook Trout's native range and likely displace Brook Trout from suitable habitat. We evaluated the population response of Brook Trout to Brown Trout removal in Maple Dale Creek, a Wisconsin Driftless Area stream, relative to a nearby control stream with similar habitat and sympatric Brook Trout and Brown Trout. Variation in mean July stream temperature (11.6–16.4°C) among survey sites also allowed us to examine whether summer stream temperature was related to the population response of Brook Trout to Brown Trout removal. Methods: Between 2019 and 2023, we completed 33.7 km of single‐pass electrofishing during 56 site visits and removed 20,495 Brown Trout from 7.1 km of Maple Dale Creek upstream of an existing fish passage barrier. Concurrently, annual salmonid population estimates were completed on Maple Dale Creek and a nearby reference stream. Result: By 2023, biomass and density of Brown Trout age 1 and older (age 1+) had decreased to 1% or less of 2019 levels. Concurrently, age‐1+ Brook Trout biomass increased by a factor of 5.5 and density by a factor of 9.7. In contrast, age‐1+ Brook Trout density and biomass in our control stream remained low and relatively unchanged. Brook Trout population response to Brown Trout removal was positive across all four sites but exhibited a positive correlation to mean July stream temperature. Conclusion: Our results add to the evidence that Brown Trout displace Brook Trout populations from stream habitat, highlight the utility of electrofishing removal of Brown Trout in restoring Brook Trout populations where downstream fish passage barriers are present, and suggest that Brown Trout suppression of Brook Trout is positively related to summer stream temperature. Impact statementBrook Trout have declined across their native range, in part due to displacement by nonnative salmonids. We used a before–after–control–impact study design to evaluate the population response of Brook Trout to nonnative Brown Trout removal in a Wisconsin Driftless Area stream. Our results support previous findings that Brown Trout suppress Brook Trout populations in streams, highlight the utility of electrofishing in removing Brown Trout when a downstream fish passage barrier is present, and suggest a positive association between summer stream temperature and degree of Brook Trout population suppression by Brown Trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that disproportionately impacts Indigenous American women more than any other ethnic/racial group in the United States. This study aims to inform the work of nurses and allied health professionals by providing insight into the lived realities of Indigenous women in urban areas and how IPV manifests in the lives of Indigenous women. Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks informed this qualitative study. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed data from semi-structured individual interviews with 34 Indigenous women in large urban areas in the upper Midwest. This manuscript discusses one broad theme: experiences of IPV during pregnancy and the devastating impacts on women and their children in the form of intergenerational trauma. Under this broad theme, we identified two sub-themes: impacts of IPV on individual pregnancy experiences and linkages to adverse pregnancy-related outcomes related to physical IPV during the childbearing years. This Indigenous-led study informs the development of effective Indigenous-specific interventions to minimize barriers to accessing prenatal care and help-seeking when experiencing IPV to reduce the devastating consequences for Indigenous women and their families. • This Indigenous-led qualitative study, informed by feminist epistemologies provides a localized understanding of intimate partner violence through the voices of Indigenous women within urban areas of the upper Midwest. • Indigenous survivors of intimate partner violence reported linkages to adverse pregnancy-related outcomes related to violence during a pregnancy within their childbearing years. • Survivor-led interventions centered on women's voices are imperative to addressing IPV in the lives of childbearing Indigenous women to improve maternal health outcomes. • Nurses can play an important leadership role in ensuring that women are effectively screened for intimate partner violence at every visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Published norms are typically cross‐sectional and often are not sensitive to preclinical cognitive changes due to dementia. We developed and validated demographically adjusted cross‐sectional and longitudinal normative standards using harmonized outcomes from two Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk‐enriched cohorts. METHODS: Data from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention and the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center were combined. Quantile regression was used to develop unconditional (cross‐sectional) and conditional (longitudinal) normative standards for 18 outcomes using data from cognitively unimpaired participants (N = 1390; mean follow‐up = 9.25 years). Validity analyses (N = 2456) examined relationships between percentile scores (centiles), consensus‐based cognitive statuses, and AD biomarker levels. RESULTS: Unconditional and conditional centiles were lower in those with consensus‐based impairment or biomarker positivity. Similarly, quantitative biomarker levels were higher in those whose centiles suggested decline. DISCUSSION: This study presents normative standards for cognitive measures sensitive to pre‐clinical changes. Future directions will investigate potential clinical applications of longitudinal normative standards. Highlights: Quantile regression was used to construct longitudinal norms for cognitive tests.Poorer percentile scores were related to concurrent diagnosis and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.A ShinyApp was built to display test scores and norms and flag low performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding how representative a research sample is compared to the population can help inform future recruitment planning, data analysis strategies, and interpretation of the generalizability of the findings. We compared the demographics, rural residence, neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, and vascular risk factors between the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Clinical Core participants versus the Wisconsin state adult population. Method: The ADRC participant sample (n = 678) included all active participants as of November 30, 2021. The state population statistics were estimated using multiple national and state data sources. Differences between the sample versus the population were tested using the one‐sample z‐test, the one‐sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, the exact binomial test, and the exact Monte Carlo multinomial test. Except for age, comparisons were performed for two age groups: 45‐64 years and ≥ 65 years, separately. Result: The ADRC participants are older than the state population. For each age group, compared to the state population, the ADRC participants include more women and greater proportions of Black and American Indians, have higher levels of educational attainment, have smaller percentages living in rural areas and more disadvantaged neighborhoods, and show lower vascular risks. The sample versus population differences are greater for the ≥ 65 years group (the group at higher risk for AD) than the 45‐64 years group for most metrics, however, are smaller for sex and neighborhood disadvantage. Conclusion: The ADRC targets recruiting middle‐aged and older adults with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or increased risk for AD. Thus, the participants are not a suitable sample for epidemiology studies on AD prevalence. Oversampling underrepresented racial groups would alleviate the lack of statistical power associated with small or unbalanced sample sizes and increase the precision in effect size estimates for studies on racial disparities. Future recruitment should endeavor to include participants from a broader range of educational backgrounds and more residents in rural areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods. These subpopulations have inequitable access to quality health care and are at greater risk. Properly representing them in research would allow conclusions to be generalizable to these subpopulations and support policy making to meet their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Declines in Cisco Coregonus artedi populations in some inland lakes have prompted assessments of Cisco occurrence and extirpation risk in relation to various stressors to identify refuge lakes and factors that promote Cisco persistence. However, most previous assessments have focused on presence–absence of Cisco rather than examining how population characteristics, such as relative abundance or growth, might change in relation to lake‐ and landscape‐level environmental factors. Consequently, our specific objectives were to identify important environmental factors explaining variation in Cisco relative abundance and growth and to determine whether population metrics describing size and age distributions were related to relative abundance in Wisconsin inland lakes. Methods: Cisco were collected from 48 inland Wisconsin lakes during 2011–2015 using vertical monofilament gill nets and population‐specific relative abundance estimates (catch per unit effort [CPUE]) were quantified as the number of individuals per gill‐net night. Sagittal otoliths were removed from a subsample of Cisco for age estimation and growth was indexed as mean total length (TL; mm) at age 2. Length and age data were used to develop a suite of metrics describing size and age distributions of each population. Random forest models were used to evaluate relationships between 10 biologically relevant predictor variables representing variation in physical, climatic, catchment, and limnological characteristics and Cisco CPUE and growth. Pearson correlations were used to determine whether population characteristics were related to CPUE. Result: Cisco populations exhibited large variation in relative abundance, growth, and size and age distributions. Best‐fit random forest models explained approximately 25% of the variation in Cisco CPUE and 46% of the variation in growth. Growing degree‐days and variables associated with availability, quality, and quantity of suitable oxythermal conditions were identified as important predictors of both Cisco CPUE and growth; CPUE was also identified as an important predictor of growth. Mean TL and mean TL at age 2 were negatively related to Cisco CPUE, whereas mean age, number of age‐classes present, and maximum observed age were positively related to CPUE. Conclusion: Our results suggest that maintenance of suitable oxythermal habitat conditions may be critical to conserving abundant Cisco populations. Our assessment also provides insights on how Cisco populations may respond to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, which could aid ongoing and future conservation and management efforts in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Impact statementCisco populations in inland Wisconsin lakes vary extensively in terms of relative abundance, growth, and size and age composition, and this variation may be indicative of and influenced by a variety of physical, climatic, catchment, and limnological characteristics. Results provide insights on how Cisco populations may respond to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, which could aid conservation and management efforts in Wisconsin and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been significant changes to Wisconsin agriculture since ~2010, one of which is the growth of commercial farming of white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). These high-density populations may lead to the emergence of previously unrecognized or under-recognized disease trends. I evaluated archived pathology records at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) from 2009–2021 for captive WTD postmortem cases and included records from 277 WTD cases. Diagnoses were found in 81.9% of cases, with an average of 1.3 diagnoses per animal. Submissions with a clinical history of respiratory disease were 7.0 times more likely to have a diagnosis than the average case. Fawns were 1.9 times more likely to have a diagnosis. The most common diagnoses were bronchopneumonia and enteritis and/or enterocolitis (both 16.2% of total diagnoses). The most common isolates from bronchopneumonia cases were Pasteurella multocida, Bibersteinia trehalosi, and Trueperella pyogenes. The pathogens identified most often in enteritis and/or enterocolitis cases were rotavirus, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli. The most common non-infectious diagnoses were poor nutritional status or inanition, hepatic lipidosis, and selenium and/or vitamin E deficiency. Focusing on testing for pathogens in fawns and in cervid respiratory disease complex submissions may be recommended for laboratories expanding their WTD testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed efficacy of one-time COVID-19 booster reminder/recall for booster eligible adolescents in a health-care system in Wisconsin. COVID-19 booster eligible patients aged 12–17 years were randomized 1:1 to receive one reminder/recall message from the health-care system using the parent's preferred communication method (intervention) or no reminder/recall (usual care) in May 2022. Reminder/recall was sent to 2,146/4,296 (50%) adolescent patients. During the 90-day evaluation period following randomization, booster dose receipt was 2.0 percentage points (CI: 0.3%–3.7%) higher in the intervention (10.0%) versus usual care groups (8.0%). Among patients with ≥1 preventive visit during the evaluation period, uptake was 7.5 percentage points higher in the intervention (16.4%) versus usual care groups (8.9%). A single COVID-19 booster dose reminder/recall resulted in a small but statistically significant increase in booster dose receipt, though uptake overall was low. Additional strategies are needed to increase uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Age is the most significant predictor of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Biological age, in contrast to chronological age, is modifiable – shaped by environmental and social factors which contribute to the functional declines observed in aging. Accelerated biological aging has been observed in historically underrepresented populations in ADRD research who are at highest risk for developing ADRD. Telomere length (TL) is a marker of biological age and empirically associated with cognitive aging. However, this association has not been investigated in historically underrepresented populations such as American Indians / Alaska Natives (AI/AN). This study reports on the utility of TL to predict cognitive performance in a sample of middle‐aged and older adults from Wisconsin communities historically underrepresented in ADRD research. Method: The Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's (WADRC) Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups Core engages AI/AN, Blacks / African Americans (B/AA), and participants of multi‐race and ethnicity identities through community based participatory research practices. A sample (n = 188) identifying their race as AI/AN or B/AA were included if they provided whole blood and completed the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT, Trials 1‐5) and the Trails Making Test (TMT, A and B times) for verbal learning and executive functioning, respectively. DNA was extracted from whole blood and analyzed with monochrome multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction for TL. Multivariable linear regression analyses tested relationships between TL and cognitive test performance. Result: The participants (mean age = 60.88 ±9.06) were majority female, with 79.26% B/AA and 12.77% AI/AN (Table 1). In bivariate analyses, TL significantly correlated with all outcomes: longer telomeres correlated with better verbal learning and executive functioning performance (Figure 1A‐C). In multivariable regression models, TL significantly predicted cognitive performance for all outcomes independent of participant sex, race, age, and cognitive status (Table 2). Conclusion: These findings suggest that TL is a strong predictor of cognitive performance for historically underrepresented populations, offering potential opportunities for screening of accelerated biological aging and interventions. The community‐led research at the WADRC makes this analysis the first of its kind to include AI/AN participants. Future ADRD research should consider behavioral and socioeconomic interventions shown to modify biological aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discard mortality is an important factor to consider when managing catch‐and‐release fisheries. Even low levels of discard mortality can induce population‐level effects particularly in long‐lived, low‐productivity species like Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of catch‐and‐release angling on Lake Sturgeon physiology and probability of discard mortality. We used controlled angling events with standardized gear to capture 96 Lake Sturgeon from August to October 2019 from four regional locations in Wisconsin, USA. We evaluated the physiological effects of angling and activation of the stress response using whole blood concentrations of lactate and glucose as well as assessment of reflex impairment and postcapture monitoring of recovery time. Lactate levels were positively related to fight duration and the fight duration × total length interaction. Glucose level was related to the time a fish spent out of water postangling event. Water temperature had a positive effect on the probability of reflex impairment and the probability that a sturgeon required recovery time. The recovery duration was positively related to the amount of time that the fish was out of water. The movements of a subset of 15 individuals from one location were monitored using acoustic telemetry for approximately 2 weeks postangling. All individuals showed continuous up‐ and downstream movement during the postrelease monitoring period, and there was no evidence of mortality related to the angling events. Managers considering catch‐and‐release fisheries for Lake Sturgeon should consider population‐specific relative abundance and catch rates. They should exercise caution in scenarios when seasonal aggregations may lead populations to be susceptible to high catch rates, during times of elevated water temperatures, or the combination of these factors. The Lake Sturgeon in this study appeared to be robust to angling‐induced stress effects. Nevertheless, caution is still warranted, as low levels of discard mortality have the potential to influence low‐productivity species like Lake Sturgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus; EPFU) is widely distributed throughout the Americas and plays critical roles in sustaining cave ecosystems and abating agricultural pests. In Wisconsin, EPFU is a threatened species with declining populations due to hibernacula disturbances, wind turbines, and habitat destruction. Due to their ecological and economic value, it is important to be able to release EPFU that enter wildlife rehabilitation centers back to the wild. This study evaluated the medical records of 454 EPFU (275 male, 179 female) admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Wisconsin from 2015 to 2020. For each bat, the season at intake, examination findings, length of time in rehabilitation, and final outcome (released or not released) were recorded. Using a multiple variable logistic regression model, there was a statistically significant positive association between length of time in the rehabilitation center and likelihood of release (odds ratio [OR] 1.08; 95% CI 1.06–1.12); this association can be explained by the need to overwinter some otherwise healthy bats in rehabilitation during hibernation. The following examination findings were associated with a significantly lower likelihood of release: wing injury (OR 0.32; 95% CI 0.10–0.89) and decreased body condition (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.12–0.64). When corrected for time spent in rehabilitation (potentially artificially lengthened due to hibernation), patients admitted in the summer and fall were less likely to be released than those admitted in the winter (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.90–0.96 and OR 0.95; 95% CI 0.92–0.97, respectively). The results of this study can be used to help veterinarians and licensed rehabilitators better triage EPFU during admission to wildlife rehabilitation centers in order to improve management and promote successful release back to the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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After decades of heavy regulation, growers across the United States were able to begin growing industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) again in 2014. The 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills made it legal for research and production to resume and removed hemp from the list of controlled substances. Because of the long prohibition of hemp production, many questions surrounding best management practices still exist. In 2019 and 2020, studies were conducted in Arlington and Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to evaluate the effects of cultivar, seeding rate, and nitrogen rate on hemp yield. Two cultivars (X‐59 and CRS‐1), seeded at three seeding rates (22, 34, and 45 kg ha−1) and three nitrogen rates (0, 67, and 134 kg ha−1), were evaluated. At Arlington, nitrogen did not impact fiber yield; however, an interaction among cultivar, seeding rate, and nitrogen rate effected grain yield. At Chippewa Falls, fiber yield increased by 20% when nitrogen rate increased from 0 to 67 or 134 kg N. Similarly, grain yield increased by 52% when the nitrogen rate increased from 0 to 67 or 134 kg ha N. The effect of seeding rate alone was highly variable with no consistent pattern on response variables measured. Therefore, the overall effect of nitrogen rate was more consistent than the effect of seeding rate on response variables measured. Ultimately, management recommendations will be dependent on local conditions; however, hemp does respond to the addition of nitrogen fertilizer. Core Ideas: The effect of nitrogen rate was more consistent than the effect of seeding rate on the measurements taken.Seeding rate was not a good predictor of most measurements, suggesting that growers could use lower rates.Cultivars performed similarly for most measurements and selection should be based on non‐yield factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 was associated with an "anthropause" in many industries, initially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative anthropogenic influences. However, outdoor recreation has exploded in popularity in response to closures of indoor recreation options, increased free time, and/or increased levels of stress. We tested for the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the sale of fishing licenses in Wisconsin and on vehicle counts that were observed at public lake access points in Vilas County, Wisconsin, in 2020. In the summer of 2020, fishing license sales in Wisconsin, USA, increased, particularly among first‐time license purchasers for whom cumulative sales in 2020 increased by 71% and 35% compared with the previous 5‐year average for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents, respectively. Changes in the vehicle counts at lake access points in the summer of 2020 varied considerably by lake. However, lakes with greater proportions of public shoreline experienced pandemic‐associated increases in lake visitors. Our results suggest that the distribution of recreational fishing effort in Wisconsin changed during the pandemic, potentially placing additional harvest pressures on hot spot inland lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walleye Sander vitreus natural recruitment has declined in northern Wisconsin lakes over time. Several factors have been implicated to explain Walleye natural recruitment declines in Wisconsin, including climate change, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides interactions, less desirable fish communities, production overharvest, and depensatory effects on recruit survival. Previous research in other systems has suggested that White Crappie Pomoxis annularis negatively influence Walleye recruitment, but interactions between Walleye recruitment and Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus have not been examined. We evaluated trends between Black Crappie and age‐0 Walleye relative abundance (catch per effort [CPE]) collected in northern Wisconsin during 1991–2017. Specifically, we tested for (1) trends in age‐0 Walleye and Black Crappie CPE over time, (2) a relationship between age‐0 Walleye and Black Crappie CPE, and (3) the influence of several abiotic and biotic covariates (including Black Crappie CPE) on age‐0 Walleye recruitment. Age‐0 Walleye CPE declined and Black Crappie CPE increased significantly during 1991–2017. Within lakes, the relationship between age‐0 Walleye and Black Crappie CPE showed a threshold effect such that age‐0 Walleye CPE was always low when Black Crappie CPE was high. Of the abiotic and biotic covariates tested to explain variability in the age‐0 Walleye and Black Crappie CPE relationship, only Black Crappie CPE was significant. Our results suggest that Black Crappie may negatively influence Walleye natural recruitment; however, we caution that our findings only reveal a pattern and not a mechanistic explanation for negative interactions between the species. Additional research is needed to test for mechanistic interactions between Walleye and Black Crappie and to inform comanagement of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]