Browsing by Subject "Magna Cum Laude"

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Black Widows: Battered Mothers Who Kill
(2016) Klyman, Jay;
The following paper examines battered mothers who kill their abusers. Through estimation, we find that this population is made up of 16,000 women who are presently incarcerated in the United States. Research examines the cases of Artiesha Love and Natalie Pollard, two mothers in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area who allegedly murdered their abusers. Through media analysis of over 15 sources, it is clear that the media lacks an understanding of domestic violence in the cases of battered mothers who kill. Turning to existing research, it is clear that very little research has been done around the role of motherhood. Of the literature examined, no previous research has done to make sense of how motherhood might affect a woman’s decision to kill or not kill her abuser. There is hope when it comes to case studies such as the Sin by Silence bills and documentary in California, and the #SayHerName component of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The issue of battered mothers who kill their abusers intersects with police brutality, racial disparities, and the criminalization of people of color and the movement to end domestic violence.
Calibration and Improvement of a Fuel Reformer Vaporization System
(2017) Vertina, Elizabeth;
The combustion of fossil fuels in the presence of nitrogen produces Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Nitric Oxide (NO), together referred to as NOx, which are harmful to both human health and the environment. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) mixes vaporized fuel with exhaust to increase the heat capacity of the gas, which lowers the combustion temperature and with it, the peak operating temperature of the engine. This reduces NOx emissions and is standard in many engines. EGR can be used in conjunction with reformation, which converts exhaust gas into another source of energy using the hydrogen in the fuel. A testing system was designed, built, and tested to characterize a reformer fueling system. Trials were conducted at various operating pressures to calibrate the micrometer handle metered valve with the fuel mass flow rate. This data will be used to deliver specific amounts of fuel into the reformer depending on desired engine conditions. In addition to the characterization of the valve, the existing vaporizer was redesigned to ensure that the fuel is fully vaporized over the characterized range of mass flow rates. A more powerful 500 Watt vaporizer was designed. In the future, the characterized system will be evaluated in engine tests using a non-oxygenated #2 ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) over a modified type C1 off-road vehicle ISO 8178 eight-point testing cycle.
Computational Modeling of Deep Brain Stimulation in the Globus Pallidus Internus
(2012-08-27) Malaga, Karlo;
Neuromodulation is the functional modification of neural structures through the use of electrical stimulation1. Clinical applications include deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of neurological movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. The general procedure involves placing small electrodes in regions of the brain exhibiting pathological activity and then stimulating those regions with continuous pulses of electricity. Treatment outcome is strongly dependent on the precise placement of the electrodes and subsequent adjustment of the stimulation settings to fine-tune the therapy. DBS is now being used for treating dystonic movement disorders, where sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements and/or abnormal postures. One target of DBS for dystonia is the posteroventral globus pallidus internus (GPi). Stimulation of the GPi has yielded promising results for people with dystonia; however, specific stimulation settings providing maximum GPi activation and having minimal side-effects have yet to be determined. Here we use computational models to show how altering parameters such as electrode configuration, DBS lead placement and orientation, and stimulation voltage affects GPi modulation and activation of the cortical spinal tract (CST), the side-effect pathway. In one model, the electrode configuration of the lead was varied. Another model had the DBS lead translated 1 mm medial, lateral, anterior, and posterior from its original position to make predictions of possible motor side-effects in a non-human primate animal model. Such models can provide a framework for neurosurgeons and neurologists to improve current steering techniques that will optimize treatment outcome.
"Cultural Smudging:" Appreciation and Appropriation of Black Culture through Music
(2016) Burditt, Paige;
Cultural appropriation is hotbed topic of debate as of late. This essay seeks to explore the relationship between appreciation and appropriation of black culture through music, and what the implications are surrounding the apparent valuation of black culture and simultaneous devaluation of black people. The essay first delves into the terms “appreciation” and “appropriation,” and how the two are not mutually exclusive in terms of white performance of black music. I then discuss this relationship in tandem with a brief history of both blackface minstrelsy and rock ‘n’ roll, with the final discussion revolving around the topic of rap music, particularly focused on the white, female rapper Iggy Azalea, and her controversial music and success. The phrase “cultural smudging” comes courtesy of a critic of Azalea, black female rapper Azealia Banks, and this essay discusses the phrase in relation to appreciation and appropriation. The essay concludes with implications of appropriation and consumption of black culture.
Deregulation of microRNA Processing in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
(2015) Guenther, Kacey;
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating interstitial lung disease with an incidence in the United States of 42.7 to 63 per 100,000 and an incidence in Europe of 16.3 to 17.4 per 100,000 (Nalysnyk et al. 2012). Incidence and severity of IPF increases with age, but on average projected survival is just 3-4 years post-diagnosis (Raghu et al. 2014). Until recently, treatment options have been limited and mostly palliative, with little impact on survival. For many years, the only established treatment shown to extend life was lung transplantation. However, lungs are the most difficult organs to transplant, with patients surviving an average of just 4.6 years post-transplantation (NIH 2014). Just recently, two drugs (pirfenidone and nintedanib) have been approved for treatment of IPF. However, even with such treatments the unyielding progression of IPF is only slowed, and a more effective treatment for IPF remains both necessary and illusive (as reviewed in Jenkins and Goodwin 2014).
Do Parental Leave Policies Affect Employee Engagement at Firms in the US?
(2016) Solheid, Madison;
The concept of employee engagement is relatively new and has become an important theme in business management as research has shown that employee engagement drives productivity and bottom-line results. Much of the employee engagement concept remains unexplored due to its recent appearance and rapid growth in current research. Additionally, many employee engagement surveys used by consulting firms are proprietary and are therefore difficult to compare. As employee engagement is increasingly measured and used in firms, it is critical to understand its drivers and its application across countries. Existing research has linked work-hour flexibility to increased retention and work-life balance, and thus decreased work-family conflict. However, there is a lack of evidence to link parental leave, an aspect of work-family balance, to employee engagement. This study investigates the relationship between the length or pay of parental leave and employee engagement for employees at firms in the United States using a combination of secondary research and survey data. The implications of a connection between parental leave and employee engagement could provide motivation for firms in the United States to extend their parental leave offerings.
Do We Believe What We Read? Effects of User-Generated Social Media Content on Consumers' Brand Liking
(2015) Kohlmann, Emily;
Social media is a relatively new form of marketing for companies, and its use continues to increase among consumers and companies. Past research has found that businesses use social media marketing primarily to increase brand awareness and communicate their brand online (Structuring a social media team, 2012). However, this existing research does not acknowledge the content on social media posted by users about their experiences with the brand. Companies need to understand how this user-generated content about their brand influences consumers’ attitudes towards the brand. The present research examines the effect of consumers viewing negative social media content on consumer brand liking, and it addresses how social media usage frequency influences consumers’ brand liking after viewing user-generated content. This study uses a survey scenario to present social media content and collects information about brand liking and social media usage. The regression analysis supported that viewing negative user-generated social media content decreases consumer liking for the brand, but it did not support that the degree of influence of the content varied by the participant’s extent of social media usage.
El joto y la mestiza: Bridging a Divide in Chicano Tribe
(2018) Rojas Jr., Joseph;
Thus far, the experiences of Chicano gay men have been sparsely discussed in comparison to those of Chicana lesbians in both academia and activism. I began noticing that there was a certain divide between Chicano gay men and Chicana lesbians while reading Gloria Anzaldúa’s emblematic work, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, in which she writes that “Lumping the males who deviate from the general norm with the man, the oppressor, is a gross injustice” (Anzaldúa 106). She goes on to say that she and other queer Chicanas have remained in the dark pit where the world keeps lesbians, and that as feminists and lesbians, they have closed off their hearts to men, including their queer brethren, disinherited and marginalized as they are (Anzaldúa 106). Not only did I notice the existence of this divide, but Anzaldúa helped me realize the power of queerness and of queer people of all stripes uniting together. She describes homosexuals as “Being the supreme crossers of cultures, […] [having] strong bonds with the queer [of many races] and with the queer in […] the rest of the planet. [Coming] from all colors, all classes, all races, all time periods” (Anzaldúa 106). She calls on Chicanos to acknowledge the contributions of these supreme crossers of cultures, “to listen to [their] jotería [Chicano term for queer folks],” who have been “at the forefront […] of all liberation struggles in this country” (Anzaldúa 107). Other queer Chicana academics and writers such as Cherríe Moraga have also commented on the scarcity of engagement and cultural production coming from Chicano gay men and the potential to bridge the divide described by Anzaldúa. Exploring differences and commonalities between the experiences of Chicano gay men and lesbians and their respective positionalities in the Chicano social-cultural hierarchy can elucidate the unique roles these men could play in a future coalition-building process and activism.
From Canoeing to Careers: An Evaluation of Employee Engagement Characterized by After-Work Activities
(2015) Morris, Megan;
The growing importance of employee engagement and its relationship with the success of a company is becoming more apparent to firms worldwide. Yet with only 13% of employees worldwide claiming to be engaged during the workday, firms are looking to fix this issue and finds ways to identify the most engaged employees (Gallup, 2013). Though research exists on the performance and engagement of employees during the workday, little research has focused on the relationship between engagement and activities outside of the workplace. This thesis looks at employee behavior in after-work activities to understand whether there is a relationship between these activities and employee engagement during the workday. Though no conclusive results were found regarding engagement and after-work activities, other patterns such as a relationship between number of hours per week worked and engagement during the workday emerged.
Functional Properties of Camelina Protein Concentrate Extracted by Hot Oil-Pressing and Salt Precipitation and the Effect of Hydrolysis on Protein Functionality
(2018) Hansen, Lucy;
There is a continued demand for high protein foods, and plant proteins in particular are trending. Camelina is a sustainable oil seed that is emerging as a new potential protein source, although there is currently not much information available on camelina for food use. The objectives of this study were to characterize select functional properties of camelina seed after hot oil-pressing and extraction by salt precipitation. A portion of the resulting camelina protein concentrate was enzymatically hydrolyzed in attempt to improve solubility and functional properties. Whey protein isolate and soy protein isolate were also tested for comparison. SDS-PAGE was performed to characterize subunits within each protein. Solubility was measured at pH 3.4 and 7.0 under heated and non-heated conditions. The emulsification capacity, emulsion stability, gel strength, and water holding capacity were assessed. The solubility of camelina protein was slightly greater than SPI at pH 3.4 but inferior to WPI. At pH 7.0, the solubility of camelina protein was inferior to both WPI and SPI, which also led to inferior functionality as tests were conducted at pH 7.0. One notable exception was that the water holding capacity of camelina was equivalent to that of SPI with nearly 100% water retention. Hydrolysis at DH 8.6% was found to have a neutral or negative impact on all functional properties of camelina protein. Further research on camelina protein should be performed, particularly at an acidic pH to determine if its functional properties could be superior to SPI under acidic conditions.
Girls Gone STEM: Understanding the relationship between early adversity and willingness to compete in STEM fields
(2015) Wisniewski, Jana;
Given the significant challenges stereotypes and societal gender expectations present, women pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees and careers remain grossly underrepresented in the United States. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether women who have faced adversity in the attainment of secondary education are more likely to pursue STEM post-secondary degrees, compared to those that did not experience adversity. The data used came from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study. A male population of students with and without adversity was also tested for STEM participation for comparison. The proportion of males and females pursuing STEM degrees was measured in respect to two different adversity indicators: income and race. The findings show that minority students pursue STEM degrees at a higher proportion than their white counterparts; this finding is stronger for woman than for men.
Handle With Care: Examining the Relationship Between Empathy and Customer Satisfaction In Retail Clinics
(2016) Wagner, Samantha;
Since the turn of the 21st century, retail clinics (or colloquially, “quick clinics,”) have become an increasingly popular alternative to primary health care providers. However, there is limited quantitative research on factors that affect retail clinics and their operations. The well-known SERVQUAL model is a generally accepted framework in determining the elements of service quality that lead to customer satisfaction, and consists of a set of five different traits, one of them being empathy, or individualized attention (Parasuraman, et al., 1988). This thesis analyzes whether or not empathy has a significant impact on retail clinics’ perceived ability to provide quality care to its patients, as determined by a scenario-based role-playing experiment focusing on these areas. The findings from this research determined that while empathy impacts customer satisfaction from the patient perspective, it has a more complicated effect on the managerial perspective.
Icon Under Fire: The Giant Canada Geese of Rochester, Minnesota
(2012-03-06) Eckberg, Daniel
For over 30 years the giant Canada goose was thought to be extinct, but in 1962 the species was rediscovered in Rochester, Minnesota. Ever since, the city has held a special bond with the species and specifically its local flock. As the goose population has grown, it has become, in some eyes, an intolerable nuisance and a public health threat. In response to complaints, local officials have taken steps to limit human contact and stymie the flock’s growth, polarizing people supporting and opposing the measures and leaving the city at a crossroads. By analyzing the diverse actions and outcomes of communities across North America that have faced similar issues with Canada geese and acknowledging the unique cultural and economic ties between Rochester and its geese, a course of action is developed and recommended. Such a plan would balance the well being and contentment of the city’s residents with the local connections to the flock, and thus necessarily retain at least some of the geese, while improving their management.
Implications of Refugee Resettlement Policy in Urban and Suburban Communities: A Study of Somali People Living in Eden Prairie and Minneapolis
(2017) Froemming, Nathan;
Thousands of Somali refugees live and work in Minnesota. Somali refugees have been coming to Minnesota since the early 1990’s when violence and famine erupted in Somalia. Today Minneapolis, Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali populations outside of Somalia, and Eden Prairie, Minnesota has the largest Somali population within the suburbs of the Twin Cities. Voluntary agencies, also known as VOLAGs, contract with the U.S. government to resettle refugees across the country. What effects, if any, does the VOLAG system have on refugees? Can the refugee resettlement process be improved? How successfully do refugees integrate in America? All of these are important questions that should be answered when thousands of taxpayer dollars fund the resettlement process. Thus, it is important that we understand how to have the best resettlement program possible for taxpayers, and most importantly for the future refugees who come to the U.S. This study asks the primary research question: Can being resettled in a suburban versus urban community be advantageous to Somali refugees? In order to answer this, a professional opinion of an employee of a local resettlement agency is gathered. Additionally, census and education data of Somali residents living in Eden Prairie and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis is analyzed and compared. Also, an online survey is conducted of Somali residents of both communities to determine if there are any major differences in demographic information between the two. These results are combined to conclude that resettling refugees in suburban communities may be beneficial to refugees because there is a link between higher incomes and education levels of Somali residents living in Eden Prairie compared to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
Interest rates and housing prices: A cross comparison between the US and China
(2016) Wang, Xinyang (Nathan);
Interest rates (e.g., government bond yields, mortgage rate) are an essential monetary tool to regulate economy. Existing scholars have studied the impact of interest rates and some non-monetary factors such as physical investment on housing prices. Using multivariate linear regressions, this study investigates the predictive capability of interest rates and additional control variables that either are inspired by the previous studies or haven’t been examined before over the housing prices of the US and China. Throughout the analyses, mortgage premium, household indebtedness, and net physical investment are found to have more predictive capability in the US housing market, whereas term premium and deposit to GDP ratio pose more impact on China. Furthermore, even though Chinese economy is more government-intervened, there is no evidence that newly-published polices have regulatory effect over the housing prices in China.
Invoking Identity: Santería, AfroCubanism, and Hegemony
(2015) Myers, Emily;
Santería, a syncretic religion, developed under slavery in Cuba in the early 16th century and emerged as a way to preserve AfroCuban identity. Today, Santería is a global phenomena, with santeros of all ages and races hailing from around the world. This thesis argues that as Cuban hegemony changed, Santería practice had to adapt its presentation and its preservation of AfroCuban identity. I identify five historic moments to show the different ways in which Santería evolved under five different hegemonies. The historic moments I discuss are: (1) Europe and West Africa at the inception of Spanish colonization and the transatlantic slave trade in the 16th century; (2) Colonial Cuba and Europe during the slave era from the 16th century through the end of the 19th century; (3) Cuban independence from Spain from the mid to the end of the 19th century; (4) Revolutionary Cuba in the 1950s and 1960s; and (5) Cuba today. Philosophies of Enlightenment and aché, institutions of marginality and authority, and even souvenirs have shaped the development of Santería. I also describe syncretism as an ongoing discourse that permits the temporality and the adaptability Santería requires. Most importantly, I propose that unraveling the history of AfroCuban religious identity models how the United States and Cuba must unravel their political identities to bring greater amity between our peoples. !
Large Market Advantage: The National Basketball Association & the Relationship Between Market Size & Success
(2013-08-12) Housh, Andrew
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a fundamental problem with their business model; not every market is created equal. Even though the league is widely popular, after the Financial Crisis of 2008, the majority of teams were losing money. Existing research on financial success factors in the NBA have generalized results across all teams. Using regression techniques, population has been shown to have a significant, positive relationship with a team’s revenue. In December of 2011 a new collective bargaining agreement was signed in order to increase the likelihood that small market teams could better compete both financially and competitively. This study intends to decipher whether the CBA is having its intended effects by utilizing a multivariate regression model. Dummy variables will be employed in order to show the interaction between market size and the new CBA to discover if market size is becoming more or less important to both financial and on-court success. After identifying whether or not a difference between market sizes exists, I will attempt to reconcile the findings by looking at the fabric of the current league and identifying what type of teams are succeeding and why.
Looking for a Relationship Between Diversity Training and an Inclusive Company Culture
(2011-07-19) Bluemel, Ashley
Diversity training (any form of sensitivity training aimed at facilitating fair treatment and decreasing discrimination in the workplace) is widely used in the corporate world today. Though there are high rates of adoption, the exact outcomes of diversity training efforts are not explicitly understood. Diversity training has been linked empirically to factors such as career satisfaction and organizational commitment, but less is known about the link between diversity training and an inclusive company culture. This study will look for a link between diversity training and an inclusive company culture, attempting to associate certain methods of diversity training with a culture for inclusion. This information can help human resources professionals and executives make better informed decisions regarding their diversity training practices, hopefully allowing all these companies to foster a more inclusive, innovative, and welcoming culture.
A Marvelous Scene of Little Things: Honeybees and the Natural Order in the Fourth Georgic of Virgil
(2017) Catlin, Colin;
Virgil makes no secret that he attempts to justify the new imperial order established by Augustus Caesar in several of his works. In his Aeneid, Trojan ancestry, a voyage to the underworld, the great shield of Aeneas forged by Vulcan, and wars in Latium all bear elements leading inevitably to the triumph and sole rule of Augustus. In his earlier Georgics, however, it is not great movements led by the gods which ring in a new golden age. Instead, it is the small movements of honeybees in the hive, set at the end of a tale of pastoral prosperity and disruption which carries the weight of the new Roman world on its back. The format of the Georgics is itself remarkable, containing scientific knowledge and agricultural advice in a high poetic language, blended with mysticism and legends. Here, it will be shown how the honeybees of Virgil are deeply entangled in the complexities of this poem. Ultimately, Virgil uses the honeybee to explain how disorder – shown in the Georgics as storms, urbanization, and plague and fresh in the minds of the readers who had recently endured many years of civil war – returns to prosperity through the bees’ natural order in association with the human and the divine. But first the stage must be set, and the context established.
Mechanically-Induced Transition of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
(2014-10-02) Cotter, Trevor;
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) grown in multiple culture media were altered after being subjected to a stretching protocol. hiPSC maintenance media and Gray’s media were used during the 6 day stretching protocol of 0.1 Hz with 5% circular elongation. While the final state of their development remains a mystery, qPCR using pluripotent, endoderm, and lung markers confirmed that the cells had transitioned from hiPSCs but had not been differentiated into one of these other cell lines. Further investigation must be performed to determine the cells’ new identity. Variables that could be modified in the future include cultureware coating, media used, and stretching protocols.

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