University Honors Program

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Abstract Syntax Contextualization Framework for Debugging Attribute Grammar Specifications
(2024) Feraru, Matthew;
In this thesis, we explore an aspect of debugging attribute grammar (AG) specifications. AG frameworks in themselves are high-level languages that allow a programmer to specify the syntax rules and semantics of a new programming language. The debugging of AG specifications is often done by interactively traversing abstract syntax trees (ASTs) that represent a parsed program in a metaprogram. The goal of such debugging is to find AG specifications with semantic rules that observe correct inputs but incorrect outputs—the possible bugs of AG specifications we consider. For large programs, ASTs may be difficult to understand by a programmer; graphically rendering ASTs in a debugging interface is challenging and still does not make it straightforwardly easy to understand ASTs relative to source code. Resultantly, we propose a textual way to use source and source-like syntax to represent the location of a navigated-to AST node relative to its position in an entire AST and highlight any notable features of the tree, such as the application of rewrite rules. This contextualization framework of abstract syntax tree nodes has been prototyped to work on Silver [1] specifications, but it is applicable to any AG framework since it only relies on the core features of the AG paradigm itself.
AC Magnetic Susceptibility of a Thin Film of Permalloy
(2014-10-02) Gray, Isaiah;
Measurements of noise in magnetic thin lms have variously reported 1=f noise, white noise, and random telegraph noise. The 1=f noise experiments claim magnetic noise by relating the magnetic noise to the susceptibility with use of the uctuation-dissipation theorem. However, neither the linearity of the susceptibility necessary for application of uctuation-dissipation nor the frequency dependence of susceptibility was explored. To investigate more fully the frequency dependence and linearity of the magnetic susceptibility of a magnetic lm, we measured the AC susceptibility of a 100 nm thick lm of permalloy as a function of the magnitude HAC and frequency f of an applied AC magnetic eld over the full hysteresis loop of the lms, i.e., the measurements were performed while slowly varying an applied DC magnetic eld, HDC. The AC frequency range was from 20 Hz to 5 kHz while the AC eld range was between 0.2 G and 1 G. At HDC = 0 the response of the system was measured as a function of HAC at 200 Hz. It was found to be nonlinear but became reasonably close to linear for HAC < 1G - the coercive eld was approximately 15 G. The in-phase and out-of-phase components approximately follow power laws with frequency, with exponents 0.69 and -0.2. The behavior of the out-of-phase component is roughly consistent with previously measured white magnetic noise and a simple harmonic oscillator model, but the in-phase component does not follow the prediction of this model.
Advocating for the Inclusion of Allergen Statements on Medication Labeling
(2020) Arman, Bailey;
As defined by the Society for Technical Communication (n.d.), the job of a technical communicator is to: “communicate about technical or specialized topics; communicate by using technology; and/or provide instructions about how to do something.” Though technical communication is frequently associated with software and engineering, it has important applications for other disciplines, including the medical field. In this thesis, allergen statements on a medical document are critiqued from a technical communication, and further usability, viewpoint. Allergen statements are primarily associated with food products and are rarely found on pharmaceutical labeling. However, pharmaceuticals, although they include medication (the API), they also include “filler” materials made from food products, including incendiary foods like lactose, wheat, and soy. The lack of an allergen statement on pharmaceuticals may endanger food sensitive individuals, like those with food allergies, celiac, or food intolerances. The following thesis provides a brief review of research done on allergen statements and incendiary foods in pharmaceuticals; results from a usability test conducted based on principles of technical communication, like comprehension and readability; an analysis and discussion of those results; and recommendations for the FDA and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Based on a literature review and the results from this usability test, it is highly recommended that the FDA require pharmaceutical companies to include an allergen statement somewhere on their product. This statement should include brief details on where cross-contamination could occur and be accessible to consumers, not just healthcare professionals.
Against Putschism: Paul Levi's Politics, the Comintern, and the Problems of a European Revolution 1918-1923
(2016) Berduc, Manuel;
In this paper I analyze the politics of Paul Levi, who became the leader of the German Communist Party after the deaths of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Levi has for the most part been neglected in the historiography of the period, but Pierre Broué’s and David Fernbach’s recent publications in 2006 and 2009 respectively have brought his ideas back into the spotlight in English. I seek to see how his understanding of politics between 1918-1923 make him unique in what I argue is his model which laid the groundwork for a “mass party” of Communism for Europe early on. This model followed Luxemburg’s dream for a Communist party able to relate to millions of workers, a careful understanding of the role of insurrection in revolutions, and which would work through a more democratic framework than the one set up by the Bolsheviks under their specific circumstances. In particular, the early role played by the Comintern and its relationship to early European Parties was decisive in their failure to lead and grow early on. By understanding the context of European Socialism at the time and by looking closely at the period during 1919-1921, I will argue that Paul Levi set the foundation for a mass- Party in Germany, and that his political theory helps us understand why a revolution did not take place in Europe after World War I.
All Care is Health Care: How Healthcare-Legal Partnerships Are Challenging the Biomedical Paradigm
(2018-05-05) Bhatnagar, Prashasti
This project comprehensively examines how healthcare-legal partnerships (HLPs) are challenging the biomedical paradigm. I explore this in clinics through rich semi-structured interviews with HLP advocates (social workers, healthcare administrators, nurses, lawyers, and physicians) and focus groups with patients. In this paper, I will highlight the ways in which on-site legal services in clinics help in breaking down barriers that limit access to care and thus reduce anxiety and stress in patients. I will also argue that while helpful, HLPs continue to operate under a neoliberal biomedical model-based health care system and hence, do not provide a comprehensive solution to the complex health needs of patients. Health issues are not just legal issues; they are social issues that need to be addressed using a structural care approach.
Analysis of a Treadmill Based Human Power Electricity Generator
(2012-08-27) Mankodi, Harsh;
The modern challenge faced with the global energy situation is the growing energy demand and the strong dependence on unsustainable fossil fuels. Another concurrent issue is the adverse health and socio-economic implications of adult obesity. Human Power Generation, which uses metabolized human energy to generate electrical power, could potentially address both these challenges. The treadmill, one of the most popular exercise machines, presently consumes large amounts of energy while dissipating a majority as heat. The purpose of this thesis project was to design and develop a human powered treadmill generator and determine its power generation potential. The developed treadmill was based on a manual flatbed treadmill using an electromagnetic dynamo generator coupled to a front axle flywheel. A heavy duty rechargeable battery pack was used to store the generated energy and additional components to measure the generated power were included. The power generating potential of the generator was determined for varying belt speeds and angles of inclination, and compared with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) metabolic walking and running prediction equations to determine efficiency. The generator was able to deliver 140W peak power for a short period of time. Regression equations related the power generated to the belt speed, covering values ranging from an average 10.8±0.36W at 1.83±0.045m/s to 90.3±3.04W at 2.38±0.054m/s. The angle of inclination did not have a significant impact on energy generation. The max average efficiency obtained for the system in this study was 37.9±2.63%, assuming 25% gait efficiency. Possible applications for this concept include energy saving equipment in a gym, low-cost, simple to operate, and low maintenance solutions for developing nations, and as a tool to educate energy conservation. Also, the need for exercise in space with low gravity makes the treadmill generator a possible source for secondary power in future extraterrestrial environments.
Analysis of Wind-Driven and Water-Driven Transportation of Gross Soilds in Urban Watersheds
(2023) Narváez, Natalie;
Watershed health is heavily influenced by urbanization and the export of associated pollutants such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) that leach into stormwater and accelerate the effects of eutrophication. In urban watersheds, gross solids materials have been shown to contribute significant amounts of P to stormwater runoff. Positive correlations have been identified between precipitation patterns and influxes of gross solids to stormwater runoff. However, the role of wind-driven transportation as a contributor of organic material to urban stormwater solids remains poorly understood in comparison to the role of water-driven transportation. Wind-blown leaf litter has the potential to travel beyond the hydrologically connected areas that bound much of the research on stormwater solids. To address this knowledge gap, a detailed analysis was conducted on identifiable tree material from gross solids samples captured at two different rain garden sites - one parking lot site and one residential street site - with low canopy cover in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan region in Minnesota, USA, to assess the possible mechanisms behind their deposition into the rain garden sites. It was assumed that material from outside of the watershed was transported by wind. Findings showed that material from outside the hydrologic watershed plays a significant role in the prevalence of gross solids, with an average percentage of 29% of material from outside the watershed and 71% from inside the watershed. Material from outside the watershed represented the majority of identified material from the residential street site. Material from within the watershed appeared to rise and fall along with precipitation patterns while material from outside the watershed appeared to fluctuate opposite them, suggesting that material from outside the watershed is more dominant in dryer conditions. Results of this study suggest that material from outside the watersheds represents a significant portion of leaf litter and other plant materials that constitute the organic fraction of urban stormwater solids.
Analytic Composition Expansions About Functional Equation Fixed Points
(2021) Vogt, Cameron;
Given holomorphic functions satisfying the functional equation φ = σ ◦ φ ◦ τ where τ has an attracting fixed point paired with a repelling fixed point of σ, we prove φ can be expressed as a composition expansion limn→∞ σ ◦ n ◦ ψ ◦ τ ◦ n where ψ approximates φ in some sense. With certain restrictions, φ is the unique function satisfying the functional equation. Conversely, given a functional equation of the specified form, we construct a function which satisfies it. The idea behind the proof is to view the transformation f → σ ◦ f ◦ τ as a contraction mapping on a particular space of holomorphic functions. As a basic example, the functional equation cos z = 2 cos2 (z/2) − 1 generates a composition expansion for cos z.
Analyzing U.S. Media Discussion of Political Polarization
(2023) Dunk, Brandon;
How does the media cover political polarization in the United States, and with what effects? The effects of media coverage of political polarization vary based on the type of political polarization presented. Does political polarization manifest as issue position or affective polarization? Are elites or the mass public becoming politically polarized? Is political polarization beneficial or harmful? Depending on how the media answers these questions in coverage of political polarization, perceived polarization may have different effects. This paper provides the first accurate measure of the media coverage of different types of political polarization through a rigorous examination of media coverage of political polarization by the top five U.S. newspapers over a 27-year period. Using keyword sets to identify coverage, I find that media coverage of political polarization has been severely underestimated by past studies and that it is a major component of media coverage today. Since 2016, coverage has increased across all types of political polarization at a rapid pace. This may have a major impact on perceived polarization, resulting in strengthened effects. I additionally discuss the impact to those opposed to further political polarization and those looking to benefit from it.
Applying IT investment decision theory to payment card upgrades
(2015) Gulbransen, Mitchell;
The new Europay-MasterCard-Visa (EMV) Chip-and-PIN payment cards are slowly replacing traditional magnetic stripe cards worldwide. Although it makes little economic sense for the individual firm to take on the significant cost required to upgrade hardware and software to convert to the new standard, wide-scale adoption results in positive externalities such as a reduction in payment card fraud that benefit all interested parties. This study investigates the investment decision at the country level and examines the variability of when countries choose to adopt the new standard as a unique application of existing theoretical economic models of IT investments. It finds evidence supporting a relationship between high payment system switching costs and delayed EMV conversion as shown through several separate regression models, where switching cost is represented by the level of payment card utilization.
Appreciating the Characteristics and Influences of Joseon Korea’s Furniture Design
(2022) Morris, Gabrielle;
In today’s increasingly globalized world, a solid understanding and appreciation of cultures outside our own is a crucial asset for scholars of many fields, including designers. This study aims to introduce the reader to the furniture design traditions of Korea, as well as examine possible explanations for why this country’s design has so far been studied less often in the West compared to other East Asian countries. This research focuses on furniture design from the time of the Joseon dynasty, which lasted from roughly 1392 CE to 1910 CE. Furniture from this era is heavily customized to the culture of its time yet enjoys a growing popularity in recent decades. Its main influences are shown in its adaptations to a daily life built on a floor-sitting culture and Neo-Confucian ideas alongside local preferences and attitudes. While these characteristics make Joseon furniture design unique, they also contribute to the difficulty of studying these traditional pieces, many of which have either been lost to time or resist categorization along the same definitions as other furniture design studies. Other contributing factors to the lack of study of Joseon furniture design are more political, including Korea’s history of interaction with other countries. Despite these obstacles, traditional Korean furniture design is highly relevant in the modern age and deserves attention from students and designers for the lessons it can provide.
Are you in or are you out?: How the relevance of an organization’s social initiatives to its day-to-day operations impacts financial performance
(2017) Shapiro, Whitney;
For-profit firms in society today are becoming increasingly expected to “give back” to the community through some sort of social initiative. In the past, it was hotly debated whether these societal expectations resulted in any sort of fiscal benefit. Now it is commonly agreed that there is financial benefit to conducting social initiatives, but there is no clarity around how the relationship of an organization’s social initiatives to its day-to-day operations impacts financial performance. This study examines the effect of social initiatives that are core to an organization’s everyday functions, and those that are peripheral to everyday functions, on financial performance. Additionally, this study examines the relationship between concerning core and peripheral social behavior on financial performance. Through two-sample t-tests and panel regression analysis, I determined that within a firm, peripheral social initiatives have a negative relationship with financial performance, while core initiatives and both types of concerning social behavior have no relationship. Between firms, core initiatives have a positive relationship with financial performance while concerning peripheral behavior has a negative correlation. This indicates that it may be fiscally beneficial to partake in social initiatives core to the everyday functioning of an organization and focus on reducing concerning peripheral behavior.
Art Deco Tea Sets and Cocktail Sets: Making Modernity Accessible
(2014-02-25) Melanie, Keating;
This essay examines American Art Deco tea sets and cocktails sets and their accessibility to a large audience. It covers the origin of Art Deco and describes certain common features by visually analyzing relevant examples. It argues that Art Deco tea sets and cocktail sets blended aspects of modern and traditional design in order to appeal to progressive and conservative consumers. The designers studied include Jean Puiforcat, Norman Bel Geddes, Virginia Hamill, Gene Theobald, Louis W. Rice, Russel Wright, Howard Reichenbach, and Walter von Nessen.
Associating Lameness in Swine with the Presence of Mycoplasma Hyosynoviae and Mycoplasma Hyorhinis in Oral Fluids
(2019) Thurston, Joseph;
Mycoplasma hyorhinis and M. hyosynoviae have both been associated with causing lameness in growing pigs. The most common method of detecting these bacteria is through sampling oral fluids via cotton rope. The oral fluids can be subjected to real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to determine both the genetic material of the bacteria and provide a potential measure of the bacterial load. This study tested the oral fluids of 17 farms across Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Mycoplasma hyorhinis was detected on 94.14% of the farms, while 52.94% of farms were positive for M. hyosynoviae. The pigs were also scored on a scale of 0 - 4 for lameness. The lameness scores were compared to the Ct values returned from the real-time PCR. Mycoplasma hyosynoviae was shown to be significantly (p<0.05) associated with lameness in pigs, while M. hyorhinis was not (p=.274). The relationship of age of pigs and Ct values of M. hyosynoviae, and therefore lameness, was also evaluated. Data supported older pigs being more at risk to develop M. hyosynoviae-associated lameness. This impacts the diagnosis process of producers and veterinarians, as M. hyorhinis should not be included in the tests run on oral fluids of lame pigs.
Atomic Layer Deposition and Annealing of Co3O4 for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution
(2022) Nivarty, Tejas;
In the fight against climate change, renewable energy must be employed to reduce fossil fuel dependence. However, intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar require grid energy storage to be feasible at a large scale. Hydrogen shows promise as an energy storage medium, and is also an important chemical feedstock. However, current production of hydrogen is carbon-intensive, and green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis is expensive due to a lack of highly effective, non-precious metal oxygen evolution (OER) electrocatalysts. Co3O4 is one of the most effective metal oxide OER electrocatalysts, but thin films of Co3O4 produced via atomic layer deposition (ALD) have never been explored for OER. Uniform thin films of Co3O4 were successfully produced via ALD using CoCp2 and O3 precursors, and the crystallinity and stoichiometry of these thin films were studied before and after annealing using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic decomposition of O3 by Co3O4 during ALD was mitigated by using a 200 °C deposition temperature and a 10 s long O3 pulse at 10 torr. 7 nm and 27 nm thick films showed no difference in surface stoichiometry after being deposited by ALD. Annealing under H2 reduced Co3O4 films to CoO, as did annealing under N2 at a high temperature. 27 nm Co3O4 films were found to be much more crystalline than 7 nm Co3O4 films before annealing, and 27 nm films showed improvements in crystallinity after annealing while 7 nm films did not.
Automating the Proofs of Strengthening Lemmas in the Abella Proof Assistant
(2017) Michaelson, Dawn;
In logical reasoning, it is often the case that only some of a collection of assumptions are needed to reach a conclusion. A strengthening lemma is an assertion that a given conclusion is independent in this sense of a particular assumption. Strengthening lemmas underlie many useful techniques for simplifying proofs in automated and interactive theorem-provers. For example, they underlie a mechanism called subordination that is useful in determining that expressions of a particular type cannot contain objects of another type and in thereby reducing the number of cases to be considered in proving universally quanti ed statements. This thesis concerns the automation of the proofs of strengthening lemmas in a speci cation logic called the logic of hereditary Harrop formulas (HOHH). The Abella Proof Assistant embeds this logic in a way that allows it to prove properties of both the logic itself and of speci cations written in it. Previous research has articulated a (conservative) algorithm for checking if a claimed strengthening lemma is, in fact, true. We provide here an implementation of this algorithm within the setting of Abella. Moreover, we show how to generate an actual proof of the strengthening lemma in Abella from the information computed by the algorithm; such a proof serves as a more trustworthy certifi cate of the correctness of the lemma than the algorithm itself. The results of this work have been incorporated into the Abella system in the form of a \tactic command" that can be invoked within the interactive theorem-prover and that will result in an elaboration of a proof of the lemma and its incorporation into the collection of proven facts about a given speci cation.
Behavioral Finance: A Study of Gender Affects on Investing Decisions
(2012-08-27) Fish, Jenna;
There is a current debate in the literature as to whether females are more risk averse than males. The studies finding females to be more risk averse studied male and female behavior in the realm of retirement fund selection, while research finding that females exhibit similar levels of risk as males were studies comparing male and female mutual fund managers. In addition to these distinctly different contexts, much of the research that found females to exhibit similar risks as males were completed more recently. To further research the relationship between risk aversion and gender I am investigating what factors affect a person’s risk aversion and whether or not risk aversion is related to gender. My research comes from a study of college-aged students (ages18-22) participating in a classroom investing assignment where students were divided into groups randomly based on gender and given a hypothetical $500,000 to invest in the market with a goal of earning the highest returns. I find that females are shown to be more risk averse. Even when controlling for financial knowledge and experience, females were more risk averse.
Behavioral Finance: FIFA World Cup Expectations and Stock Market Success
(2015) Janousek, Jeffrey;
Behavioral finance, defined as the combination of behavioral and cognitive psychology theory with economics and finance to explain financial decisions, has grown in popularity over the last several years. Behavioral finance has also expanded into sports as researchers seek to find and explain anomalies that exist in the stock market. Existing research about sports is mixed, but prior studies have found that FIFA World Cup soccer matches have a statistically significant correlation with stock prices. This study further examines underlying factors that could influence this correlation. Specifically, it introduces an expectations framework and differentiates game outcomes based on whether the team exceeds, meets, or fails to meet expectations. Using regression analysis, the study finds some evidence for this relationship and that failing to meet expectations is correlated with a stock market decline during the World Cup.
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.
The Blessed Tome from Rome: the Political and Theological Aspirations of Pope Leo I in the context of the Robber Synod of Ephesus and the Council of Chalcedon
(2018) Henke, Jacob;
“There is nothing more serious than the sacrilege of schism, because there is no just cause for severing the unity of the Church.”1 With these words, Augustine, the bishop of Hippo Regius, firmly opined that those who embraced theological and doctrinal tenets, incompatible with catholic and orthodox teaching, were culpable of severing the unity of the Church. This particular criticism was leveled against the Donatist factions of Northern Africa, a sect of rigorists who denied the validity of the sacraments when administered by traditores, literally ‘the one[s] who had handed over’ the Scriptures and the names of their fellow Christians during the Roman persecutions. However, by the time Augustine wrote these words, the church had already weathered several waves of divisive theological controversies and several additional schisms, specifically pertaining to the nature of Christ, loomed on the horizon. The First Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the so-called Latrocinium, or Robber Synod of 449, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 would all attempt to resolve these controversies and the bishops and patriarchs of the major sees would play substantial roles in the attempted clarification of orthodox christology. However, beneath the veneer of theological debate, these bishops and patriarchs sought not only to implement their own christology but also to further the political power of the disparate episcopal sees. Leo I of Rome (c. AD 400-461) provides a prime example of these overlapping theological and ecclesio-political ambitions. Through numerous epistles, sermons, and his dogmatic Tome to Flavian, he strategically used political compromise and shrewd theological interpretation in an effort to resolve the fifth-century christological controversies, to mend the rift between the Antiochene and Alexandrian factions, and to establish papal primacy over the various ecumenical sees, bringing them into communion with Rome.

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