Honors Theses

Integral domains behave mathematically like the set of integers, and as a result, mathematicians are often interested in applying properties and functions of Z to other integral domains in order more thoroughly analyze these sets. One such integral domain is the set of Gaussian Integers, denoted Z[i]. The set of Gaussian Integers shares many characteristics with the set of integers, and it has multiple algebraic and number theoretic applications, including identification of pythagorean triples. In addition to being an integral domain, Z[i], like Z, is further classified as both a unique factorization domain and a euclidean domain. Along with the Gaussian Norm Function, these classifications allow us to analyze relative primality within the set. Because of this, the Euler-o function, which has historically been applied to Z, can also be analyzed within the set of Gaussian Integers.

Application of the Euler Phi Function in the Set of Gaussian Integers

Introduction
Recently, attention for chemistry research has been directed towards "Green Chemistry" which is the design of chemical "processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances".(1) The Twelve Main Principles of Green Chemistry encompass this definition over a wider range. Specifically the 1st principle which states to prevent waste which needs to be specially treated or cleaned up.(2) Not only are these principles better for the environment, they are able to save money as well.(3) While the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded several projects under Green Chemistry, there are still processes which involve hazardous materials.(4) One of those is the method of soil dissolution for heavy metal analysis.(5) Before this is looked into; however, the causes and effects of soil pollution must be looked into, as soil digestion is part of a process used to determine qualitative and quantitative data about soil contamination.

Development of Green Digestion Methods of Soils for the Recovery of Cadmium, Arsenic, and Lead

The present study sought to determine the relationship between job satisfaction, autonomy and motivation. Sections pertaining to selected facets of the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985), Work Autonomy Scale (Breaugh, 1985), and Work Tasks Motivation Scales (Fernet, et al., 2008) were used to measure the correlates. Each correlate was separated into different facets that were measured: Job Satisfaction (Supervisors, Coworkers, Pay, & Operating Procedures), Autonomy (Work, Scheduling, and Method), and Motivation (Complementary Tasks, Administrative Tasks, and Teaching Tasks). The survey was administered to public school teachers in a large suburban area. There was no significant correlation between the correlates and most of the facets. A significant relationship was found between Autonomy and Job Satisfaction of Pay as well as between Criteria Autonomy and Job Satisfaction of Pay. Additionally, Motivation for Administrative Tasks and Method Autonomy also had a significant positive correlation.

The Relationships among Autonomy, Job Satisfaction and Motivation

Many beehive products such as propolis, Manuka honey, bee pollen, and royal jelly have been used by people due to their popular known health benefits. A novel bee product, bee venom, has demonstrated effective in treating various debilitating conditions, and thus bee venom therapy has been the subject of scientific studies to quantify its medical efficacy. Although bee venom has been used for millennia in Eastern medicine, modern bee venom therapy (BVT) originated in Europe in the 19th century, but was brought to the U.S. by Dr. Bodog Beck after World War I. The treatment became more widespread in the West as the 20th century progressed (Cooney et al, 2011). There are currently various application methods with the most popular being apipuncture (acupuncture with bee venom where needles are initially dipped into the venom before applied to the patient) and bee venom injections (Mohammadi et al, 2015). The multiple beneficial effects of bee venom include increased blood circulation, stimulation of the pituitary-cortical system, and reduced pain and inflammation (Mohammadi et al, 2015). These responses help treat the symptoms of many diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions. With additional research, the use of bee venom can be included as a means to safely alleviate the symptoms of several autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Therapeutic Effects of Bee Venom on Rheumatoid Arthritis

Synesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon that occurs in about 5% of the population, is characterized by the involuntary expression of a stimulus through association with another stimulus, usually in another sense, such as associating purple with the letter “A” (Yon & Press, 2014). There are several different forms of synesthesia, involving every combination of every sensory modality. Spector and Maurer (2013) found that the most common forms of synesthesia include grapheme-color synesthesia, in which graphemes such as letters and numbers induce a specific color, and time-space synesthesia, in which weekdays, months, etc. occupy a specific space either inside the synesthete’s mind or outside their body. These forms of synesthesia can be categorized in several ways, from their function to their onset of symptoms. Rogowska (2011) refers to one particular category of synesthesia pertaining to associational, artistic synesthesia. Famous painters, writers, and other artists such as painter Vassily Kandinsky and novelist Vladimir Nabokov have reported synesthetic-like experiences, which has led to the study of the relationship between synesthesia and creativity (Mulvenna, 2007). Synesthesia and its effect on creativity holds an interesting topic of study, as understanding the link between synesthesia and creativity may reveal aspects of synesthesia such as its possible causes and whether it can benefit individuals. History

A Colorful World: Synesthesia’s Effect on Creativity Through Firsthand Abstract Representations of Grapheme-Color and Ordinal-Linguistic Personification

Genetic testing has opened new doors into understanding a patient’s future health. The human genome is extremely vast and complicated. Testing an entire genome for the innumerable genetic variants that have a bearing on the development of cancer is costly both in time25 and efficiency. Testing for just a single gene results in seeing a whole group of variations, which may or may not be pathogenic11. Pathogenic, in this case, is defined as a variant known to cause or increase risk of a disease, the degree of which is determined by how co-segregated it is with the disease16,17. One of the genes that is examined when looking at hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) often is Cadherin-1, or CDH1.

Identification of Clinically Relevant Regions of the Human CDH1 Gene for Determining Predisposition to Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer

This overview examines the usage of the term “Latinx” from its coinage to its inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary’s top ten candidates for “Word of the Year” in 2016. The study evaluates the term’s future based on its projected use in certain geographical areas and its adoption by certain professions and niche social groups. The most common motives for usage include a desire to disrupt the social normative of a binary gender system, to acknowledge the intersectionality between the LGBTQ and Latino communities, and to battle the subjugation of non-gender conforming Hispanics. This work analyzes which professional arenas endorse “Latinx,” including journalism and academia, as well as which writing mediums espouse it most often. Those who advocate against “Latinx” cite the imposition of English onto Spanish, which does not morphologically accommodate a word-final “x.” This study analyzes whether the term more effectively addresses a social issue or delays the solution to one, as well as whether its goal is to take away majority privilege or to belabor an indiscriminate equality of all.

A Sociolinguistic Survey of "Latinx"

This paper will discuss the challenges modern healthcare providers face in maintaining full compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Acts. It will provide an overview of the pertinent sections of both the HIPAA and HITECH Acts. Further, the paper will discuss potential large-scale violations of HIPAA involving potential vulnerabilities in commonly-used enterprise health records systems. In addition, the paper will discuss the traditional weak points of information security, including: people susceptible to social engineering, software that cannot be or is not updated, and targeted attacks. It will then compare these to challenges to the challenges of the United States health system prior to 1995, specifically looking at information handling procedures, and how they have changed as relating to the effectiveness.

An Examination of Modern Challenges in Maintaining HIPAA and HITECH Compliance

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) play an important role in the overall economy. Globally, this sector accounts for over $570 billion, with the US bringing in over $200 billion in revenue in 2015 (“Fast Food Industry Analysis 2016- Cost & Trends,” 2016). To put it in perspective, QSRs account for over 50% of sales in the entire restaurant sector (“Fast Food Industry Analysis 2016 - Cost & Trends,” 2016). However, while QSRs seem to be a major portion of the food industry, not much research has been done that looks solely at this sector, and even less research aims to look at contributors to voluntary turnover in the quick-service industry (DiPietro, Milman, & Thozhur, 2007).
This study will focus on the human resource practices of the quick-service restaurant sector, specifically with how these practices relate to voluntary employee turnover. The results will help managers direct their human resource practices to better reflect the wants and needs of the employee.

Effects of human resource factors on employee retention in the quick-service industry

In looking at a current BSN class today, one will find many different types of students. There are those coming back to school, having realized their current career was not for them, there are those freshly out of high school that know they want to become nurses, and there is a plethora of those in between. The beauty of these differences though, is the way in which the student with the previous career, and the student with no career experience at all can teach each other extremely valuable lessons. These lessons can be regarding study habits, time management, social support, or most any other factor. And these lessons are needed. Due to the difficulty of the nursing curriculum at any university, there are many students that, despite past academic successes, struggle to get their footing. Oftentimes, however, the group that seems to have an overall steady footing is that of the nontraditional student.