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University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well

2015

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Usability Of Error Messages For Introductory Students, Paul A. Schliep Sep 2015

Usability Of Error Messages For Introductory Students, Paul A. Schliep

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Error messages are an important tool programmers use to help find and fix mistakes or issues in their code. When an error message is unhelpful, it can be difficult to find the issue and may impose additional challenges in learning the language and concepts. Error messages are especially critical for introductory programmers in understanding problems with their code. Unfortunately, not all error messages in programming are beneficial for novice programmers. This paper discusses the general usability of error messages for introductory programmers, analyses of error messages in compilers and DrRacket, and two methodologies intended to improve error handling.

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Infotainment Interface Design For Automobiles, Ian R. Buck Sep 2015

Infotainment Interface Design For Automobiles, Ian R. Buck

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

In an increasingly connected, mobile world, situations where users do not interact with their digital lives are becoming few and far between. This can be a problem in situations that demand a user's attention for their safety. Driving is one such situation, and it is doubly important because a significant portion of the western population drives on a daily basis. Researchers have tested different interface designs with the goal of finding one that demands the least cognitive load while still allowing the user to perform the desired task efficiently. In this paper interfaces incorporating auditory cues, voice dictation, and air …

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Dye Tracing To Determine Flow Properties Of Hydrocarbon-Polluted Rabots Glaciär, Kebnekaise, Sweden, Caroline C. Clason, C. Coch, J. Jarsjö, Keith A. Brugger, P. Jansson, G. Rosqvist Jun 2015

Dye Tracing To Determine Flow Properties Of Hydrocarbon-Polluted Rabots Glaciär, Kebnekaise, Sweden, Caroline C. Clason, C. Coch, J. Jarsjö, Keith A. Brugger, P. Jansson, G. Rosqvist

Geology Publications

Over 11 000 L of kerosene was deposited on the surface of Rabots glaciär on the Kebnekaise Massif, northern Sweden, following the crash of a Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft in March 2012. An environmental monitoring programme was subsequently commissioned, including a series of dye tracing experiments during the 2013 melt season, conducted to investigate the transport of pollutants through the glacier hydrological system. This experimental set-up provided a basis from which we could gain new insight into the internal hydrological system of Rabots glaciär. Results of dye tracing experiments reveal a degree of homogeneity in the topology of the …

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Hurwitz Monodromy And Full Number Fields, David P. Roberts, Akshay Venkatesh Apr 2015

Hurwitz Monodromy And Full Number Fields, David P. Roberts, Akshay Venkatesh

Mathematics Publications

We give conditions for the monodromy group of a Hurwitz space over the configuration space of branch points to be the full alternating or symmetric group on the degree. Specializing the resulting coverings suggests the existence of many number fields with surprisingly little ramification —for example, the existence of infinitely many Am or Sm number fields unramified away from {2,3,5}.

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Evaluating Animal Agriculture Impacts On Water Quality: Data Gaps In West Central Minnesota Case Study, Ed Brands Apr 2015

Evaluating Animal Agriculture Impacts On Water Quality: Data Gaps In West Central Minnesota Case Study, Ed Brands

Environmental Studies Publications

Balancing the economic and food system contributions of animal agriculture with negative impacts such as water quality degradation has been a recurring question in Minnesota and other agricultural states (e.g., Iowa and North Carolina). Over the past 15 years significant federal- and state-level changes in the regulation of animal feeding operations (AFOs) and associated practices have attempted to improve water quality. The impacts of these changes are unclear; therefore, the main purpose of this project was to evaluate policies designed to protect water quality from manure runoff and spills within the context of a manageable geographic area. Project work was …

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Developing Beginner-Friendly Programming Error Messages, Aaron D. Lemmon, Emma Sax, Paul A. Schliep Apr 2015

Developing Beginner-Friendly Programming Error Messages, Aaron D. Lemmon, Emma Sax, Paul A. Schliep

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2015

The motivation for our work is to introduce a recently developed programming language, Clojure, in a beginner computer science (CSci) class at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Clojure is an industryaccepted programming language that provides significant benefits for beginner programmers, such as focus on a functional approach to programming which, in UMM experience, provides a good foundation for subsequent CSci curriculum. Learning Clojure in an introductory class opens opportunities for students to collaborate on numerous worldwide projects, as well as take advantage of improvements in modern computing hardware. However, Clojure is challenging to use because of its complicated handling of …

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Synthetic Methods Of Cts And Czts Nanocrystals, Rachel R. Bohling, Michael M. Davis, Blake J. Gerold, Ted M. Pappenfus Apr 2015

Synthetic Methods Of Cts And Czts Nanocrystals, Rachel R. Bohling, Michael M. Davis, Blake J. Gerold, Ted M. Pappenfus

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2015

The synthesis of various morphologies of copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu2ZnSnS4) and copper tin sulfide (Cu2SnS3) nanocrystals were explored to find a more energy efficient synthesis. Reactions were all carried out at 220°C under either inert atmospheres or normal conditions. Variations in synthetic methods included reaction time and solvents used. Products were analyzed with powder X-Ray diffraction and compared to simulated powder patterns of zincblende and wurtzite nanocrystals. The synthesis of CTS nanocrystals required the reaction to be heated to 220°C overnight under an inert atmosphere. The reaction used for the synthesis of CZTS nanocrystals required less energy and only …

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Modification Of Mof-5 Hydrostability For Peptide Absorption Studies, Margareta E. Nivision, Zachary L. Mensinger Apr 2015

Modification Of Mof-5 Hydrostability For Peptide Absorption Studies, Margareta E. Nivision, Zachary L. Mensinger

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2015

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an intriguing class of hybrid materials that consist of infinite crystalline lattices formed by metal ions bridged by organic linkers. Their porous interiors have highly variable properties, depending on the metal ions and linkers used. To date, MOFs have primarily been examined for uses such as gas separation and storage and catalysis, but recently researchers have described the adsorption of proteins and peptides, such as cytochrome C and a trypsin digest of bovine serum albumin, in MOF pores. The MOF pore provides a stable, ordered environment in which to isolate and characterize peptides. Our research thus …

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Computational Study Of The Visible Spectrum Of Curcumin's Protonation States, Peter Braegelmann, Joseph D. Alia Apr 2015

Computational Study Of The Visible Spectrum Of Curcumin's Protonation States, Peter Braegelmann, Joseph D. Alia

Chemistry Publications

Curcumin, the main dye in the important Indian spice turmeric, has received much attention recently for its potential anti-cancer and anti-Alzheimer properties.1 Our study computes the thermodynamics and spectroscopic properties of curcumin’s various protonation states using several methods and compares the results to experiment. M06/3-21G* gave the best thermodynamic results, while M06 with 3-21G* and 6-31G* gave good spectroscopic results for the neutral and dianionic forms of curcumin. However, applying diffuse functions appears to be necessary for the trianionic form. Interestingly, M06 and B3LYP with 6-31+G* gave good spectroscopic results for the singly anionic form.

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Study Of The Protonation States Of The Curcumin Molecule And Their Visible Absorption Spectra In Aqueous Solution Using M06, Smd, And Tddft And Compared To Experiment, Joseph D. Alia, Peter Braegelmann, Timothy Roettgen, Hannah Goemann Apr 2015

Study Of The Protonation States Of The Curcumin Molecule And Their Visible Absorption Spectra In Aqueous Solution Using M06, Smd, And Tddft And Compared To Experiment, Joseph D. Alia, Peter Braegelmann, Timothy Roettgen, Hannah Goemann

Chemistry Publications

Curcumin, the primary natural dye from the spice turmeric, has been of recent interest due to its possible health benefits as an antioxidant and possible anti cancer and anti Alzheimer's properties. Limited solubility and instability in water are of primary importance when considering curcumin's possible uses as a pharmaceutical. DFT computations were carried out using B3LYP and MO6 density functionals and the SMD solvent model for water. TDDFT computations were carried out on geometries optimized in water as described by the SMD solvent model. It is found that M06 with the 3-21G* basis set and SMD solvent model gives accurate …

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Interpreting Multitouch Gestures, Michael Schuweiler Mar 2015

Interpreting Multitouch Gestures, Michael Schuweiler

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Interpreting multitouch interactions can be as simple as understanding code that handles these multitouches and this code's associated actions. As more touch events are added to an input, inputs become more complex. There are multiple approaches to interpreting these inputs between users and touchscreens. Researchers in this field find answers to common problems and provide developers with tools that make interactions with multitouch devices easier to describe and incorporate into their systems. These tools are then used to create gestures through different approaches, specifically through demonstration and by declaration. In this paper, these researchers' tools are described and compared.

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Division Polynomials With Galois Group Su3(3).2 = G2(2), David P. Roberts Jan 2015

Division Polynomials With Galois Group Su3(3).2 = G2(2), David P. Roberts

Mathematics Publications

We use a rigidity argument to prove the existence of two related degree twenty-eight covers of the projective plane with Galois group SU3(3).2 ∼= G2(2). Constructing corresponding two-parameter polynomials directly from the defining group-theoretic data seems beyond feasibility. Instead we provide two independent constructions of these polynomials, one from 3-division points on covers of the projective line studied by Deligne and Mostow, and one from 2-division points of genus three curves studied by Shioda. We explain how one of the covers also arises as a 2-division polynomial for a family of G2 motives in the …

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Changes In The Geometry And Volume Of Rabots Glaciär, Sweden, 2003-2011: Recent Accelerated Volume Loss Linked To More Negative Summer Balances, Keith A. Brugger, Latysha Pankratz Jan 2015

Changes In The Geometry And Volume Of Rabots Glaciär, Sweden, 2003-2011: Recent Accelerated Volume Loss Linked To More Negative Summer Balances, Keith A. Brugger, Latysha Pankratz

Geology Publications

Terminus geometry, ice margins, and surface elevations on Rabots glaciär were measured using differential GPS during summer 2011 and compared with those similarly measured in 2003. Glacier length over the eight years decreased by ∼105 m corresponding to 13 m a−1, a rate consistent with ice recession over the last several decades. Measured changes in surface elevations show that between 2003 and 2011 the glacier’s volume decreased by ∼27.6 ± 2.6 × 106 m3, or 3.5± 0.3 × 106 m3 a−1. This compares favorably with an estimate of −28.1 ± 2.6 × 106 m3 based on a mass-balance approach. The …

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