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- Creators: School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
A problem of interest in theoretical physics is the issue of the evaporation of black holes via Hawking radiation subject to a fixed background. We approach this problem by considering an electromagnetic analogue, where we have substituted Hawking radiation with the Schwinger effect. We treat the case of massless QED in 1+1 dimensions with the path integral approach to quantum field theory, and discuss the resulting Feynman diagrams from our analysis. The results from this thesis may be useful to find a version of the Schwinger effect that can be solved exactly and perturbatively, as this version may provide insights to the gravitational problem of Hawking radiation.
ContributorsDhumuntarao, Aditya (Author) / Parikh, Maulik (Thesis director) / Davies, Paul C. W. (Committee member) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
For this thesis, the authors would like to create a hypothetical Private Equity Real Estate Investment firm that focuses on creating value for partners by taking an opportunistic approach to acquiring under-performing urban multi-family properties with large upside potential for investing. The project will focus on both the market analysis and financial modeling associated with investment strategy and transactions. There is a substantial amount of complexity within commercial real estate and this thesis seeks to offer an accurate and comprehensive documentary of the process, while simplifying it for everyday readers. Additionally, there are a significant amount of risk factors associated with investment decisions, so the best practices from the industry documented in this manuscript are valuable tools for successful investing in the future. To gain the most profound and reliable industry knowledge, the authors leveraged the experience of dozens of industry professionals through research and personal interviews. Through careful analysis, the authors were able to ascertain the current economic position in the real estate cycle and to create a plan for future investing. Additionally, they were able to identify and evaluate a specific asset for purchase. As a result, the authors found that multifamily properties are a sound investment for the next two years and that the company should slowly start to shift directions to office and retail in 2018.
ContributorsBacon, David (Co-author) / Soto, Justin (Co-author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The ability to draft and develop productive Major League players is vital to the success of any MLB organization. A core of cost-controlled, productive players is as important as ever with free agent salaries continuing to rise dramatically. In a sport where mere percentage points separate winners from losers at the end of a long season, any slight advantage in identifying talent is valuable. This study examines the 2004-2008 MLB Amateur Drafts in order to analyze whether certain types of prospects are more valuable selections than others. If organizations can better identify which draft prospects will more likely contribute at the Major League level in the future, they can more optimally spend their allotted signing bonus pool in order to acquire as much potential production as possible through the draft. Based on the data examined, during these five drafts high school prospects provided higher value than college prospects. While college players reached the Majors at a higher rate, high school players produced greater value in their first six seasons of service time. In the all-important first round of the draft, where signing bonuses are at their largest, college players proved the more valuable selection. When players were separated by position, position players held greater expected value than pitchers, with corner infielders leading the way as the position group with the highest expected value. College players were found to provide better value than high school players at defensively demanding positions such as catcher and middle infield, while high school players were more valuable among outfielders and pitchers.
ContributorsGildea, Adam Joseph (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The loss of a loved one through suicide is a traumatic life event that brings about considerable emotional turmoil. In the present study, the term suicide loss survivor refers to an individual who is a family member or a friend of a person who died by suicide. Through the three chosen methods of gathering data, which are online surveys, in person interviews, and photography sessions, researchers highlight the personal experience of thirty-three suicide loss survivors. Supported by these various methods of data collection are the unique issues that accompany the bereavement of a suicide loss. The areas of focus are the emotional trauma, social stigma, and postvention resources utilized or made available to suicide loss survivors. Throughout interviews with suicide loss survivors, some of whom also identified as Arizona State University students, an additional opportunity for research emerged. Participants identified that Arizona State University is not effectively providing suicide awareness and prevention materials and training to its community, including staff and students. Recommendations for how Arizona State University can improve their current processes are discussed in the conclusion. By implementing the recommendations of prevention and postvention care, it is possible to educate students and staff and, in turn, allow Arizona State University to foster a culture of empathy for existing suicide loss survivors, while working on decreasing the risk of future suicides. This creative project and narrative analysis was performed by two individuals who themselves are suicide loss survivors and have taken their personal experiences as a foundation for the project's need.
ContributorsStockwell, Anna (Co-author) / Lashinske, Angela (Co-author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The Clean Power Plan seeks to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy industry, which is the largest source of CO2 emissions in the United States. In order to comply with the Clean Power Plan, electric utilities in Arizona will need to meet the electricity demand while reducing the use of fossil fuel sources in generation. The study first outlines the organization of the power sector in the United States and the structural and price changes attempted in the industry during the period of restructuring. The recent final rule of the Clean Power Plan is then described in detail with a narrowed focus on Arizona. Data from APS, a representative utility of Arizona, is used for the remainder of the analysis to determine the price increase necessary to cut Arizona's CO2 emissions in order to meet the federal goal. The first regression models the variables which affect total demand and thus generation load, from which we estimate the marginal effect of price on demand. The second regression models CO2 emissions as a function of different levels of generation. This allows the effect of generation on emissions to fluctuate with ranges of load, following the logic of the merit order of plants and changing rates of emissions for different sources. Two methods are used to find the necessary percentage increase in price to meet the CPP goals: one based on the mass-based goal for Arizona and the other based on the percentage reduction for Arizona. Then a price increase is calculated for a projection into the future using known changes in energy supply.
ContributorsHerman, Laura Alexandra (Author) / Silverman, Daniel (Thesis director) / Kuminoff, Nicolai (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
A semi-implicit, fourth-order time-filtered leapfrog numerical scheme is investigated for accuracy and stability, and applied to several test cases, including one-dimensional advection and diffusion, the anelastic equations to simulate the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and the global shallow water spectral model to simulate the nonlinear evolution of twin tropical cyclones. The leapfrog scheme leads to computational modes in the solutions to highly nonlinear systems, and time-filters are often used to damp these modes. The proposed filter damps the computational modes without appreciably degrading the physical mode. Its performance in these metrics is superior to the second-order time-filtered leapfrog scheme developed by Robert and Asselin.
ContributorsBurke, Lee Matthew Moore (Author) / Moustaoui, Mohamed (Thesis director) / Kostelich, Eric (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Millennials are the group of people that make up the newer generation of the world's population and they are constantly surrounded by technology, as well as known for having different values than the previous generations. Marketers have to adapt to newer ways to appeal to millennials and secure their loyalty since millennials are always on the lookout for the next best thing and will "trade up for brands that matter, but trade down when brand value is weak", it poses a challenge for the marketing departments of companies (Fromm, J. & Parks, J.). The airline industry is one of the fastest growing sectors as "the total number of people flying on U.S. airlines will increase from 745.5 million in 2014 and grow to 1.15 billion in 2034," which shows that airlines have a wider population to market to, and will need to improve their marketing strategies to differentiate from competitors (Power). The financial sector also has a difficult time reaching out to millennials because "millennials are hesitant to take financial risks," as well as downing in college debt, while not making as much money as previous generations (Fromm, J. & Parks, J.). By looking into the marketing strategies, specifically using social media platforms, of the two industries, an understanding can be gathered of what millennials are attracted to. Along with looking at the marketing strategies of financial and airline industries, I looked at the perspectives of these industries in different countries, which is important to look at because then we can see if the values of millennials vary across different cultures. Countries chosen for research to further examine their cultural differences in terms of marketing practices are the United States and England. The main form of marketing that was used for this research were social media accounts of the companies, and seeing how they used the social networking platforms to reach and engage with their consumers, especially with those of the millennial generation. The companies chosen for further research for the airline industry from England were British Airways, EasyJet, and Virgin Atlantic, while for the U.S. Delta Airlines, Inc., Southwest Airlines, and United were chosen. The companies chosen to further examine within the finance industry from England include Barclay's, HSBC, and Lloyd's Bank, while for the U.S. the banks selected were Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. The companies for this study were chosen because they are among the top five in their industry, as well as all companies that I have had previous interactions with. It was meant to see what the companies at the top of the industry were doing that set them apart from their competitors in terms of social media marketing content and see if there were features they lacked that could be changed or improvements they could make. A survey was also conducted to get a better idea of the attitudes and behaviors of millennials when it comes to the airline and finance industries, as well as towards social media marketing practices.
ContributorsPathak, Krisha Hemanshu (Author) / Kumar, Ajith (Thesis director) / Arora, Hina (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This is an analysis of broad racial discourse through a critical race theory: Responsibility Avoidance Discourse (RAD). RAD is coded English that communicates meaning through connotation, avoidance, and implication as a means of securing its main purposes: enforcing white supremacy, obscuring inequality, and hindering significant racial progress. RAD is extremely effective at directing discussion away from arguments that might induce self-reflexivity or question white privilege. It focuses on discrediting others as a means of legitimizing whiteness. I analyze examples of it from a variety of sources—from political discourse to media coverage and social media trends—to demonstrate its manifestations throughout society.
ContributorsClarke, Ty Larson (Author) / Bebout, Lee (Thesis director) / Spanierman, Lisa (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Memory CD8+ T-cells can persist in the absence of antigen, primed for immediate activation and proliferation if later exposed to the same antigen. These cytotoxic lymphocytes provide long-term immunity following an acute infection. Studies have observed that intermediate levels of general T cell transfer prior to infection may cause an inappropriate response resulting in increased pathology rather than prevention. Therefore, our study focused on a memory CD8 T-cell therapy using lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) specific splenocytes, which activate and proliferate at an accelerated pace compared to that of naive T-cells. LCMV is a natural murine pathogen which also poses a zoonotic infection threat to humans, and the effect of immune cell vaccination therapies for LCMV is not fully understood. We observed the effect of multiple memory CD8 T cell dosage levels on overall disease and memory CD8 T-cell response to the virus. Infection by exposure to a carrier was shown to have a reduced impact on mice receiving higher doses of memory T cells prior to infection compared to mice receiving less or no memory cells. Higher presence of activated memory cells were shown to correlate with less disease-related weight loss and accelerated recovery times. Survival rate after exposure to carriers was not shown to be affected by dosage level, warranting further research regarding the prevalence of the immunopathology observed in other studies in natural murine transmission models.
ContributorsMiller, Charles (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Holechek, Susan (Committee member) / Carmen, Joshua (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Preventive maintenance is a practice that has become popular in recent years, largely due to the increased dependency on electronics and other mechanical systems in modern technologies. The main idea of preventive maintenance is to take care of maintenance-type issues before they fully appear or cause disruption of processes and daily operations. One of the most important parts is being able to predict and foreshadow failures in the system, in order to make sure that those are fixed before they turn into large issues. One specific area where preventive maintenance is a very big part of daily activity is the automotive industry. Automobile owners are encouraged to take their cars in for maintenance on a routine schedule (based on mileage or time), or when their car signals that there is an issue (low oil levels for example). Although this level of maintenance is enough when people are in charge of cars, the rise of autonomous vehicles, specifically self-driving cars, changes that. Now instead of a human being able to look at a car and diagnose any issues, the car needs to be able to do this itself. The objective of this project was to create such a system. The Electronics Preventive Maintenance System is an internal system that is designed to meet all these criteria and more. The EPMS system is comprised of a central computer which monitors all major electronic components in an autonomous vehicle through the use of standard off-the-shelf sensors. The central computer compiles the sensor data, and is able to sort and analyze the readings. The filtered data is run through several mathematical models, each of which diagnoses issues in different parts of the vehicle. The data for each component in the vehicle is compared to pre-set operating conditions. These operating conditions are set in order to encompass all normal ranges of output. If the sensor data is outside the margins, the warning and deviation are recorded and a severity level is calculated. In addition to the individual focus, there's also a vehicle-wide model, which predicts how necessary maintenance is for the vehicle. All of these results are analyzed by a simple heuristic algorithm and a decision is made for the vehicle's health status, which is sent out to the Fleet Management System. This system allows for accurate, effortless monitoring of all parts of an autonomous vehicle as well as predictive modeling that allows the system to determine maintenance needs. With this system, human inspectors are no longer necessary for a fleet of autonomous vehicles. Instead, the Fleet Management System is able to oversee inspections, and the system operator is able to set parameters to decide when to send cars for maintenance. All the models used for the sensor and component analysis are tailored specifically to the vehicle. The models and operating margins are created using empirical data collected during normal testing operations. The system is modular and can be used in a variety of different vehicle platforms, including underwater autonomous vehicles and aerial vehicles.
ContributorsMian, Sami T. (Author) / Collofello, James (Thesis director) / Chen, Yinong (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05