An Investigation Into the Generality of a Graphical Representation of Program Code for Source to Source Translation

This thesis addresses the problem of defining a source-to-source translation system for reusable software components. It describes the development of an interoperable language for writing software components, and presents a system to translate components written in the interoperable language to a set of compatible target languages. The common features in a set of popular programming languages are analyzed to inform the design of the interoperable language. An evaluation is performed by using the source-to-source translator to convert two well-known open source Java libraries to C++ and Python, and the accuracy and performance of the resulting translations are assessed

Home Health Care Services: A Look At Audit Opinion Announcements And The Contagion Or Competitive Effect On Rival Firms

With the aging of the American population and the increase in demand for health care services, we can expect an increase in investment activity in the health care market.  This study focuses on whether intra-industry information transfers from going-concern audit opinion announcements create contagion or competitive stock price reactions in rival home health care firms.  Data are derived from a sample of firms traded on the NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, or the American Stock Exchange.  Average standardized abnormal returns for each firm are computed during an 8-year period.  The findings suggest a dominating competitive effect for rival home health care and miscellaneous home service firms significant at the .05 level

Foreign Financial Institution Equities: Returns From Emerging Markets And Developed Markets Differ

With the vicissitude of the capital markets, investors continually seek new and innovative techniques that will identify securities that outperform the market.  In addition to the usual fundamental and technical analysis, the international markets may provide enhanced profit potential.  Investors may purchase securities of foreign companies to gain greater diversity and new investment opportunities

Long-Term Performance Of Foreign Food And Beverage Equities Traded On The New York Stock Exchange: A Look At Investment Opportunities

Because of the growth of international trade and the increase in sales and profits in the food and beverage industry in recent years investors may believe there is a great opportunity to reap high returns from foreign equities.  Cumulative excess returns from all newly issued foreign food and beverage equities over a 36-month period following the date listed on the New York Stock Exchange are tested for significant differences in performance to determine whether they outperform the S & P 500 returns.  Although the 36-month cumulative excess returns are not significant, findings indicate that the food and beverage ADRs performed 13.55 percent lower than the S & P 500 Index which serves as a proxy for the market in general.  Food and beverage seasoned equity offerings outperformed initial public offerings

American Depository Receipts: A Case Study Of The Performance Of Foreign Manufacturing Firm Equities Listed On The New York Stock Exchange

With the growth of free-trade agreements and the development of a global economy, foreign equities may seem to provide a lucrative and diversified alternative for portfolio managers and individual investors.  During the study period, all 35 newly issued foreign manufacturing firm equities from 18 countries listed on the New York Stock Exchange traded as American Depository Receipts (ADRs) are examined to determine short term investment performance relative to the market.  The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index serves as a proxy for the performance of the market. Data are tested for significant differences in returns during the period of January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2002 during the first 21 days of trading after their initial listing.  In addition, the equities are examined to determine whether differences exist in those from emerging and developed countries and whether the timing of issue (in the U.S. bull and bear market) affects returns.  Findings suggest no significant difference in the overall short-term performance of the manufacturing firm ADRs relative to the S&P500 Index during the first 21 days of trading.  Further examination indicates that initial public offerings significantly out-perform the market by 5.0 percent and seasoned equity offerings performance is not significantly different from the S&P 500.  Manufacturing firm ADR returns from developed markets and their counterparts from emerging markets show no significant difference from the performance of the market index.  However, timing of the issue shows the most dramatic contrast in performance.  ADRs issued before 1/1/98, primarily in a bull market, significantly underperformed the market by 26.51 percent.  Those issued in the bear market after 1/1/98 show 9 months of returns that are positive and significant during the 36-month holding period.  Evidence suggests that initial public offerings and timing of issue may affect manufacturing firm ADR portfolio performance to achieve returns greater than the market.      

Performance Of Chilean ADRs On The New York Stock Exchange

In this study, we examine NYSE-listed American Depository Receipts from Chile to determine overall short and long-term investment performance and whether the type of issue (IPO versus SEO) affects ADR performance relative to the S&P 500.  Short-term performance suggests Chilean ADRs did not perform significantly different than the market index.  However, the Chilean ADRs significantly underperformed the S&P 500 by over 32 percent during the three-year trading horizon.  In comparing long-run excess returns of SEOs versus those of IPOs, the SEO subset performed similar to the market while the IPOs significantly underperformed the market index by 45 percent.  These results provide evidence that the type of issue (IPO versus SEO) affects portfolio returns when investing in Chilean ADRs

Formal Reasoning Using an Iterative Approach with an Integrated Web IDE

This paper summarizes our experience in communicating the elements of reasoning about correctness, and the central role of formal specifications in reasoning about modular, component-based software using a language and an integrated Web IDE designed for the purpose. Our experience in using such an IDE, supported by a 'push-button' verifying compiler in a classroom setting, reveals the highly iterative process learners use to arrive at suitably specified, automatically provable code. We explain how the IDE facilitates reasoning at each step of this process by providing human readable verification conditions (VCs) and feedback from an integrated prover that clearly indicates unprovable VCs to help identify obstacles to completing proofs. The paper discusses the IDE's usage in verified software development using several examples drawn from actual classroom lectures and student assignments to illustrate principles of design-by-contract and the iterative process of creating and subsequently refining assertions, such as loop invariants in object-based code.Comment: In Proceedings F-IDE 2015, arXiv:1508.0338

Learn the Terms: A Visual Glossary, 2016 Edition

Understanding a discipline requires a fundamental understanding of its terminology. The terminology of information literacy, used by librarians and professors, comprises a language integrated within all disciplines. Critical to academic success, it’s often assumed to be widely understood by students. The students of Graphic Design V, fall 2016, created a visual glossary to help students learn this critical terminology. This bold, eye-catching informational campaign, produced and disseminated in and outside of the Library, promotes learning through innovative designs created by students for students. The materials, introduced in a 2017 ACRL presentation, Warning! This Program Contains Graphic Content: Facilitating Understanding of Library Terms through Visual Rhetoric, include bookmarks, tabletoppers, and digital images.https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/oer_teaching/1001/thumbnail.jp

Assessing the Current State and Potential Needs of the Community for Autism Spectrum Awareness in the Classroom

Introduction: • Number of children with autism and related disorders has been growing in Vermont in the last ten years. • Puppets in Education, Inc (PiE) recently added a new program Friend 2 Friend Programs-Vermont (F2F), that will work with grades K?8 to educate students and teachers about autism spectrum disorders (ASD). • Goal is to promote understanding, acceptance, empathy and mutual friendships between children with ASD or other social communication disorders • Students from the University of Vermont College of Medicine partnered with PiE to evaluate the current needs of the community, determining what information would be most useful in the F2F program.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1036/thumbnail.jp

Effects of hippocampal damage on reward threshold and response rate during self-stimulation of the ventral tegmental area in the rat

The main purpose of this study was to explore the role of the hippocampus in motivated behavior. Rats with bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the hippocampus and controls were trained to lever press for electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area. Rate intensity functions were generated from an ascending and descending series of current intensities. Lesion-induced changes in sensitivity to reward were distinguished from enhancements in motor output by calculating reward thresholds and maximal response rates from the rate-intensity functions. Rats with hippocampal damage showed lower reward thresholds and higher maximal response rates than controls. These results provide further evidence of hippocampal modulation of the nucleus accumbens, suggesting that lesions of this structure enhance sensitivity to reward and increase motor output