The thesis deals with correctness of a compiler of a simple language featuring exceptions. We present formal semantics, both denotational semantics of a~high-level language and operational semantics of a low-level language for a~simple stack machine. We study the method of stack unwinding and then iteratively, improving upon a naive solution, we present a different method that is structurally recursive and thus suitable for implementation in total dependently typed languages. Finally, we provide an implementation of the compiler in the dependently typed functional programming language Agda, along with a mechanically verifiable proof of adherence of the implementation to the semantics.

Atualmente, a produção de Material de Referência Certificado (MRC) tem apresentado destaque devido a sua importância na aplicação durante a validação de métodos, estimativa de incerteza e controles de rotina, atendendo uma grande demanda de laboratórios que aplicam sistemas de gestão da qualidade (como por exemplo, baseados na ISO/IEC 17025) e necessitam desenvolver estas atividades em busca da rastreabilidade metrológica. Dentre estes diferentes laboratórios, podemos destacar os laboratórios de bebidas que analisam, por exemplo, contaminantes em uísque visando um monitoramento adequado deste produto de grande consumo interno, seja de produtos importados e/ou produção nacional. Desta maneira este projeto visa o desenvolvimento de candidato a material de referência certificado (MRC) para Uísque, considerando a importância em desenvolver métodos para a produção de material de referência, sendo o uísque um excelente candidato devido à importância em monitorar adequadamente este produto que tem apresentado um crescimento exponencial de consumo nos últimos anos. / Currently, the production of CRM has been highlighted due to its importance in method validation, uncertainty measurement and routine controls, necessary for laboratories that apply quality management systems (e.g. based on ISO/IEC 17025) and need to develop these activities to achieve an adequate metrological traceability. Among these different laboratories, we can highlight the beverage laboratory that analyses, for example, contaminants in whiskey to ensure an appropriate monitoring of this product that has great domestic consumption. This project aims the development of a candidate certified reference material (CRM) for whiskey, considering the importance of developing methods for the production of reference material, being the whiskey an excellent candidate because of its importance to properly monitor this product that has shown an exponential growth of consumption in recent years.

Accounting is a professional occupation that is continually evolving and requires a dedication to continuing education to meet the legal demands of new regulations and to maintain professional competency. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is required by state boards for certified public accountants (CPA) to meet these requirements and to maintain professional competence. CPAs are responsible for complying with all applicable CPE requirements, rules, and regulations of state boards of accountancy, as well as those of other professional organizations. The purpose of this study was to determine the opinions of CPAs about the current requirements for CPE and to determine their level of satisfaction with the content and delivery of CPE instruction. CPE has come under scrutiny in recent years with some professionals questioning if the needs of accounting professional and the objectives of continuing education are being met. This survey research included 23 Likert-type items and 5 demographic questions. The survey was administered to 203 licensed certified public accountants to obtain their opinions about continuing education. The 5 dimensions of the survey were: Value (cost benefit), Delivery (methods and quality), Benefit to Self, Benefit to Others, and Barriers (to obtaining CPE). These dimensions were compared across the demographic variables of gender, years of experience, type of business, number of employees, and position with their employer. No significant differences were found among the 5 dimensions between gender or among different positions. Significant differences did occur among the Dimension of Value opinions based on years of experience, among the Dimension of Value opinions based on type of business, among Dimension of Benefit to Self based on type of business, among the Dimension of Value based on number of employees, and among the Dimension of Benefit to Others based on number of employees.

The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a benefit available to Medicare beneficiaries. This benefit has the potential to address many areas of prevention in one focused visit to the primary care clinic, yet it is currently being provided to only 19% of Medicare beneficiaries. This research attempted to examine the extent to which certified health education specialists (CHES) have provided and perceive themselves to be prepared to provide the preventive health services (PHS) within the AWV, along with seven additional preventive counseling services (PCS). A web-based survey assessed the perceived preparedness of health educators, specifically CHES (N=998), to deliver these PHS. The results of these surveys include the development of a single factor internally consistent scale to measure perceived preparedness for the PHS within the AWV. They reveal health educators were least prepared to assist with end-of-life-planning and conduct a basic hearing test. No association was found for education level and perceived preparedness; however, prior experience did account for a significant amount of the variance in perceived preparedness to provide AWV services. Lastly, when compared to historical data regarding physician’s perceived preparedness to provide PCS, health educators were more prepared to counsel on diet and exercise and less prepared to counsel on six other PCS. These results may aid in the understanding of whether CHES perceive they are prepared to provide (PHS) and demonstrate the experience CHES have with each of these PHS.

The number of buildings seeking LEED certification has been growing steadily over the past few years. In this study, three academic buildings which were designed and built to LEED certification standards were targeted in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Their electricity consumption and cost effectiveness were examined and compared with predesigned LEED efficiency models of those three buildings. This research directly examined cost effectiveness of LEED buildings in terms of electricity usage. Three case studies were completed to find the initial and on-going electricity costs of LEED buildings and to verify the LEED standard results. LEED aspects of these buildings were discussed with contractors, architects, project managers, and building maintenance personnel who participated in LEED projects and non-LEED sustainable projects.

For several decades, the field of nursing has focused on the integration of cultural competence content into its prelicensure educational programs. Despite this focus, little is known about the cultural competence of nurses extending their education past initial licensure into an advanced practice nursing specialty, such as nurse anesthesia. Researchers in other fields have found that provider race and previous cultural competence training are associated with higher levels of cultural competence. This research, guided by the culture care diversity and universality theory, sought to determine the relationship between the two subscales, Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) and the Cultural Competence Behavior (CCB) of the Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA) tool, and describe the relationships that exist between selected demographic variables and the total cultural competence scores for nurse anesthetists. One hundred and fifty-eight members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists participated in the study. The total CCA score for the population was 4.98 out of a potential total score of 7 (SD = .79). Mean scores were 5.64 (SD = .73) and 4.38 (SD = 1.19) for the CAS and CCB subscales, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis confirmed a positive relationship between post graduate diversity training and total CCA score (B = .28, p < .05). Identifying the cultural competence of this population and the characteristics that are associated with high levels of cultural competence could lead to better provider awareness of their own interactions and perceptions of patients and improved patient-centered care for patients in minority populations who are served by certified registered nurse anesthetists, resulting in positive social change.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Options Based on CO2 Emissions: A Comparison with Traditional Options</p><p>Seminar date: 2009-06-17</p><p>Course: Bachelor thesis in business administration, 15 ECTS</p><p>Authors: Gustaf Kristiansson, Martin Nilsson</p><p>Instructor: Bengt Kjellgren</p><p>Key words: Black & Scholes, Certified Emission Reductions, emission markets, European Union Allowances, options, pricing</p><p>Purpose: This study intends to compare traditional options with the CO2 based instruments EUAs and CERs options in the fields of pricing, cap and trade, political influence, economical effects and market function.</p><p>Methodology: A combined research methodology is used in this study, which includes both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. A deductive research approach is brought out over the whole study.</p><p>Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework is based upon previous empirical research concerning the fields in this study. The Black & Scholes formula for option pricing has a central position.</p><p>Empirical foundation: Market data has been used to analyse the field of pricing. Interviews have been conducted with actors on the European emission trading market for a further understanding of cap and trade, political influence, economical effects and market function.</p><p>Conclusions: We have in this research identified that the CO2 based market differs from the financial market when it comes to political decisions and price fluctuation. We have also identified that the CO2 based market is not mature enough for a complete internationalisation.</p> / En formell presentation utfördes ej pga utlandsstudier.

Abstract Title: Options Based on CO2 Emissions: A Comparison with Traditional Options Seminar date: 2009-06-17 Course: Bachelor thesis in business administration, 15 ECTS Authors: Gustaf Kristiansson, Martin Nilsson Instructor: Bengt Kjellgren Key words: Black &amp; Scholes, Certified Emission Reductions, emission markets, European Union Allowances, options, pricing Purpose: This study intends to compare traditional options with the CO2 based instruments EUAs and CERs options in the fields of pricing, cap and trade, political influence, economical effects and market function. Methodology: A combined research methodology is used in this study, which includes both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. A deductive research approach is brought out over the whole study. Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework is based upon previous empirical research concerning the fields in this study. The Black &amp; Scholes formula for option pricing has a central position. Empirical foundation: Market data has been used to analyse the field of pricing. Interviews have been conducted with actors on the European emission trading market for a further understanding of cap and trade, political influence, economical effects and market function. Conclusions: We have in this research identified that the CO2 based market differs from the financial market when it comes to political decisions and price fluctuation. We have also identified that the CO2 based market is not mature enough for a complete internationalisation. / En formell presentation utfördes ej pga utlandsstudier.

An end-to-end guarantee of software correctness by formal verification must consider two sources of bugs. First, the verification tool must be correct. Second, programs are often verified at the source level, before being compiled. Hence, compilers should also be trustworthy. Verifiers and compilers' complexity is increasing. To simplify code analysis and manipulation, these tools rely on intermediate representations (IR) of programs, that provide structural and semantic properties. This thesis gives a formal, semantic account on IRs, so that they can also be leveraged in the formal proof of such tools. We first study a register-based IR of Java bytecode used in compilers and verifiers. We specify the IR generation by a semantic theorem stating what the transformation preserves, e.g. object initialization or exceptions, but also what it modifies and how, e.g. object allocation. We implement this IR in Sawja, a Java static analysis toolbench. Then, we study the Static Single Assignment (SSA) form, an IR widely used in modern compilers and verifiers. We implement and prove in Coq an SSA middle-end for the CompCert C compiler. For the proof of SSA optimizations, we identify a key semantic property of SSA, allowing for equational reasoning. Finally, we study the semantics of concurrent Java IRs. Due to instruction reorderings performed by the compiler and the hardware, the current definition of the Java Memory Model (JMM) is complex, and unfortunately formally flawed. Targetting x86 architectures, we identify a subset of the JMM that is intuitive and tractable in formal proofs. We characterize the reorderings it allows, and factor out a proof common to the IRs of a compiler.

Kentucky reported a solid 13.1% growth in certified organic land from 1997 to 2002. The relative lack of research on disease management practices in Kentucky consistent with organic regulations is an issue that needs to be addressed to provide more reliable information to local farmers. Thus, the first objective of this research was to investigate the potential disease control obtained with natural, organically certifiable spray materials against Colletotrichum orbiculare in vitro and in vivo. The second objective was to test certifiable spray materials in combinations to identify synergistic interactions. The third objective was to evaluate Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI)-certified materials for managing Septoria leaf spot and early blight in tomato under field conditions. The fourth objective was to evaluate chitosan-based products against C. orbiculare in vitro and in vivo. Essential oils, Trilogy®, and Actinovate®, failed to suppress C. orbiculare in vitro as well as cucurbit anthracnose. Bicarbonate salts, Regalia®SC, Sonata®, copper based-products, lime sulfur and water-soluble chitosan showed high antifungal activity in vitro. Bicarbonate salts, Sonata®, Serenade Max®, Soil Gard 12G®, copper based-products and lime sulfur reduced anthracnose disease severity in vivo. In the synergism experiments only a limited number of mixtures showed synergistic interactions, but even in those cases, the effect was not consistent between experiments. The main response obtained was antagonism. In field experiments the most effective fungicides for managing Septoria leaf spot and early blight of tomato were copper-based fungicides. None of the biological-based products (Sonata® and Serenade Max®)), plant-based extracts (Trilogy® and Regalia® SC), chitosan, ammonium bicarbonate nor horticultural lime sulfur provided a significant reduction in disease severity. For the fourth objective, water-soluble chitosan with a molecular weight between 3 to 10 kDa (80 and 85% deacetylated) showed the highest antifungal activity among all chitosan-based products evaluated in vitro. Also, combining the in vitro and in vivo results suggest that the antifungal activity of chitosan-based products is molecular weight- and concentration-dependent. These results provide a significant advance in the evaluation of the efficacy of OMRI-certified materials and natural materials to help organic farmers in Kentucky and the USA to manage diseases.