Autumn Adventures

Postcard from Ariana Lipkind, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at the Austro-American Institute of Education in Vienna, Austri

Person to Person in Austria

While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Ariana Lipkind describes her observations during her study abroad program at Austro-American Institute of Education in Vienna, Austria

High-throughput data analysis in behavior genetics

In recent years, a growing need has arisen in different fields for the development of computational systems for automated analysis of large amounts of data (high-throughput). Dealing with nonstandard noise structure and outliers, that could have been detected and corrected in manual analysis, must now be built into the system with the aid of robust methods. We discuss such problems and present insights and solutions in the context of behavior genetics, where data consists of a time series of locations of a mouse in a circular arena. In order to estimate the location, velocity and acceleration of the mouse, and identify stops, we use a nonstandard mix of robust and resistant methods: LOWESS and repeated running median. In addition, we argue that protection against small deviations from experimental protocols can be handled automatically using statistical methods. In our case, it is of biological interest to measure a rodent's distance from the arena's wall, but this measure is corrupted if the arena is not a perfect circle, as required in the protocol. The problem is addressed by estimating robustly the actual boundary of the arena and its center using a nonparametric regression quantile of the behavioral data, with the aid of a fast algorithm developed for that purpose.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-AOAS304 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Study of the Vaporization Enthalpies by Correlation-Gas Chromatography

The focus of this thesis is on the measurement and collection of thermodynamic and physical property data, including vaporization, fusion, and sublimation enthalpies and vapor pressures of large n-alkanes, nitrogen heterocycles and related compounds by a technique developed in our laboratory referred to as correlation-gas chromatography (C-GC). These thermodynamic data are of importance to several disciplines that include chemical engineering, as well as the pharmaceutical and the petrochemical industries. Vapor pressures of large hydrocarbons are fundamental data required in the petroleum industry to develop thermodynamic models for dealing with crude oil. Environmental chemists and engineers use vapor pressures and vaporization enthalpies to model the dispersal of spills in the environment, such as the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and to design chemical reactors. Alkanes are important components of petroleum. In the present work we have evaluated the vaporization enthalpies and vapor pressures of large n-alkanes with carbon chains up to 92 carbons by C-GC. These are the largest hydrocarbons ever evaluated with vaporization enthalpies that exceed the carbon-carbon bond strength and are good models for crude oil. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important group of environmental contaminants that are produced by a variety of incomplete combustion processes. Polyaromatic nitrogen heterocycles (PANH’s) are their heterocyclic relatives that are also found environmentally in heavy petroleum. This study has also focused on the evaluation of the vaporization enthalpies and vapor pressures of PANH’s, most of which have not been previously reported. Finally, a study of aromatic diazines and diazoles (six- and five-membered heterocycles containing two nitrogen atoms, respectively), and related compounds has uncovered an interesting intermolecular interaction previously suspected but never measured. Our work has been able to assign a numerical value to this interaction. Since many biological molecules have similar structures, these interactions may be responsible for molecular association and signaling that occurs in such systems. The combination of planarity, polarity and extensive conjugation are common to all systems that appear to exhibit a higher degree of self-association

The Illnesses and The Oddities

THE ILLNESSES AND THE ODDITIES is a linked memoir covering two decades the author worked as an Emergency Room physician before her unexpected retirement. Included are glimpses into the formation of the author’s initial career as well as her prospective career. Working in an overwhelmed system impacts the treatment of patients and staff morale. Like Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the ER can be a war zone, causing moral injury to those who deal with endless illnesses and odd events. Memories of youthful experiences are recalled as the author encounters difficult situations, as in The Crystal Palace by Jeannette Wall. Readers are offered new perspectives on the inner workings of a busy ER, its patients and staff, and insights into challenges encountered transitioning to a different vocation

TEACHER, LEADERSHIP, AND CURRICULUM FACTORS PREDICTIVE OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL

This study examines the teacher, leader, and curriculum variables predictive of student achievement in Indian Education for All (IEFA). IEFA, a Montana educational mandate based on Montana constitutional law, was first funded in 2005, and little research had previously been conducted on the effectiveness of implementation efforts. While compulsory, implementation had been piecemeal and wrought with misunderstanding, differences in opinion, prejudice, and questions about its legitimacy. The challenges inherent in the implementation of an ambiguous educational reform with no state-adopted curriculum or benchmarks for student achievement have become evident. With the dearth of research, it was not known how well students were learning what was mandated, nor was it known which precise variables impact or measure this learning. To determine this, second through fifth grade elementary school teachers and school leaders located in Missoula County completed a survey questionnaire, and Missoula County fifth grade students completed a student assessment based on the Essential Understandings of Montana Indians and the Montana Standards for Social Studies. Descriptive data provided information on mean fifth grade student IEFA scores, teacher and leader demographics, professional development participation, and implementation needs, and frequency of use of materials provided to all schools by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if relationships exist between the predictor variables (teacher, leader, and curriculum variables) and the outcome variable (student achievement). However, none of the independent variables was found to have significant predictive value. Educators, including the Montana Office of Public Instruction, may use these findings to determine strategies that might most successfully impact IEFA implementation and to direct the course of further research