Factors Affecting Retention of Transfer Students at Linfield College

Building on the work of Tyler (2011), this paper analyzes the factors that affect the decision by transfer students at Linfield College to return for a second year. Data was obtained for transfer students from the Department of Institutional Research at Linfield College from 2009 to 2013. We estimate the logit probabilities of retention likelihood as a function of academic ability, net price, curricular engagement, extra-curricular engagement, choice of major and demographic characteristics. We find that academic ability, curricular engagement, institutional commitment, and choice of major variables may be significant factors in the retention of transfer students at Linfield College. The estimated effects and the resulting conclusions must be interpreted cautiously due to our small sample size. However, a discussion of the results shows that Linfield may be able to improve retention of transfer students through increased curricular engagement and greater departmental awareness

Efficient high-resolution TMS mapping of the human motor cortex by nonlinear regression

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a powerful tool to investigate causal structure-function relationships in the human brain. However, a precise delineation of the effectively stimulated neuronal populations is notoriously impeded by the widespread and complex distribution of the induced electric field. Here, we propose a method that allows rapid and feasible cortical localization at the individual subject level. The functional relationship between electric field and behavioral effect is quantified by combining experimental data with numerically modelled fields to identify the cortical origin of the modulated effect. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from three finger muscles were recorded for a set of random stimulations around the primary motor area. All induced electric fields were nonlinearly regressed against the elicited MEPs to identify their cortical origin. We could distinguish cortical muscle representation with high spatial resolution and localized them primarily on the crowns and rims of the precentral gyrus. A post-hoc analysis revealed exponential convergence of the method with the number of stimulations, yielding a minimum of about 180 random stimulations to obtain stable results. Establishing a functional link between the modulated effect and the underlying mode of action, the induced electric field, is a fundamental step to fully exploit the potential of TMS. In contrast to previous approaches, the presented protocol is particularly easy to implement, fast to apply, and very robust due to the random coil positioning and therefore is suitable for practical and clinical applications

Renormalized spin coefficients in the accumulated orbital phase for unequal mass black hole binaries

We analyze galactic black hole mergers and their emitted gravitational waves. Such mergers have typically unequal masses with mass ratio of the order 1/10. The emitted gravitational waves carry the inprint of spins and mass quadrupoles of the binary components. Among these contributions, we consider here the quasi-precessional evolution of the spins. A method of taking into account these third post-Newtonian (3PN) effects by renormalizing (redefining) the 1.5 PN and 2PN accurate spin contributions to the accumulated orbital phase is developed.Comment: 10 pages, to appear in Class. Quantum Grav. GWDAW13 Proceedings Special Issue, v2: no typos conjectur

FIRST `Winged' and `X'-shaped Radio Source Candidates

A small number of double-lobed radio galaxies (17 from our own census of the literature) show an additional pair of low surface brightness `wings', thus forming an overall `X'-shaped appearance. The origin of the wings in these radio sources is unclear. They may be the result of back-flowing plasma from the currently active radio lobes into an asymmetric medium surrounding the active nucleus, which would make these ideal systems in which to study thermal/non-thermal plasma interactions in extragalactic radio sources. Another possibility is that the wings are the aging radio lobes left over after a (rapid) realignment of the central supermassive black-hole/accretion disk system due perhaps to a merger. Generally, these models are not well tested; with the small number of known examples, previous works focused on detailed case studies of selected sources with little attempt at a systematic study of a large sample. Using the VLA-FIRST survey database, we are compiling a large sample of winged and X-shaped radio sources for such studies. As a first step toward this goal, an initial sample of 100 new candidate objects of this type are presented in this paper. ...[abridged]Comment: (all comments same as v2 except updated external link) AJ, accepted. 36 pgs. Added low resolution figures but table 2 still incomplete. Otherwise, unchanged from previous astro-ph version. For complete version and table 2: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~teddy/Preprints/xshaped.pdf.g

A new analysis of the nucleus of NGC 1068 with MIDI observations

We present a new analysis of the very first mid-infrared N-band long-baseline interferometric observations of an extragalactic source: the nucleus of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, obtained with MIDI (Mid-InfrareD Interferometer), the mid-infrared beamcombiner at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The resolution of 10 mas allows to study the compact central core of the galaxy between 8 and 13 microns. Both visibility measurements and MIDI spectrum are well reproduced with a simple radiative transfer model with two concentric spherical components. The derived angular sizes and temperatures are about 35 and 83 mas, and 361 K and 226 K for these two components respectively. Some other evidences strongly support such low temperatures. This modeling also provides the variation of optical depth as a function of wavelength for the extended component across the N-band pointing towards the presence of amorphous silicate grains. This shows that MIDI actually carried out the first direct observations of the distribution of dust around the central engine. Together with other observational pieces, we are able to move a step forward in the reconstruction of the picture drawn for AGNs.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figure

Mentoring programs for medical students - a review of the PubMed literature 2000 - 2008

Abstract Background Although mentoring is acknowledged as a key to successful and satisfying careers in medicine, formal mentoring programs for medical students are lacking in most countries. Within the framework of planning a mentoring program for medical students at Zurich University, an investigation was carried out into what types of programs exist, what the objectives pursued by such programs are, and what effects are reported. Methods A PubMed literature search was conducted for 2000 - 2008 using the following keywords or their combinations: mentoring, mentoring program, medical student, mentor, mentee, protégé, mentorship. Although a total of 438 publications were identified, only 25 papers met the selection criteria for structured programs and student mentoring surveys. Results The mentoring programs reported in 14 papers aim to provide career counseling, develop professionalism, increase students' interest in research, and support them in their personal growth. There are both one-to-one and group mentorships, established in the first two years of medical school and continuing through graduation. The personal student-faculty relationship is important in that it helps students to feel that they are benefiting from individual advice and encourages them to give more thought to their career choices. Other benefits are an increase in research productivity and improved medical school performance in general. Mentored students also rate their overall well-being as higher. - The 11 surveys address the requirements for being an effective mentor as well as a successful mentee. A mentor should empower and encourage the mentee, be a role model, build a professional network, and assist in the mentee's personal development. A mentee should set agendas, follow through, accept criticism, and be able to assess performance and the benefits derived from the mentoring relationship. Conclusion Mentoring is obviously an important career advancement tool for medical students. In Europe, more mentoring programs should be developed, but would need to be rigorously assessed based on evidence of their value in terms of both their impact on the career paths of juniors and their benefit for the mentors. Medical schools could then be monitored with respect to the provision of mentorships as a quality characteristic.</p