1999 ABSTRACTS

A Correlative Study: Learning and Thinking Styles and Their Influence on Academic Success
P.O. Box 475, Old Mystic, CT 06372
Fishers Island School, Fishers Island, NY, USA

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if high school students categorized as having a specific learning and thinking style could be correlated to academic success as defined by Honor Roll status. I hypothesized that students on the Honor Roll could not be categorized as having a dominant learning style, as research indicates that strong dominance creates an incapacity to learn. However, I presumed that academically successful students would show dominance in the analyst thinking style. I designed and administered a survey to approximately 150 students as a random optional examination. Many of the students were found to have dominance in more than one learning and/or thinking style. My results indicated that students with a visual or analyst dominance may reach a higher educational outcome, but are inconclusive as this cannot be fully proven without further testing. Pearson's Chi-Square test was used to compare observed and expected frequencies by showing theoretical frequency distribution of students with dominance in learning and thinking styles. The significance of these statistics was found to be minimal as discussed in the research paper. I was unable to disprove my null hypothesis, showing that students falling into a specific category should not have an advantage over others. This may possibly reflect the multitude of learning and thinking styles students are exposed to, creating a necessity to develop prevalent skills in more than one style.
 

JAMES W. LAWLER

The Dynamics of Energy Transformation at the Molecular Interface
Lawler, James
4 Burying Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06830
Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT USA

Energy transformations which occur during exothermic reactions between gases are difficult to quantify and analyze. This is because the energy involved in these reactions is not concentrated in an easily measurable number of pimgicles or homogeneous static systems, but is distributed instead over wide ranges in the physical properties of the reacting molecules. The purposes of this research were to (1) study the thermal evolution of gas systems involved in exothermic reactions, and (2) to develop a mathematical framework to describe this evolution from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.

A reaction chamber constructed using Plexiglas^TM tubing, a plastic ball valve, and six 10KW thermistors was used to study four dual gas reactions:

The temperature data recorded during these reactions was used to develop a mathematical framework based entirely on interactions between gaseous pimgicles which explains how gaseous systems in non-equilibrium evolve over time. The reacting system was theoretically divided into subgroups of pimgicles, organized by the magnitude of their velocities into a ''system matrix''. Other matrix operators were then defined to express collisions between pimgicles, probabilities of collisions, and the role of activation energy to predict the temporal evolution of these subgroups as the reaction progressed. The mathematics developed succeeded in predicting the general thermal behavior of the dual gas reactions under a variety of experimental conditions, and was also effective in obtaining theoretical results concerning systems in equilibrium traditionally derived from thermodynamics. (e.g., the Boltzmann distribution).
 

ROWENA MITTAL

Controlling Cancer: Is Antigen Ki-67 Associated with Proliferation in Pork, Fish, and Plant Cells?
133 Hillcrest Park Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807
Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT USA

Uncontrolled cell division, relating to cancer, exists in both animals and plants. Antigen Ki-67 is associated with proliferation in human cells, yet the function of this protein is unknown. Controlling the gene of Ki-67 could help stop the growth of cancer cells if it was required for cell division. If antigen Ki-67 was required in cell proliferation, it will be associated with animal and plant cell proliferation. The purpose of this research was to see if antigen Ki-67 is associated with proliferation in animal and plant cells.

The procedure of immunostaining is used to locate antigen Ki-67 in human cells. In this research, mouse monoclonal antibody (MIB-1) was used to immunostain carrot callus, bean sprout roots, and fish and pig intestines for the presence of antigen Ki-67. These pimgs of the organisms were chosen because they contain proliferating cells. The immunostaining procedure consisted of applying MIB-1, secondary antibody, Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase complex, and examining the final slides.

The findings of this research show Ki-67 association with carrot callus cells and slight association with bean sprout root cells, but no association with pork or fish intestinal cells.

Carrot callus cells are similar to human tumor cells because they are a mass of unorganized, abnormal, rapidly dividing cells. Perhaps the carrot callus cells were positive for Ki-67 because they may have had a greater quantity of this antigen present than the pork and fish intestinal cells. The animal cells I examined could have been dividing at a lower rate or have possessed a lower quantity of Ki-67 in the dividing cells.

ROBERT J. PROVERB, JR.

EFFECT OF POLYMER ARCHITECTURE ON RECYLED PAPER STRENGTH
Zero Thaddeus Ave, Danbury CT 06811
Danbury High School, Danbury CT USA

Recycled newsprint is a common source of fiber in the recycled paper industry. Because of mechanical stress and chemical degradation, recycled fiber has lower strength properties than virgin fiber. One way to increase strength in virgin fiber is through the addition of polymers to the paper pulp during the papermaking process. In this study, I prepared a series of related polymers to test what the effect of the sequentially differing architecture of these polymers could have on the development of dry strength properties of recycled newsprint paper. The successively differing polymers were prepared in the crosslinking reaction between a cationic polyacrylamide polymer and glyoxal. Samples were removed at different time periods during the course of the crosslinking reaction. The longer the reaction time, the more crosslinking occurs. This leads to differing architecture in the various withdrawn samples. Recycled newsprint pulp was treated with the polymers and handsheets were prepared and tested for tensile strength and internal bond strength. The testing results showed that the polymer's architecture plays a key role in strength development. The degree of crosslinking is important as strength development parallels the complexity of the polymer. These results suggest that polymers can be prepared that are optimized for the development of dry strength properties in recycled paper. This approach will lead to a more cost-effective paper manufacturing process as well as chemical usage that will have a minimized impact on the environment, benefiting the community and consumer as well as the chemical and paper industries.