Linfield College: Study Abroad in Austria

This letter from returnee Helena Frueh explains the value of studying abroad in Austria

“Here I Come to Save the Day!” Does Parental Mediation Moderate Associations between Superhero Exposure and Behavior in Young Boys?

Studies have shown that superheroes are very popular among preschool boys, but research on the effect of exposure to superhero media and toys is limited. Superheroes frequently use aggression to defend others, and certain characteristics of superheroes encourage wishful identification among boys. However, it is unknown whether superhero exposure and identification is associated with aggression, prosocial behaviors, or behaviors with the purpose of defending others. Parental active mediation of media (i.e discussions of media content) can reduce the negative effects of aggressive content by modifying children’s perceptions of aggression. This study aimed to examine the associations between superhero exposure/identification and aggressive, prosocial, and defending behavior in preschool boys and to examine whether parental active mediation of television content moderates these associations. Sixty-four parents of preschool boys (mean age = 60.6 months) completed measures of their child’s superhero identification/exposure, their own active mediation, and their child’s aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Results revealed that superhero exposure and identification was associated with decreased prosocial behavior and increased verbal aggression. These associations were not moderated by active parental mediation. Additionally, low levels of parental mediation, combined with high levels of superhero identification/exposure were positively correlated with aggressive defending behaviors. Future research should examine gender and age differences in the associations between superhero exposure and behavior. Additionally, questions remain about the differential effects of discussing media content with preschoolers, as this form of mediation may be less effective for certain types of programs during the preschool years. Additional keywords: early childhoo

Kikimasu (Listen)

Why do we create art? It is a profound question, and not one I ever intended to explore in the creation of my thesis film. However, coming to a better understanding of what the answer is for me was perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned from the entire project. Kikimasu was not a film that followed a linear progression from start to finish. In many ways, its conception was every bit as amorphous as the shifting void in the film. It began as a vastly larger project in scope, with primarily commercial goals in mind. But it ended as something smaller, more abstract, and deeply personal. It was not until the film was finished and screened that I was really able to appreciate the significance of that transformation. I came to realize that a younger artist with one set of goals started this project, but a very different artist finished it

Pesticides, Preemption, and the Return of Tort Protection

In Bates v. Dow Agrosciences LLC, the US. Supreme Court took a narrow view of the preemptive effect of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Lower courts had previously read FIFRA to preempt virtually all state tort liability for inadequate labeling and failure to warn. As a result, pesticide manufacturers enjoyed years of virtually no liability for the injuries caused by their products. This Comment supports the holding of Bates. Unlike an earlier labeling statute for cigarettes, FIFRA confronted a heterogeneous and dynamic product market. In such a market, a decentralized state tort regime provides the best regulatory structure. The prophylactic effect of federal preemption in such areas results in grievous externalities that outweigh the social costs of litigation. Hence, the policy rationales underlying the Bates decision counsel careful consideration when using federal preemption as a general method of tort reform

Automated 3D model generation for urban environments [online]

Abstract In this thesis, we present a fast approach to automated generation of textured 3D city models with both high details at ground level and complete coverage for birds-eye view. A ground-based facade model is acquired by driving a vehicle equipped with two 2D laser scanners and a digital camera under normal traffic conditions on public roads. One scanner is mounted horizontally and is used to determine the approximate component of relative motion along the movement of the acquisition vehicle via scan matching; the obtained relative motion estimates are concatenated to form an initial path. Assuming that features such as buildings are visible from both ground-based and airborne view, this initial path is globally corrected by Monte-Carlo Localization techniques using an aerial photograph or a Digital Surface Model as a global map. The second scanner is mounted vertically and is used to capture the 3D shape of the building facades. Applying a series of automated processing steps, a texture-mapped 3D facade model is reconstructed from the vertical laser scans and the camera images. In order to obtain an airborne model containing the roof and terrain shape complementary to the facade model, a Digital Surface Model is created from airborne laser scans, then triangulated, and finally texturemapped with aerial imagery. Finally, the facade model and the airborne model are fused to one single model usable for both walk- and fly-thrus. The developed algorithms are evaluated on a large data set acquired in downtown Berkeley, and the results are shown and discussed

Enabling Social Virtual Reality Experiences Using Pass-Through Video

Appropriately segmented portions from a video stream are captured by an outward-facing camera mounted on a virtual reality (VR) device and inserted into a VR environment. The outward-facing camera can be the onboard camera on the VR device or it can be a separate camera mounted on the VR device. Because the camera view from the point of view of the VR user is similar to a full three-dimensional (3D) model of the user’s environment, rendered from the user’s location, the video stream can be inserted directly into the VR environment by segmenting out the relevant pixels and placing them into the VR environment as a 3D object. In this way, a high-quality VR experience, including desired aspects of the user’s physical and social environment, can be provided in most settings without expensive 3D modeling or avatar generation

The Integration of Music Education Strategies Into the Regular First Grade Elementary Classroom

A handbook of activities for teaching music in an elementary first grade classroom was developed for use by first grade regular classroom teachers. A review of current educational research implicates music as being a valued discipline in early educational development of children. A number of public schools do not have a music specialist. If music education is to be part of the school\u27s curriculum, it will have to be taught by the regular classroom teacher. Using the National Standards for Music Education and this handbook as a guide, teachers can address the nine music education fundamentals. Integration and assessment strategies are also included

Development and Characterization of Inorganic Materials with Energy Sector Applications

Four classes of materials with energy sector applications have been developed or characterized herein. Processing requirements that lead to a toughened carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite with a compliant and oxidation resistance boron nitride interface coating were developed. Preliminary experiments resulted in highly brittle composites when BN was applied by CVD to as-received fiber. This led to a requirement of heat treating the carbon fiber to favorably modify the fiber surface prior to BN deposition. The compound ammonia borane was investigated as a potential chemical hydrogen storage material for hydrogen fuel cell applications. Two known thermal decomposition steps which yield hydrogen gas, borazine impurities, and residual B-N inorganic polymers were corroborated by several techniques. A high temperature decomposition step leading to boron nitride, and an unreported gaseous impurity from the two known decomposition steps were identified. The reactivity of a γ-alumina supported, fcc cobalt (Co/Al2O3) catalyst was evaluated in a CO2/H2 feedstock for activity towards CO, methane, C2+ hydrocarbons and methanol. Comparable methane selectivites were obtained at low and high pressures. At low pressures the balance was composed mostly of CO while at high pressures the balance was composed mostly of C2+ hydrocarbons. This suggest CO2* is preferentially hydrogenated at higher pressures instead of dissociating to CO* and O*. The evolution of the catalyst composition and structure during fabrication was tracked by a several techniques. The acid/base character of CO2(g) specifically towards exterior framework surfaces (to the exclusion of tunnel sites) on the manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve OMS-2, was measured using synchrotron based soft X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition to fundamental interest, the adsorption of CO2 on OMS-2 has direct relevance to several energy sector applications. CO2 is often considered to be a Lewis acid probe for surface basicity, but may also exhibit basic character towards acidic surface sites. Measurements of surface acidity and basicity aid in the determination of how these properties dictate the activity and selectivity of a heterogenous catalyst towards any given reaction