closer closer

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College

A Closer Look at Relational Aggression

This research examines relational aggression and its increasing prominence in our culture today, specifically with school-aged children. Relational aggression, behaviors that inflict harm through manipulating, damaging, or controlling of relationships, has been proven to be an issue, but it is not easily recognized. Research has found a majority of schools do not mention relational aggression in their bullying contracts. Rather, schools focus on physical aggression, which leads to uneducated students and adults on the issue examined. This research discusses the definition, affects, causes, and needed preventions of relational aggression. Studies found that many aspects of an individual’s life work together to create relationally aggressive tendencies. This research looks at those aspects closely in attempts to educate and implement prevention plans for school-aged children

Ever Closer Union or Babylonian Discord?

Extensive multilingualism is one of the most important and fundamental principles of the European Union. However, a large number of official languages (currently 23) hinders communication and imposes substantial financial and legal costs. We address the merits of multilingualism and formulate an analytical framework to determine the optimal number of official languages in the EU. Using the results of a 2005 Eurobarometer survey of languages in the EU 27, we first derive the sets of languages that minimize aggregate linguistic disenfranchisement of the Unionís citizens for any given number of languages. We then proceed by discussing the political-economy framework and feasibility of a potential linguistic reform in the EU under alternative voting rules. We argue that a six-language regime would be a reasonable intermediate choice: a lower number of official languages results in excessive linguistic disenfranchisement whereas adding further languages increases the costs but brings only limited benefits. We also show that even though a linguistic reform reducing the number of official languages to six is unlikely to gain sufficient support at the present, this may change in the future since young people are more proficient at speaking foreign languages.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64410/1/wp887.pd

A Closer Look at Jamnitzer's Polyhedra

The Renaissance artist Wentzel Jamnitzer designed series of intriguing polyhedra in perspective in his book “Perspectiva Corporum Regularium”. In this paper we investigate the possible principles of the construction of the polyhedra and create 3D computer models of them. Comparing those to the originals, we get an idea of how successful he was in drawing the complex structures by imagination. Furthermore, we analyse Jamnitzer's use of linear perspective, an important key in creating such drawings

Closer towards inflation in string theory

In brane inflation, the relative brane position in the bulk of a brane world is the inflaton. For branes moving in a compact manifold, the approximate translational (or shift) symmetry is necessary to suppress the inflaton mass, which then allows a slow-roll phase for enough inflation. Following recent works, we discuss how inflation may be achieved in superstring theory. Imposing the shift symmetry, we obtain the condition on the superpotential needed for inflation and suggest how this condition may be naturally satisfied.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure. Two references and few comments adde

Editorial: Responsibilities of Scientists--A Closer Look

From a reading of today\u27s lay and scientific press, one must conclude that scientists are most important people. And, indeed, the signs of their beneficence are on every hand--rapid travel, instant communication, globe-encircling rockets, moon probes, food surpluses, longer life spans, and all manner of creature comforts which by now are taken for granted. Verily, ours is the age of scientific marvels and we are in the debt of those who have made it possible

A closer look at creativity as search

Publisher PD

Closer Australia-Canada defence cooperation?

This is the third and final paper in a series commissioned for a project that ASPI has been jointly running with Canada’s Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). The project explores the rationale for and possible mechanisms of closer Australia–Canada defence and security cooperation in the Asia–Pacific. The paper is authored by John Blaxland. This paper examines the prospect and utility of closer defence cooperation for both Canada and Australia. It reflects on commonalities and like-mindedness, particularly as they concern regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Forward-looking measures are presented for Canadian and Australian defence policymakers to capitalise on each other’s strengthsand similarities. A visionary understanding of the two countries’ shared heritage and common interests is called for, but Canada has to demonstrate how serious it is about engagement in the region. Closer bilateral engagement should be considered in three areas: bolstering regional engagement, cost-saving measures and enhancing engagement with great powers

A Closer Look at the Elementary Fermions

Although there have been many experimental and theoretical efforts to measure and interpret small deviations from the standard model of particle physics, the gap that the model leaves in understanding why there are only three generations of elementary fermions, with hierarchical masses, has not received the attention it deserves. I present here an attempt to fill this gap. Although our findings are mostly only qualitative, they nevertheless may be of heuristic value. Rules concerning the elementary fermions, some previously known and some new, lead to a number of conclusions and questions that seem worth pursuing. Some clarify the standard model, and others suggest possible modifications, the implications of which are discussed.Comment: 8 page