Self-assessed intelligence, personality, and psychometric intelligence: preliminary validation of a model with a selected student population

In the current study, self-assessed intelligence (SAI) is presented as a multidimensionalconstruct related both to personality and to psychometric intelligence. Onthe basis of data obtained from a Russian student sample (N = 496), the authorsvalidate a structural model in which SAI acts as a mediating variable between latentvariables of measured IQ and the trait of acceptance of uncertainty. Evidencefor signifi cant gender diff erences in SAI in favor of men is also given

The New Normal: The Resurgence of Activist Investing Since the End of the Financial Crisis

ince 2010 there has been an incredible inflow of capital to hedge funds that focus specifically on activist investing. The aggressive and often hostile actions of activist funds have created negative publicity and an increased focus on the shortened holding period of these investors. But are activists a blessing or a curse? This report, produced by the M&A Research Centre (MARC) at Cass Business School provides an insight into the short- and long-term performance effects of activist campaigns in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom since the financial crisis. This report should not be considered as a guide for activist investors on what tactics to use or a guide for company executives on what they should be prepared for. It rather highlights important patterns in the outcomes of shareholder activism in the United States, Germany, and United Kingdom since the beginning of 2010, when the economies of these countries were emerging from the depths of the financial crisis. Activism tends to be concentrated largely in the United States, but the expectations for further expansion into Europe make it important to understand its existing environment and what activist methods have had success in the region. As equity markets reach new heights in Europe, there will be new opportunities for activist investors

Formation of Optical Low-dimensional Structures for Photonic Elements

In the present article, the formation of low-dimensional periodic structures with relief repeating the trajectory of movement of an AFM probe were presented. The parameters affecting their geometric dimensions: height, width, uniformity in the layer, etc., were investigated. The method of induced deposition of silver and/or gold clusters on the surface of a Bragg mirror in the presence of an external electric field was developed. The possibility of using such structures in optical elements, photoelectronic converters, optoelectronic devices of fiber optics, as well as the construction of photonic crystals (elements) based on the periodic structures is discussed.     Keywords: nanostructures, the atomic force microscope (AFM), the probe lithograph

Century-long Dynamics of Meadow Steppes in the Privolzhskaya Uplands

Information on the structure and dynamics of the zonal Central Russian meadow steppes is presented in terms of the example of the Privolzhskaya forest-steppe state nature reserve (Penza region, Russia). The cenotic diversity of the herbaceous vegetation of the reserve is represented by 91 associations, of which 48 referto steppes and 43 to steppe meadows. It has been revealed that the vegetation of the studied placer sites under the influence of an absolutely reserved regime undergoes mesophyticization and silvatization, which are more intensively manifested in the forest-steppe landscapes of the secondary moraine plains (areas of thePoperechenskaya steppe and Ostrovtsovskaya forest-steppe reserve) than in the eroded denudational plains of forest-steppe landscapes (areas of the Kuncherovskaya steppe and Ostrovtsovskaya forest-steppe reserves). The study of the dynamics of zonal meadow steppes in the Volga Uplands testifies to the inevitability of theirtransformation in modern climatic conditions into meadow, shrubby and even forest communities. Keywords: forest-steppe, meadow steppes, structure, dynamics, succession, reserve, geobotanical mapping, protection of steppe vegetatio

Social guarantees of the status of disabled in constitutional texts of the CIS countries

In the article, based on the analysis of constitutional texts of CIS countries to reflect the social guarantees of persons with disabilities in them, the socially-guaranteeing and social-status models of such consolidation are identifie