A multichannel fiber optic photometer present performance and future developments

A three channel photometer for simultaneous multicolor observations was designed with the aim of making possible highly efficient photometry of fast variable objects like cataclysmic variables. Experiences with this instrument over a period of three years are presented. Aspects of the special techniques applied are discussed with respect to high precision photometry. In particular, the use of fiber optics is critically analyzed. Finally, the development of a new photometer concept is discussed

Ruling with Rules: Electoral Institutions and Authoritarian Resilience in the Middle East

What explains the resilience of authoritarian regimes in the face of regular competitive elections that ostensibly should promote democratic transitions? This dissertation examines both why and how parliamentary elections in Jordan and Morocco have served to reinforce these two Arab monarchies. In doing so, it develops a framework in which the degree of cohesion among incumbent and opposition elites shape electoral system design and, in turn, particular electoral rules structure mass political attitudes and elite configurations. The main argument is that lower electoral thresholds generate unique electoral environments in which patronage politics thrive and opposition-based politics falter, thus producing a decidedly uneven playing field. In the end, this study examines four additional case studies from the Arab world in order to construct a typological theory about the conditions under which elections reinforce or undermine regime stability and then discusses the policy implications for democracy assistance programs. This project is grounded within the classic and contemporary literature on the role of elites in democratic transitions, the design and functioning of electoral systems and the relationship between elections and authoritarianism. The research design is based on a comparison of most similar cases and utilizes a mixed method approach that draws from qualitative and quantitative data. The empirical analysis, which focuses on the 2007 parliamentary elections in Jordan and Morocco, is derived from intensive fieldwork in both countries

Parenting and empathy in preschool children : the role of warmth and support

Parenting is important to a child’s development of empathy. Specifically, parental warmth provides children with emotional connection and a model to learn how to manage their emotions and respond to others’ emotions. Yet warmth is just one dimension of parenting. Supportiveness may also be important but has not yet been studied together with warmth in the development of empathy. The current study consists of 192 preschool aged children from two geographic regions of Oregon. Teacher and parent perspective on child empathy was measured using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Warm and supportive parenting behaviors were measured by parent-report on the Multidimensional Analysis of Parenting Styles (MAPS). Results showed that warm and supportive parenting practices were only associated with children’s empathy at a trend-level, when accounting for annual household income and child disability, and only for parent-rated, but not teach-rated empathy. Future research should take into consideration adverse childhood experiences in conjunction with both warmth and supportiveness along with using a larger sample and a stronger reliability in the measures of parenting.Keywords: warmth, supportiveness, empath

Bp Andrzej Franciszek Dziuba, Morenita z Guadalupe, Wydawnictwo Ojców Franciszkanów, Niepokalanów 2019, ss. 252, ISBN 978-83-7766-188-8

Książka bp. Andrzej F. Dziuby tchnie nie tylko szeroką wiedzą, ale także dużą pasją. Świadczy to wyraźnie o szerokich zainteresowaniach autora, zwłaszcza wokół problematyki latynoskiej zarówno prekolumbijskiej, jak i już z czasów chrześcijańskich. Zdaje się bowiem, że Matka Boża z Guadalupe jest jednym z podstawowych współczesnych jej elementów. Zresztą jest to wzajemne przenikanie się i zrozumienie