Coalition preferences in multiparty systems

"Coalition preferences in multiparty systems have received increasing attention in recent years, both as an additional political identity beyond parties and as another explanatory factor for vote decisions above and beyond party preferences. In this paper, we use survey data from the 2006 Austrian election to investigate the accessibility of party and coalition preferences and the extent to which coalition preferences can be explained by party preferences and other affective and cognitive factors such as candidates, ideology, and issue positions. The evidence suggests that questions about coalitions are associated with longer response times than similar questions about party preferences, that is, respondents must make more of a cognitive effort to form and/or retrieve them. Finally, coalition preferences are only partially predicted by party preferences and candidate evaluations, while policy preferences are mostly unrelated. Coalition preferences emerge as a fairly independent factor in multiparty systems." (author's abstract

Training effects on teachers\u27 feedback practice. The mediating function of feedback knowledge and the moderating role of self-efficacy

Formative assessment has been identi?ed as a promising intervention to support students\u27 learning. How to successfully implement this means of assessment, however, is still an open issue. This study contributes to the implementation of formative assessment by analyzing the impact of a training measure on teachers\u27 formative feedback practice, with a special focus on mediating and moderating variables. Research questions are as follows: (1) Is there an indirect training effect on teachers\u27 instructional feedback practice via (a) teachers\u27 declarative feedback knowledge and (b) the ability to generate feedback in a test situation? (2) Is this indirect effect moderated by teachers\u27 self-efficacy? A total of 67 secondary education mathematics teachers participated in the study, taking part in professional development either on formative assessment and feedback (PD-FA) or on mathematical modelling and problem solving (PD-PM). Training was provided in two sessions (T1 and T2; each lasting 3 days) with 10 weeks in between T1 and T2. Teachers\u27 self-efficacy regarding feedback was measured before T1 with a questionnaire. Declarative feedback knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge were tested after T2. Teachers\u27 instructional feedback practice was assessed with a student questionnaire (before T1 and 4-6 weeks after T2). Path analyses show that (1) there is no indirect training effect (PD-FA vs. PD-PM) on the development of teachers\u27 feedback practices in mathematics instruction; but an indirect effect on the ability to generate feedback in a test situation via teachers\u27 declarative feedback knowledge. Teachers participating in PD-FA show a higher level of declarative feedback knowledge than teachers in the PD-PM condition. Declarative feedback knowledge in turn is positively related to the ability to generate feedback in a test situation. (2) This indirect effect is moderated by teachers\u27 self-efficacy. Teachers with a high level of self-efficacy are better able to use their knowledge to generate feedback in a test situation than teachers with a low level of self-efficacy. (DIPF/Orig.

Лазерное инициирование порошков тэна в условиях объемного сжатия

Определены энергетические пороги инициирования и исследована кинетика процесса взрывного разложения порошков тетранитрата пентаэритрита, объемносжатых до давления 5·108Н/м2, при воздействии импульсом лазерного излучения на длинах волн 1064 нм (область прозрачности) и 266 нм (область собственного поглощения). Реализованы условия низкопорогового инициирования для порошков чистого тэна первой, второй и четвертой гармониках излучения неодимового лазера

Structure and properties of porous ceramics obtained from aluminum hydroxide

In this paper the study of porous ceramics obtained from aluminum hydroxide with gibbsite modification is presented. The dependence of porosity and mechanical characteristics of the material sintered at different temperatures was studied. It was shown that compressive strength of alumina ceramics increases by 40 times with decreasing the pore volume from 65 to 15%. It was shown that aluminum hydroxide may be used for pore formation and pore volume in the sintered ceramics can be controlled by varying the aluminum hydroxide concentration and sintering temperature. Based on these results one can conclude that the obtained structure is very close to inorganic bone matrix and can be used as promising material for bone implants production

Pressure and Temperature Effect on Hydrogen Sorption of Carbon Material

The paper presents the experimental results of saturation of the carbon material containing nanotubes with hydrogen from the gas. The dependences of hydrogen concentration from pressure (from 0 to 8 atmospheres), at the same temperature for adsorption (-30 degrees Celsius) and different temperatures for desorption were obtained. The temperature has an influence on sorption-desorption process and sorption properties of carbon material. The amount of residual hydrogen depends on saturation parameters