Explaining Explanations: How Legislators Explain their Policy Positions and How Citizens React

Legislators claim that how they explain their votes matters as much as or more than the roll calls themselves. However, few studies have systematically examined legislators’ explanations and citizen attitudes in response to these explanations. We theorize that legislators strategically tailor explanations to constituents in order to compensate for policy choices that are incongruent with constituent preferences, and to reinforce policy choices that are congruent. We conduct a within‐subjects field experiment using U.S. senators as subjects to test this hypothesis. We then conduct a between‐subjects survey experiment of ordinary people to see how they react to the explanatory strategies used by senators in the field experiment. We find that most senators tailor their explanations to their audiences, and that these tailored explanations are effective at currying support—especially among people who disagree with the legislators’ roll‐call positions.     

Desire for Smart Growth: A Survey of Residential Preferences in the Salt Lake Region of Utah

As an alternative to sprawling development, smart growth combines proximity to work, proximity to shopping and other destinations, neighborhood housing mix, shared and paid parking, complete street designs, and proximity to public transit. This article uses a stated-choice experiment to determine residents' attitudes toward these various aspects of smart growth in the Salt Lake region of Utah. Utah is a conservative state, where attitudes toward auto-oriented suburbia may be more positive than in other parts of the United States. So, one might wonder whether changing national attitudes toward smart growth, documented in several surveys, apply to residents of the Salt Lake region. In this stated-choice experiment, respondents were asked to choose between pairs of housing scenarios with different attributes and different prices. Mixed logit (random parameters logit) was used to relate individuals' choices to attributes, prices, and sociodemographic characteristics of respondents. The results show that, generally, respondents have positive attitudes toward most aspects of smart growth but still express preferences for single-family neighborhoods with free parking in their own driveways or garages. Different life cycle cohorts have different preferences. Proximity to work is more important for childless young adults. Young families with children place higher value on living in a neighborhood with only single-family homes and transit access. Retired empty nesters favor a mix of housing types over single-family housing on one-acre-plus lots. The results suggest that while residents of the Salt Lake region like suburban neighborhoods with primarily single-family houses, they would also like to have improved accessibility to amenities in the suburbs.     

单片机实验教学改革探讨

本文针对我院电子类专业单片机实验教学中存在的问题提出了一种改革方案,用一种由本院老师组成的开发小组自行设计的8051多功能实验板开设多种实验,可以巩固学生所学单片机原理知识,提高学生动手能力,学生若在学习单片机知识后完全掌握了多功能实验板的设计过程、程序编写方法,对学生学以致用,今后走向工作岗位进行单片机应用开发有很大帮助.     

关于高校经济应用型课程实验教学现状及创新的思考

随着经济的不断发展,许多高校相继开设了经济应用型课程。但是,由于大都缺乏对学生的实验性训练,使得高校人才的培养方式与社会、企业的需求相距较远,因此,应该创新经济应用型课程实验教学发展思路,如:创新教育观念,把实验教学放在整个教学环节中不可替代的重要地位;创新教学内容,鼓励教师把教学与试验、社会实践联系起来;创新教学方法,加强综合性、障碍性及个性化的实验教学;创新教学效果评估方法,激发教师的工作热情。     

家兔玻璃体液间隔多次微量取样方法研究

目的探讨间隔多次微量取样玻璃体液是否可用于死亡时间推断。方法99只家兔分为2大组(I)大组45只,再分为A、B、C、D、E五个小组(每组9只),右眼(实验眼)于死后间隔12h多次取样直至24h(A组)、48h(B组)、72h(C组)、96h(D组)和120h(E组);各小组左眼(对照眼)仅分别于死后24h、48h、72h、96h和120h取样一次。检测Ca2+、Cl-、K+、Na+和P含量,同一取样时间的双眼做配对t检验。(II)大组54只,再分为2小组F组9只,每隔12h双眼交替多次取样直至120h;G组45只,每隔12h一次取样10眼(动物左右眼均编号后随机抽取每次10眼),直至120h;检测Ca2+、K+和Na+,两组差值做t检验及PMI回归方程比较。结果E组K+有差异(P<0.05),其余A~E组双眼物质含量配对t检验均无差异(P>0.05)。F与G组物质含量差值t检验无差异(P>0.05);K+、Na+的PMI线性回归方程的斜率、截距无差异(P>0.05),Ca2+与PMI无相关性。结论控制间隔时间和取样次数,多次微量取样对死后玻璃体液元素含量的规律性变化无显著影响,可以替代传统方法进行死亡时间研究。     

公安刑事技术实验教学与管理的探讨

根据当前公安实际工作和形势的需要,对现有实验教学模式中的实验教学内容、教学方法、教学手段及实验教学的组织与管理等几个方面进行探索与改革。该实验模式改革的探讨,突出了专业性,具有较强的针对性和参考价值。     

关于建立侦查讯问中律师在场制度的尝试与思考

业已进行的讯问犯罪嫌疑人律师在场制度的试验表明:犯罪嫌疑人对此一般表示欢迎,他们在侦查中形成的口供比较稳定,此后没有翻供现象;而另一组没有律师参加讯问的犯罪嫌疑人,侦查终结后有的人进行翻供,并把原因归咎于侦查人员的不当讯问。同时,大多数侦查人员对试验表示理解和支持,并认为对侦查活动没有负面影响,反而有积极意义。试验还表明,建立讯问犯罪嫌疑人律师在场制度,并不需要“一刀切”,且我国目前及今后相当长一段时期也难以做到“一刀切”,因此,需要探索、建立替代性制度,如讯问时录音、录像制度。     

几种视觉诱发电位技术推断正常成人远视力的比较

目的比较研究几种图形视觉诱发电位技术对视力推断的价值。方法取正常眼40只,分别测试其图形翻转视觉诱发电位、黑白条栅扫描视觉诱发电位和红黑条栅扫描视觉诱发电位,据此推算实验视力,分别与真实视力进行比较,同时各种方法进行彼此比较。结果黑白条栅扫描视觉诱发电位和红黑条栅扫描视觉诱发电位较之图形翻转视觉诱发电位能更为准确、方便、快捷地反映真实视力水平。结论黑白条栅扫描视觉诱发电位和红黑条栅扫描视觉诱发电位与图形翻转视觉诱发电位一样,可用于眼外伤的法医学鉴定。     

Cognizance and Consultation of Randomized Controlled Trials among Ministerial Policy Analysts

Consultation of scientific evidence by policy actors has been the foci of attention of knowledge utilization scholars for decades. The present study questioned the extent to which randomized controlled trials (RCTs)—generally seen as the gold standard of scientific research—are known and consulted by policy analysts in ministerial settings. Using cross‐sectional data collected in 17 ministries in Québec (Canada), our study showed that fairly high levels of policy analysts report never having heard of RCTs, thus possibly hindering effective communication of scientific results to relevant policy makers. Statistical analyses reveal the importance of cognitive factors in explaining both phenomena.     

Treating alcohol-related violence: a feasibility study of a randomized controlled trial in prisons

Purpose: There is a lack of good-quality outcome evaluations of interventions for offenders whose crimes are alcohol-related. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered gold standard in treatment evaluations. Here, we report on a feasibility study for an RCT of an alcohol-related violence intervention, Control of Violence for Angry, Impulsive Drinkers (COVAID). Method: 115 adult male prisoners were randomly allocated to COVAID plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU only. Results: Most participants (84%) found COVAID useful. Reconviction data at six months were accessed for 109 (95%) participants. There were no differences between the two groups on violent reconvictions or all reconvictions at the six-month period, but at 17?months the COVAID group had 13% fewer people reconvicted for violence, and 20% fewer had reconvictions for any offence. Conclusion: The results indicate that an RCT is feasible and provides parameters for designing a full RCT. Differences in reconviction between groups favoured COVAID and were clinically important.