Varactor diode assembly with low parasitic reactances

Development of varactor diode assembly overcomes parasitic reactances of conventional varactor packages. In specially constructed assembly very high idler-frequency to signal-frequency ratios are used to obtain low-noise operation over maximum bandwidth

Integrated-circuit balanced parametric amplifier

Amplifier, fabricated on single dielectric substrate, has pair of Schottky barrier varactor diodes mounted on single semiconductor chip. Circuit includes microstrip transmission line and slot line section to conduct signals. Main features of amplifier are reduced noise output and low production cost

Using wage council data to identify the effect of recessions on the impact of the minimum wage

Up until now the National Minimum Wage (NMW) introduced in April 1999 appears to have been a policy success. So far there has been little evidence of a negative effect on employment. However, to date, the NMW has largely been operating in a period of prolonged economic expansion. Since the spring of 2008 the UK economy has experienced a downturn of significant proportions. In this report we examine the impact of the UK minimum wages in force during the 1980s and 1990s recessions when a system of Wages Councils was in operation. Wages Councils set (different) minimum rates of pay in a range of low-paying industries. However there were still a large number of low-wage industries not covered by the legislation. This project analyses the impact of the two previous recessions on employment and wages in Wages Council sectors relative to other similar but uncovered low-wage industries using data from the New Earnings Survey and Workforce in Employment Survey form the panel. The findings are informative about the likely consequences of the NMW in the current recession. We can find no significant detrimental impact on employment from the Wages Councils. We do find some evidence of negative hours effects from the Wages Councils, although we cannot find any further detrimental impacts through the recessions of the 1980s or 1990s. In addition, our individual level results are consistent with higher turnover in the Wages Councils sectors. We do find some evidence of a slowdown in turnover through the recessions, and some evidence that hiring increased in the 1990s recession in these low wage sectors. None of the results here indicate that the National Minimum Wage will have any more detrimental impacts on employment through the recent Credit Crunch recession. However, one must be mindful of the fact that recessions can be very different. Our individual results suggest this. So the recent recession that the UK has experienced may play out differently across different sectors than have recessions of the past

Versioning RLOs as ‘study skills toolkits’ for different user groups and developing community tools to support sharing and customisation

As patterns of need in twenty-first century higher education change so must the solutions. E-learning solutions, in particular, need to be adaptive to fit a range of teaching and learning situations. eLanguages, a research and development unit at the University of Southampton, develops online toolkits of reusable learning objects (RLOs) in Study Skills that can be versioned for different student user groups. Underpinning them is an approach which seeks to deliver high quality content and be cost-effective. Reusability and versatility are central to this. With the creation of a large base of RLOs has come recognition of the need to manage and customise these resources easily and a suite of tools enabling such actions has been developed. This paper will present the toolkits and the pedagogic design of the RLOs. The web-based tools to support management and customisation of RLOs, and potentially facilitate new toolkit creation, will also be introduced

De-escalation of aggressive behaviour in healthcare settings:concept analysis

BACKGROUND: De-escalation is the recommended first-line response to potential violence and aggression in healthcare settings. Related scholarly activity has increased exponentially since the 1980s, but there is scant research about its efficacy and no guidance on what constitutes the gold standard for practice.OBJECTIVES: To clarify the concept of de-escalation of violence and aggression as described within the healthcare literature.DESIGN: Concept analysis guided by Rodgers' evolutionary approach.DATA SOURCES: Multiple nursing and healthcare databases were searched using relevant terms.REVIEW METHODS: High quality and/or highly cited, or otherwise relevant published empirical or theoretical English language literature was included. Information about surrogate terms, antecedents, attributes, consequences, and the temporal, environmental, disciplinary, and theoretical contexts of use were extracted and synthesised. Information about the specific attributes of de-escalation were subject to thematic analysis. Proposed theories or models of de-escalation were assessed against quality criteria.RESULTS: N=79 studies were included. Mental health settings were the most commonly reported environment in which de-escalation occurs, and nursing the disciplinary group most commonly discussed. Five theories of de-escalation were proposed; while each was adequate in some respects, all lacked empirical support. Based on our analysis the resulting theoretical definition of de-escalation in healthcare is "a collective term for a range of interwoven staff-delivered components comprising communication, self-regulation, assessment, actions, and safety maintenance which aims to extinguish or reduce patient aggression/agitation irrespective of its cause, and improve staff-patient relationships while eliminating or minimising coercion or restriction".CONCLUSIONS: While a number of theoretical models have been proposed, the lack of advances made in developing a robust evidence-base for the efficacy of de-escalation is striking and must, at least in part, be credited to the lack of a clear conceptualisation of the term. This concept analysis provides a framework for researchers to identify the theoretical model that they purport to use, the antecedents that their de-escalation intervention is targeting, its key attributes, and the key negative and positive consequences that are to be avoided or encouraged.</p

Crime and Punishment Again: The Economic Approach with a Psychological Twist

Akerlof and Dickens (1982) suggested that in a model of criminal behavior which considered the effects of cognitive dissonance, increasing the severity of punishment could increase the crime rate. This paper demonstrates that that conjecture was correct. With cognitive dissonance, people may have to rationalize not committing crimes under normal circumstances if punishment is not severe. The rationalization may lead them to underestimate the expected utility of committing crimes when opportunities present themselves. If punishment is severe, then rationalization may not be necessary and people may be more likely to commit crimes when opportunities arise.

The Employment Effects of the October 2003 Increase in the National Minimum Wage

There is a growing body of research that measures employment effects of the minimum wage by using longitudinal data on individuals to compare job loss of workers affected by a minimum wage increase with those who are not directly affected. This sort of study requires good quality wage data in order to clearly identify these treatment and control groups. Much of the evidence on the impact of the UK minimum wage uses this technique with poor quality wage data. This paper examines the impact of the October 2003 increase in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) using a much better measure of the wage. We find insignificant negative effects on the employment retention rates of all adults and, most notably, male workers. Analysis of the probability of employment retention across different hourly wage rates also show how sensitive this methodology can be to different definitions of the treatment and control group.Minimum Wages, Employment Transitions, Wages

The Impact of Policy Change on Job Retention and Advancement

This paper examines the impact of the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) on employment retention and advancement. The WFTC, which replaced Family Credit in October 1999, supplemented earnings of low paid workers living in low income families. It was designed to increase the financial incentive for low skilled workers to find and remain in work and in the process boost their family income. It finds evidence that WFTC increased employment retention among male recipients. WFTC does not appear to have increased wage growth compared with Family Credit but there is no evidence that employers were able to use the more generous WFTC to keep wage growth down.labour market, welfare reform, job retention