Search results

This article reports on three pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to help children at risk of conduct disorder (CD): two involved the Incredible Years (IY) BASIC parent programme and the other concerned the IY teacher programme. All three interventions took place in regular service settings in North‐ and Mid‐Wales. In all three studies, staff from the provider agency delivered the programme and participated in RCT evaluations in which participants were randomly allocated to intervention or waitinglist control conditions. After a brief introduction to research into the prevention or treatment of CD, and the issues to be considered by services in selecting and delivering interventions, this article summarises the structure, content and evidence base of the IY programmes. The three Welsh studies are briefly described before exploring what factors contributed to service participation in the trials and the benefits and lessons learned in undertaking them.

The role of uncertainty in manpower planning is discussed and illustrated by reference to manpower planning in the Civil Service. The nature of the planning process is described, and an account given of the principal statistical methods employed. Uncertainty is classified in terms of random error, specification error, estimation error and data error. Strategies for containing error are discussed, and examples used to illustrate the relative importance of each type. Parameter specification error is usually dominant, and experience suggests that sensitivity analysis is the most practical way of dealing with it. The mutually‐dependent roles of statistician and manager in the process of working towards effective decisions, and the importance of a flexible and continuous planning process which can adapt to the unexpected, are both stressed.

A new corrosion test for assessing flux residues is applied to marginally cleaned water soluble fluxed test boards and low solids/no clean fluxed test boards. This test method developed by Bono has been modified to accelerate the corrosion process. The corrosion mechanism observed in this study is conductive anodic filament (CAF), a corrosion mechanism proposed in 1979 by Lando et al. It is postulated that this degradation mechanism is due to the high bias voltage (190 V) coupled with the high humidity (85%) and high temperature (85°C) conditions used in this test. Important parameters in the test method are discussed and recommended refinements are given.

THE problem of providing engines suitable for high Mach number aircraft is a fascinating study which at the moment has only been taken to the stage where many solutions look feasible, thus the choice of engines for the different roles for which high Mach number aircraft may be used is still fairly wide open.

Both the government and local service providers in the UK are becoming increasingly aware of the possibility of improving child outcomes through the delivery of parenting programmes. Government initiatives, such as Sure Start, Pathfinders and Flying Start are a positive step forward, yet programmes sometimes fail to work in service settings. This article describes the components necessary to deliver effective interventions, exploring the need to choose an evidence‐based parent programme, implement it with fidelity and evaluate the outcome. It describes the steps taken in North and Mid Wales to do this and reports briefly on the successful outcomes achieved by delivering the Incredible Years Basic Parenting Programme to the parents of high‐risk children in Sure Start areas.

The objectives of this article are: 1 to give an overview of some basic ideas that were outlined in an earlier review paper by the author; 2 to bring it up to date by outlining the more important theoretical developments that have been reported since then; 3 to mention briefly some speculations arising from work in progress which has not yet been published.

For a number of years electronic manufacturers of printed circuit assemblies have used rosin‐based soldering fluxes. Post‐solder cleaning was accomplished with chlorinated or chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) solvents. With the elimination of these solvent options due to their destructive effect on the stratospheric ozone layer, manufacturers are considering alternative cleaners for rosin flux or new flux choices which can be cleaned with water or left uncleaned. Many of the flux formulations are relatively new and their long‐term effect on the performance of products manufactured with them is unknown. Although ionic contamination testers can alert one to the ionic levels remaining on an assembly, there is no direct relationship between the total ionic level and the corrosivity of the soldering flux. Surface insulation resistance testing is used in the industry, but the results are misunderstood by many. This is due to the fact that SIR data represent a complex dependency on a number of factors including (1) the test conditions (temperature, humidity, bias), (2) the area of interactions (often referred to as the number of squares), (3) the separation between lines on the interdigitated comb pattern, (4) the presence or absence of bias voltage during the test and (5) the nature of the substrate. All of these factors have been the driving force to develop a quantitative screening test for soldering flux residues. This test, originally reported by Dr David Bono, is being modified and developed at Georgia Tech to provide a quantitative evaluation of flux residue corrosivity. This work, in collaboration with the work being performed by the French UTE, will result in a new international standard. This paper reports the latest data on this important test development.

This paper discusses algorithms for large displacement analysis of interconnected flexible and rigid multibody systems. Hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads for systems being submerged in water are also considered. The systems may consist of cables and beams and may combine very flexible parts with rigid parts. Various ways of introducing structural joints are discussed. A special implementation of the Hilber‐Hughes‐Taylor time integration scheme for constrained non‐linear systems is outlined. The formulation is general and allows for displacements and rotational motion of unlimited size. Aspects concerning efficient solution of constrained dynamic problems are discussed. These capabilities have been implemented in a general purpose non‐linear finite element program. Applications involving static and dynamic analysis of a bi‐articulated tower and a floating tripod platform kept in place by three anchor lines are discussed.

Today's emphasis on alternative flux technology as an approach to eliminate the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) requires an understanding of the corrosion potential of the new fluxes. In 1989, Dr David Bono proposed that monitoring the effect of different soldering fluxes on the rate of corrosion of a copper wire printed on a circuit board would provide quantitative information on the corrosion potential of a flux. Further analysis of this testby Turbini et al. revealed that the degradation mechanism associated with Bono's test is the growth of conductive anodic filaments along the glass fibres of the epoxy‐glass boards. The original test method has been revised, and the test coupon redesigned with the goal of developing a standard, quantitative test method to characterise soldering fluxes. This paper will describe the equipment, test coupon and electrical circuitry associated with this proposed test method. Procedures chosen to reduce error sources associated with electrical noise will be reported and explained.

As exposure to psychosocial hazard at work represents a substantial risk factor for employee health in many modern occupations, being able to accurately assess how employees cope with their working environment is crucial. The workplace is generally accepted as being a dynamic environment, therefore, consideration should be given to the interaction between employees and the acute environmental characteristics of their workplace. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of both acute demand and chronic work-related psychosocial hazard upon employees through ambulatory assessment of heart rate variability and blood pressure.

A within-subjects repeated measures design was used to investigate the relationship between exposure to work-related psychosocial hazard and ambulatory heart rate variability and blood pressure in a cohort of higher education employees. Additionally the effect of acute variation in perceived work-related demand was investigated.

Two dimensions of the Management Standards were found to demonstrate an association with heart rate variability; more hazardous levels of “demand” and “relationships” were associated with decreased standard deviation of the normal-to-normal interval. Significant changes in blood pressure and indices of heart rate variability were observed with increased acute demand.

This is the first attempt to combine the Health and Safety Management Standards Indicator Tool with physiological assessment of employees. The results provide evidence of associations between scores on the indicator tool and ambulatory heart rate variability as well as demonstrating that variation in acute perceived work-related demand is associated with alterations to autonomic and cardiovascular function. This has implications not only for employee health and workplace design but also for future studies employing ambulatory physiological monitoring.