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The effects and implications of current developments in interconnection technology on print and fire thick film hybrid manufacture are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to the fact that in many cases new techniques complement rather than compete with film hybrids. Alternative substrates, semiconductor packaging, semicustom integrated circuits, surface mount technology and polymer thick film are all included in the paper. Conclusions are drawn which indicate that although these technologies are all of crucial importance they will not replace current thick film technology.

The results of an empirical investigation into the design and fabrication of high frequency planar thick‐film transformers for use in resonant mode power supplies are reported. A 50 W planar transformer design which realises efficiencies in excess of 90% is presented. The findings are used in order to establish an understanding between winding topologies and dimensions and the physical planar transformer parameters.

A month or so after the Stresa meeting, the French ISHM chapter, organising a session on ‘Gallic inks’ (!), summoned me to deliver some comments on the 5th European Hybrid Microelectronics Conference. Although it was only a matter of interlude during this technical session, I felt the task quite a difficult one. It became a hazardous project when Brian C. Waterfield kindly asked me to let what is in fact a personal opinion—my personal opinion, standing back from my daily work—appear in Hybrid Circuits. I'll do my best.

The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight into the relationship between internal communication practices, communication satisfaction, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. It is centered in the emergency services sector in general, and on land ambulance services in particular. The focus organization is a large urban land ambulance service with an operating budget of approximately $50 million and 468 employees.

Only paramedics were eligible to participate in the study. In total, 91 (32.5 per cent) of the organization's 280 paramedics participated. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising pre‐existing work‐related psychometric measures. The measures included the Communication Audit Survey, the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Affective Organizational Commitment Scale. Only quantitative data were collected.

The data showed that internal communication practices explained 49.8 per cent of the variation in communication satisfaction, 23.4 per cent of the variation in job satisfaction, and 17.5 per cent of the variation in affective organizational commitment. However, these effects were fully mediated by communication satisfaction when job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment were regressed against both internal communication practices and communication satisfaction.

These findings have important practical and theoretical implications. Managers will not be able to foster job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment through internal communication practices unless they recognize and appreciate what information is valued by employees. Second, managers must have a clear understanding of both the quantity and quality of information desired by employees if they are to design internal communication systems that meet the information needs of employees. Finally, one must consider the possibility that, for employees, communication satisfaction represents a fundamental yardstick against which all of the organization's activities and change initiatives are measured. This possibility is supported by research from the domain of change management.

Given the present shortage of skilled and able emergency personnel, it is in the best interest of organizations to enhance job satisfaction and commitment of such critical employees.

Solder is a major use for tin and in his function as Chief Metallurgist of the Tin Research Institute, C. J. Thwaites has become internationally recognised as an authority on soft soldering, particularly for the electronics industry. It is with pleasure that the Institute announces that he has recently been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (Eng.) by London University, for his published work in the field of soldering and related topics.

Following the discussion at our recent Annual General Meeting, a questionnaire was sent out to all members. Almost half of them replied despite the fact that the time allowed for returning the questionnaire had been kept very short. Some members even provided detailed comments.

THE complexity of the problems which are associated with the lateral stability and directional control of tailless aeroplanes was not realized until rather late.

In today’s educational climate of data, differentiation, and accountability, teacher leadership is essential; and professional development schools (PDSs) offer distinctive settings for teacher leader practice and development. Building on chapter one, this chapter defines teacher leadership in PDSs, introduces distributed leadership theory, and provides a brief history of teacher leadership in the United States before asserting several characteristics that render PDSs ideal settings for studying teacher leadership. Instead of asking why we should study teacher leadership in PDSs and other school–university partnerships, a better question might be, why wouldn’t we?

Centrotherm GmbH announce the appointment of Mr George Birnie to the position of Sales Manager (Centrotherm UK) for the United Kingdom and Scandinavia (see photograph below).