Anisotropic Superconductivity in the Induced Pairing Model

The model of local electron pairs and itinerant fermions coupled via charge exchange mechanism, which mutually induces superconductivity in both subsystems is studied for anisotropic pairing symmetry. The phase diagram is presented and the phase fluctuations effects are analyzed within the Kosterlitz-Thouless scenario.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Physica B (in press), Proceedings of the International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, Ann Arbor, Michigan, August 6-10, 200

Absenteeism in Remission: Planning, Policy, Culture

It has been estimated that employee absenteeism costs the U.S. economy on the order of $40 billion per year. Not surprisingly, great time and effort has been dedicated to research assessing the causes of employee absenteeism with the obvious goal of reducing its incidence in the workplace. It is argued in this article that much of this effort has been of virtually no practical value to the practicing manager. In fact, the prescriptions that would naturally arise from much of this research would almost certainly land managers in the lap of litigation in federal court. Two promising strategies —attention to absence policy and absence culture—are described in this article. Both have the advantage of practical application as well as a distinguished tradition in reducing absenteeism

The Performance Edge: Strategic and Value Dissensus

The study discussed in this article deals with the effects of strategic and value consensus on the performance of management teams in operating units at a large multinational company. The results showed that diversity of views on objectives, competitive methods, and values are positively related to objective measures of performance but negatively related to managers\u27 own perceptions of their operating units\u27 performance. This suggests that diversity of views may allow managerial employees to fulfill their responsibilities more effectively by improving their units\u27 performance. Possible explanations for these results are discussed in the concluding section of this article

New Directions in the Management of Employee Absenteeism: Attention to Policy and Culture

[Excerpt] Over one million American workers who are otherwise employed will not attend work on any given day: they will be absent. Given the expense and disruption associated with such widespread employee absenteeism, it will come as no surprise that a great deal of time has been spent to determine the causes of employee absenteeism and how its incidence might be reduced. Sadly, however, it has been concluded that the heavy investment of research effort on absenteeism has failed to generate significant dividends, whether one’s criterion is the prediction, explanation, or control of absence (Chadwick-Jones, Nicholson, & Brown, 1982). While prior absence research has not and does not serve the practicing manager very well, new research on employee absenteeism provides promising avenues for management. This chapter will provide an overview of the magnitude of the absenteeism problem and a rationale for why much of the earlier study of workplace absenteeism did not, as a practical matter, provide much information or direction to managers. Then the new directions in the management of absenteeism” will be examined

A multi-channel integrated circuit for the readout of a microstrip gas chamber

Abstract The design and test of an 8 channel integrated circuit for the readout of the microstrip gas chamber and other multielectrode detectors are described. The circuit is composed of 8 identical channels, each providing the amplification and the shaping of the signal delivered by the detector. The peaking time of the shaper is 25 ns and the overall amplifier gain is 8 mV 1000 e − . In addition to the analog output, each channel provides a TTL compatible digital output. The equivalent input noise is less than 700 e− rms and the total dc power consumption is about 5 mW/channel. To avoid a baseline shift due to the tail of the current issued from the detector, an adjustable pole-zero cancellation circuit has been included

MICA: a Multichannel Integrated Charge Amplifier for the Read-out of Multielectrode Detectors

Abstract A 16 channel, fully parallel, CMOS integrated circuit including a preamplifier, a shaper and a discriminator, has been designed and succesfully teste

Discounting Works in the Hotel Industry: A Structural Approach to Understanding Why

This case study provides an empirical assessment of the relationship between discounting hotel room rates and hotel financial performance. The dynamics of the lodging industry are accounted for through the adoption of an error correction model. Recent research suggests that the use of discounting room rates may not be an effective pricing strategy as it results in increased occupancy rates at decreased average daily rates, thereby reducing a common financial performance indicator – revenue per available room (revPAR). The recommendation made to hotel managers, then, is to avoid discounting and instead adopt an average rate. This study generates opposing findings and reveals that discounting may be a practical short-term pricing solution that may compensate for market disequilibria. The results suggest that using statistical residuals rather than room rate averages may more accurately forecast appropriate hotel room rates and balance supply and demand. Thus, the recommendation of adopting average room rates may provide incorrect implications for managers in the short run

Scale Construction: Developing Reliable and Valid Measurement Instruments

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process for developing reliable and valid measurement instruments that can be used in any hospitality industry field research setting. Many instances exist in which the researcher cannot find an adequate or appropriate existing scale to measure an important construct. In these situations it is necessary to create a new scale. Failure to carefully develop a measurement instrument can result in invalid and unintegratable data. Hence, a systematic seven-step process is outlined here to assist researchers in devising usable scales. Examples from the authors’ own research are used to illustrate some of the steps in the proces

Sugarbeet Production Under Reduced Tillage Prospects And Problems

A study was initiated in the fall of 1977 to obtain base line data on the applicability of reduced tillage sugarbeet production in the Red River Valley. Three reduced tillage systems were compared to a conventional system which consisted of fall plow plus secondary tillage. Results indicated warmer early spring soil temperatures, better seedling emergence, lower ground-level wind speed and no significant yield loss under reduced tillage as compared to the conventional system