Flash tube chambers for electron and photon detection

The construction and operation of a simple, inexpensive, electron-photon detector, of the sampled shower type, is described the sampling planes consisting of layers of high pressure, methane doped, neon flash tubes, with CAMAC compatible digitised outputs. The detector was tested in a positron beam at energies from 0.5 to 4,0 GeV, No adverse effects due to the high background radiation were experienced, and an energy resolution of 43% and spatial and angular resolutions of 5 mm and 4º (FWHM) were obtained. The maximum event rate at which the detector could operate was limited to ~1 sec(^-1), by the presence of internal fields which resulted in spuriousness or inefficiency. The use of modified H„T, pulsing systems has also been investigated as a means of reducing the internal field, A modified detector was constructed, utilising large diameter, low pressure flash tubes, in an attempt to improve the maximum event rate, yet maintain the same useful resolution. An energy resolution of 33% and spatial and angular resolutions of 11 mm and 2º (FWHM) were obtained, which compares favourably with more complex and expensive detectors. Unexpectedly, at event rates in excess of a few per second, the tubes behaved either spuriously or inefficiently, due to large internal fields. Investigations into the mechanisms of formation and decay of the internal fields have been made by observation of the digitisation output pulse. This novel approach may, with refinement, be of use in future studies of gas discharges since it is particularly sensitive to the gas breakdown mechanism. The significance of the outer surface resistance of the flash tube has also beer demonstrated to be of importance to the performance of the tube. A mechanism, which results in the flash tube igniting spuriously, is suggested and a threshold value of the internal field, at which spuriousness occurs, has been determined

The Impact of Women Managers on Firm Performance: Evidence from Large U.S. Firms

Drawing on arguments from the management and human resource economics literatures, we hypothesise that the percentage of women managers employed in firms will be positively related to the performance of firms. A correlational research design is employed, and 1992 employment and performance data for 183 U.S. firms is utilised in data analysis. The hypothesis is strongly supported

An Empirical Assessment Of The Determinants Of Bank Branch Manager Compensation

A model of branch-management compensation based on human capital and performance measures is tested using data on managers from eighty-two branches of a large, Eastern United States bank. Human capital factors such as managerial rank, gender, years of schooling, experience in the industry, and age are found to explain branch manager pay levels, after controlling for competition, and branch size

An Exploratory Study Investigating Leader and Follower Characteristics at U.S. Healthcare Organizations

Leadership has been studied by a myriad of scholars in the 20th and 21st centuries. One recent stream of research focuses on the followers of leaders. Today, followership is recognized as a construct that has value, and there is a broad call for additional research in this area (Gardner et al., 2005; Howell and Shamir, 2005.) In this study, the authors propose hypotheses that focus on followers and on their adoption of characteristics that are leader-like. The central thesis in this study is that followers have the ability to share roles with leaders. To test that thesis, a model is presented of specific leader and follower behaviors that (a) are thought to be related and overlapping, and (b) are relevant to role-sharing. Borrowing from prior work in which role sharing has been discussed, this study presents hypotheses and findings from analysis of field survey data collected from employees in healthcare organizations

eTextbook Exploration: Are Students Ready to Declare Their Independence From the Printed Text?

A team of faculty, library, IT, and bookstore staff collaborated on a longitudinal study to track how 50 students use e-textbooks and whether using them improves learning outcomes. The Fall 2010 pilot study, “Tracking Student Interest in e-Textbooks”, gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from students registered in online and physical sections of an upper level business course. Student participants accessed the e-textbook with their personal laptops, but several reported using a Kindle, iPad, and even an iPhone. Of particular interest to the researchers were the possible correlates of students’ successful use of the e-textbooks, e.g., their habits regarding the use of social network sites, electronic commerce, blogs, etc. Another purpose of the study was to discover the impact of assistive interventions offered students throughout the length of the study. These included: (1) e-textbook help sessions from both bookstore and IT staff; (2) e-textbook current event emails from a librarian with a reminder of help contacts, and (3) help consultations by phone, email, or in the Library. At the beginning and end of the study, participants completed pre- and post-surveys measuring their experience with and attitudes toward computers, the Internet, e-textbooks and print textbooks. Research findings indicate: (1) 65% of the students are willing to read another e-textbook and (2) cost savings is the most compelling reason to read the e-textbook. Students encountered technical difficulties (page/highlighting freezes, printing problems, and slow network) that were frustrating enough that 10% of the participants switched to print textbooks. Students acknowledge the need to focus when reading their e-textbook. Many students voiced a preference to read their next e-textbook on an e-reader because first, the reader was a physical object reminding the student to read and second, offered no distractions such as the ability to simultaneously access social networking sites. 10% of the students actively sought assistance and/or responded to email messages from the librarians. A review of recent literature indicates more needs to be learned about student digital reading comprehension, barriers to accepting e-textbooks, and the pedagogical implications for e-textbook use (as well as for online study). Bibliography available on request