COPTRAN - A method of optimum communication systems design

Single set of mathematical expressions describes system cost and probability of error of data transmission in terms of four basic parameters in the link equation. A Lagrange multiplier sets up equations whose solutions yield the optimum values for system design considerations and weight and cost values

EVA assembly of large space structure element

The results of a test program to assess the potential of manned extravehicular activity (EVA) assembly of erectable space trusses are described. Seventeen tests were conducted in which six "space-weight" columns were assembled into a regular tetrahedral cell by a team of two "space"-suited test subjects. This cell represents the fundamental "element" of a tetrahedral truss structure. The tests were conducted under simulated zero-gravity conditions. Both manual and simulated remote manipulator system modes were evaluated. Articulation limits of the pressure suit and zero gravity could be accommodated by work stations with foot restraints. The results of this study have confirmed that astronaut EVA assembly of large, erectable space structures is well within man's capabilities

Employers' pension provision survey 2013

This report presents findings from the 2013 Employers’ Pension Provision Survey (EPP 2013). EPP 2013 was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and undertaken by TNS-BMRB Social Research and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The 2013 survey was the latest in a series, with previous surveys having been conducted approximately biennially since 1994. The survey comprises of interviews with 3,079 private sector organisations in Great Britain. Organisations were selected from a sample drawn from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) and fieldwork took place between 19 June and 4 November 2013. This report describes the extent and nature of pension provision among private sector employers in Great Britain in 2013. Regarding the extent of provision, the report covers the proportions of firms providing pensions and the extent of employee membership of employer pension schemes. In respect of the nature of pension provision, the report covers the types of provision, access and eligibility, and contribution rates. EPP 2013 was the first in the survey series to have taken place since the introduction of automatic enrolment. A substantial part of this report therefore focuses on the early impact of automatic enrolment. The report considers the characteristics and activities of those firms which had already passed their staging date at the time of the survey, as well as exploring awareness and intentions among those employers for whom the reforms were yet to take effect. Findings from this survey will be used to inform the Department’s evaluation of automatic enrolment and the ongoing development of automatic enrolment policy

Worker wellbeing and workplace performance

Employee wellbeing is increasingly a focus of government attention in the UK and elsewhere. It is viewed as a legitimate target of government policy in its own right, but there are also reasons to think that improvements in employees' wellbeing may be conducive to economic growth. This paper focuses on the subjective wellbeing of employees and its potential impact on workplace performance. As yet there is relatively little empirical evidence on the relationship between employees' subjective wellbeing and workplace performance. This paper begins to fill that gap for Britain

How much performance pay is there in the public sector and what are its effects?

Theory suggests that performance pay (PP) can align employees' interests with those of the employer and attract high‐ability workers and incentivise effort but that it may be less effective in the public sector. However, empirical evidence on its incidence and effects is largely confined to the private sector. We find that half the 20 percentage point gap in PP incidence in Britain between the public and private sectors is accounted for by differences in occupational composition. The gap falls to 8 percentage points when ‘matching’ employees in both sectors on their demographic and job characteristics. PP is linked to positive job attitudes among private sector employees, but not among observationally equivalent public sector employees. Furthermore, PP is negatively correlated with workplace performance in the public sector. These findings raise important questions about public policies promoting PP in the public sector

Are firms paying more for performance?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate changes in the economic importance of performance-related-pay (PRP) in Britain through the 2000s using firm-level data. Design/methodology/approach – The authors utilise nationally representative, monthly data on the total wage bill and employment of around 8,500 firms. Using these data, the authors decompose the share of the total economy-wide wage bill accounted for by bonuses into the shares of employment in the PRP and non-PRP sectors, the ratio of base pay between the two sectors, and the gearing of bonus payments to base pay within the PRP sector. Findings – The growth in the economic importance of bonuses in Britain in the mid-2000s – and subsequent fluctuations since the onset of recession in 2008 – can be almost entirely explained by changes in the gearing of bonus to base pay within the PRP sector. There has been no substantial change in the percentage of employment accounted for by PRP firms; if anything it has fallen over time. Furthermore, movements in the gearing of bonuses to base pay in the economy are heavily influenced by changes in Finance: a sector which accounts for a large proportion of all bonus payments in Britain. Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates the importance of understanding further how firms decide the size of bonus payments in a given period. Originality/value – This is the first paper to present monthly firm-level data for Britain on the incidence and size of bonus payments in the 2000s

Monte Carlo aided design of the inner muon veto detectors for the Double Chooz experiment

The Double Chooz neutrino experiment aims to measure the last unknown neutrino mixing angle theta_13 using two identical detectors positioned at sites both near and far from the reactor cores of the Chooz nuclear power plant. To suppress correlated background induced by cosmic muons in the detectors, they are protected by veto detector systems. One of these systems is the inner muon veto. It is an active liquid scintillator based detector and instrumented with encapsulated photomultiplier tubes. In this paper we describe the Monte Carlo aided design process of the inner muon veto, that resulted in a detector configuration with 78 PMTs yielding an efficiency of 99.978 +- 0.004% for rejecting muon events and an efficiency of >98.98% for rejecting correlated events induced by muons. A veto detector of this design is currently used at the far detector site and will be built and incorporated as the muon identification system at the near site of the Double Chooz experiment

Experiment definition phase shuttle laboratory (LDRL-10.6 experiment): Shuttle sortie to elliptical orbit satellite

The following topics were reviewed: (1) design options for shuttle terminal, (2) elliptical orbit satellite design options, (3) shuttle terminal details, (4) technology status and development requirements, (5) transmitter technology, and (6) carbon dioxide laser life studies

Experiment definition phase shuttle laboratory, LDRL-10.6 experiment. Shuttle sortie to ground receiver terminal

System development and technology are described for a carbon dioxide laser data transmitter capable of transmitting 400 Mbps over a shuttle to ground station link