Interim evaluation of Flying Start

The Flying Start programme was launched by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006/07 as a pilot with the aim ‘to make a decisive difference to the life chances of children aged under 4 in the areas which it runs’. This 2010 report presents the findings of the interim evaluation with regards to: the effectiveness of the programme in establishing the conditions necessary for later improvements in life chances, and whether it did so in ways that offered good value for money

Evaluation of Cymorth: final report

This is and evaluation report of Cymorth, which was introduced in 2003/04 by the Welsh Assembly Government to provide a network of targeted support for children and young people (up to 25 years of age) within a framework of universal provision

Work and employment relations in Kent

This report details the results of a survey of employment practices and policies at workplaces in Kent. The survey was conducted in the summer of 2001 and was carried out by the University of Greenwich Business School with financial support from ACAS South Eastern Area

Working for Canada

An officer of Global Affairs Canada from 1990–2018, Geoff White is a career expert in Canadian foreign policy. In Working for Canada he shares that expertise, illuminating the often invisible work of creating and enacting international policy. Writing with clarity, wit, and common sense, White demystifies Canadian diplomacy and provides a clear view of how it actually works—and when it doesn’t. Reflecting on the headlines, highlights, and sometimes scandals of a long and successful career, White offers a highly readable blend of personal recollection and political insight. He begins with his first assignment in communications planning during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and continues through the establishment of NAFTA, humanitarian intervention in Kosovo, softwood lumber, during assignments at headquarters and in Canadian embassies abroad. He shares his experiences of negotiating aviation agreements with foreign governments, and of diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring and protecting human rights. Working for Canada is a fascinating memoir tracing a career spent in the service of Canada and Canadians. At the same time, it provides an unparalleled insider view into communications, negotiations, international trade, and diplomacy

Does it work? evaluating a new pay system

This report focuses on the evaluation of the impact of new pay systems in large, unionised multi-site organisations by the organisations themselves. Evaluation of the effectiveness of a pay system, however, does not take place in a vacuum and relates to the aims and objectives of the pay system concerned. Moreover, evaluation is not an end in itself. It is, therefore, relevant to consider if any further steps were taken as a result of evaluation. Accordingly our research questions were: • What were the aims and objectives of organisations when introducing new pay arrangements? • What data did organisations collect and review to inform their evaluation? • What steps have organisations taken as a result of their evaluation? We re-appraised our data from 10 NHS trusts in England which had introduced some innovations in pay and grading in the 1990s. Additionally, we looked at seven multi-site unionised organisations outside the NHS in both the public and private sectors, which had recently made changes to their reward systems, carrying out interviews and inspecting documents. The main output is a template for the evaluation of Agenda for Change by NHS organisations

Energy-efficient data acquisition for accurate signal estimation in wireless sensor networks

Long-term monitoring of an environment is a fundamental requirement for most wireless sensor networks. Owing to the fact that the sensor nodes have limited energy budget, prolonging their lifetime is essential in order to permit long-term monitoring. Furthermore, many applications require sensor nodes to obtain an accurate estimation of a point-source signal (for example, an animal call or seismic activity). Commonly, multiple sensor nodes simultaneously sample and then cooperate to estimate the event signal. The selection of cooperation nodes is important to reduce the estimation error while conserving the network’s energy. In this paper, we present a novel method for sensor data acquisition and signal estimation, which considers estimation accuracy, energy conservation, and energy balance. The method, using a concept of ‘virtual clusters,’ forms groups of sensor nodes with the same spatial and temporal properties. Two algorithms are used to provide functionality. The ‘distributed formation’ algorithm automatically forms and classifies the virtual clusters. The ‘round robin sample scheme’ schedules the virtual clusters to sample the event signals in turn. The estimation error and the energy consumption of the method, when used with a generalized sensing model, are evaluated through analysis and simulation. The results show that this method can achieve an improved signal estimation while reducing and balancing energy consumption

Energy-Efficient Data Acquisition in Wireless Sensor Networks through Spatial Correlation

The application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is restrained by their often-limited lifetime. A sensor node's lifetime is fundamentally linked to the volume of data that it senses, processes and reports. Spatial correlation between sensor nodes is an inherent phenomenon to WSNs, induced by redundant nodes which report duplicated information. In this paper, we report on the design of a distributed sampling scheme referred to as the 'Virtual Sampling Scheme' (VSS). This scheme is formed from two components: an algorithm for forming virtual clusters, and a distributed sampling method. VSS primarily utilizes redundancy of sensor nodes to get only a subset to sense the environment at any one time. Sensor nodes that are not sensing the environment are in a low-power sleep state, thus conserving energy. Furthermore, VSS balances the energy consumption amongst nodes by using a round robin method

Working for Canada

An officer of Global Affairs Canada from 1990–2018, Geoff White is a career expert in Canadian foreign policy. In Working for Canada he shares that expertise, illuminating the often invisible work of creating and enacting international policy. Writing with clarity, wit, and common sense, White demystifies Canadian diplomacy and provides a clear view of how it actually works—and when it doesn’t. Reflecting on the headlines, highlights, and sometimes scandals of a long and successful career, White offers a highly readable blend of personal recollection and political insight. He begins with his first assignment in communications planning during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and continues through the establishment of NAFTA, humanitarian intervention in Kosovo, softwood lumber, during assignments at headquarters and in Canadian embassies abroad. He shares his experiences of negotiating aviation agreements with foreign governments, and of diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring and protecting human rights. Working for Canada is a fascinating memoir tracing a career spent in the service of Canada and Canadians. At the same time, it provides an unparalleled insider view into communications, negotiations, international trade, and diplomacy

An Instrumented Crutch for Monitoring Patients' Weight Distribution during Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

This paper discusses an instrumented forearm crutch that has been developed to monitor a patient’s weight bearing over the full period of their recovery, and that can potentially be used in a home environment. The crutch measures the applied weight, crutch tilt, and hand position on the grip. Data are transmitted wirelessly to a remote computer, where they are processed and visualized in LabVIEW. The results obtained from a successful pilot study highlight both the need for such an instrumented crutch and its ability to measure the weight being applied through a patient’s lower limb

Awareness of the minimum wage in the hairdressing industry : an evaluation of the DTI/HMRC targeted campaign : a research report for the Low Pay Commission

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) commissioned Professors White and Croucher to carry out an evaluation of the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) and HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) pilot targeted National Minimum Wage enforcement campaign in the hairdressing sector. The aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness of DTI/HMRC’s first targeted enforcement campaign to raise awareness of the minimum wage and tackle non-compliance in the hairdressing sector. The project was to focus on the awareness side of the campaign. Specifically, the research should identify: · Whether the level of awareness of the minimum wage, amongst both workers and employers, has increased as a result of the campaign. · The aspects of the campaign that were most effective, and those that have had least impact. · Particular areas of the minimum wage provision where there is confusion or misunderstanding. · Levels of awareness of the NMW Helpline and how to make a minimum wage complaint. · Any changes that could be made to future campaigns to increase their impact. · Any evidence arising on the campaign’s effectiveness in tackling noncompliance