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Reviews intelligent structures through surface‐ and bulk‐micromachining. Examines the merits of these techniques and their past, present and future applications to real‐life problems.

Describes the improvements that smart sensors will bring to electronic measurement and control systems, and the advantages of using integrated sensors. Outlines the problems encountered when designing integrating electronics for use on a smart sensor chip and lists the major functions that smart sensors must perform. Concludes that the solution to many real life sensor problems will only be found when a well designed “care‐free” intelligent sensor can be produced and continues that the way to realize this concept is to combine a sensor device with a number of micro‐electronic components into a single sensor package.

Outlines the current research work on intelligent sensors and intelligent transducers which will be required in complex systems. Discusses the elements of an intelligent sensor and concludes that these require analogue filtering, data conversion and compensation, and a digital communication link to a common signal bus. Explains what is meant by a systems approach to intelligent sensors with layered information processing. Concludes that unless a deeper understanding of the basics of sensor systems is acquired new intelligent sensor design will be very difficult.

Discusses intelligent materials, intelligent material‐based sensors, their transducing methods, and different kinds of transducers used with smart material‐based sensors. Assumes that the future of intelligent sensors will almost totally depend on intelligent chemistry and intelligent instrumentation. Molecular recognition will widen the horizons of smart systems with the help of VLSI‐based design and fabrication. Discusses different sensor mechanisms, such as ENFETs, immunoFETs, ISFETs and chemFETs and takes a detailed look at potentiometric, amperometric and optical biosensors.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant public health problem that affect an estimated 1.7 million US residents yearly. TBI patients experience a variety of symptoms related to physical functioning, sensory processing, cognition, communication, behavior, and mental health, all of which differ in severity by individual. Recent evidence suggests that hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction may be impacting recovery. The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness about the frequency of hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following a TBI and its effect on functional recovery.

The paper reviews the literature regarding hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following TBI and discusses the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for individuals with hormone deficiencies.

The rate of hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following TBI has been reported as anywhere between 25 and 80 percent. Specifically, abnormal hormone levels, both chronic and acute, are generally estimated to be approximately 5-22 percent for thyroid hormones, 15-33 percent for growth hormone (GH), and 25-80 percent for testosterone. The effect of hypopituitarism has been reported on several aspects cognitive and physical function as well as overall quality of life. In these studies, GH and testosterone deficiencies appear to underlie the observed impairments.

The paper suggests the importance of understanding and screening for hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction as hormone replacement therapy may be a beneficial intervention to promote physical and cognitive rehabilitation.

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.

This research examines factors influencing the adoption of crop and revenue insurance. This is accomplished by estimating a multinomial logit model of insurance choices facing U.S. farmers. Results indicate significant differences in the probabilities of adoption of each insurance plan. The levels of selected explanatory variables, such as operator’s education level, debt‐to‐asset ratio, off‐farm income, soil productivity, participation in production and marketing contracts, and type of farm ownership, appear to be the determinants of the probability of having adopted each insurance plan.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether managerial ownership affects the association between shareholder rights and the cost of equity capital.

Prior literature has shown that strong shareholder rights are associated with a lower level of cost of equity capital. This paper empirically tests the interaction between managerial ownership and shareholder rights on affecting the cost of equity capital, using Gompers et al.'s governance score and Ohlson and Juettner‐Nauroth's estimate of cost of equity capital. To mitigate the endogeneity arising from other governance variables affecting both shareholder rights and the cost of equity capital, the paper adopts both OLS and two‐stage regression.

The results indicate that managerial ownership aligns managers' interests with those of shareholders, leading to a lesser degree of agency problems and lower cost of equity capital. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that managerial ownership could substitute for shareholder rights in affecting the cost of equity capital, making strong shareholder rights less important in a high managerial ownership setting.

Findings in this paper suggest that firms need to consider the interaction between managerial ownership and shareholder rights in designing their governance structure to minimize their cost of equity capital.

This paper reveals the interaction between two major governance variables in affecting firm valuation.

This report is addressed to the Health Committee of the Corporation. “ It is many years since such a report was issued”, and 1947 was the first complete year in which the Writer of the report was in charge of the Department for whose activity he speaks. A short account of the scope and duties of the Department is given. The writer is not only the Public Analyst for Liverpool City itself, but for seven boroughs besides. He is the Agricultural Analyst for five county boroughs. Work is carried out as requested by all the Liverpool Corporation Departments. This work includes, among others, those relating to Water, Health, Public Baths, and the Port Health Authority; examinations for pathological purposes on behalf of hospitals and private practitioners. Toxicological examinations are also made for H.M. coroners. The department is also concerned with problems relating to atmospheric pollution in co‐operation with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The City Analyst represents Liverpool on the Standing Conference that is concerned with these matters. It is not claimed that the duties of the City Analyst's Department differ in kind from those undertaken by other official analysts in the great industrial centres of the country, but the volume of the work is probably not exceeded anywhere else. Numerical details are not embodied in the report, but are relegated to five appendices. We note from Appendix No. 1 that the total number of examinations of all kinds that were undertaken during the time under review amounted to well over eleven thousand. As already remarked, it is years since such a report was issued. We are in complete agreement with the remark that a summary of the scope and conditions of the work of the City Analyst's Department “ may be helpful”. It will be helpful inasmuch as it—with, we may add, other reports of a like nature—will enable the “ man in the street ” the better to appreciate the nature of the service that the health authorities, represented by official analysts throughout the country, render in their endeavour to ensure that air, water supply, food and other essentials are as they should be. We note that the Corporation Departments and Local Authorities were making a “ steadily increasing use ” of the laboratory facilities during the year. This entailed some reorganisation of the Departments so far as that is related to the examination of foods and drugs. It is hardly needful to point out that post‐war regulations as to the correct labelling and advertising of foods and drugs, especially pre‐packed foods, demand more than analysis. A too excessive use of the commercial imagination in the past with regard to the nature, substance and quality of the stuff in, say, a package, has led to a considerable increase of laboratory staff to cope with the business, with a corresponding increase in the size of the laboratory. With regard to food and drug administration, it is pointed out that the figure given in the reports of the Public Analysts as to the number of unsatisfactory samples is misleading, the number being in all cases too high. Thus for Liverpool it is given as 5·5 per cent of the total number of foods and drugs examined. The sampling officers take samples representing types of foods that are most likely to be irregular. When an irregularity is found, repeated samples may be taken in an attempt to trace the trouble to its source. The result is that the number representing samples found to be unsatisfactory in the course of such an investigation would indicate—when included in the general figures relating to all samples examined—a higher proportion of unsatisfactory samples than is actually the case. “ Thus the percentage of unsatisfactory samples may be just as much a measure of the activity of the sampling officer as of the adulteration practised.” Again, it is pointed out that many of the irregularities disclosed in the examination of foods are not, from the common‐sense point of view, matters for which legal action is desirable. Accident or ignorance of legal regulations may be the cause of irregularities. “ It is generally sufficient to draw attention to what is wrong and it is immediately put right.”

The project management literature contains a growing body of research addressing information technology (IT). Currently, the majority of these studies direct attention towards projects completed within private sector organizations. Given the unique characteristics surrounding public sector organizations, this paper aims to argue that it is inappropriate to apply the lessons learned from private sector organizations in the public arena without investigating their applicability empirically.

A review of the historical evolution of IT usage within public sector organizations is offered. The broad body of project management knowledge is discussed, and the unique characteristics of public sector organizations are detailed. These three concepts combine to provide a conceptual framework for reviewing empirical research published in Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy.

It is concluded that the additional empirical research is needed to further our understanding of the applicability of project management principles, developed and applied in private sector organizations, to the unique organizational format presented by public sector operations.

As the use of, and dependence on, IT within all organizations continues to expand throughout the world, it becomes critically important for managers to understand “best business practices” so that these successful managerial techniques can be applied appropriately to enhance and refine operational practices. Importantly, problems associated with the successful management of information technology projects have been and continue to be significant concerns, thus highlighting the need for better knowledge development and transfer that can be provided by well designed and completed research.