Voltage and current sources, both independent and dependent, are introduced, along with resistors and their equivalent circuit laws. The Thevenin and Norton theorems are presented. Several examples of resistor applications are given. Various techniques for solving circuit problems are discussed, including Kirchhoff’s laws, the mesh loop method, superposition, and source transformation. Input resistance of measuring instruments is discussed and the various types of AC signals are presented.

As a result of its complexity, integration of multiple functions and brain regions, and prolonged development, decision-making is particularly vulnerable to deficit or dysfunction. Decision-making deficits have been described in schizophrenia, psychopathy, autism and depression. A commonality in proposed explanations is that of differences in the way networks associated with decision-making are structured. In some cases it may be over-connection, in others under-connection.

This is a book about two activities integral to human resource management (HRM): managing employee performance and managing how employees are rewarded. As we shall see throughout the book, there is a close and complex interdependence between these two activities; so much so, that it makes little sense to consider them in isolation from each other. Equally, while the book’s central concerns are with performance and reward practices and processes, attention is also paid throughout to acknowledging and analysing the interconnectedness of these and other aspects of HRM. For example, performance management systems provide inputs into other human resource (HR) functions such as evaluating HR decisions regarding employee recruitment and selection, training and development, and employees’ psychological engagement and wellbeing.Chapter 1 introduces you to those ideas and concepts that are fundamental to a rounded understanding of employee performance and reward management and, equally, to well-informed and effective practice in these fields – from basic system aims and requirements to the concept of total reward management.

There is a statutory right for employees not to be unfairly dismissed. The right usually requires a qualifying period of continuous employment, and claim has to be made to an employment tribunal within three months of the effective date of termination. The employee has to prove dismissal has occurred, though resignation in response to a fundamental breach of contract by the employer counts as constructive dismissal. The courts have interpreted the statutory test of fairness to require proof that the employer acted outside of the range of reasonable responses to the fault of the employee. Some reasons for dismissal are automatically unfair. The normal remedy for unfair dismissal in practice is not reinstatement but a modest award of compensation for which there is an upper limit.

Factors affecting protein structures and properties, formation of monolayers, forces influencing protein interactions and how proteins are adsorbed on different biomaterial surfaces are presented in this chapter. In addition, some of the commonly used methods to understand the behavior of adsorbed proteins are briefly discussed.

The chapter presents the fundamentals and importance of sterilization. Different methods used to sterilize medical implants are discussed, together with the principles behind determining the type of sterilization method suitable for an application.

Memory is vital for a range of brain functions, not just decision-making. Memory is a complex concept, that many researchers have attempted to model and explain over the course of history, all with their own properties. It is commonly accepted however that memory must include both retention and retrieval. Human memory can be considered as a complex storage system, in which information can be stored and accessed according to different criteria. Various models have explained memory organisation in terms of duration of retention (fractation), information type and temporal direction. To gain an insight into how memory informs decision-making, we must consider it as a dynamic cognitive function, with three main stages: encoding, storage and retrieval.

This chapter explores some of the key practices, trends and issues associated with executive reward. We begin by considering the role of executives in corporate governance as well as three influential theories of executive motivation, behaviour and reward: tournament theory, agency theory and managerial power theory. We then review the main components of executive reward, as well asrecent trends in CEO reward level and composition in a number of developed countries. Attention then turns to the various short-term and long-term incentive plans and associated techniques, including performance targets or ‘hurdles’, currently applied to executives. Next, we examine the academic research evidence and arguments regarding the effectiveness of executive reward practices, particularly the extent of the association between company performance and executive pay outcomes. Applying a multi-stakeholder perspective, the concluding section canvasses some of the wider implications of executive reward practice, as well as outlining illustrative configurations for aligning executive performance management and reward with organisational strategic priorities in the case of listed for-profit firms.

Different types of biocompatibility testing such as cytotoxicity; sensitization; irritation acute, subacute, subchronic, and chronic systemic toxicity; pyrogenicity; genotoxicity; implantation; hemocompatibility; carcinogenicity; reproductive and developmental toxicity are discussed in this chapter.

This introductory chapter provides a brief history of biomaterials, and the emphasis over the years on ensuring the viability of implants for the desired time and their interaction with the biology of the body. It discusses the importance of first understanding the type of chemical bonds that hold atoms together and how these bonds impart physical, chemical, and mechanical properties to the materials. These properties render biomaterials more or less appropriate for different medical applications as well as determine the body’s response to them.

Different surface modification techniques to modify surfaces of medical devices including principles underlying these surface modification techniques and advantages and limitations of each technique are discussed in this chapter.