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Taking a critical realist, mixed methods approach, this study fills a gap in the research base relating to driven game shooting (DGS) and its social impact. It looks at how involvement in DGS affects the people involved, using a recognised social impact assessment methodology with a theoretical underpinning of social capital theory. It considers the extent to which DGS creates social impact through the creation of social capital and reinforcement of identity, whether this is affected by size and/or type of shoot and how these impacts can be valued in future. A need for this was clearly outlined by National Resources Wales and its independent evaluation consultants (Hillyard and Marvin, 2017; Natural Resources Wales, 2017). This study is the first research study to consider the social impacts of DGS in full, utilising a recognised Social Impact Assessment method to produce a framework for future use in evaluating the social impact of shooting and therefore represents an original and needed contribution to knowledge. The study comprised of two stages of data collection. Firstly, qualitative, visiting shoots of different sizes and types from small and larger syndicates through to small and larger commercial shoots nationwide, observing/engaging with participants, contacting a sample of 45 people afterwards for a longer telephone interview. Results of these reflective observations and interviews were analysed using a Straussian grounded theory approach, allowing the production of a questionnaire for wider distribution using online and hard copy distribution channels, during the second quantitative stage, which received 2,424 responses suitable for analysis. Results indicate a positive impact on participant’s mental health and well-being measured using the short Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (SWEMWBS) compared to national data. This positive impact, facilitated by social support networks created within DGS, is influenced strongly by identity. Regular participation in physical activity, time spent outdoors, a sense of purpose and reduced loneliness appear to be contributing factors to this positive impact. Syndicate membership in particular enhances the mental well-being benefits. This study confirms that the financial value of these social impacts is potentially significant, as the cost-savings to the taxpayer in avoiding poor mental health and maintaining physical health can be very high. This will have implications for policy-makers when considering amendments to the rules surrounding DGS in the UK.

With a growing number of multinational corporations sending workers into new locations, the need for knowledge about how individuals and families successfully integrate and connect to their host country is paramount. This study focuses on the phenomenological communication strategies used for cross cultural adjustment and adaptation of longterm sojourners in a new culture. Longterm sojourners who have lived for three years or longer in two host countries were interviewed to explore their communication strategies of adaptation for meaning making for themselves and for their families. Specifically, perspectives around the experience of cross culture adjustment, language acquisition, and identity shift were explored. Findings show that individuals who approach the experience with openness and non-judgmentalism find greater satisfaction with the host country. Also, those who seek to integrate and deeply embrace the new culture experience acceptance and stay for longer periods. Humor, humility, and perseverance are character traits that predict for satisfactory adjustment. The stresses on marriage and family provide a dialectic experience of strain and closeness. Implications from this study indicate that satisfied longterm sojourners have discovered ways of contending with difficulties that provide knowledge for managing this stressful adjustment. Their experience can inform the expectations of future sojourners. This study emphasizes the need for sojourners to be prepared for the challenges ahead and to engage the process with flexibility.

A number of modeling languages can be used for simulating signal integrity effects. SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) has long been a standby in the integrated circuit (IC) industry, while IBIS (I/O Buffer Information Specification) has found favor with board designers. VHDL-AMS, developed for the modeling of mixed-signal systems, may have potential. Transistor-level simulation will be of limited use to board designers dealing with signal integrity for 2 reasons. First, IC vendors usually will not provide transistor circuit models until after PO and NDA paperwork is complete. Second, transistor-level simulations run too slowly and use too much memory to be practical for simulating complex boards. SPICE simulators have been and will continue to be used for simple signal integrity simulations and for mixed analog/digital circuits. IBIS models continue to evolve to meet user requirements.

Knowledge of signal integrity issues is no longer an option for today's high-speed systems designers. It is essential to the reliable operation of every high-speed digital product. A solid foundation in concepts such as ringing, crosstalk, ground bounce and power supply noise can help designers identify potential signal integrity issues long before a product goes to manufacturing, and in the process reduce NRE costs and preserve time-to-market schedules. By helping reduce time spent in prototype testing and redesign, signal integrity analysis can help design teams become more productive. Moreover, identifying signal integrity problems early in the design, even when a board appears to function correctly, pays multiple dividends down the road. And by uncovering potential failures before a product goes out into the field, signal integrity analysis can help designers avoid the potential loss of customer confidence and satisfaction.

Meeting crosstalk voltage limits can be challenging on densely routed, high-speed boards. Design engineers must identify crosstalk aggressor nets to reduce crosstalk to acceptable levels. The challenge is to identify all nets that are significantly coupled through crosstalk prior to waveform simulation. This requires estimating crosstalk coupling using an efficient expert algorithm. It is important to use an identification method that finds all crosstalk aggressor nets that cause crosstalk coupling above the user's electrical threshold voltage. If an aggressor net is overlooked, simulation results will indicate an excessively low level of crosstalk on a net, and the design may fail to meet the specifications for crosstalk voltage. If too many nets are identified as aggressors, waveform simulations will take much longer, with little or no change in predicted crosstalk. Geometric identification methods have been used for many years and are still the most commonly used. The challenge is how to decide the geometric rules for parallel lengths and spacings and to relate these to design requirements, which are specified in volts. Electrical identification has the advantage of not overlooking a distant net with a fast driver. Also, electrical methods will not identify closer nets unless they have edge rates that are fast enough to cause crosstalk above your specified electrical threshold. You get all of the significant crosstalk aggressors, while the nets below the electrical coupling threshold are rejected.

The stress level for students and parents increases during this testing. What is the attention span of an eight or 11-year-old? The testing is done for five consecutive days and for three hours duration each day. It appears the Ministry of Education has forgotten or overlooked basic child developmental psychology. Maybe they should return to their books. First year psychology explains it clearly: that a child of this age doesn't have that long of an attention span.

What will sell the signal integrity and EMC simulation methodology to the rest of the design team, as well as management, is the time and cost savings. When a designer has identified a potential issue and there is a limited amount of time to fix the design, simulation can save the project. Careful implementation of the new methodology on the first product brings the entire team, from design engineers to management, the proof of the benefits. Once the signal integrity and EMC team is in place, designers will solve the common problems and bring only the tough ones to the gurus. The gurus, using the simulation tools, will assist the designer in evaluating design tradeoffs and selecting the best option. Simulation that can be done in minutes can be done faster than a prototype turn. This leads to better design quality and faster time-to-market-and ultimately to a more profitable company.