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Analysis news Financial education
Greater onus on employers to look after staff needs
By David Woods	 1st May 2008 12:00 am 6th April 2017 4:53 pm
In the early 19th century, entrepreneur Robert Owen inherited a large mill in New Lanark, Scotland. The factory and surrounding area was overpopulated by thousands of workers from the slums and workhouses of nearby Glasgow and Edinburgh, so Owen, finding the conditions to be unacceptable, took the radical step of providing housing and other support for his staff.
In 1816, the social reformer opened the first infant school in Britain for employees' children. He cared for his staff in a paternalistic way by providing for their needs.
Although this type of welfare provision was expensive, Owen realised that it helped to motivate employees, and in turn enhanced their contribution towards sustaining a profitable enterprise.
By today's standards, providing such support to employees' is virtually unheard of. Employers have to prove the effectiveness of every penny spent to shareholders and investors and so keep a tight rain on reward budgets. Employees' expectations of employers have also changed and the idea of living in on-site employer-provided housing might not go down so well with staff who have access to a welfare state with education for their children, social housing and a national health service.
One thing today's employers have in common with Owen, however, is that they still want to look after employees so they remain motivated and contribute effectively to the business.
The term paternalism has, for many benefits practitioners, become associated with a past when employees were loyal and much more dependant. Paul Bissell, head of rewards at Nationwide Building Society, says: "My view of paternalism is that the employer is protective [of staff]."
But attitudes to reward have moved on with many employers backing away from dictating what benefits staff are to receive, and instead opting to provide choice. Paul White, senior consultant at Aon Consulting, says: "Paternalism draws up connotations of a father figure who makes decisions for his children's own good, even if it goes against the wishes of the child."
Government influence
Employers are also operating under cost constraints which in the case of pensions has led them to offload some of the responsibility for providing for employees' retirement to staff themselves. The trend away from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes places greater onus on employees to make decisions about their future, for example, in terms of investment choices and pension contribution rates.
However, over the last couple of years, the government has been moving towards pushing employers to take a more active role in their employees' welfare.
When the government's latest pensions reforms come into effect in 2012, employers will be required to contribute 3% of an employee's salary into either an occupational pension or personal account.
The workplace has also been identified by Otto Thoresen's Review of generic financial advice, published in March, as an avenue for delivering generic financial advice.
Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population Working for a healthy tomorrow has also highlighted the need for employers to become more involved in providing workplace health and wellbeing initiatives for staff.
Martha How, head of reward consulting at Hewitt Associates, believes the government is stepping back and offloading responsibility for employees' wellbeing to employers. "I don't see how economically, the government could do any more," she says.
But she also makes the point that employers could use a little help from government in the form of more tax breaks around perks.
Aon's White explains that the government has always been the last recourse in providing state benefits such as pensions and healthcare, but with rising costs it is encouraging employers to increase the level of care they provide for staff.
Its current approach may give employers a lot to think about, however, and a new wave of paternalism could be upon us. Philip Hutchinson, head of corporate Sipp sales at Pointon York Sipp Solutions, says: "It could be argued that the government is encouraging companies to go down a paternalistic route, but you could argue some employers are there already."
Many employers provide extensive benefits packages for their staff, however, they are reluctant to be labelled paternalistic. Increasingly they are offering employees the opportunity to select benefits that suit their needs through schemes such as flexible benefits. "Employers don't want to patronise employees by making their benefits decisions for them. They are allowing staff a choice of the benefits that best suit them," says White.
Chris Bruce, managing director of Thomsons Online Benefits, says that flexible benefits schemes could be viewed as a new form of paternalism, as these enable employers to offer perks that can be seen as caring for employees by meeting as many of their requirements as possible.
Hewitt's How says that the ability to offer choice has moved benefits provision on. "Twenty years ago, the vast majority of employers adopted a paternalistic mindset where benefits were simply given to employees who had no choice. The employer made the decisions and that was that," she adds.
This type of approach is now outdated, she says, as employees may no longer value a core benefits package, but instead look for options that suit their personal situations and lifestyle. How explains that those employers that are giving staff choice rather than presuming what their best interests are able to demonstrate that they care for staff by enabling them to have control over their own lives. "Employers are increasingly becoming more caring, but less paternalistic. It is more now about employers demonstrating good citizenship," she explains.
Empower with choice
Chemicals and paint firm ICI is among those employers that have moved from providing a fixed benefits package to a flex scheme in order to provide staff with greater choice. Lisa Harrison, benefits manager, explains: "ICI had been fairly paternalistic in its approach to benefits, but we wanted to move from this outlook to a position where we could empower employees and give them a greater deal of choice. We believe we can be caring without being paternalistic."
By offering staff a degree of choice, employers are able to demonstrate that they respect the fact that staff are adults and are able to make their own decisions. "[A firm] is likely to have more engaged employees if it is adopting an approach which gives employees flexibility," says Bissell.
Hutchinson believes employees are savvier than they were twenty years ago and will not be so easily told what to do, but there are occasions where employers may want to ensure that staff continue to receive a minimum level of benefits. In this instance, he says employers should be more subtle in the way that they provide for the welfare of their staff. "Encouraging people to make flexible benefits choices once a year, or auto-enroling staff into a pension scheme is still intrusive but it is delivered in a subtle way," he says.
Many employers that offer flex schemes, for example, still encourage staff to take up a pension as a core benefit, or make sure they cannot flex below a set level of death in service cover, as these perks are considered to be in employees' best interests.
When considering what approach to take to benefits provision, Sarah Brown, a principal at Mercer, believes employers should think about their business requirements. There is no longer a need for them to be as paternalistic as they once were as employees are not so loyal anymore. "[Staff] used to start at a job and stay there for life, so there needed to be a greater relationship between employer and employee. This is not the case anymore. A person may only stay with an employer for a few years," she says.
Employers should consider offering perks that not only provide for the welfare of staff, but also help with recruitment and retention, and maximise employee productivity. For example, occupational health and absence management tools help employers to effectively manage employees. "This is not about being paternalistic. It is about doing the best thing for the strategy of the business," she says.
Nevertheless, some employers remain proud to be considered paternalistic. Organisations in the public sector still offer final salary pension schemes, for example. Bruce believes some employees prefer to work for a paternalistic organisation that will protect and care for them. However, paternalistic employers should support their benefits strategy with strong communications, he says, in order to attract and retain staff. "I think there are employers who want to embrace paternalism, but they don't want to [be seen to] communicate to staff that they know what's best for them," he adds.
Educate well
Providing education and communication for employees is vital if employers want to be paternal towards staff or if they wish to empower their workforce to make their own decisions. This could be as simple as providing employees with financial education, for example, which equips staff with any necessary knowledge, but ultimately leaves financial decisions in their hands.
Hutchinson explains: "[Staff] could be encouraged to do their own thing to create their own wealth, but the employer could say 'don't worry, we will help you if you need it'."
Whatever approach employers take, there is often a fine line between caring and interfering. Hutchinson advises employers to carry out staff surveys to ascertain what benefits employees want, as a benefits strategy often depends on the needs of the workforce as well as an organisation's business objectives.
Overall, the idea of paternalism and its accompanying connotations may be considered somewhat archaic in relation to today's workforce, however, there are still some advantages to employers helping to provide for the wellbeing of their employees.
Thinking back to Robert Owen and his New Lanark community, while he put social reform into practice with his workforce, he was, first and foremost, a shrewd businessman who was almost certainly not naive. He proved critics wrong by adopting a paternalistic stance and operating a successful business. So while his methods may be outdated by today's standards his example is still worth considering to some degree by employers looking to demonstrate an element of care towards employees EB
Cadbury squares away its modern sweeteners
Practising Quakers George and Richard Cadbury were famed for founding the Bournville Village in the late 19th century to house their burgeoning workforce.
They provided housing, health and fitness benefits, as well as one of the first pension schemes in the UK. With a long history as a paternalistic organisation, Cadbury Schweppes is now keen to be seen as a more benevolent employer.
It has provided a flexible benefits plan for staff since 1997. Senior employees are given an allowance and other staff can pay for the benefits through salary sacrifice arrangements.
The firm also offers flexible working and wellbeing initiatives, which adhere to the Cadbury brothers' values.
Employees are not coerced into selecting benefits, but they are told what is available.
Suzanne Laverick, UK employee benefits manager, says: "We give staff an informed choice and the flexibility to do what they want."†
Staff health fairs make for better transport bodies
Although London Underground offers health and wellbeing initiatives to its 1,271 employees, it does not consider this to be particularly paternalistic.
The organisation has, in the past, run health fairs at 31 of its sites, offering staff cholesterol and diabetes checks, advice on stress, information on healthy eating from a nutritionist, and access to a physiotherapist.
Staff attended in their own time. The events were communicated using posters and leaflets.
Dr Olivia Carlton, head of occupational health at Transport for London and London Underground, explains: "Paternalism is the employer saying 'I know what's good for staff more than they do'." Although London Underground covered the cost of providing the health fairs for staff, the events were designed to help staff to look after themselves rather than the organisation taking active responsibility for this.
"We are providing help, but we wanted staff to take responsibility for their own health and drive the programmes they need in order to recover as it actually reaps dividends," Carlton explains.
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20 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Portugal
21 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Lisbon
17 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Porto
10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Tomar & Easy Day Trips
Written by Paul Bernhardt
In central Portugal's fertile Ribatejo region, Tomar is dominated by its 12th-century castle and the Convento de Cristo, one of the country's most spectacular religious sites. Tomar is wrapped in Templar myth and legend. Seat of the mysterious Order of the Knights Templar and later, the Order of Christ in Portugal, the convent, with its two churches and myriad cloisters, is mesmerizing.
Straddling the crystalline River Nabão, this quaint little town is a pleasure to explore. The town center, webbed by narrow lanes lined with family-run restaurants, cozy cafés, and homestyle shops, exudes a delightfully domestic atmosphere, a quality not lost on visitors who appreciate the humble, down-to-earth character. Rua Serpa Pinto, the main shopping street, arrows into Praça de República and provides onlookers with a glorious vista of the ever-present fortress. But Tomar's main square is also the focus of great celebration when, every four years, the townsfolk take part in the ebullient Festa dos Tabuleiros, a major tourist draw on Portugal's festival calendar. Further afield, a lake provides sunbathing and water sports opportunities, while another castle, renowned for its rugged good looks, woos sightseers at Almourol. And yes, the Templars built it!
1 Convento de Cristo
Tomar's stand out crowd-pleaser is the magnificent Convent of Christ, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Founded in the 12th century by the Grand Master of the Templars, this extraordinary church with its graceful cloisters and impressive castle is one of the most dazzling and extensive of Portugal's religious sites.
The powerful and enigmatic monk-knights were rewarded for their ferocity on the battlefield with a castle, built in 1160 within sturdy walls on a wooded hilltop near the River Nabão. Soon afterwards, a church appeared, the Charola. Sometimes called the Rotunda in deference to its drum-like appearance, this is the Templars' oratory, a hallowed sanctuary that surrounds a gilded octagon of breathtaking beauty. Pope Clement V suppressed the Order of the Knights Templar in 1314, but in Portugal, a canny King Dinis turned it into the Order of Christ, thus facilitating the construction of what would become the Convent of Christ. A second church was consecrated in the early 16th century, and its elaborate chapterhouse window, framed by a rhapsody of curvaceous filigree stonework, is one of the most recognized examples of Manueline architecture in the country. Of the convent's eight cloisters, it is the resplendent Great Cloister that captures the imagination of most visitors. To climb its spiral staircases and wander the elegant terraces is to immerse oneself in the romantic and intriguing world of the Templars and 16th-century Portugal.
Address: Colina do Castelo, Tomar
Official site: http://www.conventocristo.pt
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Tomar
2 Igreja de São João Baptista
Positioned across chessboard paving stones in the middle of lively Praça da República, the church of St. John the Baptist is a graceful, late 15th-century head-turner. Many a tourist has had their photograph taken under its elegant Manueline portal, and the lofty aspect of the brick-stone clocktower with its octagonal spire is beautifully proportioned against the squat, mainly 17th-century townhouses that flank the square. Its cool, hushed interior is decorated with a number of 16th-century paintings including a finely detailed Last Supper by Gregório Lopes. Historians should note the statue of Gualdim Pais standing in the middle of the square. Pais was a Portuguese crusader knight and the first grand master of the Order of the Templars in Portugal, who founded Tomar in 1157. His grave lies in Igreja de Santa Maria do Olival. Praça da República is the focus of the spectacular Festa dos Tabuleiros, a costumed festival that takes place every four years and culminates in the area outside the church.
Location: Praça da República, Tomar
3 Museu dos Fósforos (Matchbox Museum)
Even committed non-smokers will be struck by Tomar's Matchbox Museum. This vast and quirky collection of more than 43,000 matchboxes from 127 countries of the world is the largest of its kind in Europe. A further 16,000 matchbox labels enhance the exhibition. The museum is housed in the former cloisters of the 17th-century church of São Francisco, a rather incongruous setting perhaps, but one that enlightens the sightseeing experience. The scope of the display is overwhelming, but visitor interest is immediately sparked by the sheer variety of the exhibits. One of the rarest portfolios is a set of 24 boxes featuring caricatures of film stars from Hollywood's golden era of comedy, screen greats such as Laurel and Hardy, Bob Hope, and Buster Keaton. A more whimsical collection is the 50 boxes that illustrate scenes from children's fairy tales, including those from Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Among the curiosities are examples of stylishly embroidered and hand-painted pieces and the eight 19th-century Italian Luigi de Medici lithographs of exceptional detail and vivid color reproduced on matchboxes sold in Turin.
Address: Avenida General Bernardo Faria, Tomar
4 Synagogue-Museu Luso-Hebraico de Abraham Zacuto
One of the more unusual things to do in Tomar is explore the town's cobblestone lanes and seek out the Jewish museum, named after a renowned 15th-century astronomer and mathematician. An added incentive is the fact that it's housed in one of Portugal's oldest synagogues. Built in 1430-60, it only served as a place of worship for three dozen years before King Manuel I banished all Jews who refused to convert to Christianity. Its drab, unprepossessing façade belies a serene interior that features a vaulted ceiling supported by four smooth, lanky columns and 12 pointed arches. The atmosphere is silent and meditative and allows the visitor to ponder the various exhibits related to Judaism that include ceramics and a number of medieval stone slabs engraved with Hebraic inscriptions, one of which is a blush-hued limestone tombstone from the Great Synagogue of Lisbon, dating from 1307 and bearing an engraved message of greeting. A recently excavated 15th-century mikvah, or ritual bath, has elevated the collection's status.
Address: Rua Dr Joaquim Jacinto, Tomar
5 Núcleo de Arte Contemporânea
With the town wrapped in medieval splendor, this contemporary art center makes for a refreshingly up-to-date diversion. The gallery's permanent collection of around 100 paintings showcases the abstract and sometimes seriously leftfield brushwork of 20th-century Portuguese modernists and surrealists and was donated by the celebrated art critic, historian, and author José-Augusto França. The earliest canvas dates from 1932, and aficionados of Portuguese modern art will recognize artists like expressionists Mário Eloy and António Pedro, among other names from the period. The bequest also includes examples of drawing, photography, and sculpture arranged chronologically up to 1970. Enriching the temporary exhibitions gallery is new and exciting contemporary painting and sculpture by up-and-coming Portuguese artists.
Address: Rua Gil Avô, Tomar
6 Igreja de Santa Maria do Olival
Visitors to Tomar with a genuine interest in the Knights Templar and the Order of Christ should make the pilgrimage to this 13th-century church and stand over the grave of Gualdim Pais, who founded the town in 1157 and was the first grand master of the Order of the Templars in Portugal. Other Templar Masters are also buried here and the church, in effect, serves as a pantheon. The sense of history is tangible. An elegant carved stone Renaissance pulpit can be admired, as can the heavily ornamented 16th-century chapels. When the sun burnishes it, an impressive stained-glass rose window set in the Gothic façade illuminates the interior. Restored several times over the centuries, Santa Maria do Olival became the church mother for mariners in the Age of Discovery, during the 1500s, with telltale flourishes of Manueline architecture reinforcing the timeline. The church is situated on the east side of the River Nabão, Look for its distinctive three-story bell tower, which stands separately from the building.
Address: Estrada de Marmelais de Baixo, Tomar
7 Festa dos Tabuleiros
The Festival of the Trays is regarded as one of most spectacular and extravagant of all Portugal's festivals. Held once every four years in Tomar, the event has its origins in pagan ritual and is a centuries-old tradition. Celebrated over a one-week period in July, when the town is festooned with colorful streamers, bunting, and paper flowers, a party atmosphere pervades the narrow lanes where restaurants serve specially prepared traditional fare and cheerful townsfolk dance in the street. The highlight, though, is the astonishing town-center parade when hundreds of women - the 'maidens' - attired in crisp white cotton ankle-length skirts and scarlet sashes file through the streets balancing towering platters of bread and flowers on their heads. Accompanied by their chaperones, the ladies, a picture of balanced repose and quiet determination, slowly thread their way towards Praça da República and the church, where they can finally shed their elaborate - and heavy - headdresses in a symbolic act of giving and sharing. The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world eager to witness this rare and happy occasion.
8 Barragem do Castelo de Bode
An inviting stretch of water lying 13 kilometers southeast of Tomar, this huge reservoir provides plenty of diversion for those tourists with an outdoor disposition and a passion for water sports. Nestling between rolling banks of pine and eucalyptus forests, the shimmering freshwater lake is a magnet for water-skiers and canoeists, although windsurfers might sometimes find a decent breeze wanting. Boating and fishing are also favorite pastimes. Equipment can be hired from several rental outlets dotted along the water's edge, and yachting facilities are usually available from the lakeside hotels that draw visitors seeking a peaceful and secluded holiday destination. Most of the hotel restaurants are open to non-residents. Numerous small islands pepper the lake and are ideal picnic venues; some even have small sandy beaches. These can be reached under your own steam, or by cruise boat. Bordering the lake are footpaths and nature trails that meander past isolated villages, where locals wave with bemused indifference. In summer, the sheltered location can roast under a fierce sun, so cream up first if swimming or sunbathing.
Location: Barragem do Castelo de Bode
9 Castelo de Almourol
Castelo de Almourol
Prime your cameras and smartphones because Almourol Castle is as chocolate box as it gets. This magical fortress, dramatically set on a marble-sized island in the Tagus River near the town of Constância, is one of the most picturesque historical monuments in the region. Built by Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar, in 1171 over existing Roman foundations, ancient Almourol, whose walls and keep are reflected in the mirror-like water, is steeped in myth and legend. Some believe the stronghold is haunted by the ghost of a princess yearning for the love of her Moorish slave. In the 16th century, romantic poets waxed lyrical about chivalrous knights defending the castle against hordes of ugly ogres. Indeed, the evocative ruins do conjure up images of medieval lords mounted on snorting warhorses riding under banners of fluttering heraldry. One thing's for sure, over the centuries, the castle, protected by stocky ramparts and nine forbidding towers, has never yielded to invading forces - except for happy bands of mesmerized tourists.
Ferries depart regularly from Constância and Tancos to land in front of the castle.
Location: Constância is 20 kilometers southwest of Tomar
10 Aqueduto Pegões
Aqueduto Pegões
A short distance out of town is a superb example of 17th-century civil engineering: the Pegões Aqueduct. Construction began on this architectural marvel in 1593, during the reign of Filipe I, and was completed in 1614. Designed by Italian Filippo Terzi, who didn't live to see its inauguration, the aqueduct was built to supply thirsty monks ensconced in the Convent of Christ with fresh water. The impressive structure features 180 arches over 16 ogival arches resting on pillars. It is best viewed northwest of Tomar near Pegões, off the N113 Leiria road.
Location: Pegões, 2 kilometers northwest of Tomar.
Tips and Tours: How to Make the Most of Your Visit to Tomar
Learn about the History of the Knights Templar: Expert guides leading the Small-Group Tour: Knights Templar Historical Tour from Lisbon explain in detail the history of the crusading Order of the Knights Templar. Besides visiting Tomar, the excursion takes you to the quaint riverside town of Constância, and an entertaining boat trip steals up to the gates of the beguiling Castelo de Almourol.
Day Trips from Tomar
Fátima, internationally famous as a place of pilgrimage, lies in central Portugal about 30 kilometers from Tomar. On May 13, 1917, and again on the 13th of each subsequent month until October in that year, the "Virgin of the Rosary" is said to have appeared to three peasant children in what is known as the Miracle of Fátima. At first skeptical about these visions, the Church saw more than 70,000 people making the pilgrimage to Fátima for the last appearance on October 13, 1917. Now, every year thousands of believers travel here from around the world to beseech forgiveness for their sins or pray for healing. On the eve of the chief annual pilgrimages, large torch light processions take place. The Neo-Baroque basilica with its 65-meter-high central tower dominates the esplanade that serves as the rallying point for the kneeling pilgrims. In front of the basilica, the little chapel of the apparitions, the Capela das Apariçôes, marks the place where the Virgin Mary is supposed to have appeared to the children in the branches of an oak tree in 1917.
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Santarém Joao Alves / photo modified
About 70 kilometers southwest of Tomar, Santarém, capital of the old province of Ribatejo, is a town of low whitewashed houses built on a hill above the right bank of the Tagus. The town is worth visiting for its interesting churches and the splendid views over the river. Apart from an important agricultural fair (Feira Nacional de Agricultura) held here in early June each year, the town's main attractions include the Igreja do Seminário with a Baroque facade; the Igreja da Graça, a late Gothic convent church built towards the end of the 14th century; and the Portas do Sol, where a park and a terrace were laid out on the site of a Moorish castle at the end of the 19th century. It now affords magnificent views over the Tagus valley.
Santarem Map - Attractions
More Must-See Towns near Tomar
Tomar's location in Portugal's Ribatejo region makes it an excellent base from which to explore the country's central coast and destinations like Óbidos, one of the best places to visit in Portugal, and Nazaré. There are some excellent beaches to get acquainted with, and Tomar also allows for easy traveling to the historic towns of Batalha and Alcobaça. For other inspiring suggestions, browse our Portugal itineraries page. Farther north, grand cities like Coimbra beckon.
Where to Stay in Tomar
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Where to Go in Portugal: 7 Great Itineraries
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> 20 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Portugal

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The Value of Next Generation Assessment Technology: Measuring Knowledge Certainty.
How and why testing improves workplace learning and development.
Ten reasons to bring your workplace assessments online.
How traditional methods of workforce assessment are failing.
Why do employees forget information they have learned during training?
The connection between knowledge, confidence, retention and quality of knowledge was extensively studied by Dr James Bruno whilst working for NATO in the 1960s.
Dr Bruno discovered that the more confident a person felt about their knowledge of a particular subject, the more likely they were to implement that knowledge, and less likely to forget that information in the future.
For effective training outcomes, knowledge and confidence is required in unison.
To understand why employees fail to implement skills that they have learned during training, it is important to understand that mere knowledge is not enough to change behaviour. To empower an employee to implement training in the workplace, they also need to have a high degree of confidence of their knowledge to apply conviction to decisions that they make.
Dr Bruno demonstrated that traditional 'one dimensional' forms of assessment (where only the score is recorded) provide limited feedback of knowledge attained and no feedback as to the strength of overall confidence.
What is the best way to measure knowledge in the workplace?
Our online assessment platform provides the next generation in measuring knowledge and confidence simultaneously through an entirely automated process. During online assessment, knowledge and confidence levels of a participant's responses are evaluated to establish distinct correlations and actionable insight.
The participant knows the correct answer and is certain in their knowledge. These employees are likely to take the knowledge learned in training and apply it successfully in the workplace, increasing positive outcomes. Confidence in knowledge also means that knowledge is more likely to be retained over a longer period of time.
The participant knows the correct answer and is uncertain in their knowledge meaning they are unlikely to act on it. There is also a greater chance their lack of confidence in their knowledge will mean that the information will be forgotten more quickly over a period of time.
The participant has misguided certainty in their knowledge and therefore believes the wrong information. This is particularly problematic as these employees are more likely to act on their incorrect knowledge and pose risks to the business.
The participant doesn't have the knowledge and is uncertain in their answers. Participants who have neither the knowledge nor confidence in their knowledge are unlikely to succeed in their current role without further training and development.
Effective training and cost efficiencies can be achieved through increased insight into participants' level of knowledge and certainty within that knowledge. Through the use of our assessment platform's added insight, training departments are empowered to create effective tailored training plans as a result of more focussed training needs analysis.
It is important that employees have conviction and belief in their skills in order to retain information and be able to deploy their learning in practical, demonstrable ways to the benefit of the organisation.
Attaching tests and quizzes to online training programmes serves a number of purposes; testing re-enforces important points from a training programme, and can help candidates with memory retention. Testing can grade workforce skills and identify areas of training that may need to be addressed. Testing has a number of crucial roles in workplace learning; used effectively and with the correct feedback, is a vital element of any workplace training programme.
Summative or Post training testing assesses the effectiveness of the course and whether learning objectives have been achieved. Post-test training is used for measuring learning outcomes.
Testing can and should be used in a variety of ways to enhance and improve the learning and development process. Without thorough testing the true outcomes of training are difficult to identify and difficult to plan for. Our platform's robust reporting procedures are unique in the industry by providing a clear analysis of training success.
Our performance-response technology is an intuitive and user friendly platform for creating pre-training, formative and summative testing and uncovers key areas to improve training and enhance learning outcomes.
Our platform enables a level of reporting that enables your organisation to gauge the true return of investment in all methods of testing and training by using our unique performance response technology.
Contact us to find out more about how our performance-response technology can help you realise the true impact of your workplace training.
The most effective way to determine if your organisation's training programme is competent and successful, is to test and assess your employees.
Assessment enables you to track employee performance, identify training and performance gaps, qualify skills for new employees and provide robust evidence for regulatory compliance.
So why should you bring your workplace testing and assessments online?
Online tests are extremely efficient and cost effective to deliver Online assessments can be devolved to the whole workforce at the click of a button. As assessments can be accessed on any mobile device, it is no longer necessary to use costly training classrooms and PCs to ensure that testing can reach the whole workforce.
Geography is not a problem As assessments can be delivered at any time, in any place, the geographical location of employees is no longer a barrier to testing.
Results and analytics are immediately available Online assessment software has built in reporting, which can supply immediate, rich, and detailed feedback; both to the candidate and to the assessor so they can determine the success of the test.
Eliminates human error when marking Statistically human error is an inevitable part of marking paper based assessments, while automatic marking provided by online assessment tools is 100% error free, 100% of the time.
Ease of creating unique exam papers As online exam software enables questions to be stored in a question bank, exam papers can be securely created, in minutes. Automating shuffling or randomising test questions reduces the likelihood that candidates can cheat and provides each person with an individual and appropriate test paper.
Online assessments create a visually rich and interactive testing experience Image based testing, drag and drop activities, audio and video based testing means that multimedia based assessments make a more engaged experience for the user and can test how the employee would react in real life situations.
Security Secure user names and passwords protect both the integrity of the question bank, and the security of test papers. Online exams can be deployed with a security wrapper to ensure access to any other programme is not allowed during the duration of the test.
Collaborative authoring of tests Secure user permissions and passwords enable several people to access areas of a question bank, without enabling access to test papers. This means that subject matter experts can contribute quickly and easily to test papers, without compromising the security of the exam or assessment.
Invigilator triggers Online assessment ensures that tests can be made available to groups of employees, or all employees concurrently, and tests can be made available or withdrawn during a specified time period.
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The article provides information on a study which investigated the cost effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with fluoxetine and fluoxetine monotherapy in treating adolescent depression. Data from the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression (TADS) trial was used. Researchers concluded that CBT with fluoxetine may be a more cost-effective treatment than fluoxetine alone.
The article focuses on a research on the cost effectiveness of computerised cognitive-behavioural therapy (cCBT) for depression compared with treatment as usual (TAU) or a combination of both conducted by S. A. Gerhards and colleagues published in the April 2010 issue.


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text:
Patronyme
Classement par ordre chronologique
 François de Donadieu, évêque d'Auxerre,  ecclésiastique français du .
 François ou Jean de Donadieu, son frère évêque de Saint-Papoul
 Pierre de Donadieu, (1560-1605), son frère est un noble militaire français, gouverneur du château d'Angers
 Barthélemy de Donadieu de Griet évêque de Comminges, leur neveu.
 Jean Donadieu, (1744-1794), général de la révolution française.

Homonymie
Homonymie de patronyme

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The whereabouts of Thurston and Kim's fountain of youth remains unknown.
Every once and a while a story comes across our desk that lifts the spirit, invigorates the senses, and reinforces our faith in mankind. This is one of those times.
Back in July of 1999, Sonic Youth were victims of a robbery when a ton of gear-- guitars, amps, the works-- was stolen from a Ramada Inn parking lot in Orange County, California. At the time, Lee Ranaldo wrote an open letter to fans, giving them a heads up: "Our guitars are all mostly older and either very modified and/or fucked up/beat up. They are unmistakably ours." One of the lifted items was Ranaldo's Fender Mustang-- you might recognize it from the band's "Macbeth" and "Mary Christ" videos.
According to a now-massive thread on the Offset Guitars message board entitled "The OH MY GOD! I BOUGHT ONE OF SONIC YOUTH'S STOLEN GUITARS thread", a user named Sauerkraut realized he bought Ranaldo's old guitar on eBay after finding a picture of it on Sonic Youth's intense online instrument archive. And he wanted to give it back.
As long as the Mustang can make it through Dutch customs, it seems like a happy reunion with its rightful owner is all but assured. Kudos to Sauerkraut-- his lifetime SY pass is well deserved.
In other Sonic Youth news, the band announced their summer U.S. tour today. The trek comes on the heels of the band's forthcoming album The Eternal, out June 9 on Matador.
07-21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.


Search the Community: Showing results for tags 'cc new medieval town'.
With CC1.6 it was possible to use New Medieval Town (and The Fountain and Forest Oupost). With CC1.7 the game either crashes or NMT-icons don't show up in the menu.


text:
Where Carl Edwards buried last season's disappointment
Somewhere on Miami Beach is buried the disappointment and the frustration of Carl Edwards' runner-up finish to Tony Stewart for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship.
Stewart won the season finale at Homestead, Fla., with Edwards finishing second. The two finished tied in points but Stewart won the championship by having more wins than Edwards over the course of the season (5-1).
The next day Edwards and his wife, Kate, went for a walk on the beach - he was staying over for the Nationwide Series banquet - and they made a pact.
"We made a deal right then that it was done and over and it was a fun time and we wished it would have gone different but we pretty much buried it in the sand on the beach," Edwards said. "When people ask me how long it took to get over that, it took about 10 or 11 hours and that is it."
Edwards, however, did not come up totally empty from Homestead. He said he left with a very important life lesson.
"I learned that you can't place all the value on your result. You have to place some on performance," he said. "When you drive the perfect race and if your car is not fast enough, or you have some bad luck, you might finish fifth. Some of those races you finish fifth are better than ones you win.
"I have won a number of races where I knew my car was faster and somebody else had bad luck. What I am getting at is that at the end of that race at Homestead, as devastated as I was that we didn't win, and trust me I was really frustrated that we didn't win, I can still hold my head up and say that we went into that race with all the pressure in the world, Tony doing all his trash-talking, everything on our shoulders, and we qualified on the pole, led the most laps, and we were leading when it started raining. We just got out gambled in the pits and it didn't go our way.
"I am telling you, if I went back and ran that race again, I don't know if I personally could do a better job managing that race."
Sometimes all you can do has to be enough.
Posted by Observer Sports at 8:24 PM No comments:
Jimmie Johnson on his car Sunday: 'It wasn't pretty.'
Jimmie Johnson had just wrecked his No. 48 Chevrolet in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway and instead of heading right to the garage for repairs, his crew chief Chad Knaus elected to have him make multiple pit stops to try to fix the damage.
"There's nothing wrong with that thing. Nothing," Knaus told Johnson over their team radio after his fourth trip to the pits. "You just might have a little trouble looking out the back window."
What did Johnson think listening to Knaus direct the repairs and then seeing what the car looked like after he rallied for a ninth-place finish?
Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/10/21/96686/johnson-salvages-day-after-crashing.html#storylink=cpy
"I knew he would make it sound better than it really was. That's just part of what you mentioned, (of him) quarterbacking the situation. I could tell from the impact it wasn't all that hard," Johnson said. "I knew I didn't bend the rear suspension. I knew the front end didn't hit. From a mechanical standpoint, I knew the chassis was sound and it really was an aero situation.
" Chad seemed calm as we had two or three stops to work on the car. Once they didn't lead me back to pit road, I assumed things were decent. I took my time getting up to speed and the car felt fine. In traffic it did act different. I had to be aware of where I put myself around other cars because the car would lose some grip then."
So, did Knaus lie about the extent of the damage in order to make Johnson believe the situation was so dire?
"He wasn't lying. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't efficient. Slow on corner exiting down the straightaway because of the fenders being pushed out like they were," Johnson said of his car. "Through the corner, the car had a spoiler on it in a decent location and it was creating downforce. It drove well. That's what allowed me to work traffic like I did to allow me to get up inside the top 10."
Posted by Observer Sports at 12:49 PM No comments:
Jimmie Johnson on his car Sunday: 'It wasn't prett...
Where Carl Edwards buried last season's disappoint...


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text:
\section{Introduction}
Cantilever mechanical resonators have found application in a wide range of sensing and detection schemes including mass sensing~\cite{Moser,Lavrik}, atomic (magnetic) force microscopes~\cite{Giessiblrmp}, chemical sensors~\cite{Nordstrom}, torque magnetometry~\cite{Rossel1996,Willemin1998,Rossel1998} and torque differential magnetometry~\cite{Kamra} (also known as cantilever magnetometry~\cite{Stipe,Weber}). Most of these measurement schemes are based on detection of changes in either the oscillation amplitude at a fixed drive or the resonance frequency of the mechanical resonator. This change in amplitude or resonance frequency can in turn be attributed to a change in the effective mass ($m_{\textrm{eff}}$) or the effective spring constant ($k_{\textrm{eff}}$) of the mechanical resonator induced by the physical parameter to be detected (henceforth called {\it perturbation}). Thus, to achieve a high sensitivity, small $m_{\textrm{eff}}$ and $k_{\textrm{eff}}$  are required to obtain a large frequency shift for a given perturbation. The trade-offs include
small specimen size and exclusive operation at low temperatures and pressures. Further, the resonant response of these resonators is typically recorded using a mechanical piezoelectric drive and optical detection of the oscillation amplitude~\cite{Stipe}. This optical detection makes the setup relatively expensive and sensitive to external disturbances.

Complementary, purely electrical detection schemes have also been investigated including piezoresistive resonators~\cite{Tortonese,Eriksson} and piezoelectric quartz tuning forks	 (TFs)~\cite{Giessiblnanotech,Rychenrsi,Todorovic,Unterreithmeier}. The latter resonators are particularly attractive as they are commercially available and can be integrated on small footprints. In addition to high quality factors of about 10000 under ambient conditions, they offer several other desirable properties like high temperature stability, low sensitivity to external mechanical disturbances, and robustness~\cite{Bottom}. Further, the relatively large $k_{\textrm{eff}}$ of these resonators offers several advantages due to smaller oscillation amplitude~\cite{Giessiblnanotech} and larger linear operation range~\cite{Kamra} while preserving the high sensitivity, since the drawback of smaller frequency shifts due to large $k_{\textrm{eff}}$ is compensated by a high quality factor resulting in better frequency resolution.

\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8.5cm]{ctmvstdm.pdf}
\caption{Torque differential magnetometry~\cite{Stipe,Kamra} using a cantilever (a) and a quartz TF (b). On the rhs the mechanical and electrical equivalent circuits are shown. A magnetic specimen (light blue) is attached to the tip of the resonator (red) and the former experiences a torque under the influence of an applied magnetic field. This torque translates to a magnetic field dependent effective stiffness (capacitance) leading to magnetic field dependent resonance frequency of the cantilever (TF). The applied magnetic field dependent quantities are shown in blue. $R_m$ represents the magnetic contribution to the dissipation. The cantilever setup requires a laser interferometer for measurements while the TF enables an all-electrical measurement scheme.}
\label{ctmvstdm}
\end{figure}

We have employed quartz TFs to perform {\it quantitative} measurements via torque differential magnetometry (TDM)~\cite{Stipe,Kamra}. Our setup improves upon the existing TDM capabilities~\cite{Stipe,Weber} by allowing `large' specimens weighing up to several 10 $\mu$g, operation over a broad temperature and pressure range, higher sensitivity for detecting magnetic contribution to dissipation, and a simple all-electrical implementation. We give a brief introduction to the quartz TF as a mechanical resonator in Sec. \ref{tfresonator}. TFs have already been used for high resolution microscopy~\cite{Giessiblnanotech,Rychenrsi} and alternating gradient magnetometry~\cite{Todorovic}. However, in all these measurements, only qualitative changes in the surface topography or magnetic moment were of interest. In contrast, we demonstrate, in a proof-of-principle experiment, a quantitative analysis of the anisotropy field and magnetization of a thin iron wire with a high precision. The TDM
method entails attaching the magnetic specimen to the tip of the TF and recording the resonance frequency as a function of an applied magnetic field (see Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm}). We detail optimal mounting procedures in Sec. \ref{setupsec} and experimental spectroscopy techniques in Sec. \ref{measurement}.

In TDM, the magnetic specimen experiences a mechanical torque, which acts as an effective force $F_m$ [see Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm} (a)], under the influence of an externally applied magnetic field. This additional restoring force translates to an additional magnetic field dependent stiffness ($k_m$). Since the resonance frequency $f_r$ of the mechanical resonator depends on the total effective stiffness constant $k_{\textrm{eff}} = k_{m} + k_{\textrm{el}}$ via $f_r = 1/2\pi \sqrt{k_{\textrm{eff}}/m_{\textrm{eff}}}$, the magnetic torque imposes a magnetic field dependent resonance frequency shift ($\delta f_r$). In a TF [Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm} (b)], the effective stiffness is inversely related to the capacitance $C = (C_m C_{\textrm{el}})$ $/ (C_m + C_{\textrm{el}})$ in the equivalent circuit, $C_m$ being magnetic field dependent, which in turn determines the resonance frequency as detailed in Sec. \ref{tfresonator}. Further, there is magnetic field dependent contribution to the dissipation represented by the
resistance $R_m$ in the equivalent circuit. In Sec. \ref{tdmsec}, we detail how the observed frequency shift can be used to quantify the magnetic properties of the specimen~\cite{Kamra}.

\section{Tuning Fork Resonator}\label{tfresonator}
Commercially available quartz TFs are designed to have a perfectly anti-symmetric resonance mode, with one prong mirroring the other, with a resonance frequency of 32768 Hz. Like any other mechanical oscillator~\cite{Morse}, piezoelectric quartz TFs can be modeled as an effective mass and spring system with friction. Due to piezoelectricity, there is a direct relation between the deflection $x$ of the effective mass and the charge accumulated across the electrodes $Q = \alpha x$, with $\alpha$ the electromechanical coupling constant. Comparing the mechanical setup with the lumped element $LCR$ equivalent electrical resonance circuit allows to identify the following relations~\cite{Rychenphd,Friedt} (see Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm}):
\begin{equation}\label{equiv}
 L = \frac{m_{\textrm{eff}}}{\alpha^2}, \quad \frac{1}{C} = \frac{k_{\textrm{eff}}}{\alpha^2}, \quad R = \frac{\gamma_{\textrm{eff}}}{\alpha^2}.
\end{equation}
Here $C^{-1} = C_{\textrm{el}}^{-1} + C_m^{-1}$, $R = R_{\textrm{el}} + R_m$, and $-\gamma_{eff} = -\gamma_{\textrm{el}} - \gamma_{m}$ is the proportionality constant between the friction force and the velocity, in the mechanical model. The negative sign emphasizes that the friction acts against the motion. In addition to the {\it motional} $LCR$ equivalent circuit, the TF has a physical shunt capacitance $C_s$, which acts in parallel to the motional branch, leading to the Butterworth-van Dyke (BvD) equivalent circuit~\cite{Rychenphd,Friedt}, as shown in the lower right panel of Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm}. The admittance $Y(\omega)$ for this circuit exhibits a resonance at $\omega_r = 2 \pi f_r = 1/\sqrt{LC}$ and an anti-resonance at $\omega_{\textrm{ar}} = 2 \pi f_{\textrm{ar}} = 1/\sqrt{L[C C_s /(C + C_s) ]}$, and is given by
\begin{eqnarray}
 Y(\omega) = \frac{\tilde{I}(\omega)}{\tilde{V}(\omega)} & = & \frac{1}{R + \frac{1}{i \omega C} + i \omega L} + i \omega C_s,
\end{eqnarray}
where $\tilde{I}$ and $\tilde{V}$ denote ac quantities. The admittance can be recast in the form of a complex Lorentzian, characteristic for any resonance, close to the resonance frequency:
\begin{eqnarray}\label{lorentzian}
 Y(f) & = &  \frac{A_0 \Delta f \left( \Delta f - 2 i (f - f_r)  \right)}{(\Delta f)^2 + 4 (f - f_r)^2} + i 2 \pi f_r C_s,
\end{eqnarray}
with $A_0 = 1/R$ and $\Delta f = R / 2 \pi L$. A high quality factor $Q = f_r/\Delta f$ is desirable as it quantifies the precision in the measurement of the resonance frequency.

\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8.5cm]{admcurves.pdf}
\caption{Admittance magnitude (left axis, blue curves) and phase (right axis, green curve) for a TF removed from its casing under different environments. Only one phase curve, corresponding to $T=300$\,K and $p = 5$\,mbar, is shown to avoid crowding in the figure.}
\label{admcurves}
\end{figure}

The measured magnitude and phase of the admittance are shown in Fig. \ref{admcurves} for a TF (casing removed) at ambient conditions (squares), 300 K and 5 mbar pressure in helium environment (triangles), and 10 K and 5 mbar pressure in helium exchange gas (circles). Fitting the admittance magnitude recorded at 300 K and 5 mbar pressure with a complex Lorentzian [Eq. (\ref{lorentzian})] yields $R_{\textrm{el}} = 39 ~\textrm{k}\Omega$, $L = 8400 ~\textrm{H}$, $C_{\textrm{el}} = 2.8 ~\textrm{fF}$, and $C_s = 1.4 ~\textrm{pF}$. The quality factor was found to increase by about an order of magnitude in going from ambient conditions to 10 K and 5 mbar. Quality factors above $10^6$ have been reported at still lower temperatures and pressures~\cite{Gomez}.

\section{Setup}\label{setupsec}
\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8.5cm]{setup.pdf}
\caption{Schematic showing the electronics used in the setup. Thick lines denote GPIB connections while the thin lines represent coaxial cables.}
\label{setup}
\end{figure}

{\it All measurements reported below were performed under ambient conditions.} In our measurements, we perform admittance spectroscopy of the device as sketched in Fig. \ref{setup}. A lock-in amplifier is used to apply a small ac voltage $\tilde{V}(\omega)=V_1 \cos \omega t$ with amplitude $V_1=4$\,mV and angular frequency $\omega$ across the TF electrodes, and simultaneously measure the current response $\tilde{I}(\omega)$. The ratio of the current response $\tilde{I}(\omega)$ and the applied ac voltage $\tilde{V}(\omega)$  gives the complex admittance $Y(\omega)$ at the given frequency. Admittance over a certain frequency range or at the resonance frequency only may be of interest as per the requirements of the measurement.

To obtain a high frequency resolution, we employ an Agilent 33250A function generator which provides the reference signal to a Stanford Research SR830 lock-in amplifier, whose voltage output and current input ports are respectively used for applying the voltage drive and measuring the current response (see Fig. \ref{setup}). The high impedance of the TF under all conditions, except very low temperature and pressure, enables a direct current measurement using the SR830 current input port (impedance $1 ~\mathrm{k}\Omega$). A Lakeshore 455 DSP gaussmeter was used to control the magnetic field in a home build electromagnet. All data acquisition and the phase locked loop (PLL) implementation described in Sec. \ref{measurement} were achieved using Labview. Taken together, the setup allows to record the admittance of the TF as a function of the applied magnetic field.

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[height = 5cm]{TF.pdf}} \
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[height = 5cm]{TFmounted.pdf}}
 \caption{(a) Picture of a TF used for performing torque differential magnetometry. The two prongs with the non-magnetic electrodes are visible at the top. The base of the quartz TF is embedded in a magnetic base visible at the bottom. (b) Picture depicting a TF cemented onto a glass slide including the magnetic base. Using this mounting technique, the unwanted magnetic field dependence is suppressed.}
\label{pictures}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \includegraphics[width = 8.5cm]{confcomp.pdf}
 \caption{Resonance frequency shift vs. applied magnetic field for different mounting configurations of the TF. The label ``Asymmetric'' configuration refers to a TF mounted with a non-magnetic specimen on one prong and the ``symmetric'' configuration refers to TF operated without a specimen. For the asymmetrically loaded TF without appropriate mounting of the base, we find a strong W-shaped magnetic field dependence (blue dashed line). In contrast, the symmetrical configuration (green dotted line) shows no significant magnetic field dependence. We also show an asymmetrically loaded TF, where we have removed the base (red dash-dotted line). Here, no magnetic field dependence is observable, but the noise in the data is increased due to the lower quality factor of the TF. Mounting the TF as shown in Fig. \ref{pictures}(b) allowed for asymmetric loading while no magnetic field dependence is observed (solid black line). The curves are offset for clarity.}
 \label{confcomp}
\end{figure}

The TFs employed come in an evacuated casing which we remove to gain access to the prongs required for mounting the specimen as sketched in Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm}. To this end, we lathe off the top cap of the TF so that the prong, along with its electrical contacts, remains connected to the base (see Fig. \ref{pictures}(a)). We find, experimentally, that the casing and the base are magnetic. Note, that as long as the actual electrodes deposited on the prong are non-magnetic, which is indeed the case, this should not obstruct the experiments. To test this hypothesis, we recorded the resonance frequency of a ``symmetric'' (no specimen attached) and an ``asymmetric'' (loaded with a non-magnetic specimen) TF as a function of the applied magnetic field strength. As shown in Fig. \ref{confcomp}, the asymmetric configuration (blue dashed line) exhibits a W shaped magnetic field dependence while the symmetric configuration (green dotted
line) shows no significant shift in the resonance frequency on changing the applied magnetic field. \footnote{In principle, the symmetric configuration does exhibit a very weak magnetic field dependence of the resonance frequency in the range of 1 mHz. But this is due to small but finite asymmetry in any TF. Hence the magnetic field dependence of resonance frequency can be used as a method to detect asymmetry in TFs.} For comparison, Fig. \ref{confcomp} also shows an asymmetrically loaded TF removed from its magnetic base showing also no magnetic field dependence.

This behavior can be understood as follows. The mirrored motion of the two prongs in the ``anti-symmetric'' resonance mode of a perfectly symmetric (both prongs identical) TF ensures that the center of mass is at rest. This implies that exciting the anti-symmetric resonance mode does not excite the center of mass motion, and vice versa. Hence this anti-symmetric mode is completely decoupled from the TF's center of mass motion~\cite{Rychenphd}. This decoupling, in a symmetric TF, prevents the resonance frequency of the anti-symmetric mode from getting affected by the forces experienced by the TF as a whole. However, the slight asymmetry induced on attaching the specimen to one prong leads to a small, but finite, coupling between the center of mass motion and the anti-symmetric resonance mode~\cite{Gomez}. Thus the resonance frequency depends, although weakly, on the net force (gradient) experienced by the TF in the presence of an applied magnetic field.

In experiments carried out at a fixed magnetic field~\cite{Rychenrsi}, this additional force provides no further complication. However, it hinders the analysis of the torque differential magnetometry data, when the TF resonance frequency needs to be recorded as function of the applied magnetic field~\cite{Todorovic,Nicks}. Thus it is desired to suppress this unwanted magnetic field dependence. To this end, we tested different configurations (including the so called qPlus configuration~\cite{Giessiblnanotech}) of TFs removed from their magnetic base and glued to a substrate. Since the packaging is part of the design for the TFs~\cite{Bottom}, some of the desirable quality criteria of the TFs are compromised on removal of the base. In particular, the robustness, reproducibility and most importantly, the high quality factor under moderate asymmetric loading are lost. The quality factor becomes sensitive to asymmetry~\cite{Gomez} and drops drastically even under smallest loads (a few micrograms).

An alternative approach for suppressing the unwanted magnetic field dependence is to freeze the center of mass degree of freedom. We achieved this by cementing the TF including its base onto a glass slide using a two component epoxy (WIKO Alu)~\footnote{Simply gluing the TF to a substrate as in Refs. \cite{Rychenrsi,Rychenphd} was not sufficient.} [Fig. \ref{pictures} (b)]. Employing this mounting technique, the unwanted magnetic field dependence diminishes to below the measurement precision (solid black line in Fig. \ref{confcomp}). More importantly, the quality factor of the TF is practically unchanged under loadings up to a few tens of micrograms (Table \ref{qfactors}), a mass which cannot be achieved with the micrometer-sized cantilevers. Hereby, we can investigate macroscopic samples and thus extend the TF capabilities demonstrated so far~\cite{Rychenphd}.

\begin{table*}[tb]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
Specimen mass & 0 $\mu$g & 17 $\mu$g & 35 $\mu$g & 52 $\mu$g & 69 $\mu$g & 87 $\mu$g & 104 $\mu$g \\ \hline
Quality factor & 8535 & 8707 & 8433 & 7237 & 7464 & 1521 & 1698 \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Quality factors of TFs mounted as depicted in Fig. \ref{pictures}(b) for various loadings. Up to 70 $\mu$g, only a small decrease in the quality factor is observed demonstrating the possibility to investigate a wide range of magnetic specimen with this technique. The mass error in the loading is estimated at 5 $\mu$g due to the glue used to mount the specimen.}
\label{qfactors}
\end{table*}

\section{Measurement schemes}\label{measurement}
For the analysis of torque differential magnetometry we need to measure the resonance frequency of the mechanical resonator and its amplitude at resonance. These quantities depend on the capacitance $C$ and the resistance $R$, respectively, of the lumped $LCR$ model representing the motional branch of the BvD equivalent circuit of the TF (See Fig. \ref{ctmvstdm}). The standard method for obtaining these parameters is to measure the full frequency response at every magnetic field value and analyze the result by fitting a Lorentzian [Eq. (\ref{lorentzian})]~\cite{Stipe}. We will refer to this method as {\it Lorentzian fitting}. Nevertheless, this is not the most time efficient procedure to determine the relevant experimental parameters. To this end, we employed a phase lock loop and a pure phase detection technique as detailed in the following.

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8cm]{concheck1.pdf}} \\
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8cm]{concheck2.pdf}}
 \caption{Comparison of Lorentzian fitting and PLL method for determination of resonance frequency and resistance for the iron wire specimen (see text). Both methods are found to yield the same result within the accuracy of the measurement, while the PLL method is much faster. (a) False color plot of admittance magnitude vs. frequency and applied magnetic field. The white circles denote the resonance frequency measured using the PLL method. (b) Resistance vs. applied magnetic field.}
 \label{concheck}
\end{figure}

{\it Phase-locked loop}: We have implemented a phase-locked loop~\cite{Giessiblrmp,Rychenphd} (PLL) using Labview. We begin our experiment by measuring a full admittance spectrum. Using this information, we determine the resonance frequency and the corresponding (experimental) phase. In the subsequent magnetic field sweep, the frequency of the ac drive is adjusted to maintain a constant phase that corresponds to the resonance frequency. Once the PLL has adjusted the drive frequency to the current resonance frequency, the measurement of the admittance magnitude yields information on the resistance $R$:
\begin{eqnarray}
 R & \approx & \frac{1}{|Y(f_r)|} \left(1 + \frac{\left(2 \pi f_r C_s\right)^2}{2\left| Y(f_r) \right|^2} \right).
\end{eqnarray}
The above approximation has been obtained under the valid assumption $|Y(f_r)| \gg 2 \pi f_r C_s$, and the value of $C_s$ is determined from the initial frequency spectroscopy and Lorentzian fitting. A comparison between the PLL technique and the Lorentzian fitting method is presented in Fig. \ref{concheck} for the iron wire specimen detailed in Sec. \ref{tdmsec} (henceforth simply called the {\it iron wire specimen}). For each magnetic field value, we measured a full frequency sweep of the  admittance, which is displayed in panel a). Additionally, we determined the TF resonance frequency and resistance using the PLL method finding excellent quantitative agreement between both.

Comparing the data acquisition speed of the experiment, we find that we require about 10 frequency points for a successful fitting of the Lorentzian lineshape. In contrast, we need only 3 to 6 admittance measurements using our PLL algorithm to obtain the same information. Thus assuming the same measurement bandwidth, we have improved the measurement speed by a factor of about two compared to the full frequency analysis.

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8.5cm]{pddemo.pdf}} \\
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8.5cm]{lowH.pdf}}
 \caption{(a) Schematic of the PD method. Panel a) shows the phase response for two resonance frequencies 32764 Hz and 32765 Hz. If the linewidth is not changed significantly by the external magnetic field, Eq. (\ref{pdeq}) allows to track the resonance frequency. The black vertical line depicts the fixed drive frequency at which the phase is measured, which is then converted to the resonance frequency using Eq. (\ref{pdeq}). (b) Comparison between the phase locked loop and the phase detection technique for a torque magnetometry experiment with the iron wire specimen and the TF prepared as depicted in Fig \ref{pictures}(b). }
 \label{pd}
\end{figure}

{\it Phase detection}: By recording the phase response as a function of the applied magnetic field , it is also possible to obtain the quantities of interest within certain constraints. During a magnetic field sweep, only two parameters of the resonator ($C$ and $R$) change. If the resonator is driven at a fixed frequency (close to the resonance frequency), the admittance magnitude and phase measurements yield two equations with two unknown values. In general, these two equations need to be solved numerically. When assuming a constant resistance (hence constant $\Delta f$) and thus using only the measured phase information, we can give an analytic expression for the frequency shift. Errors are small for a high quality factor resonator since there is a steep phase change and a weak magnitude change close to the resonance frequency (see Fig. \ref{admcurves}). Using Eq. (\ref{lorentzian}) and the condition $2 \pi f_r C_s R \ll 1$, we obtain
\begin{eqnarray}\label{pdeq}
 f_r & = & f_d + \frac{\Delta f}{2} \tan (\phi),
\end{eqnarray}
where $f_d$ is the fixed drive frequency and $\phi$ the measured phase and $\Delta f$ is determined from the initial full frequency response spectroscopy. Fig. \ref{pd} shows the schematic of the phase detection (PD) scheme and a comparison between resonance frequency shift obtained by PD and PLL methods. We find a very good quantitative agreement for the two methods. Only at relatively large magnetic fields, we observe a small deviation between the two data sets stemming from our assumption of a fixed linewidth $\Delta f$ in the PD method. Note that the PD technique further reduces our measurement time by a factor of about 3-5, since a single datapoint is acquired for each magnetic field strength.

{\it Comparison between and hybrid of methods}: Clearly, Lorentzian fitting for each magnetic field value is not an efficient method. The PLL method measures the resonance frequency shift by tracking the phase at the point of highest slope, and thus highest sensitivity. The PD technique is the fastest method possible requiring only one admittance measurement but is limited to small frequency shifts.~\footnote{The choice of the best method becomes important when single admittance measurement time is limited from below by the settling time ($\sim Q/f_r$) of a very high quality factor resonator. This can easily happen at low temperature and pressure.} A hybrid of PD and PLL methods can also be employed. One can use the PD method as long as the frequency shift stays within certain acceptable range. Once the shift reaches the specified limit, one PLL step can be activated bringing the drive frequency to the current resonance frequency. After that the PD method can take over once again.

\section{Torque differential magnetometry}\label{tdmsec}

In this section, we discuss the proof of principle experimental results of torque differential magnetometry performed on a sample with uniaxial shape anisotropy. The specimen is chosen for a direct comparison of the data and the experimental method with Refs. \cite{Stipe} and \cite{Weber}. Our setup consists of a $3.5 \pm 0.5$ mm long and $25 \pm 2.5~\mu$m diameter iron wire (mass $\sim 13 ~\mu$g) attached to a TF as shown in Fig \ref{pictures}(b). Such a thin magnetic wire is known to have a uniaxial shape anisotropy~\cite{Chikazumi} and can be described within the Stoner-Wohlfarth single domain approximation~\cite{Chikazumi} via the free energy density $F = K_u \sin^2(\theta)$, where $\theta$ is the angle between the magnetization and anisotropy axis, and $K_u (> 0)$ is the anisotropy constant.

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \includegraphics[height = 6cm]{canting.pdf}
 \caption{Schematic depicting a single prong of the TF (red) loaded with a magnetic specimen (light blue) displaced from equilibrium. The uniaxial anisotropy direction deviates by an angle $\theta$ from the magnetization direction and an angle $\Theta$ from the applied magnetic field. }
 \label{canting}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[htb]
 \centering
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8.5cm]{highH.pdf}} \\
 \subfloat[]{\includegraphics[width = 8.5cm]{resistance.pdf}}
 \caption{Magnetic field dependent resonance frequency shift (a) and resistance (b) for the iron wire specimen [Fig. \ref{pictures}(b)] (triangles), no specimen (stars), and a non-magnetic Copper specimen (square symbols). All data are unaveraged and show a single magnetic field sweep. (a) The fit of the resonance frequency shift (solid black line) to Eq. (\ref{freqshift}) yields an anisotropy field of $1.08 \pm 0.01$ T in good agreement with the value expected from the shape anisotropy. (b) The fit of resistance data to $c_1 [ H_{\textrm{ext}}/ ( H_{\textrm{ext}} + H_k) ]$ (solid black line) yields an almost perfect fit and $\mu_0 H_k = 1.07 \pm 0.03$ T in consistence with the frequency shift data, while a fit to $c_2 [ H_{\textrm{ext}}/ ( H_{\textrm{ext}} + H_k) ]^2$ (red dashed line) yields a bad fit and inconsistent value of $\mu_0 H_k = 0.28 \pm 0.03$ T.}
 \label{tdmfig}
\end{figure}

We consider an applied magnetic field collinear with the anisotropy easy axis under equilibrium orientation of the prong. If the prong is deflected by a small angle $\Theta$ from this direction, the magnetic moment of the specimen makes an angle $\theta = [ H_{\textrm{ext}}/ ( H_{\textrm{ext}} + H_k) ] \Theta$ with the anisotropy axis (Fig. \ref{canting}), where $\mu_0 H_k = 2 K_u/M_s$ is the anisotropy field, with the saturation magnetization $M_s$~\cite{Stipe,Kamra}. Alternately, the angle between the magnetic moment and the applied magnetic field direction is $\Theta - \theta$. This gives rise to an additional restoring torque~\cite{Stipe,Kamra} $\tau_m = M_s V \mu_0 H_{\textrm{ext}} (\Theta - \theta) = M_s V \mu_0 H_{\textrm{ext}} [H_k/H_{\textrm{ext}} + H_k] \Theta$, and an additional effective stiffness of $k_m  \ = \ \tau_m/\Theta L_e^2 \ = \ (M_s V/L_e^2 )\mu_0 H_{\textrm{ext}} [H_k/H_{\textrm{ext}} + H_k] $, where $V$ is the volume of the specimen, and $L_e$ is the effective length of the prong~\cite{Morse}.
Under the condition $k_m \ll k_{\textrm{el}}$ corresponding to a weak perturbation
of the resonance frequency, the resonance
frequency shift becomes:
\begin{eqnarray}\label{freqshift}
 \delta f_r(H_{\textrm{ext}}) & = & \frac{f_{\textrm{el}}M_s V \mu_0}{2 k_{\textrm{el}} L_e^2} \ \frac{|H_{\textrm{ext}}| H_k}{|H_{\textrm{ext}}| + H_k},
\end{eqnarray}
where $f_{\textrm{el}}$ and $k_{\textrm{el}}$ are respectively the resonance frequency and effective stiffness of the oscillator at zero applied magnetic field. The absolute value of $H_{\textrm{ext}}$ appears because the magnetization too reverses its direction on reversal of magnetic field direction. A fit of the frequency shift data to Eq. (\ref{freqshift}) yields the anisotropy field of the specimen as $\mu_0 H_k = 1.08 \pm 0.01$ T [see Fig. \ref{tdmfig}(a)]. A clear hysteresis in the resonance frequency shift vs. magnetic field curve is seen. The low field curve is depicted in Fig. \ref{pd}(b) where hysteretic kinks can be seen close to zero field region. Assuming that the anisotropy is purely due to the shape of the specimen, the saturation magnetization becomes $\mu_0 M_s = 2.16 \pm 0.02$ T in good agreement with the literature value for iron 2.15 T~\cite{Chikazumi}.

The magnetic field dependent resistance is shown in Fig. \ref{tdmfig} (b). The resistance curve does not show a strong hysteresis consistent with the observation of Stipe and co-workers~\cite{Stipe}. However, we find the magnetic contribution to the resistance proportional to the magnetization canting amplitude ($\theta_{max} = [ |H_{\textrm{ext}}|/ ( |H_{\textrm{ext}}| + H_k) ] \Theta_{max}$). This is in contrast with the observation of Stipe {\it et al.}~\cite{Stipe}, who find the magnetic contribution to the dissipation coefficient to be proportional to the square of $\theta_{max}$. We attribute this observation to the slight deviation of our wire from the optimal alignment with respect to the applied magnetic field. Here, we expect that the linear effects dominate. For observing the quadratic effects, a perfect alignment of the sample with respect to the applied magnetic field is crucial. We notice that our data on the magnetic field dependent dissipation coefficient has little spread as compared to the
data reported by
Stipe and co-workers~\cite{Stipe}.  Weber {\it et al.}~\cite{Weber}, on the other hand, were not able to resolve the dependence of dissipation coefficient on the applied magnetic field in their measurements. Hence our technique looks particularly promising for the investigation of magnetic dissipation.

The data depicted in Fig. \ref{tdmfig}, which is a single full magnetic sweep recorded without any averaging, underlines the high signal-to-noise ratio in our measurement. The plotted data for a single specimen was captured within 15 minutes, although several magnetic field sweeps were recorded to check their reproducibility. A comparison between Fig. \ref{tdmfig} and the corresponding plots in Ref. \cite{Stipe}, in particular the data for dissipation coefficients, makes the advantage of our measurement scheme evident.

\section{Discussion}\label{discussion}

We have demonstrated an inexpensive and all electrical setup for torque differential magnetometry~\cite{Stipe,Weber,Kamra} using piezoelectric quartz tuning forks (TFs) capable of operation over a broad temperature and pressure range. A high signal-to-noise ratio under ambient conditions was achieved at a lock-in effective bandwidth of about 1 Hz. The anisotropy field and saturation magnetization of an iron wire specimen were quantitatively extracted corroborating the literature values. We also demonstrated the possibility to measure specimens with a mass of up to $\sim 70~ \mu$g without any significant loss in sensitivity, and a high sensitivity for detecting magnetic contribution to dissipation.

In the following we estimate the minimum mass of the same iron wire that could be used in our measurements (leaving all parameters unchanged) with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 1. We find that the slope of the phase vs frequency curve for our TFs (under ambient conditions) at resonance is about 35 degrees per Hz. At the bandwidth of our measurements, the phase measurement noise was found to be below 1 degree. This allows us a frequency sensitivity of below 30 mHz. In Fig. \ref{tdmfig}(a), the typical frequency shift between adjacent magnetic field values (separated by 20 mT) is about 200 mHz. This implies that we can detect a signal that is weaker by a factor of about $200/30 \sim 7$, which corresponds to a sample weighing 7 times less than the sample investigated herein ($\sim 13~ \mu$g). Hence a specimen with mass $\sim 2~\mu$g can easily be measured using the same set of parameters that we employed for our measurement reported herein (15 minutes of measurement time).

We notice that the extraction of the anisotropy constant requires fitting the resonance frequency shift data which need not be separated by 20 mT. Hence the more meaningful limit for the minimum specimen mass in an anisotropy parameter extraction experiment is obtained by noticing that the maximum frequency shift in Fig. \ref{tdmfig}(a) is of the order of 10 Hz. Since we can detect frequencies shifts as low as 30 mHz as argued above, it should be possible to characterize a specimen $10\,\textrm{Hz}/30\,\textrm{mHz} \sim 100$ times smaller than the one characterized here setting the limit to about $100$ ng of iron.

Torque differential magnetometry (TDM) is a very powerful tool for the characterization of magnetic specimens, and the investigation of magnetic switching, magnetic phase transitions and high Tc superconductors (see Ref. \cite{Kamra} and references therein). As compared to superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, TDM has a faster response time~\cite{Brugger} enabling investigation of dynamic phenomena while offering a comparable sensitivity~\cite{Stipe,Brugger}. The simple and inexpensive TDM setup demonstrated herein makes it still more attractive as a magnetometry technique.

In the present work, we employed piezoelectric quartz TFs and achieved a high sensitivity under ambient conditions. There is still a large room for gain in sensitivity by using smaller TFs at low temperature and pressure~\cite{Giessiblnanotech}. Although the present work lays emphasis on TDM, the generic measurement scheme that has been demonstrated here can be adapted for other kinds of measurements which have traditionally been done using cantilevers and optical interferometers in vacuum. In particular, our setup design eliminates unwanted artifacts due to magnetic TF base that may interfere with magnetic field dependent measurements~\cite{Rychenrsi,Rychenphd}.

\begin{acknowledgement}
We thank Sibylle Meyer for help with measurements in the cryostat, and Matthias Pernpeintner for fruitful discussions. Financial support from the DFG via SPP 1538 ``Spin Caloric Transport'', Project No. GO 944/4 and the Dutch FOM Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.
\end{acknowledgement}

\bibliographystyle{epj}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Its been a phenomenal week here, we have been working a-lot with the guys over at Protospace on a few projects. On May 25 the Calgary Marathon begins, around 11,000 runners are expected to participate, some of whom are attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In collaboration with Protospace (and a few other organizations), we have been working on a method to provide Live tracking information on the runners.
Luckily we managed to get some time this week to do some more work on the SurragART project, while we previously had the ability to get data from the artist to the drone, the protocol was text based. This week we have added binary protocol support for the telemetry. Clients that connect on port 1922 will receive data in 8 byte packets containing X and Y coordinates as well as a 1 or a 0 representing the status of the pen at those co-ordinates.
It has been a really busy week around here, we've been working with Ben Reed from Protospace on a very interesting and exciting project. SurragArt is a drone that allow an artist to make a sketch while having it recreated remotely via its robotic arm. The eventual goal of the project is to capture the artists mannerisms and have them replicated world wide by several drones, additionally DIY fans may also build their own versions of the drone and 'tune in' to live art performances.


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