Short, medium, and long on-chip interconnections having linewidths of 0.45-52 m are analyzed in a five-metallayer structure. We study capacitive coupling for short lines, inductive coupling for medium-length lines, inductance and resistance of the current return path in the power buses, and line resistive losses for the global wiring. Design guidelines and technology changes are proposed to achieve minimum delay and contain crosstalk for local and global wiring. Conditional expressions are given to determine when transmission-line effects are important for accurate delay and crosstalk prediction.

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The Educational Alumni Support Project (EdASP) indicated that there is an urgent need for the teaching profession to support casual beginning teachers (CBTs). The EdASP that was carried out at the University of New England provided online support for primary and secondary beginning teachers, yet the majority of postings were submitted by CBTs. In general, these casual teachers experienced feelings of alienation, culture shock, a lack of school and systemic support, and are often not considered part of the school community by staff or students. The analysis of postings by CBTs provides further insight into the difficulties they face, as well as reveals or reinforces strategies that could effectively facilitate their teaching. Many of these findings are not new, yet the call to aid casuals continues to be overlooked. This need for support is both professional and pragmatic. Ethically, education -a nurturing professionshould support its novices. In addition, the transition period from pre-service to professional teacher has significant implications for teacher educators plus the potential retention of teachers.

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Experimental models of heart failure can be used to address specific questions not easily answered in patients, but no single model can reproduce exactly any of the clinical syndromes of heart failure since these are dominated by fatigue and breathlessness. Heart failure may be induced experimentally by pressure loading, volume loading, myocardial infarction, or by the creation of other disease states within the myocardium. Pressure loading may be especially useful in the study of ventricular hypertrophy, cellular derangements and vascular changes. Volume loading may be useful when examining the pathogenesis of hormone and electrolyte disturbances. Models of myocardial infarction or destruction are likely to be the most suitable for assessing novel therapy provided that peripheral reflexes are maintained. Experimental cardiomyopathy can provide an important means of identifying pathological subcellular mechanisms. They may be of use in the evaluation of vasodilator drugs but caution should be exercised in the study of inotropic agents. Any one model may be useful if it permits study of a single factor or variable in isolation or at a time when information is not obtainable from patients. For greatest clinical relevance, studies should be made in conscious animals with intact reflexes.