Where’s the Remote? Face Time, Remote Work, and Implications for Performance Management

[Excerpt] Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s ban on telecommuting and the subsequent uproar over that decision highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the impact of remote work. Although it would prove comforting to assert that the peer-reviewed findings of the social and managerial sciences are in accord as to the benefits of telework in the face of the discord among organizational leaders, the reality is that little such agreement exists. Consequently, the proponents of remote work in management and HR are given little support in defense of such potentially large-scale initiatives or interventions. To that end, what follows is a discussion of the relative merits of remote work, as compared to the traditional conception of work, and an exploration of the practical implications for HR practitioners in performance management and employee evaluation

Horseweed (Marestail) Resistance

Horseweed has documented resistance to EPSPS inhibitors, PSII inhibitors, ALS inhibitors, and PSI inhibitor (Heap, 2018). Glyphosate resistant horseweed moves the herbicide into a vacuole preventing the herbicide from damaging the plant (Ge, 2010). The objective of the this experiment was to determine if nine different horseweed populations were resistant or not to six different herbicide. Experimental design was a randomized complete block with six herbicides, nine locations, and five replications. Heights were recorded for each population before spraying. Each herbicide was sprayed on October 5, 2018, and rates were paraquat (840 g ai/ha), glyphosate (1260 g ae/ha), glufosinate (738 g ai/ha), Atrazine (560 g ai/ha), chlorimuron (13.1 g ai/ha), and dicamba (560 g ai/ha). Horseweed showed the most resistance to atrazine and glyphosate across all locations, and paraquat in some locations. No herbicide had total control fourteen days after spraying. Dicamba had the greatest control of horseweed across all nine locations. Resistance was difficult to identify because horseweed plants were too mature to effectively be control

How long has NICE taken to produce Technology Appraisal guidance? A retrospective study to estimate predictors of time to guidance.

OBJECTIVES: To assess how long the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) Technology Appraisal Programme has taken to produce guidance and to determine independent predictors of time to guidance. DESIGN: Retrospective time to event (survival) analysis. SETTING: Technology Appraisal guidance produced by NICE. DATASOURCE: All appraisals referred to NICE by February 2010 were included, except those referred prior to 2001 and a number that were suspended. OUTCOME MEASURE: Duration from the start of an appraisal (when the scope document was released) until publication of guidance. RESULTS: Single Technology Appraisals (STAs) were published significantly faster than Multiple Technology Appraisals (MTAs) with median durations of 48.0 (IQR; 44.3-75.4) and 74.0 (IQR; 60.9-114.0) weeks, respectively (p <0.0001). Median time to publication exceeded published process timelines, even after adjusting for appeals. Results from the modelling suggest that STAs published guidance significantly faster than MTAs after adjusting for other covariates (by 36.2 weeks (95% CI -46.05 to -26.42 weeks)) and that appeals against provisional guidance significantly increased the time to publication (by 42.83 weeks (95% CI 35.50 to 50.17 weeks)). There was no evidence that STAs of cancer-related technologies took longer to complete compared with STAs of other technologies after adjusting for potentially confounding variables and only weak evidence suggesting that the time to produce guidance is increasing each year (by 1.40 weeks (95% CI -0.35 to 2.94 weeks)). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that the STA process has resulted in significantly faster guidance compared with the MTA process irrespective of the topic, but that these gains are lost if appeals are made against provisional guidance. While NICE processes continue to evolve over time, a trade-off might be that decisions take longer but at present there is no evidence of a significant increase in duration

Ureteropelvic junction obstruction caused by metastatic cholangiocarcinoma

We describe the rare case of a 61-year-old female with right ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction caused by metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. Her past medical history was notable for cholangiocarcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation and two orthotopic liver transplants six years earlier. Urology was consulted when she presented with flank pain and urinary tract infection. Diagnostic workup demonstrated right UPJ obstruction. She was managed acutely with percutaneous nephrostomy. She subsequently underwent robotic pyeloplasty and intrinsic obstruction of the UPJ was discovered. Histological examination revealed adenocarcinoma, consistent with systemic recurrence of the patient\u27s known cholangiocarcinoma

Who has the power in the information age?

Edward Snowden. Chelsea Manning. Espionage and government secrets. Wikileaks and Julian Assange. In the wake of the NSA scandal, everybody is worried about surveillance – are we living in a world where Big Brother is tracking our data, our movements, watching our every move on the internet? Or has newer, constantly developing technology really led to a power shift towards consumers and citizens? Alec Ross, one-time Senior Adviser for Innovation to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has an inside perspective on power in the information age. Polis Intern Anuradha Santhanam reports on the latest Polis Media Agenda Talk