Strategic Management and HRM

[Excerpt] The purpose of this chapter is to discuss this intersection between Strategic Management and HRM, what we know, and future directions for SHRM research. We will begin by briefly discussing the concept of strategy and the popularization of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm. Next we will address its role in creating the link between HRM and Strategic Management including key questions that the RBV has raised in relation to SHRM. We will then examine the current state of affairs in SHRM; the progress made, and key questions and concerns occupying the attention of SHRM researchers. Finally, we will conclude with our views on future directions for SHRM research

Direct generation of optical vortices

A detailed scheme is established for the direct generation of optical vortices, signifying light endowed with orbital angular momentum. In contrast to common techniques based on the tailored conversion of the wave front in a conventional beam, this method provides for the direct spontaneous emission of photons with the requisite field structure. This form of optical emission results directly from the electronic relaxation of a delocalized exciton state that is supported by a ringlike array of three or more nanoscale chromophores. An analysis of the conditions leads to a general formulation revealing a requirement for the array structure to adhere to one of a restricted set of permissible symmetry groups. It is shown that the coupling between chromophores within each array leads to an energy level splitting of the exciton structure, thus providing for a specific linking of exciton phase and emission wavelength. For emission, arrays conforming to one of the given point-group families’ doubly degenerate excitons exhibit the specific phase characteristics necessary to support vortex emission. The highest order of exciton symmetry, corresponding to the maximum magnitude of electronic orbital angular momentum supported by the ring, provides for the most favored emission. The phase properties of the emission produced by the relaxation of such excitons are exhibited on plots which reveal the azimuthal phase progression around the ring, consistent with vortex emission. It is proven that emission of this kind produces electromagnetic fields that map with complete fidelity onto the phase structure of a Laguerre-Gaussian optical mode with the corresponding topological charge. The prospect of direct generation paves the way for practicable devices that need no longer rely on the modification of a conventional laser beam by a secondary optical element. Moreover, these principles hold promise for the development of a vortex laser, also based on nanoscale exciton decay, enabling the production of coherent radiation with a tailor-made helical wave front

A minimum dataset for a standard adult transthoracic echocardiogram: a guideline protocol from the British Society of Echocardiography.

There have been significant advances in the field of echocardiography with the introduction of a number of new techniques into standard clinical practice. Consequently, a 'standard' echocardiographic examination has evolved to become a more detailed and time-consuming examination that requires a high level of expertise. This Guideline produced by the British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) Education Committee aims to provide a minimum dataset that should be obtained in a comprehensive standard echocardiogram. In addition, the layout proposes a recommended sequence in which to acquire the images. If abnormal pathology is detected, additional views and measurements should be obtained with reference to other BSE protocols when appropriate. Adherence to these recommendations will promote an increased quality of echocardiography and facilitate accurate comparison of studies performed either by different operators or at different departments

Agreement between two large pan-cancer CRISPR-Cas9 gene dependency data sets.

Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 viability screens performed in cancer cell lines provide a systematic approach to identify cancer dependencies and new therapeutic targets. As multiple large-scale screens become available, a formal assessment of the reproducibility of these experiments becomes necessary. We analyze data from recently published pan-cancer CRISPR-Cas9 screens performed at the Broad and Sanger Institutes. Despite significant differences in experimental protocols and reagents, we find that the screen results are highly concordant across multiple metrics with both common and specific dependencies jointly identified across the two studies. Furthermore, robust biomarkers of gene dependency found in one data set are recovered in the other. Through further analysis and replication experiments at each institute, we show that batch effects are driven principally by two key experimental parameters: the reagent library and the assay length. These results indicate that the Broad and Sanger CRISPR-Cas9 viability screens yield robust and reproducible findings

Constraining remote oxidation capacity with ATom observations

The global oxidation capacity, defined as the tropospheric mean concentration of the hydroxyl radical (OH), controls the lifetime of reactive trace gases in the atmosphere such as methane and carbon monoxide (CO). Models tend to underestimate the methane lifetime and CO concentrations throughout the troposphere, which is consistent with excessive OH. Approximately half of the oxidation of methane and non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is thought to occur over the oceans where oxidant chemistry has received little validation due to a lack of observational constraints. We use observations from the first two deployments of the NASA ATom aircraft campaign during July-August 2016 and January-February 2017 to evaluate the oxidation capacity over the remote oceans and its representation by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. The model successfully simulates the magnitude and vertical profile of remote OH within the measurement uncertainties. Comparisons against the drivers of OH production (water vapor, ozone, and NOy concentrations, ozone photolysis frequencies) also show minimal bias, with the exception of wintertime NOy. The severe model overestimate of NOy during this period may indicate insufficient wet scavenging and/or missing loss on sea-salt aerosols. Large uncertainties in these processes require further study to improve simulated NOy partitioning and removal in the troposphere, but preliminary tests suggest that their overall impact could marginally reduce the model bias in tropospheric OH. During the ATom-1 deployment, OH reactivity (OHR) below 3 km is significantly enhanced, and this is not captured by the sum of its measured components (cOHRobs) or by the model (cOHRmod). This enhancement could suggest missing reactive VOCs but cannot be explained by a comprehensive simulation of both biotic and abiotic ocean sources of VOCs. Additional sources of VOC reactivity in this region are difficult to reconcile with the full suite of ATom measurement constraints. The model generally reproduces the magnitude and seasonality of cOHRobs but underestimates the contribution of oxygenated VOCs, mainly acetaldehyde, which is severely underestimated throughout the troposphere despite its calculated lifetime of less than a day. Missing model acetaldehyde in previous studies was attributed to measurement uncertainties that have been largely resolved. Observations of peroxyacetic acid (PAA) provide new support for remote levels of acetaldehyde. The underestimate in both model acetaldehyde and PAA is present throughout the year in both hemispheres and peaks during Northern Hemisphere summer. The addition of ocean sources of VOCs in the model increases cOHRmod by 3 % to 9 % and improves model-measurement agreement for acetaldehyde, particularly in winter, but cannot resolve the model summertime bias. Doing so would require 100 Tg yr-1 of a longlived unknown precursor throughout the year with significant additional emissions in the Northern Hemisphere summer. Improving the model bias for remote acetaldehyde and PAA is unlikely to fully resolve previously reported model global biases in OH and methane lifetime, suggesting that future work should examine the sources and sinks of OH over land

Real-world, Multicenter Experience With Meropenem-Vaborbactam for Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections Including Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Background: We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients treated with meropenem-vaborbactam (MEV) for a variety of gram-negative infections (GNIs), primarily including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). Methods: This is a real-world, multicenter, retrospective cohort within the United States between 2017 and 2020. Adult patients who received MEV for ≥72 hours were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Classification and regression tree analysis (CART) was used to identify the time breakpoint (BP) that delineated the risk of negative clinical outcomes (NCOs) and was examined by multivariable logistic regression analysis (MLR). Results: Overall, 126 patients were evaluated from 13 medical centers in 10 states. The most common infection sources were respiratory tract (38.1%) and intra-abdominal (19.0%) origin, while the most common isolated pathogens were CRE (78.6%). Thirty-day mortality and recurrence occurred in 18.3% and 11.9%, respectively. Adverse events occurred in 4 patients: nephrotoxicity (n = 2), hepatoxicity (n = 1), and rash (n = 1). CART-BP between early and delayed treatment was 48 hours (P = .04). MEV initiation within 48 hours was independently associated with reduced NCO following analysis by MLR (adusted odds ratio, 0.277; 95% CI, 0.081-0.941). Conclusions: Our results support current evidence establishing positive clinical and safety outcomes of MEV in GNIs, including CRE. We suggest that delaying appropriate therapy for CRE significantly increases the risk of NCOs

Competition for Cooperation: variability, benefits and heritability of relational wealth in hunter-gatherers

Many defining human characteristics including theory of mind, culture and language relate to our sociality, and facilitate the formation and maintenance of cooperative relationships. Therefore, deciphering the context in which our sociality evolved is invaluable in understanding what makes us unique as a species. Much work has emphasised group-level competition, such as warfare, in moulding human cooperation and sociality. However, competition and cooperation also occur within groups; and inter-individual differences in sociality have reported fitness implications in numerous non-human taxa. Here we investigate whether differential access to cooperation (relational wealth) is likely to lead to variation in fitness at the individual level among BaYaka hunter-gatherers. Using economic gift games we find that relational wealth: a) displays individual-level variation; b) provides advantages in buffering food risk, and is positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and female fertility; c) is partially heritable. These results highlight that individual-level processes may have been fundamental in the extension of human cooperation beyond small units of related individuals, and in shaping our sociality. Additionally, the findings offer insight in to trends related to human sociality found from research in other fields such as psychology and epidemiology

Transmission of Salmonella between broiler chickens fed with fermented liquid feed

In the light of food safety and the control of Salmonella at chicken farms, fermented liquid feed (FLF) was studied. This moistened feed reduced the susceptibility of chickens for Salmonella. To assess the effect of the fermented feed on the transmission of Salmonella between chickens, a transmission experiment was performed. Salmonella shedding was followed within groups of two susceptible chickens together with two previously inoculated chickens. The between-chicken transmission was quantified by calculating a reproduction ratio (R0) and a transmission rate parameter ([beta]). R0 and [beta] in the FLF-treated groups were reduced, but a typical infectious chicken fed with FLF, could on average still infect more than one new infectious case. FLF can therefore reduce the transmission of Salmonella in chicken flocks, but it will not prevent the occurrence of major outbreaks