Global Talentship: Toward a Decision Science Connecting Talent to Global Strategic Success

It is widely accepted that global competitive advantage frequently requires managing such complex situations that traditional organization and job structures are simply insufficient. Increasingly, in order to create a flexible and integrated set of decisions that balance local flexibility with global efficiency, organizations must rely on more social, informal and matrix-based shared visions among managers and employees. Research on global strategic advantage, global organizational structures, and even shared mindsets has suggested that dimensions of culture, product and function provide a valuable organizing framework. However, typical decisions about organization structure, HRM practices and talent often remain framed at such a high level as to preclude their solution. We maintain that there is often no logical answer to such questions as, “Should the sales force be local or global?” or “Should product authority rest with the countries or the corporate center?” However, we propose that embedding business processes or value chains within a Culture and Product matrix provides the necessary analytic detail to reveal otherwise elusive solutions. Moreover, by linking this global process matrix to a model that bridges strategy and talent, it is possible to identify global “pivotal talent pools,” and to target organizational and human resource investments toward those talent areas that have the greatest impact on strategic advantage. We demonstrate the Value-Chain, Culture and Product (VCCP) matrix using several examples, and discuss future research and practical implications, particularly for leadership and leadership development

A memory retraining program for the head injured

Memory impairment is a common feature of post head injury symptomatology. Moreover memory impairment continues to be complaint for a considerable period following the head injury and hence represents a particular area of concern to professionals involved in the rehabilitation of head injured patients. There are few reports of progra1ns for remediation of organic memory impairment and this lack is probably a reflection of both the incomplete knowledge of the nature of the memory impairment in the head injured as well as the massive demands on a clinician's time for preparation and delivery of a comprehensive program. A review of research into organic memory disorders and normal memory function, plus an examination of the features of brain disturbance in a head injury, yielded a number of hypothetical explanations of the nature of the memory deficits in the head injured. factors were considered also. Some behavioral factors were considered also. A program was devised on a cost benefit basis aimed at improving the over-all memory function of the head injured by tackling as many of the proposed modes of disturbance as practicable. The program was orientated towards improving memory efficiency, so that a patient might remember important things better. The major exercise involved in the program was the construction of a personal hierarchy of items that need to be re1nembered for the head injured patient to cope successfully with his everyday contacts with people. This exercise emphasised the development of active mental processes to reinstate memory function and relied on current knowledge of the limits of human information processing. A good understanding of memory function at both cognitive and behavioral levels was developed. Guidance on how to use the hierarchy was an integral part of the program and practical exercises to familiarise the patients with the use of the hierarchy were incorporated. Follow-up reappraisal of any difficulties in using the new memory system was seen as essential also. Clinical use of the program with head injured patients on an individual basis and with a group of temporal lobe epileptics has shown promising results despite the difficulties involved in assessment of the program's effectiveness. Provision of the program material in a form demanding minimal preparation on the clinician's part should make the program viable for widespread use

Kinase-independent function of RIP1, critical for mature T-cell survival and proliferation.

The death receptor, Fas, triggers apoptotic death and is essential for maintaining homeostasis in the peripheral lymphoid organs. RIP1 was originally cloned when searching for Fas-binding proteins and was later shown to associate also with the signaling complex of TNFR1. Although Fas exclusively induces apoptosis, TNFR1 primarily activates the pro-survival/pro-inflammatory NF-κB pathway. Mutations in Fas lead to lymphoproliferative (lpr) diseases, and deletion of TNFR1 results in defective innate immune responses. However, the function of RIP1 in the adult lymphoid system has not been well understood, primarily owing to perinatal lethality in mice lacking the entire RIP1 protein in germ cells. This current study investigated the requirement for RIP1 in the T lineage using viable RIP1 mutant mice containing a conditional and kinase-dead RIP1 allele. Disabling the kinase activity of RIP1 had no obvious impact on the T-cell compartment. However, T-cell-specific deletion of RIP1 led to a severe T-lymphopenic condition, owing to a dramatically reduced mature T-cell pool in the periphery. Interestingly, the immature T-cell compartment in the thymus appeared intact. Further analysis showed that mature RIP1(-/-) T cells were severely defective in antigen receptor-induced proliferative responses. Moreover, the RIP1(-/-) T cells displayed greatly increased death and contained elevated caspase activities, an indication of apoptosis. In total, these results revealed a novel, kinase-independent function of RIP1, which is essential for not only promoting TCR-induced proliferative responses but also in blocking apoptosis in mature T cells

"A great deal of sickness": Introduced diseases among the Aboriginal people of colonial Southeast Australia

Previous palaeopathological studies have sought to build up a picture of Australian Aboriginal health before European settlement in 1788 and epidemiological studies of Aboriginal health in the twentieth century are now legion. But, despite a growing body of literature on Aboriginal history set in the intervening colonial period, our knowledge of Aboriginal health following European colonisation remains understudied. This thesis is a contribution to filling that gap through an examination of documentary and skeletal evidence in the changing bio-chemical situation experienced by Aboriginal populations of Southeast Australia from 1788 to 1900. This thesis examines one of the major biological components of this change – disease that were introduced unto Australian Aboriginal populations during the process of colonisation. The epidemiology, timing, diffusion of diseases are considered with specific attention given to infectious and respiratory diseases that were responsible for causing major epidemics of morbidity and mortality. The medical model for the contact period in the late 18th and 19th centuries is proposed. This model considers three major stages in the disease environment of Aboriginal populations in Southeast Australia; a pre-contact stage with endemic pathogens causing chronic diseases and limited epidemics, an early contact stage where introduced exotic human diseases cause severe epidemics of infectious and respiratory diseases among Aboriginal populations, and a third stage where remaining Aboriginal populations were institutionalised on government and mission settlements and were subjected to a high level of morbidity and mortality form the introduced diseases. The major epidemic diseases during the early stage were smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, influenza, and measles. Each of these diseases was responsible for excessive morbidity and mortality. During the period of institutionalisation infectious and respiratory diseases were responsible for over 50% of recorded deaths on 8 separate Aboriginal settlements in Southeast Australia. The major diseases recorded as causes of death were tuberculosis, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and dysentery. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian infant mortality rates are calculated to provide an indicator to compare the state of health of the two populations. Aboriginal rates were high when compared to the non-Aboriginal populations of Victoria and South Australia. The rates reveal a substantial health differential between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. Aboriginal infant mortality improved into the latter quarter of the twentieth century but the corresponding improvement in non-Aboriginal infant mortality has been at a much higher rate. The gap between the health status of each has widened rather than narrowed over the last one hundred years

The time-reversal test for stochastic quantum dynamics

The calculation of quantum dynamics is currently a central issue in theoretical physics, with diverse applications ranging from ultra-cold atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) to condensed matter, biology, and even astrophysics. Here we demonstrate a conceptually simple method of determining the regime of validity of stochastic simulations of unitary quantum dynamics by employing a time-reversal test. We apply this test to a simulation of the evolution of a quantum anharmonic oscillator with up to $6.022\times10^{23}$ (Avogadro's number) of particles. This system is realisable as a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice, for which the time-reversal procedure could be implemented experimentally.Comment: revtex4, two figures, four page

Investigation of a scalable barrel atmospheric plasma reactor for the treatment of polymer particles

This study reports on the performance of a scalable barrel atmospheric plasma system for the treatment of polymer particles. A novel feature of the barrel system design is the use of a biased electrode, which also acts as the roller for the glass barrel. The plasma is generated using either helium or helium / oxygen gas mixtures. The reactor was used to activate 20 g batches of silicone, polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles, each with diameters in the range 3 to 5 mm. The effect of plasma treatment time and gas flow rate on the water contact angle of the treated polymer particles was examined. The polymer water contact angles decreased from up to 140° to less than 10° after the barrel plasma treatment (polymer dependent). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis is used to monitor the effect of the plasma treatment on both PET and silicone polymer particles. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was used as a diagnostic tool to monitor changes in atomic and molecular species intensity with experimental conditions. Emission lines of helium, oxygen and molecular bands of OH, N2 and N2+ were monitored and correlated with their spatial distribution within the plasma chamber. Electrical characterisation studies demonstrated an increase in plasma power with increasing input voltage and helium flow rate. The heating effect of the plasma was monitored using an infrared thermographic camera, the maximum barrel temperature after 30 minutes treatment found to be 29°C. While the current barrel plasma system design can treat 20 g of polymer the system design has the potential to be readily scalable for the activation of larger batches of particles

Identification of Protein Biomarker Signatures for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Using Both Nontargeted and Targeted Approaches

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by an increasing number of clonal myeloid blast cells which are incapable of differentiating into mature leukocytes. AML risk stratification is based on genetic background, which also serves as a means to identify the optimal treatment of individual patients. However, constant refinements are needed, and the inclusion of significant measurements, based on the various omics approaches that are currently available to researchers/clinicians, have the potential to increase overall accuracy with respect to patient management. Using both nontargeted (label-free mass spectrometry) and targeted (multiplex immunoassays) proteomics, a range of proteins were found to be significantly changed in AML patients with different genetic backgrounds. The inclusion of validated proteomic biomarker panels could be an important factor in the prognostic classification of AML patients. The ability to measure both cellular and secreted analytes, at diagnosis and during the course of treatment, has advantages in identifying transforming biological mechanisms in patients, assisting important clinical management decisions.Peer reviewe

Monte Carlo techniques for real-time quantum dynamics

The stochastic-gauge representation is a method of mapping the equation of motion for the quantum mechanical density operator onto a set of equivalent stochastic differential equations. One of the stochastic variables is termed the "weight", and its magnitude is related to the importance of the stochastic trajectory. We investigate the use of Monte Carlo algorithms to improve the sampling of the weighted trajectories and thus reduce sampling error in a simulation of quantum dynamics. The method can be applied to calculations in real time, as well as imaginary time for which Monte Carlo algorithms are more-commonly used. The method is applicable when the weight is guaranteed to be real, and we demonstrate how to ensure this is the case. Examples are given for the anharmonic oscillator, where large improvements over stochastic sampling are observed.Comment: 28 pages, submitted to J. Comp. Phy

Influence of Introgression and Geological Processes on Phylogenetic Relationships of Western North American Mountain Suckers (Pantosteus, Catostomidae)

Intense geological activity caused major topographic changes in Western North America over the past 15 million years. Major rivers here are composites of different ancient rivers, resulting in isolation and mixing episodes between river basins over time. This history influenced the diversification of most of the aquatic fauna. The genus Pantosteus is one of several clades centered in this tectonically active region. The eight recognized Pantosteus species are widespread and common across southwestern Canada, western USA and into northern Mexico. They are typically found in medium gradient, middle-elevation reaches of rivers over rocky substrates. This study (1) compares molecular data with morphological and paleontological data for proposed species of Pantosteus, (2) tests hypotheses of their monophyly, (3) uses these data for phylogenetic inferences of sister-group relationships, and (4) estimates timing of divergence events of identified lineages. Using 8055 base pairs from mitochondrial DNA protein coding genes, Pantosteus and Catostomus are reciprocally monophyletic, in contrast with morphological data. The only exception to a monophyleticPantosteus is P. columbianus whose mtDNA is closely aligned with C. tahoensis because of introgression. Within Pantosteus, several species have deep genetic divergences among allopatric sister lineages, several of which are diagnosed and elevated to species, bringing the total diversity in the group to 11 species. Conflicting molecular and morphological data may be resolved when patterns of divergence are shown to be correlated with sympatry and evidence of introgression