Talent management: the good, the bad, and the possible

In this essay we offer a critical investigation of talent management practices (TMP), which is an increasingly influential concept in contemporary organisations. We try to show how these organisational practices could have both a negative and a positive ethical impact on those identified as ‘talent’ within organisations. A critical analysis of how talent is defined, and how this impacts on individuals’ capacities for ethical reflection, allows us to highlight the ethical ambiguity inherent in talent management. We then highlight examples of some ‘bad’ consequences of TM, and explore some ‘good’ counter-examples. To highlight what may be ‘possible’ in talent management, we propose a more constructive relationship between talent management and ethics based on two dimensions: 1) the acceptance of ambiguity and personal struggle and 2) the development of more qualitative approaches to performance that could enable a better understanding of and sensitivity towards the broader context within which organisations function

L’intervention auprès de jeunes mères et de leur enfant : perspective de la théorie de l’attachement

The children of adolescent mothers are among those presenting the highest level of psychosocial risk, compromising their socio-emotional development on a number of levels. Several intervention strategies have been designed to address some of the problems that characterize these mother-infant dyads. While these strategies have proven to be beneficial to young mothers, relatively little impact has been found on the level of infant and child development. The purpose of this article is to address the issue of intervention aimed at adolescent mothers and their infant, and underline that the relational dimension, while absent from most intervention programs, is necessary to our understanding of the problems presented by these dyads. An intervention program, currently undergoing evaluation, is described having as a main objective the improvement of the early mother-infant relationship. Attachment theory is presented as an organizing construct. Characteristics of the intervention, as well as the evaluation strategy, are described

Review and Comparison of Computational Approaches for Joint Longitudinal and Time‐to‐Event Models

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151312/1/insr12322.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151312/2/insr12322_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151312/3/Supplement_ReviewComputationalJointModels_final.pd

Understanding the human in stakeholder theory: a phenomenological approach to affect-based learning

Despite being one of the most used theories by scholars and practitioners alike, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to how Stakeholder Theory is taught, or to the conception of the human it assumes. In this paper, we address this gap by drawing on the affective phenomenological perspective of Michel Henry, for whom ethics, praxis and even life itself are rooted in affective subjectivity. We argue that bringing back the Latin notion of affectus (as a noun and as a verb) is central to learning about stakeholders by strengthening our understanding of the human-both theoretically and affectively-as it operates within Stakeholder Theory, thereby addressing its anthropological, relational and normative shortcomings. We provide a practical illustration of what this means for learning by reflecting on the affective components of an executive development course on values-driven leadership. We show how the multi-level 'ME-WE-WORLD' framework of this course retrieves the relational normative force that redefines the human from an affective, phenomenological perspective, and enriches the discussion of stakeholders in the classroom. We end by discussing some avenues for future research on how to teach Stakeholder Theory in a more affective and effective way

Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) bandpass filter with novel microstrip-CPW-SIW input coupling

A Substrate integrated waveguide bandpass filter is presented with a novel CPW-to-SIW transition at both the input and output ports which also served as the input and output couplings into the filter. The CPW-to-SIW transition structures presented here exploited the step impedance between the 50 ohms input/output feedline and the transition to control the input/output couplings of the filter. The SIW filter is also shown to have very minimum milling or etching requirement which reduces the fabrication error. The proposed SIW filter has been validated experimentally and results presented. The results show that a simulated return loss of 15 dB and an initial measured return loss of 16 dB were achieved. An improved measured return loss of 22 dB was later achieved after some tuining adjustments were performed on the filter input and output couplings. A minimum insertion loss of 1.3 dB was also achieved across the band

The nuclear immune receptor RPS4 is required for RRS1SLH1-dependent constitutive defense activation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) disease resistance (R) proteins recognize specific ‘‘avirulent’’ pathogen effectors and activate immune responses. NB-LRR proteins structurally and functionally resemble mammalian Nod-like receptors (NLRs). How NB-LRR and NLR proteins activate defense is poorly understood. The divergently transcribed Arabidopsis R genes, RPS4 (resistance to Pseudomonas syringae 4) and RRS1 (resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum 1), function together to confer recognition of Pseudomonas AvrRps4 and Ralstonia PopP2. RRS1 is the only known recessive NBLRR R gene and encodes a WRKY DNA binding domain, prompting suggestions that it acts downstream of RPS4 for transcriptional activation of defense genes. We define here the early RRS1-dependent transcriptional changes upon delivery of PopP2 via Pseudomonas type III secretion. The Arabidopsis slh1 (sensitive to low humidity 1) mutant encodes an RRS1 allele (RRS1SLH1) with a single amino acid (leucine) insertion in the WRKY DNA-binding domain. Its poor growth due to constitutive defense activation is rescued at higher temperature. Transcription profiling data indicate that RRS1SLH1-mediated defense activation overlaps substantially with AvrRps4- and PopP2-regulated responses. To better understand the genetic basis of RPS4/RRS1-dependent immunity, we performed a genetic screen to identify suppressor of slh1 immunity (sushi) mutants. We show that many sushi mutants carry mutations in RPS4, suggesting that RPS4 acts downstream or in a complex with RRS1. Interestingly, several mutations were identified in a domain C-terminal to the RPS4 LRR domain. Using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient assay system, we demonstrate that the P-loop motif of RPS4 but not of RRS1SLH1 is required for RRS1SLH1 function. We also recapitulate the dominant suppression of RRS1SLH1 defense activation by wild type RRS1 and show this suppression requires an intact RRS1 P-loop. These analyses of RRS1SLH1 shed new light on mechanisms by which NB-LRR protein pairs activate defense signaling, or are held inactive in the absence of a pathogen effector

The PRK/Rubisco shunt strongly influences Arabidopsis seed metabolism and oil accumulation, affecting more than carbon recycling

The carbon efficiency of storage lipid biosynthesis from imported sucrose in green Brassicaceae seeds is proposed to be enhanced by the PRK/Rubisco shunt, in which ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) acts outside the context of the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle to recycle CO2 molecules released during fatty acid synthesis. This pathway utilizes metabolites generated by the nonoxidative steps of the pentose phosphate pathway. Photosynthesis provides energy for reactions such as the phosphorylation of ribulose 5-phosphate by phosphoribulokinase (PRK). Here, we show that loss of PRK in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) blocks photoautotrophic growth and is seedling-lethal. However, seeds containing prk embryos develop normally, allowing us to use genetics to assess the importance of the PRK/Rubisco shunt. Compared with nonmutant siblings, prk embryos produce one-third less lipids—a greater reduction than expected from simply blocking the proposed PRK/Rubisco shunt. However, developing prk seeds are also chlorotic and have elevated starch contents compared with their siblings, indicative of secondary effects. Overexpressing PRK did not increase embryo lipid content, but metabolite profiling suggested that Rubisco activity becomes limiting. Overall, our findings show that the PRK/Rubisco shunt is tightly integrated into the carbon metabolism of green Arabidopsis seeds, and that its manipulation affects seed glycolysis, starch metabolism, and photosynthesis.ISSN:1040-4651ISSN:1531-298XISSN:1532-298

Thru-reflect-line calibration for substrate integrated waveguide devices with tapered microstrip transitions

One of the main problems when exciting or measuring substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) devices lies in the need of a good interconnection with planar structures. In this reported work, the negative effects produced by the connectors and the tapered microstrip-to-SIW transitions are de-embedded from the measurements of the SIW structure by a thru-reflect-line calibration with an adequate and cheap SIW calibration kit.Díaz Caballero, E.; Belenguer Martínez, Á.; Esteban González, H.; Boria Esbert, VE. (2013). Thru-reflect-line calibration for substrate integrated waveguide devices with tapered microstrip transitions. Electronics Letters. 49(2):132-133. doi:10.1049/el.2012.3027S132133492Deslandes, D., & Wu, K. (2001). Integrated microstrip and rectangular waveguide in planar form. IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, 11(2), 68-70. doi:10.1109/7260.914305Henry, M., Free, C. E., Izqueirdo, B. S., Batchelor, J., & Young, P. (2009). Millimeter Wave Substrate Integrated Waveguide Antennas: Design and Fabrication Analysis. IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging, 32(1), 93-100. doi:10.1109/tadvp.2008.2011284Chen, X.-P., Wu, K., & Li, Z.-L. (2007). Dual-Band and Triple-Band Substrate Integrated Waveguide Filters With Chebyshev and Quasi-Elliptic Responses. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 55(12), 2569-2578. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2007.909603Deslandes, D., & Ke Wu. (2005). Analysis and design of current probe transition from grounded coplanar to substrate integrated rectangular waveguides. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 53(8), 2487-2494. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2005.852778Engen, G. F., & Hoer, C. A. (1979). Thru-Reflect-Line: An Improved Technique for Calibrating the Dual Six-Port Automatic Network Analyzer. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 27(12), 987-993. doi:10.1109/tmtt.1979.1129778Chih-Jung Chen, & Tah-Hsiung Chu. (2009). Measurement of Noncoaxial Multiport Devices Up to the Intrinsic Ports. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 57(5), 1230-1236. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2009.201735

Plant secondary metabolite-dependent plant-soil feedbacks can improve crop yield in the field.

Plant secondary metabolites that are released into the rhizosphere alter biotic and abiotic soil properties, which in turn affect the performance of other plants. How this type of plant-soil feedback affects agricultural productivity and food quality in the field in the context of crop rotations is unknown. Here, we assessed the performance, yield and food quality of three winter wheat varieties growing in field plots whose soils had been conditioned by either wild type or benzoxazinoid-deficient bx1 maize mutant plants. Following maize cultivation, we detected benzoxazinoid-dependent chemical and microbial fingerprints in the soil. The benzoxazinoid fingerprint was still visible during wheat growth, but the microbial fingerprint was no longer detected. Wheat emergence, tillering, growth, and biomass increased in wild type conditioned soils compared to bx1 mutant conditioned soils. Weed cover was similar between soil conditioning treatments, but insect herbivore abundance decreased in benzoxazinoid-conditioned soils. Wheat yield was increased by over 4% without a reduction in grain quality in benzoxazinoid-conditioned soils. This improvement was directly associated with increased germination and tillering. Taken together, our experiments provide evidence that soil conditioning by plant secondary metabolite producing plants can increase yield via plant-soil feedbacks under agronomically realistic conditions. If this phenomenon holds true across different soils and environments, optimizing root exudation chemistry could be a powerful, genetically tractable strategy to enhance crop yields without additional inputs