A Framework For Workforce Management An Agent Based Simulation Approach

In today\u27s advanced technology world, enterprises are in a constant state of competition. As the intensity of competition increases the need to continuously improve organizational performance has never been greater. Managers at all levels must be on a constant quest for finding ways to maximize their enterprises\u27 strategic resources. Enterprises can develop sustained competitiveness only if their activities create value in unique ways. There should be an emphasis to transfer this competitiveness to the resources it has on hand and the resources it can develop to be used in this environment. The significance of human capital is even greater now, as the intangible value and the tacit knowledge of enterprises\u27 resources should be strategically managed to achieve a greater level of continuous organizational success. This research effort seeks to provide managers with means for accurate decision making for their workforce management. A framework for modeling and managing human capital to achieve effective workforce planning strategies is built to assist enterprise in their long term strategic organizational goals

Article Addendum: The paradox of clonality and the evolution of self-incompatibility

In the January issue of New Phytologist Vallejo-Marín and O’Brien documented that in the genus Solanum (Solanaceae) clonality and self-incompatibility, a common genetic mechanism enforcing cross-fertilization, co-occur more often than expected by chance. Using a phylogenetic approach the authors showed that the statistical association between clonality and self-incompatibility persists even after taking into account phylogenetic relationships among species, uncertainty in the phylogenetic reconstruction, and associations between clonality and life history (annual/perennial). Vallejo-Marín and O’Brien suggest that clonality and self-incompatibility tend to co-occur because clonality, by allowing the persistence and propagation of a genotype in environments with limited pollinator or mate availability, reduces the selective pressure favoring the breakdown of self-incompatibility. In addition to promoting the maintenance of self-incompatibility, when clonality results in the spatial aggregation of genetically identical individuals, clonality may promote its breakdown by restricting pollen transfer between different genotypes. Here I call attention to these contradictory predictions of the effects of clonality on the evolution of self-incompatibility, and suggest that the outcome of this paradox depend on both the extent to which clonal propagation compensates for limited seed production, and on the extent to which clonality reduces pollen transfer between genotypes

Developmental aspects of sponsorship in the sports industry

The main source of financing of professional sports in the world, in addition to ticket revenues and broadcasting revenues, are sponsorship revenues. Contrary to the prevailing opinion, sponsorship is today extremely important for all stakeholders who must be fully involved in the process. Companies use the popularity of sports to promote their business and, on the other hand, money from sponsors becomes key to the development and viability of professional sports. Although the importance of sponsorship in sport has been growing, there is only limited research on it in the marketing literature, especially the domestic one. Therefore, this article focuses on a theoretical overview of various types of sport sponsorship and elaborates the issue of the commercial relationship itself. The level to which the sponsor\u27s target market segment on the one hand and the participants at a sports event and fans of a sports club and / or player on the other fit is extremely important for the sponsorship\u27s commercial success. This empirical research can be useful to lawmakers and managers as it provides them with an insight into the different possibilities of applying this strategic marketing tool to successfully implement sponsorship in sports

Do we need broad immunological work-up in all patients with CIS?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of altered immunological tests and their clinical significance in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). ----- PATIENTS AND METHODS: The information was gathered from medical records of patients hospitalized in the Referral Center for Demyelinating Diseases in the 2008-2010 period. All patients had ANA, ENA profile, ANCA, aCl IgG and IgM, C3, C4, CH50, anti-TPO, AST and RF antibodies tested. ----- RESULTS: From 726 patients with CIS that were reviewed, the complete battery of immunological tests was performed in 418 of them (57.6%), representing our cohort. Altered tests were found in 235 patients (56.2%); 73 (17.4%) had positive antinuclear antibodies, 14 (3.3%) had positive ENA, 47 (11.2%) had positive aCl IgG, 83 (19.8%) had positive aCl IgM, and 13 (3.1%) had anti TPO antibodies. We found no correlation between ANA, aCl IgG or IgM positivity (ANA vs aCL IgG p=0.554; ANA vs aCL IgM p=0.19; aCL IgG vs aCL IgM, p=0.155). None of the patients had any clinical manifestations other than MS symptoms. ----- CONCLUSION: These results indicate that significant number of patients with CIS have altered immunological tests but nevertheless none of them had clinical expression of any other autoimmune disease making them clinically insignificant. In conclusion there is no need to perform extensive immunological work-up in all patients with CIS. Contrary, our results argue for more focused testing rather than a battery of screening tests

Neonicotinoid pesticide limits improvement in buzz pollination by bumblebees

Neonicotinoid pesticides have been linked to global declines of beneficial insects such as bumblebees. Exposure to trace levels of these chemicals causes sub-lethal effects, such as reduced learning and foraging efficiency. Complex behaviours may be particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of neonicotinoids. Such behaviours may include buzz pollination (sonication), in which pollinators, usually bees, use innate and learned behaviours to generate high-frequency vibrations to release pollen from flowers with specialised anther morphologies. This study assesses the effect of field-realistic, chronic exposure to the widely-used neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on the development of sonication buzz characteristics over time, as well as the collection of pollen from buzz-pollinated flowers. We found that the pollen collection of exposed bees improved less with increasing experience than that of unexposed bees, with exposed bees collecting between 47% and 56% less pollen by the end of 10 trials. We also found evidence of two distinct strategies for maximising pollen collection: (1) extensions to the duration of individual buzzes and (2) extensions of the overall time spent buzzing. We find new complexities in buzz pollination, and conclude that the impacts of field-realistic exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide may seriously compromise this important ecosystem service

Simulated seed predation reveals a variety of germination responses of neotropical rain forest species

Seed predation, an omnipresent phenomenon in tropical rain forests, is an important determinant of plant recruitment and forest regeneration. Although seed predation destroys large amounts of the seed crop of numerous tropical species, in many cases individual seed damage is only partial. The extent to which partial seed predation affects the recruitment of new individuals in the population depends on the type and magnitude of alteration of the germination behavior of the damaged seeds. We analyzed the germination dynamics of 11 tropical woody species subject to increasing levels of simulated seed predation (0–10% seed mass removal). Germination response to seed damage varied considerably among species but could be grouped into four distinct types: (1) complete inability to germinate under damage ≥1%, (2) no effect on germination dynamics, (3) reduced germination with increasing damage, and (4) reduced final germination but faster germination with increasing damage. We conclude that partial seed predation is often nonlethal and argue that different responses to predation may represent different proximal mechanisms for coping with partial damage, with potential to shape, in the long run, morphological and physiological adaptations in tropical, large-seeded species

Healthcare-associated pneumonia: Diagnostic criteria and distinction from community-acquired pneumonia

Summary Background: Traditionally, pneumonia developing in patients who receive healthcare services in the outpatient environment has been classified as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, recent investigations suggest that this type of infection, known as healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP), is distinct from CAP in terms of its epidemiology, etiology, and risk for infection with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Methods: A Medline literature review of available clinical studies using the term HCAP was conducted to determine outcomes compared to CAP and effective empiric treatment strategies. Results: Analysis of multi-institutional clinical data showed that mortality in hospitalized patients with HCAP is greater than that in CAP, and patients with HCAP received inappropriate initial empiric antibiotic treatment more frequently than CAP patients. The bacterial pathogens associated with HCAP also differed from CAP with potentially MDR Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria being more common in HCAP. Conclusions: All patients hospitalized with suspected HCAP should be evaluated for their underlying risk of infection with MDR pathogens. Because HCAP is similar to hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), both clinically and etiologically, it should be treated as HAP until culture data become available

Manufacturing of Annular Targets Made of LEU Foil Coated with Electrodeposited Nickel

AbstractThe results achieved in the development of an annular target manufacturing technology for Mo-99 radioisotope production, with targets containing a low enriched uranium LEU foil, are presented in this paper. The paper describes the annular targets manufacture comprising the uranium foil and a thin layer of nickel obtained by electroplating on the surface of the uranium, resulting in Ni deposits with thickness of 15 to 25 microns. It was necessary to determine the potential to avoid the presence of uranium oxide and also to determine the intensity (amperage) at which its formation begins. The results obtained, showed that the mass of Ni deposited on the uranium foil is proportional to the electroplating time and the current intensity. Ultrasonic Tests and Screen Electronic Microscopy revealed good bonding and homogeneity of the nickel deposit. The Ni layer had a high hardness and a relatively small grain size with an orientation in the direction of the electrical current flow

Correlation of Chronological Age with Tooth Wear in Archaeological Populations

Knowing that attrition and abrasion are most common wear processes of dental hard tissue, which occurs along with aging, the aim of this paper is to determine the correlation between dental age and loss of dental hard tissue on archeological bone residues. For the purpose of this research, the collection of skeletal remains of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) was used. The study includes 392 samples of the remains of both upper and lower jaws from 7 Croatian archaeological sites, whereas 4 of them from continental and 3 of them from coastal Croatia. The remains of bones belong to two different archeological periods, late antiquity and early Middle Ages. Visa Metrix computer system was used on digital photography of occlusal tooth surfaces to measure total exposed area of dental hard tissue and surface of dental hard tissues damaged by attrition and abrasion. Data provided were defined in sq. cm, and as such were inserted in excel table and processed statistically. In the statistical analysis of data, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. There is a statistically significant correlation between the total teeth number and estimated chronological age (χ² = 46.3, ƞ² = 0.23, p <0.001). Total number of teeth negatively correlates with chronological age (r = –0.41, p <0.001). The total surface area of the teeth available decreases with the estimated chronological age (r = –0.39, p <0.001), while the proportion (%) of the total damaged area of the teeth in relation to the total available area increases with the estimated chronological age (r = 0.622, P <0.001). The proportion of damaged surface in overall teeth surface increases with the estimated chronological age (r = 0.686; p <0.001) both in males and females (r = 0.534; p <0.001). The lifelong loss of hard tooth tissue positively correlates with chronological age in both sexes despite of historical period. The loss of hard tooth tissue due to attrition and abrasive changes, and with usage of Vista Metrix Inc. computer system can now be used to determine age in forensic dentistry as well as forensic anthropology and archeology