Issues Coupled With International Assignments

Last month we presented key findings relating to trends in the usage of new forms of international working and highlighted some of the managerial control issues facing international HR managers. This month, Jelena Petrovic from CReME, looks in more detail at the people and management issues associated with each type of international assignment. These new types of international assignments include short-term, international commuter and frequent flyer assignments. Short-term assignments are defined as an assignment with a specified duration, usually less than one year, where the family may accompany the employee. An international commuter is an employee who commutes from the home country to a place of work in another country, usually on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, while the family remains at home. A frequent flyer is an employee who undertakes frequent international business trips but does not relocate.Published in Croner’s “Managing Internationally Mobile Employees” Issue No5 and reproduced with their permission. www.croner.cch.co.u

Disorders of Sleep and Motor Control During the Impaired Cholinergic Innervation in Rat – Relevance to Parkinson’s Disease

The medical profession has been generally very slow to acknowledge the importance of sleep medicine and sleep research. Disorders of sleep are related to anxiety, many mental and neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and obesity

Experimental and Theoretical Study Of UV-Vis Spectra of Schiff Bases

The UV-Vis properties of ten Schiff bases were systematically investigated. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) approach in combination with the B3LYP functional was used for simulation of UV-Vis spectra of examined compounds. The shapes of the Kohn-Sham molecular orbitals involved in electronic transitions were misleading. To provide better understanding of distribution of electron density natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was used. NLMO clusters were constructed and they represent a part of a molecule characterized with eminent electron density. The TDDFT and NBO theories are complementary, and the results from these two approaches are combined to interpret the UV-Vis spectra

An integrative approach to HRM–firm performance relationship : a missing link to corporate governance

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to ongoing debates regarding the human resource management (HRM)-firm performance relationship. In seeking to provide a more complete picture of the relationship, the paper discusses the existing literature and proposes an integrative framework that draws upon different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: Our review includes nearly 100 research studies published in this field. The review includes articles published in mainstream HRM journals and broader management journals with strong ties to HRM literature. Importantly, the paper also identifies a gap – a missing link - that concerns the importance of incorporating insights from corporate governance literature when considering strategic HR decision making. Findings: A significant contribution of this paper to theory is to propose an integrative framework that conceptualises the elusive relationship between HRM and firm performance, and which draws on different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives in to offer more holistic insights into the relationship. The paper discusses the implications of the integrative perspective for theory and practice. Originality/value: This paper argues that one of the main stumbling blocks for developing a better understanding of the mechanisms through which HRM creates value in an organisation is the fragmentation of the HRM literature between “HR as practices” versus “HR as the department/profession”, as well as a tendency to neglect insights from the corporate governance literature

Catecholamine Release and Transport in the Adrenal Gland

Isolated chromaffin cells have been extensively studied as model neuronal cells. These studies have revealed a plethora of information regarding the last stage of stimulussecretion coupling or exocytosis. However, preparations of isolated chromaffin cells lack the ability to communicate and exhibit a number of phenotypic modifications that render them functionally different from their physiological counterparts. It is therefore highly desirable to probe the secretory process of exocytosis in a preparation that mimics in vivo conditions more accurately. Adrenal tissue slices are starting to become the preparation of choice for exocytotic studies. The morphological architecture of the adrenal gland and the timescale of exocytotic events necessitate a detection method that has both temporal and spatial resolution to accurately examine chemical messenger dynamics. Electroanalytical techniques, in particular fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and constant-potential amperometry, at carbon-fiber microelectrodes satisfy both of the detection requirements and also offer exquisite selectivity for electroactive chemical messengers. This dissertation focuses on explorations of catecholamine exocytosis in the intact adrenal gland. The small size of the carbon-fiber microsensor was exploited in detailed investigations of catecholamine dynamics within various adrenomedullary compartments. Constant-potential amperometry was utilized in the pursuit of the underlying causes of unexpected spontaneous catecholamine transients. Additionally, the balance between exocytotic release and clearance of catecholamines from the extracellular space was studied by employing fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Finally, electrical stimulation parameters were varied to determine the conditions resulting in the most efficacious and least damaging electrical stimulation. The findings in this work offer the first real-time overview of the fate of catecholamines as they traverse various adrenomedullary compartments on their journey to the blood stream

Značaj granične inspekcije u kontroli trovanja histaminom iz konzervi od tuna

Republika Srbija nema sopstvenu proizvodnju morskih riba i poseduje svega nekoliko objekata za preradu morske ribe. Sva morska riba se uvozi, samim tim su i sve konzerve od komada i komadića tunja na našem tržištu uvezene. Uvoz konzervi od tunja, kao i svih drugih ribljih proizvoda prilikom ulaska u našu zemlju se mora podvrgnuti kontroli granične veterinarske inspekcije. Odmah nakon prispeća pošiljke na granični prelaz lice odgovorno za pošiljku, pored obrasca zajedničkog veterinarskog ulaznog dokumenta za proizvode, podnosi i zahtev za veterinarsko sanitarni pregled. Svaka pošiljka konzervi od tunja u uvozu u Republiku Srbiju mora biti podvrgnuta pregledu dokumentacije, identifikaciji pošiljke i fizičkom, hemijskom, mikrobiološkom i senzorskom pregledu. Sadržaj histamina u ribama i proizvodima od riba je pre svega kriterijum bezbednosti hrane obzirom da utiče na zdravlje ljudi, ali je u isto vreme i pokazatelj higijene procesa i svežine proizvoda. Cilj ove studije je da se obezbede informacije o prisustvu histamina u uvezenim konzervama od tunja i da se ukaže na značaj granične inspekcije u kontroli histaminske intoksikacije koja nastaje kao posledica konzumiranja konzervi od tunja sa povišenim sadržajem histamina. Tokom jednogodišnje studije (od januara do decembra 2014. godine) ispitano je 97 proizvodnih partija uvezenih konzervi od tunja. Svih 97 proizvodnih partija je uzorkovano tokom granične inspekcije i ispitano u laboratorijama Naučnog instituta za veterinarstvo „Novi Sad“. Ispitivanje sadržaja prisustva histamina u konzervama od tunja je urađeno ELISA metodom sa test kitom HIS-E02 (Immunolab GmbH, Germany). Rezultati studije pokazuju da je 3,09 % proizvodnih partija uvezenih konzervi od tunja imalo nezadovoljavajuće povećan nivo sadržaja histamina i da nisu bezbedne za ljudsku ishranu. Sve proizvodne partije kod kojih je dokazan povećan nivo histamina, odnosno koje su proglašene za nebezbedne za ljudsku ishranu su vraćene, a uvoz je zabranjen. Granična inspekcija, tj. ispitivanje pri graničnoj inspekcije predstavlja značajnu preventivnu meru u sprečavanju histaminske intoksikacije kao posledice konzumiranja konzervi od tunja sa povišenim sadržajem histamina

Genetic and phenotypic variability of yield components in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Variability, heritability and components of variance for number of grains per spike and grain weight per spike have been studied in 10 winter wheat varieties from different selection centers (Arsenal, KG-56, Gruza, Mironovskaya 808, Norin 10, Rana Niska, Spartanka, Sterna, Osjecanka, and Szegedi 765). The experiment was performed in randomized block design in three replications on the experimental field of Small Grains Research Centre, Kragujevac in three years. Average estimated values for number of grains per spike and grain weight per spike differed significantly among years and among varieties. The highest average value for number of grains per spike had Szegedi 765 variety ( x = 75.1) and the lowest value was found in Spartanka ( x = 56.0). During investigated period the highest average value for grain weight per spike was determined in Gruza ( Norin 10 ( x = 2.9 g), and the lowest value in x = 2.0 g). The average variation coefficient for number of grains per spike was 17.4%, and for grain weight per spike was 21.4%. The lowest variability for number of grains per spike and grain weight per spike was established in Sterna variety (V = 13.0%; 16.2%, respectively) and the highest in Norin 10 variety (V = 21.6%; 25.1%, respectively). Obtained heritability value in broad sense for number of grains per spike was about 60%, and for grain weight per spike about 40%. Statistical analysis of variance established highly significant differences in mean values for number of grains per spike and grain weight per spike. Phenotypic analysis of variance indicated that ecological factors had higher impact on the expression of number of grains per spike and grain weight per spike than genetic factors

Unsteady Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Through a Porous Medium in a Horizontal Channel with an Inclined Magnetic Field

This paper investigates the unsteady flow and heat transfer of a viscous, incompressible, and electrically conducting fluid through a porous medium in a horizontal channel. The basic physical properties of the fluid and the porous medium are constant. The fluids considered are those with the Prandtl number less than 1. The channel walls are made of horizontal permeable plates, which are at constant but different temperatures. Fluid suction/injection through the plates occurs at a velocity perpendicular to the plates, whose intensity is a cosine function of time. The applied external magnetic field is homogeneous and inclined in relation to the transverse plane of the channel. The problem is dealt with through an inductionless approximation. Fluid flow is instigated by constant pressure drops along the channel. The equations used to describe the problem are transformed to dimensionless forms and solved analytically using the perturbation method. Approximate analytical expressions for dimensionless fluid flow velocity and dimensionless temperature are determined as functions of the following physical parameters: Prandtl number, Hartmann number, porosity factor, frequency, amplitude, and magnetic field inclination angle. Numerical results are presented as diagrams and tables and are used to analyse the influence of physical parameters on the fluid flow velocity and temperature