Boron isotope ratio (delta B-11) measurements in water framework directive monitoring programs: comparison between double focusing sector field ICP and thermal ionization mass spectrometry

International audienceThe aim of our research was to compare delta B-11 measurements performed with thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) and sector field-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) and evaluate the feasibility of implementing stable isotope methods in European water framework directive (WFD) monitoring programs. The comparison was based on delta B-11 measurements of 192 ground-and surface water samples and 15 leachates of nitrate pollution source materials (organic and mineral fertilisers). The precision of delta B-11 measurements attainable with SF-ICP-MS, 2 sigma= +/- 2.6 parts per thousand; (n = 192), is as expected lower than the precision achieved by TIMS, 2 sigma= +/- 0.3 parts per thousand (n=183). However the ease of use, rapidity and availability of SF-ICP-MS on one hand and the observed variability in delta B-11 in ground-and surface water on the other (from -3.4 to +37 parts per thousand), demonstrates that using SF-ICP-MS as an isotopic screening method would promote the use of isotopic methodology for WFD monitoring. Based on the results of the different case studies it is shown that retrieving precise information on the identification of pollution sources from delta B-11 values requires reaching the best analytical precision and accuracy possible. Hence, the superior precision of TIMS advantages tracing of nitrate pollution sources. However for some cases, e. g. trying to decipher contributions between sources with really distinct delta B-11 signatures (e.g. manure and sewage effluent), SF-ICP-MS results lead to the same conclusions and can therefore be used as a first approachable screening method for the determination of delta B-11 in WFD monitoring programs

How do MNC R&D laboratory roles affect employee international assignments?

Research and development (R&D) employees are important human resources for multinational corporations (MNCs) as they are the driving force behind the advancement of innovative ideas and products. International assignments of these employees can be a unique way to upgrade their expertise; allowing them to effectively recombine their unique human resources to progress existing knowledge and advance new ones. This study aims to investigate the effect of the roles of R&D laboratories in which these employees work on the international assignments they undertake. We categorise R&D laboratory roles into those of the support laboratory, the locally integrated laboratory and the internationally interdependent laboratory. Based on the theory of resource recombinations, we hypothesise that R&D employees in support laboratories are not likely to assume international assignments, whereas those in locally integrated and internationally interdependent laboratories are likely to assume international assignments. The empirical evidence, which draws from research conducted on 559 professionals in 66 MNC subsidiaries based in Greece, provides support to our hypotheses. The resource recombinations theory that extends the resource based view can effectively illuminate the international assignment field. Also, research may provide more emphasis on the close work context of R&D scientists rather than analyse their demographic characteristics, the latter being the focus of scholarly practice hitherto

Toward mature talent management: beyond shareholder value

Talent management has become one of the most prevalent topics in the field of people management and development for practitioners and academics alike. However, while managers do appear to appreciate the importance of talent management, they often fail to manage it effectively, and the linkages between talent management and organizational performance remain unclear. In this invited feature article, I argue that the failure to effectively manage and develop talent can be traced, in part, to a narrow conceptualization of performance in much thinking on talent management. At an organizational level, this means that performance is generally considered solely in terms of shareholder returns while ignoring other stakeholders. This translates into HR systems that fail to effectively align individuals and organizations in the generation of value. This article foregrounds employees as stakeholders and argues that organizations that are defined by a sense of purpose and that prioritize employees as stakeholders generally have higher levels of alignment between organizational and employee goals with more highly motivated employees and ultimately more sustainable performance. Some implications for research on talent management are developed

Effects of conversion of native cerrado vegetation to pasture on soil hydro-physical properties, evapotranspiration and streamflow on the Amazonian agricultural frontier

Understanding the impacts of land-use change on landscape-hydrological dynamics is one of the main challenges in the Northern Brazilian Cerrado biome, where the Amazon agricultural frontier is located. Motivated by the gap in literature assessing these impacts, we characterized the soil hydro-physical properties and quantified surface water fluxes from catchments under contrasting land-use in this region. We used data from field measurements in two headwater micro-catchments with similar physical characteristics and different land use, i.e. cerrado sensu stricto vegetation and pasture for extensive cattle ranching. We determined hydraulic and physical properties of the soils, applied ground-based remote sensing techniques to estimate evapotranspiration, and monitored streamflow from October 2012 to September 2014. Our results show significant differences in soil hydro-physical properties between the catchments, with greater bulk density and smaller total porosity in the pasture catchment. We found that evapotranspiration is smaller in the pasture (639 ± 31% mm yr-1) than in the cerrado catchment (1,004 ± 24% mm yr-1), and that streamflow from the pasture catchment is greater with runoff coefficients of 0.40 for the pasture and 0.27 for the cerrado catchment. Overall, our results confirm that conversion of cerrado vegetation to pasture causes soil hydro-physical properties deterioration, reduction in evapotranspiration reduction, and increased streamflow

Advances in the treatment of prolactinomas

Prolactinomas account for approximately 40% of all pituitary adenomas and are an important cause of hypogonadism and infertility. The ultimate goal of therapy for prolactinomas is restoration or achievement of eugonadism through the normalization of hyperprolactinemia and control of tumor mass. Medical therapy with dopamine agonists is highly effective in the majority of cases and represents the mainstay of therapy. Recent data indicating successful withdrawal of these agents in a subset of patients challenge the previously held concept that medical therapy is a lifelong requirement. Complicated situations, such as those encountered in resistance to dopamine agonists, pregnancy, and giant or malignant prolactinomas, may require multimodal therapy involving surgery, radiotherapy, or both. Progress in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of prolactinomas may enable future development of novel molecular therapies for treatment-resistant cases. This review provides a critical analysis of the efficacy and safety of the various modes of therapy available for the treatment of patients with prolactinomas with an emphasis on challenging situations, a discussion of the data regarding withdrawal of medical therapy, and a foreshadowing of novel approaches to therapy that may become available in the future

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

Measurements of the pp → ZZ production cross section and the Z → 4ℓ branching fraction, and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings at √s = 13 TeV

Four-lepton production in proton-proton collisions, pp -> (Z/gamma*)(Z/gamma*) -> 4l, where l = e or mu, is studied at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The ZZ production cross section, sigma(pp -> ZZ) = 17.2 +/- 0.5 (stat) +/- 0.7 (syst) +/- 0.4 (theo) +/- 0.4 (lumi) pb, measured using events with two opposite-sign, same-flavor lepton pairs produced in the mass region 60 4l) = 4.83(-0.22)(+0.23) (stat)(-0.29)(+0.32) (syst) +/- 0.08 (theo) +/- 0.12(lumi) x 10(-6) for events with a four-lepton invariant mass in the range 80 4GeV for all opposite-sign, same-flavor lepton pairs. The results agree with standard model predictions. The invariant mass distribution of the four-lepton system is used to set limits on anomalous ZZZ and ZZ. couplings at 95% confidence level: -0.0012 < f(4)(Z) < 0.0010, -0.0010 < f(5)(Z) < 0.0013, -0.0012 < f(4)(gamma) < 0.0013, -0.0012 < f(5)(gamma) < 0.0013

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

The effect of a sertoli cell-selective knockout of the androgen receptor on testicular gene expression in prepubertal mice

To unravel the molecular mechanisms mediating the effects of androgens on spermatogenesis, testicular gene expression was compared in mice with Sertoli cell-selective androgen receptor knockout (SCARKO) and littermate controls on postnatal d 10. Microarray analysis identified 692 genes with significant differences in expression. Of these, 28 appeared to be down-regulated and 12 up-regulated at least 2-fold in SCARKOs compared with controls. For nine of the more than 2-fold down-regulated genes, androgen regulation was confirmed by treatment of wild-type mice with an antiandrogen ( flutamide). Some of them were previously described to be androgen regulated or essential for spermatogenesis. Serine-type protease inhibitors were markedly overrepresented in this down-regulated subgroup. A time study (d 8-20), followed by cluster analysis, allowed identification of distinct expression patterns of differentially expressed genes. Three genes with a pattern closely resembling that of Pem, a prototypical an-drogen-regulated gene expressed in Sertoli cells, were selected for confirmation by quantitative RTPCR and additional analysis. The data confirm that the SCARKO model allows identification of novel androgen-regulated genes in the testis. Moreover, they suggest that protease inhibitors and other proteins related to tubular restructuring and cell junction dynamics may be controlled in part by androgens