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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overarching framework to guide the understanding of the allocation and deployment of strategic human capital assets within an organization. Using the concept of medical triage with business units analogous to “patients” and their performance to “symptoms or injuries,” the framework suggests a “steal from the poor” perspective that is counter to conventional organizational decline literature. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper proposing that there are five different categories of business unit need for human capital assets: expectant, deceased, immediate, delayed or minimal; all based on the type of environment and holistic performance of the business unit. Based on a business unit’s specific situation, the authors suggest a process model guiding how to conduct a triage analysis to optimize the allocation of strategic human capital assets within an organization. Findings The authors argue that current trends in assessing strategic human capital assets which make comparisons across organizations are necessary but insufficient (e.g. comparing a store to other stores in its district or region). Each business unit has its own unique internal capabilities and external constraints that also must be accurately assessed to make an informed organizational-level decision about where and how to deploy strategic human capital assets. Originality/value Borrowing from medical science, this paper demonstrates a new conceptual framework with propositions for researchers and guidance for practitioners.

PDF file, 40K, Composition of diets.

PDF file, 34K, Isorhamnetin has little affect on cell growth of HT29 cells on plastic, but inhibits anchor independent growth.

PDF file, 72K, Histological assessment of colonic inflammation (Colitis Score).

X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) trace the growth and evolution of supermassive black hole populations across cosmic time, however, current XLF models are poorly constrained at redshifts of z>6, with a lack of spectroscopic constraints at these high redshifts. In this work we \redit{place limits} on the bright-end of the XLF at z=5.7-6.4 using high-redshift AGN identified within the Extragalactic Serendipitous Swift Survey (ExSeSS) catalogue. Within ExSeSS we find one serendipitously X-ray detected z>6 AGN, ATLAS J025.6821-33.4627, with an X-ray luminosity of $L_\mathrm{X}=8.47^{+3.40}_{-3.13}\times10^{44}\mathrm{erg.s^{-1}}$ and $z=6.31\pm0.03$ making it the highest redshift, spectroscopically confirmed, serendipitously X-ray detected quasar known to date. We also calculate an upper limit on the space density at higher luminosities where no additional sources are found, enabling us to place constraints on the shape of the XLF. Our results are consistent with the rapid decline in the space densities of high-luminosity AGN toward high redshift as predicted by extrapolations of existing parametric models of the XLF. We also find that our X-ray based measurements are consistent with estimates of the bolometric quasar luminosity function based on UV measurements at $z\gtrsim6$, although they require a large X-ray to bolometric correction factor at these high luminosities., 10pages, 6 figures. Resubmitted to MNRAS, following referee comments

After a myocardial infarction, the boundary between the injured, hypoxic tissue and the adjacent viable, normoxic tissue, known as the border zone, is characterized by an oxygen gradient. Yet, the impact of an oxygen gradient on cardiac tissue function is poorly understood, largely due to limitations of existing experimental models. Here, we engineered a microphysiological system to controllably expose engineered cardiac tissue to an oxygen gradient that mimics the border zone and measured the effects of the gradient on electromechanical function and the transcriptome. The gradient delayed calcium release, reuptake, and propagation; decreased diastolic and peak systolic stress; and increased expression of inflammatory cascades that are hallmarks of myocardial infarction. These changes were distinct from those observed in tissues exposed to uniform normoxia or hypoxia, demonstrating distinct regulation of cardiac tissue phenotypes by an oxygen gradient. Our border-zone-on-a-chip model advances functional and mechanistic insight into oxygen-dependent cardiac tissue pathophysiology.

Climate change is associated with an increased risk in the occurrence of wildfires. Forests store large amounts of carbon (C), which are threatened by these wildfires. Pyrogenic material produced after a wildfire constitutes an important part of the soil organic carbon pool in forest soils. Microorganisms play an important role in the cycling of C. This study investigated microbial activity in dissolved char from burned wood from two tree species in different stages of decay. The char from branches of beech and Norway spruce was produced under laboratory fire conditions and extracted in water after which microbial activity was measured for a 4-week period. Further stages of decay resulted in increased flammability with higher peak temperatures and combustion completeness. For the beech samples, further decay also resulted in a decrease of extractable C but a higher proportion of stable C. Further decay resulted in less respiration for beech and more for Norway spruce. With less C being respired, this points towards an increased C sequestration potential in the form of microbial C and microbial derived products for beech compared to Norway spruce. This study provided a workflow to assess the effects of dissolved char on microbial activity by mimicking natural fire conditions. It also indicated the need for future research to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms explaining why fire-originated dissolved char of wood in different decay stages influences microbial respiration with diverging effects per species.

After a myocardial infarction, the border zone is characterized by an oxygen (O 2 ) gradient located at the interface between the injured, hypoxic cardiac tissue and adjacent normoxic, viable tissue. Yet, the impact of an O 2 gradient on cardiac function is not well understood because there is a lack of in vitro experimental platforms for generating such biomimetic O 2 landscapes. This unmet need has prevented systematic investigation into how hypoxic-normoxic intercellular communication affects cardiac function. In this study, a microphysiological system was engineered to generate and expose engineered cardiac tissues to a stable O 2 gradient as a “Border-Zone-on-a-Chip” model. Briefly, a microfluidic gas supply channel network was overlaid with a thin, gas-permeable polydimethylsiloxane membrane on which engineered cardiac tissue composed of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes was cultured. Constant perfusion of compressed gases through separate microfluidic channels and rapid diffusion of the gas conditions across the thin membrane produced an O 2 gradient. Functional and transcriptomic analysis revealed biological responses were uniquely regulated by an O 2 gradient when compared to engineered tissues exposed to global, homogeneous O 2 levels. In the gradient, there was a significant increase in the calcium transient time to peak (85%, p=0.0007) and tau time constant of decay (49%, p=0.006). There was a significant decrease in the longitudinal calcium wave propagation velocity (35%, p=0.03), diastolic stress (47%, p=0.01), and peak systolic stress (47%, p=0.01). Overall, the gradient exhibited hallmarks of arrhythmogenesis, hypocontractility, and activation of inflammation after 4 h of O 2 modulation. Importantly, these changes were distinct from those observed in tissues exposed to uniform normoxia or hypoxia, demonstrating distinct regulation of cardiac tissue phenotypes by an O 2 gradient. Studies are ongoing to elucidate a possible paracrine mechanism involved in the observed effects. By gaining functional and mechanistic insight into intercellular communication activated in O 2 gradients, microphysiological systems can direct future therapeutic strategies aimed at minimizing or preventing cardiac hypoxic injury.

Quantum diamond microscopy is an emerging versatile technique for studying the magnetic properties of materials. It has been applied extensively in condensed matter physics and materials science and has blossomed into a unique platform for the magnetic study of biological systems. To date, biological demonstrations of quantum diamond microscopy have been performed under ambient conditions. Here, we extend this magnetic microscopy platform to cryogenic temperatures to study magnetic anisotropy and the blocking temperature from an individual iron organelle found within the inner ear of pigeons. Our work confirms that the interface between thin histological tissue sections and diamond can be maintained under cryogenic temperatures. Our magnetic images provide evidence of magnetic anisotropy from a single iron organelle with sub-cellular resolution using this correlative optical imaging method. This approach may be extended to a broad range of systems where magnetic materials play structural and functional roles in biological systems.

Traditional HR functions of recruitment, selection, training/development, and retention must be adapted when managing a volunteer workforce. While much research has focused on what motivates people to volunteer, very little has focused on the process of volunteer motivation. In this paper, we move beyond the traditional content-based approaches to explain how people decide whether to volunteer, how much effort to expend, and then whether to continue volunteering over time. Our model, based on image theory, provides new insights into volunteer decision making and behavior.