A survey of UK selection practices across different organization sizes and industry sectors

This paper presents results of a study examining the methods used to select employees in 579 UK organizations representing a range of different organization sizes and industry sectors. Overall, a smaller proportion of organizations in this sample reported using formalized methods (e.g., assessment centres) than informal methods (e.g., unstructured interviews). The curriculum vitae (CVs) was the most commonly used selection method, followed by the traditional triad of application form, interviews, and references. Findings also indicated that the use of different selection methods was similar in both large organizations and small-to-medium-sized enterprises. Differences were found across industry sector with public and voluntary sectors being more likely to use formalized techniques (e.g., application forms rather than CVs and structured rather than unstructured interviews). The results are discussed in relation to their implications, both in terms of practice and future research.

A general route to synthesize supported isolated oxide and mixed-oxide nanoclusters at sizes below 5 nm

A simple and efficient route to prepare supported nanocrystalline oxides is presented. The synthesis procedure, i.e. in situ autocombustion of a glycine complex, allows the production of nanocrystals in a porous matrix presenting larger pore size. An example of successful formation of 2-5 nm nanocrystals is given for a single oxide (Fe2O3), a mixed-oxide structure (LaCoO3 perovskite-type) and a nickel-doped oxide. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Large Distinct Part Sizes in a Random Integer Partition

A partition of a positive integer n is a way of writing it as the sum of positive integers without regard to order; the summands are called parts. The number of partitions of n, usually denoted by p(n), is determined asymptotically by the famous partition formula of Hardy and Ramanujan [5]. We shall introduce the uniform probability measure P on the set of all partitions of n assuming that the probability 1/p(n) is assigned to each n-partition. The symbols E and V ar will be further used to denote the expectation and variance with respect to the measure P . Thus, each conceivable numerical characteristic of the parts in a partition can be regarded as a random variable.

Minimizing makespan for hybrid flowshops with batch, discrete processing machines and arbitrary job sizes

This research aims at a study of the hybrid flow shop problem which has parallel batch-processing machines in one stage and discrete-processing machines in other stages to process jobs of arbitrary sizes. The objective is to minimize the makespan for a set of jobs. The problem is denoted as: FF: batch1,sj:Cmax. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program. The commercial solver, AMPL/CPLEX, is used to solve problem instances to their optimality. Experimental results show that AMPL/CPLEX requires considerable time to find the optimal solution for even a small size problem, i.e., a 6-job instance requires 2 hours in average. A bottleneck-first-decomposition heuristic (BFD) is proposed in this study to overcome the computational (time) problem encountered while using the commercial solver. The proposed BFD heuristic is inspired by the shifting bottleneck heuristic. It decomposes the entire problem into three sub-problems, and schedules the sub-problems one by one. The proposed BFD heuristic consists of four major steps: formulating sub-problems, prioritizing sub-problems, solving sub-problems and re-scheduling. For solving the sub-problems, two heuristic algorithms are proposed; one for scheduling a hybrid flow shop with discrete processing machines, and the other for scheduling parallel batching machines (single stage). Both consider job arrival and delivery times. An experiment design is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed BFD, which is further evaluated against a set of common heuristics including a randomized greedy heuristic and five dispatching rules. The results show that the proposed BFD heuristic outperforms all these algorithms. To evaluate the quality of the heuristic solution, a procedure is developed to calculate a lower bound of makespan for the problem under study. The lower bound obtained is tighter than other bounds developed for related problems in literature. A meta-search approach based on the Genetic Algorithm concept is developed to evaluate the significance of further improving the solution obtained from the proposed BFD heuristic. The experiment indicates that it reduces the makespan by 1.93 % in average within a negligible time when problem size is less than 50 jobs.

Radiocarbon ages, grain sizes, paleomagentic properties and XRF data of Lake Nam Co sediments, Tibetan Plateau

In September 2008 several cores (68 cm-115 cm length) (water depth: 93 m) were retrieved from Lake Nam Co (southern-central Tibetan Plateau; 4718 m a.s.l.). This study focuses on the interpretation of high-resolution (partly 0.2 cm) data from three gravity cores and the upper part of a 10.4 m long piston core, i.e., the past 4000 cal BP in terms of lake level changes, hydrological variations in the catchment area and consequently variations in monsoon strength. A wide spectrum of sedimentological, geochemical and mineralogical investigations was carried out. Results are presented for XRF core-scans, grain size distribution, XRD-measurements and SEM-image analyses. These data are complemented by an age-depth model using 210Pb and 137Cs analyses as well as eleven AMS-14C-ages. This model is supported by excellent agreement between secular variations determined on one of the gravity cores to geomagnetic field models. This is a significant improvement of the chronology as most catchments of lacustrine systems on the Tibetan Plateau contain carbonates resulting in an unknown reservoir effect for radiocarbon dates. The good correlation of our record to the geomagnetic field models confirms our age-depth model and indicates only insignificant changes in the reservoir effect throughout the last 4 ka. High (summer-) monsoonal activity, i.e. moist environmental conditions, was detected in our record between approximately 4000 and 1950 cal BP as well as between 1480 and 1200 cal BP. Accordingly, lower monsoon activity prevails in periods between the two intervals and thereafter. This pattern shows a good correlation to the variability of the Indian Ocean Summer Monsoon (IOSM) as recorded in a peat bog ~1000 km in NE direction from Lake Nam Co. This is the first time that such a supra regional homogenous monsoon activity is shown on the Tibetan Plateau and beyond. Finally our data show a significant lake level rise after the Little Ice Age (LIA) in Lake Nam Co which is suggested to be linked to glacier melting in consequence of rising temperatures occurring on the whole Tibetan Plateau during this time.

Exploring Explanations of Subglacial Bedform Sizes Using Statistical Models

Peer reviewed

Eating habits of a population undergoing a rapid dietary transition: portion sizes of traditional and non-traditional foods and beverages consumed by Inuit adults in Nunavut, Canada

Background: To determine the portion sizes of traditional and non-traditional foods being consumed by Inuit adults in three remote communities in Nunavut, Canada. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out between June and October, 2008. Trained field workers collected dietary data using a culturally appropriate, validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) developed specifically for the study population. Results: Caribou, muktuk (whale blubber and skin) and Arctic char (salmon family), were the most commonly consumed traditional foods; mean portion sizes for traditional foods ranged from 10 g for fermented seal fat to 424 g for fried caribou. Fried bannock and white bread were consumed by >85% of participants; mean portion sizes for these foods were 189 g and 70 g, respectively. Sugar-sweetened beverages and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods were also widely consumed. Mean portion sizes for regular pop and sweetened juices with added sugar were 663 g and 572 g, respectively. Mean portion sizes for potato chips, pilot biscuits, cakes, chocolate and cookies were 59 g, 59 g, 106 g, 59 g, and 46 g, respectively. Conclusions: The present study provides further evidence of the nutrition transition that is occurring among Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. It also highlights a number of foods and beverages that could be targeted in future nutritional intervention programs aimed at obesity and diet-related chronic disease prevention in these and other Inuit communities.

Impact of different pack sizes of paracetamol in the United Kingdom and Ireland on intentional overdoses: a comparative study

BACKGROUND: In order to reduce fatal self-poisoning legislation was introduced in the UK in 1998 to restrict pack sizes of paracetamol sold in pharmacies (maximum 32 tablets) and non-pharmacy outlets (maximum 16 tablets), and in Ireland in 2001, but with smaller maximum pack sizes (24 and 12 tablets). Our aim was to determine whether this resulted in smaller overdoses of paracetamol in Ireland compared with the UK. METHODS: We used data on general hospital presentations for non-fatal self-harm for 2002-2007 from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England (six hospitals), and from the National Registry of Deliberate Self-harm in Ireland. We compared sizes of overdoses of paracetamol in the two settings. RESULTS: There were clear peaks in numbers of non-fatal overdoses, associated with maximum pack sizes of paracetamol in pharmacy and non-pharmacy outlets in both England and Ireland. Significantly more pack equivalents (based on maximum non-pharmacy pack sizes) were used in overdoses in Ireland (mean 2.63, 95% CI 2.57-2.69) compared with England (2.07, 95% CI 2.03-2.10). The overall size of overdoses did not differ significantly between England (median 22, interquartile range (IQR) 15-32) and Ireland (median 24, IQR 12-36). CONCLUSIONS: The difference in paracetamol pack size legislation between England and Ireland does not appear to have resulted in a major difference in sizes of overdoses. This is because more pack equivalents are taken in overdoses in Ireland, possibly reflecting differing enforcement of sales advice. Differences in access to clinical services may also be relevant.

Temperatures, salinity, wind speed, grain sizes and foraminifera abundance in the Great Belt Channel, western Baltic Sea

The Great Belt, the largest inlet to the Baltic Sea, has a deep and well defined channel system. A distinct thermohaline layer at roughly 18 to 20 m of water depth separates the saltier and generally cooler deeper North Sea water from the brackish and warmer surface water. It is practically a current dominated area, with the strongest bottom currents due to prolonged west winds. The size and shape of the surface sediments and their grain size distributions show a close relationship with the prevailing hydrographical conditions. Southerly current marks predominate while northerly directions are confined to 10 to 14 m of water depth. The degree of bioturbation is highest in the uppermost sedimentary cover where practically all original stratification has been destroyed. Various bioturbate structures have been identified with the fauna. Coiling ratios of Ammonia beccarii (Linnaeus) have been successfully applied for correlation in the postglacial sediments of the early Littorina Transgression. The succession shows that in the Boreal brackish water conditions were probably followed by peat and limnic sediments as the sea regressed. With the Littorina Transgression, the sea again entered the area and high sedimentation rates resulted in the major deposits of the Great Belt. At least for the last 4000 years, sedimentation rates had been very low. Present day currents sweep out the sediments, mainly to the southern marginal areas.

Test sizes of planktic foraminifera from the South Atlantic

Geographical size distribution within entire Holocene foraminiferal assemblages is related to global environmental gradients such as temperature, primary productivity, and environmental variability. This study demonstrates that these correlations are also recognizable in late Quaternary assemblages from three locations in the South Atlantic on temporal and latitudinal scales. The size response to temporal paleoenvironmental changes during glacial-interglacial cycles mimics the geographic Holocene size variability. The amplitude of size variability is directly related to the amplitude of the climatic fluctuations as shown by the stable size-temperature relationship over time. The documented changes in the assemblage size are caused by species replacement and intraspecific size variability. The relative importance of these processes depends on the environmental setting. Species have been shown to reach their maximum size and abundance under certain optimum conditions and decrease in size if environmental conditions differ from these optima. We confirm that late Quaternary species sizes were largest at paleotemperatures identical to Holocene ones.

(Table 1) Bulk Fe isotope values and pyrite framboids sizes of Cenomanian-Turonian samples

Organic carbon-rich shales from localities in England, Italy, and Morocco, which formed during the Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE), have been examined for their total organic carbon (TOC) values together with their carbon, nitrogen, and iron isotope ratios. Carbon isotope stratigraphy (d13Corg and d13Ccarb) allows accurate recognition of the strata that record the oceanic anoxic event, in some cases allowing characterization of isotopic species before, during, and after the OAE. Within the black shales formed during the OAE, relatively heavy nitrogen isotope ratios, which correlate positively with TOC, suggest nitrate reduction (leading ultimately to denitrification and/or anaerobic ammonium oxidation). Black shales deposited before the onset of the OAE in Italy have unusually low bulk d57Fe values, unlike those found in the black shale (Livello Bonarelli) deposited during the oceanic anoxic event itself: These latter conform to the Phanerozoic norm for organic-rich sediments. Pyrite formation in the pre-OAE black shales has apparently taken place via dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR), within the sediment, a suboxic process that causes an approximately -2 per mil fractionation between a lithogenic Fe(III)oxide source and Fe(II)aq. In contrast, bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR), at least partly in the water column, characterized the OAE itself and was accompanied by only minor iron isotope fractionation. This change in the manner of pyrite formation is reflected in a decrease in the average pyrite framboid diameter from ~10 to ~7 µm. The gradual, albeit irregular increase in Fe isotope values during the OAE, as recorded in the Italian section, is taken to demonstrate limited isotopic evolution of the dissolved iron pool, consequent upon ongoing water column precipitation of pyrite under euxinic conditions. Given that evidence exists for both nitrate and sulfate reduction during the OAE, it is evident that redox conditions in the water column were highly variable, in both time and space.