Methanol oxidation on Fe2O3catalysts and the effects of surface Mo

The adsorption of methanol on haematite has been investigated using temperature programmed methods, combined with in situ DRIFTS. Model catalysts based on this material have then been made with a shell–core configuration of molybdenum oxide monolayers on top of the haematite core. These are used as models of industrial iron molybdate catalysts, used to selectively oxidise methanol to formaldehyde, one of the major chemical outlets for methanol. Haematite itself is completely ineffective in this respect since it oxidises it to CO2 and the DRIFTS shows that this occurs by oxidation of methoxy to formate at around 200 °C. The decomposition behaviour is affected by the absence or presence of oxygen in the gas phase; oxygen destabilises the methoxy and enhances formate production. In contrast, when a monolayer of molybdena is placed onto the surface by incipient wetness, and it remains there after calcination, the pathway to formate production is blocked and formaldehyde is the main gas phase product in TPD after methanol dosing

Similar temperature scale for valence changes in Kondo lattices with different Kondo temperatures

The Kondo model predicts that both the valence at low temperatures and its temperature dependence scale with the characteristic energy T_K of the Kondo interaction. Here, we study the evolution of the 4f occupancy with temperature in a series of Yb Kondo lattices using resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy. In agreement with simple theoretical models, we observe a scaling between the valence at low temperature and T_K obtained from thermodynamic measurements. In contrast, the temperature scale T_v at which the valence increases with temperature is almost the same in all investigated materials while the Kondo temperatures differ by almost four orders of magnitude. This observation is in remarkable contradiction to both naive expectation and precise theoretical predictions of the Kondo model, asking for further theoretical work in order to explain our findings. Our data exclude the presence of a quantum critical valence transition in YbRh2Si2

Similarity, isomorphism or duality? Recent survey evidence on the human resource management policies of multinational corporations

There is considerable debate as to the determinants of the human resource policies of human resource management: do they reflect national institutional or cultural realities, emerging common global practices, parent country effects or the dual effects of transnational and national realities? We use an extensive international database to explore these differences, assessing variations in a range of human resource practices. We find new evidence of national differences in the manner in which indigenous firms manage their people, but also evidence of a similarity in practice amongst multinational corporations. In other words, multinational corporations tend to manage their human resources in ways that are distinct from those of their host country; at the same time, country of origin effects seem relatively weak. Whilst there is some evidence of common global practices, sufficient diversity in practice persists to suggest that duality theories may provide the most appropriate explanation

Paramagnon dispersion in β\beta-FeSe observed by Fe LL-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

We report an Fe $L$-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) study of the unusual superconductor $\beta$-FeSe. The high energy resolution of this RIXS experiment ($\approx\,$55$\,$meV FWHM) made it possible to resolve low-energy excitations of the Fe $3d$ manifold. These include a broad peak which shows dispersive trends between 100-200$\,$meV along the $(\pi,0)$ and $(\pi,\pi)$ directions of the one-Fe square reciprocal lattice, and which can be attributed to paramagnon excitations. The multi-band valence state of FeSe is among the most metallic in which such excitations have been discerned by soft x-ray RIXS

Context, strategy and financial participation: a comparative analysis

This article investigates where financial participation is most likely to be encountered, and explores its compatibility with collective forms of employee voice. It is based on the findings of a major international survey of human resource management (HRM) practices. We found that financial participation was not affected by collective employee voice, but that national context and associated HRM strategies had significant effects on its nature and extent. As financial participation is likely to make for greater variation in wage rates, it tends to weaken industry-level bargaining. By re-casting the fundamental determinants of wages, it is also likely to facilitate greater wage dispersion within the firm. Hence, it was found that financial participation is more commonly encountered in liberal market contexts, and in firms practising calculative HRM, where countervailing employee power is weak, whether or not collective bargaining is formally present

Employee turnover, HRM and institutional contexts.

Literature on comparative capitalism remains divided between approaches founded on stylized case study evidence and descriptions of broad trends, and those that focus on macro data. In contrast, this study explores the relevance of Amable’s approach to understanding differences in employment relations practice, based on firm-level micro data. The article examines employee–employer interdependence (including turnover rates) in different categories of economy as classified by Amable. The findings confirm that exit – whether forced or voluntary – remains more common in market-based economies than in their continental counterparts and that institutionalized employee voice is an important variable in reducing turnover. However, there is as much diversity within the different country categories as between them, and across continental Europe. In Denmark’s case, high turnover is combined with high unionization, showing the effects of a ‘flexicurity’ strategy. While employee voice may be stronger in Scandinavia, interdependence is weaker than in continental Europe

Using Wireless Sensor Networks for Aged Care: The Patient's Perspective

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study on the perceptions and thoughts of elderly people on the use of current sensor network technology for assisted aged care. Focus groups of elderly people were presented with examples of current sensor nodes and example scenarios of their use, and then invited to provide input on a range of issues surrounding the design and use of the technology. The focus group findings were verified with a health care professional as a control measure. This study examines sensing based interaction, implementation methodologies and user acceptance issues specifically for the elderly, and from the elderly's perspective. A significant finding of the study is that the two most important factors for elderly acceptance of sensor technology are cost and contro