Customer orientation of service employees in family businesses in the hotel sector

The business interactions between front-line employees and customers are crucial to evaluating service quality and for business performance. A gap has been identified in the literature on both customer orientation of service employees (COSE) and family businesses (FBs). These two concepts have never been studied together before. This study presents a concept that develops a theoretical model based on Hennig-Thurau (2004). This model drives research about the COSE and FBs in the hotel sector. The two main contributions are: (1) electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is proposed as a consequence of COSE within FBs and (2) a questionnaire has been developed from relevant subscales to measure COSE and the two possible consequences derived from it (Customer Satisfaction and eWOM). A database from Iberic Balance Analysis System (SABI) has been selected to study these variables in the hotel sector, and it will be used in a future empirical study that is expected to provide support for the theory

Influencia de la infección por diarrea viral bovina y de la coinfección con VLB, Leptospira hardjo e IBR sobre la producción en ganado de leche.

Ganado de leche-Ganadería lecheMaestría en CienciasMaestrí

Chronic Stress Triggers Expression of Immediate Early Genes and Differentially Affects the Expression of AMPA and NMDA Subunits in Dorsal and Ventral Hippocampus of Rats

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.Previous studies in rats have demonstrated that chronic restraint stress triggers anhedonia, depressive-like behaviors, anxiety and a reduction in dendritic spine density in hippocampal neurons. In this study, we compared the effect of repeated stress on the expression of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits in dorsal and ventral hippocampus (VH). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and stressed groups, and were daily restrained in their motion (2.5 h/day) during 14 days. We found that chronic stress promotes an increase in c-Fos mRNA levels in both hippocampal areas, although it was observed a reduction in the immunoreactivity at pyramidal cell layer. Furthermore, Arc mRNAs levels were increased in both dorsal and VH, accompanied by an increase in Arc immunoreactivity in dendritic hippocampal layers. Furthermore, stress triggered a reduction in PSD-95 and NR1 protein levels in whole extract of dorsal and VH. Moreover, a reduction in NR2A/NR2B ratio was observed only in dorsal pole. In synaptosomal fractions, we detected a rise in NR1 in dorsal hippocampus (DH). By indirect immunofluorescence we found that NR1 subunits rise, especially in neuropil areas of dorsal, but not VH. In relation to AMPA receptor (AMPAR) subunits, chronic stress did not trigger any change, either in dorsal or ventral hippocampal areas. These data suggest that DH is more sensitive than VH to chronic stress exposure, mainly altering the expression of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunits, and probably favors changes in the configuration of this receptor that may influence the function of this area.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2017.00244/ful

The ROCK inhibitor Fasudil prevents chronic restraint stress-induced depressive-like behaviors and dendritic spine loss in rat hippocampus

Indexación: Web of Science; Scopus.Background: Dendritic arbor simplification and dendritic spine loss in the hippocampus, a limbic structure implicated in mood disorders, are assumed to contribute to symptoms of depression. These morphological changes imply modifications in dendritic cytoskeleton. Rho GTPases are regulators of actin dynamics through their effector Rho kinase. We have reported that chronic stress promotes depressive-like behaviors in rats along with dendritic spine loss in apical dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons, changes associated with Rho kinase activation. The present study proposes that the Rho kinase inhibitor Fasudil may prevent the stress-induced behavior and dendritic spine loss. Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with saline or Fasudil (i.p., 10 mg/kg) starting 4 days prior to and maintained during the restraint stress procedure (2.5 h/d for 14 days). Nonstressed control animals were injected with saline or Fasudil for 18 days. At 24 hours after treatment, forced swimming test, Golgi-staining, and immuno-western blot were performed. Results: Fasudil prevented stress-induced immobility observed in the forced swimming test. On the other hand, Fasudiltreated control animals showed behavioral patterns similar to those of saline-treated controls. Furthermore, we observed that stress induced an increase in the phosphorylation of MYPT1 in the hippocampus, an exclusive target of Rho kinase. This change was accompanied by dendritic spine loss of apical dendrites of pyramidal hippocampal neurons. Interestingly, increased pMYPT1 levels and spine loss were both prevented by Fasudil administration. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Fasudil may prevent the development of abnormal behavior and spine loss induced by chronic stress by blocking Rho kinase activity.https://academic.oup.com/ijnp/article/20/4/336/263217

Modulation of extracellular matrix by nutritional hepatotrophic factors in thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in the rat

Nutritional substances associated to some hormones enhance liver regeneration when injected intraperitoneally, being denominated hepatotrophic factors (HF). Here we verified if a solution of HF (glucose, vitamins, salts, amino acids, glucagon, insulin, and triiodothyronine) can revert liver cirrhosis and how some extracellular matrices are affected. Cirrhosis was induced for 14 weeks in 45 female Wistar rats (200 mg) by intraperitoneal injections of thioacetamide (200 mg/kg). Twenty-five rats received intraperitoneal HF twice a day for 10 days (40 mL·kg-1·day-1) and 20 rats received physiological saline. Fifteen rats were used as control. The HF applied to cirrhotic rats significantly: a) reduced the relative mRNA expression of the genes: Col-α1 (-53%), TIMP-1 (-31.7%), TGF-β1 (-57.7%), and MMP-2 (-41.6%), whereas Plau mRNA remained unchanged; b) reduced GGT (-43.1%), ALT (-17.6%), and AST (-12.2%) serum levels; c) increased liver weight (11.3%), and reduced liver collagen (-37.1%), regenerative nodules size (-22.1%), and fibrous septum thickness. Progranulin protein (immunohistochemistry) and mRNA (in situ hybridization) were found in fibrous septa and areas of bile duct proliferation in cirrhotic livers. Concluding, HF improved the histology and serum biochemistry of liver cirrhosis, with an important reduction of interstitial collagen and increased extracelullar matrix degradation by reducing profibrotic gene expression

Visual learning style in Engineering. Utility in the teaching of the electric field

[ES] La contracci´on/compresi´on experimentada por los programas de la ense˜nanza de la Ingenier´ıa, desde los cinco/seis cursos cl´asicos a los cuatro del Grado actual, propicia un proceso de ense˜nanza-aprendizaje que sobrevuela muchos contenidos sin poder detenerse en ellos. Los alumnos contactan con los conceptos te´oricos y los algoritmos correspondientes, e identifican las actuaciones matem´aticas pertinentes, pero la penuria crediticia priva de las habilidades instrumentales para aplicarlas. El resultado puede ser un aprendizaje parcial y superficial. Este trabajo propone una actuaci´on docente para que el alumno adquiera habilidades en MATLAB como respuesta a necesidades concretas detectadas en el alumnado de materias vinculadas con Ingenier´ıa El´ectrica. Se parte de dos consideraciones iniciales: la constataci´on del predominio del estilo de aprendizaje visual de los alumnos de la UPCT por un lado, y por el otro, de la filosof´ıa de que las matem´aticas, para ser productivas en la Ense˜nanza de la Ingenier´ıa, necesitan del ordenador.[EN] The contraction/compression experienced by the engineering education programs, from the classical five/-six courses to the four courses of the current Degree, promotes a teaching-learning process that overflows many contents without being able to reflect on them. The students contact the theoretical concepts and the corresponding algorithms, and identify the pertinent mathematical actions, but the credit shortage deprives of the instrumental abilities to apply them. The result can be a partial and superficial learning. This work proposes a teaching performance for the student to acquire skills in MATLAB as a response to specific needs detected in the students of matters concerned with Electrical Engineering. Two starting points can be considered: the verification of the predominance of the visual learning style of the studentsof the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), and the philosophy that mathematics needs computersto be productive in the Teaching of Engineering.Vicéns Moltó, J.; Zamora Parra, B.; Hervás, R. (2020). Estilo de aprendizaje visual en la Ingeniería. Utilidad en la docencia de la rama eléctrica. Modelling in Science Education and Learning. 13(1):29-36. https://doi.org/10.4995/msel.2020.12117OJS2936131Chapra, Steven C. (2018) Applied numerical methods with MATLAB for engineers and scientists. McGraw-Hill Education, New York. 715 pp.Felder, R. M., Soloman, B. A., Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire. https://www.webtools.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/Felder, R. M., Silverman, L. (1988). Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education. Journal of Engineering Education, 78(7), 674-681.Hoffman, J., Johnson, C., Logg, A. (2004). Dreams of Calculus. Perspectives on Mathematics Educa-tion. http://www.bodysoulmath.org/books/dreams-of-calculus.pdf https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18586-1Stewart, J. ( 2016 ). Calculus, Eighth Edition. CengageLearning, Boston. 1545 pp.Vicéns J. L. (2012). Una modalidad de tutor-facilitador en la enseñanza de la ingeniería, en Gaviria, J. L., Palmero M. C., Alonso, P. (Eds.). Entre generaciones: Educación, herencia y promesas. Actas del XV Congreso Nacional y V Iberoamericano de Pedagogía. Ed. ICCE, Madrid, 440-449.Vicéns J.L., Zamora, B., Hervás, M. R. (2018a). Una aplicación de los estilos de aprendizaje en la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, en Miralles, P., Guerrero, C. (Eds.). Metodologías docentes innovadoras en la enseñanza universitaria. Editum. Murcia, 403-415.Vicéns J.L., Zamora, B., Hervás, M. R. (2018b). Un Análisis de las actitudes visuales y verbales de alumnos noveles de Grado de Ingeniería en la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena. Libro de Ac-tas del XXVI Congreso Universitario de Innovación Educativa en las Enseñanzas Técnicas. Escuela Politécnica de Ingeniería de Gijón, 621-632

Application of Model-driven engineering to multi-agent systems: a language to model behaviors of reactive agents

Many users of multi-agent systems (MAS) are very commonly disinclined to model and simulate using current MAS platforms. More specifically, modeling the dynamics of a system (in particular the agents' behaviors) is very often a challenge to MAS users. This issue is more often observed in the domain of socio-ecological systems (SES), because SES domain experts are rarely programmers. Indeed, the majority of MAS platforms were not conceived taking into consideration domain-experts who are non-programmers. Most current MAS tools are not dedicated to SES, or nor do they possess an easily understandable formalism to represent the behaviors of agents. Moreover, because it is platform-dependent, a model realized in a given MAS platform cannot be properly used on another platform due to incompatibility between MAS platforms. To overcome these limitations, we propose a domain-specific language (DSL) to describe the behaviors of reactive agents, regardless of the MAS platform used for simulation. To achieve this result, we used model-driven engineering (MDE), an approach that provides tools to develop DSLs from a meta-model (abstract syntax), textual editors with syntax highlighting (for the concrete syntax) and code generation capabilities (for source-code generation of a model). As a result, we implemented a language and a textual editor that allow SES domain experts to describe behaviors in three different ways that are close to their natural expression: as equations when they are familiar with these, as a sequence of activities close to natural language or as an activity diagram to represent decisions and a sequence of behaviors using a graphic formalism. To demonstrate interoperability, we also developed code generators targeting two different MAS platforms (Cormas and Netlogo). We tested the code generators by implementing two SES models with the developed DSL. The generated code was targeted to both MAS platforms (Cormas and Netlogo), and successfully simulated in one of them. We conclude that the MDE approach provides adequate tools to develop DSL and code generators to facilitate MAS modeling and simulation by non-programmers. Concerning the DSL developed, although the behavioral aspect of MAS simulation is part of the complexity of modeling in MAS, there are still other essential aspects of model and simulation of MAS that are yet to be explored, such as model initialization and points of view on the model simulated worl

Diagnóstico y alternativas de control al problema de la mortalidad bovina en un área del departamento del Vichada.

Se presenta un estudio que trata de identificar las posibles causas de la presencia de un síndrome que afecta generalmente a vacas paridas de ganado de carne, que se caracteriza en términos generales por: aislamiento del animal al apartarse de la manada, ataxia del tren anterior y, o del tren posterior, decúbito sin pérdida de apetito y posteriormente muerte, proceso que puede durar entre 7 y 25 días. El estudio se realizó en la altillanura del Vichada, entre noviembre de 1994 y octubre de 1995, período en el cual se recolectó información de 10 fincas, con muestreo de suelos de sabanas con bovinos en pastoreo, forrajes de sabana como oferta nutritiva y en 6 predios se tomaron muestras de sangre a terneros, novillas y vacas en época de verano e invierno. En las muestras de suelo se determinó análisis físico químico completo, en el forraje se analizó: proteina cruda, fibra detergente neutro, degradabilidad ruminal a las 48 horas, minerales en materia seca. En los sueros de bovinos se determinaron: colesterol, Ca, P, Fe, Mg, proteinas, albúmina y globulinas. Se determinaron diferencias significativas en análisis de suelo por época del año y por localidad. En los análisis foliares, diferencias significativas según época del año. En sueros bovinos, diferencias significativas para hemoglobina, hematocrito, globulinas, entre terneros, novillas y vacas, siendo el último grupo el más crítico. Se sugiere la producción de sal mineralizada que supla deficiencias minerales, suministro contínuo de ésta, mejoramiento en disponibilidad de proteina y energía para mejorar eficiencia productiv

Dual-Composite Right-Left Handed Transmission Lines for the Design of Compact Diplexers

In this study, the use of dual-composite right-left-handed (D-CRLH) transmission lines is proposed for the design of diplexers. The D-CRLH diplexers present advantages over conventional diplexers such as smaller size (especially in the ultra high frequency band). The design procedure and the design equations are presented in this paper. The non-linear phase response of a D-CRLH transmission line has been used to design diplexers at any arbitrary frequencies. Finally, two diplexers have been designed and manufactured: one for quite near frequencies and the other for further ones. The simulation results show good agreement with the measurements. A sensitivity analysis has been provided to show the robustness of this kind of circuits

Osmotic stress tolerance in forage oat varieties (Avena Sativa L.) based on osmotic potential trials

Received: April 1st, 2022 ; Accepted: December 12th, 2022 ; Published: February 7th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] oats (Avena sativa L.) are globally important for milk and meat production, and, to a lesser extent, for the human diet. In Mexico, oats are a strategic crop, occupying the fourth place in cultivated area, only after maize for grain, bean, and sorghum for grain. Droughts are the main problem for oat production in Mexico. This study evaluated the germination and seedling growth of several oat varieties in response to drought stress simulated by PEG-6000 treatments of different osmotic pressure in order to identify drought-resistant genotypes. The Teporaca genotype was the most outstanding in the three levels of OP compared to its control with 0.0 of Osmotic Potential (OP). The Teporaca genotype showed the largest root length and the lowest diminishment of root length under osmotic stress conditions. This genotype also had the largest shoot length in the three osmotic stress levels. Regarding root fresh weight, Babicora stands out with 98.5% and Teporaca with 43% in the most severe level. Teporaca, Menonita, and Babicora showed the outstanding root dry weights of 346.5%, 327.2%, and 251.2%, respectively. These varieties had higher root dry weight than their own controls in water in the most severe level of OP. In conclusion, the Teporaca, Menonita, and Karma genotypes showed the highest osmotic stress tolerance and could be used as sources of favorable alleles to improve oat drought tolerance