Human resource evaluation in hotel units

This paper aims at presenting and analysing the performance appraisal systems and the human potential development in hotel units. It aims at integrating and updating many aspects of performance appraisal while concentrating on the hotel units system to prove the importance of human resource evaluation in hotel units and the procedure that is to be followed by the enterprise for further development of hotel employees. HR evaluation analysis is presented through relevant theoretical background on the evaluation method and the presentation of the practical problematical issues in order to create an image for a whole evaluation system of HR in Greek hotel enterprises

Branding Small Companies

The purpose of this study is to give a holistic view of small companies' branding process while taking to consideration the special characteristics as well as the marketing practices of this kind of companie. The findings of this study reveal that the branding process in small ventures is done both internally, where the role of the entrepreneur is emphasized, as well as externally where the participation of entrepreneur's network and company's stakeholders in branding the company was found to be important

The atypical presence of the paternal mitochondrial DNA in somatic tissues of male and female individuals of the blue mussel species Mytilus galloprovincialis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In animals mtDNA inheritance is maternal except in certain molluscan bivalve species which have a paternally inherited mitochondrial genome (genome M) along with the standard maternal one (genome F). Normally, the paternal genome occurs in the male gonad, but it can be often found, as a minority, in somatic tissues of males and females. This may happen in two ways. One is through "sperm mtDNA leakage" into somatic tissues, a deviation from the normal situation in which the sperm mtDNA vanishes in females or ends up exclusively in the germ line of males. The other is through "egg heteroplasmy", when the egg contains, in small quantities, the paternal genome in addition to maternal genome.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>To test the two hypotheses, we compared the sequences of one of the most variable domains of the M molecule in a somatic tissue (foot) and in the sperm of ten male and in the foot of ten female individuals of <it>M. galloprovincialis</it>. Presence of the M genome was rarer in the foot of females than males. The M genome in the sperm and in the foot of males was identical.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Given that the surveyed region differs from individual to individual, the identity of the M genome in the foot and the sperm of males supports strongly the hypothesis that, at least for the tissue examined, the presence of the M genome is due to sperm mtDNA leakage.</p

Antenna beam characterization for the global 21-cm experiment LEDA and its impact on signal model parameter reconstruction

Cosmic dawn, the onset of star formation in the early universe, can in principle be studied via the 21-cm transition of neutral hydrogen, for which a sky-averaged absorption signal, redshifted to MHz frequencies, is predicted to be O(10-100) mK. Detection requires separation of the 21-cm signal from bright chromatic foreground emission due to Galactic structure, and the characterization of how it couples to instrumental response. In this work, we present characterization of antenna gain patterns for the Large-aperture Experiment to detect the Dark Ages (LEDA) via simulations, assessing the effects of the antenna ground-plane geometries used, and measured soil properties

CoPe_it! - Supporting collaboration, enhancing learning

CoPe_it! is an innovative web-based tool that complies with collaborative practices to provide members of communities with the appropriate means to manage individual and collective knowledge, and collaborate towards the solution of diverse issues. In this article, we demonstrate its applicability in tackling data-intensive collaboration settings, which are characterized by big volumes of complex and interrelated data obtained from diverse sources, and knowledge expressed by diverse participants. We focus on issues related to the representation of such settings and the proposed approach towards making it easier for participants to follow the evolution of a collaboration, comprehend it in its entirety, and meaningfully aggregate data in order to resolve the issue under consideration

TENSOR: retrieval and analysis of heterogeneous online content for terrorist activity recognition

The proliferation of terrorist generated content online is a cause for concern as it goes together with the rise of radicalisation and violent extremism. Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) need powerful platforms to help stem the influence of such content. This article showcases the TENSOR project which focusses on the early detection of online terrorist activities, radicalisation and recruitment. Operating under the H2020 Secure Societies Challenge, TENSOR aims to develop a terrorism intelligence platform for increasing the ability of LEAs to identify, gather and analyse terrorism-related online content. The mechanisms to tackle this challenge by bringing together LEAs, industry, research, and legal experts are presented

Functional polymorphism in ABCA1 influences age of symptom onset in coronary artery disease patients

ATP-binding-cassette-transporter-A1 (ABCA1) plays a pivotal role in intracellular cholesterol removal, exerting a protective effect against atherosclerosis. ABCA1 gene severe mutations underlie Tangier disease, a rare Mendelian disorder that can lead to premature coronary artery disease (CAD), with age of CAD onset being two decades earlier in mutant homozygotes and one decade earlier in heterozygotes than in mutation non-carriers. It is unknown whether common polymorphisms in ABCA1 could influence age of symptom onset of CAD in the general population. We examined common promoter and non-synonymous coding polymorphisms in relation to age of symptom onset in a group of CAD patients (n = 1164), and also carried out in vitro assays to test effects of the promoter variations on ABCA1 promoter transcriptional activity and effects of the coding variations on ABCA1 function in mediating cellular cholesterol efflux. Age of symptom onset was found to be associated with the promoter − 407G > C polymorphism, being 2.82 years higher in C allele homozygotes than in G allele homozygotes and intermediate in heterozygotes (61.54, 59.79 and 58.72 years, respectively; P = 0.002). In agreement, patients carrying ABCA1 haplotypes containing the −407C allele had higher age of symptom onset. Patients of the G/G or G/C genotype of the −407G > C polymorphism had significant coronary artery stenosis (>75%) at a younger age than those of the C/C genotype (P = 0.003). Reporter gene assays showed that ABCA1 haplotypes bearing the −407C allele had higher promoter activity than haplotypes with the −407G allele. Functional analyses of the coding polymorphisms showed an effect of the V825I substitution on ABCA1 function, with the 825I variant having higher activity in mediating cholesterol efflux than the wild-type (825V). A trend towards higher symptom onset age in 825I allele carriers was observed. The data indicate an influence of common ABCA1 functional polymorphisms on age of symptom onset in CAD patient

Effect of support nature on the cobalt-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation

CO2 hydrogenation to value added chemicals/fuels has gained considerable interest, in terms of sustainable energy and environmental mitigation. In this regard, the present work aims to investigate the CO2 methanation performance of cobalt-based catalysts supported on different metal oxides (MxOy: CeO2, ZrO2, Gd2O3, ZnO) at low temperatures (200–300 °C) and under atmospheric pressure. Various characterization methods, such as N2 adsorption-desorption at −196 °C, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), were employed to correlate the structural and surface properties of the materials with their catalytic activity. The results revealed a significant impact of support nature on the CO2 hydrogenation performance. The following order, in terms of CH4 yield (YCH4), was recorded at 300 °C: Co/CeO2 (∼96%) > Co/ZnO (∼54%) > Co/G2O3 (∼53%) ∼ Co/ZrO2 (∼53%). On the basis of the characterization results, the superiority of Co/CeO2 catalyst can be mainly ascribed to its enhanced reducibility linked to Co-Ceria interactions. Moreover, Co/CeO2 demonstrated a stable conversion/selectivity performance under subsequent reaction cycles, in contrast to Co/ZnO, which progressively activated under reaction conditions. The latter is related with the modifications induced in elemental chemical states and surface composition of Co/ZnO upon pretreatment in reaction conditions, in contrast to Co/CeO2 sample where a stable surface performance was observedLa hidrogenación de CO 2 a productos químicos/combustibles de valor agregado ha ganado un interés considerable, en términos de energía sostenible y mitigación ambiental. En este sentido, el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo investigar el comportamiento de metanización de CO 2 de catalizadores a base de cobalto soportados sobre diferentes óxidos metálicos (M x O y : CeO 2 , ZrO 2 , Gd 2 O 3 , ZnO) a bajas temperaturas (200– 300 °C) y bajo presión atmosférica. Varios métodos de caracterización, como la adsorción-desorción de N 2 a −196 °C, difracción de rayos X (XRD), espectroscopía de fotoelectrones de rayos X (XPS) y reducción de temperatura programada (TPR), se emplearon para correlacionar las propiedades estructurales y superficiales de los materiales con su actividad catalítica. Los resultados revelaron un impacto significativo de la naturaleza del soporte en el rendimiento de hidrogenación de CO2. El siguiente orden, en términos de producción de CH 4 (Y CH4 ), se registró a 300 °C: Co/CeO 2 (∼96 %) > Co/ZnO (∼54 %) > Co/G 2 O 3 (∼53 %) ∼ Co/ZrO 2 (∼53%). Sobre la base de los resultados de la caracterización, la superioridad de Co/CeO 2El catalizador se puede atribuir principalmente a su mayor capacidad de reducción vinculada a las interacciones de Co-Ceria. Además, Co/CeO 2 demostró un rendimiento de conversión/selectividad estable en los ciclos de reacción posteriores, en contraste con Co/ZnO, que se activó progresivamente en las condiciones de reacción. Esto último está relacionado con las modificaciones inducidas en los estados químicos elementales y la composición superficial de Co/ZnO tras el pretratamiento en condiciones de reacción, en contraste con la muestra de Co/CeO 2 donde se observó un comportamiento superficial establ

Impact of timing of stem cell return following high dose melphalan in multiple myeloma patients with renal impairment: a single center experience

High dose melphalan (HDM) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard consolidation in transplant eligible multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The timing between HDM administration and hematopoietic stem cell return (HSCR) varies among institutions, with a 'rest period' of 48 hours (h) employed by some for patients with renal impairment (RI). We investigated the differences in hematopoietic recovery and HDM toxicity between MM patients with RI who had HSCR after 24 vs 48 h from HDM. Fifty MM patients with RI (48 h group; n = 31 and 24 h group; n = 19) were included. No statistically significant differences were noted in surrogates for hematopoietic recovery and HDM toxicity between both groups. Only one death occurred in the 24 h group. No patients required renal replacement therapy. Therefore, a 24 h period between HDM and AHSC infusion appears safe for MM patients with RI

Experimental investigation of the thermosiphonic phenomenon in domestic solar water heaters

The deeper understanding of the ‘thermosiphonic phenomenon’ and the identification of the key parameters affecting it, is the main aim of a research project currently in process in Cyprus. In this work a review of the existing standards and scientific knowledge concerning domestic solar water heaters is presented. The first preliminary results of the experimental investigation of the ‘thermosiphonic phenomenon’ in domestic solar water heaters are also presented. For this purpose a special test rig was set up and equipped with all sensors necessary to measure all parameters that are most likely to affect the ‘thermosiphonic phenomenon’. All tests were conducted according to ISO 9459- 2:1995(E). At first, the solar collector was tested according to EN12975-2:2006 in order to determine the thermal performance characteristics at a flow and operation conditions specified by the standard. Consequently, the efficiency of the collector operating thermosiphonically was calculated based on quasi-dynamic approach. Finally, a series of correlations were attempted using the data acquired when the collector is operating themosiphonically which are the following: (i) the temperature difference of the water at the outlet and the inlet of the collector (ΔΤ) with the solar global radiation, (ii) the water mass flow with the solar global radiation, (iii) the water mass flow with the temperature difference of the water at the outlet and the inlet of the collector (ΔΤ). The results of the data analysis showed that these parameters are very well correlated between them since the coefficient of determination (R2) is over 0.91 in all cases