Examining the impact of human resources management: A performance based analytic model

This dissertation investigated the direct effects of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational performance in the hotel industry. The main goal of this study was to develop the conceptual model to measure the direct effects of the six domains of HRM practices on the three measures of organizational performance. To accomplish the main goal of this study, three sub-objectives were investigated. The first sub-objective was to develop a valid and reliable HRM measurement model. The second sub-objective was to investigate the direct effects of the HRM constructs on the three measures of organizational performance. The third sub-objective of this study was to investigate the interrelationships among the three measures of organizational performance which were influenced by the HRM practices; This study addressed three measurement challenges that human resource researchers have suggested: data collected for business unit level companies; data collected separately for managerial and non-managerial employee groups; and, testing interrelationships among three organizational performance measures; Since this study was exploratory in nature, the measurement scales for HRM constructs and organizational performance had to be developed based on the pre-existing literature. To test validity and reliability of the measurement scales, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The results of CFAs showed that the measurement scales were indeed valid and reliable. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the direct effects of HRM constructs and organizational performance measures and the interrelationships among the organizational performance measures; The results indicated that the effects of HRM implemented for a managerial employee group on an organization\u27s performance were different than the ones implemented for a non-managerial employee group. The lower turnover rates influenced by HRM practices had positive impact on labor productivity and the higher labor productivity influenced by HRM practices increased revenue per available room. The analyses examining the direct effects of HRM constructs on the three measures of organizational performance showed mixed results; some HRM constructs had positive effects and some HRM constructs had negative effects on organizational performance

Beyond the Standard Model B-parameters with improved staggered fermions in Nf=2+1N_f=2+1 QCD

We calculate the kaon mixing B-parameters for operators arising generically in theories of physics beyond the standard model. We use HYP-smeared improved staggered fermions on the $N_f = 2+1$ MILC asqtad lattices. Operator matching is done perturbatively at one-loop order. Chiral extrapolations are done using "golden combinations" in which one-loop chiral logarithms are absent. For the combined sea-quark mass and continuum extrapolation, we use three lattice spacings: $a \approx 0.045, 0.06$ and $0.09 \text{fm}$. Our results have a total error of 5-6%, which is dominated by the systematic error from matching and continuum extrapolation. For two of the BSM $B$-parameters, we agree with results obtained using domain-wall and twisted-mass dynamical fermions, but we disagree by $(4-5)\sigma$ for the other two.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Lattice 2013 Proceedin

Calculation of BSM Kaon B-parameters using Staggered Quarks

We present updated results for kaon B-parameters for operators arising in models of new physics. We use HYP-smeared staggered quarks on the $N_f = 2+1$ MILC asqtad lattices. During the last year we have added new ensembles, which has necessitated chiral-continuum fitting with more elaborate fitting functions. We have also corrected an error in a two-loop anomalous dimension used to evolve results between different scales. Our results for the beyond-the-Standard-Model B-parameters have total errors of $5-10$\%. We find that the discrepancy observed last year between our results and those of the RBC/UKQCD and ETM collaborations for some of the B-parameters has been reduced from $4\!-\!5\,\sigma$ to $2\!-\!3\,\sigma$.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, Lattice 2014 proceedin

Home-Based Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Therapy: The Impact in Chronic Leg Lymphedema in Patients Treated for Gynecologic Cancer

We conducted a prospective study of cancer patients to investigate the efficacy, quality of life, satisfaction, and safety of a home-based intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) device during the maintenance phase of lower extremity lymphedema. This device has a unique mode designed to mimic the manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) technique and thereby gently facilitate lymphatic draining of proximal extremities. Thirty patients with stage 3 chronic secondary unilateral leg lymphedema in the maintenance phase underwent IPC and conventional compression therapy for 4 weeks at home. The participants were guided to use 1 h course (30 min of MLD-mimicking mode and 30 min of conventional mode) of IPC device twice a day for 4 weeks. We assessed the patients’ limb-volume measurement, quality of life (QOL), and satisfaction four times. There were no significant time-dependent interactions in the inter-limb volume difference ratio (Vratio). In a subgroup analysis, participants who used the home-based IPC device and maintained their routine self-maintenance program of short-stretch bandages (group B, n = 21) showed a more significant decline in Vratio than those who did not maintained their routine care (group A, n = 9). All scores of QOL decreased significantly after the intervention without subgroup difference. All participants were satisfied with the 4-week intervention. This study demonstrated that a home-based IPC device with an MLD-mimicking program is a useful option for maintaining the volume of limbs and improving the QOL of patients with stage 3 chronic leg lymphedema during the maintenance phase

Automated Counting of Airborne Asbestos Fibers by a High-Throughput Microscopy (HTM) Method

Inhalation of airborne asbestos causes serious health problems such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The phase-contrast microscopy (PCM) method has been widely used for estimating airborne asbestos concentrations because it does not require complicated processes or high-priced equipment. However, the PCM method is time-consuming and laborious as it is manually performed off-site by an expert. We have developed a high-throughput microscopy (HTM) method that can detect fibers distinguishable from other spherical particles in a sample slide by image processing both automatically and quantitatively. A set of parameters for processing and analysis of asbestos fiber images was adjusted for standard asbestos samples with known concentrations. We analyzed sample slides containing airborne asbestos fibers collected at 11 different workplaces following PCM and HTM methods, and found a reasonably good agreement in the asbestos concentration. Image acquisition synchronized with the movement of the robotic sample stages followed by an automated batch processing of a stack of sample images enabled us to count asbestos fibers with greatly reduced time and labors. HTM should be a potential alternative to conventional PCM, moving a step closer to realization of on-site monitoring of asbestos fibers in air