245 research outputs found
Improving the Service Quality as a Socially Responsible Activity of Hotel Companies
In this article, the results of the survey examining quality of service in spa hotels are interpreted. Research was conducted in five spas in West Morava region during August and September 2008. Service quality was measured with a model based on SERVQUAL model. Collected data were analyzed using statistical methods of descriptive statistical analysis and analysis of variables ANOVA, which were useful in defining whether there is statistically significant connection between dependant variables (questions on expectations and perception) and independent variables (structure of respondents regarding their occupation). The results indicate negative SERVQUAL gap in total (-0.21). The largest negative SERVQUAL gap was noted at the first determinant related to the tangible elements of service, which further points to conclusion that main problems in providing high-quality services in the spa hotels are inappropriate arrangement of facilities and equipment, time worn of facilities in general, lack of understanding of contemporary demand trends, unaccomplished process of hotel privatization, uniformity of tourism offer and lack of market research related to hotel services consumers. In the authors’ opinion, the aforementioned problems could be overcome with creation and implementation of development strategies with short and long term development plans, as well as with investment incentives in spa tourism development. The organization with strategy based on the principles of social responsibility has the potential to built and sustain successful relationships with present and potential customers, as well as with all interested stakeholders.service quality, SERVQUAL, spa hotels, corporate social responsibility
Predictability of Lead-210 in Surface Air Based on Multivariate Analysis
Dependence of the lead-210 activity concentration in surface air on meteorological variables and teleconnection indices is investigated using multivariate analysis, which gives the Boosted Decision Trees method as the most suitable for variable analysis. A mapped functional behaviour of the lead-210 activity concentration is further obtained, and used to test predictability of lead-210 in surface air. The results show an agreement between the predicted and measured values. The temporal evolution of the measured activities is satisfactorily matched by the prediction. The largest qualitative differences are obtained for winter months.3rd International Conference on Radiation and Applications in Various Fields of Research (RAD), Jun 08-12, 2015, Budva, Montenegr
Predictability of Lead-210 in Surface Air Based on Multivariate Analysis
Dependence of the lead-210 activity concentration in surface air on meteorological variables and teleconnection indices is investigated using multivariate analysis, which gives the Boosted Decision Trees method as the most suitable for variable analysis. A mapped functional behaviour of the lead-210 activity concentration is further obtained, and used to test predictability of lead-210 in surface air. The results show an agreement between the predicted and measured values. The temporal evolution of the measured activities is satisfactorily matched by the prediction. The largest qualitative differences are obtained for winter months.3rd International Conference on Radiation and Applications in Various Fields of Research (RAD), Jun 08-12, 2015, Budva, Montenegr
An introduction to zwitterionic salts
International audienceZwitterionic salts are hybrid materials, incorporating some characteristics of zwitterions and of ionic liquids, e.g. numerous options for structural design and functionalisation. They are comprised of cations and anions in which an additional zwitterionic moiety is embedded into either the cation or the anion. Such materials are characterised by having extended polar domains and high hydrophilicity. Here, we present results from the study of novel zwitterionic salts that are representative examples of this class of materials and illustrate the potential to exploit their functionalities and high hydrophilicity
Multifractality in the stock market: price increments versus waiting times
By applying the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis to the
high-frequency tick-by-tick data from Deutsche B\"orse both in the price and in
the time domains, we investigate multifractal properties of the time series of
logarithmic price increments and inter-trade intervals of time. We show that
both quantities reveal multiscaling and that this result holds across different
stocks. The origin of the multifractal character of the corresponding dynamics
is, among others, the long-range correlations in price increments and in
inter-trade time intervals as well as the non-Gaussian distributions of the
fluctuations. Since the transaction-to-transaction price increments do not
strongly depend on or are almost independent of the inter-trade waiting times,
both can be sources of the observed multifractal behaviour of the fixed-delay
returns and volatility. The results presented also allow one to evaluate the
applicability of the Multifractal Model of Asset Returns in the case of
tick-by-tick data.Comment: Physica A, in prin
Water-in-CO2 Microemulsions Stabilized by an Efficient Catanionic Surfactant
To facilitate potential applications of water-in-supercritical CO2 microemulsions (W/CO2 μEs) efficient and environmentally responsible surfactants are required with low levels of fluorination. As well as being able to stabilize water–CO2 interfaces, these surfactants must also be economical, prevent bioaccumulation and strong adhesion, deactivation of enzymes, and be tolerant to high salt environments. Recently, an ion paired catanionic surfactant with environmentally acceptable fluorinated C6 tails was found to be very effective at stabilizing W/CO2 μEs with high water-to-surfactant molar ratios (W0) up to ∼50 (Sagisaka, M.; et al. Langmuir 2019, 35, 3445−3454). As the cationic and anionic constituent surfactants alone did not stabilize W/CO2 μEs, this was the first demonstration of surfactant synergistic effects in W/CO2 microemulsions. The aim of this new study is to understand the origin of these intriguing effects by detailed investigations of nanostructure in W/CO2 microemulsions using high-pressure small-angle neutron scattering (HP-SANS). These HP-SANS experiments have been used to determine the headgroup interfacial area and volume, aggregation number, and effective packing parameter (EPP). These SANS data suggest the effectiveness of this surfactant originates from increased EPP and decreased hydrophilic/CO2-philic balance, related to a reduced effective headgroup ionicity. This surfactant bears separate C6F13 tails and oppositely charged headgroups, and was found to have a EPP value similar to that of a double C4F9-tail anionic surfactant (4FG(EO)2), which was previously reported to be one of most efficient stabilizers for W/CO2 μEs (maximum W0 = 60–80). Catanionic surfactants based on this new design will be key for generating superefficient W/CO2 μEs with high stability and water solubilization
Detecting Long-range Correlations with Detrended Fluctuation Analysis
We examine the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), which is a
well-established method for the detection of long-range correlations in time
series. We show that deviations from scaling that appear at small time scales
become stronger in higher orders of DFA, and suggest a modified DFA method to
remove them. The improvement is necessary especially for short records that are
affected by non-stationarities. Furthermore, we describe how crossovers in the
correlation behavior can be detected reliably and determined quantitatively and
show how several types of trends in the data affect the different orders of
DFA.Comment: 10 pages, including 8 figure
Assessment of long-range correlation in animal behaviour time series: the temporal pattern of locomotor activity of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix) and mosquito larva (Culex quinquefasciatus)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a classical method
of fractal analysis, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), in the analysis of
the dynamics of animal behavior time series. In order to correctly use DFA to
assess the presence of long-range correlation, previous authors using
statistical model systems have stated that different aspects should be taken
into account such as: 1) the establishment by hypothesis testing of the absence
of short term correlation, 2) an accurate estimation of a straight line in the
log-log plot of the fluctuation function, 3) the elimination of artificial
crossovers in the fluctuation function, and 4) the length of the time series.
Taking into consideration these factors, herein we evaluated the presence of
long-range correlation in the temporal pattern of locomotor activity of
Japanese quail ({\sl Coturnix coturnix}) and mosquito larva ({\sl Culex
quinquefasciatus}). In our study, modeling the data with the general ARFIMA
model, we rejected the hypothesis of short range correlations (d=0) in all
cases. We also observed that DFA was able to distinguish between the artificial
crossover observed in the temporal pattern of locomotion of Japanese quail, and
the crossovers in the correlation behavior observed in mosquito larvae
locomotion. Although the test duration can slightly influence the parameter
estimation, no qualitative differences were observed between different test
durations
Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of nonstationary time series
We develop a method for the multifractal characterization of nonstationary
time series, which is based on a generalization of the detrended fluctuation
analysis (DFA). We relate our multifractal DFA method to the standard partition
function-based multifractal formalism, and prove that both approaches are
equivalent for stationary signals with compact support. By analyzing several
examples we show that the new method can reliably determine the multifractal
scaling behavior of time series. By comparing the multifractal DFA results for
original series to those for shuffled series we can distinguish multifractality
due to long-range correlations from multifractality due to a broad probability
density function. We also compare our results with the wavelet transform
modulus maxima (WTMM) method, and show that the results are equivalent.Comment: 14 pages (RevTex) with 10 figures (eps
Electrospun nanosized cellulose fibers using ionic liquids at room temperature
Aiming at replacing the noxious solvents commonly employed, ionic-liquid-based solvents have been recently explored as novel non-volatile and non-flammable media for the electrospinning of polymers. In this work, nanosized and biodegradable cellulose fibers were obtained by electrospinning at room temperature using a pure ionic liquid or a binary mixture of two selected ionic liquids. The electrospinning of 8 wt% cellulose in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate medium (a low viscosity and room temperature ionic liquid capable of efficiently dissolving cellulose) showed to produce electrospun fibers with average diameters within (470 ± 110) nm. With the goal of tailoring the surface tension of the spinning dope, a surface active ionic liquid was further added in a 0.10 : 0.90 mole fraction ratio. Electrospun cellulose fibers from the binary mixture composed of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids presented average diameters within (120 ± 55) nm. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric assays were used as core methods to evaluate the structural integrity, morphology and crystallinity of the raw, electrospun, and regenerated samples of cellulose. Moreover, the photoluminescence spectra of both raw and electrospun fibers were acquired, and compared, indicating that the cellulose emitting centers are not affected by the dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids. Finally, the use of non-volatile solvents in electrospinning coupled to a water coagulation bath allows the recovery of the ionic fluid, and represents a step forward into the search of environmentally friendly alternatives to the conventional approaches
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