Hotel Performance in the UK: The Role of Information Entropy in a Novel Slack-Based Data Envelopment Analysis

Previous hotel performance studies neglected the role of information entropy in feedback processes between input and output management. This paper focuses on this gap by exploring the relationship between hotel performance at the industry level and the capability of learning by doing and adopting best practices using a sample of 153 UK hotels over a 10-year period between 2008–2017. Besides, this research also fills a literature gap by addressing the issues of measuring hotel performance in light of negative outputs. In order to achieve this, we apply a novel Modified slack-based model for the efficiency analysis and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator to examine the influence of entropy related variable on efficiency score. The Results indicate that less can be learnt from inputs than from outputs to improve efficiency levels and resource allocation is more balanced than cash flow and liquidity. The findings suggest that market dynamics explains the cash flow generation potential and liquidity. We find that market conditions are increasingly offering the opportunities for learning and improving hotel efficiency. The results report that the distinctive characteristic of superior performance in hotel operations is the capability to match the cash flow generation potential with market opportunities.     

Green and mild laccase-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of benzenediol derivatives with various sodium benzenesulfinates

The oxidative coupling reaction between hydroquinone or catechols and various sodium benzenesulfinates was investigated using the laccase from Trametes versicolor, in the presence of O₂ in a phosphate buffer solution at room temperature to afford sulfonyl benzenediols in 75–95% yield.     

Sensitive Superoxide Biosensor Based on Silicon Carbide Nanoparticles

Direct electron transfer of immobilized superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn‐SOD) onto silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles displays a pair of well defined and nearly reversible redox peaks with formal potential (E°′) of −0.03 V in pH 7.4. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k_s) and surface coverage (Γ) of immobilized SOD are 11.0±0.4 s⁻¹ and 1.42×10⁻¹¹ mol cm⁻². Biosensor shows fast amperometric response (3s) with sensitivity and detection limit of 1.416 nA μM⁻¹, 1.66 μM, and 1.375 nA μM⁻¹, 2.1 μM for cathodically or anodically detection of superoxide, respectively. This biosensor also exhibits good stability, reproducibility and long life‐time.     

Silica-bonded S-sulfonic acid: an efficient and recyclable solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of 4,4′-(arylmethylene)bis(1H-pyrazol-5-ols)

Silica-bonded S-sulfonic acid (SBSSA) is employed as a recyclable catalyst for the condensation reaction of aromatic aldehydes with 3-methyl-l-phenyl-5-pyrazolone. This condensation reaction was performed in ethanol under refluxing conditions giving 4,4′-alkylmethylene-bis(3-methyl-5-pyrazolones) in 75-90% yields.     

Highly sensitive and selective amperometric sensors for nanomolar detection of iodate and periodate based on glassy carbon electrode modified with iridium oxide nanoparticles

Iridium oxide nanoparticles are grown on a glassy carbon electrode by electrodepositing method. The electrochemical behavior and electrocatalytic activity of modified electrode towards reduction of iodate and periodate are studied. The reductions of both ions occur at the unusual positive peak potential of 0.7 V vs. reference electrode. The modified electrode is employed successfully for iodate and periodates detection using cyclic voltammetry, hydrodynamic amperometry and flow injection analysis (FIA). In the performed experiments, flow injection amperometric determination of iodate and periodate yielded calibration curves with the following characteristics: linear dynamic range up to 100 and 80 μM, sensitivity of 140.9 and 150.6 nA μM⁻¹ and detection limits of 5 and 36 nM, respectively. The repeatability of the modified electrode for 21 injections of 1.5 μM of iodate solution is 1.5%. The interference effects of NO₂⁻, NO₃⁻, ClO₃⁻, BrO₃⁻, ClO₄⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺ and K⁺, CH₃COO⁻ and glucose were negligible at the concentration ratio of more than 1000. The obtained attractive analytical performance together with high selectivity and simplicity of the proposed method provide an effective and e novel modified electrode to develop an iodate and periodate sensor. Sensitivity, selectivity, the liner concentration range and the detection limit of the developed sensor are all much better than all known similar sensors in the literature for iodate and periodate determination.     

Carbon Nanotubes‐Ionic Liquid and Chloropromazine Modified Electrode for Determination of NADH and Fabrication of Ethanol Biosensor

Potential cycling was used for oxidation of chloropromazine and producing an electroactive redox couples which strongly adsorbed on the electrode surface modified with carbon nanotubes and ionic liquid nanocomposite. The modified electrode shows excellent electrocatalytic activity toward NADH oxidation. The differential pulse voltammetry detection provided high sensitivity, 0.5835 A M^?1, low detection limit, 80 nM at concentration range up to 20 μM. An ethanol biosensor was also developed by immobilizing alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme onto nanocomposite. Differential pulse voltammetric detection of ethanol gives linear responses over the concentration range 40 μM–1.5 mM with detection limit 5 μM and sensitivity 1.97 μA mM^?1.     

Surface modification of polypropylene with an atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in argon and an argon/water vapour mixture

In this paper, an atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in pure argon and an argon/water vapour mixture has been used to modify the surface of polypropylene (PP) films. The gas temperature of the plasma jet was found to be 625 K in an active zone between the electrodes and was found to increase in the afterglow. Based on these results, the PP films are placed as close as possible to the edge of the capillary in order to avoid thermal damage to the polymer. XPS results on the untreated and modified PP samples revealed incorporation of a significant amount of oxygen on the polymer surface, however, this oxygen inclusion is more pronounced for the argon/water vapour jet due to the higher radicals density in the jet afterglow. One can therefore conclude that adding water vapour to an argon plasma jet can be a convenient way to increase the efficiency of plasma surface modification.     

Classification of some large sets and designs

In this paper, we briefly introduce an algorithm, based on the standard basis of trades, which has proven successful in the complete classification of certain combinatorial objects.     

Structure build‐up at rest in polymer nanocomposites: Flow reversal experiments

Evolution of the microstructure as well as the shear stress and the normal stress difference of polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites prepared by melt mixing of poly[butylene succinate‐co‐adipate] and organically modified montmorillonite are investigated in transient forward and reverse start‐up shear flows at different clay loading and different shear rates. Special attention is paid to the structure build‐up at rest and to the amplitude of the overshoots observed during the reverse start‐up test in the shear stress and the normal stress difference. The model that we have developed previously is used to suggest an explanation for the observed phenomena. The model is able to capture observed behavior of the shear stress in both forward and reverse start‐up flows. It fails, however, to predict experimentally observed overshoot in the normal stress difference. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1728–1741, 2009