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.     

全光汤姆孙散射

随着激光和加速器技术的发展,激光场强度和粒子能量也有所提升,在高场强和高电子能量的条件下,电子与光子的汤姆孙散射过程将达到高度非线性状态,在这种状态下会发生多光子效应,即单个电子同时与多个光子相互作用并辐射一个高能光子,此过程通常称为多光子汤姆孙散射.当场强和粒子能量变得更高时,需要引入量子电动力学理论来解决极端光场物理中的动理学过程.近期,全球多台数拍瓦激光装置逐渐投入使用,激光等离子体相互作用中的此类效应会变得极其显著.而全光汤姆孙散射成为目前研究极端光场物理最佳的实验方案,因此,系统地研究全光多光子汤姆孙散射是本领域未来十年极其重要的方向.本文对近年来全光汤姆孙散射实验从单光子、低阶多光子到高阶多光子的研究进展进行了综述,并对其未来的发展方向进行了展望.另外,伴随着散射过程产生的准直高亮X/伽马射线,有望发展成为具有重要应用价值的紧凑型超亮高能光源.     

Determination of Protonation Constants of O-Phospho-<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-serine in Aqueous Solution: Potentiometry,Microcalorimetry, NMR Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Calculations

O-Phospho-l-serine is one of the naturally occurring phosphorylated amino acids, having important pharmacological activity and bioactivity. The protonation constants of O-phospho-l-serine were determined by means of potentiometric titrations at 25 °C and ionic strength of 0.5 mol·L^?1 (NaCl). The heat effects of the protonation reaction of the O-phospho-l-serine were measured by direct calorimetry. NMR spectroscopy has demonstrated that the first protonation site occurs at the nitrogen atom in the amino group, followed by one of the oxygen atoms in the phosphono group, and finally the carboxyl oxygen atom. This trend is in good agreement with the enthalpy of protonation and quantum chemical calculations. These data will help to predict the speciation of O-phospho-l-serine in physiological systems.     

Determination of Chlorophenols in Sewage Sludge and Soil by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Ultrasonic-Assisted and Solid-Phase Extraction

Chlorophenols are a category of toxic pollutants that are ubiquitously present in the environment. This paper presents a reliable and feasible method for the determination of five chlorophenols in sewage sludge and soil using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The pretreatment involved ultrasonic-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction purification with hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridges. LC-MS/MS equipped with an electrospray ionization source operated in negative mode was used for detection, and multitude reaction monitoring mode was applied for data acquisition. The pretreatment and working conditions of LC-MS/MS were optimized to achieve satisfactory results. The intra-batch accuracies were 100.5–113.4% with relative standard deviations?≤?15.6% for the chlorophenols in sewage sludge and 71.3–102.7% with relative standard deviations?≤?14.0% for those in soil. The inter-batch accuracies were 86.1–100.5% (relative standard deviations?≤?33.6%) for sewage sludge samples and 70.5–112.5% (relative standard deviations?≤?28.2%) for soil samples, respectively. This method has been applied to the determination of chlorophenols in sewage sludge of wastewater treatment plants and soil collected from Guangzhou, China. Parachlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol were detected in some sewage sludge samples, with concentrations from 0.51 to 13.20?ng/g. In addition, parachlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol were found in all the soil samples with concentrations from 0.33 to 5.21?ng/g. The chromatographic behavior, on-filter adsorption behavior, and the relationship between optimal collision energies and degree of chlorination of the chlorophenols was investigated. This method will be conducive to environmental research focusing on pollution investigation of chlorophenols in the environment.     

Thermophilic Dry Methane Fermentation of Distillation Residue Eluted from Ethanol Fermentation of Kitchen Waste and Dynamics of Microbial Communities

Thermophilic dry methane fermentation is advantageous for feedstock with high solid content. Distillation residue with 65.1 % moisture content was eluted from ethanol fermentation of kitchen waste and subjected to thermophilic dry methane fermentation, after adjusting the moisture content to 75 %. The effect of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio on thermophilic dry methane fermentation was investigated. Results showed that thermophilic dry methane fermentation could not be stably performed for >10 weeks at a C/N ratio of 12.6 and a volatile total solid (VTS) loading rate of 1 g/kg sludge/d; however, it was stably performed at a C/N ratio of 19.8 and a VTS loading rate of 3 g/kg sludge/d with 83.4 % energy recovery efficiency. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the number of bacteria and archaea decreased by two orders of magnitude at a C/N ratio of 12.6, whereas they were not influenced at a C/N ratio of 19.8. Microbial community analysis revealed that the relative abundance of protein-degrading bacteria increased and that of organic acid-oxidizing bacteria and acetic acid-oxidizing bacteria decreased at a C/N ratio of 12.6. Therefore, there was accumulation of NH₄ ⁺ and acetic acid, which inhibited thermophilic dry methane fermentation.     

Isolation of lignosulfonate with low polydispersity index

<正>Lignosulfonate with low polydispersity index of 1.178-1.210 was isolated by gel column chromatography of Sephacryl S-100 eluted with 0.2 mol/L of NaNO_3 aqueous solution,whereas nearly monodisperse ligosulfonate fraction with polydispersity of 1.0(57 can be obtained after chromatographic separation twice.This method provides an available approach to investigate the structure and characteristics of lignosulfonate.     

Glycosidic Constituents of Celastrus orbiculatus

Three new, 1 – 3 , and seven known phenolic and terpenic glycosides were isolated from the BuOH‐soluble fraction of 95% EtOH extract of the roots and rhizomes of Celastrus orbiculatus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as carvacrol 2‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside ( 1 ), 5‐methoxycarvacrol 2‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside ( 2 ), and 15‐hydroxytorreyol 10‐O‐β‐D ‐apiofuranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside ( 3 ) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods.     

Asymmetric bromolactonization using amino-thiocarbamate catalyst

A novel amino-thiocarbamate-catalyzed bromolactonization of unsaturated carboxylic acids has been developed. The scope of the reaction is evidenced by 22 examples of γ-lactones with up to 99% yield and 93% ee. The protocol was applied in the enantioselective synthesis of the key intermediates of VLA-4 antagonists.     

DNA Polyplexes Formed Using PEGylated Biodegradable Hyperbranched Polymers

A novel PEGylated biodegradable hyperbranched PEG‐b‐PDMAEMA has been synthesized. The low toxicity, small molecular weight PDMAEMA chains were crosslinked using a biodegradable disulfide‐based dimethacrylate (DSDMA) agent to yield higher molecular weight hyperbranched polymers. PEG chains were linked onto the polymer surface, masking the positive charge (as shown by Zeta potential measurements) and reducing the toxicity of the polymer. The hyperbranched structures were also cleaved under reducing conditions and analyzed, confirming the expected component structures. The hyperbranched polymer was mixed with DNA and efficient binding was shown to occur through electrostatic interactions. The hyperbranched structures could be reduced easily, generating lower toxicity oligomer chains.

     

Development of Vancomycin-Capped β-CD-Bonded Silica Particles as Chiral Stationary Phase for LC

Vancomycin-capped (3-(2-O-β-cyclodextrin)-2-hydroxypropoxy)-propylsilyl-appended silica particles (VCD-HPS), a new type of substituted β-cyclodextrin-bonded chiral stationary phase (CSP) for liquid chromatography (LC), have been synthesized by treatment of bromoacetate-substituted-(3-(2-O-β-cyclodextrin)-2-hydroxypropoxy)-propylsilyl-appended silica particles (BACD-HPS) with vancomycin in anhydrous methanol. The stationary phase is characterized by elemental analysis. This new CSP has a chiral selector with two recognition sites: vancomycin and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), which can provide multiple interactions with the solutes. The chromatographic performance of VCD-HPS was studied with several disubstituted benzenes and some chiral drug compounds as solutes in reversed-phase LC. The results show that VCD-HPS has excellent selectivity for the separation of aromatic positional isomers and enantiomers of chiral compounds.