Employee training contributes to service quality and therefore sustainability

Abstract: The truism is that training contributes to employee growth and satisfaction but how does it impact on service quality? The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between human resources, employee productivity and sustainability within the golf club sector of the hospitality industry. The study aims to dispel the idea that training is not essential for both employee and organisation. The study used a mixed method approach with both quantitative and qualitative data to establish resource efficiency within golf clubs to ensure sustainability. Firstly, the questionnaire to the club managers provided data about the general human resource and employee information. Secondly, the interviews established the resources necessary to satisfy the needs of the members, which assist the clubs to remain sustainable. Training remains a necessary part of employee retention and staff development but also contributes to improved service quality. The retention of members and employees satisfies the aspects of economic and social sustainability, as there is an improvement in the business finances, as well as a positive impact on the community. The study reconfirms the necessity to upskill employees. Training is viewed as an incentive to the employee but contributes to the sustainability of the clubs because productivity and service quality is improved

Effects of Disorder State and Interfacial Layer on Thermal Transport in Copper/Diamond System

The characterization of Cu/diamond interface thermal conductance (hc) along with an improved understanding of factors affecting it are becoming increasingly important, as Cu-diamond composites are being considered for electronic packaging applications. In this study, ∼90 nm thick Cu layers weredeposited on synthetic and natural single crystal diamond substrates. In several specimens, a Ti-interface layer of thickness ≤3.5 nm was sputtered between the diamond substrate and the Cu top layer. The hc across Cu/diamond interfaces for specimens with and without a Ti-interface layer was determined usingtime-domain thermoreflectance. The hc is ∼2× higher for similar interfacial layers on synthetic versus natural diamond substrate. The nitrogen concentration of synthetic diamond substrate is four orders of magnitude lower than natural diamond. The difference in nitrogen concentration can lead to variations in disorder state, with a higher nitrogen content resulting in a higher level of disorder. This difference in disorder state potentially can explain the variations in hc. Furthermore, hc was observed to increase with an increase of Ti-interface layer thickness. This was attributed to an increased adhesion of Cu top layer with increasing Ti-interface layer thickness, as observed qualitatively in the current study

Implications of Therapy-Induced Selective Autophagy on Tumor Metabolism and Survival

Accumulating evidence indicates that therapies designed to trigger apoptosis in tumor cells cause mitochondrial depolarization, nuclear damage, and the accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates, resulting in the activation of selective forms of autophagy. These selective forms of autophagy, including mitophagy, nucleophagy, and ubiquitin-mediated autophagy, counteract apoptotic signals by removing damaged cellular structures and by reprogramming cellular energy metabolism to cope with therapeutic stress. As a result, the efficacies of numerous current cancer therapies may be improved by combining them with adjuvant treatments that exploit or disrupt key metabolic processes induced by selective forms of autophagy. Targeting these metabolic irregularities represents a promising approach to improve clinical responsiveness to cancer treatments given the inherently elevated metabolic demands of many tumor types. To what extent anticancer treatments promote selective forms of autophagy and the degree to which they influence metabolism are currently under intense scrutiny. Understanding how the activation of selective forms of autophagy influences cellular metabolism and survival provides an opportunity to target metabolic irregularities induced by these pathways as a means of augmenting current approaches for treating cancer

Outcomes in Acute Ocular Surface Chemical Injury—Role of pH Measurement on Presentation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025. Introduction: Chemical eye injury is an ophthalmic emergency which can lead to loss of vision. We aimed to determine the prognostic value of tear film pH on presentation in acute chemical eye injuries. Methods: Demographics, pH values, causative chemical, injury circumstances, injury severity, and clinical and visual outcomes were assessed from previously collated data from patients presenting to the emergency eye department (EED) in a UK tertiary hospital. All patients who had pH measured before irrigation in the EED were included. Associations with injury severity and clinical and visual outcomes were analysed. Results: Pre-irrigation pH was recorded in 135 eyes (113 patients, 66.4% male, mean age 35.5 years [range 2–78; standard deviation (SD) 15.4]; 15 acid, 108 alkali, 12 unknown). The pH within 24 h of injury (n = 108 eyes) correlated significantly with injury severity (rs = 0.20, p = 0.02). In patients with abnormal pH on presentation (n = 26 eyes), pH correlated strongly with injury severity (rs = 0.72, p < 0.01). There was no significant correlation with visual outcome at follow-up (n = 70 eyes, 60 patients, follow-up 1–3929 days, mean 579.4 days, SD 1206.0 days; rs = 0.12, p = 0.11). Presenting pH below 6.5 or above 7.5 was a significant predictive factor for the presence of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) (univariate binary logistic regression analysis, p = 0.026, Nagelkerke R-squared = 0.090). Conclusion: Deranged pH correlated with burn severity in patients presenting within 24 h of injury and was a significant predictive factor for LSCD

When Cells Suffocate: Autophagy in Cancer and Immune Cells under Low Oxygen

Hypoxia is a signature feature of growing tumors. This cellular state creates an inhospitable condition that impedes the growth and function of all cells within the immediate and surrounding tumor microenvironment. To adapt to hypoxia, cells activate autophagy and undergo a metabolic shift increasing the cellular dependency on anaerobic metabolism. Autophagy upregulation in cancer cells liberates nutrients, decreases the buildup of reactive oxygen species, and aids in the clearance of misfolded proteins. Together, these features impart a survival advantage for cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment. This observation has led to intense research efforts focused on developing autophagy-modulating drugs for cancer patient treatment. However, other cells that infiltrate the tumor environment such as immune cells also encounter hypoxia likely resulting in hypoxia-induced autophagy. In light of the fact that autophagy is crucial for immune cell proliferation as well as their effector functions such as antigen presentation and T cell-mediated killing of tumor cells, anticancer treatment strategies based on autophagy modulation will need to consider the impact of autophagy on the immune system

\u27\u27When we speak faculty listen:\u27\u27 Exploring potential spaces for students to support lecturer academic development

Lecturers’ engagement in professional development activities to enhance their academic practice is firmly embedded within the landscape of higher education. Although enhancing the student learning experience underpins teaching-related continuing professional development (CPD), interestingly the role of students in supporting such activities has been underexplored. Drawing on data captured from eight student representatives interviewed in the context of an international impact evaluation, we examine student awareness of, and attitudes towards, lecturers’ CPD. Participants recognised the value of lecturers engaging in CPD but believed it to be an activity they were removed from, and had little opportunity to engage with. We consider how this perspective could be changed in two ways. Firstly, we reflect on the experiences of students at one university where their contributions to lecturers’ development were legitimised and valued. Secondly, we discuss the potential of integrative approaches, such as students as consultants or reverse mentoring. We argue that these approaches may challenge existing hierarchies that limit students engaging in lectures and create spaces through which students can positively contribute to lecturers’ CPD

Counteractive effects of antenatal glucocorticoid treatment on D1 receptor modulation of spatial working memory

RATIONALE: Antenatal exposure to the glucocorticoid dexamethasone dramatically increases the number of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in rat offspring. However, the consequences of this expansion in midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons for behavioural processes in adulthood are poorly understood, including working memory that depends on DA transmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). OBJECTIVES: We therefore investigated the influence of antenatal glucocorticoid treatment (AGT) on the modulation of spatial working memory by a D1 receptor agonist and on D1 receptor binding and DA content in the PFC and striatum. METHODS: Pregnant rats received AGT on gestational days 16-19 by adding dexamethasone to their drinking water. Male offspring reared to adulthood were trained on a delayed alternation spatial working memory task and administered the partial D1 agonist SKF38393 (0.3-3 mg/kg) by systemic injection. In separate groups of control and AGT animals, D1 receptor binding and DA content were measured post-mortem in the PFC and striatum. RESULTS: SKF38393 impaired spatial working memory performance in control rats but had no effect in AGT rats. D1 binding was significantly reduced in the anterior cingulate cortex, prelimbic cortex, dorsal striatum and ventral pallidum of AGT rats compared with control animals. However, AGT had no significant effect on brain monoamine levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that D1 receptors in corticostriatal circuitry down-regulate in response to AGT. This compensatory effect in D1 receptors may result from increased DA-ergic tone in AGT rats and underlie the resilience of these animals to the disruptive effects of D1 receptor activation on spatial working memory

Comparison of Post-Detonation Combustion in Explosives Incorporating Aluminum Nanoparticles: Influence of the Passivation Layer

Aluminum nanoparticles and explosive formulations that incorporate them have been a subject of ongoing interest due to the potential of aluminum particles to dramatically increase energy content relative to conventional organic explosives. We have used time-resolved atomic and molecular emission spectroscopy to monitor the combustion of aluminum nanoparticles within the overall chemical dynamicsof post-detonation fireballs. We have studied the energy release dynamics of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) charges incorporating three types of aluminum nanoparticles: commercial oxide-passivated nanoparticles, oleic acid-capped aluminum nanoparticles (AlOA), and nanoparticles in which the oxide shell of the particle has been functionalized with an acrylic monomer and copolymerized into a fluorinated acrylic matrix (AlFA). The results indicate that the commercial nanoparticles and the AlFAnanoparticles are oxidized at a similar rate, while the AlOA nanoparticles combust more quickly. This is most likely due to the fact that the commercial nano-Al and the AlFA particles are both oxide-passivated, while the AlOA particles are protected by an organic shell that is more easily compromised than an oxide layer. The peak fireball temperatures for RDX charges containing 20 wt. % of commercial nano-Al, AlFA, or AlOA were ∼3900 K, ∼3400 K, and ∼4500 K, respectively

Fatigue behaviour of SiC p -reinforced aluminium composites in the very high cycle regime using ultrasonic fatigue

The fatigue behaviour of a 2009/SiC/15p-T4 DRA composite has been examined in the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime where 10 7 ≤ N f ≤ 10 9 cycles. Ultrasonic fatigue was used to achieve the very high cycle counts. Careful processing yielded a composite with a very homogeneous particle distribution with minimal clustering. Fatigue crack initiation was observed almost exclusively at AlCuFe inclusions with no crack initiation observed at SiC particle clusters. Fatigue lives at a given stress level exhibited minimal scatter and subsurface crack initiation was observed in all cases. This behaviour is consistent with the presence of a low number density of critical inclusions that are responsible for crack initiation very early in fatigue life.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73177/1/j.1460-2695.2006.00998.x.pd