Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Job Competency Expectations for Hospitality and Tourism Employees

ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of a central Florida study of hospitality and tourism management practitioners. It reports the findings of practitioner perceptions of desired knowledge, skills, and attitudes. It further demonstrates the overall impressions of practitioners concerning levels of preparation for entry-level positions in the industry. Finally, the authors present conclusions and suggestions for central Florida collaborative initiatives aimed at improving the preparation of individuals from secondary and tertiary institutions for successful entry into hospitality and tourism industry employment.
Effects of decoupling on the mean and variability of output

The influence of inputs on output risk in the context of agricultural production decisions taken by non-risk neutral agents has been ignored by previous research assessing the effects of decoupled income support payments in a deterministic world or risk-neutral framework. We study the impacts of decoupled payments on input use and on output mean and variance. Our theoretical framework for studying agricultural producers' responses to lump sum payments allows for both output and price uncertainty and economic agents' risk attitudes. Results show the importance, in a non-risk neutral scenario, of considering the influence that economic agents have on the stochastic component of output through input use. Our empirical application uses Kansas farm-level data to illustrate the model. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
American Thyroid Association Guide to investigating thyroid hormone economy and action in rodent and cell models.

BACKGROUND An in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles that regulate thyroid hormone homeostasis is critical for the development of new diagnostic and treatment approaches for patients with thyroid disease. SUMMARY Important clinical practices in use today for the treatment of patients with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or thyroid cancer are the result of laboratory discoveries made by scientists investigating the most basic aspects of thyroid structure and molecular biology. In this document, a panel of experts commissioned by the American Thyroid Association makes a series of recommendations related to the study of thyroid hormone economy and action. These recommendations are intended to promote standardization of study design, which should in turn increase the comparability and reproducibility of experimental findings. CONCLUSIONS It is expected that adherence to these recommendations by investigators in the field will facilitate progress towards a better understanding of the thyroid gland and thyroid hormone dependent processes.
Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in South Africa

This is a product of a research project on Distortions to Agricultural Incentives, under the leadership of Kym Anderson of the World Bank‟s Development Research Group (www.worldbank.org/agdistortions). The authors are grateful for helpful comments from workshop participants and for funding from World Bank Trust Funds provided by the governments of Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands (BNPP) and the United Kingdom DfID).
Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011.

There are now over six million students in the USA taking at least one online course 31 percent of all students in the USA (public, private and for-profit) are now taking at least one course online Since 2003, online enrollments have grown by 358 percent However, since 2003, the proportion of respondents who agree that their faculty ‘fully accept’ the ‘value and legitimacy of online education’ has edged up from 30.4 percent to just 32 percent One-third of all academic leaders continue to believe that the learning outcomes for online education are inferior to those of face-to-face instruction. Academic leaders at institutions with online offerings have a much more favorable opinion of the relative learning outcomes for online courses than do those at institutions with no online courses or programs. 65 percent of all reporting institutions said that online learning was a critical part of their long-term strategy, a small increase from 63 percent in 2010. For-profit institutions are the most likely to have included online learning as a part of their strategic plan While the number of programs and courses online continue to grow, the acceptance of this learning modality by faculty has been relatively constant since first measured in 2003 (according to chief academic officers) 57 percent of academic leaders believe that OERs have value and less than five percent disagree (the rest are neutral). The proportion of for-profit institutions agreeing with this statement has shown a large increase over a two-year period (moving from 49.8 percent in 2009 to 72.4 percent in 2011.) Nearly two thirds of chief academic officers agreed that OERs have the potential to reduce costs.
Cost-benefit analysis of environmental change

This book is an advanced text in applied welfare economics and its application to environmental economics. The author goes far beyond the existing literature on the valuation of environmental benefits, deriving sets of cost-benefit rules which can be used to assess private and public sector projects which affect the environment. He explains how valuation studies can be augmented so as to yield the information necessary for decision-making, showing how externalities, taxes, unemployment, risk, irreversibilities, flow and stock pollutants, discounting, and intergenerational distribution should be treated in social cost-benefit analysis. Drawing on a number of empirical illustrations, this book will be of interest not only to those taking advanced courses in environmental economics, welfare economics, and public economics, but also as a reference for those undertaking project evaluations in government and business.
Service marks as novel innovation indicator

The analysis of services is difficult, due to a lack of appropriate statistical data. In this context, service marks prove to be an interesting novel indicator, showing a significant correlation to innovation. They allow the examination of structures and specialisation in service subsectors, in particular with regard to knowledge-intensive services. Furthermore, it is possible to analyse the area of product-accompanying services in more detail. The recent introduction of European marks has considerably improved the opportunities for country comparison. As the use of service marks as an innovation indicator is still in an early phase, it will be necessary to get more experiences with regard to sectors, countries and offices of registration. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Theoretical study of high-pressure orthorhombic silicon.

[ital Ab] [ital initio] calculations of the structural properties of a recently discovered body-centered orthorhombic phase of Si are presented. This high-pressure phase (denoted [ital Imma] after its space group) was observed at pressures between the transition pressures for the [beta]-Sn and simple hexagonal (sh) phases of Si. Total-energy calculations indicate that the optimal [ital Imma] structure varies with cell volume from the [beta]-Sn structure at large volumes to the sh structure at small volumes when all three structures are described in terms of the [ital Imma] unit cell. The energy of the [ital Imma] phase is found to be lower than or equal to the energies of the [beta]-Sn and sh phases for all cell volumes.
When to Partner for Public Infrastructure?

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Public agencies traditionally request bids and award contracts to private firms after infrastructure designs are complete (bid-build). They also increasingly partner with private firms, often by folding capital improvements into a contract to design and build (design-build). The latter involves much more than the mere transfer of design work to the private sector, such as time to completion; the merits or problems of design-build strategies can, thus, be difficult to isolate. This article presents a method for doing so. Together with the development of a theory of contracting, the comparative analysis of two very similar highway overpass projects, one design-build and the other bid-build, demonstrates how so-called transaction cost economics can clarify the details of partnership cost-effectiveness. Takeaway for practice: Transaction cost analysis disaggregates and evaluates the costs of completed projects, accounting for factors typically external to economic analysis. My approach reveals tradeoffs between variables of interest to planners, such as the pace of delivery, public participation, environmental compliance, and the transfer of risk of cost overrun to the private sector. Research support: This research was made possible by a grant from the University of California Transportation Center, shared with Professor David Dowall.
PATRONES DE LOCALIZACIÓN, CONCENTRACIÓN Y EVOLUCIÓN DEL EMPLEO INDUSTRIAL EN LA GRAN ÁREA METROPOLITANA (GAM) DE COSTA RICA

Este articulo presenta un analisis temporal y espacial de la localizacion y concentracion del empleo industrial dentro de la Gran Area Metropolitana (GAM) de Costa Rica. Para ello se utilizan los ultimos cinco Censos de Poblacion y Vivienda (1963, 1973, 1984, 2000 y 2011) y se aplican una serie de herramientas de estadistica espacial, sistemas de informacion geografica y economia urbana y regional para analizar la dinamica del mercado laboral asociado a la industria. Los resultados muestran que en los ultimos 25 anos se ha venido presentando un proceso de relocalizacion de las actividades industriales dentro de la GAM, ya que algunos cantones han perdido importancia relativa en la generacion de empleo industrial, mientras otros han mejorado su posicion al respecto. Los modelos aplicados de estadistica espacial muestran fuertes concentraciones de empleo industrial en siete cantones de la GAM y conglomerados en dos cantones. El estudio introduce un tema novedoso en el analisis del mercado laboral, como es la matriz de origen-destino de empleo industrial, la cual muestra que existe una gran movilizacion de trabajadores al interior de los cantones de la GAM ayudando a entender las dinamicas internas del sector industrial y el empleo en dicho sector.
Executive Stock Options: Value to the Executive and Cost to the Firm

We develop a continuous time utility-based model for valuing executive stock options (ESOs). We solve for the optimal exercise policy and the value of ESOs from an executive's perspective. Assuming ESOs to be perpetual and the executive to have Constant Absolute Risk Aversion, we derive explicit formulas for the optimal exercise price and the executive's value of a vested ESO. We also prove the verification theorem for the optimal stopping problem related to this valuation. Using the optimal exercise policy that emerges, we derive a simple formula for the cost of ESOs to the firm at the grant date. From an accounting perspective, this cost formula has the advantage of being transparent and straightforward to implement using data on previous ESO exercises. Using numerical analysis, we find that our model may provide cost estimates significantly lower than cost estimates found using the Black-Scholes-Merton model, especially for firms with low expected returns and high volatilities.
Pleiotropy in Drosophila organogenesis: Mechanistic insights from Combgap and the retinal determination gene network

ABSTRACT Master regulatory transcription factors cooperate in networks to shepherd cells through organogenesis. In the Drosophila eye, a collection of master control proteins known as the retinal determination gene network (RDGN) switches the direction and targets of its output to choreograph developmental transitions, but the molecular partners that enable such regulatory flexibility are not known. We recently showed that two RDGN members, Eyes absent (Eya) and Sine oculis (So), promote exit from the terminal cell cycle known as the second mitotic wave (SMW) to permit differentiation. A search for co-factors identified the ubiquitously expressed Combgap (Cg) as a novel transcriptional partner that impedes cell cycle exit and interferes with Eya-So activity specifically in this context. Here, we argue that Cg acts as a flexible transcriptional platform that contributes to numerous gene expression outcomes by a variety of mechanisms. For example, Cg provides repressive activities that dampen Eya-So output, but not by recruiting Polycomb chromatin-remodeling complexes as it does in other contexts. We propose that master regulators depend on both specifically expressed co-factors that assemble the combinatorial code and broadly expressed partners like Cg that recruit the diverse molecular activities needed to appropriately regulate their target enhancers.
In Vivo and In Vitro Binding of Vip3Aa to Spodoptera frugiperda Midgut and Characterization of Binding Sites by 125I Radiolabeling

ABSTRACT Bacillus thuringiensis vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip3A) have been recently introduced in important crops as a strategy to delay the emerging resistance to the existing Cry toxins. The mode of action of Vip3A proteins has been studied in Spodoptera frugiperda with the aim of characterizing their binding to the insect midgut. Immunofluorescence histological localization of Vip3Aa in the midgut of intoxicated larvae showed that Vip3Aa bound to the brush border membrane along the entire apical surface. The presence of fluorescence in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells seems to suggest internalization of Vip3Aa or a fragment of it. Successful radiolabeling and optimization of the binding protocol for the 125I-Vip3Aa to S. frugiperda brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) allowed the determination of binding parameters of Vip3A proteins for the first time. Heterologous competition using Vip3Ad, Vip3Ae, and Vip3Af as competitor proteins showed that they share the same binding site with Vip3Aa. In contrast, when using Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac as competitors, no competitive binding was observed, which makes them appropriate candidates to be used in combination with Vip3A proteins in transgenic crops.
Dermatitis Herpetiformis and Vitiligo: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

We describe the case of a 53‐year‐old woman presenting papulous and papulovesicular lesions that were highly pruritic, localized mostly in the achromic areas of vitiligo and symmetrically distributed on the elbows, the buttocks, the shoulders and the neck. The histopathological examination performed on the elbow's lesional skin showed the presence of neutrophils and fibrin microabscesses at the tips of dermal papillae, with a few eosinophils, and small separations between the dermis and epidermis just over the infiltrate. The overlying epidermis was uninjured. The performed tests detected IgA anti‐endomysium, anti‐thyrogloblin, anti‐smooth muscle and anti‐microsomal fraction autoantibodies; DIF showed the presence of IgA granular deposits at the dermo‐epidermal junction, prevalently at the tips of dermal papillae. This is the tenth case reported of an association between dermatitis herpetiformis and vitiligo. Although the two disorders both have immunological pathogeneses, we think that the topographic coexistence of both disorders is coincidental.
Institutional Peculiarities of Small Business in Russia's Regions

It is generally accepted that new-enterprise formation is critical for generating growth in post-socialist economies. This process has been intensive in Russia, with considerable regional variation. In this study, this variation is estimated, drawing on the theory of conditional and unconditional convergence. It is shown that in the 1991–1993 period, Russia's regions tended toward convergence, while from 1994 to 1999 they tended toward divergence, and in regions where this process had been weak, it became still weaker. How can mechanisms underlying the regional variation in the establishment of small enterprises be determined? The conceptual framework of this study, which seeks to explain the choice of determinants and interpret the obtained results, is focused on two models: a simple model of relative demand-supply determining the aggregate segment of small businesses and a model of individuals' rational behavior in the labor market. It is confirmed that labor demand in the segment of small entrepreneurship depends on the relation of earnings in new versus wage sector, on the initial savings of the population and on the population's risk-aversion. Credibility of local governments and relatively high economic potential of regional institutions stimulated labor demand in the small business segment. An empirical test of the theoretical propositions is made on the 1990–1992 data.
Inflammatory and neuroendocrine biomarkers of prognosis after ischemic stroke

Stroke is the third leading cause of mortality in the USA and one of the leading causes of severe morbidity. It is important to provide stroke patients and physicians with the most accurate prognostic information to optimize care and allocation of healthcare resources. Reliable prognostic markers available during the initial phase after acute stroke may aid clinical decision-making. Several interesting candidate biomarkers have been studied to address prognostic questions; this article will focus on selected inflammatory and neuroendocrine markers. The utility of a biomarker is defined by its ability to improve clinical decision-making and add timely information beyond that readily available from clinical examination and routine imaging. This aim has not been completely achieved yet for any biomarkers, but promising data are available and further studies are ongoing.
Blindness and reliability in lifetime psychiatric diagnosis.

Confidence in the assignment of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis is of great importance to genetic studies of psychiatric illness. To establish the credibility of a lifetime psychiatric history obtained via a structured interview, two paradigms were constructed to estimate reproducibility of the interview recording process. The first paradigm, simultaneous coding, was used to test comparability of four interviewers independently coding an interview form. Low variance/high reliability was demonstrated. The second paradigm, test-retest, provided for each subject to be interviewed twice, with a mean interim time of 6.7 months (SEM = .39). This paradigm demonstrated high reproducibility of psychiatric diagnosis over time. The overall k value for measurement of diagnostic agreement was . 79. Only the diagnostic category of minor depression seemed to evade reliability. It was shown across both paradigms that an interviewer need not be blind (naive to previously held diagnosis) to obtain an unbiased interview. However, it is still recommended that the diagnosis of each interview should be determined by an independent diagnostician.
Bioprospecting for Algal Based Nutraceuticals and High Value Added Compounds

Currently there is an increased global interest on implication of nutritious diet on health sustainability. On this aspect nutraceuticals have assumed paramount importance based on their presumed safety and potential nutritional and therapeutic value. Microalgae are rich source of bioactive compounds having nutritional and therapeutic value and thus have found commercial applications as natural source of high value compounds. High value bioactive compounds from microalgae include: carotenoids, chlorophyll, polysaccharides, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, astaxanthin, antioxidants, micro and macronutrients, vitamins including several antimicrobial and antiviral compounds. Besides, some bioactive compounds from microalgae possess significant anti-inflammatory and antitumor activity. Potential of microalgae to produce such therapeutic compounds along with its simple growth requirement make them attractive from biotechnological perspective. Some of the biotechnologically relevant microalgal are Chlorella, Spirulina, Dunaliella, and Haematococcus. Though microalgae are known to human beings since decades, its potential biotechnological value is realized only in recent past. Microalgae still remain largely unexplored and urge for extensive investigation to explore for isolation and development of novel high value molecules. The present review highlights therapeutic and nutritional value of algal based bioactive compounds and also focuses on gaps and opportunities which should be exploited in the near future to evaluate the potential of microalgae as a novel source of health promoting compounds. *Corresponding author: Sanjukta Subudhi, Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Habitat Place, Darbari Seth Block, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India, Tel: +91 11 24682100; Fax: +91 11 24682144; Email: ssubudhi@teri.res.in (or) sanjuktasubudhi@yahoo.com Citation: Sanjukta Subudhi. Bioprospecting for Algal Based Nutraceuticals and High Value Added Compounds. (2017) J Pharm Pharmaceutics 4(2): 145150. Bioprospecting for Algal Based Nutraceuticals and High Value Added Compounds
THE EMPIRICAL FAILURE OF THE LIFE CYCLE MODEL WITH PERFECT CAPITAL MARKETS

This paper calibrates a life cycle model which incorporates standard assumptions, similar to those in F. Modgliani's (1986) 'stripped down' version, including perfect capital markets. The resulting model generates strongly counterfactual predictions: planned wealth is negative for all or most of life, following a W-shaped rather than a hump-shaped profile. (Equivalently, the debt profile is M-shaped.) The paper argues that introducing capital market imperfections can resolve many of the problems, though some issues remain, and further research is warranted. Copyright 1997 by Royal Economic Society.
Dust and epidemic meningitis in the Sahel: A public health and operational research perspective

Now that the health communities attention is increasingly focused on climate-health interactions, it has become essential for health decision makers to better understand the role that climate plays in driving disease burdens and health outcomes (both now and in the future) and the opportunity for integrating climate knowledge and information into health decision-making processes to mitigate the negative and strengthen the positive of climate-health interactions. Here we explore the potential climatic indicators and the climate information needs of relevance to the meningitis prevention and control community engaged in the African 'meningitis belt'.
Kinetics and thermodynamics of amyloid formation from direct measurements of fluctuations in fibril mass

Aggregation of proteins and peptides is a widespread and much-studied problem, with serious implications in contexts ranging from biotechnology to human disease. An understanding of the proliferation of such aggregates under specific conditions requires a quantitative knowledge of the kinetics and thermodynamics of their formation; measurements that to date have remained elusive. Here, we show that precise determination of the growth rates of ordered protein aggregates such as amyloid fibrils can be achieved through real–time monitoring, using a quartz crystal oscillator, of the changes in the numbers of molecules in the fibrils from variations in their masses. We show further that this approach allows the effect of other molecular species on fibril growth to be characterized quantitatively. This method is widely applicable, and we illustrate its power by exploring the free-energy landscape associated with the conversion of the protein insulin to its amyloid form and elucidate the role of a chemical chaperone and a small heat shock protein in inhibiting the aggregation reaction.