Estimated Sales and Investment Costs to Produce and Retail Gelato in the Petaluma Area

Recent events in the California dairy have left many dairy producers with high feed costs, low profits, and low (sometimes negative) margins. Some producers have transitioned to producing value-added or artisanal dairy products to help increase the revenues earned from farm milk, particularly in Sonoma County. Because limited research exists on the business opportunities in response to a rapidly growing market for value-added products, this project explores the feasibility of starting a gelato production and retail business in the Petaluma area. To assess business feasibility, a consumer survey was created to estimate the percent of residents and non-residents who would have an interest in purchasing locally-produced gelato, as one component of estimating potential retail sales. The initial investment and operating costs associated with starting a gelato scoop shop in Petaluma were also estimated using secondary data from retail space lessors and equipment suppliers and previous studies of value-added dairy operations. Many survey respondents have interest in purchasing a gelato product; 66% and 64% of residents and non-residents expressed at least a moderate interest, respectively. Based on this interest and their stated frequency of visits to other scoop shops, estimated monthly sales for a retail gelato shop ranged from 6,454 to 21,299 scoops. At an assumed $3.50/scoop based on stated consumer willingness to pay, this could generate estimated annual revenues between$271,068 and $894,558. Based on the estimated sales volumes, the variable cost per unit sold would be$0.20, which would result in a gross margin of $3.30 per unit sold. The estimated annual income over key operating expenses of ingredient costs per batch, packaging and materials, monthly rent, utility, repair and maintenance, and labor expenses could generate between$229,178 and $484,796, depending on the amount of units sold per visit. Thus, a gelato scoop shop could be a feasible and profitable business in the Petaluma area, and further detailed study and development of a business plan appears justified. The values for demand and operating expenses listed in this project are initial estimates and a refined analysis is appropriate as a part of a more comprehensive business plan

Transient hypercortisolism and symptomatic hyperthyroidism associated to primary hyperparathyroidism in an elderly patient: case report and literature review.

Abstract Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is often found on routine blood tests, at a relatively asymptomatic stage. However many studies suggest different systemic effects related to PHPT, which could be enhanced by an abnormal cortisol release due to chronic stress of hyperparathyroidism. Being PHPT frequently found in the 6th to 7th decade of life, a careful and multifaceted approach should be taken. Case presentation: We report the case of an elderly patient with symptomatic PHPT and incidental pulmonary embolism. He was treated with hydration, zoledronic acid, cinacalcet and high-dose unfractionated heparin. Parathyroid surgery was successfully performed, but patient's conditions suddenly worsened because of a transient thyrotoxicosis, probably induced by a previous exposure to iodine load and/or thyroid surgical manipulation. A short-term treatment with beta-blockers was introduced for symptomatic relief. The patient also presented a transient hypercortisolism with elevated ACTH, likely due to stress related not only to aging and hospitalization but also to PHPT, resolved only four months after parathyroid surgery. Conclusion: Chronic hyperparathyroidism has been linked with increased all-cause mortality. A functional chronic hypercortisolism could be established, enhancing PHPT related disorders. Only parathyroid surgery has been demonstrated to cure PHPT and complications related, showing similar outcome between older and younger patients. However, the management of post-operative period should be more careful in fragile patients. In particular, the early diagnosis and treatment of a transient post-operative thyrotoxicosis could improve recovery. Due to the increase in prevalence and the evidence of many related complications even in asymptomatic PHPT, expert opinion-based guidelines for surgical treatment of PHPT should be developed especially for elderly patients

Lagunitas Brewing Company

The story of Lagunitas Beer is presented, from its start as a hobby for the founder Tony Magee to its current production of over 600,000 barrels per year, making it the 5th largest craft brewer in the US in 2013. To add perspective, a brief history of beer and the emergence of craft beer is included

Vascular tissue engineering.

Reconstructive surgery using autologous vessels is the conventional approach for substitution of diseased vessels or for generation of bypass to improve blood supply downstream of stenosed vessels. In some circumstances the use of autologous material is not possible due to concomitant diseases or previous use, and artificial grafts must be used. Unfortunately, these grafts cannot substitute small-caliber arterial vessels because of thrombotic complications. The objective of tissue engineering at the vascular level is then to generate biological substitutes of arterial conduits with functional characteristics of native vessels, combining cellular components with biodegradable scaffolds. These research projects started in several laboratories, in the late 1990s, and have expanded in different directions using a number of experimental approaches. The objective of this review is to give an overview of the results so far obtained in this area of research, and to discuss the problems related to these investigations, at the experimental and clinical level. The article provides an overview of different biodegradable scaffolds used, experimental techniques for vessels maturation in vitro under mechanical stimulation, and of differentiated as well as precursors of vascular cells, which opens new opportunities for further development of this form of cell transplantation. Finally, the current available results in clinical research will be discussed

Multidimensional Analysis of Blockchain Data Using an ETL-based Approach

In this paper, a multidimensional model and an ETL workflow for blockchain data analysis are proposed. The workflow makes use of state-of-the-art open source tools and traditional data warehousing techniques to implement an extensible and efficient solution for the extraction, transformation, loading, and querying of data. Two scripts are implemented that aim at streamlining the ETL process, therefore simplifying the replication of the workflow to carry out a data analysis. Moreover, an exemplary use case demonstrating the analytical potential of the multidimensional model is presented and evaluated. Finally, strengths and limitations of this approach as well as the potential of future research are shown

Qualitative research for tobacco control : a how - to introductory manual for researchers and development practitioners

CD included in the front pocke

Shoulder-touch test to reveal incongruencies in persons with functional motor disorders

Clinical experience suggests that many patients with functional motor disorders (FMD), despite reporting severe balance problems, typically do not fall frequently. This discrepancy may hint towards a functional component. Here, we explored the role of the Shoulder-Touch test, which features a light touch on the patient's shoulders to reveal a possible functional etiology of postural instability