Consumer information innovation for South African tour operators

Published ArticleThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the consumer-related information tour operators in South African have access to. Data was obtained by means of a self-administered computer-aided questionnaire forwarded to 1 000 tour operators; it was viewed by 360 tour operators and a response rate of 42,45% was achieved. The results indicate that 68,4% are satisfied with their information systems while a concerning low 34,9% 'Agree' that their information systems do provide them with consumer-related information. Tour operators will not be in a position to satisfy the dynamic needs and wants of today's tourists, unless there is information system innovation

Economic results of stern freezer trawlers in relation to technical parameters

Met het oog op investeringsbeslissingen is onderzoek verricht ter bepaling van zo rendabel mogelijke afmetingen van trawlers, aangezien de economische resultaten niet altijd beter uitvallen naarmate de schepen groter zij

Inflammation and fatigue dimensions in advanced cancer patients and cancer survivors: An explorative study

BACKGROUND: Inflammation may underlie cancer-related fatigue; however, there are no studies that assess the relation between fatigue and cytokine

X-Ray and Radio Observations of Bright GeV Sources

We present X-ray and radio studies of sources which are brightabove 1 GeV (F_{>1GeV} > 4e-8 ph/cm^2/s. Only 11 out of ~30 of these gamma-ray sources have been identified with lower energy counterparts: 5 blazars and 6 pulsars. Three of these pulsars are surrounded by radio pulsar wind nebulae (PWN), two of which are also seen as bright, extended X-ray synchrotron nebulae. The ASCA X-ray telescope has observed 28 of the bright GeV sources, revealing an excess of F_{2-10keV} > 10e-12 ergs/cm^2/s sources within the {\it EGRET} error contours of the unidentified sources. Although several supernova remnants are positionally coincident with these sources, we find no X-ray evidence of high energy particle production in SNR shell shocks consistent with the GeV positions. We also present initial results from follow on radio imaging studies of several fields containing unidentified sources. We have discovered new X-ray/radio nebulae in three of these fields which are strong candidates for PWN. These sources, along with a similar nebula in CTA 1 and the PWN around PSR B1853+01 in W44, are all positionally coincident with variable EGRET sources. This suggests a class of variable gamma-ray sources associated with synchrotron emitting regions powered by the winds of young pulsars.Comment: 18 pages, 26 figures, To appear in the proceedings of the workshop: "The Nature of the Unidentified Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources" held at INAOE, Mexico, October 2000, (A.Carraminana, O. Reiner and D. Thompson,

An 8-gene mRNA expression profile in circulating tumor cells predicts response to aromatase inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer patients

Background: Molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is promising for personalized medicine. We aimed to identify a CTC gene expression profile predicting outcome to first-line aromatase inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Methods: CTCs were isolated from 78 MBC patients before treatment start. mRNA expression levels of 96 genes were measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. After applying predefined exclusion criteria based on lack of sufficient RNA quality and/or quantity, the data from 45 patients were used to construct a gene expression profile to predict poor responding patients, defined as disease progression or death <9 months, by a leave-one-out cross validation. Results: Of the 45 patients, 19 were clinically classified as poor responders. To identify them, the 75 % most variable genes were used to select genes differentially expressed between good and poor responders. An 8-gene CTC predictor was significantly associated with outcome (Hazard Ratio [HR] 4.40, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.17-8.92, P < 0.001). This predictor identified poor responding patients with a sensitivity of 63 % and a positive predictive value of 75 %, while good responding patients were correctly predicted in 85 % of the cases. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, including CTC count at baseline, the 8-gene CTC predictor was the only factor independently associated with outcome (HR 4.59 [95 % CI: 2.11-9.56], P < 0.001). This 8-gene signature was not associated with outcome in a group of 71 MBC patients treated with systemic treatments other than AI. Conclusions: An 8-gene CTC predictor was identified which discriminates good and poor outcome to first-line aromatase inhibitors in MBC patients. Although results need to be validated, this study underscores the potential of molecular characterization of CTCs

UV and EUV Instruments

We describe telescopes and instruments that were developed and used for astronomical research in the ultraviolet (UV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelength ranges covered by these bands are not uniquely defined. We use the following convention here: The EUV and UV span the regions ~100-912 and 912-3000 Angstroem respectively. The limitation between both ranges is a natural choice, because the hydrogen Lyman absorption edge is located at 912 Angstroem. At smaller wavelengths, astronomical sources are strongly absorbed by the interstellar medium. It also marks a technical limit, because telescopes and instruments are of different design. In the EUV range, the technology is strongly related to that utilized in X-ray astronomy, while in the UV range the instruments in many cases have their roots in optical astronomy. We will, therefore, describe the UV and EUV instruments in appropriate conciseness and refer to the respective chapters of this volume for more technical details.Comment: To appear in: Landolt-Boernstein, New Series VI/4A, Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology; Instruments and Methods, ed. J.E. Truemper, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 201

Serum potassium and risk of death or kidney replacement therapy in older people with CKD stages 4-5: eight-year follow-up

Rationale & Objective: Hypokalemia may accelerate kidney function decline. Both hypo- and hyperkalemia can cause sudden cardiac death. However, little is known about the relationship between serum potassium and death or the occurrence of kidney failure requiring replacement therapy (KRT). We investigated this relationship in older people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4-5.Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study.Setting & Participants: We followed 1,714 patients (>= 65 years old) from the European Quality (EQUAL) study for 8 years from their first estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 3.5-4.0-4.5-5.0-5.5-6.0 mmol/L.Outcome: The combined outcome death before KRT or start of KRT.Analytical Approach: The association between categorical and continuous time-varying potassium and death or KRT start was examined using Cox proportional hazards and restricted cubic spline analyses, adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition, eGFR, and subjective global assessment (SGA).Results: At baseline, 66% of participants were men, 42% had diabetes, 47% cardiovascular disease, and 54% used RAAS inhibitors. Their mean age was 76 +/- 7 (SD) years, mean eGFR was 17 +/- 5 (SD) mL/min/1.73 m(2), and mean SGA was 6.0 +/- 1.0 (SD). Over 8 years, 414 (24%) died before starting KRT, and 595 (35%) started KRT. Adjusted hazard ratios for death or KRT according to the potassium categories were 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1-2.3), 1.4 (95% CI, 1.1-1.7), 1.1 (95% CI, 1.0-1.4), 1 (reference), 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9-1.4), 1.8 (95% CI, 1.4-2.3), and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5-3.3). Hazard ratios were lowest at a potassium of about 4.9 mmol/L.Limitations: Shorter intervals between potassium measurements would have allowed for more precise estimations.Conclusions: We observed a U-shaped relationship between serum potassium and death or KRT start among patients with incident CKD 4- 5, with a nadir risk at a potassium level of 4.9 mmol/L. These findings underscore the potential importance of preventing both high and low potassium in patients with CKD 4-5.Clinical epidemiolog

Virtual Compton Scattering and Neutral Pion Electroproduction in the Resonance Region up to the Deep Inelastic Region at Backward Angles

We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) process via the H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the $W$-dependence at fixed $Q^2=1$ GeV$^2$, and for the $Q^2$-dependence at fixed $W$ near 1.5 GeV. The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance regions. The observed $Q^2$-dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ to H$(e,e'p)\pi^0$ cross sections emphasizes the different sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally, when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles, our VCS data at the highest $W$ (1.8-1.9 GeV) show a striking $Q^2$- independence, which may suggest a transition to a perturbative scattering mechanism at the quark level.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.

Delivery of modified mRNA to damaged myocardium by systemic administration of lipid nanoparticles

Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) are a promising drug delivery vehicle for clinical siRNA delivery. Modified mRNA (modRNA) has recently gained great attention as a therapeutic molecule in cardiac regeneration. However, for mRNA to be functional, it must first reach the diseased myocardium, enter the target cell, escape from the endosomal compartment into the cytosol and be translated into a functional protein. However, it is unknown if LNPs can effectively deliver mRNA, which is much larger than siRNA, to the ischemic myocardium. Here, we evaluated the ability of LNPs to deliver mRNA to the myocardium upon ischemia-reperfusion injury functionally. By exploring the bio-distribution of fluorescently labeled LNPs, we observed that, upon reperfusion, LNPs accumulated in the infarct area of the heart. Subsequently, the functional delivery of modRNA was evaluated by the administration of firefly luciferase encoding modRNA. Concomitantly, a significant increase in firefly luciferase expression was observed in the heart upon myocardial reperfusion when compared to sham-operated animals. To characterize the targeted cells within the myocardium, we injected LNPs loaded with Cre modRNA into Cre-reporter mice. Upon LNP infusion, Tdtomato+ cells, derived from Cre mediated recombination, were observed in the infarct region as well as the epicardial layer upon LNP infusion. Within the infarct area, most targeted cells were cardiac fibroblasts but also some cardiomyocytes and macrophages were found. Although the expression levels were low compared to LNP-modRNA delivery into the liver, our data show the ability of LNPs to functionally deliver modRNA therapeutics to the damaged myocardium, which holds great promise for modRNA-based cardiac therapies