The Role of Private Label Brands in Enhancing Service Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: Comparing Luxury and Boutique Hotels

This research proposes private label branding as a strategy that can have a positive effect on guest satisfaction and loyalty in hotels that cater to travelers seeking a special hotel experience. We test this using the well-established SERVQUAL model of service quality, based on a sample of guests in two hotels: a five-star luxury hotel (N=225) and a boutique hotel (N=101). The findings show that in the luxury hotel but not the boutique hotel, perception of a private label had a direct impact on loyalty, and an indirect impact on loyalty through its effect on guest satisfaction. The theoretical implications and recommendations for hoteliers based on the findings are discussed

Loss-of-function mutations in UDP-Glucose 6-Dehydrogenase cause recessive developmental epileptic encephalopathy

AbstractDevelopmental epileptic encephalopathies are devastating disorders characterized by intractable epileptic seizures and developmental delay. Here, we report an allelic series of germline recessive mutations in UGDH in 36 cases from 25 families presenting with epileptic encephalopathy with developmental delay and hypotonia. UGDH encodes an oxidoreductase that converts UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronic acid, a key component of specific proteoglycans and glycolipids. Consistent with being loss-of-function alleles, we show using patients’ primary fibroblasts and biochemical assays, that these mutations either impair UGDH stability, oligomerization, or enzymatic activity. In vitro, patient-derived cerebral organoids are smaller with a reduced number of proliferating neuronal progenitors while mutant ugdh zebrafish do not phenocopy the human disease. Our study defines UGDH as a key player for the production of extracellular matrix components that are essential for human brain development. Based on the incidence of variants observed, UGDH mutations are likely to be a frequent cause of recessive epileptic encephalopathy.</jats:p

Loss-of-function mutations in UDP-Glucose 6-Dehydrogenase cause recessive developmental epileptic encephalopathy

Developmental epileptic encephalopathies are devastating disorders characterized by intractable epileptic seizures and developmental delay. Here, we report an allelic series of germline recessive mutations in UGDH in 36 cases from 25 families presenting with epileptic encephalopathy with developmental delay and hypotonia. UGDH encodes an oxidoreductase that converts UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronic acid, a key component of specific proteoglycans and glycolipids. Consistent with being loss-of-function alleles, we show using patients’ primary fibroblasts and biochemical assays, that these mutations either impair UGDH stability, oligomerization, or enzymatic activity. In vitro, patient-derived cerebral organoids are smaller with a reduced number of proliferating neuronal progenitors while mutant ugdh zebrafish do not phenocopy the human disease. Our study defines UGDH as a key player for the production of extracellular matrix components that are essential for human brain development. Based on the incidence of variants observed, UGDH mutations are likely to be a frequent cause of recessive epileptic encephalopathy

A summated rating scale for measuring city image

The literature about cities' marketing is replete with articles on the subject of city branding. Included in this literature are articles dealing with the subject of measuring city image, which is a precursor to the development of a city brand. However, many of the image studies lack validity or generalization. This paper presents a methodology for measuring city image, grounded on the development of a scale for this purpose. Based on convergent and discriminant reliability and validity analyses, factors were identified that comprise a city's image among residents and tourists in three cities: Jerusalem, Rome and Trieste. Four factors identified by residents are Municipal Facilities, Leisure, Security and Public Services. Among tourists five factors were identified: Caring, Tourism and Recreation, Security, Public Services and Leisure and Entertainment. Three corresponding factors were identified in both tourists' and residents' replies. The scale validation process indicated that residents and tourists have similarities and differences in their perception of a city. As such, the current finding suggests that the scales developed in this paper may be used when surveying both groups

Media 3: Tomographic phase microscopy with 180° rotation of live cells in suspension by holographic optical tweezers

Originally published in Optics Letters on 15 April 2015 (ol-40-8-1881

MicroRNA-132 Potentiates Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Signaling by Targeting Acetylcholinesterase

SummaryMicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to both neuronal and immune cell fate, but their involvement in intertissue communication remained unexplored. The brain, via vagal secretion of acetylcholine (ACh), suppresses peripheral inflammation by intercepting cytokine production; therefore, we predicted that microRNAs targeting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) can attenuate inflammation. Here, we report that inflammatory stimuli induced leukocyte overexpression of the AChE-targeting miR-132. Injected locked nucleic acid (LNA)-modified anti-miR-132 oligonucleotide depleted miR-132 amounts while elevating AChE in mouse circulation and tissues. In transfected cells, a mutated 3′UTR miR-132 binding site increased AChE mRNA expression, whereas cells infected with a lentivirus expressing pre-miR-132 showed suppressed AChE. Transgenic mice overexpressing 3′UTR null AChE showed excessive inflammatory mediators and impaired cholinergic anti-inflammatory regulation, in spite of substantial miR-132 upregulation in brain and bone marrow. Our findings identify the AChE mRNA-targeting miR-132 as a functional regulator of the brain-to-body resolution of inflammation, opening avenues for study and therapeutic manipulations of the neuro-immune dialog