Profit planning

"10/77/1.5M""This manual discusses some practical uses of break-even analysis in foodservice operations. It does not present the complete application of the use of the break-even system. This manual is designed primarily to make foodservice operators aware of the break-even concept as an effective managerial tool for profit planning."--First paragraph.Robert F. Lukowski (State Extension Specialist, Food Service/Lodging Management, University of Missouri--Columbia

Restaurant site selection

"Restaurant site selection is a complex decision often made without proper planning or sufficient information. It is generally held that the site selection process is more art than science and therefore difficult to quantify. The most important aspect of site selection is to assure that all factors that could possibly have any bearing on the decision are considered carefully."--First paragraph.Neil P. Quirk (Management Assistance Officer, Small Business Administration ; St. Louis), Robert F. Lukowski and Dante M. Laudadio (State Extension Specialists, Food Service and Lodging Management ; University of Missouri--Columbia)Includes bibliographical references

Identifying a Window of Vulnerability during Fetal Development in a Maternal Iron Restriction Model

It is well acknowledged from observations in humans that iron deficiency during pregnancy can be associated with a number of developmental problems in the newborn and developing child. Due to the obvious limitations of human studies, the stage during gestation at which maternal iron deficiency causes an apparent impairment in the offspring remains elusive. In order to begin to understand the time window(s) during pregnancy that is/are especially susceptible to suboptimal iron levels, which may result in negative effects on the development of the fetus, we developed a rat model in which we were able to manipulate and monitor the dietary iron intake during specific stages of pregnancy and analyzed the developing fetuses. We established four different dietary-feeding protocols that were designed to render the fetuses iron deficient at different gestational stages. Based on a functional analysis that employed Auditory Brainstem Response measurements, we found that maternal iron restriction initiated prior to conception and during the first trimester were associated with profound changes in the developing fetus compared to iron restriction initiated later in pregnancy. We also showed that the presence of iron deficiency anemia, low body weight, and changes in core body temperature were not defining factors in the establishment of neural impairment in the rodent offspring

GA4GH: International policies and standards for data sharing across genomic research and healthcare.

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) aims to accelerate biomedical advances by enabling the responsible sharing of clinical and genomic data through both harmonized data aggregation and federated approaches. The decreasing cost of genomic sequencing (along with other genome-wide molecular assays) and increasing evidence of its clinical utility will soon drive the generation of sequence data from tens of millions of humans, with increasing levels of diversity. In this perspective, we present the GA4GH strategies for addressing the major challenges of this data revolution. We describe the GA4GH organization, which is fueled by the development efforts of eight Work Streams and informed by the needs of 24 Driver Projects and other key stakeholders. We present the GA4GH suite of secure, interoperable technical standards and policy frameworks and review the current status of standards, their relevance to key domains of research and clinical care, and future plans of GA4GH. Broad international participation in building, adopting, and deploying GA4GH standards and frameworks will catalyze an unprecedented effort in data sharing that will be critical to advancing genomic medicine and ensuring that all populations can access its benefits

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

Pricing menus for profit

"9/86/1.5""One of the most important factors in the continued success of a foodservice establishment is effective menu pricing. Effective pricing basically determines profits and, ultimately, success or failure of the establishment."--First paragraph.Robert F. Lukowski (State Extension Specialist, Food Service/Lodging Management ; University of Missouri--Columbia

Basic budgeting

"11/78/1.5M""Today, profit-oriented foodservice operators recognize that many advantages of budgeting. Yet, many try to run their establishments without a budget. They figure that all one has to do to increase profits is to 'beat' last month's figures. Unfortunately, to beat last month's figures one must have a plan, more specifically -- a budget."--First paragraph.Robert F. Lukowski (State Extension Specialist, Food Service/Lodging Management ; University of Missouri--Columbia

The management of foodservice operations : the receiving function

"10/77/1.5M""The purpose of this guide sheet is to suggest procedures that will be helpful to foodservice operators in supervising and controlling receiving practices. Too frequently operators are inclined to feel that receiving takes care of itself."--First paragraphRobert F. Lukowski (State Extension Specialist, Food Service/Lodging Management ; University of Missouri--Columbia

Potassium ions promote hexokinase-II dependent glycolysis

High expression levels of mitochondria-associated hexokinase-II (HKII) represent a hallmark of metabolically highly active cells such as fast proliferating cancer cells. Typically, the enzyme provides a crucial metabolic switch towards aerobic glycolysis. By imaging metabolic activities on the single-cell level with genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors, we here demonstrate that HKII activity requires intracellular K+. The K+ dependency of glycolysis in cells expressing HKII was confirmed in cell populations using extracellular flux analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics. Reductions of intracellular K+ by gramicidin acutely disrupted HKII-dependent glycolysis and triggered energy stress pathways, while K+ re-addition promptly restored glycolysis-dependent adenosine-5'-triphosphate generation. Moreover, expression and activation of K(V)1.3, a voltage-gated K+ channel, lowered cellular K+ content and the glycolytic activity of HEK293 cells. Our findings unveil K+ as an essential cofactor of HKII and provide a mechanistic link between activities of distinct K+ channels and cell metabolism