190 research outputs found
Boston Hospitality Review: Winter 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS: "Training: The Necessity of Error Management Training in the Hospitality Industry" by Priyanko Guchait; "Trends: Green Hotels: An Overview" by Minu Agarwal and Prashant Das; "Tourism: Panacea or peril? The implications of Neolocalism as a more intrusive form of tourism" by Makarand Mody and Kyle Koslowsky; "Restaurants: How Can Single-Unit Restaurants Strive for Powerful Online Presence?" by Leora Lanz and Jenna Berry; "Retention: Why Hoteliers Stay and Go: Future Oriented Thinking" by Sean McGinley; "Service Recovery: Failure is Not Fatal: Actionable Insights on Service Failure and Recovery for the Hospitality Industry" by Lisa C. Wan and Elisa Chan; "Research: A Detailed Study of the Expected and Actual Use of Hotel Amenities" by Chekitan S. Dev and Prateek Kumar
Superallowed 0+ to 0+ nuclear beta decays: A new survey with precision tests of the conserved vector current hypothesis and the standard model
A new critical survey is presented of all half-life, decay-energy and
branching-ratio measurements related to 20 0+ to 0+ beta decays. Compared with
our last review, there are numerous improvements: First, we have added 27
recently published measurements and eliminated 9 references; of particular
importance, the new data include a number of high-precision Penning-trap
measurements of decay energies. Second, we have used the recently improved
isospin symmetry-breaking corrections. Third, our calculation of the
statistical rate function now accounts for possible excitation in the daughter
atom. Finally, we have re-examined the systematic uncertainty associated with
the isospin symmetry-breaking corrections by evaluating the radial-overlap
correction using Hartree-Fock radial wave functions and comparing the results
with our earlier calculations, which used Saxon-Woods wave functions; the
provision for systematic uncertainty has been changed as a consequence. The new
corrected Ft values are impressively constant and their average, when combined
with the muon liftime, yields the up-down quark-mixing element of the
Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, V_{ud} = 0.97425(22). The unitarity
test on the top row of the matrix becomes |V_{ud}|^2 + |V_{us}|^2 + |V_{ub}|^2
= 0.99995(61). Both V_{ud} and the unitarity sum have significantly reduced
uncertainties compared with our previous survey, although the new value of
V_{ud} is statistically consistent with the old one. From these data we also
set limits on the possible existence of scalar interactions, right-hand
currents and extra Z bosons. Finally, we discuss the priorities for future
theoretical and experimental work with the goal of making the CKM unitarity
test even more definitive.Comment: 36 pages, 11 tables, 9 figure
High Precision Measurement of the Superallowed 0^+ to 0^+ Beta Decay of ^{22}Mg
The half-life, 3.8755(12) s, and superallowed branching ratio, 0.5315(12),
for ^{22}Mg beta-decay have been measured with high precision. The latter
depended on gamma-ray intensities being measured with an HPGe detector
calibrated for relative efficiencies to an unprecedented 0.15%. Previous
precise measurements of 0^+ to 0^+ transitions have been restricted to the nine
that populate stable daughter nuclei. No more such cases exist, and any
improvement in a critical CKM unitarity test must depend on precise
measurements of more exotic nuclei. With this branching-ratio measurement, we
show those to be possible for T_z = -1 parents. We obtain a corrected Ft-value
of 3071(9) s, in good agreement with expectations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revtex
Alternative mRNA Editing in Trypanosomes Is Extensive and May Contribute to Mitochondrial Protein Diversity
The editing of trypanosome mitochondrial mRNAs produces transcripts necessary for mitochondrial functions including electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. Precursor-mRNAs are often extensively edited by specific uridine insertion or deletion that is directed by small guide RNAs (gRNAs). Recently, it has been shown that cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COXIII) mRNAs can be alternatively edited to encode a novel mitochondrial membrane protein composed of a unique hydrophilic N-terminal sequence of unknown function and the C-terminal hydrophobic segment of COXIII. To extend the analysis of alternative editing in Trypanosoma brucei we have constructed libraries with over 1100 full-length mitochondrial cDNAs and the sequences of over 1200 gRNA genes. Using this data, we show that alternative editing of COXIII, ATPase subunit 6 (A6), and NADH dehydrogenase subunits 7, 8 and 9 (ND7, 8, 9) mRNAs can produce novel open reading frames (ORFs). Several gRNAs potentially responsible for the alternative editing of these mRNAs were also identified. These findings show that alternative editing of mitochondrial mRNAs is common in T. brucei and expands the diversity of mitochondrial proteins in these organisms
Superallowed nuclear beta decays: A critical survey with tests of CVC and the standard model
A complete and critical survey is presented of all half-life, decay-energy
and branching-ratio measurements related to 20 superallowed decays; no
measurements are ignored, though some are rejected for cause and others
updated. A new calculation of the statistical rate function is described and
experimental ft values determined. The associated theoretical corrections
needed to convert these results into Ft values are discussed, and careful
attention is paid to the origin and magnitude of their uncertainties. As an
exacting confirmation of the conserved vector current hypothesis, the Ft values
are seen to be constant to 3 parts in 10^4. These data are also used to set new
limits on any possible scalar interactions or right-hand currents. The average
Ft value obtained from the survey, when combined with the muon lifetime, yields
the CKM matrix element Vud = 0.9738(4); and the unitarity test on the top row
of the matrix becomes |Vud|^2 + |Vus|^2 + |Vub|^2 = 0.9966(14) using the PDG's
currently recommended values for Vus and Vub. We discuss the priorities for
future theoretical and experimental work with the goal of making the CKM
unitarity test more definitive.Comment: 64 pages, 4 postscript figure
Measuring Clientsâ Perception of Functional Limitations Using the Perceived Functioning & Health Questionnaire
Background The Perceived Functioning & Health (PFH) questionnaire was developed to collect, in a standardized manner, which work activities are limited due to health conditions according to the perception of the client. In this study the questionnaireâs reliability and validity are investigated. Methods The PFH questionnaire is comprised of 147 questions, distributed over 33 scales, pertaining to the clientâs psychosocial and physical work limitations. The PFH data of 800 respondents were analyzed: 254 healthy employees, 408 workers on sick leave and 138 recipients of a disability pension. Internal consistency (Cronbachâs α) for the scales was established. The testâretest reliability was examined for the data of 52 recipients of a disability pension who filled out the PFH twice within an interval of 1 month. Validation was established by taking the nature of the limitations as a criterion: mental limitations, physical limitations or a mix of both. To this end, the respondents were divided into groups distinguished on the basis of self-classification, as well as classification on the basis of disease codes given by insurance and occupational health physicians: a âhealthyâ group, subjects with only physical (âphysicalâ group) or mental limitations (âmentalâ group) or mixed limitations (âmixedâ group). The scale scores of these groups were compared and tested using analyses-of-variance and discriminant analyses. Results The scales were found to have sufficient to good internal consistency (mean Cronbachâs-α = 0.79) and testâretest reliability (mean correlation r = 0.76). Analyses-of-variance demonstrated significant differences between the scores of the mental, physical and healthy groups on most of the expected scales. These results were found both in groups defined by self-classification as well as in groups based on disease codes. Moreover, discriminant analyses revealed that the a priori classification of the respondents into three groups (mental, physical, healthy) for more than 75% of them corresponded with the classification on the basis of scale scores obtained from the questionnaire. Furthermore, limitations due to specific types of complaints (low back pain, fatigue, concentration problems) or diagnosed disorders (musculoskeletal disorders, reactive disorders, endogenous disorders) were clearly reflected in the scores of the related scales of the PFH. Conclusion The psychometric properties of the PFH with respect to reliability and validity were satisfactory. The PFH would appear to be an appropriate instrument for systematically measuring functional limitations in subjects on sick leave and in those receiving disability pensions, and could be used as a starting point in a disability claim procedure
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