Sustainability in the Housekeeping Department of a Lodging Facility

Sustainability is a trend that has increased tremendously in today’s society. It is especially important in finding ways to go green, and to help the environment be cleaner and healthier. This comes to show in the hospitality industry especially in the lodging industry. The study consists of two surveys: one that is sent out to the different hotel managers in the Nacogdoches area and another that students in a hospitality course take based on their previous stay in a hotel

Working with People from the Middle East

People from the Middle-East encounter a lot of issues in American society. They encounter public humiliation, religious oppression, and violence in many ways. In this assignment we looked at the cause, effect, and resolution of integrating Middle Eastern people into the hospitality workforce. Within our research, we want to look at what the common misconceptions of Middle Eastern people are, what the culture entails, and how businesses in the United States can be more inclusive to Middle Eastern workers

Vitamin D Supplementation, Serum 25(OH)D Concentrations and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are associated with low serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations in observational studies; however, clinical trial findings are inconsistent.Objective: We assessed the effect of vitamin D supplementation and increased serum 25(OH)D concentrations on CVD risk factors in a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).Design: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for RCTs that evaluated vitamin D supplementation and cardiovascular outcomes [blood pressure, parathyroid hormone (PTH), serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), total cholesterol, high and low density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL, respectively), triglycerides, peak wave velocity (PWV) and Augmentation Index (AI)] from 1992 through 2017. Meta-analysis was based on a random-effects model and inverse variance method to calculate standardized mean difference (SMD) as effect sizes, followed by a leave-one-out method for sensitivity analysis. Risk of publication bias was assessed using Cochrane checklist and Begg funnel plots. The systematic review is registered as CRD42015025346.Results: We identified 2341 studies from which 81 met inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis indicated a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.102 ± 0.04 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.20 to −0.03), diastolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.07 ± 0.03 mmHg, 95% CI, −0.14 to −0.006), serum PTH (SMD = −0.66 ± 0.08 ng/L, 95% CI, −0.82 to −0.49), hs-CRP (SMD = −0.20 ± 0.07 mg/L, 95% CI, −0.34 to −0.06), total cholesterol (SMD = −0.15 ± 0.06 mmol/L, 95% CI, −0.25 to −0.04), LDL (SMD = −0.10 ± 0.05 mmol/L, 95% CI, −0.20 to −0.003), triglycerides (SMD = −0.12 ± 0.06 mmol/L, 95% CI, −0.23 to −0.003) and a significant increase in HDL (SMD = 0.09 ± 0.04 mmol/L, 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.17) with vitamin D supplementation. These findings remained significant in sensitivity analyses for blood pressure, lipid profile, serum PTH, and serum hs-CRP. There was no significant effect of vitamin D supplementation on PWV (SMD = −0.20 ± 0.13 m/s, 95% CI, −0.46 to 0.06, p = 0.14) and AI (SMD = −0.09 ± 0.14%, 95% CI, −0.37 to 0.19, p = 0.52) for vitamin D supplemented groups.Conclusion: These findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may act to protect against CVD through improving risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated PTH, dyslipidemia, and inflammation

Mood and Personality Predictors of Political Preference/Affiliation

With the upcoming presidential election in 2016, there is a growing interest in voting patterns and political affiliations. Of particular interest in the present research is the relationship between political affiliations and voting patterns as it relates to young voters. In general, young voters are notorious for not taking part in the political processes. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role that mood and selected personality variables play in political affiliations amongst college students. Subjects were asked to select their political preference/affiliation from the following six categories: Conservative Republican, Moderate Republican, Conservative Democrat, Liberal Democrat, Libertarian, and no political preference/affiliation. After the latter was determined, analyses were conducted to ascertain how the mood and personality variables interact with political preferences/affiliation. To measure mood and personality variables of our subjects, we used the following scales: NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), and Right Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA-ACS). The objective of this research project was to investigate how student’s mood and personality predict their political preference/affiliation. Participants were 114 undergraduates (40 males; 72 females; one not sure; one no gender indication) who were asked to indicate political affiliation (Conservative Republican, Moderate Republican, Conservative Democrat, Liberal Democrat, Libertarian, and no allifiation) and completed the NEO-PI Big-Five and the RWAS. Anonymity was assured at all times. SAS procedures were employed to conduct a MANOVA comparing political affiliation groups on the NEO-PI Big-Five and RWAS measures. A significant Wilks’ λ F75, 445) =1.81, p<.0001 was observed. The RWAS Aggression scale {F (5,106) = 8.95, p<.0001)}, the RWAS Conventionalism scale {F(5,106) = 6.54, p<.0001)}and the RWAS Submission scale {F(5,106) =11.62, p<.0001)} all proved highly significant. Conservative Republicans (Mean 13.54; SE .59) scored significantly (p<.03) higher on aggression than did the Moderate Republicans (Mean 11.81; SE .51), the Conservative Democrats (Mean 8.70; SE .92, p<.0001), the Liberal Democrats (Mean 8.31 SE.81, p< .0001), the Libertarians (Mean 8.29 SE 1.10, p<.02) and those proclaiming no political affiliation (Mean 10.65 SE .57, p<.0007). Conservative Republicans (Mean 11.87; SE .80) scored significantly (p<.02) lower on RWAS conventionalism than did the Moderate Republicans (Mean 14.28; SE .69), the Conservative Democrats (Mean 16.60; SE 1.23, p<.002), the Liberal Democrats (Mean 18.08 SE 1.08, p< .0001), the Libertarians (Mean 15.86 SE 1.48, p<.02) and those proclaiming no political affiliation (Mean 16.93 SE .77, p<.0001). Conservative Republicans (Mean 27.00 SD .72) were significantly more Submissive (p<.01) higher than the Moderate Republicans (Mean 19.59 SD .62, p<.01), the Conservative Democrats (Mean 15.59 SD 1.11, p<.0001), the Liberal Democrats (Mean 27.00 SD .72, p , .0001), the Libertarians (Mean 27.00 SD .72, p <.0001), and those proclaiming no political affiliation (Mean 27.00 SD .72, p<.001). Significant differences were found for the NEO-PI Big-Five Openness scale {F (5,106) = 3.52, p<.006)} with the Conservative Republicans (Mean 37.17; SE 1.32) scoring significantly lower (p<.02) on Openness then did the Liberal Democrats (Mean 42.31; SE 1.80); the Libertarians (p<.03) (Mean 43.29; SE 2.45) and those proclaiming no political affiliation (Mean 46.61; SE 1.27) (p<.0001). Moderate Republicans (Mean 38.56 SE 1.14) were significantly lower (p<.004) than those having no political affiliation (Mean 46.61; SE 1.27). These analyses demonstrated there was a significant interaction between the three RWA scales, the openness scale of the B-F and political preference/affiliation. These findings enhance our understandings of young voters and may ultimately contribute to better participation on their part in the political process

Randomized comparison of the effects of the vitamin D(3 )adequate intake versus 100 mcg (4000 IU) per day on biochemical responses and the wellbeing of patients

BACKGROUND: For adults, vitamin D intake of 100 mcg (4000 IU)/day is physiologic and safe. The adequate intake (AI) for older adults is 15 mcg (600 IU)/day, but there has been no report focusing on use of this dose. METHODS: We compared effects of these doses on biochemical responses and sense of wellbeing in a blinded, randomized trial. In Study 1, 64 outpatients (recruited if summer 2001 25(OH)D <61 nmol/L) were given 15 or 100 mcg/day vitamin D in December 2001. Biochemical responses were followed at subsequent visits that were part of clinical care; 37 patients completed a wellbeing questionnaire in December 2001 and February 2002. Subjects for Study 2 were recruited if their 25(OH)D was <51 nmol/L in summer 2001. 66 outpatients were given vitamin D; 51 completed a wellbeing questionnaire in both December 2002 and February 2003. RESULTS: In Study 1, basal summer 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] averaged 48 ± 9 (SD) nmol/L. Supplementation for more than 6 months produced mean 25(OH)D levels of 79 ± 30 nmol/L for the 15 mcg/day group, and 112 ± 41 nmol/L for the 100 mcg/day group. Both doses lowered plasma parathyroid hormone with no effect on plasma calcium. Between December and February, wellbeing score improved more for the 100-mcg/day group than for the lower-dosed group (1-tail Mann-Whitney p = 0.036). In Study 2, 25(OH)D averaged 39 ± 9 nmol/L, and winter wellbeing scores improved with both doses of vitamin D (two-tail p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The highest AI for vitamin D brought summertime 25(OH)D to >40 nmol/L, lowered PTH, and its use was associated with improved wellbeing. The 100 mcg/day dose produced greater responses. Since it was ethically necessary to provide a meaningful dose of vitamin D to these insufficient patients, we cannot rule out a placebo wellbeing response, particularly for those on the lower dose. This work confirms the safety and efficacy of both 15 and 100 mcg/day vitamin D(3 )in patients who needed additional vitamin D

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Investigating the Safety and Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin D3 with Calcium Supplementation in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Low vitamin D status has been consistently associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Further, preclinical and in vitro data demonstrate immune regulatory properties of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D that may be beneficial for patients with MS. To date evidence of beneficial in vivo immunomodulation by supplementation with vitamin D3 in humans is lacking. In a one-year, open-label, phase I/II dose-escalation study of vitamin D3 (average ~14,000 IU/d over one year) with calcium (1,200mg/d) in patients with MS, we compared the effects of treatment on safety outcomes, clinical outcomes and selected biomarkers of immune system activity, relative to matched MS patients [age, sex, disease duration, disease modifying therapy, and expanded disability status scale (EDSS)] randomized to receive no supplementation. Mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations were 78.1±27.0 nmol/L at baseline and at one-year were 82.7±34.8 and 179.1±76.1 nmol/L in control and treated groups, respectively. Serum and urinary calcium and all other safety outcomes were unchanged throughout the trial. Compared to controls, treated patients tended to have fewer relapses (McNemar, p=0.09) and a greater proportion had a stable or improved EDSS at study end (p=0.018). We observed significantly reduced lymphocyte proliferative responses to antigenic challenge in the treatment group at one year, compared to baseline and control group responses. High serum 25(OH)D concentrations were not associated with short-term adverse effects in patients with MS, but with evidence of clinical improvement and beneficial immunomodulation.Ph

“Calcitriol” Is Not Synonymous with “Vitamin D”

Peer Reviewe