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Draft Genome Sequence of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus CITCf01, Isolated from a Patient with Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis
Full text linkCampylobacter fetus is a Gram-negative, zoonotic pathogen and a member of the class Epsilonproteobacteria. We report the draft genome sequence of C. fetus subsp. fetus CITCf01, isolated from a patient with subacute bacterial endocarditis. CITCf01 grew under aerobic, microaerobic, and anaerobic conditions, and at 42°C, an unusual combination of growth conditions
Yeats’s Legacy and Literary Tourism: A Study of the Yeats Winter School in Sligo
Full text linkLiterary tourism is of increasing importance within the field of cultural and heritage tourism yet remains under-represented in academic literature. Smith, et al. (2010, p. 108) define it as a “tourism activity motivated by interest in an author, a literary creation or setting, or the literary heritage of a destination”. The typical profile of a literary tourist is that of a well- educated holidaymaker who is seeking an authentic experience, may have heard about the place’s linkage with a writer but may not have high levels of knowledge about the actual work of the writer. The socio-economic characteristics of literary tourists indicate a pre-dominance of more educated visitors from a higher social class and income grouping (Smith, et al., 2010; Timothy & Boyd, 2003). These characteristics are particularly relevant to the concept of the ‘literary pilgrim’ who has an emotional connection as well as a “more intimate relationship with the author” (Robinson and Andersen, 2004). Gentile and Brown (2015) describe the “widening scope of literary tourism, its arguable transition from niche to mass tourism, and its attempt to link high and popular culture”. The growing popularity of literary festivals as well as other related literary trails, routes and events provides evidence of this.
This study focuses on the importance of Yeats’s literary connection and legacy in attracting visitors to Sligo and it provides a profile of the literary tourist that includes the literary ‘pilgrim’ or enthusiast visiting Sligo. The study further explores characteristics, motivations, and literary awareness as well as experiences and levels of satisfaction among visitors or literary ‘pilgrims’ attending the Yeats Winter School in 2016. Overall, respondents are positive about their experiences of Sligo as a literary destination and consider Yeats’s legacy to be valuable from a tourism perspective. However, the outcomes of this study indicate a need for a more strategic and collaborative approach to the development and marketing of Sligo as a literary destination including a cohesive communications strategy
Feed efficiency and carcass metrics in growing cattle
Full text linkSome definitions of feed efficiency such as residual energy intake (REI) and residual gain (RG) may not truly reflect production efficiency. The energy sinks used in the derivation of the traits include metabolic live-weight; producers finishing cattle for slaughter are, however, paid on the basis of carcass weight, as opposed to live-weight. The objective of the present study was to explore alternative definitions of REI and RG which are more reflective of production efficiency, and quantify their relationship with performance, ultrasound, and carcass traits across multiple breeds and sexes of cattle. Feed intake and live-weight records were available on 5,172 growing animals, 2,187 of which also had information relating to carcass traits; all animals were fed a concentrate-based diet representative of a feedlot diet. Animal linear mixed models were used to estimate (co)variance components. Heritability estimates for all derived REI traits varied from 0.36 (REICWF; REI using carcass weight and carcass fat as energy sinks) to 0.50 (traditional REI derived with the energy sinks of both live-weight and ADG). The heritability for the RG traits varied from 0.24 to 0.34. Phenotypic correlations among all definitions of the REI traits ranged from 0.90 (REI with REICWF) to 0.99 (traditional REI with REI using metabolic preslaughter live-weight and ADG). All were different (P \u3c 0.001) from one suggesting reranking of animals when using different definitions of REI to identify efficient cattle. The derived RG traits were either weakly or not correlated (P \u3e 0.05) with the ultrasound and carcass traits. Genetic correlations between the REI traits with carcass weight, dressing difference (i.e., live-weight immediately preslaughter minus carcass weight) and dressing percentage (i.e., carcass weight divided by live-weight immediately preslaughter) implies that selection on any of the REI traits will increase carcass weight, lower the dressing difference and increase dressing percentage. Selection on REICW (REI using carcass weight as an energy sink), as opposed to traditional REI, should increase the carcass weight 2.2 times slower but reduce the dressing difference 4.3 times faster. While traditionally defined REI is informative from a research perspective, the ability to convert energy into live-weight gain does not necessarily equate to carcass gain, and as such, traits such as REICW and REICWF provide a better description of production efficiency for feedlot cattle
An improved synthesis of adefovir and related analogues
Full text linkAn improved synthesis of the antiviral drug adefovir is presented. Problems associated with current routes to adefovir include capricious yields and a reliance on problematic reagents and solvents, such as magnesium tert-butoxide and DMF, to achieve high conversions to the target. A systematic study within our laboratory led to the identification of an iodide reagent which affords higher yields than previous approaches and allows for reactions to be conducted up to 10 g in scale under milder conditions. The use of a novel tetrabutylammonium salt of adenine facilitates alkylations in solvents other than DMF. Additionally, we have investigated how regioselectivity is affected by the substitution pattern of the nucleobase. Finally, this chemistry was successfully applied to the synthesis of several new adefovir analogues, highlighting the versatility of our approach
The Yin and Yang of Business Strategy
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper is to provide a ‘grounded’ approach to business strategy formulation on the basis that the generic strategy approach lacks contextual sensitivity. Today’s strategists need to constantly assess the degree to which their businesses are achieving both market effectiveness and organisational efficiency. Drawing on primary and secondary research the paper examines business strategy formulation as a balancing act between achieving organisational effectiveness and efficiency and provides a matrix that can help identify where a business lies in this process
The Nutritional Value of Children\u27s Menus in Chain Restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Full text linkObjective: Obesity in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is rising, as is the frequency of eating out in restaurants. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional quality of children\u27s menus in restaurants. Design: Cross-sectional review of menus aimed at children from 20 popular chain restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Main Outcome Measures: Total energy, fat, saturated fat, and salt were collected from every food item on the menu in each restaurant. All potential meal combinations were created. A total of 39,266 meals were analysed. Analysis: Meals were compared with UK nutritional guidelines. Meals from fast food and full-service restaurants and main meals and meal deals were compared. Results: The average meal for younger children (aged 2–5 years) contained 609 ±117 kcal, and for older children (6–12 years) 653 ± 136 kcal compared with guidelines of 364 and 550 kcal, respectively. A total of 68% of younger children\u27s and 55% of older children\u27s meals contained more total fat than recommended and more than 4 times the amount of saturated fat. Fast food restaurant meals contained less energy, fat, and salt than did full-service restaurants, and meal deals were less likely to meet dietary guidelines than were main meals alone. Conclusion and Implications: Eating in chain restaurants, in particular meal deals, does not contribute positively to the diet of children in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Building consumer trust in the cloud: an experimental analysis of the cloud trust label approach
Full text linkThe lack of transparency surrounding cloud service provision makes it difficult for consumers to make knowledge based purchasing decisions. As a result, consumer trust has become a major impediment to cloud computing adoption. Cloud Trust Labels represent a means of communicating relevant service and security information to potential customers on the cloud service provided, thereby facilitating informed decision making. This research investigates the potential of a Cloud Trust Label system to overcome the trust barrier. Specifically, it examines the impact of a Cloud Trust Label on consumer perceptions of a service and cloud service provider trustworthiness and trust in the cloud service and cloud service provider. An experimental study was carried out with a sample of 227 business decision makers with data collected before exposure to the label to examine initial perceptions and after exposure to the label to examine any change in perceptions and attitudes. As hypothesised, the results suggest that Cloud Trust Labels that contain positive information can have a positive impact on trust and trustworthiness while Cloud Trust Labels that contain negative information have a negative impact. The practical implications of this new method of communicating trustworthiness online are discussed and recommendations are made for future research
Impact of Combined Heat and Power Generation on an Industrial Site Distribution Network
Full text linkPresence of Distributed Generation (DG) in Industrial Site Distribution Network (ISDN) can represent a significant impact on the operational characteristics of the network. Present planning and operation criteria use for ISDN are in general not suitable to cope with the presence of a significant DG capacity. The presence of DG provides considerable benefits from both engineering and economic viewpoints. However, it changes radial configurations of the distribution feeders. Consequently it may cause coordination failure to existing protection system which is originally set based on radial configuration. In addition, high penetration of DG into ISDN may increase feeder loss, and cause system voltage profile out of a required range.
Distributed Generation may have a significant impact on the system and equipment operation in terms of steady state operation, dynamic operation, reliability, power quality, stability and safety for both ISDN user and electricity suppliers. The idea behind the connection of DG is to increase the reliability of power supplied to the customers, make use of a locally available resource and, if possible, reduce losses in transmission and distribution systems. The specific benefits depends on the local conditions and installation owner’s interest. The reasons for installing DG at ISDN include:
i) Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP) – High Efficiency
ii) Standby/emergency generation-enhanced reliability
The effect of the DG units on these quantities strongly depends on the type of DG units and the type of ISDN. DG units can be either directly connected to the ISDN, such as synchronous or asynchronous generators, or via a power electronics converter. In all these cases, the power flow in the ISDN as well as the network losses and the voltage control are affected. The introduction of DG alters the characteristics of the network. The number of technical constraints and factors are impacted by the amount of DG that is connected
An Investigation of Problem Gambling and Young Sports Players in an Irish Amateur Sporting Organisation.
Full text linkThe gambling industry is huge in Ireland. The betting firm Paddy Power alone had an operating profit of €163.8million in 2014. The activity has become more popular and accessible in recent years due to its move online. In fact, anybody with a smartphone can gamble wherever they may be. While research within Ireland has been limited, there are some startling statistics related to gambling addiction in Ireland with roughly 7% of gamblers at risk of developing a gambling problem and approximately 30-35% of the gambling industry’s revenues coming from those who have gambling issues. According to the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, gambling addiction affects young people at 2-3 times the rate of adults. This research aims to investigate the extent of gambling and problem gambling in an amateur sporting organisation (Gaelic Athletic Association – GAA) in Ireland using the Health Belief Model
Draft Genome Sequences of Four Lactococcus lactis Strains Isolated from Diverse Niches, Including Dairy Products, Grass, and Green Peas
Full text linkLactococcus lactis has been used for millennia as a starter organism in the production of many fermented dairy products. This announcement includes the draft genome sequences of four strains of Lactococcus lactis, two of dairy origin and two from nondairy sources