Information sharing in decentralised supply chains with partial collaboration

Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal - We explore the value of information sharing for smoothing the dynamics of supply chains when some echelons do not collaborate. To this end, we study...     

Relationships Between Religious Beliefs and Mountain Pasture Uses: A Case Study in the High Atlas Mountains of Marrakech,Morocco

This study explores the association between individual beliefs in local Islamic Saints in the High Atlas of Morocco and the use of the environment. This exploration is done within the framework of a traditional institution of natural resource management, based on the regulations (called Agdal) of access to common pastoral resources. Research methods included participant observation and interviews during several stays between 2003 and 2008 among the Amazig (Berber) people of the Mesioua tribe, and a survey of 80 households in the village of Warzazt. Our data show an association between the transformation of traditional individual beliefs in local Saints and new agro-pastoral practices that have previously been linked to the disappearance of Agdal-managed pastures and biodiversity loss. We conclude that, in addition to the more material dimensions of climate change, population increase, migration, or expansion of cash economies, religious beliefs should also be taken into account when analyzing the use of natural resources and agro-pastoral change processes.     

Biosynthesis ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae glycoproteins: Nature of some participating glycolipids

A particulate membrane preparation fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae catalyzed the incorporation of mannose from GDP-mannose into lipids that were extractable in chloroform-methanol. One lipid has been previously characterized as dolichyl phosphomannose. Another one was purified by chromatography on silicic acid, DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex LH-20 and found to be alkali unstable. The lipid moiety was shown to be dolichol and the glycosydic part contained mannose, glucose and glucosamine.Radioactive mannose was also incorporated at a slower rate into more polar compounds. They were soluble in chloroform-methanol-water and were seen to liberate neutral oligosaccharides after alkaline hydrolysis.Radioactive mannose was also incorporated into substances which behave chemically as glycoproteins since they were insoluble in organic solvents, water and trichloroactic acid. Pronase treatment of the trichloroacetic acidinsoluble material released water-soluble oligosaccharides.When the particulate preparation which had been extracted with chloroform-methanol at –20 C, was incubated with GDP-(U-¹⁴C)mannose, radioactivity was incorporated into glycolipids that were soluble in chloroform-methanol-water and into glycoproteins. This result suggests that at least part of the mannose was transferred to endogenous acceptors independent of dolichyl phosphomannose.     

Effects of human chorionic gonadotropin and progesterone administration on porphyrin biosynthesis and histology of the Harderian glands in male and female Syrian hamsters.

We investigated the influence of hCG and progesterone on the control of porphyrin biosynthesis and histology in the Syrian hamster Harderian glands. Castration of male hamsters caused a marked elevation in porphyrin biosynthesis as revealed by the concentrations of porphyrins and the mRNA levels of the porphyrin pathway rate-limiting enzyme, 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALV-S). Injection of hCG into castrated male hamsters also resulted in a significant increase in both porphyrin concentrations and levels of ALV-S mRNA compared with those in saline-injected castrated hamsters. Type II cells, which are filled with large lipid vacuoles and are characteristic of male phenotype, disappeared after castration, but administration of hCG partially prevented this change. On the other hand, neither administration of hCG nor progesterone implants could increase the very high porphyrin concentrations and ALV-S mRNA levels characteristic of female Syrian hamsters. As in the case of castrated male hamsters, injections of 20 IU hCG to female Syrian hamsters increased the relative number of Type II cells per square millimeter, whereas progesterone administration did not modify the relative number of Type II cells. These results indicate that hCG can modify Harderian gland morphology in both male and female hamsters and can exert a positive control in the expression of ALV-S gene in castrated male hamsters.     

Plasmalogens in the yeast Pullularia pullulans

Choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides have been found in plasmalogen form in P. pullilans. Plasmalogens had not been described in yeasts up to now.