The dilemma of a small business in Mozambique: the reason to be is the reason not to prosper

One of the main problems of Mozambican small businesses is that they have some characteristics on which, on the one hand, they depend to survive, but which, on the other hand, make it impossible - or at least difficult - for them to prosper and grow. Most small businesses are informal, unregistered, have no bank account and are usually temporary activities. They help to diversify the family income and are organised in local circuits. The first part of this paper provides a review of the literature on small businesses in Africa, particularly in Mozambique, namely its characteristics and possible reasons to be. The second part highlights the results of several interviews with small-business entrepreneurs in Sofala/Mozambique

Konservierende Bodenbearbeitung im Ökolandbau – mit qualitativer Sozialforschung erfolgreiche Systeme wissenschaftlich erfassen und naturwissenschaftliche Ergebnisse ergänzen

In organic agriculture the plough is still the main tillage equipment. However some successful organic farmers have been working with conservation tillage systems since more than ten years. In the project their experience and their thus developed knowledge will be systematically registered and analysed to understand the complex system and its rules of action and decision making. The objective of this approach is to show the reasons of the success within single systems, secondly to identify general rules for conservation tillage systems in organic farming

Intramolecular phosphine-promoted Knoevenagel based redox-reaction

A Knoevenagel based redox-reaction promoted by intramolecular phosphine sources is presented for the first time. The influence of different diketones, aldehydes, bases and acids was investigated. The effects of different substituents were evaluated based on their electronical influence on the diketone structure. With the obtained results a mechanism is proposed, giving information about transition states formed during the reaction, which can lead to different products. This type of an internal redox transformation with a phosphine oxide moiety remaining in the molecule after the redox reaction represents a new type of reaction

Effects of biochar on dry matter production and competitive ability of Rumex obtusifolius L.

Der Stumpfblättrige Ampfer (Rumex obtusifolius L.) ist ein gefürchtetes Unkraut im intensiv bewirtschafteten Grünland. In dieser Studie wurde untersucht, ob die Biokohle durch eine Verminderung des pflanzenverfügbaren N-Gehaltes im Boden für die Ampfer-Regulierung ein­gesetzt werden kann. Dazu wurde ein Gefäßversuch im Freien durchgeführt. Der Stumpfblättrige Ampfer und zwei Gräser, Italienisches Raygras (Lolium multiflorum) und Wiesen-Knaulgras (Dactylis glomerata), wuchsen in Reinkultur. R. obtusifolius wurde auch in Mischungen mit L. multiflorum angesät. Die Zufuhr von Biokohle zum Boden bewirkte eine Verminderung der Konzentration an N, S, Ca und Mg in der oberirdischen Phytomasse bei allen Arten. Dies dürfte auf einen Verdünnungseffekt zurückzuführen sein. Die K-Konzentration nahm nur beim Stumpfblättrigen Ampfer im Vergleich zur Kontrolle zu. Der höhere K-Gehalt im Boden infolge Biokohle-Zufuhr dürfte dafür verantwortlich sein. Beim Stumpfblättrigen Ampfer war K und nicht N das wachstumslimitierende Nährelement. Ein hoher pflanzenverfügbarer K-Gehalt im Boden dürfte die Massenvermehrung des Stumpfblätt­rigen Ampfers im Grünland deutlich fördern. Durch die Zufuhr von Biokohle und dem daraus resultierenden höheren K-Gehalt im Boden hat das durchschnittliche Spross-Trockengewicht beim Stumpfblättrigen Ampfer um 247%, beim Italienischen Raygras um 65% und beim Wiesen-Knaulgras um 108% im Vergleich zur Kontrolle zugenommen. Durch interspezifische Konkurrenz mit L. multiflorum wurde R. obtusifolius im Sprosswachstum deutlich gehemmt. Die Biokohle hat die Wettbewerbs­fähigkeit des Stumpfblättrigen Ampfers nicht vermindert und kann daher auch nicht zur Ampfer-Regulierung eingesetzt werden. Die vorliegenden Untersuchungsergebnisse können als Grundlage für vorbeugende Maßnahmen zur Ampfer-Regulierung dienen. DOI: 10.5073/JfK.2016.08.03, https://doi.org/10.5073/JfK.2016.08.03Rumex obtusifolius L. (broad-leaved dock) is one of the most troublesome weeds in intensively managed grassland. This study investigated the potential of biochar (BC), produced from woody green waste residues, to support its control. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted out of doors in Austria. It was expected that R. obtusifolius could be controlled by reducing available N content in the soil. R. obtusifolius and two grass species, Lolium multiflorum and Dactylis glomerata, were grown from seeds in monocultures, respectively. Moreover, R. obtusifolius was grown in mixtures with L. multiflorum. Due to a pure BC addition to soil (3% by wt), the concentrations of N, S, Ca and Mg in the shoot biomass decreased relative to the control in all three species, suggesting a dilution effect. The K concentration, however, increased only in R. obtusifolius, indicating its high absorp­tion capacity for K. In R. obtusifolius, K rather than N was the most growth-limiting nutrient element. The K level in soil appears to be important in controlling its distribution. To prevent Rumex infestation and/or to reduce existing infestations, a high soil K supply should be avoided. The average shoot dry weight of all three species was significantly higher when BC was applied (by 247%, 65% and 108%, in R. obtusifolius, L. multiflorum and D. glomerata, respectively), presumably because of a better K supply in soil. R. obtusifolius responded to interspecific competition with L. multiflorum by a density-dependent reduction of its shoot growth. BC did not decrease the competitive ability of Rumex in mixtures with Lolium. It is concluded that the addition of woody green waste BC to soil is no successful strategy for controlling R. obtusifolius in grassland. However, the results of this study can serve as a basis for preventive measures to Rumex control. DOI: 10.5073/JfK.2016.08.03, https://doi.org/10.5073/JfK.2016.08.0

Lambda and Antilambda polarization from deep inelastic muon scattering

We report results of the first measurements of Lambda and Antilambda polarization produced in deep inelastic polarized muon scattering on the nucleon. The results are consistent with an expected trend towards positive polarization with increasing x_F. The polarizations of Lambda and Antilambda appear to have opposite signs. A large negative polarization for Lambda at low positive x_F is observed and is not explained by existing models.A possible interpretation is presented.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Managing Imbalanced Supply Chain Relationships for Sustainability: A Power Perspective

This study adopts a power perspective to investigate sustainable supply chain relationships and specifically uses resource dependence theory (RDT) to critically analyze buyer–supplier–supplier relationships. Empirical evidence is provided, extending the RDT model in this context. The concept of power relationships is explored through a qualitative study of a multinational company and agricultural growers in the UK food industry that work together to implement sustainable practices. We look at multiple triadic relationships involving a large buyer and its small suppliers to investigate how relative power affects the implementation of sustainable supply-management practices. The study highlights that power as dependence is relevant to understanding compliance in sustainable supply chains and to identifying appropriate relationship-management strategies to build more sustainable supply chains. We show the influences of power on how players manage their relationships and how it affects organizational responses to the implementation of sustainability initiatives. Power notably influences the sharing of sustainability-related risks and value between supply chain partners. From a managerial perspective, the study contributes to developing a better understanding of how power can become an effective way to achieve sustainability goals. This paper offers insights into the way in which a large organization works with small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) to implement sustainable practices and shows how power management—that is, the way in which power is used—can support or hinder effective cooperation around sustainability in the supply chain

The Fission Yeast Homeodomain Protein Yox1p Binds to MBF and Confines MBF-Dependent Cell-Cycle Transcription to G1-S via Negative Feedback

The regulation of the G1- to S-phase transition is critical for cell-cycle progression. This transition is driven by a transient transcriptional wave regulated by transcription factor complexes termed MBF/SBF in yeast and E2F-DP in mammals. Here we apply genomic, genetic, and biochemical approaches to show that the Yox1p homeodomain protein of fission yeast plays a critical role in confining MBF-dependent transcription to the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. The yox1 gene is an MBF target, and Yox1p accumulates and preferentially binds to MBF-regulated promoters, via the MBF components Res2p and Nrm1p, when they are transcriptionally repressed during the cell cycle. Deletion of yox1 results in constitutively high transcription of MBF target genes and loss of their cell cycle–regulated expression, similar to deletion of nrm1. Genome-wide location analyses of Yox1p and the MBF component Cdc10p reveal dozens of genes whose promoters are bound by both factors, including their own genes and histone genes. In addition, Cdc10p shows promiscuous binding to other sites, most notably close to replication origins. This study establishes Yox1p as a new regulatory MBF component in fission yeast, which is transcriptionally induced by MBF and in turn inhibits MBF-dependent transcription. Yox1p may function together with Nrm1p to confine MBF-dependent transcription to the G1/S transition of the cell cycle via negative feedback. Compared to the orthologous budding yeast Yox1p, which indirectly functions in a negative feedback loop for cell-cycle transcription, similarities but also notable differences in the wiring of the regulatory circuits are evident

Repression of Meiotic Genes by Antisense Transcription and by Fkh2 Transcription Factor in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

In S. pombe, about 5% of genes are meiosis-specific and accumulate little or no mRNA during vegetative growth. Here we use Affymetrix tiling arrays to characterize transcripts in vegetative and meiotic cells. In vegetative cells, many meiotic genes, especially those induced in mid-meiosis, have abundant antisense transcripts. Disruption of the antisense transcription of three of these mid-meiotic genes allowed vegetative sense transcription. These results suggest that antisense transcription represses sense transcription of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. Although the mechanism(s) of antisense mediated transcription repression need to be further explored, our data indicates that RNAi machinery is not required for repression. Previously, we and others used non-strand specific methods to study splicing regulation of meiotic genes and concluded that 28 mid-meiotic genes are spliced only in meiosis. We now demonstrate that the “unspliced” signal in vegetative cells comes from the antisense RNA, not from unspliced sense RNA, and we argue against the idea that splicing regulates these mid-meiotic genes. Most of these mid-meiotic genes are induced in mid-meiosis by the forkhead transcription factor Mei4. Interestingly, deletion of a different forkhead transcription factor, Fkh2, allows low levels of sense expression of some mid-meiotic genes in vegetative cells. We propose that vegetative expression of mid-meiotic genes is repressed at least two independent ways: antisense transcription and Fkh2 repression

Deep-Sequencing Analysis of the Mouse Transcriptome Response to Infection with Brucella melitensis Strains of Differing Virulence

Brucella melitensis is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes brucellosis, a disease that affects sheep, cattle and occasionally humans. B. melitensis strain M5-90, a live attenuated vaccine cultured from B. melitensis strain M28, has been used as an effective tool in the control of brucellosis in goats and sheep in China. However, the molecular changes leading to attenuated virulence and pathogenicity in B. melitensis remain poorly understood. In this study we employed the Illumina Genome Analyzer platform to perform genome-wide digital gene expression (DGE) analysis of mouse peritoneal macrophage responses to B. melitensis infection. Many parallel changes in gene expression profiles were observed in M28- and M5-90-infected macrophages, suggesting that they employ similar survival strategies, notably the induction of anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic factors. Moreover, 1019 differentially expressed macrophage transcripts were identified 4 h after infection with the different B. melitensis strains, and these differential transcripts notably identified genes involved in the lysosome and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Further analysis employed gene ontology (GO) analysis: high-enrichment GOs identified endocytosis, inflammatory, apoptosis, and transport pathways. Path-Net and Signal-Net analysis highlighted the MAPK pathway as the key regulatory pathway. Moreover, the key differentially expressed genes of the significant pathways were apoptosis-related. These findings demonstrate previously unrecognized changes in gene transcription that are associated with B. melitensis infection of macrophages, and the central signaling pathways identified here merit further investigation. Our data provide new insights into the molecular attenuation mechanism of strain M5-90 and will facilitate the generation of new attenuated vaccine strains with enhanced efficacy