The Impact of the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign on Performance of Zimbabwean Companies in the Retail Sector

Abstract: The majority of the Zimbabwean retail companies were in the collapsing mode over the past ten years. This miserable predicament necessitated the government to craft locally-driven remedies, and one of them was the Buy Zimbabwe campaign. This prompted the researcher to assess the impact of the “Buy Zimbabwe†campaign on the performance of the Zimbabwean firms. The study objectives were to establish the impact of “buy Zimbabwe†campaign on demand for local products and factors affecting demand for local products. Furthermore to establish if a company participating in the “buy Zimbabwe†campaign performs better than non-participating firms, earnings per Share was used in the inter-firm performance comparison. The descriptive research design was employed, although the research was both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The classical linear multiple regression analysis was used to establish and explain the relationship between company performances. The results indicated a positive linear relationship between “buy Zimbabwe†campaign and company performance in case of those that adopted Buy Zimbabwe, whereas in case of those that did not adopt Buy Zimbabwe there was a negative linear relationship. The results also discloses that quality and affordability of the product are the most influential factors affect demand for local products and buy Zimbabwe campaign was regarded as the least factor to be considered by consumers. Results from this study point towards the need to put in place supportive policies for the “buy Zimbabwe†campaign to be effective. Keywords: Buy Zimbabwe, retail sector, local products, competitiveness, customer loyalt

Adsorption and temperature-dependent decomposition of SO₂ on Cu(100) and Cu(111): A fast and high-resolution core-level spectroscopy study

The adsorption and temperature-dependent decomposition of SO2 on Cu(100) and Cu(111) have been studied by fast and high-resolution core-level photoemission. The analysis of the S 2p and O 1s data shows that molecular SO2 adsorption dominates at 170 K. On heating the SO2-covered surfaces to about room temperature, SO2 decomposes into SO+O+S. On further heating SO+O recombine to form SO2, which is the only species detected in corresponding temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. From the temperature- (time-) dependent S and O coverages a ‘‘TPD curve’’ can be constructed

Production and characterization of a β-glucosidase from Issatchenkia terricola and its use for hydrolysis of aromatic precursors in Cabernet Sauvignon wine

New enzymes isolated from the biodiversity of native wine ecosystems could contribute to increase the varietal character of regional wines. This study reports on the production and characterization of Issatchenkia terricola, beta-glucosidase and its potential to release red-wine aromatic compounds. The enzyme, a monomer of 48 kDa with an isoelectric point of 3.5 is tolerant to glucose and ethanol, properties compatible with enological use. Although fed-batch is usually the most suitable system for enzyme production in submerged culture, in this case the yield was practically the same as in batch culture. Enzyme productivity was increased 2-fold in synthetic medium with glucose with respect to the YPG and 3 to 8-fold with respect to other media assayed. After enzymatic treatment, GC-MS analysis of the released aglycones demonstrated significant increases in the concentration of phenols (83%) and norisoprenoids (65%). According to the judges of the sensory panel, the treatment resulted in a wine with dried fruits and raisins notes, as compared to the control, which was found more sweet and fruity. This, together with the lack of activity on anthocyanin glycosides, highlights the potential of this enzyme in enology, since its high selectivity allowed the development of aroma without compromising wine color.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Production and characterization of a β-glucosidase from Issatchenkia terricola and its use for hydrolysis of aromatic precursors in Cabernet Sauvignon wine

New enzymes isolated from the biodiversity of native wine ecosystems could contribute to increase the varietal character of regional wines. This study reports on the production and characterization of Issatchenkia terricola, beta-glucosidase and its potential to release red-wine aromatic compounds. The enzyme, a monomer of 48 kDa with an isoelectric point of 3.5 is tolerant to glucose and ethanol, properties compatible with enological use. Although fed-batch is usually the most suitable system for enzyme production in submerged culture, in this case the yield was practically the same as in batch culture. Enzyme productivity was increased 2-fold in synthetic medium with glucose with respect to the YPG and 3 to 8-fold with respect to other media assayed. After enzymatic treatment, GC-MS analysis of the released aglycones demonstrated significant increases in the concentration of phenols (83%) and norisoprenoids (65%). According to the judges of the sensory panel, the treatment resulted in a wine with dried fruits and raisins notes, as compared to the control, which was found more sweet and fruity. This, together with the lack of activity on anthocyanin glycosides, highlights the potential of this enzyme in enology, since its high selectivity allowed the development of aroma without compromising wine color.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Production and characterization of a β-glucosidase from Issatchenkia terricola and its use for hydrolysis of aromatic precursors in Cabernet Sauvignon wine

New enzymes isolated from the biodiversity of native wine ecosystems could contribute to increase the varietal character of regional wines. This study reports on the production and characterization of Issatchenkia terricola, beta-glucosidase and its potential to release red-wine aromatic compounds. The enzyme, a monomer of 48 kDa with an isoelectric point of 3.5 is tolerant to glucose and ethanol, properties compatible with enological use. Although fed-batch is usually the most suitable system for enzyme production in submerged culture, in this case the yield was practically the same as in batch culture. Enzyme productivity was increased 2-fold in synthetic medium with glucose with respect to the YPG and 3 to 8-fold with respect to other media assayed. After enzymatic treatment, GC-MS analysis of the released aglycones demonstrated significant increases in the concentration of phenols (83%) and norisoprenoids (65%). According to the judges of the sensory panel, the treatment resulted in a wine with dried fruits and raisins notes, as compared to the control, which was found more sweet and fruity. This, together with the lack of activity on anthocyanin glycosides, highlights the potential of this enzyme in enology, since its high selectivity allowed the development of aroma without compromising wine color.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriale

Cellular transport of microcystin-LR in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) across the intestinal wall: possible involvement of multidrug resistance-associated proteins

We studied Abcc mediated-transport in middle and posterior intestine of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Luminal and serosal transport were evaluated in everted and non-everted intestinal sacs, respectively, incubated with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB; 200 μM). CDNB enters the cells and is conjugated with glutathione via glutathione S-transferase (GST) to form 2,4-dinitrophenyl-S-glutathione (DNP-SG), a known Abcc substrate. DNP-SG concentration in the bath was recorded every 10 min, in order to calculate the mass-specific transport rate. For evaluating the possible involvement of Abcc proteins in microcystin-LR (MCLR) transport, 1.135 μM MCLR was added to the bath or inside the sacs, in everted or non-everted preparations, respectively. Both luminal and serosal DNP-SG efflux were significantly inhibited by MCLR. A concentration–response curve obtained using strips from middle intestine yielded an IC50 value of 1.33 μM MCLR. The Abcc inhibitor, MK571 produced concentration-dependent inhibition of DNP-SG similar to that produced by MCLR. Since competition of MCLR and CDNB as GST substrates could bias the DNP-SG transport results, we evaluated the effects of MCLR on calcein efflux, which does not depend on GST activity. We applied the non-fluorescent, cell-permeant compound calcein-AM (0.25 μM) to middle intestinal strips and recorded the efflux of its hydrolysis product, the fluorescent Abcc substrate calcein. 2.27 μM MCLR and 3 μM MK571 inhibited calcein efflux (17.39 and 20.2%, respectively). Finally, MCLR interaction with Abcc transporters was evaluated by measuring its toxic intracellular effects. Middle intestinal segments were incubated in saline solution with 1.135 μM MCLR (MC1), 2.27 μM MCLR (MC2), 3 μM MK571 (MK) or 1.135 μM MCLR + 3 μM MK571 (MC1/MK). After 1 h, GSH concentration, protein phosphatase 1 and 2A (PP1, PP2A) and GST activities were measured in each segment. MC1did not produce significant effect while MC1/MK and MC2 significantly inhibited PP1and PP2A in similar proportions (34–49%). MK alone significantly increased PP2A activity (40%) with no effect in any other variable. GST activity and GSH concentration were not affected by any treatment. Concentration–response curves for MCLR (1.135 to 13.62 μM) alone or plus 3 or 6 μM MK571 were obtained using PP1 activity as response variable. The IC50 values were 1.0, 0.52, and 0.37 μM, respectively. Our results suggest that O. mykiss enterocytes are capable of eliminating MCLR by GST-mediated conjugation and luminal excretion through an Abcc-like apical transporter. This mechanism would prevent toxic effects and reduce the toxin uptake into the blood, which is likely mediated by basolateral Abccs.Fil: Bieczynski, Flavia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; ArgentinaFil: de Anna, Julieta Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; ArgentinaFil: Pirez, Macarena. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Quimica; UruguayFil: Brena, Beatriz M.. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Quimica; UruguayFil: Villanueva, Silvina Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Luquet, Carlos Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; Argentin