Genetic characterization of 12 heterologous microsatellite markers for the giant tropical tree Cariniana legalis (Lecythidaceae)

Twelve microsatellite loci previously developed in the tropical tree Cariniana estrellensis were genetically characterized in Cariniana legalis. Polymorphisms were assessed in 28 C. legalis individuals found between the Pardo and Mogi-Guaçu River basins in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 12 loci, 10 were polymorphic and exhibited Mendelian inheritance. The allelic richness at each locus ranged from 2-11, with an average of 7 alleles per locus, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.07-0.88. These loci showed a high probability of paternity exclusion. The characteristics of these heterologous microsatellite markers indicate that they are suitable tools for investigating questions concerning population genetics in C. legalis

Genetic characterization of 12 heterologous microsatellite markers for the giant tropical tree Cariniana legalis (Lecythidaceae)

Twelve microsatellite loci previously developed in the tropical tree Cariniana estrellensis were genetically characterized in Cariniana legalis. Polymorphisms were assessed in 28 C. legalis individuals found between the Pardo and Mogi-Guaçu River basins in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 12 loci, 10 were polymorphic and exhibited Mendelian inheritance. The allelic richness at each locus ranged from 2-11, with an average of 7 alleles per locus, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.07-0.88. These loci showed a high probability of paternity exclusion. The characteristics of these heterologous microsatellite markers indicate that they are suitable tools for investigating questions concerning population genetics in C. legalis

Identification and analysis of the critical factors affecting the relationship between global sourcing and lean production

O aumento da competitividade entre as empresas no mundo globalizado vem exigindo das mesmas uma melhoria constante das suas operações para buscar ou manter produtos e serviços de alta qualidade a baixos custos e, assim, manterem-se no mercado. Um dos pilares utilizados pelas empresas para sustentar esta melhoria constante é a filosofia de produção enxuta. Com esta filosofia, elas eliminam desperdícios e se beneficiam da redução do inventário, do lead time e custos de produção, melhoram o fluxo de trabalho e a qualidade dos produtos, entre outros. Outro pilar adotado por várias empresas é o suprimento global. As melhorias necessárias, no entanto, podem ser alcançadas com outros pilares além desses, mas que não serão abordados neste estudo. Com o suprimento global, as empresas se beneficiam de custos reduzidos na aquisição dos produtos, acesso a produtos de alta qualidade e conquista de novos mercados através da disponibilização de produtos inexistentes no mercado doméstico. Entretanto, o longo lead time de entrega dos produtos, conseqüente de vários fatores, provoca um aumento do nível de inventário, penalizando os objetivos da produção enxuta. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar e analisar fatores críticos que tornam, até certo ponto, conflitantes a associação entre as áreas de produção enxuta e de suprimento global. Os fatores identificados na literatura foram: idioma e cultura, flutuação de câmbio, desembaraço alfandegário, complexidades legais, infraestrutura de transporte, ruptura da cadeia de suprimentos, fuso horário, serviço pós-venda, necessidade de consolidação de volumes no transporte e a relação entre fornecedor-cliente. A presença desses fatores como agentes interferentes na relação entre a produção enxuta e o suprimento global foi analisada em um estudo de caso, uma empresa do ramo da saúde. A maioria dos fatores detectados mostrou-se presente na empresa analisada sendo que desembaraço alfandegário, complexidades legais, ruptura da cadeia de suprimentos e variação cambial foram considerados os fatores de maior impacto. Este trabalho poderá contribuir fornecendo subsídios para a elaboração de propostas que amenizem os aspectos aparentemente conflitantes entre as duas áreas mencionadas e, assim, garantir os benefícios de ambas.The increasing competitiveness in today\'s global marketplace has compelled companies to continuously improve their internal operations while offering high quality products at lower costs. Lean production has been adopted by companies as a way to boost improvement efforts. The lean philosophy aims at eliminating waste and reducing inventory, which in turn may bring about various benefits such as reduced lead time, lower production costs, better workflow and increased quality of products. Global sourcing has also emerged as another philosophy to help companies increase competitiveness. Other philosophies and practices are believed to bring companies the same benefits, but they have not been addressed in this research. Some of the benefits that may result from global sourcing are lower purchasing costs, access to higher quality products and entrance to new markets by offering new products to the domestic market. However, the long lead time required to delivery products, which may result from a variety of reasons, will cause inventory to increase, thus reducing the benefits of lean production. Hence, the objective of this work is to identify and analyze the factors that cause conflict between global sourcing and lean production. The literature points out some factors, such as language, culture, fluctuation of the exchange rate, customs paperwork, legal issues, transport infrastructure, disruptions in the supply chain, time zone, after-sales service, the need to consolidate transport volumes and the buyer-supplier relationship. The impact of these factors over global sourcing, as well as the lean production initiatives, was analyzed during a case study conducted in a firm from the health sector. Most of the aforementioned factors could be detected during the case study, whereas customs paperwork, legal issues, disruptions in the supply chain and fluctuations in the exchange rate were the ones that most affected the company. The results of this work contribute to the body of knowledge by providing evidence for the development of new approaches that seek to mitigate such factors while maintaining the benefits of both lean production and global sourcing

Glial fibrillary acidic protein levels are associated with global histone H4 acetylation after spinal cord injury in rats

Emerging evidence has suggested global histone H4 acetylation status plays an important role in neural plasticity. For instance, the imbalance of this epigenetic marker has been hypothesized as a key factor for the development and progression of several neurological diseases. Likewise, astrocytic reactivity - a wellknown process that markedly influences the tissue remodeling after a central nervous system injury - is crucial for tissue remodeling after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the linkage between the above-mentioned mechanisms after SCI remains poorly understood. We sought to investigate the relation between both glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) (astrocytic reactivity classical markers) and global histone H4 acetylation levels. Sixty-one male Wistar rats (aged ~3 months) were divided into the following groups: sham; 6 hours post-SCI; 24 hours post-SCI; 48 hours post-SCI; 72 hours post-SCI; and 7 days post-SCI. The results suggested that GFAP, but not S100B was associated with global histone H4 acetylation levels. Moreover, global histone H4 acetylation levels exhibited a complex pattern after SCI, encompassing at least three clearly defined phases (first phase: no changes in the 6, 24 and 48 hours post-SCI groups; second phase: increased levels in the 72 hours post-SCI group; and a third phase: return to levels similar to control in the 7 days post-SCI group). Overall, these findings suggest global H4 acetylation levels exhibit distinct patterns of expression during the first week post-SCI, which may be associated with GFAP levels in the perilesional tissue. Current data encourage studies using H4 acetylation as a possible biomarker for tissue remodeling after spinal cord injury