Impact of Six Sigma in a developing economy: analysis on benefits drawn by Indian industries

Overall operational excellence is the key requirement of any business to have global competence and sustained growth. Indian industries are not the exception to this. Six Sigma has emerged as one of the most effective business improvement strategies world wide. Nothing much has been published so far illustrating an overall experience of Indian industries with Six Sigma. This paper presents an analysis of the impact of Six Sigma on developing economy like India. The paper provides an insight into what kind of benefits Indian industries are gaining from Six Sigma as a whole. The study further highlights similarity and differences of benefit gained by different scales and sectors of Indian industries through Six Sigma. This exhaustive analysis of the benefits drawn by Indian industries through Six Sigma can assist other industries in India as well as those in other developing countries, who have yet not experimented with Six Sigma, to become more focused regarding their expectations from this improvement drivePeer Reviewe

Mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex generates reactive oxygen species

Mitochondria-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to contribute to cell death caused by a multitude of pathological conditions. The molecular sites of mitochondrial ROS production are not well established but are generally thought to be located in complex I and complex III of the electron transport chain. We measured H 2 O 2 production, respiration, and NADPH reduction level in rat brain mitochondria oxidizing a variety of respiratory substrates. Under conditions of maximum respiration induced with either ADP or carbonyl cyanide p -trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, � -ketoglutarate supported the highest rate of H 2 O 2 production. In the absence of ADP or in the presence of rotenone, H 2 O 2 production rates correlated with the reduction level of mitochondrial NADPH with various substrates, with the exception of � -ketoglutarate. Isolated mitochondrial � -ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDHC) and pyruvate dehy- drogenase (PDHC) complexes produced superoxide and H 2 O 2 . NAD � inhibited ROS production by the isolated enzymes and by perme- abilized mitochondria. We also measured H 2 O 2 production by brain mitochondria isolated from heterozygous knock-out mice deficient in dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (Dld). Although this enzyme is a part of both KGDHC and PDHC, there was greater impairment of KGDHC activity in Dld-deficient mitochondria. These mitochondria also produced significantly less H 2 O 2 than mitochondria isolated from their littermate wild-type mice. The data strongly indicate that KGDHC is a primary site of ROS production in normally functioning mitochondria

Cloning and cDNA sequence of the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component of human ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes

cDNA clones comprising the entire coding region for human dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (dihydrolipoamide:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.8.1.4) have been isolated from a human liver cDNA library. The cDNA sequence of the largest clone consisted of 2082 base pairs and contained a 1527-base open reading frame that encodes a precursor dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase of 509 amino acid residues. The first 35-amino acid residues of the open reading frame probably correspond to a typical mitochondrial import leader sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence of the mature protein, starting at the residue number 36 of the open reading frame, is almost identical (greater than 98% homology) with the known partial amino acid sequence of the pig heart dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase. The cDNA clone also contains a 3' untranslated region of 505 bases with an unusual polyadenylylation signal (TATAAA) and a short poly(A) track. By blot-hybridization analysis with the cDNA as probe, two mRNAs, 2.2 and 2.4 kilobases in size, have been detected in human tissues and fibroblasts, whereas only one mRNA (2.4 kilobases) was detected in rat tissues

How Unpopular Policies are Made: Examples from South Africa, Singapore, and Bangladesh

In this article we contribute to the emerging knowledge on migration policy?making in two ways. Firstly, we address the relative lack of research on the gendered nature of migration policy?making. Secondly we contribute to understanding migration policymaking in postcolonial contexts. Based on case studies from Bangladesh, South Africa, and Singapore, we trace the drivers of policy change in these contexts and how the gendered vulnerability of the intended beneficiaries impacted the policy process. We found that there were four main drivers of migration policy?making in each of the countries. They were: the role?players in the policy change process, the debates that shaped the policy change, the research involved, and the political context in which the policy change took place. While our research drew on existing policy frameworks, it also showed that policy development is shaped by complex socio?political conditions.DFIDMigrating out of Povert

Impact of Six Sigma in a developing economy: analysis on benefits drawn by Indian industries

Overall operational excellence is the key requirement of any business to have global competence and sustained growth. Indian industries are not the exception to this. Six Sigma has emerged as one of the most effective business improvement strategies world wide. Nothing much has been published so far illustrating an overall experience of Indian industries with Six Sigma. This paper presents an analysis of the impact of Six Sigma on developing economy like India. The paper provides an insight into what kind of benefits Indian industries are gaining from Six Sigma as a whole. The study further highlights similarity and differences of benefit gained by different scales and sectors of Indian industries through Six Sigma. This exhaustive analysis of the benefits drawn by Indian industries through Six Sigma can assist other industries in India as well as those in other developing countries, who have yet not experimented with Six Sigma, to become more focused regarding their expectations from this improvement drivePeer Reviewe

Cerebral Developmental Abnormalities in a Mouse with Systemic Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency.

UNLABELLEDPyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex (PDC) deficiency is an inborn error of pyruvate metabolism causing a variety of neurologic manifestations. Systematic analyses of development of affected brain structures and the cellular processes responsible for their impairment have not been performed due to the lack of an animal model for PDC deficiency.METHODSIn the present study we investigated a murine model of systemic PDC deficiency by interrupting the X-linked Pdha1 gene encoding the α subunit of PDH to study its role on brain development and behavioral studies.RESULTSMale embryos died prenatally but heterozygous females were born. PDC activity was reduced in the brain and other tissues in female progeny compared to age-matched control females. Immunohistochemical analysis of several brain regions showed that approximately 40% of cells were PDH(-). The oxidation of glucose to CO2 and incorporation of glucose-carbon into fatty acids were reduced in brain slices from 15 day-old PDC-deficient females. Histological analyses showed alterations in several structures in white and gray matters in 35 day-old PDC-deficient females. Reduction in total cell number and reduced dendritic arbors in Purkinje neurons were observed in PDC-deficient females. Furthermore, cell proliferation, migration and differentiation into neurons by newly generated cells were reduced in the affected females during pre- and postnatal periods. PDC-deficient mice had normal locomotor activity in a novel environment but displayed decreased startle responses to loud noises and there was evidence of abnormal pre-pulse inhibition of the startle reflex.CONCLUSIONSThe results show that a reduction in glucose metabolism resulting in deficit in energy production and fatty acid biosynthesis impairs cellular differentiation and brain development in PDC-deficient mice

Maternal Pea Protein Intake Provides Sex-Specific Protection against Dyslipidemia in Offspring from Obese Pregnancies

Increased consumption of dietary pulse protein has been shown to assist in body weight regulation and improve a range of metabolic health outcomes. We investigated if the exchange of casein for yellow pea protein (YPPN) in an obese-inducing maternal diet throughout pregnancy and lactation offered protection against obesity and dyslipidemia in offspring. Sixty female Sprague Dawley rats were fed a low-calorie control diet (CON), a high-caloric obesity-inducing diet (with casein protein (CP), HC-CP), or an isocaloric/macronutrient-matched HC diet supplemented with YPPN isolate (HC-PPN) in pre-pregnancy, gestation, and lactation. Body weight (BW) and metabolic outcomes were assessed in male and female offspring at weaning and in adulthood after consuming the CON diet in the postnatal period. Consumption of the HC-PPN diet did not protect against maternal obesity but did improve reproductive success compared with the HC-CP group (72.7% versus 43.7%) and reduced total energy, fat, and protein in maternal milk. Male, but not female, offspring from mothers fed the HC-CP diet demonstrated hyperphagia, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation as adults compared with CON offspring. Isocaloric exchange of CP for YPPN in a high-calorie obese-inducing diet did not protect against obesity but did improve several aspects of lipid metabolism in adult male offspring including serum total cholesterol, LDL/VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), and hepatic TG concentration. Our results suggest that the exchange of CP for YPPN in a maternal obese-inducing diet selectively protects male offspring from the malprogramming of lipid metabolism in adulthood