Trends In Australian Fresh Milk Supply Chains

The completion of the dairy industry deregulation process in June 2000 is transforming the fresh milk and fresh milk products supply chains in Australia. This transformation is set in an environment where markets are getting more complex and competitive, consumers more discerning and conscious about food safety and public policy is more focused on environment related issues. Supply chains are becoming more integrated, and innovation in product, process and supply chains is revolutionising the way products are being produced, distributed and marketed (Fearne & David 1999). This paper is based on research which, following supply chain management literature, identifies the success strategies in the dairy industry supply chains in Australia. The enquiry seeks to understand the nature and shape of supply chains and the exchange relationship between supply and value chains. The fieldwork for the research involved semi-structured interviews at middle to senior management level in the retail, processing, production and input market of the dairy industry supply chains. The data was managed and analysed using software NVivo ver. 2.0, which assists in identifying major themes and relationships between concepts in data

Success Strategies Being Implemented In Fresh Milk Supply Chains

Deregulation of the Australian dairy industry, and ensuing supermarket strategies are transforming the fresh milk supply chains. Factors such as increasing consumer awareness, concerns about food safety and environment, innovation, supply chain integration and rationalisation of supply base are adding momentum to this transformation. Milk processors in response to changing market expectations are getting proactive in their relationship with retailers across all aspects of business, innovating to generate sufficient returns from proprietary brands and strategically orienting themselves to develop a mixed customer portfolio and appropriate management structures to service that portfolio. Milk producers are expanding businesses to achieve production and cost efficiencies and strengthening contractual relationships on input and output side for a greater security

Milk Producers Managing Market Risks In A Deregulated Environment

Changes within the supply chain as a result of deregulation have resulted in substantial new risks for milk producers. To grow in this dynamic and transitory environment, milk producers will become more responsive players in the supply chain. The strategic goal will be an effective leverage of the internal resources, buyers, suppliers and competitors to appropriate and accumulate optimal value from the supply chain. It will require effective internal and external assets management, relational competence management and superior operational performance

Dynamics Of Australian Dairy-Food Supply Chain: Strategic Options For Participants In A Deregulated Environment

Following deregulation, participants in Australian dairy-food supply chains are confronted with a more complex and rapidly changing environment. In a study conducted between March 2002 and April 2003, major supermarkets emerged as the dominant power in chain development, with a trend towards greater interdependence and coordination between the chain participants. Future supply chain development will depend on the capabilities of the chain participants in operational and strategic management within the firm, and also in successfully negotiating linkages within the chains. In addition the organizational structures of both the firms and the chains need to be responsive to changing end-user needs and the dynamic business environment

Peripheral nerve morphology and intraneural blood flow in chronic kidney disease with and without diabetes

Introduction/Aims: Sonographic alterations of peripheral nerves in pre-dialytic kidney disease are yet to be determined. We aimed to assess peripheral nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) and intraneural blood flow in patients with pre-dialytic chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods: Subjects with CKD (n = 20) or DKD (n = 20) underwent ultrasound to assess CSA of the median and tibial nerves as well as intraneural blood flow of the median nerve. Blood flow was quantified using maximum perfusion intensity. Neuropathy was assessed using the Total Neuropathy Score. A 6-m timed walk test was also performed. Healthy controls (n = 28) were recruited for comparison. Results: The DKD group had more severe neuropathy (p =.024), larger tibial nerve CSA (p =.002) and greater median nerve blood flow than the CKD group (p =.023). Blood flow correlated with serum potassium in disease groups (r = 0.652, p =.022). Disease groups had larger tibial nerve CSA than controls (p <.05). No blood flow was detected in controls. Tibial nerve enlargement was associated with slower maximal walking speeds in disease groups (r = −0.389, p =.021). Discussion: Subjects with DKD demonstrated enlarged tibial nerve CSA and increased median nerve blood flow compared to those with CKD. Elevations in serum potassium were associated with increased blood flow. Sonographic alterations were detectable in pre-dialytic kidney disease compared to controls, highlighting the utility of ultrasound in the assessment of nerve pathology in these patient groups

Evidence of Altered Peripheral Nerve Function in a Rodent Model of Diet-Induced Prediabetes.

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a debilitating complication of diabetes that affects >50% of patients. Recent evidence suggests that obesity and metabolic disease, which often precede diabetes diagnosis, may influence PN onset and severity. We examined this in a translationally relevant model of prediabetes induced by a cafeteria (CAF) diet in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 15 CAF versus n = 15 control). Neuropathy phenotyping included nerve conduction, tactile sensitivity, intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) and nerve excitability testing, an in vivo measure of ion channel function and membrane potential. Metabolic phenotyping included body composition, blood glucose and lipids, plasma hormones and inflammatory cytokines. After 13 weeks diet, CAF-fed rats demonstrated prediabetes with significantly elevated fasting blood glucose, insulin and impaired glucose tolerance as well as obesity and dyslipidemia. Nerve conduction, tactile sensitivity and IENFD did not differ; however, superexcitability was significantly increased in CAF-fed rats. Mathematical modeling demonstrated this was consistent with a reduction in sodium-potassium pump current. Moreover, superexcitability correlated positively with insulin resistance and adiposity, and negatively with fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In conclusion, prediabetic rats over-consuming processed, palatable foods demonstrated altered nerve function that preceded overt PN. This work provides a relevant model for pathophysiological investigation of diabetic complications

Expression of P. falciparum var Genes Involves Exchange of the Histone Variant H2A.Z at the Promoter

Plasmodium falciparum employs antigenic variation to evade the human immune response by switching the expression of different variant surface antigens encoded by the var gene family. Epigenetic mechanisms including histone modifications and sub-nuclear compartmentalization contribute to transcriptional regulation in the malaria parasite, in particular to control antigenic variation. Another mechanism of epigenetic control is the exchange of canonical histones with alternative variants to generate functionally specialized chromatin domains. Here we demonstrate that the alternative histone PfH2A.Z is associated with the epigenetic regulation of var genes. In many eukaryotic organisms the histone variant H2A.Z mediates an open chromatin structure at promoters and facilitates diverse levels of regulation, including transcriptional activation. Throughout the asexual, intraerythrocytic lifecycle of P. falciparum we found that the P. falciparum ortholog of H2A.Z (PfH2A.Z) colocalizes with histone modifications that are characteristic of transcriptionally-permissive euchromatin, but not with markers of heterochromatin. Consistent with this finding, antibodies to PfH2A.Z co-precipitate the permissive modification H3K4me3. By chromatin-immunoprecipitation we show that PfH2A.Z is enriched in nucleosomes around the transcription start site (TSS) in both transcriptionally active and silent stage-specific genes. In var genes, however, PfH2A.Z is enriched at the TSS only during active transcription in ring stage parasites. Thus, in contrast to other genes, temporal var gene regulation involves histone variant exchange at promoter nucleosomes. Sir2 histone deacetylases are important for var gene silencing and their yeast ortholog antagonises H2A.Z function in subtelomeric yeast genes. In immature P. falciparum parasites lacking Sir2A or Sir2B high var transcription levels correlate with enrichment of PfH2A.Z at the TSS. As Sir2A knock out parasites mature the var genes are silenced, but PfH2A.Z remains enriched at the TSS of var genes; in contrast, PfH2A.Z is lost from the TSS of de-repressed var genes in mature Sir2B knock out parasites. This result indicates that PfH2A.Z occupancy at the active var promoter is antagonized by PfSir2A during the intraerythrocytic life cycle. We conclude that PfH2A.Z contributes to the nucleosome architecture at promoters and is regulated dynamically in active var genes