Relationship Value, Trust And Supplier Retention In South African Automotive Supply Chains

Suppliers have a particular role to play in assuring competitiveness in supply chains. This article investigates the relationship between first and second tier suppliers in automotive supply chains in South Africa. Automotive component suppliers (first tier suppliers to assemblers (OEMS) such as Toyota) should make an extra effort to retain their suppliers (second tier), particularly suppliers of strategic parts, to assure the best value adding by the suppliers in the highly competitive supply chain landscape. To assure best value from suppliers they need to be retained in an active trusting, long term, collaborative relationship.  The more the customer trusts the supplier, the higher the perceived value of the relationship and the more likely parties will work together to retain the business relationship. The aim of this quantitative study amongst first tier suppliers is to obtain more insight into the relationships and the hierarchical correlation between the relationship value, trust and supplier retention in automotive supply chains in South Africa. With a regression analysis it was found that both trust and relationship value are substantial predictors of supplier retention, but trust is more important for supplier retention

Classical trajectories in quantum transport at the band center of bipartite lattices with or without vacancies

Here we report on several anomalies in quantum transport at the band center of a bipartite lattice with vacancies that are surely due to its chiral symmetry, namely: no weak localization effect shows up, and, when leads have a single channel the transmission is either one or zero. We propose that these are a consequence of both the chiral symmetry and the large number of states at the band center. The probability amplitude associated to the eigenstate that gives unit transmission ressembles a classical trajectory both with or without vacancies. The large number of states allows to build up trajectories that elude the blocking vacancies explaining the absence of weak localization.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

eIF4E3 forms an active eIF4F complex during stresses (eIF4FS) targeting mTOR and re-programs the translatome.

The eIF4E are a family of initiation factors that bind the mRNA 5' cap, regulating the proteome and the cellular phenotype. eIF4E1 mediates global translation and its activity is controlled via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. mTOR down-regulation results in eIF4E1 sequestration into an inactive complex with the 4E binding proteins (4EBPs). The second member, eIF4E2, regulates the translatome during hypoxia. However, the exact function of the third member, eIF4E3, has remained elusive. We have dissected its function using a range of techniques. Starting from the observation that it does not interact with 4EBP1, we demonstrate that eIF4E3 recruitment into an eIF4F complex occurs when Torin1 inhibits the mTOR pathway. Ribo-seq studies demonstrate that this complex (eIF4FS) is translationally active during stress and that it selects specific mRNA populations based on 5' TL (UTR) length. The interactome reveals that it associates with cellular proteins beyond the cognate initiation factors, suggesting that it may have 'moon-lighting' functions. Finally, we provide evidence that cellular metabolism is altered in an eIF4E3 KO background but only upon Torin1 treatment. We propose that eIF4E3 acts as a second branch of the integrated stress response, re-programming the translatome to promote 'stress resistance' and adaptation

O ‘Darwinismo Social’ Perante a Questão da Assistência

Tendo como referência o quadro de miséria/ pauperismo do século XIX, o propósito crítico deste ensaio é a influência da teoria darwinista na questão social. Após um breve enquadramento dessas reflexões, no quadro da problemática da pobreza, a ênfase é colocada no pensamento de Herbert Spencer que advogava os aspectos positivos da pobreza enquanto instrumento de selecção dos menos capazes. O que está em causa, para o autor deste artigo, é demonstrar como esses mesmos argumentos spencerianos emergiram em defesa de um posicionamento crítico no quadro de qualquer tipo de intervenção assistencial. / In the context of the 19th century framework of misery/pauperism, the critical purpose of this article is the influence of the Darwinian theory on the social question. After a brief framing of those reflections, the emphasis is placed on the thought of Herbert Spencer about what he considered the positive aspects of poverty as a selection instrument of the less capable. What is at question, for the author of this article, is to demonstrate how the Spencerian thought on poverty defend, in fact, a critical position in the field of any kind of assistance intervention

Supersymmetric Dissipative Quantum Mechanics from Superstrings

Following the approach of Callan and Thorlacius applied to the superstring, we derive a supersymmetric extension of the non-local dissipative action of Caldeira and Leggett. The dissipative term turns out to be invariant under a group of superconformal transformations. When added to the usual kinetic term, it provides an example of supersymmetric dissipative quantum mechanics. As a by-product of our analysis, an intriguing connection to the homeotic/hybrid fermion model, proposed for CPT violation in neutrinos, appears.Comment: Latex, 16 page

Didactic Software for Autistic Children

In this paper we describe the aims and requirements of a project devoted to designing and developing Open Source didactic Software (SW) for children in the autism disorder spectrum, conforming to the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) learning technique. In this context, participatory design with therapists and child?s parents is necessary to ensure a usable product that responds to these children?s special needs and respects education principles and constraints of the ABA methodology

The detection of Gravitational Waves

This chapter is concerned with the question: how do gravitational waves (GWs) interact with their detectors? It is intended to be a theory review of the fundamental concepts involved in interferometric and acoustic (Weber bar) GW antennas. In particular, the type of signal the GW deposits in the detector in each case will be assessed, as well as its intensity and deconvolution. Brief reference will also be made to detector sensitivity characterisation, including very summary data on current state of the art GW detectors.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, LaTeX2e, Springer style files --included. For Proceedings of the ERE-2001 Conference (Madrid, September 2001

Simulations of the Static Friction Due to Adsorbed Molecules

The static friction between crystalline surfaces separated by a molecularly thin layer of adsorbed molecules is calculated using molecular dynamics simulations. These molecules naturally lead to a finite static friction that is consistent with macroscopic friction laws. Crystalline alignment, sliding direction, and the number of adsorbed molecules are not controlled in most experiments and are shown to have little effect on the friction. Temperature, molecular geometry and interaction potentials can have larger effects on friction. The observed trends in friction can be understood in terms of a simple hard sphere model.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure