Systemic View of Interorganisational Relationships: An Analysis of Business Networks

Business networks are formed by organisations with common interests. Inter-firm relations can bring to the companies involved an important contribution in the innovation processes: stimulating the division and sharing of scientific and technical information. This union between companies seems to be an appropriate alternative to promote the organisation's effectiveness. Considering the relevance of inter-organisation networks, their consolidation and the need to understand their essence as a mechanism of competitive advantage, this study is a theoretical reflection on the development of business networks and their proliferation. Using multiple perspectives, the paper discusses the classic authors, as well as contemporary references. It also analyzes the concept of networks and their importance, from a system's perspective.The systemic analysis emphasizes a holistic interpretation, considers the environment, the interdependence of the parts and the business inter-organisation actions. More than a theory, the systemic view can be understood as a model of empirical analysis, used to better understand complex phenomena. Considering inter-organisational relations, the systemic approach consists of the mechanism to understand the dynamics of business networks, their interface, especially considering their role in gaining a competitive advantage. The results discussed in this paper can bring a rich understanding of the role of networks for companies that participate in this initiative.Flávia was sponsored in her Ph.D by CAPES, a Foundation subordinated to the Ministry of Education of Brazil.     

Inhibition of phosphatase by open-chain nucleoside analogues in insects

(S)-9-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) adenine (DHPA), D-eritadenine and some other open-chain nucleoside analogues, which exhibit adverse biological effects in microorganisms, plants and animals, cause pronounced inhibition of intestinal phosphatases in the hemipteran insect Pyrrhocoris apterus. The rate of p-nitrophenylphosphate hydrolysis by homogenates from intestinal epithelium and Malpighian tubules was inhibited up to 94% by 2-10 millimolar concentrations of these drugs. This effect is stronger than that of sodium fluoride, which is recognized as a common inhibitor of phosphatase. We conclude that inhibition of phosphatase activity in the digestive and excretory organs may be responsible for the previously reported massive excretion of phosphorylated derivatives of the nucleoside analogues after their oral administration to insects.     

Accumulation of taurine in the nasal mucosa and the olfactory bulb

Using whole-body autoradiography of 14C-taurine in mice we have observed a high concentration in the nasal mucosa followed by accumulation in the olfactory bulb at longer survival times. When 14C-taurine was administered in the nasal cavity unilaterally, a high accumulation was observed in the ipsilateral olfactory bulb.     

Using neural networks for recognizing matching among terms

Some experiments have been carried out in order to identify a class of neural networks that would receive as inputs (n+1) terms {T_l,…T_n.T} and would suggest which T_is are matched by a subterm of T, with varying n. A particular net was found that is able to solve the problem for n=1 with a good degree of accuracy. It is shown that the performance of the net is relatively independent of the size of the training set while it is strongly related to the length of the term T. This net was then used as building block for larger nets that were applied to solve the problem for higher values of n. Results of testing such nets are presented.     

Somatostatin and 3-oxy-methyl-D-glucose (3-OMG) uptake in isolated chicken intestinal epithelial cells

The direct effect of somatostatin on the absorption of 3-oxymethylglucose in epithelial cells isolated from the small intestine of chicken was studied. The presence of somatostatin in the incubation medium at concentrations of 3.5 X 10(-8) M and 7 X 10(-8) M produced significant dose-dependent increases in the accumulation of sugar in the enterocytes. This effect might be due to an increase in the cell membrane permeability caused by hormone action.     

Conversion of phenylalanine to toluene and 2-phenylethanol by the pine engraverIps pini (Say) (Coleoptera,Scolytidae)

Summary The pine engraver,Ips pini (Say), was found to produce toluene and 2-phenylethanol when boring into fresh pine logs. The hypotheses that phenylalanine is a precursor of these compounds and that beetles without their symbiotic microorganisms can perform these conversions were confirmed by treating wild and axencially-reared males and females topically with L-phenyl-d₅-alanine. Extracts of these beetles invariably contained deuterio-toluene, and extracts of males contained deuterio-2-phenylethanol as well.     

Fibronectin binding mediated by a novel class of surface organelles on Escherichia coli

Gram-negative bacteria are known to produce two types of surface organelles: flagella, which are required for motility and chemotaxis, and pili (fimbriae), which play a part in the interaction of bacteria with other bacteria and with eukaryotic host cells. Here we report a third class of E. coli surface organelles for which we propose the name curli. Curli are coiled surface structures composed of a single type of subunit, the curlin, which differs from all known pilin proteins and is synthesized in the absence of a cleavable signal peptide. Although the gene encoding this structural subunit, crl, is present and transcribed in most natural isolates of E. coli, only certain strains are able to assemble the subunit protein into curli. This assembly process occurs preferentially at growth temperatures below 37 degrees C. The ability of curli to mediate binding to fibronectin may be a virulence-associated property for wound colonization and for the colonization of fibronectin-coated surfaces.     

IgE-binding trypsin inhibitors in plant pollen extracts

In an attempt to access the possible role of protease-antiprotease mechanisms of non-immune defence in pollinosis, only low levels of trypsin-, kallikrein- or plasmin-like proteinases could be detected in aqueous pollen extracts. In contrast, several pollen species displayed appreciable trypsin inhibitory activity, e.g.Parietaria, Olea, Ambrosia, Rumex, Chenopodium, Holcus andPoa spp. These proteins of the serpin family of anti-proteinases were found to bind specific IgE-antibodies from the serum of hay fever patients. As examples, the IgE-binding trypsin inhibitors from the pollen ofParietaria judaica andAmbrosia elatior were purified and characterized as acidic proteins with pI 4.2 and a molecular weight of 20–24 kDa.     

Acute 60Co-gamma irradiation of rats decreases the inhibitory effect of succinate on the lipid peroxidation of liver mitochondria

Succinate inhibits NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation of liver mitochondria. This effect of succinate decreased 12 h after whole-body 60Co-gamma irradiation, depending on the dose of irradiation.