Goal structures in family firms: empirical evidence on the relationship between firm and family goals

Goal structures in family firms seems of particular interest to the field as the overall orientation and the objectives of family firms are determined in an area of potential conflict between the two subsystems of firm and family. We asked shareholders of German family firms to rate the importance of certain goals in the organization's management. By doing a principal component analysis on the ratings given, we identified four central categories of goals that permit a much more detailed analysis than would a simple differentiation between family-related and firm-related goals. The differences among organizations in the identified dimensions of short-term and long-term family goals, as well as growth- and value-orientated firm goals are then assessed in more detail. Among other aspects, we found the existence of an advisory board to be the strongest driver of goal preferences along these dimensions. Theoretically, our findings indicate that, depending on family firm characteristics, agency and stewardship theory are both useful in explaining the goals of the relevant systems of family and firm. --family firms,goal preferences,agency theory,stewardship theory

Die Wirkungen von akutem Stress auf Erlernen und Abruf erlernter Handlungs-Ergebnis-Beziehungen

Stress hat umfangreiche Wirkungen auf die Art und Weise wie Menschen und Tiere lernen. In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde untersucht, wie sich akuter Stress, d.h. die kurzzeitige Einwirkung von Stress, auf das Handlungs-Lernen bei Ratten auswirkt. Die erhobenen Daten haben gezeigt, dass Ratten ähnlich wie Menschen reagieren, nämlich indem ihre Handlungen infolge von Stress nicht mehr zielgerichtet, d.h. flexibel, sondern automatisiert, d.h. unflexibel, ausgeführt werden

One-pot synthesis of amino-alcohol using a de novo transketolase: Transaminase pathway in Pichia pastoris strain GS115

Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) is an attractive industrial host cell due to its ability to grow up to 60% wet cell weight (WCW) by volume, a far higher level of biomass than the typical values reached by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This thesis seeks to explore how the genetic tractability and high cell densities characteristic of P. pastoris can be exploited to intensify whole-cell biocatalysis. Chiral amino alcohols such as 2-amino-1,3,4-butanetriol (ABT) are key building blocks of small molecule pharmaceuticals and have previously been produced by whole-cell biocatalysis using cells engineered to overexpress a de novo enzyme pathway consisting of transketolase and transaminase. Within this work, native and foreign P. pastoris transaminases were characterized with respect to their biocatalytic potential. Genomic data mining was performed to explore the GS115 strain genome, allowing the selection of three putative Class III transaminase genes and the construction of overexpressor strains PpTAm107, PpTAm677 and PpTAm410. The well-studied ω-transaminase CV2025 from Chromobacterium violaceum was also successfully engineered to generate two strains; PpTAmCV708 for single expression of CV2025, and PpTAm-TK16 strain for CV2025 co-expression alongside a native transketolase previously characterized for L-erythrulose production. The rapid growth and high biomass characteristics of P. pastoris were successfully exploited for production of ABT by whole-cell biocatalysis. At high cell density, the best performance for the de novo pathway was obtained with the engineered PpTAm-TK16 strain, which tolerated high concentrations of substrate to achieve STY 0.57 g L-1 h-1 of ABT, 40-fold higher than levels previously achieved with E. coli for the same reaction

Supramolecular structure of the OXPHOS system in highly thermogenic tissue of Arum maculatum

The protein complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain associate in defined ways forming supramolecular structures called respiratory supercomplexes or respirasomes. In plants, additional oxidoreductases participate in respiratory electron transport, e.g. the so-called "alternative NAD(P)H dehydrogenases" or an extra terminal oxidase called "alternative oxidase" (AOX). These additional enzymes were previously reported not to form part of respiratory supercomplexes. However, formation of respiratory supercomplexes might indirectly affect "alternative respiration" because electrons can be channeled within the supercomplexes which reduces access of the alternative enzymes towards their electron donating substrates. Here we report an investigation on the supramolecular organization of the respiratory chain in thermogenic Arum maculatum appendix mitochondria, which are known to have a highly active AOX for heat production. Investigations based on mild membrane solubilization by digitonin and protein separation by blue native PAGE revealed a very special organization of the respiratory chain in A. maculatum, which strikingly differs to the one described for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana: (i) complex I is not present in monomeric form but exclusively forms part of a I + III2 supercomplex, (ii) the III2 + IV and I + III2 + IV supercomplexes are detectable but of low abundance, (iii) complex II has fewer subunits than in A. thaliana, and (iv) complex IV is mainly present as a monomer in a larger form termed "complex IVa". Since thermogenic tissue of A. maculatum at the same time has high AOX and I + III2 supercomplex abundance and activity, negative regulation of the alternative oxidase by supercomplex formation seems not to occur. Functional implications are discussed. © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

Neural knowledge assembly in humans and neural networks

Human understanding of the world can change rapidly when new information comes to light, such as when a plot twist occurs in a work of fiction. This flexible "knowledge assembly" requires few-shot reorganization of neural codes for relations among objects and events. However, existing computational theories are largely silent about how this could occur. Here, participants learned a transitive ordering among novel objects within two distinct contexts before exposure to new knowledge that revealed how they were linked. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals in dorsal frontoparietal cortical areas revealed that objects were rapidly and dramatically rearranged on the neural manifold after minimal exposure to linking information. We then adapt online stochastic gradient descent to permit similar rapid knowledge assembly in a neural network model

Passivhaus-Modelle

Ein Passiv-Haus basiert auf einer effektiven Nutzung interner Wärmequellen, wie der Abwärme durch Bewohner und Haushaltsgeräte, sowie der solaren Wärmegewinne, bei zugleich stark reduzierten Transmissionsverlusten. Die Heizung kann somit auf ein Minimum reduziert werden. Mit einem einfachen Modell aus dem weitverbreiteten Styropor und Fermacell wird schüleradäquat das Prinzip der Wärmetransmission veranschaulicht. Mit Hilfe der Simulationssoftware Stella wird die Wärme\-trans\-mission mit zeitabhängiger Heizung simuliert. Die graphische Benutzeroberfläche ermöglicht Schülern, auch ohne detaillierte Kenntnis der mathematischen Grundlagen, komplizierte Phänomene zu analysieren und umzusetzen. Der Vergleich der Simulation und der Ergebnisse der experimentellen Untersuchung des Modellhauses zeigte eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung.Die verringerten Temperaturschwankungen, wie sie auch am Modell belegt werden konnten, und der damit verbundene Komfortgewinn sind neben dem geringeren Energieaufwand wichtige Merkmale des Passiv-Hauses

Two-dimensional blue native/blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the characterization of mitochondrial protein complexes and supercomplexes.

Blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) employs the dye Coomassie for the labeling of proteins and protein complexes under native conditions. Electrophoresis under native conditions subsequently allows resolution of proteins and protein complexes according to their molecular mass. BN-PAGE can be combined with second gel dimensions. Best known is the two-dimensional (2D)-BN/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE system, which allows resolution of subunits of protein complexes. A 2D-BN/BN-PAGE system was developed that proved useful for investigating the substructure of protein complexes and protein supercomplexes. The basis of this 2D system is a variation of the conditions used for the two BN gel dimensions. Here, we present a basic protocol for the analysis of mitochondrial fractions by 2D-BN/BN-PAGE. Because both el dimensions are carried out under native conditions, the 2D-BN/BN system is compatible with in-gel enzyme activity staining

Passivhaus-Modelle

Ein Passiv-Haus basiert auf einer effektiven Nutzung interner Wärmequellen, wie der Abwärme durch Bewohner und Haushaltsgeräte, sowie der solaren Wärmegewinne, bei zugleich stark reduzierten Transmissionsverlusten. Die Heizung kann somit auf ein Minimum reduziert werden. Mit einem einfachen Modell aus dem weitverbreiteten Styropor und Fermacell wird schüleradäquat das Prinzip der Wärmetransmission veranschaulicht. Mit Hilfe der Simulationssoftware Stella wird die Wärme\-trans\-mission mit zeitabhängiger Heizung simuliert. Die graphische Benutzeroberfläche ermöglicht Schülern, auch ohne detaillierte Kenntnis der mathematischen Grundlagen, komplizierte Phänomene zu analysieren und umzusetzen. Der Vergleich der Simulation und der Ergebnisse der experimentellen Untersuchung des Modellhauses zeigte eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung.Die verringerten Temperaturschwankungen, wie sie auch am Modell belegt werden konnten, und der damit verbundene Komfortgewinn sind neben dem geringeren Energieaufwand wichtige Merkmale des Passiv-Hauses

L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GLDH) forms part of three subcomplexes of mitochondrial complex I in Arabidopsis thaliana

L-Galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GLDH) catalyzes the terminal step of the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway for vitamin C (L-ascorbate) biosynthesis in plants. A GLDH in gel activity assay was developed to biochemically investigate GLDH localization in plant mitochondria. It previously has been shown that GLDH forms part of an 850-kDa complex that represents a minor form of the respiratory NADH dehydrogenase complex (complex I). Because accumulation of complex I is disturbed in the absence of GLDH, a role of this enzyme in complex I assembly has been proposed. Here we report that GLDH is associated with two further protein complexes. Using native gel electrophoresis procedures in combination with the in gel GLDH activity assay and immunoblotting, two mitochondrial complexes of 470 and 420 kDa were identified. Both complexes are of very low abundance. Protein identifications by mass spectrometry revealed that they include subunits of complex I. Finally, the 850-kDa complex was further investigated and shown to include the complete "peripheral arm" of complex I. GLDH is attached to a membrane domain, which represents a major fragment of the "membrane arm" of complex I. Taken together, our data further support a role of GLDH during complex I formation, which is based on its binding to specific assembly intermediates.Instituto de Fisiología Vegeta

L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GLDH) forms part of three subcomplexes of mitochondrial complex I in Arabidopsis thaliana

L-Galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GLDH) catalyzes the terminal step of the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway for vitamin C (L-ascorbate) biosynthesis in plants. A GLDH in gel activity assay was developed to biochemically investigate GLDH localization in plant mitochondria. It previously has been shown that GLDH forms part of an 850-kDa complex that represents a minor form of the respiratory NADH dehydrogenase complex (complex I). Because accumulation of complex I is disturbed in the absence of GLDH, a role of this enzyme in complex I assembly has been proposed. Here we report that GLDH is associated with two further protein complexes. Using native gel electrophoresis procedures in combination with the in gel GLDH activity assay and immunoblotting, two mitochondrial complexes of 470 and 420 kDa were identified. Both complexes are of very low abundance. Protein identifications by mass spectrometry revealed that they include subunits of complex I. Finally, the 850-kDa complex was further investigated and shown to include the complete "peripheral arm" of complex I. GLDH is attached to a membrane domain, which represents a major fragment of the "membrane arm" of complex I. Taken together, our data further support a role of GLDH during complex I formation, which is based on its binding to specific assembly intermediates