International Expansion of ‘Born Digital’ firms “How is the internationalization strategy of ‘Born Digital firms’ influenced by knowledge acquisition and the International orientation of Entrepreneurs?”

This thesis addresses the area of ‘Born Digital Firms’ and their internationalization.Recognizing that these firms are able to expand internationally shortly after inception, or by default, there has been some recognition of an absence of a conceptualized framework explaining how ‘Born Digital Firms’ internationalization strategy is impacted by concepts presented in conventional frameworks such as knowledge acquisition and the International orientation of the entrepreneur. The methodology is built upon a qualitative study with an exploratory approach where seven respondents from ‘Born Digital Firms’ participate in in-depth interviews. In the analysis section of the thesis the empirical findings are combined with the theories presented in the theoretical framework which leads into a discussion section. Followingly, six propositions are suggested which outline the findings of the study and the contributions to the existing literature. The study concludes that the Internationalization Strategy of ‘Born Digital Firms’ is developed by leveraging on the knowledge acquired through the establishment of online and offline foreign business networks. Therefore, the entrepreneurs ability to actively engage with- and being alert to the foreign business environment through an international orientation is emphasized. Though, the study indicates some ambiguity regarding whether the international orientation of entrepreneurs holds higher significance than á priori internationalization experience. Moreover, the thesis is concluded by Managerial implications for practitioners and decision makers within the field of ‘Born Digital Firms’ to make use of the research findings of this thesi

The Protease Inhibitor Alpha-2-Macroglobuline-Like-1 Is the p170 Antigen Recognized by Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Autoantibodies in Human

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a devastating autoimmune blistering disease, involving mucocutaneous and internal organs, and associated with underlying neoplasms. PNP is characterized by the production of autoantibodies targeting proteins of the plakin and cadherin families involved in maintenance of cell architecture and tissue cohesion. Nevertheless, the identity of an antigen of Mr 170,000 (p170), thought to be critical in PNP pathogenesis, has remained unknown

BPAG1a and b Associate with EB1 and EB3 and Modulate Vesicular Transport, Golgi Apparatus Structure, and Cell Migration in C2.7 Myoblasts

BPAG1a and BPAG1b (BPAG1a/b) constitute two major isoforms encoded by the dystonin (Dst) gene and show homology with MACF1a and MACF1b. These proteins are members of the plakin family, giant multi-modular proteins able to connect the intermediate filament, microtubule and microfilament cytoskeletal networks with each other and to distinct cell membrane sites. They also serve as scaffolds for signaling proteins that modulate cytoskeletal dynamics. To gain better insights into the functions of BPAG1a/b, we further characterized their C-terminal region important for their interaction with microtubules and assessed the role of these isoforms in the cytoskeletal organization of C2.7 myoblast cells. Our results show that alternative splicing does not only occur at the 5′ end of Dst and Macf1 pre-mRNAs, as previously reported, but also at their 3′ end, resulting in expression of additional four mRNA variants of BPAG1 and MACF1. These isoform-specific C-tails were able to bundle microtubules and bound to both EB1 and EB3, two microtubule plus end proteins. In the C2.7 cell line, knockdown of BPAG1a/b had no major effect on the organization of the microtubule and microfilament networks, but negatively affected endocytosis and maintenance of the Golgi apparatus structure, which became dispersed. Finally, knockdown of BPAG1a/b caused a specific decrease in the directness of cell migration, but did not impair initial cell adhesion. These data provide novel insights into the complexity of alternative splicing of Dst pre-mRNAs and into the role of BPAG1a/b in vesicular transport, Golgi apparatus structure as well as in migration in C2.7 myoblasts

ETUDE DE LA MALATE DESHYDROGENASE A NADP DE SORGHO (IMPLICATION DE RESIDUS DU SITE ACTIF DANS L'ACTIVATION ET DANS LA SPECIFICITE POUR LE SUBSTRAT ET POUR LE COFACTEUR)

ORSAY-PARIS 11-BU Sciences (914712101) / SudocSudocFranceF

PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE4 Modulates Phytochrome-Mediated Control of Hypocotyl Growth Orientation1[W][OA]

Gravity and light are major factors shaping plant growth. Light perceived by phytochromes leads to seedling deetiolation, which includes the deviation from vertical hypocotyl growth and promotes hypocotyl phototropism. These light responses enhance survival of young seedlings during their emergence from the soil. The PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE (PKS) family is composed of four members in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana): PKS1 to PKS4. Here we show that PKS4 is a negative regulator of both phytochrome A- and B-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl growth and promotion of cotyledon unfolding. Most prominently, pks4 mutants show abnormal phytochrome-modulated hypocotyl growth orientation. In dark-grown seedlings hypocotyls change from the original orientation defined by seed position to the upright orientation defined by gravity and light reduces the magnitude of this shift. In older seedlings with the hypocotyls already oriented by gravity, light promotes the deviation from vertical orientation. Based on the characterization of pks4 mutants we propose that PKS4 inhibits changes in growth orientation under red or far-red light. Our data suggest that in these light conditions PKS4 acts as an inhibitor of asymmetric growth. This hypothesis is supported by the phenotype of PKS4 overexpressers. Together with previous findings, these results indicate that the PKS family plays important functions during light-regulated tropic growth responses