The Role of Strategic Entrepreneurship on Firm Growth: A Case Study from the Turkish Housing Market

A contractor firm, which strategically positioned itself in the housing market as a "sales firm, independent of its industry" introduced a patented product innovation, the Foldhome, to the Turkish housing market in 2010. The idea behind Foldhome was adding a set of social facility areas (or, 'Folds') to core accommodation units which include a bedroom, a living space and wet spaces. The firm gained a commercial success in the branded housing market with an annual turnover about 300.000.000 USD and 400.000.000 USD in 2016 and 2017 respectively. While researchers have reported that a significant portion of the variance in firm growth in construction can be explained by corporate entrepreneurship, empirical evidence on 'how' this process leads to organizational growth is scarce. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study of the Foldhome case which aimed an in-depth investigation of the role of entrepreneurship on firm growth and value creation. A content analysis was conducted to analyze data from 31 in-depth interview with firm managers and employees, according to the input-process-output model of strategic entrepreneurship. A process-based analysis of the case show that leveraging can be a more critical managerial capability than bundling and structuring in the early life cycle phase when young entrepreneurial companies orchestrate their resources for survival, growth and value creation. Paper contributes to construction entrepreneurship literature by unpacking the circumstances under which a holistic entrepreneurship framework that surround a product innovation through the integration of corporate functions. Lessons learned are highlighted for the entrepreneurial contractor companies

Antimicrobial activities, pollen diversity and physicochemical properties of natural honey from Southeastern Anatolia of Turkey

Background: Honey, a natural sweetener, is produced from the nectar of many plants. The pollen diversity, physicochemical properties, and antimicrobial activities were analyzed in honey samples from Mardin (Southeastern Anatolia). Methods: The melissopalynological method was used to identify and enumerate the pollen granules. Analytical methods and agar well diffusion assays were employed for the determination of some quality parameters and the antimicrobial potential of honey samples, respectively. Results: The pollen composition consisted of 27 taxa belonging to 13 families. The origins of all honey were determined as the multifloral sources. The most predominant taxa were mainly Hedysarum sp., Carduus sp., Melissa officinalis, Gossypium hirsitum, Paliurus spina-christi, Salix sp. and Pimpinella anisum. The secondary pollen taxa were Hedysarum sp., Trifolium sp., Astragalus sp., Salix sp., Paliurus spina-christi, Asphodeline sp., Centaurea sp., Carduus sp., Zea mays and Cistus sp., respectively. Asphodeline sp. as a secondary pollen taxon in a honey sample could be considered as the first report. The pH, total acidity, brix, refractive index, electrical conductivity, moisture and L, a, b values of the samples varied from 3.75 to 4.28, 30 to 42, 67.3 to 85.70, 1.45 to 1.50, 12.40 to 31.61, 0.24 to 0.90, 47.81 to 57.59, -0.94 to 4.31, 20.37 to 31.28, respectively. Antimicrobial activities of the honey specimens were also effective on five bacterial species and two yeast species. Conclusions: Honey samples from Southeastern Anatolia revealed a good diversity of pollen granules. The rich multiflora of honey increases not only its nutritional quality as well as antimicrobial potential on various clinically important microorganisms.

Gebze (Kocaeli / Türkiye) Bölgesinde Maruz Kalınan Gama Doz Değerleri ve Kanser Riskinin Değerlendirilmesi

By this study, it is focused to assessment of inhalation quality for Kocaeli province especially Northeast side of Marmara Sea (Gebze county and its territory). In this case, radioactivity analysis in air was realized via air dose rate measurements around this region which is so closed neighbor to big city Istanbul. By measuring of the outdoor gamma dose rates on 35 stations, it was possible to get the average dose rate. Then it was calculated to annual dose in air. Besides, cancer risk was determined for Kocaeli. All these values were compared with the World’s references (UNSCEAR) and reported finally. It was measured the average dose rate as 23.90 $nGyhr^{-1}$ and annual dose was calculated to 29.31 ?Sv. This dose is required to excess lifetime cancer risk as 1.02x$10^{?4}$ . These values could be compared to the similar studies which existed around the world. Finally, the average annual effective dose equivalent and excess lifetime cancer risk for Kocaeli, are less than the world average. This study would be used to a reference for further investigations, besides it will be usefull to compare with different studies for Kocaeli which, will be evaluated in the future, for example after a nuclear pollution, such as based on a reactor leakage comes from Black Sea region and neighbours, nuclear attacks, etc., too. Another benefit would be made to enlarge to find this kind of studies in literature.Bu çalışmada Kocaeli ili, özellikle Marmara Denizi’nin kuzeydoğu tarafı (Gebze ili ve çevresi) gama doz değerleri ile kanser risk değerleri araştırılmıştır. Açık havadaki radyoaktivite analizleri, İstanbul’a yakın olan bu bölge için gama doz hızı ölçümleri ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma alanında 35 bölgede dış ortam gama doz oranları ölçülerek ortalama doz oranı elde etmek mümkün olmuştur. Daha sonra yıllık gama doz değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Ayrıca bu değerler kullanılarak kanser risk değerleri elde edilmiştir. Tüm bu değerler Dünya Referans değerleri (UNSCEAR) ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Analiz sonucunda ortalama gama doz hızı 23.90 $nGyhr^{-1}$ , yıllık doz hızı ise 29.31 ?Sv. Yaşam boyu kanser risk değeri 1.02x$10^{?4}$ olarak hesaplanmıştır. Bu değerler, dünya çapında var olan benzer çalışmalarla karşılaştırılabilir. Sonuç olarak, Kocaeli için ortalama yıllık etkin doz değeri ve yaşam boyu kanser riski değeri dünya ortalamasının altındadır. Bu çalışma, ileride yapılacak araştırmalar için referans olarak kullanılacağı gibi, ileride Kocaeli için farklı çalışmalarla karşılaştırılmasında faydalı olacaktır, örneğin bir nükleer kirlilikten sonra örneğin Karadeniz’den gelen reaktör sızıntısı gibi

Synthesis and Applications of Synthetic Peptides

The synthesis and applications of the peptides are gaining increasing popularity as a result of the developments in biotechnology and bioengineering areas and for a number of research purposes including cancer diagnosis and treatment, antibiotic drug development, epitope mapping, production of antibodies, and vaccine design. The use of synthetic peptides approved by the health authorities for vaccine, for cancer, and in drug delivery systems is increasing with these developments. The aim of this book chapter is to review the recent developments in the use of peptides in the diagnosis of drug and vaccine systems and to present them to the reader with commercially available illustrations

Cental Macular Thickness in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus without Clinical Retinopathy

Objective. To compare central macular thickness (CMT) of diabetic patients with type 2 diabetes without clinical retinopathy and healthy subjects. Materials and Methods. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements were performed in 124 eyes of 62 subjects with diabetes mellitus without clinical retinopathy (study group: 39 females, 23 males; mean age: 55.06 ± 9.77 years) and in 120 eyes of 60 healthy subjects (control group: 35 females, 25 males; mean age: 55.78 ± 10.34 years). Blood biochemistry parameters were analyzed in all cases. The data for central macular thickness (at 1 mm), the levels of fasting plasma glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were compared in both groups. Results. The mean central macular thickness was 232.12 ± 24.41 µm in the study group and 227.19 ± 29.94 µm in the control group. The mean HbA1c level was 8.92 ± 2.58% in the study group and 5.07 ± 0.70% in the control group (P=0.001). No statistically significant relationship was found between CMT, HbA1c, and fasting plasma glucose level in either group (P>0.05). Conclusions. Central macular thickness was not significantly thicker in patients with type 2 diabetes without clinical retinopathy than in healthy subjects

Clinicopathological and survival characteristics of mismatch repair status and PD-1 expression in serous ovarian cancer

Objective: To evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency and its clinical outcomes by performing immunohistochemistry (IHC) for MMR genes in the serous ovarian cancer (SOC) tumour sections.Study Design: A retrospective case-control study. Place and Duration of the Study: Gynecology Department of Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital, and Department of Medical Oncology of Medipol University, between March 2001 and January 2020. Methodology: IHC was carried out for MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 on full-section slides from 127 SOCs to evaluate the MMR status. MMR-negative and MMR-low groups together were defined as MMR deficient and called microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). The MSI status and expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) were compared in SOCs with different MMR statuses. Results: A significantly higher frequency of MMR-deficient SOCs was diagnosed at early stages compared with the patients in the MSS group (38.6% and 20.6%, respectively, p=0.022). The frequency of cases with PD-1 expression was significantly higher in the MSI-H group (76.2%) than in the MSS counterparts (58.8%, p=0.028). Patients in the MSI-H group had significantly longer DFS (25.6 months) and OS (not reached) than those in the MSS group (16 months and 48.9 months, p=0.039 and p=0.026, respectively).Conclusion: MSI-H SOCs were diagnosed at an earlier stage as compared to MMR proficient cases. The presence of PD-1 expres-sion was significantly higher in cases presenting MMR deficiency compared with MMR-proficient cases. MSI status was significantly associated with DFS and OS

Does fetal MR alter the management of pregnancy in the diagnosis of isolated corpus callosum agenesis?

Objective To determine if fetal MR alters the management of pregnancy and family decisions in the isolated corpus callosum agenesis (CCA) cases or not. Methods Fetal MR was carried out in the cases diagnosed with CCA in the Perinatology Unit of our hospital between 2013 and 2019 after they were differentiated as complex and isolated CCA cases. The impact of MR results on the family decisions and their approaches towards termination were assessed. Results A total of 109 out 139 cases were evaluated as isolated CCA. While 93 (85.32%) of them were diagnosed with the complete CCA, 16 (14.68%) cases were diagnosed with the partial CCA. When the period after 2017 during which fetal MR was recommended to all patients was reviewed, it was seen that 7 (23.3%) of 30 cases who underwent fetal MR and 2 (20%) of 10 cases who did not undergo fetal MR terminated their pregnancies. There was no statistical difference between two groups in terms of the decisions of the patients for gestational termination who did and did not undergo fetal MR. Conclusion Fetal MR imaging in the isolated CCA does not change the decisions of the families for the gestational termination. In terms of the termination decision, week of gestation and socio-cultural factors may have more impacts

Comparison of Medpor Coated Tear Drainage Tube versus Silicon Tear Drainage Tube in Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy: Problems and Solutions

Purpose. This study aims at comparing two different types of drainage tubes in conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy, which are used for upper lacrimal system obstruction or damage, with respect to their respective postoperative problems and solutions. Methods. Nineteen eyes of 17 patients who underwent conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) or conjunctivorhinostomy (CR) surgery with a Medpor coated tear drainage tube or silicon tube placement between October, 2010, and February, 2014, were included in this retrospective comparative study. Results. In the initial surgery, Medpor coated tear drainage tubes were used in 11 eyes by CDCR, whereas silicon tear drainage tubes were implanted into 2 eyes by CR and 6 eyes by CDCR. In group 1, proximal and distal obstructions developed postoperatively in 4 eyes, while 1 eye showed tube malposition and 3 eyes developed luminal obstruction by debris 3 times. In group 2, tube extrusion developed in 4 eyes, whereas tube malposition developed in 6 eyes and luminal obstruction by debris developed in 6 eyes at different times, for a total of 20 times. Conclusions. In our study, the most significant complication we observed in the use of silicon tear drainage tubes was tube extrusion,whereas the leading complication related to the use of Medpor coated tear drainage tubes was tube obstruction

A Computational Statistics Approach to Evaluate Blood Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Risk Stratification

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Mammography and tumor biopsy followed by histopathological analysis are the current methods to diagnose breast cancer. Mammography does not detect all breast tumor subtypes, especially those that arise in younger women or women with dense breast tissue, and are more aggressive. There is an urgent need to find circulating prognostic molecules and liquid biopsy methods for breast cancer diagnosis and reducing the mortality rate. In this study, we systematically evaluated metabolites and proteins in blood to develop a pipeline to identify potential circulating biomarkers for breast cancer risk. Our aim is to identify a group of molecules to be used in the design of portable and low-cost biomarker detection devices. We obtained plasma samples from women who are cancer free (healthy) and women who were cancer free at the time of blood collection but developed breast cancer later (susceptible). We extracted potential prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer risk from plasma metabolomics and proteomics data using statistical and discriminative power analyses. We pre-processed the data to ensure the quality of subsequent analyses, and used two main feature selection methods to determine the importance of each molecule. After further feature elimination based on pairwise dependencies, we measured the performance of logistic regression classifier on the remaining molecules and compared their biological relevance. We identified six signatures that predicted breast cancer risk with different specificity and selectivity. The best performing signature had 13 factors. We validated the difference in level of one of the biomarkers, SCF/KITLG, in plasma from healthy and susceptible individuals. These biomarkers will be used to develop low-cost liquid biopsy methods toward early identification of breast cancer risk and hence decreased mortality. Our findings provide the knowledge basis needed to proceed in this direction