Innovation in an emerging economy : firm-level evidence from Turkey

The emerging economy (EE) of Turkey is one of the leading economic and financial centers between Europe and Asia. The country’s unique location and close proximity to both economically advanced as well as emerging neighboring markets provides many business opportunities for its domestic firms and multinational enterprises (MNEs). Nevertheless, the globalized world economy and increasing foreign direct investments (FDIs) from MNEs have intensified the economic competition within the domestic market and put additional pressure on Turkish firms. Turkey is thus facing the major challenge of simultaneously supporting its domestic corporate landscape in upgrading and innovation strategies, increasingly investing in a knowledge and technology-based economic development and continuing to be an attractive location for further FDIs. Therefore, the questions arise as to how different types of firms operate in this highly dynamic environment, what kind of internationalization and innovation strategies firms pursue and what role university-industry collaborations (UICs) and national policy play. Employing a mixed-method approach to answer these research questions, I hence conduct a firm-level survey of the manufacturing industry in Istanbul and interview several local research and development (R&D) experts from universities, firms and politics. Consequently, I examine the regional setting for innovation activities of the differentiated corporate landscape in Istanbul. With this thesis, I thus contribute to the understanding of distinct firm characteristics, varying internationalization motives and usage of domestic political support, the interplay between R&D resources, innovation success and internationalization strategies, as well as perceived barriers of using UICs for achieving innovation. Moreover, the study provides separate findings for three diverse types of firms: domestic Turkish firms, Turkish MNEs and foreign MNEs. In this regard, domestic Turkish firms notably benefit from tax incentives and increased contact to collaboration partners and workforce, primarily target advanced markets and use their internal R&D resources to successfully achieve innovation. Turkish MNEs particularly profit from investment and export incentives, target economically advanced markets and use their internal R&D capacities as well as external market knowledge for achieving innovation. Foreign MNEs likewise benefit from investment and export incentives, from establishing political connections in Turkey and make use of external market knowledge as a key factor for their innovation success. In terms of perceived barriers to UICs, insufficient knowledge about UICs opportunities as well as insufficient financial political support or incentives for UICs are the two main obstacles that inhibit the use of UICs for achieving innovation over all types of firms. On basis of the survey results and contextual insights from my interviews, I provide several theoretical and policy implications to the growing literature of the EEs research field

Poly-Sarcosine and Poly(ethylene-glycol) interactions with proteins investigated using molecular dynamics simulations

Nanoparticles coated with hydrophilic polymers often show a reduction in unspecific interactions with the biological environment, which improves their biocompatibility. The molecular determinants of this reduction are not very well understood yet, and their knowledge may help improving nanoparticle design. Here we address, using molecular dynamics simulations, the interactions of human serum albumin, the most abundant serum protein, with two promising hydrophilic polymers used for the coating of therapeutic nanoparticles, poly(ethylene-glycol) and poly-sarcosine. By simulating the protein immersed in a polymer-water mixture, we show that the two polymers have a very similar affinity for the protein surface, both in terms of the amount of polymer adsorbed and also in terms of the type of amino acids mainly involved in the interactions. We further analyze the kinetics of adsorption and how it affects the polymer conformations. Minor differences between the polymers are observed in the thickness of the adsorption layer, that are related to the different degree of flexibility of the two molecules. In comparison poly-alanine, an isomer of poly-sarcosine known to self-aggregate and induce protein aggregation, shows a significantly larger affinity for the protein surface than PEG and PSar, which we show to be related not to a different patterns of interactions with the protein surface, but to the different way the polymer interacts with water

Innovation success in an emerging economy: A comparison of R&D-oriented companies in Turkey

Knowledge and innovation capacities are unevenly distributed on a global scale, with national or regional settings playing a crucial role when it comes to the production and usage of knowledge. In particular, emerging economies are less equipped with relevant institutions and resources, meaning that firms residing in such contexts are likewise dealing with lacking innovation capabilities. However, achieving innovation is highly relevant for the economic development of firms and regions. Therefore, we aim to identify key factors for innovation strategies in a differentiated corporate landscape that might affect innovation success. Survey data from the innovative segment of 225 manufacturing firms in Istanbul is used in a two-step methodological approach. We apply dimension reduction through principal component analysis and use the resulting components in logistic regression analysis to estimate their effects on firms’ innovation success. The results reveal not only important findings about factors for the innovation success of firms, but also highly relevant insights about firms’ innovation strategies. The usage of internal and external R&D resources varies with firm type. In addition, we find that external R&D resources determine firms’ internationalization strategies. Hereof, we suggest policy implications for distinct firm types to support diverse innovation strategies and consequently innovation success. © The Authors. Growth and Change published by Wiley Periodicals LLC

Two-dimensional crossover and strong coupling of plasmon excitations in arrays of one-dimensional atomic wires

The collective electronic excitations of arrays of Au chains on regularly stepped Si(553) and Si(775) surfaces were studied using electron loss spectroscopy with simultaneous high energy and momentum resolution (ELS-LEED) in combination with low energy electron diffraction (SPA-LEED) and tunneling microscopy. Both surfaces contain a double chain of gold atoms per terrace. Although one-dimensional metallicity and plasmon dispersion is observed only along the wires, two-dimensional effects are important, since plasmon dispersion explicitly depends both on the structural motif of the wires and the terrace width. The electron density on each terrace turns out to be modulated, as seen by tunneling spectroscopy (STS). The effective wire width of 7.5\,\AA\ for Si(553)-Au -- 10.2\,\AA\ for Si(775)-Au -- , determined from plasmon dispersion is in good agreement with STS data. Clear evidence for coupling between wires is seen beyond nearest neighbor coupling.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Posttraumatische Störungen bei Patienten mit Erkrankungen aus dem schizophrenen Formenkreis

Background. The findings of internation- al studies suggest high rates of interperson- al violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Only few studies, how- ever, have so far been conducted in the Ger- man-speaking countries. Objectives. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of lifetime experi- ences of interpersonal violence and comor- bid PTSD among inpatients in a German uni- versity hospital. Method. In N=145 consecutively admitted patients with schizophrenia spectrum disor- ders (67% male) the structured trauma in- terview (STI) was used to assess experiences of interpersonal violence and the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID) to assess comorbid PTSD. Results. Sexual violence under the age of 16 years was reported by 17% of the patients (women 27%, men 12%). Approximately one third (32%) reported physical violence by pa- rental figures (women 38%, men 29%). At least one form of early violence (sexual or physical) was reported by half of the women (48%) and one third of the men (34%). Neg- ative sexual experiences later in life were re- ported by 17%, physical violence by 38% and at least one of these forms by 48% of the pa- tients. In total two thirds of all patients (66%) reported experiences of violence during their lifetime. The prevalence of acute PTSD was 12%. Another 9% of patients had a subsyn- dromal PTSD. Conclusion. The present study confirmed the high rates of experiences of interperson- al violence and comorbid PTSD in a German sample of patients with schizophrenia spec- trum disorders. Violence and it's consequenc- es should therefore be routinely assessed and the full spectrum of trauma-specific therapies should be integrated into the treatment of this group of patients

From Lab to Pilot Scale: Commissioning of an Integrated Device for the Generation of Crystals

Fast time-to-market, increased efficiency, and flexibility of production processes are major motivators for the development of integrated, continuous apparatuses with short changeover times. Following this trend, the modular belt crystallizer was developed and characterized in lab scale with the model system sucrose-water. Based on the promising results, the plant concept was upscaled and commissioned in industrial environment. The results are presented within the scope of this work. Starting from small seed crystals in solution, it was possible to grow, separate, and dry product particles. Further, the conducted experiments demonstrated that it is feasible to transfer the results from laboratory to pilot scale, which in turn enables accelerated process design as well as development

Non-replication of an association of CTNNBL1 polymorphisms and obesity in a population of Central European ancestry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A recent genome-wide association (GWA) study of U.S. Caucasians suggested that eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in <it>CTNNBL1 </it>are associated with obesity and increased fat mass. We analysed the respective SNPs in data from our previously published GWA for early onset obesity (case-control design), in GWA data from a population-based cohort of adults, and in an independent family-based obesity study. We investigated whether variants in <it>CTNNBL1 </it>(including rs6013029) and in three other genes (<it>SH3PXD2B</it>, <it>SLIT3 </it>and <it>FLJ42133</it>,) were associated with obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The GWA studies were carried out using Affymetrix^®SNP Chips with approximately 500,000 markers each. In the families, SNP rs6013029 was genotyped using the TaqMan^®allelic discrimination assay. The German case-control GWA included 487 extremely obese children and adolescents and 442 healthy lean individuals. The adult GWA included 1,644 individuals from a German population-based study (KORA). The 775 independent German families consisted of extremely obese children and adolescents and their parents.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found no evidence for an association of the reported variants in <it>CTNNBL1 </it>with early onset obesity or increased BMI. Further, in our family-based study we found no evidence for over-transmission of the rs6013029 risk-allele T to obese children. Additionally, we found no evidence for an association of <it>SH3PXD2B</it>, <it>SLIT3 and FLJ42133 </it>variants in our two GWA samples.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We detected no confirmation of the recent association of variants in <it>CTNNBL1 </it>with obesity in a population of Central European ancestry.</p

Lack of association of genetic variants in genes of the endocannabinoid system with anorexia nervosa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several lines of evidence indicate that the central cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) as well as the major endocannabinoid degrading enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase (NAAA) and monoglyceride lipase (MGLL) are implicated in mediating the orexigenic effects of cannabinoids. The aim of this study was to analyse whether nucleotide sequence variations in the <it>CNR1</it>, <it>FAAH</it>, <it>NAAA </it>and <it>MGLL </it>genes are associated with anorexia nervosa (AN).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analysed the association of a previously described (AAT)n repeat in the 3' flanking region of CNR1 as well as a total of 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) representative of regions with restricted haplotype diversity in <it>CNR1</it>, <it>FAAH</it>, <it>NAAA </it>or <it>MGLL </it>in up to 91 German AN trios (patient with AN and both biological parents) using the transmission-disequilibrium-test (TDT). One SNP was additionally analysed in an independent case-control study comprising 113 patients with AN and 178 normal weight controls. Genotyping was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, ARMS-PCR or using 3730xl capillary sequencers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The TDT revealed no evidence for association for any of the SNPs or the (AAT)n repeat with AN (all two-sided uncorrected p-values > 0.05). The lowest p-value of 0.11 was detected for the A-allele of the <it>CNR1 </it>SNP rs1049353 for which the transmission rate was 59% (95% confidence interval 47%...70%). Further genotyping of rs1049353 in 113 additional independent patients with AN and 178 normal weight controls could not substantiate the initial trend for association (p = 1.00).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As we found no evidence for an association of genetic variation in <it>CNR1</it>, <it>FAAH, NAAA and MGLL </it>with AN, we conclude that genetic variations in these genes do not play a major role in the etiology of AN in our study groups.</p