Emergence of nano S&T in Germany : network formation and company performance

This article investigates the emergence of nano S&T in Germany. Using multiple longitudinal data sets, we describe the complete set of research institutions and companies that entered this science-based technology field and the development of their inter-organisational networks between 1991 and 2000. We demonstrate that the co-publication network is a core-periphery structure in which some companies were key players at an early stage of field formation, whereas later universities and other extra-university institutes took over as the central drivers of scientific progress. Further differentiating among types of firms and research organisations, we find that in the co-patent network collaboration is most intense between high-technology firms and use-inspired basic research institutes. While many companies co-patent with several universities or other public institutes, some succeed in establishing almost exclusive relationships with public research units. It is shown that co-patent and co-publication ties are most effective at strengthening the technological performance of firms, that multiple interaction channels increase company performance, and that companies benefit from collaborating with scientifically central universities and institutes. --nanotechnology,network analysis,company performance,public research sector,innovation system,science industry cooperation,Germany

Characterizing creative scientists in nano S & T : productivity, multidisciplinarity, and network brokerage in a longitudinal perspective

While some believe that publication and citation scores are key predictors of breakthroughs in science, others claim that people who work at the intersection of scientific communities are more likely to be familiar with selecting and synthesizing alternatives into novel ideas. This paper contributes to this controversy by presenting a longitudinal comparison of highly creative scientists with equally productive researchers. The sample of creative scientists is identified by combining information on science awards and nominations by international peers covering research accomplishments in the mid-1990s. Results suggest that it is not only the sheer quantity of publications that causes scientists to produce creative pieces of work. Rather, their ability to effectively communicate with otherwise disconnected peers and to address a broader work spectrum also enhances their chances to be widely cited and to develop novel ideas. --

Analysis of heterogeneous collaboration in the German research system with a focus on nanotechnology

The German research system is functionally differentiated into various institutional pillars, most importantly the university system and the extra-university sector including institutes of the Helmholtz Association, the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association and the Fraunhofer Society. While the research organisations heterogeneous institutional profiles are widely regarded as a key strength of the German research landscape, tendencies towards segmentation and institutional self-interests have increasingly impeded inter-institutional collaboration. Yet, in young and highly dynamic fields, many research breakthroughs are stimulated at the intersection of established scientific disciplines and across fundamental and applied technological research. Therefore, inter-institutional collaboration is an important dimension of the performance of the German research system. There is tension between the need for effective inter-institutional collaboration on the one hand, and the governance structures in the public research sector on the other hand. The paper presents preliminary results of an ongoing DFG project on collaborations between the various research institutions in Germany, particularly in the field of nano S&T. It introduces key facts of the German research system including institutional dynamics between 1990 and 2002. It discusses rationales for cooperative research relationships and elaborates on institutional factors that either facilitate or interfere with the transfer of knowledge and expertise between research organizations. For this purpose, the paper refers to a governance cube as a heuristic tool that captures three institutional dimensions which are important in facilitating heterogeneous research cooperation. --

Identifying creative research accomplishments : methodology and results for nanotechnology and human genetics

Motivated by concerns about the organizational and institutional conditions that foster research creativity in science, we focus on how creative research can be defined, operationalized, and empirically identified. A functional typology of research creativity is proposed encompassing theoretical, methodological and empirical developments in science. We then apply this typology through a process of creative research event identification in the fields of nanotechnology and human genetics in Europe and the United States, combining nominations made by several hundred experts with data on prize winners. Characteristics of creative research in the two respective fields are analyzed, and there is a discussion of broader insights offered by our approach. --

Development and application of coupled THM solvers to estimate rock failure events from laboratory to field scales

In this thesis I present a theoretical and numerical model to simulate complex fluid-rock interactions with a poro- elasto- plastic rheology, multi- phase flow and heat transport (THM- model). Goal of this work is to improve existing approaches fundamentally by elaborating a better, dynamic rheological model as well as developing tools to improve the comparison between simulation and observations on field and laboratory scale. This work contains the derivation and implementation of a two- surface plastic damage model, a method to detect a numerical analog for acoustic emissions in rock samples and a simulation of earthquake swarms in western bohemia. The developed damage model outnumbers existing approaches in terms of a realistic reproduction of experimental measurements and will be usefull for future simulations of drained and undrained rock deformations. Especially if the rock is subjected to cyclic load or pore pressure, damage effects are essential. In fluid- rock systems this can often be the case due to temporarily increasing and decreasing fluid pressure. Reoccurring, fluid- driven earthquake swarms and stimulation of geothermal fields with hydrofracturing are examples for this. Acoustic emissions (AE) and (micro-) seismic events contain important information on a very local range which can not be resolved by other measurement techniques. On the other hand, there is no physical property directly related to AE. In this work I present a straightforward mechanism to obtain a proxy for acoustic emissions during a numerical simulation which agrees very well with laboratory measurements. The same mechanism can be extended to field scale for detecting and localizing earthquakes. I present an application of this method to the 2008 earthquake swarm in West- Bohemia (Czech Republic). Using the developed method I am abel reproduce the localization, temporal evolution and magnitude distribution of the original earthquake catalog. The projects examined in this thesis are suitable over a wide range of use cases. Industrial applications like geothermal energy or CO2 sequestration can profit from presented methods and natural phenomena like earthquake swarms can be examined in more detail. Several aspects of this work are not even limited to geoscience and can be helpful in other subjects like material science and civil engineering. To validate and enable a reasonable usage of the theoretical model a numerical implementation is presented for all developed models.In dieser Arbeit präsentiere ich ein theoretisches und numerisches Model zur Beschreibung komplexer Wechselwirkungen zwischen Gestein und Flüssigkeiten. Ich verwende dabei eine poro- elasto- plastische Rheologie, Mehr- Phasen- Fluide und Wärmetransport (THM- Model). Ziel der Arbeit ist es existierende Modelle zu verbessern, indem ein vollständiges, dynamisches rheologisches Model ausgearbeitet wird und Methoden entwickelt werden, um einen besseren Vergleich zwischen Simulation und Feld- und Labormessungen zu ermöglichen. Diese Arbeit beinhaltet die Herleitung eines plastischen Schadensmodel, eine Methode um ein numerisches Analogon für akustische Emissionen in Gesteinsproben zu finden und eine Simulation eines Erdbebenschwarms in West- Böhmen. Ein realistisches Schadensmodel ist besonders dann von Bedeutung, wenn Belastungen zyklisch stattfinden. In Gesteins- Flüssigkeits Systemen kann das vorkommen durch ansteigenden und abnehmenden Fluiddruck. Etwa wiederkehrende, fluid-getriebene Erdbebenschwärme oder die Stimulation eines Gebietes durch Hydrofracturing sind Beispiele dafür. Akustische Emissionen (AE) und (mikro-) seismische Ereignisse geben Informationen über sehr lokale Spannungszustände, die durch andere Messungen nicht zugänglich sind. Gleichzeitig sind jedoch gerade AEs nicht direkt mit einer physikalischen Größe verknüpft. In dieser Arbeit entwickle ich eine Methode um eine physikalische und numerische Entsprechung für diese Emissionen zu finden. Mit Hilfe der gleichen Methode bin ich auch in der Lage die örtlich- zeitliche sowie die Magnituden- Entwicklung des 2008 Erdbebenschwarms in Böhmen zu reproduzieren. Die entwickelten Methoden haben eine Vielzahl an Anwendungen. Sowohl industrieler Art, etwa für geothermische Anlagen oder zur Speicherung von CO2 im Untergrund, als auch zur Beschreibung natürlicher Erscheinungen wie Erdbebenschwärme. Einige Aspekte dieser Arbeit sind nicht auf die Geowissenschaften begrenzt, sondern können auch in verwandten Wissenschaften wie der Materialkunde oder dem Bauingenieurwesen Verwendung finden. Um die entwickelten Methoden zu testen und eine realistische Anwendung zu ermöglichen sind alle entwickelten Methoden in ein numerisches Model eingebettet

Analysis of heterogeneous collaboration in the German research system with a focus on nanotechnology

The German research system is functionally differentiated into various institutional pillars, most importantly the university system and the extra-university sector including institutes of the Helmholtz Association, the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association and the Fraunhofer Society. While the research organisations’ heterogeneous institutional profiles are widely regarded as a key strength of the German research landscape, tendencies towards segmentation and institutional self-interests have increasingly impeded inter-institutional collaboration. Yet, in young and highly dynamic fields, many research breakthroughs are stimulated at the intersection of established scientific disciplines and across fundamental and applied technological research. Therefore, inter-institutional collaboration is an important dimension of the performance of the German research system. There is tension between the need for effective inter-institutional collaboration on the one\ud hand, and the governance structures in the public research sector on the other\ud hand.\ud \ud The paper presents preliminary results of an ongoing DFG project on collaborations between the various research institutions in Germany, particularly in the field of nano S&T. It introduces key facts of the German research system including institutional dynamics between 1990 and 2002. It discusses rationales for cooperative research relationships and elaborates on institutional factors that either facilitate or interfere with the transfer of knowledge and expertise between research organizations. For this purpose, the paper refers to a "governance cube" as a heuristic tool that captures three institutional dimensions which are important in facilitating heterogeneous research cooperation

Studies on the sulfation of cellulose α-lipoate and ability of the sulfated product to stabilize colloidal suspensions of gold nanoparticles

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. A versatile method for the synthesis of cellulose α-lipoate with a low degree of substitution (DS) has been developed using N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA)/LiCl as a solvent and N,N′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) as an esterification reagent. The cellulose α-lipoate with DS of α-lipoate groups of 0.26 was converted with sulfur trioxide-pyridine complex in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent. The sulfation is accompanied by an unexpected partial oxidation of the disulfide moiety leading to the formation of the corresponding stereoisomers of S-oxides. The resulting mixture of water-soluble cellulose α- and β-lipoate sulfate possesses a DS of sulfuric acid half ester groups of 1.78. This cellulose-α/β-lipoate sulfate derivative can be used as an effective stabilizer and solubilizer for the formation of colloidal suspensions of gold nanoparticles formed in situ in aqueous solution

Different methods to define utility functions yield different results and engage different neural processes

Although the concept of utility is fundamental to many economic theories, up to now a generally accepted method determining a subject’s utility function is not available. We investigated two methods that are used in economic sciences for describing utility functions by using response-locked event-related potentials in order to assess their neural underpinnings. For defining the certainty equivalent (CE), we used a lottery game with probabilities of 0.5, for identifying the subjects’ utility functions directly a standard bisection task was applied. Although the lottery tasks’ payoffs were only hypothetical, a pronounced negativity was observed resembling the error related negativity (ERN) previously described in action monitoring research, but this occurred only for choices far away from the indifference point between money and lottery. By contrast, the bisection task failed to evoke an ERN irrespective of the responses’ correctness. Based on these findings we are reasoning that only decisions made in the lottery task achieved a level of subjective relevance that activates cognitive-emotional monitoring. In terms of economic sciences, our findings support the view that the bisection method is unaffected by any kind of probability valuation or other parameters related to risk and in combination with the lottery task can, therefore, be used to differentiate between payoff and probability valuation.Utility function; neuroeconomics; error-related negativity; executive functions; cognitive electrophysiology; lottery,bisection

Mechanistic considerations of efficient esterification of starch with propionic anhydride/lauric acid in the green solvent imidazole

Abstract Starch esters have become increasingly attractive as sustainable materials. Instead of carboxylic acid chlorides, mixtures of carboxylic acid anhydrides and carboxylic acids are used to synthesize highly substituted starch esters efficiently applying the new starch solvent imidazole. The reaction is a promising alternative to the existing protocols and leads to thermoplastic mixed starch esters. The mechanism for the reaction path is elucidated by the conversion of starch with propionic anhydride/lauric acid in molten imidazole and various model reactions applying Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopic measurements. Mixed starch esters are obtained bearing not only propionate groups introduced by the reactive anhydride but also moieties originating from the lauric acid. The propionic anhydride is shown to react with imidazole to form the corresponding imidazolide. Moreover, the imidazolide is in equilibrium with the lauric acid to form the corresponding imidazolide as well

Züchterische Weiterentwicklung samenfester Brokkolisorten für den Ökologischen Landbau im Hinblick auf agronomische Merkmale sowie sensorische Eigenschaften

Innerhalb der fünfjährigen Projektlaufzeit wurden sechs offen blühende Ausgangspopulationen von Brokkoli mit der züchtungshandwerklich-traditionellen Methode der Einzelpflanzenauslese und Prüfung der Nachkommenschaften an zwei biologisch-dynamisch bewirtschafteten On-farm-Standorten züchterisch bearbeitet. Projektziel war es, Zuchtlinien als Grundlage für samenfeste Neuzüchtungen zu entwickeln, die den Anforderungen des qualitätsorientierten ökologischen Anbaus entsprechen und sich durch besondere Schmackhaftigkeit auszeichnen. Das Gesamtvorhaben bestand aus zwei eng miteinander verzahnten Teilprojekten. Der Projektpartner Universität Hohenheim führte im Teilprojekt 1 (FKZ 2810OE112) Anbauversuche ausgewählter Zuchtlinien durch und übernahm analytische und sensorische Untersuchungen. Teilprojekt 2 (FKZ 2810OE080) umfasste die züchterische Weiterentwicklung i.e.S. durch Kultursaat; als Reaktion auf unvorhergesehene Schwierigkeiten im Samenbau wurde zudem ein Stecklingsanbau als Methode zur Sicherung des Zuchtfortschrittes und Steigerung des Samenertrages erfolgreich entwickelt. Im letzten Projektjahr wurden 18 aussichtsreiche Zuchtlinien neben den Ausgangspopulationen und einer Referenzhybride an jeweils zwei Standorten im Frühjahrs- und Herbstanbau umfangreich geprüft. Insbesondere die für den Ökologischen Erwerbsgemüsebaus relevanten Kriterien Erntezeitraum, (marktfähiger) Ertrag, Einheitlichkeit, Blumenfestigkeit und Geschmack wurden untersucht. Ein Großteil der Zuchtlinien zeigte eine Verbesserung agronomischer und sensorischer Merkmale gegenüber der jeweiligen Ausgangspopulation. Mehrere interessante Favoriten konnten identifiziert werden: Zuchtlinie GRE-hellgr-aufrecht und GRE-grau fielen durch relativ hohe enorme Erntemengen auf, GRE-grau wurde zudem als besonders schmackhaft bewertet. Relativ feste, feinkörnige Blumen und eine hohe Einheitlichkeit des Bestandes wies Zuchtlinie LIM-19-28 auf. Zuchtlinie COA-sp-21-7 gehört zum Typ Sprossen-Brokkoli und könnte sich, trotz geringer Erträge, als schmackhafte Spezialität in der Direktvermarktung eignen. Innerhalb von zwei bis drei Jahren nach Projektende soll mindestens ein Sortenkandidat der behördlichen Zulassung zugeführt werden