Global Links and Local Bonds: The Role of Ownership and Size in Productivity Growth

This paper examines direct and indirect contributions of foreign firms and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to aggregate productivity growth. We focus our attention on foreign firms and small firms for three reasons. First, industrial policy in almost all countries is oriented towards supporting SMEs and attracting foreign investment. Second, these two categories of firms contribute to micro-heterogeneity in all industries. Third, the recent industrial dynamics literature on foreign investment and small firms emphasizes the potential benefits of foreign firms and SMEs in generating new technologies, and creating new jobs. Using the data for Turkish manufacturing plants, we estimate production functions for all ISIC 4-digit level industries for the 1983-2001 period. We decompose productivity growth into its components (structural change, entry and exit, technical change, efficiency change, and scale effects) by firm ownership and size. The decomposition analysis by firm ownership and size allows us to understand the sources of productivity contributions by foreign firms and small firms.Productivity dynamics, decomposition, foreign direct investment, small and medium sized enterprises

VFR Travel in Turkey during and post-COVID-19

Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is a significant component of travel across the globe. Whilst COVID-19 impacted all travel in all countries, its impact on VFR in certain cultures was particularly pronounced. Aside from reconnecting socially with friends and relatives, in some cultures, certain ceremonies and rituals were compromised, meaning a complex choice for residents between focusing on global health information (e.g., avoiding contact, especially with elderly who are at risk) and disobeying significant cultural rituals that signify respect and importance. Whilst most VFR travel research has focused on western countries, this research examined the impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions and health warnings on VFR travel in the country of Turkey. The significance of COVID-19 to VFR travel in Turkey is explained, and implications for the future are put forward

Procjena boje i visine feromonske klopke iznad zemlje za ulov Ips sexdentatus i Thanasimus formicarius

The six-toothed pine bark beetle Ips sexdentatus is one of the most devastating bark beetles of Eurasian pine forests. Pheromone traps are used to monitor and control Ips sexdentatus populations. In this study, the effect of trap color and trap height on the capture of Ips exdentatus and its predator the ant beetle Thanasimus formicarius was investigated. The research was conducted in Pinus sylvestris stands within Yayla Forest Enterprise Chief (Kastamonu-Daday) in Turkey. In the study area, 25 Scandinavian type three-funnel traps of 5 different colors (yellow, white, green, black, and red traps with five replications) were used. Traps were placed at the same height, 1.5 m above ground. For the second part of the study, a total of 20 traps (5 per height category) was placed 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, and 2.5 m above ground. Traps were controlled at intervals of 7-10 days and captured Ips exdentatus and Thanasimus formicarius were counted. The results of the study were as follows: 1) Significant differences in the number of captures by trap color, and 2) No significant differences in the numbers of Ips sexdentatus and Thanasimus formicarius captured between the trap heights.Šesterozubi borov potkornjak Ips sexdentatus jedan je od najrazornijih potkornjaka u euroazijskim borovim šumama. Za praćenje populacija Ips sexdentatus koriste se feromonske klopke. U ovom radu istraživali smo utjecaj boje i visine klopki na ulov Ips sexdentatus i njegovog predatora Thanasimus formicarius. Istraživanje je provedeno u sastojinama Pinus sylvestris unutar Yayla Forest Enterprise Chief (Kastamonu-Daday) u Turskoj. U području istraživanja koristili smo 25 skandinavskih klopki s tri lijevka u pet različitih boja (žute, bijele, zelene, crne i crvene klopke). Klopke su postavljene na istu visinu, 1,5 m iznad zemlje. U drugom dijelu istraživanja postavljeno je ukupno 20 klopki (5 po visinskoj kategoriji) na visine od 1,0 m, 1,5 m, 2,0 m, i 2,5 m iznad zemlje. Klopke smo kontrolirali u intervalima od 7-10 dana i izbrojali smo jedinke Ips sexdentatus i T. formicarius. Dobiveni podaci su obrađeni Kruskal-Wallisovim testovima i testovima višestrukih usporedbi. Rezultati ispitivanja su sljedeći: 1) Značajne razlike u broju ulova u odnosu na boju klopki, 2) Postoji značajan i pozitivni odnos između štetnika i predatora, 3) Nisu utvrđene značajne razlike u broju uhvaćenih jedinki Ips sexdentatus i T. formicarius u odnosu na visine klopki

Kapadokya’ya yönelik algılar: Bir metafor analizi

Kapadokya; Nevşehir, Aksaray, Niğde, Kırşehir, Kayseri illerini içine alan bir bölgeden oluşmaktadır. Bölgede volkanik patlamalar, rüzgar ve sellerin etkisiyle oluşan peri bacaları eşşiz güzelliğiyle bölgeyi önemli bir turistik destinasyon haline getirmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Nevşehir ve Eskişehir’de yaşayan yerel halkın “Kapadokya” destinasyonuna ilişkin algılarını metaforlar yoluyla incelemektir. Çalışma grubu Nevşehir ve Eskişehir’de yaşayan yerel halktan oluşmaktadır. Araştırma verileri Nevşehir’de yaşayan 50 ve Eskişehir’de yaşayan 50 kişi ile yüz yüze görüşülerek, yarı yapılandırılmış anket formu aracılığı ile toplanmıştır. Böylelikle turistik bir destinasyon olan Kapadokya bölgesinde yaşayan ve yaşamayan insanların Kapadokya’ya ilişkin algıları belirlenmiş ve karşılaştırılmıştır. Anket formunda “Kapadokya benim için … gibidir, çünkü …” ifadesine yer verilmiş ve katılımcılardan bu ifadede yer alan boşlukları doldurmaları istenmiştir. Veriler içerik analizi tekniği kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre Kapadokya’ya ilişkin Nevşehir’deki katılımcılar 45, Eskişehir’deki katılımcılar ise 43 farklı metafor geliştirmiştir. Nevşehir’de yaşayanların en sık kullandığı metaforlar “evim” ve “masal diyarı” iken, Eskişehir’de yaşayanların ise “masal” metaforu olarak belirlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte bölgeye ilişkin Nevşehir’de yaşayan katılımcıların Eskişehir’de yaşayan katılımcılardan daha fazla olumsuz metafor geliştirdiği de elde edilen sonuçlar arasındadır. Araştırmada, bir destinasyonun hem yerel halk hem de potansiyel turistler açısından ne ifade ettiği ortaya konularak, destinasyon planlamasının etkin bir şekilde yürütülmesine katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir. Diğer taraftan önemi giderek artan metafor analiziyle ilgili literatüre de katkı sunulacağı düşünülmektedi

Inhibition of iNOS induction and nf-κΒ activation by taste compounds from the edible mushroom tricholoma caligatum (Viv.) ricken

© 2019 ACG Publications. All rights reserved. Tricholoma caligatum (Viv.) Ricken is an edible mushroom that belongs to matsutake group. The first chemical investigation of the three different extracts of Tricholoma caligatum resulted in two new compounds, 8-demethoxylascivol (1) and 8-epi-lascivol (2) and six known compounds, lascivol (3), trametenolic acid (4), ergosterol (5), ergosterol peroxide (6), 5α, 6α-epoxyergosterol (7), and cerebroside B (8). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including 1D and 2D NMR data. The biological activities of all the compounds were evaluated toward multiple targets related to inflammation and metabolic disorder such as NF-κΒ, iNOS and ROS. The findings of this study reveal that the edible mushroom Tricholoma caligatum could be a potential source for anti-inflammatory bioactive metabolites

Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Type Dementia

Aim. To asses both choroidal thickness differences among Alzheimer’s type dementia (ATD) patients, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and healthy control (C) subjects and choroidal thickness relationships with cognitive performance. Methods. A total of 246 eyes of 123 people (41 ATD, 38 MCI, and 44 healthy C subjects) were included in this study. Complete ophthalmological and neurological examination was performed in all subjects. Choroidal thicknesses (CT) were measured at seven locations: the fovea, 500-1500-3000 μm temporal and 500-1500-3000 μm nasal to the fovea by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Detailed neurological examination including mini mental state examination (MMSE) test which evaluates the cognitive function was applied to all participants. Results. The ages and genders of all participants were similar in all groups. Compared with healthy C subjects, the CT measurements at all regions were significantly thinner both in patients with ATD and in patients with MCI than in healthy C subjects (p<0.05). The MMSE scores were significantly different among ATD patients, MCI patients, and healthy C subjects. They were 19.3±1.8, 24.8±0.9, and 27.6±1.2 in ATD, MCI, and healthy controls, respectively (p<0.001). There were also significant correlation between MMSE score and choroidal thickness at each location (p<0.05). Conclusions. CT was reduced in ATD patients and MCI patients. Since vascular structures were affected in ATD patients and MCI patients, they had thin CT. Besides CT was correlated with degree of cognitive impairment. Therefore CT may be a new biomarker in diagnosis and follow-up of MCI and ATD patients

Instant determination of the artemisinin from various Artemisia annua L. extracts by LC-ESI-MS/MS and their in-silico modelling and in vitro antiviral activity studies against SARS-CoV-2

Introduction Numerous efforts in natural product drug development are reported for the treatment of Coronavirus. Based on the literature, among these natural plants Artemisia annua L. shows some promise for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Objective The main objective of our study was to determine artemisinin content by liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), to investigate the in vitro biological activity of artemisinin from the A. annua plants grown in Turkey with various extracted methods, to elaborate in silico activity against SARS-CoV-2 using molecular modelling. Methodology Twenty-one different extractions were applied. Direct and sequential extractions studies were compared with ultrasonic assisted maceration, Soxhlet, and ultra-rapid determined artemisinin active molecules by LC-ESI-MS/MS methods. The inhibition of spike protein and main protease (3CL) enzyme activity of SARS-CoV-2 virus was assessed by time resolved fluorescence energy transfer (TR-FRET) assay. Results Artemisinin content in the range 0.062-0.066%. Artemisinin showed significant inhibition of 3CL protease activity but not Spike/ACE-2 binding. The 50% effective concentration (EC50) of artemisinin against SARS-CoV-2 Spike pseudovirus was found greater than 50 mu M (EC45) in HEK293T cell line whereas the cell viability was 94% of the control (P < 0.01). The immunosuppressive effects of artemisinin on TNF-alpha production on both pseudovirus and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced THP-1 cells were found significant in a dose dependent manner. Conclusion Further studies of these extracts for COVID-19 treatment will shed light to seek alternative treatment options. Moreover, these natural extracts can be used as an additional treatment option with medicines, as well as prophylactic use can be very beneficial for patients

Analysis of GJB2 (Connexin 26) Mutation in Patients with Congenital Non-Syndromic Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective:This study was performed to investigate the GJB2 (connexin 26) gene mutations that are the most frequent cause of sensorineural deafness in patients with congenital non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss in our region.Methods:Sixty patients [35 males (58.3%) and 25 females (41.7%)] between the age of 2-43 years (12.11±9.03) diagnosed with congenital non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss were included in the study. The control group consisted of 60 individuals with similar demographic features having no hearing problems. 35delG, 167delT, delE120 and 235delC of GJB2 gene mutations and GJB6 gene mutations, and the presence of new mutations were also investigated by analysis of DNA sequences in all individuals.Results:Mutations were identified in 6 (10%) of the 60 patients in the study group. Five of these (8.3% of total) had 35delG and one (1.7%) had a delE120. No mutation was detected in control group individuals. In the study group, a statistically significant correlation was determined between the presence of familial sensorineural hearing loss history and 35delG or delE120 mutation (p=0.011, p=0.034).Conclusion:This is the first study which investigated the GJB2 gene mutation in our region, and our results indicate that 35delG mutation was the most frequent. We believe that our results are noteworthy for the identification of heterozygous or homozygous individuals and the genetic counseling of patients with congenital non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss and their family

Does asymptomatic/uncomplicated SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the perinatal outcomes of asymptomatic/uncomplicated SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and the relationship between gestational age at the time of infection and spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). Material and methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The study population included pregnant women who were 19–45 years old and who had been admitted to a Research and Training Hospital for singleton birth delivery. Women who had contracted SARS-CoV-2 during their pregnancy (n = 102) were compared to those who were not infected (n = 378) for the development of spontaneous PTB and other perinatal outcomes. The factors associated with spontaneous PTB were analyzed through univariate and multivariate methods. Results: Spontaneous PTB developed in 22.5% of the pregnant women with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and in 5.3% without a history of the infection (p &lt; 0.001). The multivariate model determined that compared to the non-infected women, the OR of spontaneous PTB among those who had contracted the virus in the first, second, and the third trimesters were 9.13 (p &lt; 0.001), 1.85 (p = 0.292) and 7.09 (p &lt; 0.001), respectively. Pregnancy cholestasis (3.9% vs 0.5%; p = 0.020) and placental abruption (3.9% vs 0.5%; p = 0.040) were significantly higher in cases with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the non-infected women. Conclusions: Asymptomatic or uncomplicated SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous PTB. This risk is higher particularly among pregnant women who develop the infection in the first and the third trimesters