Some yeasts secrete polypeptide toxins, which are lethal to other sensitive yeast cells, gram-positive pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic fungi. Therefore these are designated as killer toxins. Killer toxins are suggested as potent antimicrobial agents especially for the protection of fermentation process against contaminating yeasts, biological control of undesirable yeasts in the preservation of foods. Moreover they are promising antimicrobial agents in the medical field / due to immune system suppressing diseases like AIDS, there is an increase in the incidence of fungal diseases and current antimycotics have low selectivity and severe side effects. In this study our aim was to explain the cytocidal effect and enzymatic properties of K5 type yeast killer protein, which is secreted by Pichia anomala NCYC 434 cells, and known to have a broad range of killing spectrum. Competitive inhibition of the toxin with cell wall polysaccharides showed that primary binding site of toxin is &amp / #946 / -1,3-glucans of sensitive cells. Toxin showed exo-&amp / #946 / -1,3-glucanase activity which causes loss of cell wall rigidity leading cell death. Km and Vmax were found to be 0,3 mg/ml and 372,3 &micro / mol/min/mg for laminarin hydrolysis. The toxin exerted its cytocidal effect after 2 h contact with the target cells. Toxin production was found to be dependent on &amp / #946 / -1,3-glucan content of the media. Toxin activity was completely inhibited by Hg+2 ,while several metal ions and DTT increased the activity to different extends. Our findings revealed the characteristics of K5 type killer toxin which will help for its possible uses in near future.

This thesis assesses how technology policy, R&amp / D activities and innovativeness interact to yield higher economic performance in Turkish manufacturing industries. The first aim of this thesis is to analyze the role of R&amp / D support programs as one of the instruments of technology policy on the demand for researchers. We evaluated the impact of R&amp / D support receiving on the demand for researchers by estimating a two stage treatment effect model that solves the problem of selection bias and found that receiving R&amp / D support encourages firms to demand more researchers. The second aim of this thesis is to analyze the determinants of generating product and process innovations. We evaluated the determinants of generating product and process innovations by estimating a bivariate probit model and found that the determinants of generating product and process innovations were related but they varied with the technological level and opportunity of the industry. The last aim of this thesis is to analyze the effect of product and process innovations on employment. We hypothesized that these two types of innovations have different impacts on employment and test this hypothesis by estimating two different econometric models: the first one is a treatment effect model controlling for the endogeneity of innovations and the second one is a selection model that controls for survival status of the firm. We found that the impact of product innovations on the employment growth rate is negative and the impact of process innovations on the employment growth rate is positive regardless of technology level of industries.

In this study, the evolution of structure and the relationship between microstructure and corrosion behavior of the Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) alloy was investigated in Ringer&amp / #8217 / s solution at 37 &plusmn / 0.1 oC. Initially, different heat treatments were performed in order to obtain several microstructures which were / Widmanst&auml / tten &amp / #945 / for furnace cooling (FC), basket-weave &amp / #945 / for air cooling (AC), martensite (&amp / #945 / &#039 / ) for water quenching (WQ) from 1060 oC, and aged martensite for ten hours at 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 oC. The microstructural characterizations were done by using SEM and X-ray Diffraction technique. Finally, the corrosion tests were accomplished in Ringer&amp / #8217 / s solution and NaF added Ringer&amp / #8217 / s solution by using open circuit potential and anodic polarization techniques, respectively. The results showed that vanadium element removal from martensite phase and unit cell volume increase were detected during aging due to the replacement of vanadium with titanium atoms. According to the alloying element distribution throughout the microstructure, the passive film formation due to equilibrium corrosion conditions was better in FC specimen than AC and WQ specimens. But during anodic polarization, the stability of the film in high Cl- ion concentration medium was more resistant to dissolution for WQ and aged specimens. As a result, the alloying element distribution underneath the passive film seemed to have an important role on the film formation and its stability. However, in non-equilibrium conditions, the passive film formation tendency due to the addition of NaF at 0.2M decreased because of the detrimental effects of F- ions.

Abstract This dissertation investigates the use of management accounting and control systems in R&D intensive firms in different organizational life-cycle stages. The thesis consists of four essays focusing on two categories of management accounting and control systems: capital budgeting decisions and management control systems. First, we investigate the evaluation and financing of investment projects in R&D intensive firms. Second, we moreover investigate how R&D intensive firms themselves use management control systems and how investors control their investments in R&D intensive target firms. The survey method within a contingency framework is used in the first three essays while the last essay represents the case study method. However, the dissertation as a whole is based on two main contexts, i.e. the organizational life-cycle and the field of high technology. The results indicate that more sophisticated capital budgeting methods are used in large-sized R&D intensive firms while small-sized firms are not so likely to use these methods. The results indicate that firms understand the nature of R&D investment on the level of strategic management, because they have adopted strategic management tools in order to achieve better financial performance. We conclude that high R&D intensity plays an important role in management accounting, suggesting that large-sized high R&D intensity firms take note of special characteristics of R&D investments when taking strategic capital budgeting decisions. The comparison of the growth and revival stages extends the earlier life-cycle literature indicating that the information produced by management accounting and control systems is at least as important in the revival firm as it is during the first growth stage.

International migration to Chile and to the Santiago Metropolitan Area (SMA), its major point of attraction, is a rather recent phenomenon which is gaining more and more attention. According to the latest population census the number of foreigners who were born abroad and permanently live in Chile, has increased by 75% between 1992 and 2002. Parallel to this, the national policy debate about immigration is becoming more intensive. However, until now there is only little evidence concerning the patterns of international migration and the characterization of the immigrants’ social space. This study is oriented towards reducing this deficit. Based on a thorough theoretical discussion, recent research publications and international reports, the study pursues mainly four objectives: The first objective is to identify major patterns of international migration as a context for the immigration to Chile and the SMA. The second objective is to understand the main features of international migration to the SMA. The third objective is to analyze the immigrants’ social space and its contribution to the overall urban development patterns in the SMA. And finally, the research results are linked with the national policy debate about immigration, and a number of policy recommendations are made. The study applies a mix of – mainly quantitative – methods, such as descriptive and analytical statistics including factor and cluster analyses using Chilean census data and visa records. The current immigration situation in Chile is characterized by a notable increase in the number of South American migrants, being attracted by better job opportunities. Moreover, there are growing numbers of young migrants for educational reasons. Chile appears to present an “intervening opportunity” in the migrants’ decision-making process, where a number of factors, such as new policy regulations in industrialized countries, the time/cost distance, as well as the economic development and political stability in the country, increasingly seem to turn into competitive advantages as compared to countries like the US, Spain or Italy. The qualification profiles of migrants in the SMA sharply contrast with the situation in most industrialized countries. In general, the educational level of immigrants is rather high. In general, immigrants strongly contribute to the educational level of the population in the SMA. Like in most global cities, two major streams of international migrants can be found in the SMA, on the one hand those who belong to the upper levels of the occupational hierarchy and on the other hand marginalized low-skill employees. The related data can be taken as an indication for the fact that a large group of immigrants is employed below their qualification levels. In the SMA, professionals and technicians play a very important role, and, except for some of the Peruvian and Ecuadorian migrants, there is little evidence of labour market segmentation. Skilled migrants contribute to reducing gaps of labour market supply in some sectors of the economy, such as public health and private education. Low-skilled migrants contribute to the labour market supply in fields where there is a growing demand, e.g. in the domestic services. Almost 50% of the international migrants live in five of the 34 communes of the SMA. This seems to be largely determined by two main factors: Migrants are found where job opportunities are, and they follow similar patterns like the Chilean population regarding their socio-spatial differentiation. Furthermore, despite the relatively high spatial concentration of migrants, the SMA shows less evidence of residential segregation than many European and US cities. The highest segregation indexes are associated with European and US immigrants with a high socioeconomic status (“voluntary ghettos”). Factor and cluster analyses show major patterns of the socio-spatial distribution of migrants in the SMA: a rather large zone of low attraction for migrants, the downtown area concentrating recent flows, and a series of semi-concentric zones around the centre where the migrants’ socio-economic and residential status increases with distance from the city centre. This is consistent with models of urban dynamics of Latin American cities. Based on the results of this study, four major recommendations for the policy debate about immigration can be derived. There is a need for (1) strengthening the diagnosis regarding immigration, (2) the improvement of the institutional framework and the participation of stakeholders, (3) fostering international cooperation regarding issues of immigration, as well as (4) shaping public opinion and strengthening the integration of immigrants. / Zuwanderung nach Chile und in den Großraum Santiago, dem wichtigsten Attraktionspol des Landes, ist ein relativ junges Phänomen, gewinnt aber zunehmend an Bedeutung. Laut dem letzten Bevölkerungszensus des Landes hat sich die Zahl der Zuwanderer, d.h. nach chilenischer Definition der Personen, die im Ausland geboren wurden und permanent in Chile leben, zwischen 1992 und 2002 um 75% erhöht. Parallel zu dieser Entwicklung, hat eine nationale Politikdebatte eingesetzt, die derzeit an Fahrt gewinnt. Allerdings gibt es bis heute nur wenig gesichertes Wissen über die Zuwanderung in Chile und deren sozialräumliche Charakteristika. Diese Arbeit soll einen Beitrag zur Verringerung dieses Defizits leisten. Auf der Grundlage einer Diskussion theoretischer Ansätze sowie von Studien und internationalen Berichten jüngeren Datums zu Fragen der Zuwanderung verfolgt die vorliegende Arbeit im Wesentlichen vier Ziele: Erstens sollen die Grundlinien internationaler Wanderungsprozesse als Rahmen für die Diskussion der Entwicklungstrends in Chile und im Großraum Santiago nachgezeichnet werden. Zweitens sollen Charakteristika der Zuwanderung im Großraum Santiago herausgearbeitet werden. Drittens geht es um die Identifizierung sozialräumlicher Strukturen der Zuwanderung und ihren Beitrag zur Stadtentwicklung im Großraum Santiago. Und schließlich werden aus den Ergebnissen der Studie Empfehlungen an die Politik als Beitrag zur Zuwanderungsdebatte in Chile abgeleitet. In der Arbeit werden unterschiedliche – überwiegend quantitative – Methoden verwendet, so zum Beispiel der deskriptiven und analytischen Statistik einschließlich einer Faktoren- und Clusteranalyse. Der Autorin standen hierfür umfangreiche chilenische Zensus- und Visadaten zur Verfügung. Die Zuwanderung nach Chile ist gegenwärtig insbesondere von einem starken Anstieg des Anteils von Migranten aus Lateinamerika gekennzeichnet. Dabei spielen vor allem die vergleichsweise großen Arbeitsmarktpotenziale des Landes eine Rolle. Zudem steigt die Zahl jüngerer Zuwanderer, für die Chile attraktive Ausbildungs- und Studienmöglichkeiten bietet. Im Entscheidungsprozess von Migranten kommt Chile zunehmend die Rolle einer „intervening opportunity“ zu, wobei eine Reihe von Faktoren dem Land komparative Vorteile gegenüber traditionellen Zuwanderungsländern für Migranten aus Lateinamerika wie den USA, Spanien oder Italien verschafft. Hierzu gehören u.a. die verschärften Zuwanderungsbeschränkungen in vielen Industrieländern, die günstigen Voraussetzungen hinsichtlich Zeit-/ Kosten-Distanzen sowie das anhaltende Wirtschaftswachstum und die politische Stabilität in Chile. Das allgemeine Qualifikationsprofil der Zuwanderer im Großraum Santiago unterscheidet sich deutlich von dem der Migranten in den meisten Industriestaaten. Im Allgemeinen ist das Bildungsniveau der Zuwanderer hoch. Wie in den meisten Weltstädten wird das Gros der Zuwanderer im Großraum Santiago insbesondere von zwei Gruppen gestellt, zum einen von Hochqualifizierten in Führungspositionen und zum anderen von gering qualifizierten und häufig marginalisierten Zuwanderern. Die entsprechenden Daten können im Übrigen auch als ein Indiz dafür angesehen werden, dass im Großraum Santiago viele Zuwanderer unterhalb ihres Qualifikationsniveaus beschäftigt zu sein scheinen. Akademiker und Fachkräfte spielen unter den Zuwanderern im Großraum Santiago eine große Rolle und –mit Ausnahme von Zuwanderern aus Peru und Ecuador – gibt es kaum Anzeichen für eine Segmentierung des Arbeitsmarktes. Qualifizierte Zuwanderer tragen in einigen Bereichen wie zum Beispiel bei der öffentlichen Gesundheitsvorsorge oder in Privatschulen zum Abbau von Arbeitsmarktengpässen bei. Geringer Qualifizierte erhöhen das Arbeitskräftepotenzial in Bereichen, in denen es u.a. aufgrund des Wirtschaftsaufschwungs in Chile eine steigende Nachfrage nach Arbeitskräften gibt, zum Beispiel im Bereich der Haushaltshilfen. Fast 50% aller Zuwanderer wohnen in fünf der 34 Kommunen des Großraums Santiago. Dies ist im Wesentlichen auf zwei Faktoren zurückzuführen: Migranten lassen sich dort nieder, wo es Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten gibt und sie entwickeln ähnliche sozialräumliche Verteilungsmuster wie die chilenische Bevölkerung. Weiterhin ist festzustellen, dass die Zuwanderung trotz der relativ starken räumlichen Konzentration von Migranten im Großraum Santiago im Vergleich zu Großstädten in den USA oder in Europa kaum zu Segregation führt. Quer über verschiedene Segregationsindices sind jeweils die höchsten Werte bei Zuwanderern aus Europa und aus den USA mit hohem sozioökonomischem Status festzustellen („volontary ghettos“). Mit Hilfe von Faktoren- und Clusteranalysen lassen sich räumliche Verteilungsmuster von Zuwanderern im Großraum Santiago nachweisen: Ein weiter Bereich des Großraums Santiago (insbesondere im Westen und Süden) bietet offensichtlich nur wenig Attraktivität für Migranten; das Zentrum des Großraums bildet einen kernstädtischen Bereich mit relativ junger Zuwanderung; daran schließen mehrere halbkreisförmige Gebieten um das Zentrum an, in denen der Sozialstatus und die Wohnverhältnisse der Migranten nach außen hin zunehmen. Diese Struktur ist weitgehend vergleichbar mit lateinamerikanischen Stadtentwicklungsmodellen. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit legen im Hinblick auf die Zuwanderungsdebatte in Chile eine Reihe von Empfehlungen nahe. Dabei geht es im Wesentlichen um die folgenden Aspekte: (1) die Verbesserung der Informationsgrundlagen über Zuwanderung, (2) die Verbesserung der institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen und die Einbeziehung aller Beteiligten, (3) die Stärkung der internationalen Zusammenarbeit im Hinblick auf Migrationsfragen und (4) die Versachlichung der öffentlichen Debatte über Migration und die effizientere Integration von Zuwanderern.

The Master's thesis "Swedish innovation policy: success or paradox?" focuses on Sweden's public policy for innovation during the past two decades. It, however, deviates somewhat from the conventional notion that places Sweden in the forefront when it comes to innovation. On the contrary this study follows the line of thought that believes there is an imbalance between the inputs to innovation in terms of R&D investments, which are truly outstanding, and the economic outputs that have been rather unimpressive and could be higher. Using the innovation systems perspective, a theoretical framework that has grown popular with academics and policymakers alike, the thesis analyzes Sweden's innovation policy, aiming to find out, whether the government really performs the activities, that the innovation systems theory views as vital. While it can be said that the innovation policy truly fulfills a wide range of activities that the theory views as key, there is still room for improvement in several areas, due to which the innovation paradox is still in operation, albeit we can view it less as an acute problem but a rather an opportunity, which policy has not been able to capitalize on.

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