Policy drivers of international entrepreneurship in Europe

The diversity of countries and cultures in Europe necessitates an international outlook for most businesses. This paper examines the internationalisation of business in Europe through a literature review on international entrepreneurship theory. The role of the individual business owner and of business and interorganisational activity in facilitating the internationalisation of businesses in Europe is discussed by utilising the theoretical framework of international entrepreneurship and by putting forward three main propositions. The main aim and intent of this paper is to understand how the policies of individual governments and institutions such as the European Union help businesses in Europe to internationalise, with particular emphasis on businesses in the Baltic region. The paper discusses policy implications and suggestions for future research, which highlight the importance for firms in Europe of focussing on international markets.<br /

Ageing of cadmium telluride radiation detectors and its diagnostics with low frequency noise

Samples of CdTe single crystals which are used as radiation detectors were periodically measured during a long time interval with different values of an applied voltage. The samples were also periodically exposed during long time periods to high temperatures of 390 K and to rapid changes of temperature from 300 K to 390 K. After 1.5 years of measurements we observed ageing of the samples which resulted in deterioration of their transport characteristics. The resistance of the samples increased significantly and current-voltage characteristics were unstable in time. Noise spectroscopy showed that low frequency noise can be used for detection of CdTe sample ageing as its spectral density increases significantly comparing to the 1/f noise of a high quality sample

Ageing of Cadmium Telluride Radiation Detectors and its Diagnostics with Low Frequency Noise

Samples of CdTe single crystals which are used as radiation detectors were periodically measured during a long time interval with different values of an applied voltage. The samples were also periodically exposed during long time periods to high temperatures of 390 K and to rapid changes of temperature from 300 K to 390 K. After 1.5 years of measurements we observed ageing of the samples which resulted in deterioration of their transport characteristics. The resistance of the samples increased significantly and current-voltage characteristics were unstable in time. Noise spectroscopy showed that low frequency noise can be used for detection of CdTe sample ageing as its spectral density increases significantly comparing to the 1/f noise of a high quality sample

System for non-destructive testing of varistors by means of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

Rezonansowa spektroskopia ultradźwiękowa jest efektywną metoda testowania nieniszczącego ukierunkowaną na wykrywanie defektów w badanych obiektach. Procedura testująca bazuje na wzorcu rezonansów i danego obiektu, co umożliwia odrzucenie testowanych próbek nie odpowiadających wzorcowi. W zbudowanym systemie do testowania warystorów wysokonapięciowych zastosowano metodę "przemiatania" częstotliwości do pomiaru widma rezonansów, których częstotliwości zależą od niejednorodności struktury warystora. Jako kryterium testowania zaproponowano parametr jakości struktury Q, na podstawie którego proponuje się eliminację wadliwych elementów we wczesnej fazie procesu produkcyjnego.Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy is an effective nondestructiye testing method focused on defects in tested objects. The testing procedure based on the resonant pattern allows to reject tested samples with defects do not fitting the pattern. A swept frequency method has been used to measure the spectrum of resonances in high-voltage varistors. The resonant frequencies depend on the varistor heterogeneity. The quality of the structure parameter Q has been proposed as a criterion for the "go- no go" testing for elimination of the defected elements in the preliminary stage of the varistor manufacturing process

Voltage Dependence of Supercapacitor Capacitance

Electronic Double-Layer Capacitors (EDLC), called Supercapacitors (SC), are electronic devices that are capable to store a relatively high amount of energy in a small volume comparing to other types of capacitors. They are composed of an activated carbon layer and electrolyte solution. The charge is stored on electrodes, forming the Helmholtz layer, and in electrolyte. The capacitance of supercapacitor is voltage- dependent. We propose an experimental method, based on monitoring of charging and discharging a supercapacitor, which enables to evaluate the charge in an SC structure as well as the Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) dependence. The measurement setup, method and experimental results of charging/discharging commercially available supercapacitors in various voltage and current conditions are presented. The total charge stored in an SC structure is proportional to the square of voltage at SC electrodes while the charge on electrodes increases linearly with the voltage on SC electrodes. The Helmholtz capacitance increases linearly with the voltage bias while a sublinear increase of total capacitance was found. The voltage on SC increases after the discharge of electrodes due to diffusion of charges from the electrolyte to the electrodes. We have found that the recovery voltage value is linearly proportional to the initial bias voltage value

Posterior interbody fusion using laminectomy bone and transpedicular screw fixation in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis

BACKGROUND Laminectomy bone is used widely in posterolateral lumbar fusion, but not interbody fusion. No prospective evaluation of interbody fusion using bone grafts from the posterior neural arch in spondylolisthesis has been found in the literature. We prospectively studied series of patients operated on for lumbar spondylolisthesis to evaluate clinical improvement and bony fusion. METHODS Forty-six patients were operated on for lumbar spondylolisthesis using a simplified one-stage posterior procedure. The whole mobile dorsal segment of the vertebral arch was taken out in one piece and the bone was used for interbody fusion. Fixation was performed with transpedicular screws and rods using transverse connectors. RESULTS After an average follow-up time of 27.3 months, 87% of the patients could be considered to have an excellent or good clinical outcome. The rate of successful fusion was 95.7%. No noteworthy complications occurred. CONCLUSION Laminectomy bone seems to be optimal for posterior interbody fusion and together with transpedicular rigid fixation the long-term clinical and radiological results are convincingly good. The method is advisable even for severe spondylolisthesis