Pictorial display of materials and processes aids in fabricating complex assemblies

Method uses assembly consisting of single pictorial display showing cutaway view of assembly, subassemblies identified by name and materials, and processes identified by both specification and commercial design. Display is used in engineering, manufacturing, and personnel training

Division of labor between firms: business services, non-ownership-value and the rise of the service economy

Why have services grown into the dominant sector of developed economies? Our analysis of macroeconomic data shows that business services make the strongest contribution to the rise of the service sector. We integrate three related economic theories of the firm to explain business services in shaping firms, industries and economies. Business service providers relieve their clients from the costs of asset ownership (Property Rights Theory), unlock management capacity (Resource-Based View) and support their clients in navigating their firm's boundaries towards their most valuable business opportunities (Entrepreneurial Theory of the Firm). We show how these theories build on the non-ownership value provided by business services that result from sound division of labor between organizations. We highlight three areas that call for research and provide opportunities for service science: (1) Systematic design of business-models for fostering service performance, (2) the transformation of high-tech-products into service-hubs, and (3) service-driven innovation and the transformation of R&D into a service industry

Capturing value in the service economy

The benefits of specialization have been driving the rise of the service economy and pushing capability frontiers and economic growth. In service economies, almost any activity, asset, and skill can be bought on competitive markets, making it harder to build competitive advantage on those inputs. Therefore, firms have to carefully decide what to own in order to capture value, and they need to prioritize investments in those assets while outsourcing almost everything else. Service businesses capture value by connecting resource markets with service markets, and we identified three types of assets that allow a firm to connect markets and capture value in the process. They are: (1) resource-based assets shaping capabilities and capacities of services; (2) platform-based assets connecting resource owners with users,allowing to generate network effects, critical mass, volume and/or liquidity; and (3) market-based assets providing the interface for interaction with customers. We propose further three key dimensions that shape each service-asset type: Physical capital, intellectual capital and social capital including service climate as a framework for a typology of service assets. We identify further two domains of service management that allow firms to capture value: (1) business models for designing the architecture and "Gestalt" of value creation; and (2) the effective management of an integrated web of processes and activities. We discuss implications for management and further research

Observation of coasting beam at the HERA Proton--Ring

We present data collected with the HERA-B wire target which prove the existence of coasting beam at the HERA proton storage ring. The coasting beam is inherently produced by the proton machine operation and is not dominated by target effects.Comment: 17 pages (Latex), 12 figures (Enc. Postscript

Relational governance mechanisms and uncertainties in nonownership services

Entrepreneurs, managers and consumers are attracted by the promise of nonownership services in the sharing economy - to enjoy benefits of assets without bearing the costs and downsides of ownership. In many cases, reality of nonownership does not live-up to the promised value propositions, as present in the struggle of companies like Uber, BP or the entire Biopharma industry to exploit the potential of nonownership. In this article we unveil the underlying paradox of nonownership, which aims at a smart allocation of uncertainty upsides and downsides between providers and clients. We identify the potential of relational governance mechanisms to handle the uncertainty challenges apparent in nonownership. We present a pioneering case study of Rolls Royce airplane engines which unveils the contribution of relational governance in unfolding the economic benefits of nonownership

Genes for blood pressure: an opportunity to understand hypertension

Hypertension (HTN) is quantitatively the major cardiovascular risk factor and responsible for ∼50% of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Blood pressure (BP) is also a classical complex genetic trait with heritability estimates of 30-50%. Although much is known about BP regulation, the intrinsic origin of essential HTN remains obscure although many environmental factors are known. Analyses of rare monogenic syndromes of HTN have focused attention on pathways that involve renal sodium handling, and steroid hormone metabolism including the mineralocorticoid receptor activity. The genetic basis of common essential HTN on the other hand is only just becoming accessible through high-throughput approaches. Unbiased genome-wide analyses of BP genomics have identified 43 genetic variants associated with systolic, diastolic BP, and HTN. It is highly likely based on current findings that there are hundreds of such loci with small effects on BP, opening a perspective on the genetic architecture of BP that was unknown before. It is our hope that the knowledge of these and further loci will lead to improved understanding of BP pathophysiology and to the identification of new targets for drug therap

Enhanced relativistic-electron beam collimation using two consecutive laser pulses

The double laser pulse approach to relativistic electron beam (REB) collimation has been investigated at the LULI-ELFIE facility. In this scheme, the magnetic field generated by the first laser-driven REB is used to guide a second delayed REB. We show how electron beam collimation can be controlled by properly adjusting laser parameters. By changing the ratio of focus size and the delay time between the two pulses we found a maximum of electron beam collimation clearly dependent on the focal spot size ratio of the two laser pulses and related to the magnetic field dynamics. Cu-K alpha and CTR imaging diagnostics were implemented to evaluate the collimation effects on the respectively low energy ( MeV) components of the REB