Business Model and Non-Financial Key Performance Indicator Disclosure

Business model disclosure is proposed as a communication tool for companies to increase the effectiveness of non-financial key performance indicator (NFKPI) disclosure. First, business model enables the identification of indicators that are aligned with strategic objectives. Moreover, it acts as an integrated framework, showing how different capitals are combined to create value

A gate- and flux-controlled supercurrent diode

Non-reciprocal charge transport in supercurrent diodes (SDs) polarized growing interest in the last few years for its potential applications in superconducting electronics (SCE). So far, SD effects have been reported in complex hybrid superconductor/semiconductor structures or metallic systems subject to moderate magnetic fields, thus showing a limited potentiality for practical applications in SCE. Here, we report the design and the realization of a monolithic SD by exploiting a Dayem bridge-based superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Our structure allows reaching rectification efficiencies ($\eta$) up to about 6%. Moreover, the absolute value and the polarity of $\eta$ can be selected on demand by the modulation of an external magnetic flux or by a gate voltage, thereby guaranteeing high versatility and improved switching speed. Furthermore, our SD operates in a wide range of temperatures up to about the 70% of the superconducting critical temperature of the titanium film composing the interferometer. Our SD can find extended applications in SCE by operating in synergy with widespread superconducting technologies, such as nanocryotrons, rapid single flux quanta (RSFQs) and memories.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Mild chronic whole body vibration does not affect bone mineral mass or density in young females

Whole body vibration (WBV) is increasingly being used in several physical therapy settings. In order to evaluate the ability of WBV to affect bone mineral component, thirty-six young (mean age 25.3 ± 5.26 yrs) healthy females underwent eight weeks of WBV exercise (nineteen minutes per session, two session a week; vibration amplitude 2.0-5.0 mm, vibration frequency 40-60 Hz). Bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) were evaluated before and after the WBV trial using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the whole body mode. Data were analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance. Results show that neither BMC nor BMD were significantly affected by the WBV trial at the total body or regional skeletal level. It is concluded that, under the current experimental conditions, WBV exercise is not able to improve bone mineral parameters in young healthy females before the peak bone mass. Further investigation is required to recommend WBV for increasing bone quality parameters in premenopausal women

Business Model Reporting: Why the Perception of Preparers and Users Matters

The aim of this work is to investigate the alignment of preparers’ and users’ perceptions of the BM and its constitutive elements. Results show that, while both categories assign great importance to this concept, different conceptions of the purpose and the components of a BM emerge

Distance optical sensor for quantitative endoscopy.

We present a novel optical sensor able to mea- sure the distance between the tip of an endoscopic probe and the anatomical object under examination. In medical endoscopy, knowledge of the real distance from the endo- scope to the anatomical wall provides the actual dimen- sions and areas of the anatomical objects. Currently, en- doscopic examination is limited to a direct and qualitative observation of anatomical cavities. The major obstacle to quantitative imaging is the inability to calibrate the ac- quired images because of the magnification system. How- ever, the possibility of monitoring the actual size of ana- tomical objects is a powerful tool both in research and in clinical investigation. To solve this problem in a satisfac- tory way we study and realize an absolute distance sensor based on fiber optic low-coherence interferometry FOLCI. Until now the sensor has been tested on pig tra- chea, simulating the real humidity and temperature 37°C conditions. It showed high sensitivity, providing correct and repeatable distance measurements on biologi- cal samples even in case of very low reflected power down to 2t o 3n W, with an error lower than 0.1 mm. © 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. DOI: 10.1117/1.287013

Electrostatic field-driven supercurrent suppression in ionic-gated metallic Josephson nanotransistors

Recent experiments have shown the possibility to tune the electron transport properties of metallic nanosized superconductors through a gate voltage. These results renewed the longstanding debate on the interaction between intense electrostatic fields and superconductivity. Indeed, different works suggested competing mechanisms as the cause of the effect: unconventional electric field-effect or quasiparticle injection. By realizing ionic-gated Josephson field-effect nanotransistors (IJoFETs), we provide the conclusive evidence of electrostatic field-driven control of the supercurrent in metallic nanosized superconductors. Our Nb IJoFETs show bipolar giant suppression of the superconducting critical current up to $\sim45\%$ with negligible variation of both the critical temperature and the normal-state resistance, in a setup where both overheating and charge injection are impossible. The microscopic explanation of these results calls upon a novel theory able to describe the non-trivial interaction of static electric fields with conventional superconductivity.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure