Fuzzy front-end learning strategies: Exploration of a high-tech company

AbstractThis article investigates the upstream and usually hidden stages of new product/service development projects and aims to provide a set of learning actions that contribute to the reduction in fuzziness during early development stages. Because the fuzzy front end involves high levels of uncertainty, this article first analyzes the dimensions of fuzziness and then describes two in-depth case studies. The rich and contrasted insights into one success and one failure of a high-tech company identify how managers can use learning strategies to reduce fuzziness. Qualitative investigations based on interviews with managers and team members responsible for development projects reveal how the choice of specific learning strategies can address one or all three dimensions of fuzziness. By contrasting successes and failures, the study reveals how specific learning strategies can lead to an efficient reduction in fuzziness during the early stages of development. We identified broad sets of actions, including competencies recruitment, use of guiding visions, use of personal networks to find appropriate solutions, and processes that help connect client expectations with firm solutions. The detailed description of adopted means outlines how managers can succeed in the early stages of development by mastering organizational learning tools

Biochemical Conversion of Biomass into Butanol Using Clostridium acetobutylicum

Butanol is a potential transportation fuel which could eventually replace fossil- derived petroleum and transition the world towards a more sustainable future. This fuel can be produced by enzymatically hydrolyzing pretreated lignocellulosic biomass, and simultaneously fermenting the resultant sugars with specific bacterial strains. In this experiment switchgrass was chemically pretreated in a 75% (v/v) ethanol and 1% H2SO4 (1% v/v) solution and subjected to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with hydrolytic enzymes and Clostridium acetobutylicum. The pH control method for the SSF apparatus was varied between a 50 mM acetate buffer solution (HOAc), and the addition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powder. Cellular products were quantified by HPLC analysis, and results were compared to identical procedures conducted on microcrystalline cellulose. The microcrystalline cellulose SSF procedures yielded 4.33 g/L (HOAc) and 4.27 g/L (CaCO3) of butanol, with 0.037 g/L/min (HOAc) and 0.038 g/L/min (CaCO3) butanol production rates. No butanol was produced from switchgrass, regardless of the pH control method. Butyric acid, the chemical precursor to butanol, was produced from switchgrass samples however, which suggests the final conversion step to butanol was most likely hindered. It is believed that the pH levels of the switchgrass SSF apparatuses were unsatisfactory, or that the acid-pretreated biomass released inhibitory compounds which prevented the biosynthesis of butanol

A New Electoral System for a New Century

The Electoral College as an institution is an archaic relic of times past and is in serious need of reevaluation concerning the modern age of technology and communication. Through discussion the author argues that the current electoral system is a hindrance to electoral democracy in this country and could easily be made more efficient and democratic to meed modern standards

A New Electoral System for a New Century

The Electoral College as an institution is an archaic relic of times past and is in serious need of reevaluation concerning the modern age of technology and communication. Through discussion the author argues that the current electoral system is a hindrance to electoral democracy in this country and could easily be made more efficient and democratic to meed modern standards

A low-noise CCD electrometer using buried-channel LDD nMOSFETs

A iow-noise, CCD electrometer is presented that makes use of devices akin to buried-channel, LDD NMOS FETs. Self-aligned source and drain contacts are used that result in high performance and a simplified process. These devices were fabricated in a scaled, buried-channel NMOS CCD process without adding any process complexity. In spite of the higher capacitances associated with the scaled process (higher levels of doping and thinner gate oxides) in which this device was constructed, the input referred voltage responsivity or sensitivity of this electrometer is 15 /xV/electron, the highest reported to date. This high responsivity leads to superior noise performance. At room temperature, the output amplifier\u27s input-referred-noise component is only 7.5 electrons rms over a -3dB bandwidth of 35.9 MHz. The total input-referred noire of this wide-band electrometer is only 7.2 electrons rms, with correlated double-sampling employed to eliminate kTC noise. Therefore, the noise performance has been greatly improved over the current state-of-the-art, floating-diffusion, amplifier-type electrometers

Comparison of sounding, profiler, radar and ceilometer data from Porto Santo Island during ASTEX

Spring 1994.Bibliography: pages [71]-72

Enhanced SDC support for relative timing designs

Journal Articl

IL-1α and TNF-α Down-Regulate CRH Receptor-2 mRNA Expression in the Mouse Heart

Two receptors (CRH receptor type 1 and CRH receptor type 2) have been identified for the stress-induced neuropeptide, CRH and related peptides, urocortin, and urocortin II. We previously found marked down-regulation of cardiac CRH receptor type 2 expression following administration of bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, a model of systemic immune activation, and inflammation. We postulated that inflammatory cytokines may regulate CRH receptor type 2. We show that systemic IL-1α administration significantly down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in mouse heart. In addition, TNFα treatment also reduces CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, although the effect was not as marked as with IL-1α. However, CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression is not altered in adult mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes stimulated in vitro with TNFα or IL-1α. Thus, cytokine regulation may be indirect. Exogenous administration of corticosterone in vivo or acute restraint stress also reduces cardiac CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, but like cytokines, in vitro corticosterone treatment does not modulate expression in cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, treatment with urocortin significantly decreases CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in cultured cardiomyocytes. We speculate that in vivo, inflammatory mediators such as lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines may increase urocortin, which in turn down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 expression in the heart. Because CRH and urocortin increase cardiac contractility and coronary blood flow, impaired CRH receptor type 2 function during systemic inflammation may ultimately diminish the adaptive cardiac response to adverse conditions